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(Today's update is here ~)
GOR Chapter 278: Bloodshed
The convoy moved forward at a moderate pace. There's no urgent business in the capital this time around. Counting the days, there's still 20 days left. Du Wei wasn't in a hurry either. After all, even if he did return, there's only an endless amount of banquets to attend. As long as he can make it before the Regent's annual ceremony, everything will be fine.
Ten days after setting out, Nie Yan had already passed through the Nuling Province and paid a visit to Governor Bohan. However, Bohan wasn't summoned back to the capital by Prince Son for this year's ceremony. According to him, before the Crown Prince's failed coup, he would always be summoned back to the capital to receive an award. But ever since the Crown Prince's failed coup two years ago, Bohan never returned to the capital. Obviously, this is a clear sign that he's fallen out of favor as an official of the Crown Prince's faction.
However, Bohan seems to have seen through these things and didn't feel too depressed. Instead, he even asked Du Wei to bring some gifts back to visit his family. According to the customs of the empire, when a governor like Bohan takes office, his family will always stay in the capital. There's no need to explain the meaning behind this.
After traveling for ten days, the carriage left the Nuling Province and entered the central part of the Empire. Following the main road to the east and then to the south, one would be able to reach the port upstream of the Lan Cang Grand Canal. Boarding a ship here, following the river, one would be able to reach the Imperial Capital.
Although traveling by land is slightly faster, but after all, it's more comfortable to take a ship. Not to mention, there's already a ship under Du Wei's name waiting for them at the port.
•
Ming Fan Port was the upstream port of the Great Lancang Canal. It was also the final destination of the Great Lancang Canal in the west. The excavation of the Great Lancang Canal ended here. Further west was a dangerous river course and a few tributaries.
As the last stop of the Grand Canal, Ming Fan Port is always the busiest time at the end of every year … … In fact, it's so lively that it's even more lively than the Roland's annual summer celebration.
Countless caravans came and went from here. The caravans from the west wanted to return home before the end of the year, while the caravans from the east wanted to take advantage of this time to transport the most sought-after goods in winter to the northwest.
Every year at this time, the river traffic was very busy, and there were very few ships.
As an inland river port, Ming Fan Port was already considered very large. However, in the past few days, the port was still completely full. All the merchant ships had announced that their cabins were fully booked, causing many merchant groups who were waiting for their cabins to have no choice but to stay in the small town near the port.
This was a last resort. After all, the cost of transporting goods by river was much cheaper than traveling by land. For the same goods, the cost of transporting goods by land was about four times more expensive than by river. After all, the goods of a caravan could be transported by a large ship.
Du Wei and his group arrived at Ming Fan Port in the evening. Thanks to the bustling port, the small town next to the port had also gained considerable benefits. It had become a very lively town. Because of the trade caravans that came from the east and the west, they had brought in all kinds of rare goods. As a result, there were many shops in the small town. There were even a few high-end porcelain shops. For a town with a population of less than 20,000, this was already very rare.
Du Wei and his group did not inform the town's security officer and mayor in advance of their arrival. As a result, they were blocked outside the town.
There were too many caravans. It was said that in the past few days, there were more than 40 caravans in the small town. Even the inns were all full. Not to mention the rooms in the inns, even the kitchens were full. The warehouses at the port were also full. Some of the caravans that often traveled to the northwest were used to living in the open. They simply set up tents on both sides of the road outside the town. Every day, they would send people to the port to inquire about when there would be empty cabins.
On the originally not very wide street, there were too many caravans and horses coming and going. Du Wei's caravan took two hours to arrive at the port.
Finally, the river transport officer at the port saw the family emblem on Du Wei's carriage. It was not because the river transport officer was proficient in the study of emblems, but because he was the only one in the entire Empire who used the 'Flaming Tulip' as an emblem! Even an idiot would be able to tell.
Soon, the mayor and the security officer hurried to the port. As there were no more inns in the town, Du Wei declined the mayor's invitation to stay in his house. Instead, he decided to stay on the ship.
But when Du Wei asked to leave immediately, the river transport officer's face was covered in cold sweat. He stammered, "Sir … I'm afraid this will be difficult."
Then, under Du Wei's questioning gaze, the river transport officer helplessly explained the reason.
Du Wei's ship had been anchored at the port for many days. Previously, because Du Wei had been traveling slowly, the river transport officer was not sure when he would arrive. Therefore, in order to make room for the ship, the river transport officer ordered the ship to enter the auxiliary channel of the river. After all, Du Wei's ship was a seagoing ship. Although this was the smallest seagoing ship, it was still a bit too big for an inland canal. Such a large ship did not leave and was anchored at the port. In such a busy peak period, occupying the berth of two merchant ships was really a waste.
