Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

The deal that was finally reached was that the entire basement of the Bloodthrone was rented to the Tiger Caravans. The lease term was calculated from January 1st of this year, and the lease term was five years. The monthly rent was one thousand Septim, which was paid by Resard. Two months' rent was prepaid this time, and it was paid on the first day of each month starting from the first planting month, which was March. The number of personnel stationed at the supply point by the Tigers must not exceed seven, that is, two people per caravan, and there is also a general manager. All personnel need to be registered. If they violate the law, they will be handed over to the Falkreath Lords' Council for trial and conviction. Caravans are not allowed to enter the area between Falkreath City, Helgen Town and the Bloodthrone Fortress without permission. Instead, they need to transport the goods to the farm in the Pinewood Watchtower first, and then transfer them to the supply point after inspection. People and goods that fail to pass the inspection will stay on the farm waiting, but they will be responsible for their own food, lodging and storage expenses.

Resard handed me a heavy large money bag, and the gold coins collided with each other, making a crisp and pleasant sound. The tiger man left in a hurry after completing the contract. He needed to inform Madelan and Akari that the current caravan’s manpower was obviously not enough to support the daily activities of the supply station, and he had to recruit people from his hometown of Esvel. I think they will not be able to officially start operations until the end of Chaoyang month at the earliest, so the rent for the first two months is my free money. And this prepayment of rent is really considerate. I didn’t expect that I solved Lund’s funding problem as soon as I entered the door, and also got myself a stable cash flow for five years. Of course, this money is my fiefdom income, which can only be regarded as a loan to my father for emergency, and I still have to pay it back in the future. And I have to talk to Lund about the interest. If I borrow money without paying interest, wouldn’t it be free? I am such a big landlord, how can I let you, a farmhand, take it for free?

The old fox didn't interrupt the whole time, until we sent Resard away and came to the restaurant on the second floor of the castle to prepare for dinner, he cautiously asked me if I was short of money. I took this opportunity to tell him about the situation in Helgen Town, and said that once my father went bankrupt, there would be no one who could unite with the Storn family to drive away the invading imperial army, and Falkreath would eventually be doomed. And now I can only try my best to raise funds and hold on as long as possible.

"But I remember that a month ago, Lord Horrick was still optimistic about his financial situation. We exchanged letters, and he said he was confident that he could hold out until the beginning of the first planting month."

"In order to expand the army, the Baron purchased several batches of weapons and equipment from Whiterun, so cash became tight all of a sudden. And Riverwood Town refused to sell us food, and the supply from Rift Valley alone could not sustain us until then. Moreover, after we increased our purchases, they were also considering raising the price. We had no choice but to go to a farther place to buy food."

Danger sighed again.

"You are too impatient, child."

I felt that I was about to burst my temper. Did I trade with the tiger people just to make money for myself? I did it for the greater good! You are an old man, but you still have the nerve to pretend here when you are holding your wallet! You don't have any children. Can you take this money to Sovngarde to spend? Danger didn't pay attention to my emotions and continued to preach.

"You should have informed me first. I had already negotiated the price with the two tiger men to 15,000 Septim per year, but I didn't expect you to be so anxious to sign the contract."

"This...this...why didn't you stop me?"

"You and I are nobles, and our promises are worth a thousand gold. How can we break our promises for a few Septim? Besides, the Bloody Throne is your territory, so I naturally have to respect your opinion."

This old guy must be trying to piss me off to death! Are those just a few? That's three thousand Septim per year! As the lord's horse breeder, my annual salary is only this amount! I need money right now, what does my little face mean? This won't do! This old man Resard is really bad. He actually dared to do me a disservice on my territory! I have to go and make things clear with Zenabi. The rent and lease term must be renegotiated. If there is no integrity like this, how can we cooperate in the future? Danger still looked calm. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back into the chair.

"Don't be anxious, my child, don't be too anxious, just listen to me first. You should have seen that the old cat named Resard is the one in charge. Even if you go and scold Zenabi to death now, it won't change anything, but will offend her for nothing. When the old cat paid the deposit, he directly handed the purse to you, which shows that he only brought these two thousand Septim. No matter how much the rent is, we can only get this much as a deposit today. It will be a few months before we get the money again. If we lose to the Imperials, then the rent in the future will be even more meaningless. After this incident, you also know why the tiger people are disgusting, but you also need to know that we are not tiger people after all. When you are in power in the future, you must avoid using fraud as a means. Fooling the people and throwing them into danger, even if you succeed for a while, you will inevitably lose the hearts of the people and will inevitably suffer backlash in the future."

Speaking of these, there is a huge gap between my level and that of Danger. The old fox had said before that he would be in charge of internal affairs, and I would focus on external affairs. But he seemed to be in a good mood today and gave me some pointers. However, his ideas are different from mine. The foolish soldiers taking risks are an important idea of ​​Sun Wu, the military sage of his generation. "Drive them away, drive them back, and no one knows where they are going." Even the Confucianists who pay attention to the right and proper in everything have the saying that "people can be made to follow, but not to know." The so-called "a modest gentleman never tires of loyalty and trustworthiness; in battle, never tires of deceit and fraud." Although I cannot quote classics and Chinese proverbs to refute Danger, I still express these ideas in plain language.

