Mount and Blade Central Asia

"Won't he?" Miam's remaining sanity made him disagree with what Aliche said.

The last time the Mongols came, they killed everyone in the city. Have they suddenly learned to be merciful?

"Before, they needed conquest, but now they need rule," Azadirim consoled him. "If they want to rule here for a long time, they must become merciful and adaptable. Besides, they are short of population right now. Otherwise, why would they migrate all the way from Mardin?"

"You have to believe me, Miyam. You have to uphold justice for us. You have to win the rights that everyone deserves!" Azadirim changed his voice three or four times, all of which were those of the people who died in the accident. "Then, these people will become your supporters. From then on, your life will be different. You will gain the key to power, and you may even... become a noble!"

As a servant of the Azure Wind, Azadirim is well versed in manipulating people's hearts. He knows how to guide the desires deep in people's hearts and how to utilize these desires. He doesn't even need to use magic, or perhaps it can be said that this is the most magical magic in the world, the charm of language.

But thinking of this, Azadirim thought of the eloquent shaman again. The other party was also well versed in this art, and his attainments were even higher than his own. During their several conversations, Azadirim could feel the other party's deep disdain for him... That feeling was like an adult looking at a child with a mocking expression while he was defending his behavior.

That feeling is very uncomfortable.

Chapter 227: Not giving you face is not giving me face!

If it weren't for the riot at the quarry, Li Rufeng's return would have been a much-anticipated event.

First, the merchants from Mersin completed the first transaction as promised, and a large amount of food was transported into the city of Aleppo. Every citizen witnessed the scene of food filling the granaries.

Secondly, the reply from the Mamluk Sultan also freed the city of Aleppo from the threat from the Mamluk Kingdom, at least in name.

In the Sultan's reply, Sultan Nasir praised Ais Bek's ability, promised to exempt Aleppo from taxes for the past five years, and was willing to personally fund young people like Ais Bek with some weapons and slaves to defend their territory.

But the Sultan also made a request that Ais Bek ensure the Mamluks'

The caravans were not threatened by the barbaric Mongols.

It is difficult to say what Ais Baker felt when he saw the order. After all, the current situation was so complicated that he, the legitimate lord of Aleppo, could only ask the lord of the Mongolian barbarians every day for advice on how to respond to the possible envoys from the Sultan himself.

"Maybe we don't need to think so far ahead, Ais." Li Rufeng still entertained Ais Baker in the Wangcheng Tower, and his tone showed confidence.

The reason why he was so confident was that before summoning Ais Beck, Li Rufeng had already met with the scholar of the Eagle of Order who was able to walk but was still weak.

Just as Li Rufeng imagined, Master Ahmed was one of the most knowledgeable people Li Rufeng had ever met. However, compared to Brother Mengjiang's simplicity, the master's attitude towards Li Rufeng was very indifferent.

Obviously, before getting to know Li Rufeng better, Master Ahmed did not intend to act too close to him. He had keenly discovered that this Oriental man had a very profound influence on those in the Order Eagle Knight class.

Getting rid of the interference of secular regimes and maintaining neutrality in secular rights have always been the foundation of the Eagle of Order. The destruction of the Mecca Fortress was due to the failure to implement this point.

"Master Ahmed, I heard that you travel in Cairo all year round. Do you know Sultan Nasser?" Li Rufeng asked anxiously.

His desire to explore the internal affairs of the Mamluks even outweighed his desire for a panacea formula to a certain extent.

Li Rufeng had actually analyzed the existence of the panacea very rationally. If it was really that magical, then the entire refining process must be extremely complicated, or the cost must be so high that it could cause an empire to collapse.

In short, that thing could never be some kind of easy-to-produce, low-cost mass-produced drug, otherwise it would have become popular in the era when it was invented.

Therefore, Li Rufeng first asked about the most direct threat he was facing. Of course, this could also be considered a way to increase his favorability.