Du Wei's ship had been anchored for fifteen days. But in such a busy season, the river transport officer ordered the refund of the anchored fee and made room for other merchant ships.
Du Wei thought the duke would be furious. But he just smiled and patted the pale river transport officer's shoulder. He smiled warmly and said, "Well, it's not your fault. It's my fault. You are a very good officer … Then I will stay on the ship tonight. But I don't know when the river will be cleared for me to leave. "
"Probably tomorrow … Tomorrow morning." The river transport officer sighed in relief.
"Okay." Du Wei shrugged. "Well, gentlemen, don't be too nervous. For me, it's also a wonderful thing to be able to enjoy the night view of Mingfan Harbor."
After sending off the mayor and the river transport officer, Du Wei even declined the town's security officer's offer to send soldiers to protect him. After all, in such a busy season, there were only two hundred security guards in the harbor. Manpower was already very tight. Besides, Du Wei felt that he didn't need any protection.
"You didn't punish these officials? They took your anchored space and you paid for it. "
After everyone left, Queen Medusa asked Du Wei, "This doesn't seem like the way you human nobles do things."
"The way nobles do things?" Du Wei smiled. "Who told you about the way nobles do things?"
"Your fiancée." Queen Medusa's tone was very calm: "In the town on the outskirts of the imperial capital, during the days she accompanied me, I had her read a lot of human books to me. According to what I know about the way you human nobles do things, I'm afraid they would immediately order the river transport officer to be hung up and whipped. "
Du Wei shook his head. "He is a very good official. My ship is parked here. Although it doesn't have my family's emblem, the sailors and the captain are not mute. Therefore, it was impossible for this river transport official to not know who this boat belonged to. But he still did it. This shows that he is a very pragmatic official. This matter is not his fault, but mine. "
•
This was a Sea Soul-class ship, but for an inland river, it was already very big. That night, Du Wei boarded the ship in a small boat and stayed on the ship, waiting for the river transport officer to clear the river so that they could set off the next morning.
The next morning, the ship finally docked at the dock.
The river transport officer and the security officer came to see Du Wei. Seeing that the Duke was about to leave, these people let out a sigh of relief. Although the Duke looked very amiable, dealing with such a big figure was too stressful.
Such a big ship docked at the dock, and Du Wei's sailors were busy moving the goods. This Sea Soul-class ship was very big, even carriages and horses could be loaded on it.
But while the sailors were busy here, there was a problem there.
Du Wei was sitting in the cabin drinking hot tea when he heard shouting outside. The sound didn't seem to be too far away, so he paid attention. He opened the cabin's window and saw a group of Northwest people wearing leather robes surrounding his ship, shouting and cursing. Some of them had already climbed onto the ship, and several sailors were bruised. Fortunately, Du Wei's guards saw this and rushed up. Both sides had already pulled out their weapons and were facing each other.
These prairie people looked very rude and unreasonable. Although Du Wei had a few guards with swords, they weren't afraid. The noise seemed to grow louder.
"What's going on?" Du Wei looked back at the river transport officer and the security officer. Both of them were sweating. The security officer quickly apologized and ran out, calling a few security soldiers over from afar. But this group of prairie people only had a dozen people at first, but after shouting, dozens of people gathered from the dock. Everyone on the prairie was tough. Although these guys were caravans, they all had curved swords. If they didn't agree, they would pull out their swords. So the surrounding people who were watching the fun all stood far away.
Although the security officer had gone out, these prairie people didn't seem to care. The few leading ones were still shouting and cursing at the security officer.
"What's going on?" Du Wei turned to look at the river transport officer. "These prairie merchants are so rude here? They even dare to pull out their swords in front of the security officer of the empire? "
The river transport officer looked bitter and hesitated. Du Wei's face was cold. "Yesterday I thought you were a good officer, and I had a good impression of you. Why are you so scared in front of these prairie people today? Could it be that you've accepted their bribes? "
"Absolutely not!" The river transportation officer was shocked, and hurriedly told him everything.
It turned out that Mingfan Port was the hub of the east-west river transport. Among the merchants coming and going, many of them were from the prairie. These prairie people were tough and barbaric. Most of them were unreasonable and didn't follow the rules. The one with the strongest fist was the boss.
