"Young master, I have already told you that we are really going to Tynets to find someone. He is the owner of a grain store in the north of Tyniec. Please let us go, or you can see what you want and I will give it to you." The fat old man began to lean over to open his package and took out a few rye bread and a handful of scattered coins.
"Okay, all right, what am I going to do with you rags? I just want your people."
The old man fell to his knees with a plop, and the two guys behind him also knelt down.
This is already the second wave of refugees who refused Ron's recruitment. When the previous refugees who were drinking wheat porridge in front of a copper pot learned that Art wanted to send them to a village at the foot of Mount Poge in the southeastern border area of Burgundy, they were so frightened that they threw away their wooden bowls and knelt down to beg for mercy. Porridge was blinded, and he believed that these guys who let them eat and drink for free were human traffickers who abducted slaves for slave owners. Although they had now become homeless people who had lost their families and land, at least they still retained their status as free people. If they were deceived into becoming serfs or even slaves, they would really never see the light of day.
Ron was already a little discouraged. He ignored the refugees kneeling on the ground and came to Art who was sitting by the fire sharpening his sword. "Master, why is this different from when we recruited refugees before? You see how proactive those refugees were when we recruited them before."
Att put the polished knight's sword back into its scabbard, stood up and patted the dirt on his butt. He stared at the refugee being "guarded" by Jason and said, "Ron, think about it, if you were in this deserted place and suddenly a group of people with swords appeared and told you that they were alone and wanted to take you to a completely unfamiliar place to live a good life, would you go?"
Ron thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Probably not. If they are evil people, I can't run away even if I want to."
"What if one person said the same thing to a group of you?"
"Then I will think about it. After all, there are many of us. Even if the other party is a villain, he will be afraid of our large number and will not dare to mess around."
Att turned his head and stared into Ron's eyes and said: "Now we are the blockers who are regarded as "evils". "
Ron realized something, "No wonder when we asked about food and drink to recruit refugees a few times before, they scrambled for alternatives. It turned out to be because there are more wolves and less meat than boldness."
"But sir, we have been waiting for so long, and we haven't seen a large group of refugees passing by. The three or two refugees who passed by occasionally didn't dare to accept the invitation." Ron started scratching his head again.
"I didn't expect it to be like this. I thought there would be a lot of refugees fleeing to the north during this season." According to Art's plan, he also copied the experience of recruiting refugees a few times before. He cooked a pot of steaming wheat porridge where a lot of refugees passed by. When the refugees drooled to their chins, he announced the recruitment of refugees to open up wasteland. Then he took the recruited refugees to Andermatt Castle and handed them over to Baron Antayas to collect the money.
But the current situation was a bit different from what Art had expected. He didn't know that Provence had strictly ordered various places in the north to prevent large-scale refugees from escaping north. The large-scale refugee team in the eastern region had been blocked in the northeastern town of Kitzby. During this period, most of the refugees who fled to Burgundy from this trade route were scattered and slipped through the net. A small number were "rich" refugees who did have relatives in the north and were able to buy checkpoints to let them through.
"Ron, let's try another approach." Art thought for a while and came to the refugees.
"Okay, all of you, get up, I'm not going to keep you anymore."
The fat old man looked up at Art and said, "Master, are you willing to let us go?"
"What can I do if I don't let you go? However, you can't just leave after eating my food."
The fat old man took out a few copper pfennigs from the package and handed them to Art with a clear look.
Art waved his hand and refused, "Do I look like someone who covets your few coins? Have you seen that small stream? You go to that stream to collect stones and pile them on this mound. I will let you go until evening, and I will let you eat a free meal of wheat porridge before leaving."
The fat old man didn't understand what Art wanted to do, but since they were willing to let them go, he had to do it.
Matt turned around and said to the few refugees who had come before, who were temporarily detained by Jason: "It's the same with you. If you eat my food, you have to work for me and move rocks. I promise God that I will let you go in the evening."
Simon looked at the five or six refugees who went down to the stream to pick up stones. He moved to Ron and asked in confusion: "Brother Ron, what are you doing? We are here to recruit refugees, not to dredge the river. What's the use of this?"