"If you're worried that Sultan Nasir will discover you've effectively occupied Aleppo, you needn't be." Master Ahmed, ever willing to help, immediately began to explain to the generous lord. "The Mamluk regime has always been divided. Their administrative center is in Cairo, but Sultan Nasir is currently subject to the authority of various Mamluk warlords. His influence is effectively confined to the city of Cairo."

"The Red Sea separates the Mamluk homeland from Syria (Note 1). When the Sultan was strong, this was the Mamluk Sultan's tax collection area. On the other hand, they were Syrian native warlords in Mamluk guise." Master Ahmed briefly introduced the situation of the Mamluks.

"Sultan Nasir was not a powerful sultan, especially after the war six years ago. He was even briefly ousted from power," Master Ahmed continued. "And the Mamluks who controlled the Aleppo region were once Sultan Nasir's most steadfast allies in Syria."

"So, no matter what happened here, when it was nominally controlled by Ais Bek again, it was what Sultan Nasir wanted to see. This would greatly strengthen his influence in Syria." Master Ahmed smiled and said directly, "So I guess if Nasir ever found out that this place was actually controlled by the Mughals, and that this Mughal leader happened to need to act in his name, he would probably pretend nothing happened."

Therefore, after Master Ahmed explained his doubts, Li Rufeng behaved very calmly in front of Ais Baker.

"I believe that even a wise man like Sultan Nasir would understand what happened here, because you've done your best." Li Rufeng completely ignored Ais Baker's fear and asked, "How is the task I asked you to do going? What was the response from the lord in Damascus?"

As a native of Cairo, Ais Bek was unable to see Nasir's embarrassing situation and always worshipped him as the de facto ruler of the Mamluk Empire. His future in political wisdom probably stopped there, so Li Rufeng placed more expectations on the convenience brought by his identity.

"They haven't seen me... Damascus, Homs, Hama, their lords haven't seen me." A hint of anger flashed across Ais Baker's face when he said this.

He knew that he was like a clown, having come here with his men full of ambition, but in the end he couldn't even enter the city. But he didn't expect the Mamluks who ruled the city to be so rude...

"Not seeing you?" Li Rufeng blinked, turned around and snapped his fingers. Soon, the personal guards came in with the chief of the Wuerhun tribe.

"Chief, mobilize the young men in the tribe. Get them to move around and gather 300 men. Then send a message to the Kurds, saying I need 300 cavalrymen." Li Rufeng gave a brief order and turned to Ais Baker. "I hope you understand that we are not enemies, but friends. If they don't respect you, they're not respecting me."

"So, for our face, I will lend you these soldiers. You can take them to talk again and see if they will want to see you this time." Li Rufeng patted Ais. Baker's shoulder and gestured to Wuerhun when he turned around, asking him to stay and not leave.

Ais Baker is a young man who has seen Li Rufeng's taxi

At the same time, it was the first time that the soldier felt Li Rufeng's sincerity, so even though he knew that Li Rufeng had other purposes, he couldn't suppress his excitement and nodded vigorously.

The author says:

Author's note: Note 1 - Most of the modern place names are of Greek origin. When the Greeks ruled this land, they thought it was the territory of the ancient Assyrians. Assyria was called "as-su" in Greek. The land of as-su became as-suriya in Greek. Without the prefix, it became syria. Therefore, the word Syria has existed since the Seleucid Empire when the Greeks colonized this area.

The ruling center of the Seleucid Empire (capital Antioch) was "Syria", and this word was later used as the name of a province of the Roman Empire, so the word "Syria" began to take root in people's hearts.

But in fact, this is a misunderstanding caused by incorrect geographical cognition. They confused the control area of ​​the Assyrian Empire. The main territory of the Assyrian Empire was in the Mesopotamian Plain, and the main population was East Semites. The culture of the Syrian region mainly originated from the Levant region. They are considered West Semites. Strictly speaking, they have nothing to do with the ancient Assyrian Empire. However, now this is just a little historical anecdote and no one really cares.

