Chapter 143 The Price of Success
"I need one million pounds of grain seeds, and I need to send a ship from the port to Mettenheim as quickly as possible to solve the famine there."
The Lord really didn't hide anything.
"Food? I can't provide food to people in a hostile country. Aiding the enemy is a serious crime no matter where it is. I can't use my own crime of aiding the enemy to exchange for evidence of the other two governors aiding the enemy, right? Lord Leon, I would rather pay double the price..."
Kairos refused outright at first, then stared at the two IOUs with a hesitant expression.
Apparently, he wasn't hesitating about whether to trade or not...
"Don't get me wrong, the food was not provided to me. I was just helping these friends from Mettenheim solve their problems. The one who bought the food was Count Guderian of Mettenheim. They are not your enemy country ... Of course, if you are not interested, I can also go directly to talk to His Majesty the Emperor - in fact, I originally planned to talk to His Majesty the Emperor directly."
Leon pointed at the Mettenheim people standing outside.
Indeed, Kairos is not the only client, we can also talk to Emperor Marius.
And it would be more reliable to talk to Marius - without Kairos as the middleman.
The lord gently placed his hand on the small table, pressed down the parchment, and stared into Kairos' eyes.
Emperor Marius would certainly be interested...
Before coming here, Leon was very confident that he could convince the Bacchus Empire.
But he had considered many strategies, such as meeting Kairos in the name of Frederick the Emissary, and then using this opportunity to meet Emperor Marius, and using the factional struggles in the Bacchus Empire to persuade Marius.
Emperor Marius would certainly be willing to solve the famine in Mettenheim - given the wisdom his majesty has shown in promoting reforms, he would certainly be willing to make Mettenheim a staunch ally of Bacchus.
In fact, it is much easier to persuade such an emperor than to persuade a lord. Li Ang has always been good at taking advantage of the situation.
But after obtaining so much intelligence along the way, he finally decided to reveal his identity directly and use the IOUs written by the two governors to directly convince Kairos.
Because Emperor Marius represented the country of Bacchus; while Frederick was an official envoy, representing Mettenheim.
If it is done in the name of an envoy, this matter is a purely diplomatic act, and the benefits that the lord himself can obtain are limited.
Moreover, allowing a politician like Emperor Marius to support Mettenheim is likely to have sequelae, such as causing Mettenheim to be coerced by the Bacchus Empire.
But if you persuade Governor Kairos privately, there will be no such concern.
Diplomatic behavior and private transactions are completely different, but the results that Mettenheim can get are not much different - even if the deal is negotiated through diplomatic means, Marius will still let Kairos complete the specific steps.
This is because the grain seeds produced near Dilingang Port are the most suitable, and they must be transported there by ships from Dilingang Port.
Moreover, such a private act would earn Leon the greatest gratitude from the people of Mettenheim.
This is the lord's selfish desire - he has raised his goal to a higher level.
His goal was upgraded from "gaining the gratitude of some Mettenheim people" to "gaining the respect of Mettenheim".
Because, this almost single-handedly helped Mettenheim solve a big problem.
Li Ang believed that Kairos would definitely be willing to trade because Kairos's demand had been thoroughly aroused, and now there were obviously two buyers, which was a seller's market.
Moreover, producing one million pounds of grain was not a difficult task for Kairos.
Kailos's territory is Imperial Port, a large city with a total population of over 100,000 in the county and the most prosperous economic center in the entire Bacchus.
Dean had also carried out , so there was absolutely no shortage of food.
"If it's Mettenheim... then that's acceptable. Just one million pounds of food? Nothing else?"
Kairos sat up again and looked at Leon.
"It's one million pounds of grain seeds - grain seeds suitable for planting near the Imperial Harbor, and they will be sent to Mettenheim by ship. Mettenheim's envoy Frederick will take some great swordsmen back with the ship. As soon as I see the ship loaded with grain leaving, you can send me back to Sarleon directly, and you don't have to worry about me using other means."
Li Ang finished speaking word by word, picked up the two IOUs and put them back in his arms, then opened the car door directly: "I really came here with good intentions, I believe you can see it."
"make a deal."
Kairos agreed without further hesitation.
But before getting off the car, he said softly: "Agasson is right, you will definitely become a great enemy of the empire... Just relying on this ability to see through people's hearts is enough to stir up the situation, and you are still so young..."
The Lord turned around and smiled: "Why? Lord Kairos, are you planning to join my army?"
Kairos also laughed: "Ha, you are really arrogant... In fact, I was hesitating whether to kill you directly."
The Lord smiled and shook his head: "Lord Kairos, you probably don't know... there has always been a sharpshooter watching you from the window."
After saying that, Li Ang stood up and got out of the car, standing by the door and offering his hand for support.
The direction of the hand is towards a tree not far away.
Kailos got out of the car, then followed the lord's hand and looked over. He saw a man in green holding a large bow standing on a tree branch. He seemed to have almost merged with the tree.
Perhaps noticing Kairos's gaze, the archer disappeared into the leaves in a flash.
That's Risa Dillan.
