Mount and Blade Central Asia

Five hundred dinars is a huge sum of money, even for a sea merchant like Omar, it is a considerable expense. If this money is used to buy goods in the market, it can almost fill half of the ship.

As a Mongol, an orphan adopted by a shaman since childhood, Bater actually does not have much concept of money. He does not need to spend money on food, clothing, housing and transportation, and the teacher who raised him also has a kind of detached and unrestrained attitude.

What's worse is that Li Rufeng, the old shaman's successor, also has a very different concept of money from others.

To describe him with the words of ancient oriental poetry, Li Rufeng has a rather carefree attitude of "money can be spent and come back again, and having money but not spending it is a bastard". Under the influence of these two people, you can easily imagine Bater's first impression of money.

But as the boy grew up, he gradually understood the sufferings of the world, became the dean of this college, and after witnessing so much suffering, Bater finally formed his own view on money.

He now knew that as long as he had money, he could let the children in the academy eat better and allow the academy to recruit students from a wider range, so five hundred dinars were very important to Bater.

On the contrary, what Omar asked for, the qualification to attend the dinner, was a little difficult for Bartel to understand.

"You donated so much money to the academy just to have a meal at Shaman Rufeng's house?" Bater frowned and looked at the businessman in front of him. He knew that Shaman Rufeng was very particular about food, but five hundred dinars for a meal?

He thought the world was crazy...

Of course, I didn't come here to have a meal. I came here to show my sincerity to that adult. Omar wanted to make some excuses, but when he saw the stubborn beard on Bater's chin that was unique to young people, he felt he had no idea where to start.

Some people were born in Rome, while others were born to be slaves. Omar didn't want to degrade himself to the status of a beast of burden, but it was clear that Li Rufeng's status, wealth, and power were probably meaningless to the young man before him. He had no doubt that even if the Shaman Rufeng were to become a Sultan one day, the young man before him would still be able to enter and leave his palace at will, so...

"Please help me. I was indeed impulsive this time and didn't prepare in advance," Omar explained with a wry smile. "But please don't doubt my original intention. I truly admire Shaman Rufeng's kindness and am willing to emulate him in this regard and make some contribution within my ability."

"Even if you...can't help me today, I am still willing to sponsor the money for the college." When Omar said this, his voice lowered three degrees.

He was mainly afraid that the young man in front of him was ignorant of the ways of the world and would really think that he had good intentions and would not do anything for him.

Fortunately, for Bater, this kind of thing was not a big deal at all, so he simply looked at the angle of the setting sun outside the window and said directly: "In this case, then you can come with me. I have to go there for dinner anyway. I heard that they are making stir-fried lamb tonight, and you will definitely not regret it..."

At this point, Bartel frowned slightly and said to Omar very sincerely, "But I don't think you can make back your money. This money can probably buy a few hundred sheep, right?"

According to today's market price, three hundred and five sheep, no more, no less, Omar answered in his heart with a not-so-good look on his face, but he still had to express humility on the surface. The main reason was that he admired the style of Shaman Rufeng, and this alone made the trip worthwhile. As for the food, it was just a backdrop.

But it turned out that Omar was still shallow. The food in the lord's mansion was so delicious that he couldn't stop eating. Even before Li Rufeng started his speech, Omar had asked the waiter to fill his plate three times.

when!when!when!

Mr. Li sat on the main seat, looking at the guests he had invited today. He coughed lightly and knocked on the silver wine glass with his silver chopsticks. The sound was not so crisp, but because of the status of its owner, it was like a loud bell, making everyone quiet down.

At this point, three rounds of drinks had already passed. Li Rufeng didn't like to leave people hungry and be annoying. Besides, the theme of today's banquet was actually that he had a request for help, so he skipped the lecture before the meal.

"I'm inviting you all here today to a banquet to celebrate Aleppo's prosperity. We all know that as a renowned commercial city, it's been abandoned for far too long." Li Rufeng had never attended a proper banquet in this world and didn't know the exact kind of pomp and ceremony favored by emirs and sultans. So, he simply arranged everything according to the style he was used to. "It's your presence that will make this city great again! Let's have a drink!"

Of course, Li Rufeng's speech still made many businessmen who came to the banquet for the first time feel a little pressure. After all, everyone knew the fundamental reason why Aleppo fell into decline... Those murderers might have turned into guards in the city now.

