Mount and Blade Central Asia

They finally chose an area far away from the city gate, located on the west side of the city near the city wall. There is a well here, and there is also a drainage channel leading directly to the moat. In their opinion, if the moat is filled with water in the future, the screened slag can be mixed in the water and flushed directly out of the city, saving a lot of trouble.

"Sir, we want to repair the road from this area to the main road. It would be best if we could pave it with stones. We will pay for it ourselves!" Encouraged by his companions, Da Mir once again put forward a "condition".

These blacksmiths all own carriages, and some even have more than one carriage. It can be said that each of them is a wealthy family. They need carriages to purchase raw materials and produce finished products on a daily basis. Having a wide and solid road at the door can be said to be the dream of every blacksmith.

"Of course there will be roads, and you don't need to pay for them. I promise that after the roads in the city are paved, your area will be given priority." Li Rufeng fully demonstrated to these people what an enlightened lord is.

"That's great, we...we..." Big Mil turned his head and looked at the guild members behind him, seemingly not knowing how to start. Because until now, this adult had not said whether they needed to pay for the houses in the city or...they would give them for free?

When they first moved out of Mardin, these people had no such extravagant hopes. However, Li Rufeng had always portrayed them as generous and kind, which only aroused their greed. After all, strictly speaking, it was this lord who had led them out of Mardin, and he had also promised to compensate them...

Li Rufeng looked at the faces of these people and roughly guessed their concerns. He smiled and promised, "Not only will I compensate each of you with a blacksmith shop, but I'll also give you spacious houses. When the time comes, on both sides of the road, one side will be your blacksmith shed, and the other side will be your home. Is that okay?"

All the blacksmiths immediately smiled happily and expressed their loyalty in a chaotic manner. Some of them even said that they had to do a good job of fire prevention, which made others glare at them.

The reason why Li Rufeng has always attached so much importance to these blacksmiths is mainly because they represent the highest productivity of this era. Each of these people can read and write, and it is estimated that half of them can not only read and write, but also write and draw.

Although most of these people are still repeating the work of their predecessors in an empirical and scientific way, they have actually mastered some basic knowledge of physics and mechanical principles through constant repetition. However, due to the limitations of technical means, in order to hope to produce qualified iron products, blacksmiths often become very superstitious.

"Everything has different processes and methods." As soon as Master Li opened his mouth, the blacksmiths wiped their sweat. They knew they had met someone who knew the business and couldn't fool them, so they all became more honest.

"But if we share these secrets with each other and find the most suitable one, won't it be beneficial to everyone?" Li Rufeng didn't expect to solve all the problems at once. These blacksmiths were just seeds, and the real fruits were the apprentices that Li Rufeng was about to hand over to them.

"No one's skills are perfect, but through communication and sharing, you can become better than before," Li Rufeng continued. "And if we view you as a whole from a higher perspective, people will simply recognize the Aleppo blacksmiths as exceptional. The swords they forge cut through iron like mud, and the armor they forge is as solid as rock. Our products can fetch several times the price, just like wootz steel."

When they heard the word "Wootz steel", the blacksmiths breathed faster.

Wootz steel or Damascus steel is just the name. These magical metals basically come from Hyderabad in the South Asian subcontinent. During the Crusades, Damascus and India had a relatively stable trade route. This priceless metal was transported to Damascus and then forged into the famous Damascus sword by blacksmiths. It gave the Crusader knights a great shock on the battlefield and has since become famous.

A genuine Wootz steel weapon can be exchanged for almost two sets of knight equipment including warhorses, which is the dream of every blacksmith.

Of course, Li Rufeng didn't need to think about those "treasure"-level weapons that had extremely high quality due to the special materials. What he really wanted to do was to expand the group of blacksmith apprentices and influence them during their growth.

What he needs are industrial workers, not craftsmen. The word "craftsman" is a guarantee of high quality on the one hand, but a symbol of low production on the other. History has proven countless times that one or two elite units have little impact on the battlefield situation.

Mr. Li wants to introduce the terms "standardized process" and "assembly line operation" into the blacksmithing profession. Those who smelt ore will just do the work of smelting ore, and those who forge iron ingots will just forge iron ingots. Breaking down a complex system into countless scattered and simple tasks can greatly lower the threshold for entry into the profession.

