Volume 5: If you are poor, you should be alone Chapter 147 The Wolf King's Plot
Marcus was afraid that Sean would learn of Philip's death, so he kept the news secret and did not allow anyone to inform his daughter who had already arrived in Bolton. While the position of city lord caused an uproar in Valentine, the Bolton territory remained very peaceful.
The position of Lord of Bolton Territory has been vacant for several years. The reason is that this poor place is not only extremely poor, but also very close to Valentine. The lower-class people who can move have all gone to Valentine, and the middle-class families, small nobles and other people with connections are all scrambling to go to Valentine. There are only tens of thousands of people sparsely distributed on the huge territory of nearly 100,000 square kilometers (slightly smaller than Fujian Province), and even there are only a dozen small nobles left. It would be a miracle if someone is willing to take over such a poor earldom that can't even afford underwear...
Today, the people of Bolton County can finally say that they have seen a ghost. In the afternoon of that day, an extremely gorgeous and spacious carriage with the earl's family crest on the body drove into the only city in Bolton County: Tower City, with a team of hundreds of people and hundreds of carriages.
The weather during this period was pretty good, relatively clear. The bumpy road that hadn't been smoothed for who knows how many years wasn't too difficult to walk on except that it was quite dusty and blew all over people's faces when the wind blew... But if you were sitting in a carriage, you would suffer, as you would be so bumpy that you would vomit overnight meals.
Whether it was Sean, Xiao Yun or Laura Phillip, none of them were idiots who would rather be shaken into idiots than pretend to be cool. On the second day after entering Bolton's territory, the three of them got off the carriage silently, either riding horses or following, preferring to have their faces covered with sand and dust rather than having to deal with their own internal organs.
Laura, sitting on the back of a short mare, glanced at the empty streets, closed shops, and the ragged and skinny pedestrians on the roadside. The expression on her little face was very heavy.
"Ayun, it's just as you said. People in Tal City are no better off than those in rural towns." Laura said a little depressed, "How could this be? Shouldn't cities be better?"
"Only flowing water is living water. Only flowing water has vitality and can bring prosperity." Xiao Yun did not ride a horse, but walked slowly beside Laura's pony. "Valentine is the only living water in the Kingdom of Kronin, so Valentine was able to prosper in just 20 or 30 years. People all yearn for a better life. Those who are trapped in stagnant water will naturally flow to the living water area. Bolton County, which is closest to Valentine, has actively and passively donated blood to Valentine for so many years. People have left, and the only remaining economic vitality has also left. Of course, it will be worse than other areas in the Kingdom of Kronin."
Laura nodded seriously, puffed out her chest, and said with youthful spirit: "Grandpa can turn Valentine into living water, and I can also turn Bolton County into living water."
"Yes, that's right. Our future countess can definitely do it!" Xiao Yun encouraged with a smile.
Among the group of young people from the Philip , some looked at the foreign youth who was particularly close to Miss Laura with particularly complicated eyes...
Marcus, the only son of Lord Philip, has always been the target of flattery and flattery by the young men in the family. As for Miss Lola, who will get married sooner or later... To be honest, although they will be respectful to her, not many people take Lola too seriously.
The young people of the family who were summoned by Lord Philip thought that they were going to assist Marcus, but in the end they were assigned to Miss Lola. That would have been fine, but what was even worse was that Miss Lola had an alien by her side. Miss Lola was very close to and trusted this young man, and she obeyed his orders. Even the people in their family stepped back. This was really embarrassing...
...If Xiao Yun wasn't a foreigner and would have to leave Kroning sooner or later, and Laura was really too young, there might have been a palace struggle for favor along the way.
"Why did Lord Philip pass the title to Miss Laura? It's not like there's no one left in the Philip family..." A young man couldn't help but whisper, his eyes full of envy and jealousy. It was no secret in the family that Marcus was a loser. Lord Philip was understandably disappointed with Marcus, but it was better to pick a talented person in the family than to let the young Laura take over!
There are some talented people among the younger generation of Philip's family, such as Joe Philip, the third son of Philip's younger brother, whom Laura has to call uncle.
Hearing the whispers of his tribesmen, Joe Philip deliberately slowed down his pace, looked at the foul-mouthed boy inconspicuously, glared at him fiercely, and then looked forward.
The talkative guy shut up immediately. The alien boy walking on Laura's left was nothing, but no one could afford to mess with the legendary magician riding a horse parallel to Laura.
