Chapter 383

"I understand." The subordinate nodded.

"In addition, impose a large amount of import tariffs on all the clothing and textiles shipped from the Duke of Aragon, and give tax incentives to the family textile workshops in the territory to stimulate the economy in the territory."

"Okay." The subordinate heard this and wrote it down.

"Okay, go down and do the things I told you to do. As long as you do it well, you will be promoted and get a raise."

"Yes!" The subordinate stood up, bowed respectfully to Giovanni, and then left the Duke's mansion.

"Duke, your guests are here." At this time, a young maid came to Giovanni and bowed to him.

"Okay, I'll go now." Giovanni said this, stood up, and walked to his study.

Then, standing at the door of the study, Giovanni quickly adjusted his expression. Giovanni, who was full of majesty in front of his subordinates just now, instantly became an amiable neighbor elder.

Then he pushed the door open and walked into the room.

In the room, a handsome young man with short red hair has already sat in the guest seat. He is the second brother of Chelinina, the second son of the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce, and Lawrence Bonaventura, who is in charge of the affairs of the Aragon branch.

"Nephew Lawrence, long time no see." Giovanni said this, hugged Lawrence gently, and then separated.

"It's been a long time since we last met, and you have become a lot more handsome." He smiled and praised.

"It's a pity that I only have one son, Donnie. If I had a daughter, I would definitely let you be my son-in-law."

"Haha, Uncle Giovanni is joking." Lawrence said this and smiled back.

Then, Giovanni sat on the chair and stared at Lawrence for a long time.

"Giovanni, uncle, what are you looking at? Is there something wrong with my dress today..."

"No." Giovanni shook his head. "I just think that compared with Mark, you are more like your grandfather."

As Giovanni said this, Lawrence felt his heart suddenly stop beating.

"Uncle Giovanni, what do you mean?"

"Ah, I don't mean anything else, just treat what I just said as a joke." Giovanni said this and waved his hand. "But I really think that sometimes, a person's origin is very important."

"Just like you are the son of President Louis, your life is destined to be better than most civilians, you don't have to worry about food and clothing, and you don't have to worry about food, clothing and daily expenses."

"But at the same time, because you are the second son of President Louis, compared with your brother Mark, you need to work harder to get into the eyes of President Louis."

"But if you want to say who I like more, then I definitely like you more, Lawrence. After all, your origin means that you will work harder than Mark, and it also means that you will be more powerful than him."

Giovanni said, and came to Lawrence, put his hands on Lawrence's shoulders, his eyes full of expectations for Lawrence.

How could the young man Lawrence withstand Giovanni's set of words, and the whole person was a little flattered at the moment.

"Uncle Giovanni, please don't say that. Inheritance is something that should be handled according to the family rules. Besides, even if others know that I am better than my brother, they can't just say it. We have to give him some face, right?"

"..." Giovanni's smile faded when he heard Lawrence's words. He stared at Lawrence for a long time before he laughed again.

He sat back in his seat.

"Hahaha, nephew Lawrence, you are right, you are right. This is the so-called keeping a low profile."

Lawrence smiled when he saw this.

"But, there is something that has been bothering me recently. I don't know if I should tell you..." At this time, Giovanni suddenly stared at the ground, with one hand on his knees covering his mouth, looking very embarrassed.

"Alas, it's a pity that my son Donnie is a loser. I hired such a good tutor for him, and I taught him a lot of things myself, but he still caused me such trouble in school. He is a hopeless case. If it weren't for Donnie, I wouldn't be like this now. Alas." Giovanni said this and shook his head.

"Uncle Giovanni, please tell me. As long as I can help you, I will do my best." Seeing Giovanni blaming Donnie, Lawrence's eyes lit up and he spoke quickly.

"But, as an elder, I ask for help from a younger generation. As an uncle, I really lose face..."

"Uncle Giovanni, don't be so polite. You see, I call you uncle. Let me, as your nephew, help you solve your problems."

In Lawrence's opinion, Giovanni had shown enough sincerity to him just now. He definitely wanted to help him become the president of the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce.

After all, his words were almost explicit.

Moreover, from Giovanni's blame on Donnie, it seems that if Lawrence can do something that satisfies Giovanni, it is not impossible for him to participate in the decision-making of the Duke's family.

"Then... I really said it?" Giovanni said hesitantly.

"Yeah!" Lawrence nodded.