He didn't need someone who could forge an extremely sharp sword from scratch in three days. What he needed was ten people who could forge four swords of acceptable quality in four hours.

The planning of the blacksmith district was Li Rufeng's first major move for the city of Aleppo. He had a lot of mature and time-tested ideas in his mind, but these all needed the right people to do them. After all, Master Li was a lord who could only come up with ideas but not do practical work.

He was relieved without the internet, and he tolerated not having a mobile phone, but he had been tolerating the inability to take a shower freely for more than three years.

Even though it would be "a waste of money and labor", Mr. Li insisted on putting this project before paving the roads in the city.

"Lord Rufeng, don't you have time now?" Renzo Piano, accompanied by his translator, appeared stealthily outside the palace. Seeing Li Rufeng on the second floor gazing into the distance, he immediately shouted loudly.

Hearing their voices, the Mongol soldiers on duty nearby immediately rushed over fiercely. Fortunately, Li Rufeng waved at him, signaling the two Genoese to come in and talk.

He guessed that these people would be getting restless. After all, the reputation of the Genoese was there. If they didn't make money for a minute, they would definitely feel uncomfortable.

Li Rufeng learned the story of the Venetian Grandet when he was in school, but the Venetians had only completed a reversal of their defeat against the Genoese through war in recent years.

"Lord Rufeng, we have completed the escort mission. Would you like to settle the balance?" Renzo Piano said to Antonini, and then waited for Li Rufeng's reply with great anticipation.

Master Li casually felt that he had no cash on him, and pointed to the vast expanse of empty houses outside the palace in the distance and said jokingly, "How about I use the land and houses as the balance payment and allocate a piece of land to your Golden Arrow Mercenary Group?"

As Li Rufeng expected, Renzo Piano's face instantly wore a mask of pain. He smiled awkwardly, as if considering whether to accept this payment method.

"Forget it, I've changed my mind. I'd better just give you the money directly." Li Rufeng smiled with a malicious look and gestured to the guards beside him to get the money.

He just wanted to tease this miser. Li Rufeng himself was a time traveler, and he also had the support of the system, so he naturally had the confidence to turn Aleppo into a hot commercial city, but others didn't know.

When one day in the future Aleppo really regains its former prosperity and becomes valuable again, Renzo Piano's mood will surely experience great ups and downs.

"Hahaha, sir, you really know how to joke. We have completed the task you assigned to us. We have been out for a long time this time. Many people have begun to miss their families, so I think..." Renzo Piano was planning to resign to Li Rufeng.

He had realized that these Mongols had provoked a resurgent steppe kingdom in the east and the Mamluks in the west, and that their country was in imminent danger. He did not want to take his men to help these Mongols fight a battle to defend the city.

You have some gifts.”

"Gift?" Renzo Piano's face suddenly broke out into a smile. He had two favorite words: free and gift.

"Yes, didn't you say there was space on those ships? I plan to give you a batch of wool and leather, with a total weight of about 500 kilograms. I hope the ship you find has enough space to help you carry the gifts." Li Rufeng casually gave Renzo Piano a sum of goods with a total value that was almost equal to all the profits he made from leading his mercenary group to serve others for three or four months across thousands of miles.

Renzo Piano, who came from a business family, calculated the value of these goods in the blink of an eye, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Generous sir! You just said you wanted to hire Diobbia's artillery squad?" Renzo Piano asked eagerly. "I've thought about it. They're either widowers or get beaten up every time they get home. Maybe they'd be willing to earn some extra money and live a carefree life. Wait for my news. I'll go talk to them."

Renzo Piano was really tempted this time, thinking that even if he had to give all the commission he earned from the job to that old man Diobbia, he had to convince the other party this time. Otherwise, how would he get the space to load 500 kilograms of cargo?

Although those ships were looted by the damn Maltese pirates, they were not big ships in themselves. They could barely carry more than 300 people and their carriages. He spent a lot of money on this return trip, and there was really no more space.

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news." Li Rufeng nodded with a smile.