Especially when the river transportation was tight and the cabins were full, the other caravans were still willing to follow the rules and wait for the arrangement of cabins. Even if some of them were dishonest, they would at most bribe the river transportation officers here with some gold coins to get cabins for themselves.
At this point, Du-Wei smiled, "Oh? Then you must have made a lot of money recently? "
"No, no!" The river transport officer's face turned cold. He immediately said, "Duke, although I have some power now, I never dare to accept bribes! As for my subordinates, I often sternly warn them that if anyone dares to accept bribes and make improper arrangements, they will have to eat my whip! You can send someone to ask around. Everyone in the town knows about my reputation. "
Du Wei nodded. "Yes, you even dare to delay my boat. It can be seen that you are doing your job properly. Alright, I believe you. You don't have to explain. Tell me about these prairie people. "
The river transport officer's face was full of hatred. "Sir … if it was our empire's own caravans, the most we would do is to try to bribe them … But these prairie people don't care about that. If they don't have any cabins, they will just pull out their knives and snatch them!"
"Continue." Du Wei's face darkened.
"The prairie people have always been barbaric in doing business. But because the profits are huge, many merchants are willing to take the risk to do business with them. In this Mingfan Port, twenty percent of the caravans are prairie people. And … they are different from us. The prairie people are very united. Usually when a caravan has a dispute with others, all the prairie caravans in the town will take out their weapons to help. It is a headache. They look down on the local officials. Even when facing the security guards, they dare to pull out their knives and fight. There are only two hundred people in the security guards at Mingfan Port. It is still okay to deal with ten or so prairie people. But if two or three prairie caravans gather together, it is really difficult to deal with. "
"In this busy time, the cabins are tight. The more the goods are in the warehouse, the more losses there will be. In order to snatch the cabins of the ships, the most common method of these prairie people was to bring people and rush to the port to take a look. If a ship was empty or loaded with goods, they would gather a large number of people and rush forward to seize the other ship first. There are even some despicable people who directly throw the other ship's goods into the water. If other caravans come to reason, they will pull out their knives and threaten them. Even if the security guards come, these people will sit on the ship! Anyway, they have already rushed onto the ship and won't come down no matter what. We can't do anything if they act shamelessly. In the past, when such things happen, the caravans can only admit that they are unlucky. Everyone who comes out to do business only wants to earn money. But these prairie people are all desperadoes. Our empire's caravans are not willing to offend these prairie people and fight with their lives for nothing. "
Du Wei's face became gloomier as he listened. He sneered, "The security guards just sit there and do nothing? Those merchants who suffered losses, did they not complain to the security guards? "
"Of course they did … But Sir, I just said that the security guards do not have enough manpower …"
"Nonsense!" Du Wei said angrily, "What lack of manpower, I think they are cowards!! The prairie people are like wolves. They bully the weak and fear the strong. If you really harden your heart and deal with them once, you will hurt them and make them afraid. Then they will not dare to cause trouble in the future! It is because you have always been lenient that we are in this situation today!! "
When the River Transport Officer heard this, he straightened his neck and refuted, "Duke! I also understand what you are saying. Also … we have tried our best. But the result is disappointing!! "
Du Wei was stunned for a moment, "… .Tell me about it."
"Two years ago, the prairie people were rampant. The sheriff and I couldn't stand it anymore, so we decided to teach them a lesson. At that time, we sent out all the soldiers from the sheriff's office. Even some of the people from the river transportation office brought weapons to the battlefield. We taught a lesson to a group of prairie caravans. These prairie people injured the people of other caravans at the pier, stole their cabins and even lost more than half of their goods! Such an evil act is already against the empire's laws! Also, after our men arrived, they dared to openly use force to resist the empire's security guards. That was a crime on top of a crime. After a fierce battle, three of our security guards died and more than ten were injured. A total of 60 prairie people were captured! At that time, although we felt sorry for the dead soldiers, but if we could teach these prairie people a lesson, it would be a good thing! After those 60 plus prairie people were captured, according to the empire's laws, even if they were not all executed, they should be sent to Big Ear City to be labourers! "
"That's right, you all did well." Du Wei nodded, "And then?"
"And then?" The River Transport Officer raised his head, his face filled with grief and indignation, "My Lord, can you guess what happened next?"
Du Wei's heart skipped a beat, he could already vaguely guess what happened.
