I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 35: Wolf and Coyote

The death of the tax collector successfully brought Isaac closer to the cavalry captain, and both of them could sit together and chat and laugh.

Isaac knew that Chris's identity was very special, so he waved his hand to signal the latter to leave.

Connie walked away silently and went to remind everyone in the caravan not to drink, so as to avoid letting anything slip when they were drunk.

During the conversation, Isaac also learned the name of the cavalry captain...Popoli Alfonso.

The captain of the 3rd Company of the 27th Cavalry Regiment of the Bohemian El Province is currently on patrol... and collecting some gray tax.

Well, Isaac thinks that collecting gray tax is the main purpose of Popoli, and patrolling is just a side job.

This small town, called Pinewood Town, is the territory of the Alfonso family and also the territory of Popoli's cousin.

It was precisely because of this identity that Popoli angrily shot the tax official.

This corrupt official secretly stole property belonging to the Alfonso family. As a family member, there would be no aftereffects for him to kill the latter.

In fact, Popoli had long disliked this tax collector, and shooting him was a natural thing to do.

As for why he disliked the tax collector, Popoli just gave a slightly obscene smile and stopped talking about it, so Isaac did not ask any further.

The two men were chatting so enthusiastically that Popoli refused to leave. He asked the cavalry to camp next to the merchant camp, threatening to spend the night there and protect the empire's legitimate merchants.

"Just go ahead and sell your stuff without worrying about it. With me here, no one will come and cause trouble."

That night, Popoli, who came over to drink, slapped his chest so hard and made promises to Isaac, which made the latter laugh and cry.

You are the biggest danger, okay!

Not only that, on the third day of the caravan's camp, these Bohemian cavalrymen also set up tents in the camp, borrowed three empty carriages from the caravan, and started doing business with the townspeople and villagers who came from nearby.

What does Bohemian Cavalry sell?
They sold the goods they collected from the gray tax, including the homespun cloth from Isaac's caravan.

After discovering this fact, even the players were speechless.

"This Captain Bopoli is a truly amazing man. He sells the goods in front of the victims and makes his own money."

Home Alone commented.

"This is a minotaur."

Not only does he sell, but sometimes when he is too busy, Popoli will shamelessly come to Isaac to borrow people.

Borrowing from whom?

Borrow the caravan clerks to help sell the goods, borrow the chef, kitchen utensils and ingredients, and let Isaac Caravan prepare dinner for the cavalry company.

What could Isaac say?

Borrow.

However, even though it was a loan, Popoli was a straightforward person. After dinner, he took out a purse and paid the bill to Aix, covering the cost of the food.

This was a strange person, and Isaac was confused about what was going on with Popoli for a moment.

For five consecutive days, the Bohemian cavalry did not leave. Occasionally, Popoli would take some of the cavalry away, apparently to go out on patrol or hunting. Every time he came back, he would not be empty-handed, but would bring a few wild boars or some wine to visit Isaac.

After a while, Isaac felt embarrassed and had no way to tell Popoli to take his men away.

It was not until the seventh night, when Isaac and Popoli were a little drunk by the campfire, that the latter finally revealed his true face.

"Brother, you are a smuggler, right?"

"Ah!?" Isaac, who was still a little dizzy, was stunned. He looked at Bopoli, who was also looking at him with an expression of "stop pretending" on his face.

"It's not a big deal, don't be afraid. There are too many smuggling teams in the El Province heading to Retalia, and I won't kill them.

Because without them, where would I collect the gray tax?"

Isaac smiled awkwardly.

Popley bumped Isaac twice with his shoulder.

"Don't worry, given our relationship, I won't charge you any gray tax if we meet again... But then again, what kind of goods are you planning to smuggle?"

"Homespun cloth."

Since Popoli said so, Isaac continued with his words... Otherwise, I would say that I am not a smuggler, I am preparing to escort Prince Bagnia back to his country.

Do you think the second statement will cause Popoli to jump up and attack people?

Although this cavalry captain behaved a little foolishly now, Isaac had not forgotten his previous behavior of turning against the tax collector and suddenly killing him.

"Homespun?"

Bopoli scratched his head. His first reaction was disbelief, but when he thought about the gray tax he received from Isaac's caravan, he began to believe it.

Among the things in Isaac's caravan, only the cloth is valuable. Look at the other things, they are all rubbish.

Fresh olives, pieces of meat frozen in ice, some linen, and needle and thread.

Oh my God, Popoli almost thought he had met a bunch of peddlers wandering around the countryside.

"Homespun cloth isn't worth much. Even if you smuggle it and don't have to pay taxes to the customs officials, you won't make much money."

Popoli said in a concerned tone.

"Brother, where are you planning to smuggle to?"

"I'm going to go to Bagnaia for a walk."

"Bagnia? Isn't that place in the middle of a revolution and civil war?"

"Yeah, so I think there's an opportunity there, so I plan to take some things with me to check it out."

Isaac seemed to be honest in stating his purpose. Bopoli rolled his eyes and then covered his face with a drinking gesture. After a while, he put down his hands and showed a sincere expression to the former.

"Listen, brother, you won't make much money doing business like this. Although homespun cloth is very popular among the mountain people, the most they can do is barter for wood, wool, and leather."

"But if we don't sell homespun cloth, what should we sell?"

Isaac shook his head.

"Everyone needs clothes, and I think homespun cloth is great. As long as it's affordable, no one will refuse it."

"But it won't make a lot of money, so it's not worth risking your head.

How about this, I'll partner with you and we'll work together. I'll provide the goods, you'll ship them to Bagnia and sell them, and then we'll split the revenue 50-50, so we can make a lot of money together. How about that?"

"Oh, is that so? Then what goods can you provide?"

Bopoli looked around and made sure that he and Isaac were the only two people within five meters. He then leaned close to the latter's ear and spoke softly.

"Ammunition... I have a batch of arms. You can transport them to Bagnia, then find those guys who are fighting and sell them. You will definitely make a lot of money!"

(End of this chapter)