Lord: Marry the villain's daughter at the beginning?

After seeing Emily off, Pierre, with mixed feelings, strolled around the deepwater port with his two confused sons.

After completely turning to Gray Collar, the supervision of Pierre was relaxed a lot. After all, it is now unlikely for Pierre to return to Doug's team even if he wants to.

Pierre had been to Deepwater Harbor before. After all, a tributary of the Deepwater River here could lead directly to White Frost Castle, so the Laurent family once wanted to do business with the nobles of Deepwater Harbor, develop this port, and then connect it with Deepwater Harbor to watch over each other.

But although it has a port, the condition of the deep-water port in the past can only be described as terrible, and it does not look like what a commercial city should have at all.

Because the nobles here are different from the Champagne nobles in the west. Although the original lords of the deep-water port also like commercial activities, they do not do business themselves. Instead, they guard the deep-water port docks and collect taxes crazily.

The Lars family pays one-tenth of the tax, but the lord of Deepwater Port pays eight-tenths, which adds up to nine-tenths.

Of course, if you want to pay less tax, you can do so by offering your goods, women, and treasures to the lord of the deepwater port, and you can enjoy super low taxes. If you are a noble who has a good relationship with the lord of the deepwater port, you may not even have to pay taxes.

Super high tax rates are only used to exploit the lower class people, such as porters, boatmen, and trackers at the docks.

Ordinary people certainly cannot pay the taxes, and will eventually become slaves of the lords here. Almost everyone has signed a contract to sell themselves to the lords.

Later on, only some noble merchants would pass through the deep-water port, and because the infrastructure of the deep-water port was so poor, even those noble merchants were reluctant to stay here.

If it weren't for the deep-water port's advantageous geographical location, this place would have become a ghost town long ago.

It was for this reason that Pierre gave up the cooperation with the Deepwater Port. The lord of the Deepwater Port didn't want to do any business at all and just wanted the Laurent family to come and pay taxes and tributes.

Later on, Pierre even gave up his original plan of joint defense with Deepwater Port. Instead of cooperating with such a lord, it would be better to shrink the forces and concentrate on defending White Frost Castle.

Facts have proved that Pierre's guess was correct. The lord of Deepwater Port was so inhuman that the gray-white-collar workers were selectively deaf when he shouted surrender. They just attacked Deepwater Port again, tried and executed the original lord in the street, and then took over the city.

Until now, Pierre can still see the former lord's body hanging at the door of the former lord's mansion.

Seeing this corpse made Pierre feel cold, not because of how miserable the death was, but because when gray-collar workers faced some abstract creatures, they would really choose to plow through them first and then take over the rule.

No wonder the other party let White Frost Castle go. Compared with this group of things, Pierre really felt that the Laurent family was quite human.

The corpse of the former lord obviously had a greater impact on the Laurent brothers than on Pierre. After all, this was the first time for the two brothers to see that noble aristocrats could die, stink after death, and not look elegant. Even the former lord's originally luxurious clothes were stained with a lot of unknown yellow liquid.

After shaking his head, Pierre took his two brothers away. Apart from the former lord, what Pierre was most curious about was the current status of the deepwater port's dock.

Along the way, Pierre discovered that there were many workers working by the river. In addition to the original dock, another dock seemed to be under construction.

In addition, white-collar businessmen heard the news and began to take this route. For a time, the deep-water port finally had the prosperity that a hub city should have.

Pierre stopped a worker and after careful questioning he found out that the other party was originally the garrison of the deep-water port, who was captured to work on the infrastructure. However, as the infrastructure project of the deep-water port was large, the garrison alone was not enough, and many people from the surrounding villages and towns were called here to work.

When he said this, there was obvious displeasure on the guard's face, which made Pierre a little confused. After careful inquiry, he found out that there was actually salary for working here.

The nobles believed that it was an honor for serfs or common people to work for their lords or monarchs, so there was usually no monetary reward for such work, or the reward was very meager, and being able to get food was already very good.

Besides, these defenders were originally prisoners, and Pierre had never heard of paying prisoners wages.

It is no wonder that some of these defenders hate outsiders. They are worried that these outsiders will take over their jobs now or in the future.

These defenders did not consider themselves as gray-collar military prisoners, but as "locals".

After asking carefully, Pierre found a vacant space at the edge of the dock construction site and sat down.

Seeing his two sons fidgeting, Pierre said, "Go play if you want, but follow the house rules. Don't argue with others or hurt others. Do you understand?"

But the two sons seemed to think of the former lord who was hanged, shook their heads, and sat next to Pierre.

The father and his two sons did not look like nobles, but more like wealthy businessmen passing by. Knight Lars, who was protecting the father and his two sons from a distance, did not urge them, but looked at the construction site of the port with the father and his two sons.

It has to be said that the method used by the governor of Gray Collar was very effective. With the help of his magic of scattering money, the deep-water port quickly became lively. But Pierre was also very confused. Where did Gray Collar make so much money?

Pierre looked at the stone tablet at the entrance of the port construction site, which recorded the donations made by some merchants and nobles to the port and the amount of money. But to be honest, this money alone was far from enough to coordinate the planning of a large port.

Pierre then turned his gaze towards the shops being built near the port. Most of those were businessmen from the gray-collar system. After asking, Pierre discovered that these people basically followed the gray-collar army wherever it went.

Because in the places where the gray-collar workers have conquered, if the conditions are right, they will carry out the so-called work-for-relief program, building infrastructure while giving money to the "locals". These businessmen follow the army, and in the places where work-for-relief is carried out, people have cash in their hands, so they don't have to worry about not having business.

After all, the post-war period was a time of material shortage, and those who received their wages would definitely find ways to exchange the money for materials.

Finally, the white-collar officials collect taxes from these businessmen, thus completing a positive cycle.

After figuring it out, Pierre sat there and thought again. It was still not right. Even with the help of the merchants, it would definitely not be able to make ends meet before these ports were built. The governor actually had such courage that Pierre had to admire him.

But where did the governor get so much money? Could it be that the Lars family really has some secret treasure that is unknown to the public?

At this time, Doug, who was in the castle in the river valley, was holding the battle report with trembling hands.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine once Sir Jefferson's artillery arrives."

In order to get Jefferson to deliver the artillery quickly, Doug used the method of increasing money more than once to open up this smuggling route.

"Governor, Sir Jefferson, Sir Jefferson has indeed sent the artillery over."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Send these artillery pieces to the next places quickly. No, I'll deliver them myself."

"Governor, but...but Sir Jefferson only brought the cannons, and he said that the shells would cost more money."

When Doug heard that he had to pay more, he almost fainted.

"Then keep adding money. As long as we get more shells, our alchemists will be able to make shells themselves. No matter what the cost, we must get the shells. Do you understand?"

Doug, who has incurred too much sunk costs, can no longer turn back.