But it was clear that Li Rufeng didn't care about these empty reputations, and neither did his Mongol men. After a round of toasts, Li Rufeng spoke again, "On the other hand, and also the main purpose of today's banquet, it's for war."

"The Black Sheep have occupied the land from Tabriz to Baghdad. Their presence has greatly affected the smooth flow of trade routes." Li Rufeng smiled at the merchants who gradually fell silent and continued, "As the Lord of Aleppo, I cannot allow this to happen. To do this, I need your help."

Chapter 414 Pre-sale routine

In fact, war bonds were not an innovation in Li Rufeng's time. Neighboring Genoa and Venice had issued similar bonds to raise military pay.

It’s just that in this era, the two commercial city-states of Genoa and Venice were ahead of other regions in all aspects, and their new things emerged in an endless stream, making it difficult to keep up.

At this dinner, in addition to the local merchant Saduddin, there was also Antonio from Venice, Arab merchants from Medina, Ottomans from Kayseri, and even merchants from Isfahan.

Among them, Saduddin was a shill arranged by Li Rufeng in advance. As a local businessman in Aleppo, since he enjoyed the convenience and development brought by Li Rufeng, he naturally had to bear the corresponding responsibilities. Li Rufeng didn't even need to say much about this matter, Saduddin knew what he should do.

As for Antonio, he was just there to join in the fun. As a Venetian, he was familiar with the form of war bonds, but he was opposed to this war.

For a Venetian like Antonio, his whole life is lived for only one reason, that is to make money.

Fighting a war was a completely unnecessary risk for him, especially after he had just put all his fortune into cooperation with Li Rufeng. Antonio really wished that Aleppo would have good weather and even the wolves passing by would keep their tails between their legs and not howl loudly.

After learning that Li Rufeng intended to intervene in the conflict between the Black Sheep and the White Sheep, Antonio hadn't been able to sleep well for several nights in a row. A speculative businessman like him who invested all his fortune at once was most afraid of additional risks.

While Li Rufeng was talking, Antonio was already thinking about what means he should use to ensure that his interests would not be harmed if Li Rufeng lost the war.

For the Venetians, a small lord of only two cities was not considered a big shot. If Antonio was willing to use his business contract as collateral, he could easily get a powerful senator to send his private fleet to collect the debt.

Even if Li Rufeng was annexed by the Black Sheep People in this war, the Venetians could still take their share from the Black Sheep People. In Antonio's view, the port of Alexandretta was a very good collateral.

"...In addition to low-risk war loans with fixed interest rates and priority purchase rights for spoils of war, we also offer high-risk priority purchase rights for land." Li Rufeng snapped his fingers, and his personal guards directly brought up a makeshift sand table.

"Due to confidentiality, I can't tell you my strategic goals yet, but one thing is certain—" Li Rufeng drew a circle around Wolfburg with his finger, "We must take this land."

"Although Urfa isn't a city, its location is very important. With Urfa Castle at its center, it's surrounded by vast tracts of fertile farmland and forestland." Li Rufeng glanced at his guests and waved his hand. "You all have priority to purchase these now."

When it comes to doing business, all of these businessmen present here who have traveled far and wide can be teachers to Li Rufeng, but when it comes to commercial packaging, making promises, and advertising, Li Rufeng can be their ancestor.

Omar burped and widened his eyes. He had originally planned to spend some money to ease the relationship with Li Rufeng to prevent problems in his thriving business.

Unexpectedly, he was moved!

Although this land has been plagued by constant wars for many years, the cultural traditions it has created are very different from those of Eastern civilization, and the land is not as valuable or valued.

But that is relative. Why did the conqueror Timur deploy heavy troops on the western border thousands of miles away from Samarkand to maintain the situation?

That's because the Fertile Crescent is fertile enough to support a powerful regional force. That's why the Black Sheep have the foundation to fight again and again despite repeated defeats, and have persisted until now, finally waiting for a miracle to happen.

Although the land south of Aleppo is all desert and Gobi, the land becomes more fertile as you go north from Aleppo, especially after crossing the Sweetwater River, where the north bank of the river is covered with fertile land.

The main reason why the Fertile Crescent was desolate to such an extent was that the conqueror Timur's ambition was only as big as Transoxiana. He needed it to remain desolate to prevent the birth of a new power that was strong enough to resist his power.

