Chapter 423: Conquest does not require the use of swords
The two thousand Jatu people were indeed in the village of Kwen, and Charles had them hide in the ancient base of the Griffin Knights.
Not many people knew about this secret base, and no one thought that Charles would cooperate with Zakar.
However, this station is not a good place for the Jatu people.
Because as long as the entrance to the valley is blocked, they will have no chance of getting out - there is only one entrance and exit here, and it is not spacious.
Of course, there is actually a secret path inside the base that leads to the Goddess Mountain, but only Dallion knows that path.
Leon had walked that path once before, but he also didn't know how to get there because it required taking a long detour through the fog and forest.
Once you enter this foggy forest, you will get lost. Except for Dallion, who has lived here since childhood, others who enter will most likely never get out.
Currently, Dallion is blocking the entrance of the valley with the Griffin Knights.
The Jatu people in the garrison did not try to rush out - there was only a three-meter-wide road at the entrance of the valley, with cliffs on one side and deep ravines and rapids on the other. There was no other place to stay, and the entrance of the valley was a corner.
But outside the corner of the valley entrance, there was an open space that could accommodate an arc-shaped military formation of several dozen meters.
Anyone with a sound mind can see that there is no way out.
So the Jatu people also retreated into the interior of the garrison - they couldn't get out, but Leon's troops couldn't get in either, so the two sides just confronted each other.
Li Ang didn't really care about this confrontation. As long as he could trap them, it would be fine.
"Dalion, just stay here and keep an eye on these Jatu people. Don't let them come out. I have to go to Fletcher..."
After arranging the troops, Leon planned to leave, but after thinking about it, he turned back and asked Dallion: "You have a good relationship with Charles and spend the most time together. Has he ever been abnormal when he was with you?"
"If I hadn't seen these Jatu people with my own eyes, I would have found it hard to believe that Charles would collaborate with the enemy..."
Dallion thought for a moment and pointed at the station. "Your Majesty, Charles has always worshipped you as a god. He even built a statue for you and worshipped it every day. Sometimes he would talk to himself in front of the statue... Is this considered abnormal?"
Li Ang was stunned: "The tomb in the garrison was built by Charles?"
Leon still clearly remembered that there was a very conspicuous tomb in the Griffin Knights' headquarters. The tombstone read, "Here lies the brave and fearless King of Pendor, His Majesty Leon Griffin."
In front of the tomb stands a life-size statue of Li Ang.
It was built for him by Charles and Darion after he disappeared, and the tomb was actually empty.
At that time, Dallion explained that the tomb was built on the one hand because most people thought Leon was dead, and on the other hand it was to give the Griffin Knights a name for "avenge Leon".
After all, the identity of the Griffin Knights was very embarrassing at that time - in the eyes of others, they were equivalent to an illegal armed force at that time.
At that time, Amy was the queen of Sarleon, but due to historical reasons, the Griffin Knights could not be loyal to Sarleon. Therefore, they had to use Leon's name to preserve themselves, that is, to let others regard them as Leon's private troops to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Leon originally thought that this was Darion's instruction from his adoptive father, but he didn't expect it was actually Charles' suggestion.
"Your Majesty, Charles's worship of you has actually already surpassed the concept of monarch and subject... He regards you as a god. Moreover, he can probably be considered a fanatic - I think that even if you ask him to die, he will do it without hesitation."
Dallion said, stroking his chest and bowing his head to Leon: "From the situation here, Charles did collude with the Jatu people. But I am also sure that his loyalty to you is unquestionable. I don't know why he did this, but there may be some reason. Your Majesty, I hope you can give him a chance to explain."
"I will."
Li Ang nodded and left after thinking about it.
After returning to Changhe City, Leon received the news sent by Raphael.
Raphael had arrived at the White Hart Keep. He locked Charles in the Pendor Bank, which was guarded by hundreds of Noldor elves, including Vendatil, who had fought alongside Raphael.
This is a very safe approach, and Raphael has indeed grown a lot.
However, Leon doesn't have time to ask Charles what happened because he has to rush to Fletcher.
He had to first completely fool Zakar, and then come back to clean up the mess.
…
Sigismund was indeed a very efficient man. He built Fletcher's trade market in just three days.
Perhaps it was fate, perhaps it was coincidence, the location of the mutual trade market was right at the riverside camp where Leon had fought a bloody battle with the Jatu people, not a step away.
The small riverside camp had been expanded several times by Ralph and Charles, and was now a medium-sized fortress that could accommodate thousands of people.
Moreover, the fortress spanned the long river, like a barbell, with military stations and walls on both ends of the river and a sturdy wooden bridge in the middle.
