What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

"Hey, hello, chiefs." Fran's face was full of warm spring breeze, and behind her were rows of orderly soldiers, each soldier carrying a brand new musket.

"Hello, City Lord Fu... Fulan." Looking at the black gun barrels, several people said tremblingly.

"The clan leaders seem to be in such a good mood to have a meal together. Why didn't you invite me?" Fran said.

"Isn't it because City Lord Fulan is busy? That's why we didn't dare to disturb her." The chief of the pig tribe was the first to react, so he smiled and said, "If we had known that the city lord was coming, we would have chosen a better place."

Fran sat down at the round table without any hesitation, right next to Naranissoy. Naranissoy nervously made some space for Fran, not daring to look at her the whole time.

"Just now, I heard you talking about 'driving a tiger to devour a wolf', I wonder what it means?" Fran poured herself a glass of wine but did not drink it. Instead, she looked at the clan leaders present meaningfully.

After hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale.

In February 2023, the first recommendation votes accumulated to 2 and one more chapter was added. Thank you everyone.

Chapter 140: Freeing Slaves with a Cup of Wine

The chief of the pig tribe immediately broke out in a sweat and began to stammer. He looked at the others, but they all turned their heads away and pretended to know nothing. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Mayor, we... we are reciting idioms! Ahahaha! Yes, idioms."

After hearing this, the other clan leaders covered their foreheads helplessly. The clan leader of the demon clan even wanted to cut off the pig's head!

Idiom chain,! You're so smart to think of that!

"Oh! Idioms! I'll take one too." Fran said with a smile: "Drive the tiger to devour the wolf. I'll take one, 'Wolf in cahoots with wolf.'"

After hearing this, the other clan leaders fell silent.

"Chief Naranissoya? It's your turn..."

Naranissoyah didn't have the time to play idiom chain games, so she quickly said, "Ahem, I'm a dark elf, how can I understand idioms?"

Fran smiled and did not mention the idiom chain again. She then said, "Don't be nervous, everyone. I was just strolling in the old town today. When I passed by here, I happened to see a few familiar faces drinking here, so I came up to ask for a drink. It was just a coincidence, there is no other meaning, everyone relax!"

Passing by ass!

This is a secret place they carefully selected. Even when the old town was at its busiest, few people would come here, let alone now! In order to prevent the news from leaking out, they covered all the windows. You can't see a ghost!

Fran continued, "Originally, I really shouldn't disturb your drinking pleasure. But recently, I have an urgent matter to deal with, so I have to disturb you! So I'll punish myself with this glass of wine!" Fran drank the wine as she spoke.

The other clan leaders looked at each other, unable to guess what Fran was planning to do.

"As for me, I would like to have in-depth cooperation with all the clan leaders recently." Fran said.

If we talked about cooperation in the past, the clan leaders would definitely welcome everyone, but now...

The situation has completely changed.

"I wonder what the city lord wants to cooperate on?" The demon clan leader asked with a wry smile.

"No hurry, before that I want to ask you a question." Fran said: "Twenty-one... no, what is the most precious thing in Orila City now?"

"hope??"

"Well... hope is indeed precious. But now Orila City is not short of hope! But it is short of talents! Only with enough excellent talents can a huge manufacturing industry and business be supported." Fran said: "However, unfortunately, Orila City's talent training plan has suffered a huge setback!"

"Frustration? May I ask what kind of frustration?" The chief of the pig tribe said with a shy smile: "If we can be used in any way, we will go through fire and water for you.

"As you all know, I have been vigorously promoting education in Orila City recently! Popularizing the most basic listening and speaking skills." Fran said: "Originally this matter was done very well, but recently it encountered obstacles! Many people refused to enter school education under the pretext of some kind of financial aid contract!"

After hearing this, the faces of several clan leaders immediately twisted.