Chapter 228: Tie them together!

"Miaam, why don't we pack up and go home, the lord is back..." In the quarry, a worker in linen clothes looked at Miam with some panic, and the hammer in his hand that was originally used to smash stones seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

At first they just wanted to seek justice, justice for the deceased and themselves, but the businessmen refused to listen and refused to pay a penny, which angered the workers.

But when they took up arms and began to gather together to resist oppression, the businessmen realized that the matter was serious, so even though they had no money, they still sought loans from others, hoping to resolve the matter quickly.

After all, they were able to reopen the quarry because of the lord's favor. When the lord figured out the whole story, he would find out that it was their unwillingness to spend money that led to a "rebellion." They would probably be the next group of corpses hanging outside the city gate.

The businessmen had no doubt that Li Rufeng was capable of doing such a thing; after all, he had done it once.

In fact, Li Rufeng was indeed planning to do so. He had not summoned those businessmen, but he had already ordered that these people were not allowed to leave Aleppo.

This act of imprisonment caused several business representatives to collapse on the spot and they couldn't even walk.

However, Li Rufeng did not hang them immediately. Things had already happened and there had to be a result. Li Rufeng planned to keep them until the dust settled before dealing with them.

"If we go home now, wouldn't Aliche and the others have died in vain?" Miam asked with red eyes. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in several days. "There's no turning back now. Don't you understand?"

"The Mongols won't let us go!" Miyam shouted at these people in a state of collapse. "Wake up! The Mongols have only one way to deal with rebels like us! That's to kill us! Every single one of us!"

Miam's words shocked the workers, who weren't even considered soldiers to begin with. But he wasn't trying to scare them away. He continued, "So, we must not allow those businessmen to slander us as rebels. We are just workers who want to be treated fairly! Our enemies have always been those profiteers! Do you understand?"

In fact, most of the workers didn’t understand, but when the first person started nodding in agreement, the others also started nodding and saying that they understood.

This is what Aliche said to Miyam last night. They did not have enough strength to fight against the Mongol rule, so they had to divide the enemy and find the real enemy.

But Aliche also said that the tragedy was ultimately caused by the callous Mongolian lords who only wanted luxurious palaces and ignored the lives of the workers. They just did not have enough power at the moment.

So Miam needs to accumulate strength and understand what it means to be patient.

"I need you to come with me, leave the quarry, and go to Aleppo to meet the lord and let him make the decision for us!" Miyam continued shouting, "If you don't dare to go, then I will go alone!"

"I'm willing to go with you!" A voice shouted in the crowd. Miam looked over with some horror. He could naturally recognize that it was Aliche's voice.

But in the direction the voice came from, there was only a group of workers who were still confused. When they saw Miam's eyes, they subconsciously followed the voice and shouted, "I want to go with you too!"

In this way, Miam soon gathered a petition team of more than 50 people who were willing to go with him to Aleppo to ask the lord for help. They carried several severely rotten corpses on wooden boards and began to march towards Aleppo.

At this time, Li Rufeng had already brought twenty personal guards, thirty tribal cavalry, and the tied-up merchants, and planned to leave the city to go to the quarry to check the situation.

This is an opportunity where opportunity and crisis coexist. If handled well, Li Rufeng will be able to withdraw from the contract protection law of this era. If handled improperly, Li Rufeng will most likely be branded as cruel and inhumane.

The two teams met less than five kilometers from Aleppo. When they saw the workers' demonstration,

The cavalry behind Li Rufeng immediately deployed in a skirmish line and spread out in a pincer shape from both wings.

The guards spontaneously surrounded Li Rufeng and looked at those "armed civilians" with indifference.

The moment they saw the Mongolian cavalry, half of the workers dispersed almost instantly. Only the workers around Miyam and the workers carrying the corpse did not escape.

