Chapter 828: Maztek

Henry glared at the three guys with sharp eyes, and then fixed his eyes on the guard: "Tell me, what happened? And who are these two strangers?"

Obviously, he was quite dissatisfied with the panicked behavior of the guards, and he didn't even hide his disgust.

Although it has been known for a long time that ordinary human soldiers are mostly fancy but not useful, it is too shameful to be so busy when encountering an emergency, especially in front of outsiders.

"Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation..."

The guard was so frightened that his whole body became stiff, and he couldn't even speak fluently. He tried hard to explain the whole thing clearly, but because he was too nervous, his tongue was like a knot, and he couldn't express himself clearly.

In the end, Stephen, the leader of the "Kestrel" mercenary group, reacted quickly enough, quickly stepped forward and bowed, and told the whole story.

Of course, he consciously ignored the part that was not good for him, especially when he repeatedly mentioned the primitive living environment of the Maztec continent and the barbaric and cruel customs of the local tribes during the explanation process, as if the people there were trafficked to Not only is it not a crime to come to Faerun Continent, but it is helping them.

I have to say that this guy is very smart. He directly took all the responsibility of the guards on himself, and he also took the initiative to admit the purpose of this trip, and at the same time, he kept his words tight. The most important thing is that he did not tell a single lie from the beginning to the end. Misleading by creating atmosphere.

talent!

Henry's first reaction was that this guy is definitely a top talent in the slave trade!

You must know that not everyone can engage in this sinful transaction without any psychological burden. Coupled with the shameless face and misleading truth, what he lacks now is a stage and an opportunity.

As a soul from the region, Henry is very aware of the benefits of the slave trade, and he is also very clear that this kind of thing can only be done secretly, if it is brought out in the open. Then it will become the target of countless benevolent organizations in an instant.

But now the Kingdom of West Hartland is really short of labor force. Even the beggars and disabled people on the street are forcibly assigned a job, and the prisoners locked in the dungeon are all sent to quarries, mines and other places Labor reform, even death row prisoners have been temporarily pardoned...

It can be said that the whole country is like a high-speed carriage, from nobles to commoners, everyone feels that their pace of life is accelerating, and there is always endless work to do. Gone are the days of poverty and leisure, replaced by more jobs and more paychecks. More daily necessities available for purchase.

Countless workshops are producing the commodities designated by Henry day and night, and then they are trafficked to other regions by several large chambers of commerce alliances, earning every copper coin madly.

Benefits are shared!

According to the long-established plan, he made everyone feel the charm of capital intensification, and every businessman can see that his profits are doubling. The most important thing is to use advanced technology and cheap commodities, He successfully squeezed out a large number of inefficient handicraft workshops in neighboring countries, and firmly grasped the initiative of trade.

Maybe in a few more years, Henry wouldn't even need to start a war, just impose a trade embargo on a certain area. The local rulers would be crawling up on their knees and begging him to rule them in no time...

This sentence is the power of trade wars!

It usually does not show mountains and water, but once it erupts, it is powerful, and the more productive it is, the more backward the area. The more destructive it is, it is not surprising that it eventually turns into riots and coups.

In fact, although many places in Faerun claim to be self-sufficient, they need to trade some necessities with the outside world for a year, such as salt, cloth, needlework, metal tools, iron pots, etc. If there is no such thing, Then their situation will become quite difficult.

But obviously, there is still a long way to go to destroy all handicraft workshops under the current situation. One of the biggest constraints is the lack of labor force.

Henry intends to try and see if he can use the "Kestrel" mercenary group to start with the smallest slave trade. If people don't react very violently by then, then consider expanding it slowly. As for legalization, don't even think about it. , because it represents the good and evil tendencies of a country and must not be offended easily.

Just when he squinted his eyes to think about the problem. Elena led a few strong maids, carried a torrent of hot water and entered the room again. Soon there was the sound of bathing the baby, and at the same time, Doris was sobbing with joy.

"How many people are there in the Kestrel Mercenary Corps?" Henry was eager to go in to see his (lover) lover and his newborn son, so he went straight to the point without any nonsense.

Stephen instantly realized that this question was unusual. Immediately bowed deeply and replied: "There are 30 fixed members, if necessary. It can be expanded to more than 200 at any time. Of course, you can't expect them to follow orders like real soldiers, so there is no way to implement them too secretly." task."