Sean, with his face covered with a cloak, seemed not to hear the noise behind him. He clasped his hands and continued to look at the scene in Tal City.
Tal City, which originally had tens of thousands of people, lost most of its residents in the past twenty years. Many houses collapsed due to disrepair. Even on both sides of the main road leading into the city, you can see ruins of houses. In the center of the city, you can actually see overgrown weeds and thorns. It has to be said that this is a strange sight...
The city was in such a state of disrepair that people's lives were naturally very difficult. After entering the city, a convoy loaded with supplies and escorted by such a large group of people actually attracted a lot of guys with bad looks following from a distance, as if they were ready to risk their lives to grab a piece of the turkey... If Xiao Yun hadn't placed the Snow Wolf tribe, who looked particularly intimidating, on both sides of the convoy, and hadn't had the fat-faced Hannah (...) at the end to lead the charge, those guys with green eyes might have rushed over long ago.
Walking all the way to the square in front of the town hall, the surrounding buildings finally looked a bit presentable. There were some shops open for business, and many citizens or farmers setting up stalls to sell miscellaneous goods, maintaining the popularity of the surrounding area and preserving the last bit of dignity for this dilapidated city .
The citizens of Tal were extremely shocked when they saw this huge and unfamiliar convoy. When they discovered the luxurious carriage with the Earl's family crest in the convoy, many people stood up in amazement.
The hot potato of Bolton County has finally been taken over by an Earl? !
Soon, several local officials in fairly neat but patched clothes came out of the city hall, humbly bent over and trotted to the front of the motorcade. The leader had a handsome head of white hair and a face full of wrinkles, looking more like an old farmer than the Kronin official. Although he looked old, his voice was full of energy. He stopped far away and shouted, "Excuse me, which lord is here?"
Laura squeezed the horse's belly, and the pony took a few steps forward: "I am Laura Philip from the Philip family, who is the mayor of Tal City."
The old man was startled and quickly bent his waist more straight: "I am the mayor of Tal City, and I am here to welcome Miss Laura."
"We were just about to visit you, Mr. Mayor." Laura said, "Please let us into the city hall to talk."
"Of course, of course." The mayor quickly made way and led the way respectfully.
The convoy stopped in the square. Laura jumped off the horse and invited Mr. Sean and Mr. Ayun to ride with her. She then looked at the Philip family and mentioned the names of Joe Philip and another cousin.
The young men of Laura's generation were suddenly excited, but Laura's uncle Joe Philip showed no expression.
The city was in ruins, and the city hall was not much better... The wallpaper in the hall, which should have been prosperous at one time, was peeling off, and the walls were just covered with white paper. There was no silverware on the tables and cabinets, and even the lamps hanging on the walls were made of wood...
Laura frowned and looked at the furnishings in the hall, then looked at the mayor in confusion: "The king allowed Lord Bolton to withhold 30% of the taxes for his own use. Doesn't Tower City have any tax reserves over the years? How come even the city hall is so dilapidated?"
This was said very professionally and precisely, indicating that the young lady of the Philip family came here after knowing about the Bolton Territory. The mayor's heart moved, and his original guess became more certain. He quickly made a bitter face and said, "Miss Laura, you don't know that the city government of Tower City did retain a tax, but when the mayor left office last year... not only did they empty the warehouse, they also stripped off the gold foil on the wall, claiming that it was not enough to make up for the loss... I was originally just the sheriff of Tower City, and I took on the temporary position after the parliament stopped assigning mayors."
Laura's mouth twitched... She resisted the urge to look at Sean and Xiao Yun, walked to her seat with a stern face and sat down, saying: "Our Philip family is preparing to take over the Bolton Territory, and my grandfather sent me to check the situation in Bolton Territory. It's great that you can stand up for Tal City in times of crisis. I think you should know enough about Tal City. Tell me about the situation in the city."
The mayor raised his eyelids in surprise and secretly glanced at the young countess. Seeing that she looked calm and serious, he could not tell anything. He quickly cheered up, stood up straight and reported the situation to the young lady.
Sean was very satisfied with Laura's performance and nodded in appreciation. Xiao Yun also felt that this little girl really lived up to his praises over the past few days. She deserved to have a father who was a jerk... In Xiao Yun's opinion, children from families where parents are extremely useless will have a greater sense of crisis and a greater possibility of success, because instinct will tell these poor kids that they have no one to rely on...