These people are the backbone of this so-called riot. They are either former soldiers or old workers who used to work in the quarry.

What they have in common is that they are angry about this kind of life without future security. They cannot accept that one day they will be crushed to death or thrown to death, and their families will not get any compensation except the body.

"My lord! I am guilty!" After many days of teaching by Aliche, Miam has begun to take on the banner of a "peasant leader". Before anyone could react, he knelt on the ground.

"I led them to seal off the quarry, but we simply seek justice for our brothers. While you were away, those profiteers refused to compensate the families even a single silver coin!" Miam knew he wouldn't have much time to speak, so he had to finish what he had to say. "Please help us, so that the orphans and widows of the deceased family won't starve to death this winter!"

After saying this, Miam hesitated for a moment, because Aliche had taught him something he didn't want to say. But seeing Li Rufeng's still serious expression, he could only grit his teeth and say, "No matter how wrong I am, it's all my own decision. If you are angry about our actions, I am willing to die to appease your anger. If our actions offend your majesty, please use my head to let all those waiting to watch the fun know your... your..."

Miam's mind went blank as she spoke, and she ended up getting stuck and not being able to recite the whole thing.

"What does he know about me? What did he say at that time?" Li Rufeng guided Miam with a smile. He thought that it was impossible for him to discover a wild talent in the territory just after going out for a month, right?

In this day and age, if someone can give an impromptu speech without preparing a draft and say what I just said, then he must be a big shot and would be famous.

"What he said was... decisive... huh?" After all, Miam was still a hard-working person working in a quarry a few days ago. Maybe he did have talent in this area, but he was still a little immature in front of a shrewd person like Li Rufeng.

"Tie him up for me too, so we can take him back for trial together." Master Li pointed his whip and the cavalrymen immediately charged forward.

The author says:

Author's words: I haven't been able to update much these past few days, and I know this very well. I'll try to finish 4,000 words tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to catch up on the progress. My wife seems to have some symptoms of reinfection these past two days, so I'm a bit overwhelmed.

Chapter 229: Sublimation

On the first day after returning to the city, Mr. Li quelled the riot in the quarry, which disappointed many people who were waiting to watch the fun.

The interrogation of Miam was very simple. Although he was instructed to do a big thing, he was ultimately just an honest man who had served in the army. He confessed everything with just a little deception.

Li Rufeng had had enough of the lingering ghost of Azadirim. He planned to reveal his limited difficulties to the Eagle of Order. They must be very interested in the black wizard who believed in the Blue Wind.

But Li Rufeng had to consider how to communicate with the people of the Eagle of Order. After all, Haishar knew Li Rufeng too well, and he could probably guess what was going on between him and the dark wizard.

However, the Eagle of Order is now using cruel means, and we can't just stand by and watch them die, right?

With this idea in mind, Li Rufeng led his men into the city in a mighty procession. The only incident was that a few quarry workers who lived in nearby villages and joined in the riot did not dare to enter the city and were almost chopped to death by Li Rufeng's personal guards.

In the end, all these people were brought into the city of Aleppo. Not only that, they were escorted all the way to the center of the city, Li Rufeng's lord's mansion.

After a month, Li Rufeng returned here for the first time. He used to work in Wangcheng Tower.

Compared to before he left, the place looked brand new, because the palace itself did not suffer much physical damage, but it looked very dilapidated after being burned and looted.

During this month, the businessmen who took on the renovation projects in the city gave priority to completing the projects here with guaranteed quality and quantity.

In the sunlight, the white marble was tinged with a thin layer of cream-colored yellow, making the entire lord's mansion appear more solemn.

The two guards wearing metal armor and standing upright at the door finally gave the place a solemn atmosphere. This place was finally no longer the dilapidated and ruin-like environment.

"Bring everyone inside, and in three days, have all the important people in the city come as witnesses." Li Rufeng dismounted and said to Wuerhun, "Post a notice in the city. Anyone who wishes to attend the trial can come to the lord's mansion. Snacks and tea will be provided."