The River Transport Officer's face turned ashen as he gritted his teeth and said, "After that, those 60 plus prairie people were locked up for a few days in the Security Officers' office. Then, an order came from above. Not only were they ordered to be released, all the carriages and goods of their caravan were also returned! The government even paid a sum of money to compensate for their 'loss'! This matter, made us so angry that our lungs were about to explode! But after that, even the compensation for the soldiers who died in the process of capturing those prairie people was delayed for two months! And the security guard at that time, was even removed from his post! My Lord, don't you think such an outcome, is it not disappointing? We are not afraid of going against the prairie people, but after we finished, to get such an outcome … let us … let us … "
At the end of his words, the River Transport Officer's eyes suddenly turned red and tears flowed out.
Listening to this, Du Wei was speechless.
He was very clear that the Empire has lost control of the Northwest in recent years, and the only thing they can do to appease the prairie people is to appease them. The officials in the capital are blindly seeking stability and peace for fear of causing a rebellion.
The prairie merchants who come to the Empire to do business are becoming more and more rude, he has long heard about it. When he first went to the Northwest, he passed by the Nuling Province and saw Governor Bohan for the first time. He personally saw several prairie caravan leaders shouting at Governor Bohan, even pulling out their swords to threaten him!
That's a Governor of the Empire! If the prairie people dare to be rude in public, then what about the merchants and small officials of the port?
Du Wei is in charge of the Desa Province, and his law enforcement is strict. Moreover, after the battle of Anglia City, the prairie people suffered a lot. So when they cross the border to do business, they can be considered honest in Du Wei's territory, but once they reach the central part of the Empire, they revert to their old ways! Coupled with the fact that the Empire's official policy is weak and easy to bully, they became even more unscrupulous.
This river transport official seems to be a hot-blooded person, but unfortunately, the weak policies of the upper echelons have smoothed out his edges and chilled his heart to the bone.
Thinking of this, Du Wei stood up and handed over a silk handkerchief: "Okay, wipe your tears. I understand, these things are not your fault. It's no wonder you're bitterly disappointed. "
The river transport official took the silk handkerchief from Du Wei, his hand trembled, and tears flowed down his cheeks.
Du Wei walked to the cabin and looked outside. The noise is getting louder and louder.
More and more prairie people gathered, about a hundred of them. Seeing that Du Wei's ship only has about thirty to fifty people, they became even more arrogant. In their experience, the Roland people are weak, so they should be able to intimidate them and make them give up their cabins.
At this moment, the sheriff was sweating profusely. Along with several soldiers, he stopped at the dock and shouted: "Everyone back off! Don't mess around! " Then he shouted at the prairie leader: "You bastards, this is not a place for you to mess around! This ship is not an official cargo ship! It's a private ship! The person on the ship is a noble! How dare you steal it! "
The prairie people did not wait for the sheriff to finish. The leader raised his scimitar and shouted: "I don't care if it's a private ship or a cargo ship! Our goods have been in the warehouse for a day. If we delay any longer, winter will be over and the weather will be warmer. Who will buy leather goods then? Even if it's a private ship, it's just a cargo ship. So what? So what if it's a noble? We don't care if it's a noble of the Roland people! "
"Nonsense! What nonsense! " The sheriff seemed to be a mediocre person. He anxiously shouted: "How many caravans are waiting? Let alone a day, even if it's three to five days, there will still be goods waiting! Why are you in such a hurry? Listen to me and back off. Otherwise, if you anger the noble on the ship, you … "
"What about us?" The prairie leader's face was rude and unreasonable. He waved his scimitar and laughed: "We didn't steal his ship! So what if we borrow it! "
Seeing that the sheriff could no longer suppress the situation, the prairie people made a ruckus. Several of them rushed up and the sheriff's soldiers couldn't stop them. Without the officer's order, they didn't dare to make a move. They could only be pushed back again and again.
Du Wei looked at the sheriff's incompetence from afar. He sneered and called Old Smoke over to give him a few instructions.
Old Smoke immediately ran out and whispered into the sheriff's ear. The sheriff was stunned and looked at the captain in disbelief. While he was still in a daze, the grasslanders had already swarmed up and rushed onto the ship. The sheriff's men were scattered and two of the soldiers were pushed into the river.
Many caravans on the other ships and the docks saw this. Everyone had a helpless expression. They shook their heads and sighed at the official's weakness.
Du Wei's men on the ship received the order and stepped aside. Allowing the prairie people to swarm onto the deck.
Hundreds of nomads crowded on the deck. These people were probably used to robbing ships as they were very familiar with it. The leader shouted, "Brothers, go check the cabins and find a few empty cabins to store our goods. Then, send a few brothers back to the warehouse at the dock to get people to transport the goods. The rest of you, follow me and wait here!" After that, he even showed a sinister smile to the sheriff and said, "We have already boarded the ship! If you want us to go down again, first ask the scimitar in my hand. Then ask my brothers if they agree! "
Du Wei was already standing on the second deck of the ship. Looking at the prairie people below, he only sneered: "Old Smoke?"