While the two were discussing, Art had already returned to the fire.
"Simon, go and watch those guys, don't let them be lazy."
"Jason, continue to cook the porridge, add some bacon and salt to the pot to bring out the aroma for me."
“Ron, go and stand at the bridge. If there are any refugees passing by, tell them that we need people to work here. Anyone who is willing to contribute will be given a full meal. After eating and finishing the work, you can leave. Don’t mention recruiting refugees.”< br/>
…..
So, when the sun was at its peak, a few more guys who had eaten for free and were working appeared on the "construction site" between the creek and the mound.
Before evening came, there were already seventeen or eight refugees around the mound. After learning that they could get food by doing simple work for these gentlemen, they all went to the stream without hesitation and started moving stones...
After dinner, the first five or six refugees who arrived had already left. But there are still about a dozen refugees here in Tuqiu who choose to stay and continue working, because the "good people" who provide them with food and drink said that people will be needed to collect stones and cut wood tomorrow. They decided to stay here for a few more meals and wait until the work here is completed before leaving. Anyway, there may not be food in the next place they go to, so such "good things" are rare.
At nightfall, two bonfires were lit around the mound next to the stream. One bonfire was crowded with refugees who had eaten and drank enough. At the other bonfire was Ater, who was skewering bacon on wooden sticks and roasting it on the flame. The burning smell had spread.
罗恩栓好马匹青骡后回到了火堆旁，「老爷，战马和青骡已经喂过了，今晚西蒙和杰森负责照看牲口物资，那些流民好像都挺老实的，应该没有人会起坏心思。」
「嗯，告诉西蒙还是要小心些。」
罗恩继续说道：「老爷, Your method is really powerful. You can retain these scattered refugees with a meal of wheat porridge. If this continues, there will be a hundred or so refugees here in less than two days. By then, we will be able to recruit enough refugees and soldiers for Baron Antayas. Moreover, we have also collected enough stones and wood in advance, which will save us a lot of work when the time comes. "
"But sir, we only carried four hundred and fifty pounds of food this time. Including the rations each of us carried, it was enough to feed fifty or sixty people for more than ten days. Besides, we also have to take the recruited refugee soldiers to Andermatt Castle."
Matt tore off a large piece of the greasy bacon and asked Ron to deliver it to Jason and Simon. When Ron came back, he tore off a piece and handed it to Ron. He took a big bite of what was left in his hand and chewed for a long time before replying: "Ron, I know there is not enough food, but we can buy food on the way to Fort Andermatt. As long as we recruit enough refugee soldiers, Baron Antayas will pay the bill as agreed, and we don't have to save money for him."
By the afternoon of the second day, the mound had turned into a wood and stone yard. Ron and others led seventy or eighty refugees between the mound stream and the dense forest at the foot of Mount Carmel a mile and a half away to cut wood and carry stones. There were seven or eight slightly older and weaker refugees and half-grown children on the mound who were working hard to neatly stack fifty or sixty logs of different thicknesses and large piles of stones on the top of the mound.
Five large pots brought by the refugees have been set up under the mound. Several old women are adding firewood to the fire. Fragrant wheat porridge is cooking in the large pots.
On the sixteenth day after leaving Andermatt Castle, there were only four days left before the time agreed with Baron Antayas. Art decided to recruit new villagers and garrison soldiers for Baron Antayas among the seventy or eighty refugees.
Twilight has not yet fallen, but the fiercely burning fire is particularly eye-catching in the slightly gray wasteland.
Ron stood on the top of the mound and said loudly to the refugees who were waiting for the porridge around the campfire: "Fellow refugee brothers, the wheat porridge will be cooked in a moment. Our master said that you have worked hard these two days. Your work has been done. Minced meat is added to tonight's wheat porridge. Everyone can leave after eating and drinking enough." Three meals a day of wheat porridge, such a bargain is rarely seen during the escape...
A skinny old man squeezed out from the crowd and said loudly to Ron on the mound, "This young master, can you tell your elders to let us all work for a few more days? I think you are planning to build a house here? We can work for you, as long as you can give us a mouthful of food."
