flstandardbreds Chapter 264 Will You Give It to Me?
Chapter 264 Will You Give It to Me?
"My lord, I was wrong! My lord, the president told me to tell you this! I'm just a messenger!"
At this time, the representative of Andrew Chamber of Commerce realized that he had committed a serious crime and immediately knelt down and begged.
"You regret it now? It's too late! Take him away!"
After dragging away the Chamber of Commerce President Andrew, who looked like a dead dog, John looked at the trembling representatives, feeling both angry and happy. He was angry because these presidents not only did not take him seriously, but also thought that John was just like those foolish nobles who only knew how to enjoy themselves, and that he could get away with it by fooling around. He was happy because now he had a chance to discipline these scums.
So after brewing up his emotions, John pointed at the chamber of commerce representatives and shouted:
"I know that some of you are still dissatisfied. Now stand up and explain yourself clearly!"
At this time, a representative of the Chamber of Commerce said tremblingly:
"Lord John, you sent a citizen of Free City to prison and abused him like this. Aren't you afraid of being held accountable by His Majesty the King? You know, Free City has had autonomy for hundreds of years. Even the current King doesn't dare to send people directly to Free City to arrest criminals!"
"Well said!" John pointed at him.
"Of course I know that Mont-de-Marsan is a free city. The city council of Mont-de-Marsan is more effective than the king's orders. There is even a saying: 'The wind can come in, the rain can come in, but the king cannot come in'. But do you know why your free city can obtain autonomy?"
John began to tell the story in front of everyone:
"A few hundred years ago, the Kingdom of Midland had just been established and everything was in ruins. The other countries around it were ready to seize the opportunity to invade Midland's territory."
"At this time, also in the southwest, the enemy's army crossed the mountains and directly surrounded Mondemarsan, the only fortress in the southwest at that time. The entire army and people of Mondemarsan fought bloody battles with the enemy for several months. When the king's army came to support them, only a few hundred people were left out of more than 10,000 people in the entire Mondemarsan. Because of this, the king at that time granted the city autonomy."
Having said this, John glanced around at the Chamber of Commerce representatives and continued:
"And now, the enemy is still from the other side of the mountain, and Monde-Marsan is still the last fortress. You, as the descendants of heroes, are actually starting to raise prices to rob the wealth of another group of descendants of heroes."
"To put it nicely, you are amassing wealth. To put it bluntly, you are profiting from the country's misfortune. You must all be cut into pieces, and then your heads must be chopped off and hung on the city gate. When the Lana people over there get here, let them see how I deal with traitors like you!"
When the Chamber of Commerce representatives, who were already frightened, heard that they were all going to be killed, they immediately threw away their original temperament and knelt down to beg for mercy.
Seeing the arrogant Chamber of Commerce representatives begging for mercy like dogs, John couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
"These guys are easy to deal with. It depends on what they do next."
"Alright, alright, you guys really think you are superior to others in Mont-de-Marsan and you can make others listen to you. If you change to Windham, you guys, including your Chamber of Commerce President, will die in an alley without knowing where."
"All you can do now is to quickly return to your Chamber of Commerce president and tell him that I said... No, I ordered them to reduce the price of wheat, barley, and oats to 1 silver coin and 60 copper coins per pound within one day. If anyone fails to do so within the time limit, don't blame me for being ruthless."
John took out a small notebook from his pocket and said to everyone:
"Do you know what this little book is for? I tell you, I got this book from the gang leader Bob. It contains all the names of people who have had contact with Yoda or Lana and received money from the enemy country. Unfortunately, the bosses of several of you are listed with me. When the time comes, I will bring the army to seal up all the mansions and shops of your bosses, and then arrest them all, interrogate them for seven or eight days, and finally hang them directly, then behead them, and finally burn them at the stake! Burn them to ashes."
After finishing speaking, John sat on the chair, crossed his legs and said to the Chamber of Commerce representatives:
"Everyone get lost!"
The representatives escaped from the embassy one by one amidst their numerous thanks. That night, the bedrooms of all the chamber of commerce presidents were flickering with dim candlelight, and even the Andrew Chamber of Commerce was no exception.
The next day, when residents woke up, they found that the price of grain in some stores had dropped from two or three silver coins to one silver coin. This news quickly spread throughout Mont-de-Marsan, and all the grain stores that had reduced their prices were rushed into a buying frenzy. By noon, all the grain stores had sold out, along with their inventory.
Along with the price reduction of food, news about a series of John angrily scolding Chamber of Commerce representatives for price reduction spread in alleys and taverns. Although the citizens were not sure whether the news was true or not, considering what John had done this month, the news might really be true.
"That means except for Andrew Chamber of Commerce, other chambers of commerce have lowered their prices?" John asked Jacques who was reporting on his work in the embassy.
"That's right, sir. According to my investigation, the reason why the Andrew Chamber of Commerce is so confident is that it has far more food stored than other chambers of commerce. The food of other chambers of commerce can only support the citizens of Mondemarsan for one month. By then, the citizens will have to buy the expensive food from the Andrew Chamber of Commerce."
"One more thing." Jacques glanced at John and continued:
"Regarding what you did this month, including lowering the price of grain stores, some citizens have complaints against you, and some even say that you are a demon who destroyed the entire system of the Free City of Mont-de-Marsan."
"Ah?" John was surprised. It was the first time he heard of opening warehouses to give grain to disaster victims, but the victims were unhappy.
"So what they mean is that I provide them with low-priced food, but they are still not happy. They will only be happy if they starve to death, right?"
"I'm not too sure about this. According to what my men have inquired, these people are basically following the instigation of certain folk religious groups, which is why they have opinions about you." Seeing that John was a little angry, Jacques hurriedly explained.
"You are responsible for this matter. Check it out. If it doesn't work, just 'invite' them over and entertain them yourself."
After Jacques left, John suddenly remembered that Charles had come to recruit new soldiers before, so he had to send someone to urge him to send a group of refugees away quickly, otherwise it would be bad if a plague broke out.
At the entrance of a refugee camp a few kilometers away from Mont-de-Marsan, a white flag with a black eagle fluttered in the gray sky of the refugee camp. An officer in the black watch below was shouting with all his might:
"Soldiers eat food, and soldiers eat food. If you have children aged six or seven who cannot be raised at home, you can send them to us to serve as soldiers and receive training. As long as one of the children in the family passes the physical examination, not only will the child have food to eat, but we will also provide accommodation for the relatives. Come and have a look."
A dozen meters away, there were several long lines of adults with children or children alone. At the front of the line were doctors and soldiers wearing masks.
"Measure your height and weight. Open your mouth and show your tongue. Ah, you have good teeth and nothing wrong with them. Go behind me and get the officers to sign."
After testing a child, the officer behind took the child into the carriage at the back. The doctor wiped his sweat and continued:
"Next one...wait a minute!"
Looking at Griffith's face, which was much paler than others and even a little sickly pale, the doctor couldn't help but say with heartache:
"Look at this child. How come he is so anemic?"
"Well, uncle," Griffith said.
"Is it possible that I was born like this?"