This was not his purpose in sending the goods to Renzo Piano, but it was nice to have an unexpected gain. His main purpose was to expand the market. Aleppo had been away from the business in Tuscany for too long and needed a business miracle that would make it rich overnight to make a name for itself.

This time the 500 kilograms of cargo is just a bait. If Renzo Piano is smart enough, he will not stop there.

The owner of the merchant ship traveling with him was not blind. If there were best-selling goods in the Aleppo area, they would probably not mind traveling an extra hundred kilometers to purchase some goods in Aleppo when they docked at the port of Alexandria next time.

It’s a pity that Li Rufeng now only has wool and furs that can barely be considered as best-selling goods, while the goods that once made Aleppo prosperous were silk, real oriental silk, and spices.

The former has now become scarce gold. Whoever can get the goods will be the king of this trade route. Even if he sells it in the desert between Damascus and Aleppo, those merchants will have to find a way to build a desert ship to buy it.

But the latter can already start to recover, but how long it will take to recover depends on how much face the family of that silly boy Ais Baker has in the Mamluk Sultanate.

Thinking of this, Li Rufeng smiled and sent away the excited Renzo Piano. He called a personal guard to prepare a horse and prepared to go to the Mamluk camp outside the city in person. When Master Li needed help from others or was plotting against someone, he never minded showing more of his gentlemanly manners.

Sincerity increased a lot out of thin air.

Unfortunately, he hasn't found it yet, but Li Rufeng already has some clues. Now the city walls and gates have been restored to their original state. It is estimated that once the palace is repaired, the matter will be almost over...

Seeing Li Rufeng and his group riding towards them, the soldiers on the watchtower immediately blew the horn.

A group of Mamluks hurriedly began to put on their armor. They had been here for several months. Apart from being worried and frightened, they had no other difficulties on weekdays. In addition, the lord himself was always frowning, so their military preparations were somewhat lax.

If Li Rufeng and his men came to attack the camp this time, they would have probably taken the city gate by now... or simply made a circle and attacked from the other side.

This is where Li Rufeng feels awkward. Ais. Baker built a number of wooden houses in the camp, and it can be seen that he plans to stay here for a long time, but most of the Mamluks set up tents next to the wooden houses, and the horses are tied next to the tents without unified management.

Moreover, the area of ​​cultivated farmland was not enough, and the crops were not enough to feed the Mamluks that Li Rufeng saw, not to mention that there were even more Mamluks who were staying in tents and houses.

A smile appeared on Li Rufeng's lips. It was obvious that Ais Baker's prestige had been greatly weakened. Many people who had followed him to Aleppo before had now decided to return to their hometowns as soon as Ais's money was spent.

"I am Li Rufeng, the leader of the Mughals. I come to see Lord Ais. Baker." Li Rufeng gave Ais. Baker enough face in front of Ais's men.

He finally found a young woman who was easy to control. Would it be better to get rid of her and replace her with a cunning Mamluk noble who held military power?

"Watch them and don't let them wander around. I'm going to find Lord Ais." The Mamluk warrior signaled to his soldiers, turned around and hurriedly ran towards the largest wooden house in the camp.

At this time, Ais Baker was lying on his big bed, with the female slave still sleeping beside him. He stared at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, unable to find the motivation to get up.

He was so confused. As the only male in the Baker family, Ais originally thought that his life would become busy after arriving in Aleppo, but he didn't expect this place to be so weird that it didn't even give him a chance to fight.

The Mongolian shaman who suddenly appeared was a nightmare within a nightmare. Not only was he rude and impolite, he also had a devilish mouth. His words and suggestions made Ais Beck deeply distressed.

The letter he wrote to Sultan Nasir had been sent back to Cairo by a reliable courier, but the round trip would take at least two weeks, not to mention the time the courier had to spend waiting and arranging things to meet the Sultan.

Ais Baker knew that his family had fallen on hard times. Even if he paid, he couldn't see the Sultan immediately. If he met someone in the queue ahead of him, the messenger wouldn't be able to return for a month or so.

The nobles of Rukh will fully understand the current predicament of Aleppo.