The so-called financial aid contract was a family school set up by the nine major families in the past. Through the unequal contracts signed with parents, many children from the collateral branches were forced to go to the school to learn skills, and then they were severely exploited when they grew up, and these young talents were tied to the Chamber of Commerce for their entire lives.

service.

If it weren't for these forced contracts, which provided so much labor that was almost free, the eight major families wouldn't have been able to survive until now. It can be said that this financial aid contract was an important pillar that allowed the eight major families to survive.

But from what Fran said, she wanted to knock down this pillar.

Fran continued, "I secretly investigated this so-called financial aid contract and found that it contained a very unequal treaty. This is wasting the talents of Orila City and hindering the development of Orila City. So I want to abolish this backward contract. Of course, I can't abolish it in vain. For this reason, I am willing to

The owners of these contracts give certain compensation.”

Hearing this, the clan leaders all looked pale. No one said a word, and they were unwilling to give up these "slaves" anyway.

Fran knew that she couldn't push them too hard. Although she was no longer afraid of the eight families, Orila City was her base after all. A fire in the backyard was never a good thing. Things that could be resolved peacefully should not be resolved by force, even if it cost a little money.

She's not short of money anyway.

So Fran continued, "As you all know, I recently joined the Vienna Alliance and gained the opportunity to trade freely with the Holy Roel Empire, and I don't have to pay any tariffs for a year. Thanks to this, the items produced by my workshop can be sold throughout the Holy Roel Empire, and even to the world. But

My power is limited after all. If you are interested, I am willing to give you the agency rights and let your chamber of commerce help me sell it. "

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally dim eyes of the eight clan leaders suddenly became bright.

They had heard about Fulan's business, especially her textiles, which were very popular. They could make a lot of money just by shipping a ship. In order to increase profits, Fulan invented something called distribution rights, which were auctioned by other chambers of commerce, and then they could be the sole agent in a certain place.

Fulan's textile business!

However, the distribution rights are extremely difficult to obtain. After all, everyone knows that this is a sure-win business, so the several chambers of commerce in Orila City never even tried. They make a living by sucking blood from the civilians in Orila City and have lost their ambition and adventurous spirit as businessmen.

Besides, with their abilities, it is impossible for them to compete with the real chambers of commerce outside.

However, now, Fran wants to give them the distribution rights for free.

Although controlling civilians through student aid contracts is stable and profitable, as long as you work hard to operate the distribution rights in your hands, you may be able to gain more benefits and even get rid of the previous corrupt way of making money.

For a moment, a trace of struggle appeared in the eyes of several clan leaders.

"Okay, that's all I have to say. You can think about this cooperation carefully when you go back." Fran said with a smile: "But don't think too long! There are not many distribution rights. The sooner you come, the more you will get!"

After saying this, Fran left without even looking back, leaving only a few clan leaders at the table.

After Fran and her soldiers finally left the vicinity, the eight clan leaders breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down in their chairs one by one.

"Everyone..." The Pig Tribe leader immediately stood up and said, "This is obviously a plan by Fran to divide us! We can't be fooled!"

"Yes, yes!" The demon clan leader also said: "If we give up the contract, it means we are giving away our biggest trump card! And once we obtain the distribution rights, it means that the interests of the Chamber of Commerce are completely tied to the Jingxi Chamber of Commerce. From now on, we have to listen to Fran in everything!"

"Yes! Especially at this time, we cannot be divided! We must unite against the enemy!"

"That's right! We can't believe in Fran's evil plan."

The eight clan leaders were filled with righteous indignation, and expressed their willingness to unite to oppose Fran, refusing to hand over the financial aid contract no matter what.

Looking at the situation, it seems like he's going to have a big fight with Fran.

Chapter 141 Shock Therapy

A few days later, Fran received eight letters on her desk, one from each of the eight clan leaders of Orila City.

They all agreed to Fran's proposal and said they would close all the old schools and tear up all the financial aid contracts! They would fully cooperate with Fran's policies.

It's just that the time he received the letters varied, and they all told Fran that they wanted to conduct the transaction in secret and didn't want it to be made public.

