The majestic Piaoxue City still shines under the sunlight,
But from the street, Piaoxue City, which was supposed to be bustling and lively, actually looked a bit desolate.
It was a beautiful time in spring, but not many pedestrians were seen on the street. Occasionally, there were a few pedestrians who were walking in a hurry, with uneasy faces and less confidence than before.
The number of caravans traveling on the originally bustling main street was less than one-third of the original number, and there were only a few sparsely opened stores on both sides of the street that were barely operating.
It has been more than a week since the news came that the Jingbei Army suffered a disastrous defeat in the wilderness and Marquis Wade retreated to Fort Hull.
The news of this defeat was too big, and the defeated troops who failed to return smoothly were scattered everywhere. It was impossible to suppress the news. Within a few days of the top management of Piaoxue City receiving the information, the matter had already spread.
The tavern in an alley is still somewhat popular at this time.
After the number of caravans dropped sharply, many men working in the city temporarily lost their jobs and could only gather in this remote tavern to drink some low-quality rye wine, talk loudly, and pass the time.
"I said, this Jingbei Army seems to be quite capable of fighting. Why did they let those group of ogres in the wilderness be beaten like this?"
"Who knows, the Jingbei Army has not suffered such a defeat in many years, and now it is causing panic."
"I heard that the ogres in the west have captured the castles of several small nobles, and they have killed them all."
"Hmph, I can't control other places. If the ogres really attack this Piaoxue City, we men in Piaoxue City are not weaklings."
"Yes! There is still a family living in Piaoxue City. If the ogres dare to come, we will fight with them!"
"I don't believe that this ogre can break this snowy city!"
"Come on, drink!"
The atmosphere in the tavern suddenly became lively.
Although the ogres are scary, they are still too far away from the people who live near Piaoxue City all year round.
They couldn't understand how the mighty and armored Jingbei Army could not defeat a group of barbaric races that drank raw hair and drank blood.
Of course I don’t understand, but I still don’t understand. After all, the folk customs in the North are fierce, and there are many men who dare to fight to the death. Especially the residents of Piaoxue City, everyone has one or two weapons.
If the Lanster family wanted to recruit young men to defend the city, they could easily recruit 100,000 young men of good quality.
…
There is definitely no shortage of troops in the North, but those in charge must consider more than just these.
Lin Te was sitting in his room at this time. The light in the room was very good, and the light shone through.
But obviously Lin Te's mood was not as bright as in this room. In other words, Lin Te's mood had not been good since the defeat of the Jingbei Army.
The tea on the table had already cooled down for a long time. Lin Te picked up the tea and took a sip again as if he didn't know it.
"Master, the tea has gone cold."
Xander still stood aside and warned carefully.
"Well, has the food purchased from the river valley been shipped back last time?"
Lint put down the cup and did not add any more hot water. He just turned to ask Sander.
"The first batch of food has arrived, and the second batch has just left the river valley. The dark cavalry group has been arranged to escort it. It should be foolproof."
"What about the third batch of grain?"
"The merchants in the river valley said that the supply of goods is a bit tight, and they would rather pay our liquidated damages than give us food at the previous price."
"These profiteers."
"Then increase the price and ship this batch of grain back first at the price they give."
Lin Te's tone was very calm, as if he had already expected this situation, and he was not angry even if the other party breached the contract.
Before the Jingbei Army was dispatched, Lin Te allocated a large amount of funds and arranged for his men to purchase large amounts of grain in the valleys with rich grain reserves.
Although the valley area is not large, the land is very fertile, the supply of food has always exceeded demand, and the price of food has always been very cheap.
Lin Te ordered millions of stones of grain at one time to prevent unexpected events. Naturally, it was impossible to complete the transaction with such a huge purchase amount at one time.
The entire transaction was divided into three times. After Lint paid the deposit, the grain merchants in the river valley began to raise grain.
In other words, there is a surplus of food in the river valley, and the warehouses everywhere are basically full. The first batch of food was raised in just a few days, and has now been transported to Piaoxue City.
But not long after the second batch of grain was loaded, the Jingbei Army was defeated, and the news that the ogres in the wilderness were invading eastwards had already reached the river valley.
The second batch of grain has been delivered to Lin Te, so it will naturally not be affected, but the third batch of grain is still in the hands of the merchants in the river valley.
The Northland has suffered from the ogre disaster. No matter how the situation develops, the food production will be greatly reduced in the coming year, and food shortage is almost a foregone conclusion.
Under this circumstance, grain merchants began to hesitate to sell, and grain prices naturally rose in response. The grain price has doubled compared to the price when Linte made the reservation.
Naturally, the grain that has not been shipped out of the warehouse now can no longer be sold for one Lint at the previous price.
As for how many people in the North will starve to death due to this kind of food storage?
Sorry, this is not within the scope of consideration of grain merchants in the river valley. They have lost their conscience since they started doing business.
"Is there any news from the royal capital?"
"not yet."
"Hey, let me know as soon as there is any news from the royal capital."
"yes"
Even though Lin Te had made so many preparations at the beginning, once something like this happened, no amount of preparation would be enough.
More than one million stones of food may seem like a lot, but if it is spread into this huge Piaoxue City, it will only be able to sustain it for another month or two.
If the ogres continue to wreak havoc eastward, half of the people in the entire Northland may go hungry next year.
All we can hope for now is that the Royal Capital can send dragon knights to help. There is no need for more dragon knights. As long as one or two dragon knights come, the passive situation in the north can be greatly improved.
"Report!"
While Lint was still worrying about the lack of supplies, a guard hurriedly came to the door.
"speak"
There was only Sander in the room, so Lint directly asked the guard to tell him the information.
"The elders are going to hold a meeting of elders in the council hall soon, saying they want to discuss the next city management matters."
"boom!"
Lin Te clenched his fist and slammed it on the table.
"hiss!"
Unfortunately, this angry state did not last for a second, Lin Te hissed in pain, and Sander's mouth twitched as he looked at it, looking like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare to.
"Let's go, I want to see how the elders plan to manage Piaoxue City."
No longer fighting against the table, Lin Te took Sander and walked towards the meeting hall unhurriedly...