At the pier, more than a dozen sailing ships lined up, the top of the mast and the staggered line of hemp were already wrapped in snowflakes into a white silver line, and the refugees fished out of the cabin and flocked to the open space in front of the dock.

This is not the first time that the border town has received refugees from all over the Grey Fort, and the whole process seems to be in order.The four iron railings divide the crowd into two slender columns, which can control the flow of people and avoid stepping.On both sides of the railing are the police officers who are patrolling with short sticks, and those who push and try to cross the railing will be hit by a stick.There are penalties as well as rewards – in order to appease those who have come through the hardships, refugees who cross the railing channel can get a bowl of steaming porridge.In any case, filling your stomach first can effectively reduce the panic and discomfort of refugees in unfamiliar territories.

This time, in addition to the police, the First Army and the city hall officials, the Nightingale and Hilvi also participated in the inspection, in order to find those who Tifeco had inserted drugs in the crowd.Under the scrutiny of the magic eye, neither the pill nor the snow powder is hidden.

"Thank you for all that you have done for the West," said Roland, taking his sight back, to Margery, "if not your fleet, these people would have had to spend the winter in the slums of other cities."

“My Highness asked me for help in such an urgent tone, and naturally I must go all out,” she laughed, “but many of the crew were unwilling to sail in the snow, so they could only get to such thirteen ships.”

“It’s better than none of it,” Roland said.Since learning that there were still a large number of refugees stranded in Yingguang City, Chishui City and Liuye Town, he sent a letter of help to the Margrie Chamber of Commerce, hoping that the other party could collect a fleet to help transport the refugees.

Although the number of thirteen ships is less, two more trips can always bring people back - according to a sailing ship in a hundred people, a round trip takes two weeks, the 3,000 stranded people spend almost a month and a half.The golden dragon carried by the first army team could not be supported until that time, so this return trip also had to carry food and cold clothing.Roland did not want any refugees to get on board, but he was ultimately unable to reach his destination.

To lightning, Marguerite eventually set the cost of transportation twice as much as usual.In other merchants, it must be considered a stupid sale - freight alone exceeds the value of the goods themselves, and the freight of a golden dragon per two people can buy several strong high-quality slaves at the current market price.Marguerite had also questioned him, but Roland insisted on bringing them back to the West.

From the moment they followed the messengers on the sailboat, they were already the leaders of the West, and they had a duty to shelter them.And in Roland's eyes, the value of these refugees is far from the same as that of slaves, and after education and re-employment, the wealth they create in their new positions will be immeasurable.

...

Returning to the living room of the castle, Roland told the kitchen to give Marguerite a soup for the cold, "drink this, hands and feet will be much warmer."

"Thank you for your kindness," the businesswoman scooped up and sniffed, "there seems to be white wine in it?"

"Indeed," he laughed, "there are peppercorns and honey, the base of which is chicken soup."High wine is an excellent drink to drive the cold at any time, and the co-heating of chicken soup also makes the taste more fragrant, coupled with the flavoring that conceals its irritating taste, making the whole bowl of soup aroma and slightly spicy, and people who do not drink often can easily enter.

After slowly drinking the soup, Margley grew out of her breath, "It's really good, every time I come to you on the way here, I will be full of expectations, I don't know what new things you will make, but next year I think I can't often visit your territory."

“You mean the trading opportunity?”Roland keenly captured what she meant in her words.

The businesswoman nodded, "Tifico has issued an order to ban the trade of nitrites, and now not only the royal capital, even the nitrites of Silver City and Chishui City are not allowed to be sold, except for the low-cost supply to the alchemy association, it can only be sold to the nobles in the city."

Roland frowned.

"And according to the news I heard from the city hall channel, he seems to be planning a complete blockade of the western border, I am afraid not only nitrate, but even businessmen will be blocked in the first line of Chishui City."At that time, not only the border town, Changge Fortress and Liuye Town will also be affected.Despite the opposition of many nobles, Tiffico should not retract the order.”She shook her head helplessly, "By the next year, I will not only be unable to transport nitros and ingots to this place, but even the steam engine trade may be suspended."

It seems that he hastened him, otherwise he would not have moved out of this kind of will that was equally great to the royal family, and Roland could not help thinking that interfering in the trade actions of other territories without completing the centralization of power was likely to arouse the resistance of the lords and the great nobles.Even if Tifeko sent his own troops to hold the land and the river, he would be easily eliminated by the local lords from behind – as long as he enforced the policy for a year and a half.

But the trade is the dead hole of the border town, not to mention a year... even if it is half a year, it will not be allowed.Nitrite is a large-scale acid-making raw material, and its importance is irreplaceable until artificial ammonia is solved.Once the supply is stopped, the 152 mm gun becomes a decoration, and the replacement of the new gun will be delayed a lot.

But what’s more terrible than weapons is the steam engine trade – there are not many golden dragons in the vaults of the town hall today, and some of the money is used for infrastructure, increasing jobs, and some of them are paid to the townspeople, and then recycled through food, convenience goods and housing transactions to form a cycle.This economic model requires constant injections of golden dragons into the market, at least equal to the wealth created by the people.

Now the border town is still in the original state of accumulation, there is no issuance of credit currency, once the lack of steam engine this part of the trade income, the fiscal is easy to fall into the dry state of wages, followed by the overall economic collapse.

In any case, financial interruptions are absolutely unacceptable.

"This situation will not last long," Roland said, "I am sure you will soon visit this western town again... No, then you will see a new city."

Margrie was a little surprised, “Are you going to build a city here?”

“Just after the end of the demonic month,” he laughed, “in addition, I intend to open a trade route directly connected to the fjord, not through the sea breeze or the port of Bishui, but directly from the west to the fjord islands.”I wonder if you are interested in participating?”

(Unfinished.)