Of course, Timur may not have thought so far in the beginning. He just wanted to expand the battlefield with the Golden Horde and penetrate the numerous small countries in the area...

But after occupying this place, Timur definitely deliberately left this land barren, while continuing to advance westward, blocking the Ottomans' eastward advance.

Timur may not have cared about the value of these lands, but he definitely cared about his status in the Muslim world.

Li Rufeng's sale of the right of first refusal to these lands at this time is entirely based on his strength. If he can win the war against the Black Sheep People, then at least in the short term, the guarantees made by Li Rufeng will be valid.

And if Li Rufeng loses the war, the money spent by these businessmen today will naturally be wasted. This is what is meant by "investment is risky" and one should be cautious when entering the market.

Saduddin naturally had no choice but to do his duty. After Li Rufeng finished speaking, he immediately subscribed to a large number of different types of war bonds. His pockets had swelled a lot during this period, and he would feel uneasy if he didn't spend some of the money.

To Li Rufeng's surprise, several merchants from Isfahan also pooled nearly two thousand gold coins and bought a lot of fixed-interest war bonds from him.

Seeing how readily they paid the money, Li Rufeng seemed to be considering purchasing the land subscription rights, but in the end he gave up regretfully because he didn't know enough about the local environment.

It has to be said that these people's reactions aroused Li Rufeng's curiosity. The businessmen who were invited by Li Rufeng to attend the dinner were naturally those who had recently made relatively large transactions in the Aleppo trade market. If Li Rufeng remembered correctly, this should be their first time in Aleppo.

Li Rufeng naturally accepted the wealth that came to his doorstep. Although he was not short of money, the money raised through war bonds contained an implicit contract. Once the lenders made money from this victory, they would be considered his own people from now on.

The wealth provided by Aleppo alone could not support Li Rufeng's ambitions, and he urgently needed help from external forces.

There is no harm without comparison. Mr. Li, who originally did not hold much hope, now has received a windfall, so he naturally finds the stingy Arab businessman disgusting...

You guys make so much money from me, but you're not willing to spend a little to support the local lords' advancement. What are you keeping it for? Laying eggs!

Chapter 415: Conflict between Two Sheep

Knight Hiltberg and his Mongolian followers had left Diyarbakir three days ago.

During these three days, Hiltberg had already witnessed the hostility and fear of the Aries people towards the Black Sheep people on the road. Almost every tribe was recruiting soldiers, and a large number of young and middle-aged people, led by the patriarch, gathered at the nearest gathering point, formed into teams, and waited to go to the battlefield.

Hiltberg was already an old soldier, having practiced martial arts since childhood. For glory and victory, he went to the battlefield as an escort at the age of fourteen. He had wasted his life ever since then, but he also witnessed things that others had never witnessed.

For example, Hiltberg has a very deep understanding of war.

He was one of the few people who could catch up with Li Rufeng's thinking in this regard. Hiltberg himself was a knight's squire, and he had absorbed the military ideas of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Timurid Khanate. He was familiar with all matters, big and small, from soldiers to officers to generals.

The days he spent following Prince Suleiman and Sultan Timur allowed Hiltberg to understand the nature of war from a higher perspective: it is just a continuation of interests and politics.

But this time, the war between the Black Sheep and the White Sheep was completely different. Hiltberg only needed to breathe in the tense atmosphere in the air to know that this war had nothing to do with interests or politics. Both sides simply wanted to kill each other.

Hiltberg didn't understand. Although they were divided into the Black Sheep Tribe and the White Sheep Tribe, to outsiders, they were actually no different. They used the same language, had the same food culture, and religious beliefs... However, in the end, both sides would regard each other as enemies.

According to Hiltberg's understanding, the Black Sheep people could even be said to have given up some interests and land in order to withdraw enough warriors to launch a purge of the White Sheep people.

He had never seen such hatred even among the Moghuls and Transoxiana, both of whom had burned each other's capitals and killed each other's khans...

But soon, the envoys who continued to head north saw the reason why both sides hated each other so much.

It was a destroyed village, a very small village, or more precisely, it was a gathering place of a semi-settled tribe, with a simple wall and a few scattered wooden huts, which of course have now been burned down.

In terms of scale, it is roughly equivalent to the small settlement where Li Rufeng's troops previously lived, or even slightly smaller.