"I know very little about battlefield matters. Perhaps Tager can tell you more. But in my opinion, you must first distinguish between the enemy and us. You can certainly deceive the enemy as much as you can, but you should be more honest with your own people. Even if you need to carry out a dangerous mission, you should let the other party fully understand the significance of the mission. Only in this way can you gain the understanding and loyalty of your subordinates. Otherwise, it would be a betrayal of your own people."

After Danger's counseling, I finally calmed down a little, but I couldn't help feeling unwilling to be played like a monkey, especially since I rushed to sign the five-year contract. The old fox looked at me with such a grim smile on his face that it made my teeth itch.

“Wouldn’t it be good to sign for five years?”

"What's the good? It's three thousand less Septim every year!"

"I think it's a good idea! Five years is a long time. Their people and goods are all in your territory. You can find some excuse to arrest a few people who are close to him, or seize a few batches of goods. Don't worry, with the old cat's shrewdness, he will naturally take the initiative to ask you to raise the price."

That makes sense!

Wait! Is this what a person who just taught me not to take conspiracy as the main thing should say?

I'm afraid that in Danger's mind, the tiger people are not of our race after all, and they will definitely not be considered as our own people, not even as friendly forces. I originally had no prejudice against this race, but now that I have been deceived once, it is inevitable that I have some grudges. Fortunately, I instinctively wanted to add some conditions during the negotiation, so I signed some security clauses and did not let Resard take all the advantages.

The meal was tasteless. I introduced the situation of Howling Wind Bastion to Danger. The old fox was also troubled by the combination of demons and vampires. Both were known for their fickleness. It would be difficult if we went all the way to Hafingar, but after completing the mission, the other party refused to hand over the bastion.

"What do you think? If you take that talking dog to Howling Bastion and let him guarantee that you complete the mission, can you negotiate with those vampires and let them leave early?"

Danger is a cunning old man. If Atreus and his men are really followers of Clavicus Vile, then Barbas's words must have weight. If they refuse to agree, then we will have to seize Howling Bastion by force. How can we allow others to sleep beside our bed? We can't let such a dangerous neighbor next to Falkreath.

Throughout the afternoon, Danger and Thoraf led me to inspect the Bloody Throne. The plan to quarry stones was not completely shelved, because the Bloody Throne fortress itself also needed a certain degree of repair, but most of the miners sent were armed, so the output of the quarry was extremely limited. The Second Legion commanded by Thoraf originally had more than 40 people, and now more than 20 Reach miners have been added, with a total of nearly 70 people. Relying on the complex terrain nearby, the defense is more than enough. Thoraf arranges about 20 people every day, divided into two or three teams, to take turns to perform reconnaissance and harassment tasks, but Lucius became very cautious after being ambushed and resolutely hid behind the city wall. In this case, we plan to draw out some troops to participate in the operation of occupying the Howling Bastion. Danger will go back to Helgen Town with me to make a detailed plan with my father. If the negotiation fails, we will launch a strong attack.

Thoraf was very interested in my new weapon and invited me to have a confrontation training with his soldiers. He was said to have been seriously injured, so he was not suitable for strenuous exercise. I made a small splash and easily defeated a sword and shield warrior, but I was only 50-50 against the long-handled battle axe. The opponent's powerful and heavy blows covered the front area well, making it difficult for me to get a chance. Just when it was getting tense, Tecora came to Danger and whispered softly. The old fox then stopped the competition and led me back to the castle.

"Tageir once told me about Lord Horik. He is a stubborn Nord with a head as hard as the rocks in the Druadach Mountains. Since you are short of funds, you should tell us. How can you just grit your teeth and endure it yourself?"

There were Septim coins and some jewelry in Danger's room. There were probably about 6,000 in cash. As for jewelry, I don't know much. But it's useless to know. These things can't be eaten when hungry or clothed when cold. They can only be sold or pawned to exchange for daily necessities. No matter how high their value is, if no one is willing to buy them, they are worthless. According to Danger, these money and goods can be used as military funds first. He will also inform Tager to help raise funds. It is estimated that we can survive for another month, so we must get rid of Lucius's legion within the Chaoyang Month.

This trip not only solved the funding problem of Helgen Town, but also had a draft for the capture of Howling Bastion. I was in the mood to eat in the evening. Danger invited Soraf and me to eat meat and drink wine. The three of us gathered around the fireplace, cutting the deer legs in front of us with daggers, and imagining the wonderful life after driving away the imperials. Poor Tecora shuttled back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen. Every time we cut the cooked meat from the deer legs, she would remove one and replace it with another one that was steaming and sizzling with oil. Three grown men were only busy drinking and eating meat, bragging and chatting, but they let a woman serve them with an empty stomach. I felt a little bit reluctant at first, until I stole a glance at the grease on the corners of Tecora's mouth that had not been wiped clean, and then I felt a little calmer.

Danger drank quite a bit, and he and Sourav actually urged me to sing a song to cheer him up. But there was no point in talking to a drunk man, so I had no choice but to make up the lyrics.

"When the flowers bloom and the moon is full, people live long. How much sorrow is there in the vast sky? The imperial cavalry is full of wolves and bandits, and the horses drink blood from the White River. I endured all the hardships and never bowed my head. I miss you so much and hate you so much. Where is the bright moon of my homeland?"