Chapter 443 Persuading surrender
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"My uncle is like this. He went to England and France, and earned a hundred livres. It's really enviable!"
The guard glanced at the endless stream of pedestrians and vendors, then at himself and his companions, and said enviously.
Ralph led two servants behind him, and a groom pulled the carriage. The four of them lined up silently, just like ordinary traders, inconspicuous.
"Three Soviets!" The guard glanced at the three of them, then at the goods on the carriage, and said directly.
The basic unit of French currency is the livre and the franc in parallel. Each livre is equivalent to one pound, and the sou is equivalent to the shilling, and the conversion units are similar.
"Why, why did the price suddenly increase?" Three silver coins, at that time, was the annual income of ordinary farmers excluding taxes. Such a huge number made Ralph stick out his neck and argue.
"Yeah! Isn't this killing people?" "I'm going to sue the city hall!" "Too high!"…
When the other people heard the number, they also became indignant and shouted in unison.
"What's the noise!" The guard picked up his spear and waved it towards the sky, "The kingdom is not at peace recently, and the increased money is all to suppress robbers and bandits!"
"Besides, for you businessmen, charging you three sous is already considered cheap! Not satisfied!"
There was a ruthless look on the guard's face, and he shouted loudly. When the merchants saw the spear in the soldier's hand and the other guards behind him who were about to move, they quickly suppressed their voices. For a while, the air immediately froze.
After speaking, the guard looked at Ralph playfully, and stretched out his hand.
Seeing this, Ralph reluctantly took out three silver coins from his pocket, handed them to the guards, and walked into the city of Brest sullenly.
The guard gave him a sneering glance and went on with his business of collecting taxes.
As the gateway and largest port of Brittany, the prosperity of Brest is also counted in the whole of France, but for Ralph, who has already seen the prosperity of London, it is no longer worth his fuss.
According to the usual pace, Ralph took the carload of white paper he brought to a familiar warehouse to negotiate a good price, and then sold it.
In this way, although a lot of profits are given up, the profits are still considerable, and it also saves time. The time to go to France is enough for him to go to England again.
The two guys rolled their eyes, followed Ralph's pace, looked at the environment and crowds on the street curiously, and then watched the process of Ralph negotiating prices with the merchants.
Afterwards, the two were brought home by Ralph, put on a high-end sackcloth, put on makeup, and transformed themselves from fellows into two nobles.
"Really, that sackcloth is so uncomfortable to wear, my skin is getting red!"
One of the nobles with fair skin and delicate facial features, opened his sleeves and complained as he watched his arms covered with red bumps from the sackcloth.
The other nobleman on the side is tall, with good facial features, giving people the feeling of a military general.
"These are trivial things, don't worry about them!" The burly nobleman glanced at his reddened arm and said angrily.
"Mr. Ralph, when can we go see the mayor!"
He raised his head and asked Ralph, who was slightly bent and respectful.
"Dear Baron Gavin, if nothing unexpected happens, you can see Mr. Mayor this afternoon, please wait a moment!"
Ralph quickly reacted and replied softly.
"That's good, now please, prepare some food for us!"
Ralph repeatedly agreed, and then consciously exited the room, leaving it to the two barons.
"I don't know if this Mr. Ralph is reliable, can he take us to meet the mayor of Brest!"
Baron Jean rubbed his delicate arm distressedly, looked at Ralph's leaving figure, and said softly.
"It should be possible!" Baron Gavin squinted his eyes, looked at the closed door, and said with the corners of his mouth curled up:
"After all, this Mr. Ralph was recommended by His Majesty's famous Dark Blade. If something happens, His Majesty will not spare them!"
"Well—" Baron Guise thought for a while and laughed out loud, "You are right, His Majesty the King will definitely not spare them!"
"Speaking of which, tell me, this time the two of us took the initiative to come to negotiate with the mayor. Is there a high chance of success?"
Looking at Baron Gavin who was full of confidence and held his head high, Baron Jean was still a little unconfident and said in doubt.
Baron Gavin turned his eyes around, seeing that the various sculptures, ornaments, and architectural styles in the room in front of him were similar to his hometown in Scotland, he couldn't help but click his lips, feeling very emotional.
"Sure enough, the Bretons are also of the same family as us!"
Baron Jean’s question came to his ears, but he didn’t answer, but said:
"This is a rare and good opportunity for us. As long as you convince the mayor, the army can take Brest and reach Rennes without hindrance. Half of Brittany is in your hands.
At that time, the two of us will have a great contribution. Although it is impossible to be promoted to Viscount, it is certain to enter the eyes of His Majesty the King! "
Speaking of this, Baron Gavin's eyes showed expectations, as did Baron Jean on the side.
Sure enough, this Mr. Ralph was very well connected. In the afternoon, the two of them rode in a carriage to the mayor's mansion and were received.
"The two barons have come to Brest, what can I do?"
The mayor is an unsmiling person, with a square face and a short curly beard on his chin, he looks very upright.
Baron Gavin didn't care about this tough question, smiled, and explained lightly:
"Mr. Mayor, we are here to make you and your family prosperous!"
"What do you mean?" the mayor moved his eyes slightly, and then asked abruptly.
"The co-lord of England and Scotland, the monarch of Wales and Ireland, the great His Majesty Edward asked me to come and bring you a hereditary title and territory of a baron. I don't know if Mr. Mayor is satisfied!"
Looking at the pretentious mayor, Baron Gavin was a little disgusted. He knew this kind of people very well. As long as their interests were large enough, they could break through their masks, especially for a businessman like him who was extremely eager for aristocratic status.
"This..." the mayor bowed his head in silence for a moment, so that people could not see his eyes clearly, and asked calmly:
"I can serve His Majesty the King!"
Hearing this gentle and gentle question, Baron Gavin straightened his face and said directly:
"Your Excellency the Mayor, what His Majesty the King exchanged with you is only this city!"
"Brest? What does His Majesty the King want it for?" The mayor suddenly turned pale with fright, and asked hastily.
"Not only Brest, but the whole of Brittany will be the territory of His Majesty the King!"
As he spoke, Baron Gavin raised his chin and said with a proud look on his face.
"I'm not telling lies. In another day, tens of thousands of troops from London will go straight to Brest and take this port city!"
"Then directly approach Rennes and capture it in one fell swoop, thus occupying the entire Brittany!"
"The reason why you persuaded the mayor to surrender is just to save time! Does the mayor think that Brest, which is defended by more than a thousand people, will be able to withstand an army of tens of thousands?"
Hearing this, the mayor was confused, and after a while, he said decisively:
"I am willing to serve His Majesty Edward!"
Baron Gavin and Baron Jean looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.
(end of this chapter)
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