"My Lord!" Old Smoke immediately replied.
"Pass down my order. Raise our flag. Then …. Have people remove the sampan! These prairie wolf cubs on the deck, none of them are allowed to get off the ship! "
•
The prairie people made a ruckus for a while before some of them obeyed the order. But when they got to the side of the ship, they saw that the sailors had already removed the sampan. This way, no one can get off the ship.
Just as the report was sent, a bugle call was heard. Then on the second deck, a golden flaming tulip flag quickly rose from the flagpole … …
These prairie people were attracted by the bugle call and looked up. When they saw that the flag was the prairie tulip, most of their faces changed!
Even the rude and unreasonable leader turned pale when he saw the Tulip Family flag.
These prairie people may not recognize the noble family's flag, but how could they not recognize the Tulip flag? When they came to the empire to do business, they had to pass through Du Wei's territory! This year, during the battle in Anglia City, the prairie people lost twenty thousand cavalrymen and a shaman. Even the head of the golden wolf was chopped off!
Moreover, after the battle, many of the captured prairie people had their heads chopped off and tied to a frame. Their heads were then sent to various parts of the Desa Province to be paraded through the streets!
Such an iron-blooded method, the prairie people knew that it was the work of the Duke of the Tulip Family!
The prairie people's temperament was like that of a wolf. They bully the weak and fear the strong. If you are weak, they will bully you. If you are strong, they will be afraid of you. Du Wei's iron-blooded method, coupled with the massacre of the prisoners and the parading of the corpses, made the prairie people even more terrified. Every caravan that passed through the Desa Province would be very careful, not daring to be the slightest bit rash.
At this moment, seeing the Tulip flag fluttering in the wind, everyone's heart was filled with fear … …
At this time, a few prairie people suddenly exclaimed. Around the deck, dozens of fully armed Tulip Family guards rushed out from both sides. These guards were all wearing armor and each of them was holding a small Roland Empire's most elite short crossbow. The crossbows were already loaded and aimed at the prairie people.
The prairie people were already panicking. The leader did not dare to be tough and shouted: "We … … We are merchants. You can't hurt us … … we … …"
Du Wei stood on the second deck with an indifferent expression. He casually asked the river transport officer: "Well, let me ask you. According to the Empire's laws, what is the crime of offending a Duke?"
"This … … is considered to be contempt of the Empire's laws. The crime of disrespect is a heavy punishment, thirty lashes, a light punishment is … …"
Lashes?
Du Wei disdainfully sneered: "Well, then what if it is not an offense, but an assassination? What is the crime of assassinating a Duke? "
The river transport officer's body trembled. He vaguely understood Du Wei's intention. His voice trembled as he said: "If … … If it is an assassination, then it is a death sentence … …"
"Very good." Du Wei gently smiled and pointed at the people below: "You are the local official here. You can give me a certificate! You saw it with your own eyes. This group of prairie people, with weapons in their hands, rushed onto my ship! My ship is clearly hung with my Duke's flag! This can be considered conclusive evidence, right? Hundreds of people with weapons, if it is not an assassination, then what is it? "
The river transport officer only felt a chill down his spine. Although the Duke's smile was gentle, but faintly he felt like a bloodthirsty lion. At this moment, he didn't dare to say anything. Nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes! Duke, I know how to write the report. "
"Very good. You are very good, I appreciate you very much. "Du Wei praised the river transport officer and then turned to Old Smoke to give an order:
"Let your people prepare to move."
When this order came out, the river transport officer suddenly felt his legs go soft. Fortunately, he was able to stand firm. With a trembling voice, he whispered: "My Lord … … you … …"
Du-Wei ignored him, but instead turned to Old Smoke and said:
"All the assassins, chop off their heads and leave them behind … … Hmm, don't these prairie people have a habit of using human heads to make something like a decapitation stand? There are more than a hundred heads here, and I want them all to stand on this pier for three days! "
After that, he smiled and patted the river transport officer's shoulder: "This way, your job will be much easier in the future."
Du Wei's smile was very gentle, without the slightest trace of anger. But in the eyes of the river transport officer, there was a trace of cruelty … …
The river transport officer's mind was already blank. The last thing he heard was the Duke's gentle and elegant voice, issuing a final order:
"Kill them all, don't leave a single one alive."
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