"Actually, it's not a big deal..." Giovanni said this and told Lawrence about the recent economic problems of the Duke's territory.

"It seems that even your father can't handle this matter. It just so happens that I recently found out that the source of the batch of textiles imported into the Dukedom is the Dukedom of Aragon."

"And Lawrence, you are also the head of the Aragon branch, so I would like to ask you to help me operate it and cut off the financial resources of the Lison Chamber of Commerce. This will not only benefit the healthy development of the economy of my territory, but also enhance your status in your father's heart."

"After all, destroying the Lison Chamber of Commerce is a great achievement."

"..." Lawrence heard this, touched his chin and thought for a long time, and then nodded. "I know, Uncle Giovanni, I will try my best to do what you said."

"Okay, okay, I didn't make a mistake." Giovanni said this, showing a relieved look, then he stood up and patted Lawrence on the shoulder.

"I will reward you after this matter is done."

"I don't ask for Uncle Giovanni's reward. After all, we are a family. After this matter is over, my sister should have nothing to say. At that time, we will truly become relatives."

"Yeah!" Giovanni nodded. "Then it's a deal!"

"It's a deal!"

...

After watching Lawrence leave, the smile on Giovanni's face gradually disappeared.

"Bah, what family." He said this and spat.

"He is just a slightly smarter pariah who knows how to speculate and make a fortune. Do you really want to be on par with the noble nobles?"

After learning that the root cause of the economic downturn and tax reduction in his territory was Celinena, Giovanni had already given up the idea of ​​marrying the Bonaventura family.

When Chelinina was forced to marry Donnie because she couldn't run the business, he swore that he would give Chelinina a painful second half of her life, torture her severely, and let her know the consequences of betraying him.

Anyway, he didn't care whether Donnie really liked Chelinina or not. In Giovanni's view, everyone was just his pawn.

As for Lawrence?

This time, Giovanni pretended to be like this in front of Lawrence because he needed him. When Lawrence got things done, he might choose to support Lawrence, but this was not because Lawrence helped him today, but it all depended on who would be most beneficial to him at that time.

If Mark could help Giovanni more at that time, Giovanni would turn around and support Mark without hesitation.

Poor Lawrence, he was used as a gun without knowing it. At this moment, he was sitting in the carriage on the way back, thinking about his happy life after defeating his sister, getting Giovanni's help, and becoming the president of the Silver Moon Chamber of Commerce.

Chapter 7: Planning (3.1K)

"Chief, we can't leave in this situation..." An orc military officer in the orc army was complaining to Baru.

The fire had been burning for three days before, and the orc army followed the fire and marched slowly in the mountains for three days.

Then, with the heavy rain, the orcs encountered a historic problem.

First of all, their food and grass, because they did not take good moisture-proof measures, they were simply piled together and covered, and could not withstand the wind and rain. Many grains had deteriorated due to moisture and could not be eaten normally. The remaining grain was only enough for the current orc army to eat for ten days, and the orc army had to retreat and look for supplies again.

And this is not the most important thing.

The soil here is very strange. After the orcs rescued the remaining food, the land behind them had become muddy. In addition, the orcs were big and strong, so the road on the way back was much more difficult for the orcs than when they marched before. The valley that could have been walked out of in one day, the orc army walked slowly for two days and still couldn't walk out.

The most important point is here.

The heavy rain has been falling for two days in a row. During this period, the trees that could have played a role in consolidating the soil have disappeared because the forests in the valley behind have been burned. Under the scouring of rain, mudslides and landslides have occurred.

The huge mudslide blocked the road for the orc army to return to the north. It has basically become a luxury for the orcs to evacuate quickly from here.

Baru watched the orcs in the distance constantly moving the boulders from the blockage formed by the landslide accumulation, trying to move a road that can allow the baggage troops to pass.

There are more than 50,000 troops in his army. This valley is the largest and easiest road. In addition, Baru also asked other commanders to march from other valleys. Each of the divided legions has about 10,000 to 20,000. Now because of the mudslide and heavy rain, the orcs separated by the valley can only communicate through the raised eagles.

However, because of the heavy rain, the eagles are very easy to get lost in the rain, and even many eagles are unwilling to take the risk of taking off in the heavy rain.

Until today, when the rain was a little lighter, the communication between the orc armies was restored.

