thefictionvixens Chapter 135: There is a pillow when you are sleepy
Chapter 135: There is a pillow when you are sleepy
Just when Zhang Wei was thinking about how to find a reason to go out to sea, the king's herald came to Zhang Wei again. This time, the king asked about the results of the investigation in Xina Port.
"Don't worry, sir. It's just a routine inquiry." After the herald conveyed the king's order, he told Zhang Wei not to be nervous.
"I was wondering why the magpies were calling on the eaves today. It turns out that a noble person is coming to visit us." Zhang Wei smiled and stuffed a bag of money into the herald officer's pocket. He then said, "It's over. The investigation is almost done. We have also found some previous problems. The evidence is solid. I was just thinking about who would be the safest person to handle this matter, and here you are, sir."
"This..." The messenger hesitated a little. He had just delivered a message to Zhang Wei, mainly because of the gift-giving incident last time, which made him benefit a lot. However, this did not mean that he and Zhang Wei were in the same boat. If there was something risky, he would definitely not do it.
"No hurry, no hurry," Zhang Wei pretended not to notice the herald's hesitation, and instead asked Yuan Shao who was standing beside him, "Didn't those local bastards prepare a welcoming banquet when they knew that the Lord was coming?"
"Sir, look at what you said. We have been prepared early in the morning. The adjutant who is acting as the chief officer, the heads of various departments and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce have been waiting for a long time." Yuan Shao answered Zhang Wei's question with a smile.
When the herald heard this, his hesitation disappeared instantly. He understood what those issues that Zhang Wei had just mentioned that were supported by solid evidence.
At the welcoming banquet, the herald was overjoyed by all the flattery he received. He was so happy that he stayed for three days, unable to refuse the hospitality. He then went to the royal capital with the investigation results, information on other cases, and gifts from Zhang Wei, local officials, and the Chamber of Commerce.
This time, Yuan Shao also went to the royal capital with the herald. He was ordered to arrange the voyage.
Half a month later, Yuan Shao returned to Xina Port with a team of royal heralds.
According to Yuan Shao, the previous herald had been promoted, and His Majesty the King was very satisfied with Zhang Wei's performance. In addition, the kingdom's economy has been sluggish recently, and the royal family and the nobles in the capital have become increasingly wary of the local nobles, so the royal family specially approved Zhang Wei to form a maritime caravan.
"Sir, according to the royal family, it is actually the will of His Majesty the King. Taxes will enjoy the treatment of the royal caravan, which means that you don't have to pay taxes. However, the royal family requires half of the net profit. I agreed to it on my own, otherwise I wouldn't get this thing." Yuan Shao said, placing a letter of marque issued by the royal family in front of Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei picked up the letter of marque and gave Yuan Shao a hug in surprise.
"You can even get this thing?" Zhang Wei was so happy.
"Sir, don't be too happy. This only applies to the West Sea. We cannot go to the South and East." Yuan Shao asked Zhang Wei to calm down.
"Hahaha, that's great too. The caravan can go to Desert Scimitar, and the raiding team can go to other places to rebuild their routes." Zhang Wei excitedly began to plan for the future.
Yuan Shao coughed lightly.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Wei knew that Yuan Shao had something to remind him of.
"We don't have that many ships at the moment. Even if we can raise a lot of money, the port of Sinnar has been in disrepair for a long time and is usually only used by offshore fishing boats. We need to dredge the silt to make the port berthable for large ships, rebuild the shipyard and restore its production capacity. In addition, we need to recruit professional personnel such as crew members and captains, repair warehouses and many other tasks to be done."
"So, how long will it take us? What if I can provide a lot of money?" Zhang Wei felt a headache when he heard what Yuan Shao said.
"Money can speed up the process, but it can't make everything appear out of thin air. If the money is in place, I can shorten the process."
"How soon can we get out to sea?" Zhang Wei wanted to know the exact time.
"If money is not a consideration, I can hire a large number of magicians to solve the problems of port siltation and rebuild shipyards and warehouse repairs. As for talents, I can recruit free people from the ports in the south and east of the kingdom, and even hire foreigners. Ships can also be bought from foreign countries, but it will take at least one year and at most three years. And I don't recommend going too fast."
"why?"
"Because I'm afraid some people will wonder where you got so much money. If you can make a big change in Xinna Port in just one year, this kind of financial resources will scare many people."
"So what's your idea?"
"Start with the difficult and then move on to the easy, show weakness to the enemy, or even turn the enemy into a friend, so that the former enemy will take the initiative to help us solve this problem." Yuan Shao put forward his own idea.
"Are you trying to tie up interests?" Zhang Wei realized what Yuan Shao's method was.
"As long as you are willing." Yuan Shao said and waited for Zhang Wei's decision.
"Hahaha, why don't you give it to me? I'll give it to you." Zhang Wei is not short of money, so why would he care about sharing some profits with others?
"Then please rest assured, sir. In addition, I have brought back a team of royal heralds this time. Nominally, it is to facilitate communication between you and the royal family, but in fact, I think it is to better monitor your whereabouts. From now on, please be careful with your words and actions." Yuan Shao reminded Zhang Wei not to underestimate those heralds.