In other words, this medium-sized fortress is actually equivalent to building a small castle on each side of the river. Even if the castle on the other side of the river is occupied by the enemy, the bridgehead can be occupied at the other end to block the enemy, and at the same time, the defenders can cross the river and counterattack quickly. It is a military fortress with both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Now, the north side of the fortress has been designated as a trading place for the Jatu people, while the south side serves as a large supermarket for the new Pendor Kingdom, with a bridge in between.
This is of course a fair approach. Li Ang has always done business on the principle of fairness and voluntariness...
Including the list he made for Zakar, it seemed extremely fair, even Zakar felt like he was getting a bargain...
For example, a goat weighing more than fifty pounds can be exchanged for five pounds of salt;
Two sheep would buy a pound of dye;
Six sheep could be exchanged for a pound of Bacchus spice, and it was already ground into powder;
The more expensive lead kettles and lead cauldrons only cost the price of three or five sheep.
Even the extremely valuable Fushou Cream was on the list. This thing really cured Zakar's old injury and constipation, and it can also refresh the mind, and it can really stop coughing, vomiting, and diarrhea. It can cure most common diseases on the grassland! The Jatu people even called it a "magic medicine." But such a precious thing only costs ten sheep per pound!
Of course, the sheep must be raised to more than fifty pounds, otherwise they will not be accepted - Leon left many fifty-pound scales in the trading field he prepared for the Jatu people.
This standard is also extremely fair. A fifty-pound goat is actually not that big. It only takes one year to reach this weight. It is not even an adult yet. Normal goats can actually grow to more than a hundred pounds.
Zakar even thought that such a sheep was a little small, but Leon said that sheep weighing more than 50 pounds were most suitable for roasting - which was indeed true.
"Your Majesty, this price is indeed very generous. I have no objection... If you need a warhorse, I am willing to sell it to you."
Zakar felt that Leon was really sincere in opening this trading market, and this kind of pricing seemed to him like picking up sheep for free - sheep were really not that valuable on the grassland.
"There's no need for war horses. My troops currently have enough horses. Of course, if you're willing to sell stallions, I can buy a few..."
Li Ang rejected Zakar's proposal: "The Jatu people are also human beings. Let your people live a better life. Everyone can raise sheep. Women and children can also herd sheep, and it can also supplement the food reserves in your tribe. But raising horses requires a lot of energy and young and strong manpower..."
Zakar looked at the compassionate Leon and nodded slowly: "You are right... Your Majesty Leon, you are indeed a merciful king."
"In this way, both sides can reduce the number of troops stationed and invest more manpower and material resources in people's lives... But you have to take good care of this market. I'm worried that Zhuda's tribe will come and cause trouble. I don't want to trade with him. You know, he definitely won't exchange sheep for me."
Li Ang also nodded and extended his hand to Zakar.
Zakar also reached out, grabbed Leon's paw and squeezed it hard: "Please rest assured, Zhuda will never come again. Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty Leon."
The two sides agreed on the price and the matter was settled.
In order to ensure that the trade with the Jatu people can be maintained for a long time, Leon asked Andongjia, who was temporarily stationed here, to manage this trading area. Andongjia had managed the trading area with the Misty Mountain people in the Crow Stern, so he is now familiar with this job.
It seemed both fair and reasonable to have the Misty Mountaineers maintain trade between the Jatu and the Pendor.
Of course, the most important thing is... Leon doesn't intend to let decent people like Ralph or Leofric take care of this matter.
The most suitable person to manage this trading venue is someone as flexible as An Dongjia.
Because An Dongjia and Ansen were in love, she knew what those "necessities of grassland life" that Li Ang had obtained were...
Fu Shou Gao is opium. There is no need to explain the situation of this thing. Anyway, Ramon has now monopolized the opium market in Sinjar and the supply is sufficient.
Lead kettles and pots are not just lead products, their inner layers are also painted with mercury paint - which not only achieves a non-stick effect, but also makes these utensils look beautiful and silvery, and they are also easy to clean.
However, long-term use of lead products can lead to lead poisoning, and mercury paint will produce more deadly mercury toxins when heated...
Those so-called Bacchus spices are actually banned items that were not allowed to be sold , and they are also an overstock.
These spices are not natural spices, but are made by former Bacchus merchants who mixed discarded spices with various toxic additives. The reason why they are ground into powder is to avoid being seen...
But this second-hand spice can really remove the greasiness of meat, and the effect is very good - probably because it contains a particularly high content of things like safroxanthin...