Baru's orcs were responsible for the main attack. There were about 100,000 orcs outside the battlefield, responsible for containing the enemy. The communication between this group of orcs and the central army was cut off for two days, and the army was in panic.

Unfortunately, the human army responsible for defending this group of orcs did not find anything unusual. They thought it was a trick of the orcs, so they remained inactive.

"How long do we expect it will take to clear the blocked road ahead?" Baru asked his adjutant.

"It will probably take three or four days..." The orc officer beside him replied.

"..." Baru's frown relaxed a little, and then he continued to ask: "Do you think it is possible for humans to attack us through this heavy rain?"

"It should be impossible. We feel muddy, and those human soldiers wearing heavy armor must feel more muddy. They are not as hardworking as our warriors, so they will definitely not come."

"Well, I hope so." Baru nodded after hearing this.

At this time, a black shadow appeared in the distance of the sky, and a eagle flew over. After circling overhead for a while, it slowly fell down.

There was a bundle of parchment tied to its feet. Baru opened the parchment and then showed a surprised look.

"How is it possible!"

"Chief, what happened?"

"Something happened to the Bloodfire Clan Legion. They were attacked by humans and need our support..."

"Ah?!" The adjutant also showed a surprised look after hearing this.

According to the information given by the parchment, about 30,000 human soldiers launched an attack on the Bloodfire Clan Legion. The Bloodfire Clan Legion only had a little over 10,000 people in total. In addition to the heavy rain and mud, it was difficult for the orcs to exert their combat effectiveness in the muddy terrain.

Now the sky is gray and it is impossible to tell the time.

When the letter was written, the Bloodfire Clan Legion had lost more than a thousand well-trained warriors. Although they also hit the humans hard, the humans had several times more long-range firepower than the orcs, and they continued to consume the orcs from a distance. If the orcs wanted to fight back, they could not catch up with the humans and were easily stuck in the mud.

Baru looked at the parchment in his hand and threw it on the ground angrily.

"Chief, what should we do now? If the Bloodfire Clan doesn't get support, it is very likely to be wiped out..."

"..." Baru thought for a moment, and then said: "Let the Bloodfire Clan evacuate, retreat to the rear, don't bring food and supplies, and cross the mountains and forests with light equipment."

"Okay." The adjutant nodded after hearing this, then turned and walked into the military tent, and began to draft a letter to the Bloodfire Clan.

There is no other way. In this situation, the orcs are in a similar situation to being blocked in the mountains and forests by humans.

They can't rush out, and they can't take food and supplies with them when they retreat.

In order to preserve the living force, the orcs can only retreat lightly.

But to say it is a retreat, with the discipline of the orcs, this order can basically be said to let the troops flee on their own.

As the order was issued, Baru's inner uneasiness was also increasing.

There are still four or five days before the valley behind can clear a road enough for the baggage troops to retreat. Can humans just let their troops run away?

This should be impossible, right?

Thinking of this, Baru looked at the forest behind him and shook his head.

The army here is large enough, and the valley is narrow. Even if the enemy chooses to attack, he can still fight with one army and clear the way with another army.

...

On the other side, the Bloodfire Clan Legion.

This legion is composed of many orc tribes, but because the Bloodfire Clan occupies the largest scale among them, with a total of 2,000 warriors, the Bloodfire Clan became the leader of this legion, and the name of the legion was also named after the Bloodfire Clan.

At this moment, the battle has lasted for half a day.

During this half day, the human army has been keeping a safe distance from the orcs, and the humans can attack the orcs, but the orcs can't fight back.

It's not that the orcs don't have long-range weapons, but the orcs' long-range weapons, such as spears and bows, can't be thrown too far because of their own weight, and the latter can't be shot too far because of the orcs' workmanship.

The long-range weapons of the human side, compound bows, and crossbows, are much better than the weapons of the orcs in terms of range and lethality, and there is also long-range support and enhancement from the mage.

Therefore, relying solely on long-range consumption, humans can be described as a dimensionality reduction attack on orcs.

On the battlefield, facing the charge of orcs, humans may not be able to escape, but now in the swampy terrain, the strong orcs are slower.

They can't shoot, and they can't catch up, and the orcs are full of anger and have nowhere to vent.

Some orcs did try to run out and chase, but they fell faster when they left the defensive formation.

Over time, the orcs who recognized the current situation could only shrink behind the bunker and passively take the beating.

Sven, the chieftain of the Bloodfire Clan, received Baru