It sounds like the eight major families all refuse to cooperate with Fran on the surface, but are very honest in private, and even want to get the distribution rights earlier than others in order to get more generous rewards.

Seeing these clan leaders being so sensible and understanding, Fran nodded with relief. It seemed that she would not need to use force next time.

Since the eight major families all agreed, there was no need for her to keep it secret for them individually. Instead, she directly announced that each family was sincere in canceling the financial aid contract.

At this point, the unequal contract that had been infamous for so many years was finally abolished in Orila City, and the patriarchs of the eight major families never held any meetings again.

After resolving the historical issue of the student aid contract, the human resources of Orila City can be said to have been completely liberated.

Many young people originally wanted to come to Fulan's factory to learn skills and work, but due to their personal restrictions, they could only watch others earn generous wages and start a high-quality life. Now that I finally have this opportunity, I naturally cherish it very much and work hard.

Only those who have lost something in life will cherish it even more.

After solving this historical problem, Fran began to solve the problems of the eight major families.

Although they obediently handed in their financial aid contracts, and their respective chambers of commerce were also struggling and on the verge of bankruptcy, they were, after all, local bosses who had stood in Orila City for many years and possessed great influence.

A centipede is still alive even after death, so you must be careful and cautious when treating them.

In the next few days, Fran talked to these clan leaders one by one, telling them that their clans currently had too many idle people and a huge army that was already behind the times. Such huge expenses would gradually drag down the entire clan.

They must be determined to make a decisive move, otherwise even if they obtain the distribution rights, it will be difficult to sustain for long. So Fran "suggested" that they disband their private armed forces, reform the internal power structure, eliminate those who are not doing their job, and let talented people take over.

For this reason, Fran also formulated a reform plan for them, which focused on delegating power to the lower levels, allowing the talents within the family to exert their subjective initiative and save their own family. Just like when a person is in shock, all organs will desperately try to save the body. If you intentionally interfere with it, it will affect the progress of the rescue.

So this plan was affectionately called by Fran - shock therapy.

This treatment method does make sense, but the eight families are essentially the most conservative power combination. If possible, they would rather live forever than change. However, Fran told them that if they reform now, Fran would give them a certain amount of subsidies. If they don't do it now, they will lose the chance. The sooner they change, the better.

The more subsidies there are for reform.

In the end, the patriarchs of the eight major families agreed to Fran's reform plan.

Of course, a big part of the reason for this is that the major families have lost trust in each other.

They had agreed to fight against Fran together, but why did they all secretly surrender to the enemy? The most important thing is that the leaders of the pig tribe and the demon tribe clearly expressed the strongest determination to fight, but they were the first to surrender to the enemy! In the end, they also got the best distribution rights. In this situation, who would trust each other?

Without the bond of the Eight Great Family Alliance, they had no choice but to trust Fran. Under Fran's torrent-like crushing force, those who didn't get on her ship would be washed away.

After undermining the confidence of the eight major families and forcing them to accept shock therapy, the next things would be much easier.

Disband the private army, sell off the land, streamline the business and eliminate redundancy.

Soon the power of the eight major families shrank dramatically. The chambers of commerce that were once all-powerful were reduced to only a few profitable businesses. As for those parasites who were drawing salaries without doing any work, they were kicked as far away as possible.

The market and excellent labor force they released were naturally acquired by the powerful Jingdong Chamber of Commerce. In this process, Fulan acquired a large number of assets, including land, deed taxes, liabilities, and shops! He kept some of them, and tore up some of them in public or handed them over to Orila City.

However, this series of shock therapy measures caused strong opposition within the eight major families. For a while, disputes within the families continued, usurping the throne, vendettas, and rebellions! Every day, there were good dramas going on in the city of Orila.

I don’t know how many of the eight families will be left after the storm has subsided.

On the other hand, Fran's internal rectification and reform plan is in full swing, but the war in the Holy Roll Empire is still going on with no sign of ending.