But even so, it was the destination specially marked on the map of the envoys by the enthusiastic Aries King. Hiltberg even had a handwritten letter in his hand, which asked the owner of the tribe to warmly entertain the passing travelers because they were the distinguished guests of the Aries King.

Hiltberg had seven or eight similar notes in his hand. The Aries King knew the names of every chief of the small tribes under his command like the back of his hand. He had used up two of them along the way, and all of them were warmly received by the local tribal chiefs as written on them.

Now this one seems to be useless. It was burned very thoroughly. It can be seen that the murderer was full of malice towards the men, women, and children in the tribe. The heads were just stuck on the spikes of the fence, and the eyes of those heads had all been gouged out.

The cavalry rushed into the village without Hiltberg giving any extra orders. After checking, the cavalry returned with heavy faces and shook their heads at Hiltberg.

"There are no survivors, and probably no prisoners... I found a large number of charred corpses in the middle of the village, and there were some strange symbols on the ground, which were very evil." There was some anger in the cavalryman's tone. Although he was also a butcher and had done a lot of massacres and looting, they also had their own principles.

The Mongols rarely attacked children below the height of the wheels, and rarely killed skilled personnel.

But what happened in the village was obviously more cruel. There were no bottom lines or rules at all. They burned everyone, including children, to death, and performed evil sacrificial rituals. Many of their methods were cruel just for the sake of being cruel.

"Those people set a fire before they left, but the flames are out now. We didn't see any flames or smoke yesterday, so it must have happened five days ago," the cavalryman analyzed with a serious expression. "But there's something wrong with the bodies. They look like they died just yesterday. It's a bit strange."

Although Hiltberg was not a disciple of the old shaman like Li Rufeng, he had served people in high positions for many years and had witnessed some things that were unknown to ordinary people. So he immediately made up his mind not to cause trouble and avoided the place by taking a detour.

However, the further north they went, the more desolate the country became. Although the Black Sheep People had not yet come into conflict with their northern neighbors, the weaker tribes had instinctively begun to continue moving north to avoid the Black Sheep People's edge.

During this period, Hiltberg and his men also encountered an armed group of Aries people. A cavalry unit of 300 people returned from the east with a bloody smell on their bodies. After checking Hiltberg's documents, they warned them not to go east and left.

Obviously, this bloody massacre was not one-sided. As soon as the war began, both sides had already mobilized their troops and began to target each other's manpower.

"This is a war I've never witnessed before. Both sides are fighting with the goal of completely destroying the other side. There's no sense of brotherhood or kinship. They're like barbarians... no, like wild beasts. What I saw during the day kept me awake. It was the most despicable act. Not even an evil deity should accept such offerings.

I don't know what kind of evil god the Black Sheep people secretly worship, but now I feel that all the cruelty that Lord Timur inflicted on the Black Sheep people was justified... The mysterious oriental shaman obviously made the right choice, just like his magical teacher.

May God bless me and we will triumph over evil... And may God bless me and protect my property in Samarkand from any mishaps."

Hiltberg closed his diary and sighed. He missed the days of chatting with the Shaman Rufeng. After all, no one was more lonely and unfamiliar with the land than them.

In this era, keeping a diary was definitely a fashionable thing. The writer needed to carry at least paper, a quill, and ink. Sometimes these things alone were worth more than a poor horse. So when Hiltberg wrote in his diary, many soldiers around him looked at him with curiosity, with a hint of joking in their eyes: "We have a cultured man among us..."

But the next second, an accident broke this peace. A sentry in the distance shot a flare into the sky, which meant that someone was approaching!

Chapter 416: Difficult Diplomatic Environment

War was no stranger to Hiltberg. He had spent the first half of his life on the battlefield and spent more time on horseback than sleeping in bed.

So even among the elite Mughal cavalry, he was still the one who reacted the fastest. The moment he heard the whistling arrow piercing the air, Hiltberg kicked the campfire apart and poured all the water in his water bag onto the embers.

After a few seconds of reaction, the others followed suit and extinguished the bonfire in front of them. It was already past evening and dusk. Although it was not very cold in winter, the sunset was setting very quickly.

The scattered sentries were nearly a mile (500 meters) away from the camp, and they were on high ground with a wide field of vision. The people he saw coming were probably still two or three miles away from the camp, so it was difficult to directly spot Hiltberg and his group just by sight.

