You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 81: Recruitment Begins

"I have nothing left! Lord Roman, only you can save me now."

Daken knelt at Roman's feet.

He regretted his carelessness and hated the pirates.

Although he escaped with his life, the caravan plunged into the abyss.

Since Jiehai was not covered by the treaty signed between the Chamber of Commerce and the nobles, it was impossible to help him bear part of the losses.

This not only bankrupted him but also left him with enormous debts that would take decades to repay.

With nowhere else to turn, Daken came to this place where he could see the light.

"I have failed to bring you any slaves, but I beg you to help me rise again and rebuild my strength. I am willing to give everything for this!"

Roman remained calm, gazing at the businessman before him.

Daken said he hadn't brought any slaves, but Roman thought he had.

……

The concept of commercial guilds originated from the political entity of the Free City-State, which was also one of the Seven Kingdoms.

The Free City-State is a secluded corner of the world, a merchant city-state that values ​​fair contracts and free trade.

Commercial guilds arose more than a hundred years ago during the period of conquest.

To support the army's logistics and economy, the conquerors vigorously promoted the development of commerce.

It ushered in a period of prosperity.

After the conquerors disappeared, the commercial guilds maintained the commercial system of the entire land for more than a hundred years.

Although commerce and trade were not very developed at that time, merchants were certainly needed, and trade was certainly going to take place. Countless merchants embarked on this path one after another in pursuit of profits.

Otherwise, how can we meet the enormous social needs of this land?
But this era was barbaric and dark, and there were certain risks involved in business and trade.

Because of the demand, insurance treaties of commercial guilds came into being.

The Chamber of Commerce then signed trade treaties with the entire aristocratic class.

Merchants regularly pay insurance premiums to the Chamber of Commerce. When a merchant's goods are traded according to the Chamber's instructions and result in a loss, the Chamber will help that merchant bear part of the loss or help keep the business running so that they do not lose everything.

If a merchant's goods are robbed or burned in a noble's territory, and the noble has failed to provide security, he should be obligated to provide the merchant with some explanation or compensation. Otherwise, he should not levy high commercial taxes.

However, due to its unique geographical location, the Czech Republic is not within the scope of either of these treaties.

Using his own reputation and the salt as collateral, Daken chartered five cargo ships from the Gulf Harbor.

Each transport ship costs dozens of gold coins on the market, requires a skilled shipwright to lead dozens of people to build, and the shipbuilding cycle can take up to a year.

Now all those ships have been lost in the Czechoslovak Sea, a burden that Daken cannot bear.

After thinking for a long time, Roman finally spoke, "What kind of help do you need?"

Daken gritted his teeth and said, "The ship and the guards!"

Ships are the foundation of a merchant's business.

Although the commercial network across this land is mostly land-based, requiring horse-drawn carriages for transportation, waterways are cheaper, can carry more goods, and offer greater profits.

A small boat can bankrupt a family with a middle-class income.

Daken's path to wealth was also built through financial assistance from relatives and friends, as well as financing from others, which enabled him to purchase his first ship.

It took him ten years to develop his fleet into three merchant ships, worth over a hundred gold coins in total—but these ships did not all belong to him; they also belonged to his patrons.

He didn't even dare to go back and see the expressions on those people's faces.

Daken understood now.

Without sufficiently strong and loyal guards, even the greatest wealth and profits are nothing but castles in the air, easily toppled.

Mercenaries are unreliable.

Therefore, wealthy merchants usually sign contracts with powerful nobles to recruit real knights and guards. These men are highly skilled in combat and do not scatter like mercenaries.

Roman nodded and said, "I will give you the ship and guards from now on. Now you stay here and work for me."

Roman can also help Daken resolve his debts.

It's not something that can be resolved all at once. Such large debts can be gradually resolved over several years or even more than a decade.

Therefore, Roman didn't take Daken's predicament seriously, considering it a trivial matter.

But he doesn't have a boat now.

Roman was able to build ships. His successive advancements in manufacturing, construction, and forging allowed him to acquire knowledge of shipbuilding—although it was all about wooden ship structures.

Roman had neither the time nor the manpower to build a ship.

There were no guards either.

Roman doesn't intend to send the guards of Sig Town out into the distance without them undergoing at least six months of training.

Daken can now stay here and use his connections and business network to do business with the merchants of Sig Town.

Roman no longer needs to purchase grain, but that doesn't mean the merchants of Sigge Town can rest easy.

In fact, despite the town's overall economic needs, they still had to travel around to help Sige Town acquire large quantities of goods.

Commodities such as oil, cloth, and fur.

Roman used to make do with his life, but now that he has some financial freedom, he's not going to continue making do.

TMD!

How come those idiots don't even have a change of clothes!
I can't take it anymore!

We must improve our quality of life as soon as possible!
"Thank you for your kindness!"

Daken touched the ground with his face.

The price was that he would have to work for a nobleman forever.

But compared to spending the rest of my life repaying debts, and not necessarily being able to pay them off even by the time I die—

Daken felt a strong sense of luck; having nothing to his name, to receive the protection of a nobleman was something he had always dreamed of.

……

When Daken led the merchants away from Sig Town.

The farmers finally managed to harrow 1,000 catties of fertilizer per acre into the fields just before the height of summer. They also buried all the soybeans in the soil.

After finishing the race against time for summer plowing.

Everyone got a chance to catch their breath.

But Roman felt it was time to change plans and strengthen his army.

And so, on this day...

Roman gathered all the able-bodied men in Sig Town together.

Standing on high ground, he said in an extremely stern tone, "I am extremely dissatisfied with the current number of guards. I need more soldiers to join them!"

After he finished speaking, he fell silent and stared at everyone with his crimson eyes.

After a brief silence, a loud shout suddenly rang out from the crowd: "I do!"

The young farmer, who was about twenty years old, strong, and dark-skinned, stepped forward.

He exclaimed excitedly, "Lord Roman, I wish to become your warrior!"

The stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the crowd, having finally realized what had happened, erupted into chaos.

"I do too!"

"I can become a guard and fight for you!"

"me too!"

“My esteemed sir, please give me a chance, and I will not let you down.”

In an instant, the crowd was filled with excitement, and countless noisy voices rose up, forming wave after wave of enthusiasm. Everyone's face was filled with excitement.

Everyone knows how well the guards are treated.

Every month, they receive two copper coins, ten catties of wheat, ten catties of miscellaneous grains, and two catties of meat from the Origin Manor and Lord Roman's treasury.

(End of this chapter)