After hearing this, Ron had a very embarrassed expression: "In a few days, we will have people here to build houses, and we don't need people at all. Look at how much food you have to eat in a day. This food was originally intended for the workers who came to build the houses, and my husband gave it to you out of kindness. But now there are too many of you, and we really can't support you. After eating this wheat porridge, hurry up and hit the road while it’s still early. You’ll encounter people in three or five days of walking north. Although there are many bandits and bandits along the way, you are so poor that you have nothing. You don’t have to worry about robbing bandits. These guys generally don’t kill people. At most, they will scare you and chop off one or two arms and legs.”
The skinny old man's face began to look frightened.
"By the way, I have to remind you that it is best not to stop at a village called Lane, four days north of here. The lord there is a murderous demon. I have personally seen several waves of passing refugees killed by him, and the survivors were sold to slave owners by him." There may be a way to survive by directly bypassing Tyniec and walking north for another ten days or so to the city of Lucesien. The people there are a little kinder to the refugees and beggars from the south. At least they don’t massacre the old and weak refugees from time to time like in Tyniec City.”
"Young master, please stop talking. I have seen your behavior in the past two days, and you must all be good people. If you are sympathetic to us poor people who have lost their families and land, please show us a way to survive." The skinny old man took the lead in begging Ron, and a cry of pleading suddenly sounded among the refugees who had come back to their senses.
罗恩不为所动，继续大声吼道：「你们怎么可以这样？难不成还得我家老爷天天供你们吃喝吗？各位，什么都不必说了，吃完饭赶紧离开。」
「我们明天还得赶去南边的基茨比招募农户呢？」
Ron's second sentence was not loud, but the skinny old man must have heard it, "Sir, you said you were going to Kitsby to recruit farmers?"
“Well, yes, we are recruiting for a noble gentleman. This gentleman’s territory has a bumper harvest this year, and he plans to recruit more farmers to farm the land. So the noble gentleman entrusted us to go to the south to recruit a group of refugees to cultivate the land for him. Those gentlemen were kind-hearted and said that as long as they went there, they would allocate land and give them food and agricultural tools. It's not impossible to go home. However, the conditions offered are excellent and the requirements are high. They must be strong farmers and women. "My dear, why are you going to Kitzby to recruit farmers? Isn't it already available here?" said the skinny old man, and several people around him also agreed piecemeal.
Ron had a look of disdain, "The noble man said that you must be strong men and strong women. Look at you, each one of you is as thin as a stick. It is because my husband is kind-hearted that he allows you to do some work and give you a few mouthfuls of food. There are more young and strong farmers in Kitzby now, and it is easier for us to recruit there."
At this time, another slightly stout man shouted: "Little old man "Master, the Provence court no longer allows refugees to flee north, so we all ran out quietly. Besides, we are all hungry. If we can eat for a few days, we will still be strong men."
Ron was a little impatient, "But my master has made an agreement with the consul of Kitzby in advance to go to Kitzby to recruit farmers, and he has no intention of recruiting people here."
The skinny old man was anxious, "Sir, please tell me that we are all strong laborers. It's just that we are weak due to running around for too long and having difficulty with food and clothing. As long as we can eat enough, we will be energetic in less than half a month."
Several refugees who thought they could be selected came up and surrounded Ron, and they all said they wanted to ask Ron to intercede on behalf of everyone.
At this moment, Art who was out hunting "coincidentally" came back. Ron couldn't stand the pleading of everyone, so he had to agree to intercede on behalf of everyone. After several refusals, Art finally had to "reluctantly" agree to recruit farmers and soldiers among these refugees...
In this way, after two days of waiting and a poor performance, Art successfully recruited thirty-six refugees and ten soldiers. This number basically met the requirements of Baron Antayas. However, Art did not select the best, and all those who were willing to stay were recruited.
And the skinny old man who sang along with Ron will also receive ten pfennigs of "hard work" and twenty pounds of grain from Art after arriving at Castle Andermatt...
That night, the refugees who were unwilling to be recruited reluctantly left after dinner.