"Two hundred people?" Henry squinted his eyes and muttered in a low voice, and then asked: "How much do you know about Maztec Continent? Including geography, culture, social composition, etc., and of course the most important thing is the distribution of tribes. "

Hearing this sentence, Stephen fell into ecstasy. He forcibly suppressed his excitement and lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, I know the entire east coast of the continent well. In fact, the Maztec continent is not as big as it is rumored to be. Terrible, and the aborigines are also very hospitable, especially along the river deep inland, those primitive tribes are very, very backward, most of the weapons in their hands are wooden, and only a few warriors called warriors can get an obsidian spear or It's an ax."

"You mean...they don't have the ability to smelt metal at all?!"

Henry had an incredible expression on his face, and at the same time realized the huge opportunity, a tropical rainforest civilization similar to South America on Earth, a perfect raw material supply location and dumping target. He finally understood why Amn's council of six still supported the overseas colonies after the sahuagin blocked the coast. It turned out that there were so many profits in it.

Stephen nodded fiercely: "That's right! Your Majesty. You only need a few iron weapons and armor, and you can immediately exchange them for countless slaves, gems, and gold. Some tribal leaders said that they can accept employment. A hundred sharpened spear points will help wipe out a small tribe, and all slaves and spoils will be ours."

"Interesting..." The corners of Henry's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a playful smile. "Besides ironware, what commodities do those indigenous tribes need? Also, do you know any other places that are suitable for establishing settlements?"

"Salt! Cloth! Rope! Pots for water! They are short of almost everything, so whatever they need is always available. If the tribe itself does not have enough, they will launch a war to plunder. As for the place suitable for settlement, I have not yet Note, however, that at the southern end of the continent there is a great river that flows to the sea, and perhaps that would make a suitable settlement."

Stephen tried his best to show off his knowledge of Maztec, knowing everything without saying anything. He is very clear about how rare this opportunity is, as long as he succeeds, then wealth, title, power, everything will soon fall from the sky.

However, Henry was obviously not blinded by the wealth, and just smiled contemptuously: "Your speaking skills are very good, and you have been advocating the huge wealth contained there from the beginning, but you have omitted the risks that development needs to take. If I guessed right, the living environment of Maztec must be very harsh."

Speaking of this, he paused slightly and sighed: "Tropical rainforest, humid air, countless mosquitoes, poisonous tongues, beasts, crocodiles, plus even more terrifying parasites, I am afraid that half of the people who go there will come back alive." Thank goodness, I was right."

"You...how do you know..."

Not knowing whether it was because of fear or surprise, Stephen's whole body began to tremble, with an expression of disbelief on his face.

In Faerun Continent, most of the rumors about the Maztec Continent were spread through the mouths of Amn merchants. In order to ensure their own interests are not infringed, they never reveal any useful information except to exaggerate how barbaric and primitive it is, so 99% of them don't even know what the Maztec Continent looks like. Not sure, let alone such a precise description.

"Okay, without further ado, I will give you some support in private, including a small airship that can carry a hundred people, five large sea ships, ten druids, ten mages, and more There is a regular army of 200 people. At the same time, you are allowed to buy unlimited military supplies. There is only one requirement, and that is to build a settlement for me within five months. In addition, the slave trade is best not to be so blatant, and it is best to entrust it to the underground forces Do it, understand?"

Henry stated all his requirements and conditions in one breath, and then stood there silently waiting for the other party's reply. He believes that for an ambitious person, it is absolutely impossible to miss this opportunity.

Stephen took a deep breath, raised his head and summoned up the courage to ask: "Your Majesty, if all these are done according to your requirements, can I become a nobleman?"

The corners of Henry's mouth turned up slightly, and he nodded slightly: "Of course it's no problem, but the territory can only be canonized near the settlement you choose. I think Baron of the New World is a good title, isn't it?"

"Yes! That is really a resounding title, and I will definitely wear it on my head. Although five months is a bit short, I will definitely achieve the goal you asked for. Finally, please allow me to congratulate you on having another one Healthy prince, this is a gift that was originally intended to be given to Miss Doris first, since it is not convenient for her to see guests now, so please convey it on your behalf."

Speaking of which, Stephen took out a half-foot-long square box from his arms, put it in Henry's hand very respectfully, then bowed again, turned and walked towards the gate.

Different from the panic when he came, the excitement in his eyes at this moment can be seen even by the little man behind him. The desire (desire) in this man's heart has been completely released by Henry, like a beast out of the cage, can't wait I want to devour fresh flesh and blood to strengthen myself... (to be continued~^~)