The day after the rain stopped, Border Town bustled with activity again. Villagers gathered in the square, chattering amongst themselves while awaiting the Fourth Prince's speech.
For this speech, Roland had posted a notice on the bulletin board the day before, stating that anyone who came to the square to listen would receive a portion of wheat porridge and half a loaf of bread. For the townspeople, this was like a free lunch, so there were even more people than when watching a hanging.
As noon approached, Roland ascended the hastily built platform.
Facing the sea of dark heads below, he couldn't deny the nervousness he felt. Previously, he had mostly dealt with computer screens. Even at meetings, he only needed to applaud from below. This was the first time he had encountered such a large scene where he needed to take the stage himself.
But he had no choice. If he wanted to keep everyone in Border Town, there had to be a general mobilization.
Roland waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
He had practiced this scene many times alone, but when he finally stepped onto the stage, his mouth still felt dry. "My subjects, good afternoon. I am Roland Wimbledon, the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Graycastle. The reason I have gathered everyone here at this hour is to announce important news!"
"Four days ago, envoys from Longsong Stronghold arrived here for the ore handover. As you all know, a month ago, we suffered an unfortunate accident. A collapse occurred in the North Slope mine. To this day, the mining area has not fully resumed production. This accident resulted in only two months of ore production last quarter."
"I explained the situation to the envoy and hoped that he could allocate Border Town the full amount of food, with the missing ore to be made up after winter. But he refused! Without any room for negotiation, he refused to allocate more grain – just like two years ago."
Murmurs of surprise erupted from the crowd, clearly showing that everyone had a deep impression of the food shortage two years ago.
"And this time it's obviously worse. The astrologers of Graycastle tell me that this winter will be longer than usual, and the Months of Demons are likely to last more than four months. In other words, everyone is likely to face a food shortage of two months. Two years ago, you lost twenty percent of your comrades, some lost brothers, some lost children. This time, how many more are you prepared to lose?"
"No! Your Highness, save us!" someone shouted loudly from below, followed by more people shouting, "Your Highness, please, help us!"
It seemed that preparing a few shills beforehand was the right choice. Roland raised his hand, suppressing the crowd's cries. "Of course, I will not abandon my subjects, not a single one! You may not know, the wheat and bread that the stronghold delivers each year are not equivalent to the ore they take away. At normal market prices, just two months' worth of ore is enough to exchange for half a year's worth of food! I have already sold the ore to merchants in Willow Town, and their food ships will soon arrive in Border Town. In addition to bread, there will also be cheese, honey wine, and jerky! Enough for a whole winter, everyone will be able to eat their fill!"
A cheer erupted in the square.
"However, this is equivalent to severing ties with Longsong Stronghold. They will no longer accept anyone. So this winter, we will spend it in Border Town. Most people have already seen that a strong city wall is being built on the west side of Border Town. I know some people are worried about whether we can withstand the attack of the demonic beasts. I want to tell you, demonic beasts are not much stronger than the beasts in the forest. Although they are thick-skinned, they cannot climb the city walls, they cannot bite through the stones, and no matter how thick their skin is, they are just a group of pathetic targets!"
"Tell me, my subjects, are you willing to hide in the shacks of the stronghold, die of starvation like cowards, or under my leadership, protect your loved ones and children, and defend Border Town to the last moment? I promise here that as long as you hold out until the end of the Months of Demons, all the townspeople who have fought on the city walls will receive a reward of twenty-five silver wolves. Those who unfortunately sacrifice will have their families compensated with five gold dragons!"
"We are willing to fight for Your Highness!" Under the guidance of the shills, the crowd shouted their vows to fight to the death. Seeing the atmosphere high, Roland ordered the lunch to be distributed in a timely manner. He did not expect everyone to stay in Border Town. As long as half of the people were willing to stay, he was confident that he could stop the demonic beasts from advancing eastward here.
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Peiluo naturally did not know how the Fourth Prince was portraying him. When he brought the news back to the six noble families of the stronghold, the response he received was only a burst of laughter.
"You say that naive prince actually wants to shake us off and do it alone? Daring to repair the city walls before winter comes, should I praise his bravery or laugh at his incompetence?"
"It is well known that the First Prince is brave and unparalleled, but when did the Fourth Prince have this courage? Just ignorance!"
"That's right, he doesn't even have stonemasons, just stacking unpolished stones on top of each other, smearing some wet mud in the middle. I'm afraid it will collapse on its own before it gets too high."
"In any case, this is a good thing. If he escapes back to Longsong Stronghold, we can naturally manipulate him as we please. If he dies in Border Town... we can end this farce sooner."
The Duke, who had been lost in thought with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke, "Peiluo, what do you think?"
Peiluo paused for a moment, not expecting the Duke of Longsong to ask for his opinion. "Uh, I originally wanted to maintain the monopoly, as long as it's thirty percent below the market price, it's still a worthwhile business for us. But..." he quickly organized his thoughts in his mind, "But His Highness doesn't intend to let the stronghold exclusively operate the ore. He is willing to sell the ore at a fifty percent discount, which means he plans to significantly increase ore production next year. As long as the increase in production reaches twice the past, we may earn more than before. He also plans to produce and sell ironware himself, and ironware is a sought-after commodity everywhere, and it is easy to resell. But... these are not the main points."
"Oh? What are the main points?"
"If he can defend Border Town, it is also excellent news for the stronghold. We don't have to focus our energy on dealing with the demonic beasts every year, which can save a huge expense. The second benefit is that the vast land from Longsong Stronghold to Border Town will be ours. Whether it is reclamation or relocation, it is a good choice, which can greatly alleviate the current overcrowding of the stronghold." Peiluo explained his ideas one by one, "And the Fourth Prince will not stay in Border Town forever. The decree to compete for the throne is only for five years. After five years, we will get a more prosperous Border Town. When that time comes, we will incorporate the town into the stronghold, and Longsong Stronghold will become the third largest territory in the kingdom. So my suggestion is..." He glanced at the Duke, cautiously, "The stronghold should send people to help His Highness build the city walls and jointly defend Border Town."
"Well said," the Duke smiled, "But these are just the thoughts of a merchant, only seeing gains and losses."
At this point, he straightened up, his eyes slowly sweeping over the other attendees, his tone gradually becoming stern, "However, I have not reached my current position by simply measuring everything by profit. Some rules must be followed, and if you violate them, you must accept the punishment. It doesn't matter whether Border Town is prosperous or dilapidated, what matters is that it is my territory, and no one can stick their hands in – not even if he is a prince."