Joe Philip, who was standing quietly beside him, did not look very happy. His gaze stayed on Xiao Yun's face for a moment, then shifted to Sean, and silently lowered his eyelids - how long did it take for Laura, who was originally just a naive and romantic little girl, to learn how to use both kindness and severity? This kind of political method could only come from the teachings of the legendary magician.
Joe Philip quietly clenched his fists, a strong sense of unwillingness rising in his heart... Just because she was born in the main branch, such a little girl can easily get such good resource support!
Laura sat more casually, which was also Xiao Yun's advice. Her identity gave her a natural advantage, so there was no need for her to be tense all the time and make people mistakenly think that she had no confidence; when listening to people speaking, she kept her eyes on the other person's nose, which did not seem too aggressive but showed her concentration; when the person reporting hinted that she had suffered injustice or that there were villains, she did not easily express her opinion or show her likes and dislikes, because the decision maker should not be instigated by only one side of the story.
"...I understand." Laura's expression did not change at all after listening to the mayor's complaints. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "The situation in Tower City is very bad. I think our priority is to restore the vitality of the city's residents. Please ask Mr. Barlow to find some empty houses to accommodate my entourage and my motorcade. I would like to use the City Hall to hold a dinner later. I hope Mr. Barlow can invite all the officials and nobles in the city. I need to know how many families are left in Tower City."
Barlow was somewhat disappointed that he did not get the promise to continue to serve as mayor, but he was also pleasantly surprised that the earl's daughter was still willing to value him. He said yes without saying anything, called the female clerk of the city hall to entertain Miss Lola, and ran out to personally settle the convoy.
Loli breathed a sigh of relief, as the first hurdle was passed. She looked at Xiao Yun with some excitement.
Xiao Yun gave her a thumbs up.
Xiao Yun did not tell her directly how to settle the original officials, but just gave her some hints to see how this little girl would deal with it; now it seems that Laura Philip is still very talented, and she instinctively knows how to dangle carrots in front and let the local bureaucrats serve her.
Cutting off the original team right from the start would allow her to take control of Tal City more quickly, but it would also cause the local people of Bolton to become alienated from her, so it is necessary to use local people appropriately... The so-called new emperor appoints new ministers does not mean that all ministers should be replaced. People from different factions must be kept, otherwise it will easily cause trouble - this is how Chongzhen ruined himself.
Being a leader does not require being proficient in everything. Knowing how to use people is more suitable for being a general manager than knowing how to do things... uh... being a team leader. Laura, who is at an age where she absorbs knowledge very quickly, can undoubtedly understand Xiao Yun's guidance. Next, she put this wisdom of using people to good use:
After meeting the locals at the dinner, the local officials placed all those they could retain in management positions, and used all the people they brought with them to manage affairs.
Local officials will organize active citizens to come to the city hall in batches to learn the business philosophy and operation model taught by the Snow Wolf Tribe. After learning, outstanding citizens will formally serve the Philip family (Miss Lola) and then be organized into groups and sent out to be responsible for various retail outlets of daily necessities for the future lords and to publicize the Philip family's reputation for benevolence. As for the people they brought, they will be directly sent to various villages and towns to first count how many people there are in the Bolton territory, how much land has been abandoned, how much land can be developed and utilized, what the local people's livelihood situation is like... and so on.
It took half a month to arrange work for both sides. Miss Lola was so tired that she could hardly straighten her back... If Xiao Yun hadn't been keeping her hanging with her grandfather's expectations, this noble lady might have gone on strike.
"It's good to be busy. Everyone has something to do, so they don't have the energy to cause trouble for you." In the slightly tidied room in the backyard of the city hall, Xiao Yun smiled and said, "Lola, you see, your uncles and cousins have always been a little hypocritical to you, but now they are driving you around like dogs. Who has time to gossip?"
Laura didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Ayun, you are so annoying, I don't treat my brothers as dogs!"
"Almost done~" Xiao Yun drank tea leisurely, "You can't be idle now. While the local officials are free and the adventurers are still here, quickly organize the people to catch all the idle people wandering on the streets... Gather them, build roads and demolish dilapidated buildings. Tal City is so dilapidated, shouldn't the locals do the city construction work?"
"You let it slip! You wanted to say catch them, right?" Laura pointed her little finger over sharply.
"Don't worry about these details..."
"But if we gather them together we need to provide them with food. Where can I find so much food for them?" Laura laughed for a while, then thought of a serious question.