"Sir, that's going to cost quite a bit of money. There are a lot of people in the city right now..." Wu Erhun was used to living in a small household, and when he heard Li Rufeng take on such a big responsibility, he wrinkled up like a caterpillar in the sun. "I think we can just provide some boiled water. Just boiling water is a lot of money."

"It's okay, I guess.

Someone should be willing to spend money to do this this time." Li Rufeng said thoughtfully, looking at the white walls on both sides of the lord's mansion gate.

...

Saduddin Fasif was summoned by Li Rufeng that day. He was frowning when he went there, thinking that the incident at the quarry had implicated him. When he came back, he was even more worried, and his face seemed to have aged ten years.

The lord summoned him for one thing: he would publicly try both parties involved in this incident in the courtyard of the lord's mansion in three days, and asked him if he was willing to take out an advertisement.

Saduddin had no idea what was going on in the matter, nor did he know what advertising was.

He only knew that the lord had asked him to be responsible for providing food, clothing and other expenses for the common people in the city on the day of the public trial, and that was all the idle people in the city!

Saduddin had no doubt that with Li Rufeng's current appeal, thousands of people would appear inside and outside the lord's mansion... and that lord actually planned to provide tea and snacks to these idle onlookers.

Well, snacks are undoubtedly a new word for Saduddin, but this word is relatively easy to understand. There are so-called snacks in this era, but the prices are often very high.

But Mr. Li obviously expanded the meaning of this word. He believed that anything that was difficult to eat, required some effort, and only served to moisten the mouth after a long time of effort could be considered a snack.

If that were the case, Saduddin felt relieved. He had a lot of pickled vegetables in stock. He just asked someone to take them out, wash them thoroughly, and cut them into small pieces. He could then distribute them directly when the time came.

As for tea, Saduddin frowned painfully. Tea was not cheap. He planned to ask people to go along the Kuvik River to find willow leaves tomorrow. Then he would use the willow leaves and twigs to make boiling water. Anyway, those people had never tasted real tea, so maybe his willow tea would be better.

Finally, there is advertising. In Saduddin's eyes, putting up advertisements on the walls of the lord's mansion is just an excuse for the lord to ask him to take money.

What do you mean by publicizing it?... How big is Aleppo? From top to bottom, who doesn't know Sadooduddin Fasif? Is there any need to publicize it?

Saduddin Fasif went back dejectedly to prepare. He only hoped that this time he would pay for it so that Li Rufeng would remember him well and not vent his anger on him because of the quarry incident.

However, Saduddin immediately thought that since Li Rufeng moved into Aleppo, not only had the city's population doubled, but the number of caravans passing through had also gradually increased.

The former represents the expansion of the consumer group in the city, while the latter represents big business.

In this era, in a city like Aleppo with a small population base, a businessman of Saduddin's size can only rely on acting as a middleman and earning the difference between different caravans to develop further.

For example, last month, a caravan coming from Damascus was pleasantly surprised to find that Aleppo had regained its vitality and sold twenty camels of spices to Saduddin at a good price.

This batch of spices stayed in Saduddin's warehouse for less than twenty days before another group of merchants heard the news and came by boat from Mersin, adding 30% to the price and bought them away.

All in all, Saduddin made a net profit of twenty dinars just by selling a warehouse. The workers in the quarry could not save that much money in twenty years.

Every time Saduddin thought of this gap, he would feel a joy from the bottom of his heart. This joy allowed him to calmly respond with a smile to those who greeted him on the road, and allowed him to calmly order his subordinates to withdraw money from the account and do what the lord ordered.

In the final analysis, the Lord's order was just a matter that could be settled with four or five dinars. There was no need to make such a fuss. Didn't he even earn advertising space on the wall of the Lord's mansion? Just think of it as the Lord collecting business taxes in advance...

...