Kairos returned to the carriage without saying a word, and then said to the Lord: "Lend me this carriage, I will wait for you at the port in three days."
Li Ang smiled and nodded: "What's the point of talking about borrowing? I'll give you this carriage as a souvenir. Klose, go and help the Governor drive."
Kairos shook his head in the carriage: "How many dinars is this carriage worth?"
"Since you know it can block all arrows and javelins, it obviously cannot be measured in dinars. Governor, I hope you can understand my friendship and sincerity."
Leon smiled and waved goodbye to Kairos.
Kailos' guards escorted the carriage to the direction of Dilingang. Kailos did not refuse to let Klose drive, because he knew that this was the contact person given to him by Leon.
As the carriage drove away, the Lord nodded to Frederick, who had been looking at him eagerly, and said, "Your mission has been accomplished. Go to the port and wait. You can return to Mettenheim with food in three days."
Frederick burst into tears within two seconds and knelt on one knee facing Leon.
"My lord, your virtues will be known before you even set foot on the land of the Iron God. As the envoy of Mettenheim, I declare that all the people of the Iron God who hear your name will recognize your will, glory, and authority, and will consider it the greatest honor to fight for you."
At this moment, Frederick was representing an independent country as an envoy.
This was not a pledge of allegiance, but a statement of recognition of the Lord's right to rule on behalf of the people of Mettenheim.
From this moment on, regardless of whether Leon has territory or not, regardless of whether he is currently loyal to others or not, he will be regarded by the people of Mettenheim as a ruler equal to Count Mettenheim.
This meant that the people of Mettenheim no longer viewed him as an ordinary noble lord.
But he was regarded as the king of the allies.
…
Three days later, the emperor arrived at the port.
Kairos sent a fleet of ocean-going ships carrying a large amount of food to Mettenheim.
All the people of Mettenheim temporarily bid farewell to their lord and set out on the journey home.
They have to protect the ship and also keep an eye on the captains to prevent them from doing anything tricky.
But in fact, those ships would definitely not do anything tricky, because Lord Dean also boarded the ship with Frederick.
He was going to Mettenheim to build water conservancy facilities to help Mettenheim solve the famine.
This is his belief.
Dean was the Lord of Bacchus after all, and it was impossible to abduct him to Sarleon - that would be treason.
This is a man who obeys even small laws like the marriage age. He is loyal to the Bacchus Empire and would never commit treason.
And the plague-repellents sent by Creon are still following.
But he felt no pressure at all to go to Mettenheim. In fact, even the plague fighters felt that Dean going to Mettenheim might be the best choice for him.
This allows him to avoid the guilt of not getting married.
But for Dean, this was what Amy had told him - her teacher would definitely be able to give him a place where he could research and promote high-yield crops without scruples, so that tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even the entire continent would no longer have to suffer from famine.
"Sir Leon, solving the famine of the people is the responsibility given to me by the goddess Damia... I will continue my career in Eisenberg. Thank you for your help."
Dean waved goodbye to Leon and Amy. "Miss Amy, I said I would give you a cart of seeds - but I'm taking this one with me. You can go to my house and take all the remaining seeds in the cellar, and leave enough for my housekeeper to grow seeds for my two hundred acres of land. "
Amy had previously dragged a truckload of potato and corn seeds from his house, and Dean was going to take the seeds directly to Mettenheim.
Dean gave Leon and Amy a handwritten letter, which was written to his butler and also to his father, General Cleon.
He had more left in his cellar.
After bidding farewell to the fleet, only Amy and the few plague fighters were left by the lord's side.
After witnessing the fleet's departure, Leon handed the two IOUs to Governor Kairos.
Afterwards, Kairos sent troops to escort them all the way to the village of Imer, and gave Leon a sum of money before leaving.
Not much, two thousand dinars.
It was the money for Kairos to buy a carriage.
The governor did not accept the gift, but instead paid a reasonable price and bought the carriage.
Perhaps he was worried that the Lord would use the same logic to trap him...
After all, accepting gifts from an enemy lord could easily arouse suspicion.
The other two governors were exploited by Leon after they wrote two IOUs. If I accepted his carriage, there was no guarantee that I would not be exploited again.
Just let your subordinates pay to avoid being cheated.
After seeing the archers in the tree, Governor Kairos became quite wary of the lord.
However, the lord happened to need cash, and Leon spent all the two thousand dinars in a blink of an eye.
He used the money to buy five ordinary freight wagons and hauled most of Dean's potatoes and corn seeds back to his own territory.
Over three thousand pounds of corn, and about a thousand pounds of potatoes.
It was already June when we returned to the territory.
This is no longer the potato planting season. The weather is too hot and the soil temperature is too high, so the potatoes will not sprout. We can only find a dry, light-proof cellar to store them until autumn.
But corn can be planted in June and July - the corn seeds here in Dean are suitable for autumn corn.
My lord has no idea what to do with wheat.
But he knew about corn, even more than Dean.
In order to compare corn and wheat, Dean planted corn according to the cycle of wheat and used the same irrigation method, which is actually a bit problematic...