Xiao Yun was really satisfied with this registered disciple. Although he was a little spoiled before, he was now pragmatic after dealing with real things. He smiled and said, "We don't have food, but those local nobles do. Don't look at the poverty of Bolton County. The mansions and estates of the nobles are still luxurious... You gather them together and explain that this is a voluntary project for the construction of Tal City. Every family must contribute money and food. If they don't, their manors and farms will be confiscated. Anyway, you are the spoiled daughter of the Philip family. What's wrong with being willful? Even if those petty nobles try their best to report to the Noble Council, the Council will not give them face because the Philip family took over the mess of Bolton County..."
"Is this too much?!" Laura was shocked.
"Where is that excessive? I'm only confiscating the manor and farm, not taking away their titles. If someone openly rebels against you, that's great. When your grandfather comes, you can take away the titles and give them to those old contributors who have worked hard with your grandfather for decades to develop Valentine. Isn't that safe?" Xiao Yun said nonchalantly. If you don't have power and influence, you can keep your tail between your legs. If you have power and influence and have people, you can do whatever you want!
Laura thought seriously and nervously for a while, and said painfully: "Although what you said is too much, it seems that I can only do as you said."
"Don't worry, be kind and you can only say it when you are bragging. If you really want to be kind, you will not be able to do anything. You have seen how poor the self-employed farmers in Bolton Territory are on our way here. A family can't even find two pieces of clothing. If they don't sleep with pigs and cows, they will freeze to death in winter. Even in this situation, those local nobles are still trying their best to squeeze money out of the farmers, and they wish to make all the self-employed farmers their own serfs..." Xiao Yun sneered, "If you ask me, the population decline in Bolton Territory is not only due to the outflow of Valentine, but also due to the local nobles not letting the Bolton people reproduce and thrive. If we want Bolton Territory to develop and become a living source, these parasites must be killed as a sacrifice to the gods."
Xiao Yun's words were quite murderous, but Laura nodded subconsciously. Although she did not accept it completely, she could understand and slightly agree with it - City Lord Philip was not good at raising a son, and his ability to govern the city was not good enough in Xiao Yun's opinion. But if compared with the nobles in this world, he was indeed a tall one among the short ones. At least in the manor owned by Philip's family, there were basically no serfs, and they were all self-cultivating farmers.
Well, the self-employed farmers in this world do not own the land, but they can rent land from the lord as free men (and they also have to serve the lord, that is, work for free). If they meet a lord with good eating habits and do not get unlucky and go bankrupt, their lives will be better than those of serfs.
After fooling Laura and sending her back to work, Xiao Yun returned to his room with his hands behind his back. As soon as he entered the room, he was frightened by Sean's gloomy old face.
Before Xiao Yun could speak, Sean handed him a letter. The legendary magician's voice and hands trembled slightly: "Ayun, this is a letter from Primo...Marcus killed his father."
Xiao Yun had foreseen this, but he was still shocked the moment he heard about it - with Philip's political wisdom, how could Marcus succeed so quickly and easily? !
He quickly walked over, took the letter, and lowered his head to unfold it.
"...I don't understand." He returned the letter to the other party and tried his best to look confused, puzzled and unbelievable. "What did Primo say in the letter? Is this true? How is it possible?"
There is a difference between fake shock and real shock. Xiao Yun didn't dare to bet whether Sean could still have meticulous observation skills when he was so sad, so he had to encourage him to talk more.
"Primo couldn't believe it either. He and Philip had never gotten along well, but they had known each other for many years. After Philip was assassinated in the street, he stayed in Valentine to investigate the matter and didn't come to us." Sean was so sad that his voice was choked with sobs. "The assassin who killed Philip was an assassin from Bradrick Continent. The assassin was hired by a noble who had a grudge against Philip. Primo didn't believe that such a poor noble would have the courage to assassinate a count. After waiting for several days, he found out that the noble, who was so poor that even his own manor was almost abandoned, hired the assassin with money from Lamia."
After a pause, Sean's tone became cold and he gritted his teeth: "At Philip's funeral, Eddie of Lamia presented Markas with 800 gold coins as a funeral gift."
Xiao Yun covered his forehead with his hand and sat down slowly: "Calm down, Sean... Maybe the Lamia Chamber of Commerce felt that it would be easier to control Marcus if he became the city lord, so they acted rashly... Maybe it has nothing to do with Marcus. After all, Marcus is Philip's only son."