But if there was a campfire to illuminate them, their position would be clearly visible.

The Mughals loved horses. During long marches, they would unsaddle their horses every time they rested at night, giving priority to taking care of their horses' food and then themselves, so they needed more time to fix the saddles at this time.

But Hiltberg didn't need to. He would only loosen the saddle straps before going to bed, and would completely remove the saddle every morning to let the horse relax for a few hours.

He had experienced so many night raids that his reaction had become instinctive...

Hiltberg rode out, and only a few soldiers on night patrol kept up with him. He hurriedly approached the oncoming sentry, who gasped and said, "It's the Black Sheep! At least a hundred men! Coming from the northeast, about five arrows' distance from us!"

This is why Hiltberg had to hurry to leave the Diyarbakir area, because if you leave any later, you will most likely not be able to leave. The Black Sheep people don’t care where the Mongolian team they encountered during the raid came from. After all, they even killed Timur’s son.

The good news is that the Five Arrows Land is far enough away that they can prepare to set off before the Black Sheep arrive. The bad news is that since they can hear the sound of the arrows, the Black Sheep must be able to hear it too.

In this land, anyone equipped with flares must be a soldier, and the Black Sheep people will never give up on a target that is exactly half their size.

And it is common sense that anyone who can march at night is an elite... Hiltberg does not want to conflict with those black sheep people at all. He is not afraid of war, but he does not want to get involved in such a war meaninglessly.

He was carrying the expectations of Sultan Khalil and the entrustment of Li Rufeng on his shoulders at the same time, and time was the thing he could not afford to waste the most.

"Let's go!" Hiltberg did not give the warlike Mughals a chance to explain, and rode directly north. After this period of contact, he already knew these Mughals very well. In their eyes, fifty to one hundred might be an advantage for me.

Fortunately, the entire team is under the control of Li Rufeng's personal guards, who have a high status in the hearts of the Mongols. As long as they agree with Hiltberg's decision, he doesn't have to worry about these Mongols "letting the sheep go."

Because each member of the delegation had three horses, and these skilled knights, including Hiltberg, could perform the difficult maneuver of changing mounts while riding, the Black Sheep Hundred behind them chased them in vain for an hour and finally gave up the prey.

But it was obvious that the Mughals were angry about this. When Hiltberg and his party found a suitable place to camp again in the dark, he noticed that several warriors and veterans in the team who were famous for their bravery quietly slipped out of the camp with their horses.

As the saying goes, when the moon is dark and the wind is strong, one must hide and hide, lower the flags, wrap up the armor, clamp the horses and hold the gags. After all, Hiltberg is not their lord, so he can only turn a blind eye to this, otherwise he has no doubt that there is a high possibility of conflict between him and these Mughals.

He considered himself brave, but because of his experiences in his youth, he developed a cautious character and did not want to interfere too much in such matters, so he simply turned over with his head resting on the saddle, deliberately snored, and soon fell asleep, sleeping until dawn.

When the sun rose again, Hiltberg noticed that the atmosphere in the camp had changed. Smiles appeared on the faces of the Mughals again, and there was a sense of satisfaction in their words as if they had taken revenge.

The personal guard who had been acting as Hiltberg's deputy had a teasing look on his face as he handed him a mushy breakfast of dried meat and dairy products, saying, "Come and taste the Black Sheep's cooking."

Hiltberg just smiled helplessly and accepted the Mughals' behavior of showing off their spoils.

However, these guys also have the character of not being able to hide things. It is not comfortable to show off in front of their own people, so they have to show off to outsiders. Therefore, before they finished breakfast, Hiltberg already knew what happened last night.

The twelve volunteers who could not swallow this humiliation gave up the opportunity to rest at night, and ran for dozens of miles under the moonlight, following the horseshoe prints left by the Black Sheep People when they left. When the other party set up camp to rest, they launched a surprise attack and beheaded twenty or thirty of them, killing, burning and looting in one go. Until they left, the hundred-man team was unable to reorganize their team and could only let the chaos spread.

The food in Hiltberg's bowl was what the warriors had snatched back from the Black Sheep. Although he himself didn't taste any difference in the flavor, the Mughals said, "Bah! It looks like a foot binding! Those Black Sheep can't fight, they can't cook! They're not good at anything except women!"