This was originally a large commercial city, and it needed a large population to operate. Now there were only a few thousand people in the city, even if you added the more than 2,000 people that Mr. Li moved from Martin City, the total number was just over 5,000.

These people couldn't even fill the empty houses within the city walls. When Aleppo was at its peak, the area within the city walls was actually the private domain of the ruler. Its real city area was where Li Rufeng was standing now, outside the city walls.

With Aleppo as the center, there is an area with a radius of two to three kilometers. In the past, there were tents that covered the sky and sheds built with various materials. There were also narrow roads and bustling traffic. This is Aleppo.

Li Rufeng hadn't thought of becoming a super-rich man overnight, but now he needed workers for the quarry, logging, farming, mining, cleaning the moat, and building a road from Aleppo to Leta Port...

This is just the present. In the long run, if people in Syria, the Middle East, keep the oil but don't pay attention to it, it seems to be a waste of resources. Even if they rely on the naphtha that is naturally settled, it is still a kind of fuel, right?

Moreover, Li Rufeng guarded nomadic tribes such as the Mongol, Transoxiana, and Kurds, and had a lot of wool to pluck. How low would the profit be if he simply sold the raw materials? If he had enough manpower to spin the wool into yarn, wouldn't the profit increase exponentially?

Moreover, the textile industry is an intensive handicraft industry that can provide a large number of jobs, allowing people and wealth to flow, consolidating his rule and accumulating wealth.

All of this requires manpower, but Li Rufeng looked around and saw that there was no one around to dig. Even if he brought all the small villages and settlements around back to Aleppo, there would only be seven or eight hundred people, and it would destroy the "ecological balance" of the surrounding area, which would not be worth the cost.

At this time, Ais Baker's value was reflected. He was a Mamluk and a nobleman, so he had room for maneuver in many things... For example -

"But the Sultan hasn't replied to me yet. I don't know whether he will give me this right!" Ais Baker stared at the Oriental man in front of him with wide eyes.

After a few days of research, he now finally knew that Li Rufeng was not a Mongolian. His face was more angular, and his facial features were softer and well-proportioned. He looked very comfortable, which was obviously different from the Mongol people.

"Let's assume, let's say, the Sultan granted you this authority. How would you go to Homs and Hama, or even Damascus, to recruit refugees?" Li Rufeng asked. "Would you go to those places with the Sultan's reply, find the local rulers, and ask them to surrender their people?"

Ais Baker admitted that what the other party said seemed to make some sense, but he remembered that at the beginning, the other party had asked him to be a puppet in public and get paid. Why did he have to pay for it now? And the key point was_

"I have no money!" Ais Baker answered in the same way as before, and his tone was quite sincere because he really had no money.

"I can lend it to you." Li Rufeng smiled. It doesn't matter if you don't have money. This kind of high-quality customer with industry is the most suitable person to lend money to.

"For the purchase of population, for every ten gold coins we spend, seven will be mine and three will be yours. It doesn't matter if you don't have money now, the money will still come from me. When you start to get dividends in the future, I will directly deduct them from the dividends, and the interest will be calculated at an annual interest rate of 10%. How about that?" The gold in Li Rufeng's hand came easily, and he didn't feel bad about spending it.

He also discovered another strength of Ais Beck, which was that when he was at the mercy of others, he had a very unrestrained and carefree attitude.

"Okay, just do as you say!"

Chapter 208: No Hope for Strong Support

"Sir, we have completed the repair work on the city wall and paved the road near the city gate. What do you think we should do next..." Pepper Mali, as the representative elected from the merchant consortium, appeared in front of Li Rufeng again.

He was looking forward to taking over the next project from this generous lord, preferably renovating the houses and palaces in the city, or paving roads. After all, it cost them a lot to restart the quarry. If they could expand the project volume, they could naturally spread the cost.

But he was also afraid that the other party would think he was greedy. Everyone knew that the work of repairing the city wall was a high price deliberately set by that lord for the sake of reputation. In fact, this simple routine did have the desired effect. Now everyone in Aleppo knew that the new lord was a generous and magnanimous person.

However, whether this lord is kind... no one dares to test it yet.