“Ha, ha, ha.” Sean’s facial muscles twitched in hatred. “Yeah, everyone who knows Philip knows how much he loves Marcus. If Primo hadn’t seen with his own eyes that Marcus ran to the Lamia Chamber of Commerce after the news of Philip’s resignation as city lord spread, and was rejected by that Eddie, Primo would have found it hard to believe... There would be such a stupid thing!!”
Xiao Yun fell silent. The Lamia Chamber of Commerce would not do things without considering the consequences. If Lamia knew that Philip wanted to give up the position of City Lord of Valentine and put it into practice, then the people of Lamia would definitely support their own people to get this position with all their strength... The only one who could do such a stupid thing was Marcus.
As for Philip's death, Lamia might be the one who regrets it the most. With Philip's political wisdom, he would have spread the word after submitting his transfer application to the Council of Nobles, and used this opportunity to reap the final benefits for his family before leaving office. After all, no matter which faction the new city lord comes from, he has to win the support of the old city lord to take over Valentine smoothly.
With the political resources of the Lamia Chamber of Commerce, they had a relatively high chance of winning the position of the new city lord, but they were tricked by Marcus, a guy who only cared about the head but not the butt... So they, who should have been the first to get the moon, were one step slower than the Royal City. I guess Lamia's life is so bad that Marcus is willing to tear his heart apart...
It is true that no matter how cunning a person is, he cannot defend against the knife stabbed by his loved ones, and no matter how good the basic foundation is, it can be ruined by a bully. Xiao Yun shook his head and looked up at Sean: "Has the truth that Primo found out been made public?"
"No." Sean shook his head . "But the Duke sent by the Parliament has arrived in Valentine and is investigating the assassination of Philip... I don't know how many clues that idiot Marcus has left waiting to be caught."
"We must do our best to cover this up, Sean." Xiao Yun said in a deep voice, "My father murdered my grandfather. This shocking scandal will be a fatal blow to Laura's political reputation and the entire Philip family. Philip was murdered by the Lamia Chamber of Commerce, and it could only be murdered by the Lamia Chamber of Commerce!"
Sean closed his eyes and said nothing. Although he knew that Ayun was doing this for the sake of his old friend's granddaughter and family, he was really angry at what Marcus had done, and the knot in his heart could not be untied.
"I envy your friendship with Philip very much, Sean. I can understand your anger towards Marcus, the unfilial son. But for Philip's granddaughter and Laura, Marcus cannot bear the infamy of patricide." Xiao Yun shook his head and said firmly, "It is very simple to punish Marcus, but Marcus must not be allowed to implicate the reputation of Philip's family, especially Laura. Otherwise, Laura's inheritance rights will be questioned, and Philip's family may not even be able to keep the title of earl!"
Sean suddenly opened his eyes, took a few deep breaths to control his emotions, and said with a wry smile: "You are right, Ayun, Philip is gone... We must protect his granddaughter."
Xiao Yun exhaled lightly. It was good that Sean could turn this corner, otherwise all the efforts in recent days would be in vain: "Lola is very smart. With her performance in Tower City, we can believe that she can take on the responsibility of the Philip family. But she is still young now. As Philip's friend, I think we should give her some help..."
The old Xiao Yun would never have been so cruel as to sit back and watch this human tragedy happen... If it were the old Xiao Yun, after realizing this possibility on the day he left Valentine, he would have definitely found an excuse to let Sean go back to look after Philip.
If Sean helps Philip to warn of Marcus's intention in advance and destroy this guy, then it will not affect Xiao Yun's plan. Philip will definitely be hit hard by this incident, and the constraints on him when he uses means against Xiao Yun in the future may be greatly reduced. Xiao Yun was not very optimistic that Marcus, this stupid young master, could defeat Philip. In his expectation, the father and son each had a 50-50 chance of winning.
But in the final analysis...compared to Philip, an old noble with rich political experience, the young Laura is more suitable to be the Kroning agent of the Snow Wolf Clan. Considering this possibility, Xiao Yun chose to keep silent.
Xiao Yun's expectations for Bolton Territory are not just a place to dump goods and a window for external information. When necessary, Bolton Territory can also be a retreat for the Snow Wolf Tribe. Moreover, Bolton Territory is not as far away as St. Bridge. When the situation is irreversible, Xiao Yun can transfer all the tribesmen to Bolton Territory safely in just one month.
On the two ends of the scale, on one side is the Snow Wolf Tribe's safe retreat, which may even be used as capital for a comeback, and on the other side is Philip's life. It is obvious which side to choose.