"Don't worry, I understand. Just maintain your original image. No one will believe you if you suddenly become a gentleman. Where are those ancestors? Take me to see them. I will welcome them personally." Zhang Wei smiled and patted Yuan Shao's shoulder.
"Sir, please come this way." Yuan Shao said as he took Zhang Wei to meet those ancestors.
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Just as Zhang Wei continued to corrupt these heralds, a royal herald from the royal capital arrived at Xina Port and urgently summoned Zhang Wei to the royal capital to meet His Majesty the King.
When Zhang Wei left, he was worried that Yuan Shao could not be controlled, so he asked whether he should give Yuan Shao a position to make it easier for him to do things.
Yuan Shao shook his head and said, "Now they are afraid of you, not me. It doesn't matter whether I have an official position or not. What matters is that the more stable your position is, the better I can do my job."
"Good brother, I'll leave this place to you." After entrusting the affairs of Xinna Port to Yuan Shao, Zhang Wei hurried back to the royal capital with the heralds.
In the side hall of the palace, the king summoned Zhang Wei alone again. This honor was envied by many people.
After meeting the king, Zhang Wei's face became solemn.
After separating from Zhang Wei, Duke Lionheart was attacked. The Duke himself was unharmed, but the knights who followed him south suffered heavy casualties.
This was not enough to make the king angry. What really made the king angry was that the Duke of Lionheart never mentioned the attack, and the knights who followed him to the capital alive also kept silent, as if the attack had never happened.
"Did those knights with broken arms and legs break their own arms and legs? Did those knights who disappeared out of thin air never have been born? Does he doubt that I am incapable of upholding justice for him, or does he doubt that I am the culprit behind all this???"
The king's angry expression still lingered in Zhang Wei's mind.
After the king said that, Zhang Wei wondered if the king was the culprit. Otherwise, who would have the courage and strength to cause such a serious loss to the Duke of Lionheart?
Zhang Wei was ordered to investigate the attack on Duke Lionheart. He left the palace and went straight to the Duke Lionheart's temporary residence. However, the guard refused Zhang Wei's request for an audience on the grounds that the Duke was busy with affairs.
Zhang Wei then tried to find a breakthrough from the Duke of Lionheart's knights, but they all refused to see him.
Finally, Zhang Wei found out the number of people entering the city with Duke Lionheart and his entourage from the city registration office, and found that half of the knights were missing.
He also learned from the medical records of the military hospital that some knights had broken legs and hands.
"Their injuries are no longer serious, so all we can do is register them truthfully." The pastor who received them that day informed Zhang Wei of the situation truthfully.
After listening to this, Zhang Wei thanked them and left. It was obvious that these knights came to register on purpose. As for who they were showing it to, only the Duke of Lionheart knew it.
Zhang Wei led a team of heralds and set out directly from the north gate of the royal capital. The reason why he did not use the teleportation array was mainly because Duke Lionheart and his men also entered the city through the city gate, and did not follow the usual practice of using the teleportation array to enter the city from the city of Antiphis in the north. The specific reason is unknown.
From the royal capital to Antiphis City, no useful information was found.
On the contrary, when they set out from Antiphis and arrived at Tiprano, they found the atmosphere here a bit strange. Zhang Wei found the earl and learned that Viscount Jinhou had sent people to ask for help every few days. According to Viscount Jinhou, the town of Huai'en had been captured by the rebels, and the life and death of Earl Huai'en and his troops were unknown. Since Jinhou Town had no city walls, it was simply unable to stop it.
"Then you sent troops?" Zhang Wei asked.
"I did send troops, but that coward kept all the troops in Jinhou Town. He refused to send troops north and refused to let the troops I sent come back!" The Earl was almost furious. When he heard about the rebellion, he immediately sent troops to support Viscount Jinhou. However, he didn't know whether the news was true or not. According to the laws of the kingdom, he had no power to bypass Viscount Jinhou and send troops to the Baron's territory. Therefore, if Viscount Jinhou did not send his own troops, the Earl could only watch.
"So, you still don't know whether what Viscount Jinhou said is true or false, and you don't even know whether Viscount Jinhou is still loyal to the kingdom. Is he really asking for soldiers to guard Jinhou Town or to weaken the defense of Tiprano City?" Zhang Wei said these words to the count without any hesitation in front of the captain of the royal heralds who followed him closely.
The Earl opened his mouth, looked at the captain of the royal heralds, and still closed his mouth without saying anything.
It was not that the Earl did not want to defend himself, but he was afraid that Zhang Wei would ask him to leave the walled city on his own and lead the army to Jinhou Town to check the actual situation.
"You..." Zhang Wei was speechless. He turned to the herald captain and said, "Leave two heralds here, and the others will follow me to Jinhou Town to check the situation."
"Then how many troops do you want to accompany you?" The count was afraid that if Zhang Wei asked for too many, he would not be safe enough. He was also afraid that if he gave too few, he would suffer if something happened to Zhang Wei or he was dissatisfied.
"Keep it to protect yourself. I'll use the power I've obtained to lead the local noble army!" Zhang Wei said, then turned around and left with the captain of the royal herald squad.