Saduddin Fasif snorted coldly. As the largest businessman in Aleppo, his desire for profit was naturally the strongest.

Although he knew when to advance and retreat and did not rush to seize the project of repairing the city wall, Saduddin still felt a surge of anger when he saw that this small merchant consortium was trying to challenge him and gain more benefits.

"Sir, I've already negotiated with a merchant from Mersin. He's willing to purchase wool and furs from us and provide his own ships for transportation." Saduddin didn't give Pepper Mari a chance to get closer and said directly, "But the Karamans seem to be making some moves recently. That Muhammad Bey is buying grain. Sir, the price is very attractive."

People.

He didn't care about the existence of such a person in the city, and was even willing to spend some time to support him as long as he could bring more profits to Aleppo.

"Also... the thousand-man team that the Sultan left in Smyrna is currently trapped in the port of Anamur, and the Cypriot fleet will not allow them to return by sea." Saduddin Fasif glanced at Pepper Mari, as if he didn't want the other party to hear these "secrets", but Li Rufeng didn't say anything, so he could only speak honestly.

"Cypriots?" Li Rufeng frowned. The pirates who were currently blocking the maritime trade between the Mediterranean countries and Asia Minor were based in Cyprus. They were collecting taxes in the name of the next Crusade. They could not get anyone's help except the Pope's face, and were nicknamed Crusader Pirates by the merchants.

But Timur didn't have many conflicts with the Christian world. When the old Sultan was still alive, he was a relatively enlightened one among all the Muslim monarchs...

"From what I heard, it seems that the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller paid money to the monarch of Cyprus to keep that thousand-man team." After Saduddin Fasif said this, Li Rufeng understood.

The Knights Hospitaller, the famous hidden boss of the world. They once owned the city of Smyrna, but were wiped out by the old Sultan when he was fighting the Ottomans. This is a deep hatred.

It is also said that the Knights of the Order who defended the city at that time could not escape the massacre after surrendering, and it was the thousand-man team that did the killing.

Li Rufeng touched his chin. He had been very busy recently, and a green beard had grown on his chin, which felt particularly good to the touch.

It seems that the remaining power of the Khanate that he is thinking about can no longer be relied upon for the time being. He can neither compete with the Knights Hospitaller, who have the right to tax and legally rob, in terms of financial strength, nor can he conjure up a navy out of thin air to compete with the Cypriots for control of the sea.

"What about the other thousand-man team?" Li Rufeng asked. The old Sultan also had a garrison in Antalya.

"Sir, they... have gone over to the Karamans," Saduddin Fasif whispered. "It's said they went over there last year."

Fuck, what’s going on!

The author says:

Author's words: I'll be back today after a chapter because I'm working overtime in a meeting.

Chapter 209 It's time to relax...

Li Rufeng had been planning to station troops of the Khanate overseas, but it seemed that there was no hope at the moment. However, Saduddin Fasif did bring some good news.

The merchant from Mersin had two small boats and had paid protection money to the Crusader pirates, so he could trade freely without any hindrance.

But now, with the constant civil unrest in the Khanate and the rise of the Black Sheep People, this trade route has been cut off.

Li Rufeng did not expect to restore this trade route, he only hoped to do business with the Black Sheep people.

The Turkmen are also of nomadic origin. They need to open up to the outside world, at least to trade with the outside world. Since the two sides are not at war now, why not try to "communicate"?

Pepper Mali was stunned for a moment. Although he knew where Mosul was, he had never been so far away in his life. He was a small businessman with only a horse and a mule, and his business territory was only within a radius of 20 kilometers around Aleppo.

The journey to Mosul could take months, and they might even lose their lives along the way...

"No matter what goods you plan to bring there, the capital will be mine and the profits will be yours." Li Rufeng added a condition.

This condition instantly shattered Marinus's caution. He gritted his teeth and directly responded to the lord's order: "We will prepare to set off as soon as possible!"

"Before you leave, remember to inform me. I have a letter for you to take to the Sultan of the Black Sheep People." Li Rufeng patted Hu Jiao Mali's shoulder, signaling that he could leave.

"The respected Sultan of the Qara ...