After arriving at Black River Castle, Richard quickly met his old acquaintance Baron Rice.
Barony Les is closer to Black River Castle and has been to Black River Castle for two days.
After meeting Richard, Baron Rice took the initiative to invite Richard to a tavern.
This tavern is owned by Baron Rice, and its decoration is very high-end, with rosewood from the southern part of the Grant Kingdom used inside.
Most of the wines sold there are expensive wines.
Now in the liquor market of Black River Fort, the people at the top are still accustomed to drinking red wine, while the middle and lower classes are accustomed to drinking white wine from the Harland territory.
With the popularity of white wine, sales of red wine have dropped by more than half.
A large number of soldiers, mercenaries, and hunters who have drinking habits used to only drink red wine occasionally, but now they have basically become loyal customers of white wine.
Red wine increasingly feels like a luxury product that can only serve a small number of people.
The temperature in the northern Xinjiang region is lower and the grape production is less. Only the Duke of Jonathan produces a small amount of red wine. The red wine sold mainly comes from the three counts of Paulus, Charlotte and Marcel.
Although Southern Earl is very powerful, it can be called a dragon in the wine market.
But in the northern Xinjiang region, there is nothing that can be done against the Haaland family, which is a weakling.
After all, red wine is transported from more than a thousand kilometers away, and each bottle needs to be in a relatively expensive glass bottle, so it cannot compete with locally produced white wine.
Unless dirty means are used to assassinate liquor sellers and violently attack competitors.
But in this case, the Harland family will not sit still and wait for death. They will also use violent methods. It may not be the third Earl of the South who benefits from killing.
Unless Richard wants to sell liquor nationwide and seize the remaining market, the three earls may be tempted to start a commercial war.
Baron Rice's tavern is basically not open to the public. It is like a private club in the previous life. It only deals with noble business. In addition to acquaintances of the Rice family, it receives high-ranking bureaucrats from Heihe County.
There was a stage in the middle of the tavern, with several scantily clad dancers standing there.
These dancers dance sexy dances and look beautiful and young.
Richard knew that these dancers were the prostitutes of Baron Rice, used to entertain distinguished guests of the Rice family.
In addition to Baron Rice, there were also several acquaintances of Richard in the tavern, namely Baron Duck, Baron Barton, Baron Barzel, and Baron Dirham.
Because Richard purchased salt from the Duke of Jonathan, Baron Rice and others knew that there was already a commercial conflict between the Harland family and Archon Jerram.
Although they didn't know anything about Jerram hiring mercenaries to attack Richard, the two families almost fell out directly.
However, the instinct of the nobles is to avoid trouble. During this period of time, they are still unwilling to get too close to Richard to avoid being implicated by the Harland family.
After all, during this battle, Archon Jerram was responsible for managing the logistics of the entire army.
Jerram's casual operations can make the army in Harland's territory very uncomfortable. If he is in the same army as Richard, he may suffer unreasonable disasters.
In a war, food supplies arrive one day early or one day late, and whether the logistical supplies are sufficient or not is a very big deal.
There is no reason for them to be careless, as there are many things to consider ahead of time.
But after Richard brought his army to Black River Fort, he met the soldiers from Harland Territory. After discussion, Baron Rice and others immediately changed their views and decided to follow Richard and gain military glory.
The soldiers in Harland's territory are well-equipped and march in neat steps. You can tell at a glance that they are elite soldiers who are not weaker than the main army.
In addition, Richard also has Warcraft Cavalry under his command.
In this counter-insurgency war, the main army only dispatched two brigades to go south, and did not send Warcraft cavalry.
The soldiers led by Richard may be the main force in the counter-rebellion army, second only to the main army.
Depending on the income of the territory, a barony can basically support one or two squadrons of soldiers.
For example, the Barony of Rice only has two squadrons of regular troops.
Because the Baron of Dirham was completely eaten by Richard and others, there are now less than 2,000 people in the territory, and a squadron of serf soldiers with extremely weak combat effectiveness has been organized and trained.
With this kind of army that is not even equipped with spears, Richard can easily defeat the Dirham Squadron as long as he sends out a small group of soldiers.
Even tens of thousands of rubbish serf soldiers will be easily defeated by Richard's thousand elite soldiers.
Because the situation was unclear, Baron Rice and others did not invest in the main force of the territory. Instead, they organized and trained a squadron of serf soldiers to fool the province into completing the recruitment order.
Baron Rice and others also know the quality of the soldiers they lead. They also know what responsibilities such soldiers can bear.
This time when we went to counter the rebellion, these serf soldiers were either used as cannon fodder to fill the trenches, or they were escorting grain from the rear.
Baron Rice and others knew that their relationship with Archon Jerram was only average, and they would not be able to get the good job of transporting grain to the rear, so they would most likely be destined to be cannon fodder.
If they were asked to draw out the main force in the territory, they would not be able to agree.
If the main force is lost in the counter-insurgency war, how can we resist the orc invasion?
Maybe Stowe is afraid of the fate of the two baronies of Dirham.
Stowe was afraid that the Baron also had a genius daughter, Sophia, who had the discerning eye to find a good husband who was capable, powerful and able to make money, so that he could turn the territory around.
Look at how miserable the Dirham Territory is now. Years of accumulation have been ruined, and we don’t know when we will be able to turn around.
Even if he died in the counter-rebellion war, his son would still inherit the territory, and everyone would still be a hereditary noble, and their strength would not be lost.
Therefore, even if they die in the counter-insurgency battle, they are not willing to use their elite soldiers to counter-insurgency.
Seeing Richard leading three main squadrons, one Warcraft Cavalry squadron, and two hundred auxiliary soldiers, Baron Rice and others immediately decided to go for it.
As for whether Consul Jerram might be up to something, it was not something Baron Rice considered.
If Jerram ignores the overall situation and deducts military rations if it is too obvious, everyone can take the evidence and file a joint complaint at the meeting of nobles.
A group of nobles objected, and the position of consul of the province of Jerram may not be saved.
Many people on Nolan's side are vying for this lucrative job.
King Charles does not have only Felix as a prince, and Jerram's position is not as stable as Mount Tai and cannot be shaken.
Counting the Union of Sharpfields, there are a total of twelve baronies in Heihe County.
The only territory directly under the royal family is around Heihe Castle.
The Harland family has three baronies, plus the five barons of Rice, Duck, Barton, Barzel, and Dirham. The command of the private army of the Black River County nobles has fallen into the hands of Richard.
Besides, Baron Sharp has a good relationship with Richard and will definitely support Richard.
The remaining Baron Green, Baron Sauron, and Baron Wilden have close relations with Viscount Romond, and are expected to join the Romond County Noble Alliance and fight with Viscount Romond.