Wu Lai's army returned in triumph. Upon receiving the urgent notice, Elaite, Baker and Turse led a group of servants and town officials, opened the east gate and lined up to welcome them as Wu Lai requested. Because Wu Lai's notice was sent by guards on express horses when they were still thirty miles away from Salt Marsh Town, when Elaite and others had just finished their arrangements, Wu Lai and Sales were only five or six miles away from Salt Marsh Town.
Yanzhao Town had been in decline for a long time and had been repeatedly bullied by bandits. The townspeople had never seen a triumphal welcome before, so they were naturally curious to see a group of officials leading the staff and town managers, waving colorful flags and marching out of the east gate in a line, carrying tables, wine and food. Those who had work to do, no matter how curious they were, only watched for a moment, and the welcoming team passed by and then moved on. The elderly, the weak, the women and the children who had no work to do, as well as the young and strong who were on break, actually followed the team out of the east gate to watch the fun, as it would be a waste not to see it anyway.
In this way, the area outside the East Gate is just a little bit less crowded.
All of this was within Wu Lai's expectations. To put it bluntly, he had been looking forward to it. However, there was little vanity in this expectation. It was more for the purpose of enhancing the cohesion of Saltmarsh Town. The townspeople all liked and hoped that the ruling group would be a powerful force that could protect them and allow them to live and work in peace and contentment.
Woolley needed to show this to the townspeople.
When Wu Lai's carriage and Sarres beside it appeared in everyone's sight, Iret and the other two took the lead in clapping and cheering, while the on-duty town manager cheered and waved flags. The townspeople who were watching the excitement were instantly infected by this emotion, and regardless of whether they could see it clearly or not, they all echoed it...
"Ma Long." Wu Lai stretched his hand out of the car window and waved to Ma Long, "Go!"
"Yes!" Ma Long nodded in agreement, and then he squeezed the horse's belly. The horse immediately broke away from the team and ran towards the welcoming crowd. When it was still a hundred steps away, Ma Long raised a human head hanging next to the saddle in his hand.
"Quiet! Quiet! Quiet! Lord Wu Lai is wise and brave! The Fox and Wolf bandits are completely destroyed!" When Ma Long's voice like a loud bell rang out, the townspeople who heard it were stunned.
They couldn't believe their ears. The Fox Wolf Bandit Group was completely wiped out? This bandit group that had repeatedly committed blood debts to Yanma Town had finally paid off? ! "Lord Wu Lai is wise and brave! The Fox Wolf Bandit Group is completely wiped out!" Ma Long shouted again, and warm applause rang out outside the east gate again...
When Wu Lai and Sarres led a group of archers who were extremely proud, escorted a group of prisoners, and led a herd of horses that stretched as far as the eye could see into the town, Salt Marsh Town was boiling again...
Three days later, Wu Lai hosted a banquet in the courtyard of the official residence to entertain the first group of "foreign aid representatives" - they were all the leaders of the construction team recruited by Guru in Lunwenton and three grain merchants. The representatives of the construction team came from 17 different citizen families. This time they brought a total of more than 2,400 people, all of whom will be sent to the construction site of the water diversion project. In the next few days, nearly 3,000 people will come to Salt Marsh Town. Among these people, 600 will be assigned to the water diversion project, the rest will go to the quarry, and the others will stay in the town to start building houses, digging drainage ditches, and widening roads...
Wu Lai was very satisfied with Guru's efficiency. It was not easy to gather so many people in such a short time. What made Wu Lai most happy was that three of the top five grain merchants in Lunvington came at once, and they were the heads of the families themselves.
The area around Salt Marsh Town is basically saline-alkali land. The land suitable for planting is scarce and the land is all private property of a few small nobles. The nearest land suitable for growing grain crops is more than 20 miles away from the town. It takes the townspeople a whole day to walk back and forth, which is difficult to take care of. In the past, there have been frequent harassment by scattered bandits. Theft and destruction are the least of their problems. The incidence of kidnapping people and food is too high, especially for women. If they appear alone in the wild, they basically cannot come back.
The most difficult problem for Wu Lai is that Salt Marsh Town does not produce grain. Even the most basic and important daily necessities are in the hands of others. The development of Salt Marsh Town will always be a slow process. Fortunately, this situation can be changed. Fortunately, Salt Marsh Town has unique resources and there are many people willing to exchange them for grain.
The full-scale construction will consume a huge amount of food, and the fortified city plan will be useless without food reserves - if the enemy only surrounds the city without attacking, Salt Marsh Town will run out of food within fifteen days.
Therefore, what Wu Lai needs to do now is to solve the problem of food reserves. With sufficient food on hand, the following things will be much easier.