The Northern Roll Empire continued to launch attacks on Margaret's base again and again, but no matter how hard they attacked, they could not break through the defense line. Margaret adhered to the defensive strategy, no matter how much the other side insulted and challenged her, or how many flaws she showed, she just hid in the fortress.

At the same time, Count Tilly's cavalry continued to harass the opposite supply line, plundering food and ammunition for their own use, and even subsidizing part of the fortress's consumption.

But even so, Margaret's consumption is still very huge. After continuous mobilization, 30,000 regular troops have been stationed on this line of defense, and more than 10,000 reserve troops are on standby in the rear. The daily consumption of food alone is astronomical, not to mention the huge amount of ammunition consumed.

Soon, the first batch of supplies mobilized by Margaret were completely consumed and had to be replenished. The wealth she had accumulated with great difficulty would soon be exhausted and had to be replenished.

But if you ask who has the most food, weapons and ammunition, Fran would say she is second and no one dares to say she is first.

In desperation, Margaret had to send Wallenstein to find Fran again and buy it from her.

Fran was always willing to be generous to her ally, so she sent a large amount of dried meat and flour to the front line, as well as barrels of precious ammunition.

Of course, these are not free. But Fran did not raise the price too high, which is very worthy of Margaret!

With Fran's support, Margaret was able to maintain the front line and continue to fight against the Northern Roll Empire.

But what she didn't know was that in addition to selling supplies to her, Fran also sold food and ammunition to the other side.

The previous Vienna Alliance treaty only restricted Fran from selling firearms to the enemy, but did not restrict other things. It is estimated that Margaret did not expect that the poor and food-scarce city of Orila would one day be able to export food.

When selling the materials to Margaret, Fran did not raise the price because of her "conscience", but she did not have so many concerns when selling to the Northern Roll Empire. Especially since Grand Duke Hastings did not come in person, but entrusted the chambers of commerce under his rule to buy them, Fran would make a lot of money.

The food was fine, but the ammunition was sold at a sky-high price by Fran. Although the Northern Roll Empire knew that this was Fran's extortion, they had no choice but to buy it. After all, if they lacked food, they could still forcibly requisition the rations of civilians, but ammunition was different. Currently, the only force that could produce ammunition in large quantities was Fran.

number.

Fran knew that the Northern Alliance was behind the Northern Luoer Empire. You elves have a lot of money anyway, so who else should I kill if not you?

There is no way to make money by monopolizing any commodity.

The battle between the two sides became more and more intense, and Fran made more and more money. In the process, she would naturally not miss the opportunity to spread the Olira Coin.

Later on, Grand Duke Hastings and Margaret had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but the war could no longer be stopped! After all, Grand Duke Hastings had openly supported a new emperor to compete with him.

The struggle for imperial power is a life-and-death fight with no room for compromise.

It can be said that both sides are in a difficult situation.

However, at this moment, a fusion suddenly occurred in the Fruman Empire in the north.

The newly appointed Emperor Arthas actually planned to abolish the Northern Orthodox Church, the state religion of the Feruman Empire, and at the same time stated that he would no longer cooperate with the Northern Alliance, which meant that he refused to continue to provide blood transfusions to the Northern Roll Empire!

Chapter 142: Feruman's Change

The Feruman Empire is the elves' most important ally (little brother) on the Calradia continent. Relying on the Feruman Empire, the elves can influence the entire continent with their radiation, and then control the artery of trade exchanges between the two continents.

Specifically speaking, in this battle, the Feruman Empire was the most important support force behind the Beiluoer Empire. Without the support of the Feruman Empire, how could Grand Duke Hasting have so much money and food to maintain such a long supply line. The real driving force behind the Feruman Empire was the elves.

Without the elves' promise, it would be impossible for the Feruman Empire to spend such a huge amount of money to help the Beirol Empire.

However, after the dramatic changes in the Feruman Empire, the elves' supply was cut off instantly!