Winning over

Author: Arion's Dolphins

Winning over

Early the next morning, a group of merchant ships was sailing on the Dua River.

As a long river that traverses the entire Oran, the Duwa River stretches for nearly 2,000 kilometers. The amount of water is not large, but it is not much smaller.

The five merchant ships were sailing calmly, but inside the cabin, unlike the natural environment outside with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, it was so quiet that it was depressing.

Dozens of warriors wearing heavy armor and holding exquisite weapons on their waists were sitting in a circle in the cabin. Among them were a few spellcasters wearing light mage robes. They said nothing and looked through the gaps.

Observing the outside world.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, they finally found what they wanted to see - Luford's city gate, which was tall and broad, even by the standards of a fortress. It was with this wall that the militiamen gathered in the city could barely

Block the elite hobgoblins.

This city is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Especially after that, the city lord and the major chambers of commerce spent a lot of money to strengthen the equipment level and number of the city guards and their respective private soldiers. Now they number six to seven thousand, and they can attack them when necessary.

Tens of thousands of people were quickly mobilized to come out.

Norton has many shortcomings that traditional nobles would have, but he has learned military skills since he was a child, and his military literacy is not bad at all. Of course, he will not attack the city by force. He seems to be preparing to take it down with a relatively bloodless method, and then gradually control the entire city.

West of Oran.

The disputes between various cities in the east and the noble territories did not seem to affect this city. Everything remained the same on the surface. After the guard routinely checked the merchant ship's documents and documents, he opened the water gate and let people in.

.

The soldiers inside the ship couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. In their opinion, the biggest obstacle to this mission was over.

But before they could be happy for long, when the merchant ship docked at the shore, things started to go wrong.

A giant lizard with a length of more than ten meters lay swaggeringly at the entrance of the pier, staring at the merchant ship they were on with its cold vertical eyes.

Behind him were two dark long-barreled cannons, also facing the merchant ships. Two dwarves in heavy armor were manipulating the cannons, seemingly ready to fire at any time.

Obviously, their attempt has been discovered. No one can tell whether there are more soldiers lurking around the dock. It can be said that the plan to open the city gate was completely shattered.

It was quiet on the dock, with only a few merchant ships moving around, and there was no sound. After a few extremely depressing minutes, the merchant ships left the port again, and returned somewhat embarrassedly along the same route.

Tang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief after witnessing all this. He was really worried just now, whether these people would come up and fight him as soon as their heads got hot. He would be fine, but he really didn't want to wade into muddy waters so early.

The black crow standing on his shoulder said: "We should have opened fire just now to sink those merchant ships. Several hundred elite soldiers and supporting equipment are not a small number. Even members of the Castei family have to do it."

I feel sorry for you."

Tang Zhao nodded slightly, but did not actually express his position.

His stance is different from that of a beholder. A beholder is an existence that will never be tolerated by those people. Not only is it a matter of race, but gangsters are definitely not popular with people.

Tang Zhao thought that his Hermes Chamber of Commerce had always performed well. Not only did he always abide by the law, he would occasionally do charity, and he was willing to spend money. More importantly, he had things that humans needed, such as blacksmiths.

Characters were considered strategic resources in ancient times. As long as he didn't go too far, both the eldest and second princes would accept him, just to be wary of his interference and influence on the human world.

Even if he expressed his stance, he would only ask both sides not to use force, rather than completely leaning towards one side.

"If the count wants to find you, he will just say some innocuous words and give you a false thank you. It's up to you whether he goes or not."

[You have said so. There is no need for me to go. Let my people get on the ship. I just want to go back now. This place is not suitable for me to hang out. 】

Earl Luford was also quite afraid of Tang Zhao. In fact, he even hesitated to allow him to enter the city. He only allowed him to bring a few dozen people in. There were soldiers from the city lord lurking around to guard them.

There is no way, now Tang Zhao's strength is definitely much stronger than ordinary fifth-level warriors or spell casters. Even the Earl's apparently strongest thugs are not at this level, so they will naturally be on guard.

Now that he had finished his work and left, it was considered to be in line with the wishes of the city lord. The officers who were accompanying them in name but actually on guard naturally opened the door to their convenience and replenished a ship full of food and fodder before sending them off.

——

After leaving Luford, Tang Zhao did not return to Karak Solma. Instead, he led his people to stop at the border of the forest, where the elves set up an outpost and a simple first line of defense for people to garrison.

As expected, they didn't have to wait long before an envoy from Norton Castel's side arrived.

However, there was one thing that was rather surprising - the person who came was not an assigned envoy, but Norton Castei himself.

"Sir Carlos, long time no see."

The other party wore a dark purple robe and did not put on heavy armor, which could be regarded as expressing his willingness to negotiate peacefully.

【The behavior is very courageous, but what is the purpose? 】

"You know very well that the previous meeting was just an announcement at best, and nothing formal was reached. We should be given a chance to sit down and have a good talk. Don't you think so too?"

Norton did not dislike the simplicity of the place, but looked at the surrounding environment with interest.

[I don’t deny this, just tell me, I will seriously consider it.]

"I hope you can join us."

[I have thought about this very seriously. There is no need for me to take sides. No matter which party you want, you can get what you want from me. Of course, this is based on the highest bidder getting it. 】

"You may have misunderstood me. I am not here on behalf of the eldest prince. On the contrary, I am here on behalf of Princess Julia, the Guards and the third prince. I am also involved in the transaction between Princess Julia and you."

, half of those three hundred eagles were drawn from my private property. You will reap greater benefits from future cooperation, this can be guaranteed."

As he spoke, Norton pulled out a parchment scroll from his arms, with dense writing on it and the names of several people written at the end, which was regarded as evidence.

Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment by the completely unexpected information, and then nodded slowly after thinking for a few seconds.

[The concealment is good. I can consider this matter, but I need to know the whole story.]

Tang Zhao didn't know for a while how the representatives of the traditional nobles, businessmen and mages came together.

"Of course, you have this right, and I also have a desire to express myself. After all, you can't talk to anyone about this matter casually."
Chapter completed!