Wu Lai already had a good reputation, and with Guru's deliberate exaggeration, the three grain merchants came together, naturally with the intention of making friends. In fact, the other two also had the same idea as them, but due to some reasons that need not be elaborated, they can only choose to wait and see. Although the benefits are tempting, the acquisition of such benefits must not only be sustainable, but also have security guarantees - this security means that other interests in the family cannot be damaged.
The four of them all had good intentions, so the conversation was naturally pleasant. Although the three grains that came were at the bottom of the top five, and their total could only barely match that of the top-ranked one, it was enough for Wu Lai.
"The existing granary in Yanmarsh Town cannot accommodate the grain I need to buy from the three of you. However, I will build a new granary as quickly as possible, and then the grain for the three of you can be shipped in continuously." Wu Lai said with a smile after agreeing on the amount of grain.
"We will strictly follow the agreed quantity, batch and time." The leading grain merchant said with a smile.
"Thank you very much." Wu Lai nodded and said, "Since it has been agreed upon, how about we sign the grain purchase contract after the banquet?"
"Of course, Lord Wu Lai, but the three of us have a request." Another grain merchant replied with a smile. It takes three days to travel from Lovington to Saltmarsh Town. The three of them came together and had already discussed all the details on the way.
"Okay, just speak frankly." Wu Lai said with a smile.
"It is like this, Lord Wulai. The journey from Saltmarsh Town to Lunvington is long and the road has always been turbulent. You need to buy so much, and each transaction costs a large sum of money. The drivers who transport grain are no match for the bandits, so I hope you can arrange for guards to escort you. Do you agree?"
After hearing this, Wu Lai actually laughed and waved his hand.
The three grain merchants were all stunned when they saw this, wondering what did Wulaglindo mean by waving his hand? Did he disagree?
Just as he was thinking this, Wu Lai had already started to speak with a smile: "You three should know Huitong Bank, right?"
"Of course I know. Huitong Money House was founded by you, Lord Wu Lai. Its business is so good that we are envious." The leading grain merchant said with a smile, and the other two also smiled and nodded. Huitong Money House makes a lot of money every day, and profit-seeking is the nature of businessmen, so it is appropriate to say that they are envious.
"There is Huitong Money House in Lovington. You three don't have to worry about transporting the money. My Huitong Money House has a business that will be launched soon." Wu Lai took out a long and small notebook from his arms with a smile. It was one finger thick and about three fingers high, and nearly half an elbow wide. When he opened it, he saw that it was printed. In addition to the words Huitong Money House, there were also a lot of blank spaces for text.
"I call this a cash check." After Wu Lai said this, the three grain merchants as well as Sales and Pompey who were accompanying them couldn't help but come over.
"I just need to fill in the amount in the blank here. Gentlemen, take this and you can get the money at Huitong Bank." Wu Lai said with a smile, "For example, for the materials shipped from Lovington this time, I plan to settle the bill this way. It will save everyone trouble."
The eyes of the three grain merchants suddenly lit up...
After nightfall, Wu Lai went up to the tower to gaze at the moon as usual. Since he couldn't exercise due to his chest injury, he was happy to take some time off. He chatted with El who was accompanying him from time to time and felt very relaxed.
After watching for a while, Pompey came up with a smile, greeted Wu Lai, and sat down on the chair that El brought.
"Lord Wu Lai, you are becoming more and more famous. I think it won't be long before the entire Assyrian territory will be filled with your stories. In the stories, you will be a young hero." Pompey said with a smile.
"I don't like the title of young hero. Perhaps, it is more appropriate to call me the darling of the gods." Wu Lai said with a smile. In his previous memory, Wu Lai was a materialist, but since he came to this world, he was obviously a little shaken, because the knowledge he mastered could not explain why he appeared here, just like he couldn't figure out whether he really became Wuleglindo, or there was already a Wuleglindo who just had his own memories.
Either way, it's too bizarre to be true.
"The favorite of the gods, well, this title is indeed more appropriate, and it also fits the expectations of the Archpriest Saint Lean for you." Pompey paused, and then said, "In the divine scriptures, there are many people who are recognized as the favorites of the gods, but as far as I know, there is no one like you who is so broad-minded and proficient in everything. By the way, there is another person who is still alive, and she is also called the favorite of the gods. Do you know who she is?"
"Who?" Wu Lai couldn't remember for a moment.
"'Moonlight Girl', Maria, Maria Callas." When saying this name, there was suddenly a hint of yearning in Pompeii's eyes.
"The Moonlight Girl? Maria Callas?" Wu Lai frowned and recalled for a moment, then he remembered that there seemed to be such a person. "Pompeii, you mean, the one who was a noble but traveled around and brought peace to people with her singing?"