Since it is very effective in removing greasiness, it is indeed a good thing for the grassland people who eat meat for a long time. Eating a small amount will not kill people. At most, it will cause liver cancer and reproductive system diseases...
Only table salt had no additional ingredients, because that stuff was not made according to the standard of real table salt. It was a semi-finished sea salt that had not been distilled twice, that is, the first-class salt made directly from seawater. It looked and tasted fine, but long-term consumption might cause minor problems such as blindness, forgetfulness, hair loss, tinnitus, and general weakness...
They are all minor problems.
Look, Zakar has already expressed his gratitude sincerely...
These are the good things that are most lacking on the grassland. Li Ang is doing honest business.
…
Half a month later, the Jatu people withdrew completely to the grassland and indeed sent a large number of sheep.
At this time, the two thousand Jatu people who were blocked in the ancient base had almost run out of food and grass. It seemed that Zakar had gathered 20,000 sheep at the fastest efficiency .
These sheep immediately became the benefits that Li Ang used to reward his subordinates - they had been fighting everywhere before, and the troops were tired and needed some encouragement.
Twenty thousand sheep did not seem like a lot after being divided among thousands of soldiers. Almost every soldier could get two, and those who had made military achievements could get more.
However, another saying soon spread on the mainland: Soldiers who have made great contributions in the war should be rewarded with fat sheep, because they can use - after all, roasted whole lamb is one of the three items in a wedding banquet...
Of course, this statement also serves to support Li Ang's sheep-raising plan...
After Zakar's men delivered the sheep to Fletcher, Leon released the Gatu troops in the ancient garrison as promised, showing his integrity.
Soon after this troop was released, news of internal strife among the Jatu people came from the north - this was reported by a Jatu named 'Shizaha', who was originally a subordinate of Juda and now defected to Zakar.
The Destroyer Juda's tribe suffered a large-scale attack by Zakar. Juda was killed in the battle and his tribe was annexed.
The Jatu people fully obeyed Zakar's leadership and began to trade with Fletcher on a large scale.
Probably because Juda's tribe had been dealt with by Zakar, the transaction went smoothly. The Jatu people were basically happy to bring their sheep in exchange for the good things they wanted, and no unnecessary conflicts occurred.
After all, the Jatu people have no shortage of sheep, especially goats which are very easy to raise...
Sheep are indeed very good livestock. They are adaptable, easy to raise, docile, calm and easy to manage.
Moreover, from goat milk to wool, to mutton and horns, the whole body has uses. Even goat intestines are essential for doctors to suture external injuries.
The only downside is that goats consume more pasture than horses, and they chew on the grass roots…
Of course, chewing grass roots will not cause grassland desertification, but it will make the grassland recovery period longer - several times slower than the recovery of grassland chewed by cattle and horses.
For the Jatu people, it is their living habit to change pastures every season and rotate grazing on different pastures throughout the year.
The livestock they originally raised more were horses and cattle.
But Li Ang's trading market would force them to raise a large number of sheep - only goats could be exchanged for those good things, which were not available even if they robbed everywhere before. Especially salt and metal utensils, which were necessities that were really lacking in the grassland.
When raising goats in large numbers, after about a year or two, when they return to the first pasture, they will find that... the pasture has not fully grown.
Without enough pasture, they must reduce the number of livestock grazing - but what types of livestock?
Horses are quite picky about food. Pastures that have not yet fully grown cannot support too many horses, but can still support sheep. Compared with horses, goats are indeed easier to raise...
Besides, it doesn't matter if we breed one less horse for a short period of time. The Jatu people don't lack horses now...
At the same time, Li Ang's trading market only accepts sheep.
Then the choice is easy to make.
After repeatedly reducing the breeding of cattle and horses, the Jatu people will gradually become specialized goat breeders - whether for trading or to raise more livestock to ensure the tribe's food reserves, this is a necessary choice.
So this vicious cycle can only continue... until everything is irreversible.
Coupled with their dependence on the "Longevity Cream" and the intake of various toxins, after one or two years, the Jatu people will find that their neonatal mortality and deformity rates will be frighteningly high, and adults will gradually become weak.
A sturdy warrior will become skinny, and his proud horseback archery skills will be useless because of trembling hands and blurred eyes...
But given the cultural level of the Jatu people, they will probably never find the answer to all this.
They would probably just blame the god Indar for abandoning them...
Moreover, by then, no matter how they try to change it all, it will be too late. Raising sheep for the new Pendor Kingdom will probably be the only reason for their existence.
If nothing unexpected happens, in a few years, the Jatu people will become gentle, polite, good at singing and dancing, and hospitable...
Conquest does not necessarily require swords.