Although he got twice the yield of wheat, a yield of 200 to 300 pounds per acre is still not what corn should have...
It is best to sow wheat when the temperature is around 10 degrees, which is early spring.
But when the temperature is around 30 degrees, that is, in summer, it is the most suitable temperature for growing corn.
Dean dried and stored the corn seeds and then planted them directly - wheat was indeed planted directly.
But it is different with corn. Dried corn seeds should be soaked for a day before planting. Otherwise, not only will they germinate slowly and inefficiently, but the quality of the grown corn will also be poor.
In the relatively cold areas in the north, you even need to use pots and 30-degree warm water to promote the growth of seeds, and then plant them in the ground after they sprout.
Although the lord's knowledge was indeed limited, he knew that as long as the correct method was used, even this kind of corn that had not been improved or optimized could achieve a production capacity of more than 400 pounds per acre.
In order to ensure the safety , the two men opened up a forest behind Bailu Fort, which was planted by Mai Xiangling's troops - these soldiers with shares were more trustworthy.
More than 3,000 pounds of corn seeds became nearly 1,000 acres of corn fields in a few days. This land is the common property of Leon and Amy.
The seeds were given to Amy by Dean, and the land was planted by people sent by the lord, but the land belongs to Godric... This is truly a joint property.
The potatoes were actually also stored in the cellar of White Hart Castle - Mai Xiangling did not find an environment that was dry enough and completely dark, so the cellars of White Hart Castle were actually converted from prisons.
For the sake of these treasures, the lord also stayed in White Deer Castle.
So, just as Godric said, Leon was officially stationed in White Hart Castle to take charge of military affairs.
Amy will help him deal with those trivial matters, and Leon will manage the affairs of the two territories.
The people of White Deer Castle quickly became familiar with the young lord and gradually got used to reporting all important matters to Leon.
The people and merchants were used to looking for Li Ang for big things and Miss Amy for small things...
Even the officials in Changhe Town knew that if they had any official business, they could go directly to Bailubao and find Leon or Amy - it all made the same difference.
In addition, there is basically no boundary between Maixiang Territory and Bailu Fort. Both sides of the road are now planted with wheat, and the residents are living in scattered areas. There are one or two farms every few hundred meters.
The territories have been completely connected.
Gradually, it became difficult to distinguish Bailubao and Maixiangling from each other.
…
Siyuan City.
There were only two people in the side hall of the imperial palace.
Emperor Marius sat on the throne, twirling his thick brown beard.
In front of him was Governor Justus.
"Justus, my old friend, Baron Leon sold the IOU you wrote to Kairos. You should know what this means..."
Emperor Marius glanced at Governor Justus meaningfully, with a hint of joking between friends.
Justus bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, I swear that I have never done anything to betray the empire..."
"I know you won't, you told me before... I just want to tell you that Leon entered the empire alone a few days ago and transferred your and Levius' debt to Kairos. This forced me to 'purchase' your debt again at a higher price, otherwise your reputation would be ruined..."
Emperor Marius's communication with Justus was very direct.
These two seem to be true good friends.
"Your Majesty, my reputation is not important... The Shadow Legion is the problem that must be solved. You shouldn't continue to let Kairos serve as the marshal..."
Justus shook his head.
"But the problem is that Kairos got these two IOUs, which can prove to outsiders that you and Levius had a deal with the enemy during the war... If I don't compromise with Kairos, what will the Shadow Legion think? If anyone other than Kairos is appointed as the marshal now, the Shadow Legion will riot, and they may even raise the banner of rebellion. You should know that there is a rebellious Augustus in the empire. He is a member of the Senate, and the Shadow Legion is biased towards him!"
Emperor Marius tapped the armrest of his chair with his hand, looking a little anxious.
"Your Majesty, in this case, you can demote me, Kairos, and Livius together... and let General Agathon serve as the marshal. This will be fair and no one will object..."
Justus seemed genuinely loyal to Marius, and was willing to offer such self-destructive advice.
"You are the only one who can support me in completing the reform, Justus... If you are regarded by most people as an incompetent traitor who colluded with the enemy, our reform will be difficult to maintain. I can't do this, Justus, people believe in the reform because they trust the leader. If you are regarded as incompetent, I will be regarded as an incompetent emperor, and our reform will be even more difficult to implement..."
Marius stood up and waved his hand. "Let Kairos continue to serve as marshal. It doesn't matter. I can let him be responsible for the elimination of Augustus! And the person who kidnapped you must be an irresistible enemy! Only in this way can the civilians and soldiers understand that you were unable to resist the kidnapper at that time. And we must also carry out reforms to deal with powerful opponents..."
After saying this, he looked at Justus and said, "We need to make Baron Leon a more powerful general than Agathon, so that people will forgive the fact that you were captured by him."
"But he is indeed just a small baron... Alas... Unless Your Majesty is willing to sacrifice his reputation and do it himself."
Governor Justus sighed.
"I called you here for this matter. I want to write him a letter. Please arrange for a secret agent to deliver it..."