"It's her. You must have never heard her singing. It's really like moonlight, making you feel pure in heart. And she is like the moon hanging in the sky, lonely and cold. You may not know that before I met you, I felt that the luckiest thing that happened to me was to have heard her singing. Although it was only once, I was really satisfied."
"Is it really that amazing?" Wu Lai frowned. He thought Pompey was exaggerating a bit, but judging from the excitement in Pompey's eyes and expression, it seemed to be true.
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"She is more than amazing. She traveled around Assyria but never sang in the city. She walked in the fields, the countryside, and the lakeside, and only sang when she wanted to... If I were not afraid of the punishment from the god Amon, I would like to call her..." Pompeii's expression was full of regret.
"Call me goddess?" Wu Lai asked, thinking that you are quite avant-garde.
Pompey was shocked immediately. The Assyrian scriptures clearly stated that there was only one true God in this world, Amon. Anyone who boasted or claimed to be a god was blaspheming the gods. He just couldn't help but had the idea just now, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. Unexpectedly, Wu Lai made the final move.
"Don't talk like this in the future. This is blasphemous." Pompey reminded quickly.
Wu Lai nodded and asked, "How old is this Moonlight Girl? Is she pretty?"
"She became famous eighteen years ago, when she was less than twenty years old. So, now she is no more than thirty-seven years old." Pompey's expression began to blur again, and even his voice became much gentler. "As for her appearance, my Lord Wu Lai, you can't imagine that even with a veil, her beauty can still be described as 'breathtaking'."
Wu Lai smiled bitterly and shook his head. In his mind, only Helen's beauty could be called "breath-taking". If there was anyone in the world who was more beautiful than Helen, then she must be a monster.
"But I heard that she has ended her travels and returned to Assyria, because her mansion is there. Well, if your business here is not urgent, I really want to stay in Assyria for a few days when I come here to see if there is a chance to visit her, even if it is just a glimpse from a distance. She will always go out, so I should still have a chance, right?" Pompey asked.
"How can I get an answer to something that you yourself are not sure of?" Wu Lai said with a smile, but he was thinking in his heart, it seems that there are always star-chasers in every dynasty and every world.
"You, you..." This time it was Pompey's turn to smile bitterly and shake his head. He had said so much with great enthusiasm, but Wu Lai didn't show any interest at all. It was really embarrassing.
While El was listening to Woolley and Pompey chatting, George, who was having a banquet in the city of Lovington, also talked about Woolley.
The party was small in scale, and besides George the host, there were also Nils and Hodge.
"We received a report from Saltmarsh Town at noon today that Woolleglindo wiped out the Fox and Wolf bandit gang, and Tribune Bill was killed in the line of duty." George chose to dismiss the servants and talk about this matter after three rounds of drinks. Naturally, he had his own intentions.
Hodge nodded. He had received the news that the Fox-Wolf bandit gang had been wiped out in the afternoon. Although he felt a little depressed, it was nothing he couldn't accept.
Niels had just heard about it, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "George, Bill, who recommended you to go there?"
"Job." George answered readily. When Job recommended Bill, he knew that Job had ulterior motives, but he couldn't stop him due to feelings. Now that Bill is dead, it just gave him a sigh of relief. You know, Job had been eager to try in the past year. If George hadn't been afraid, he would have suppressed this guy so badly that not even a trace of him would be left.
So you want to complain. Niels glanced at George, then glanced at Hodge, and said in a deep voice: "This Bill, he should not have died in the line of duty."
"I'm not sure, but Woolleglin signed and stamped the application for the payment of pension to Bill's family. His words were sincere. However, the report and application were written by Elite. I am very familiar with his handwriting and I won't make a mistake." George replied.
"I don't care about the cause of Bill's death, he was just a small noble. What I'm curious about is how Wuleglindo was able to annihilate the Fox-Wolf Bandits. They were a tough gang with more than 800 people. If the First Legion were to come and want to wipe them out completely, they would have to send out at least nearly 4,000 troops to ensure that no one from the Fox-Wolf Bandits escaped. So, is there something fishy here?" Hodge said with a frown.
"Strange? It's hard to say. Although Wuleglindo likes to make a lot of noise, and each time it's bigger than the last, but judging from his past, this guy doesn't have the habit of being ostentatious." George said.
"There's no point in thinking too much. Let's just proceed step by step." Niels waved his head and said, "Send another tribune to Salt Marsh Town immediately. This time, George, you choose the person yourself. Choose someone who is honest, reliable and loyal. Before the construction of Salt Marsh Town has achieved initial results, it's better not to cause trouble to Salt Marsh Town."
"I see." George nodded, thinking that the Salt Marsh Town you mentioned might be changed to Wooleglindos.