parentshiftbook Chapter 315 Forging the Red Sand
Chapter 315 Forging the Red Sand
Chapter 319 Forging the Red Sand
Anthony was the first to come out, and before he could even get his footing, a wave of heat hit his face.
Besides him, many other people came up from the mine entrance one after another.
There were a total of fifty city defense soldiers, three hundred servants, and two hundred chiffon citizens who were a mix of the gathering department and the craftsmen department.
The citizens of Qifeng wore uniform gray short-sleeved uniforms and all carried bulging leather backpacks.
They plunged from the autumn chill of the North into the sweltering heat of the East, as if they had been pulled from cold water and thrown into a steamer.
"It's so hot!"
"What kind of weather is this? It's like a lava field!"
"Is it still summer here?"
Some people squatted against the wall, panting heavily, while others pulled out water bottles from their backpacks and gulped them down.
After counting the number of people, Anthony turned and walked toward Richard, who was standing at the door of the stone house.
"My lord, all 550 men are present."
Richard nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group of slumped-over employees from the heatwave, and said with a smile, "You've all worked hard. Each person will receive a travel allowance and a high-temperature allowance of fifty copper coins per day, plus three bottles of chilled juice and a cup of jam ice cream."
The current inhabitants of Chisha are not yet considered citizens of Chiffon, so for safety and work efficiency, we'll simply bring over the Chiffon citizens to help out for a while.
Upon hearing about the generous subsidy, a burst of excited cheers erupted from the crowd.
Fifty copper coins a day adds up to fifteen silver coins a month, which is equivalent to half a month's extra salary!
Moreover, ice cream is not sold to the public at Chiffon; it is a logistical benefit exclusively for the three legions, and even ordinary citizens cannot get it if they want to.
In this sweltering heat, a bite of ice cream drizzled with all sorts of jams instantly transports you back to your northern homeland!
"Quiet down!" Anthony roared. "If things don't turn out well, nobody gets anything!"
After the crowd quieted down, Richard handed the transaction contract to a foreman in the crafts department, instructing him to pack and box the materials directly in the mine according to the list on the contract.
The road is rough and bumpy; if you don't take proper precautions, the bottles and jars will break halfway there.
Therefore, the boxes must be packed first, and then wheat straw is used to fill the wooden boxes and place them between the bottles and jars, layering straw and goods, packing them tightly to reduce losses.
So the two hundred Chiffon citizens who had just emerged went back into the portal and got busy inside the mine.
The city garrison and the servants began to move into the stone houses inside Chisha Fort, which would become their base on the ground.
The citizens slept in the mines; it was tough, but Richard would gradually improve their living conditions.
Especially in the stone houses on the ground, several ice crystals are placed in the corners to create air-conditioned rooms and control the temperature.
Next, Richard called Anthony and Im into the simple lord's hall.
Im had already prepared a map, and Richard drew a line with his finger at the location of the Scorching Desert.
Now that we have orders and the goods are being packed, we're facing an old problem again.
--transportation.
Although the Scorching Desert is not a desert, the soil is gradually turning into sand and becoming very soft, making it impossible for oxcarts to move; the wheels get stuck and can't get out.
The people here use camels to transport goods because they are drought-resistant, heat-resistant, and can walk on sandy terrain.
But Red Sand Territory only had a dozen or so camels, mostly old, weak, sick, and disabled left behind by previous adventurers. They were the kind that could barely walk and spit out their saliva.
"How are the camels?" Richard asked.
"We only managed to buy six hundred horses," Im sighed.
"Six hundred camels?" Anthony stared intently at Im, roaring, "Hey, hey, tens of millions of kilograms of cargo, and you expect me to transport it with six hundred camels?"
The lord had already explained in advance that he was to temporarily oversee all affairs of the Red Sand Territory and stabilize this trade route.
Hearing Im's words now makes my temples throb!
Im spread his hands helplessly and said, "I've run to all the places I can around here: Red Rock Territory, Yellow Stone Territory, Poplar Territory."
"It's not that they wouldn't sell, it's just that there simply aren't that many. Everyone needs camels in this desert-edge territory. I only managed to get these six hundred after offering double the price!"
Richard tapped the table, signaling the two to stop arguing: "Six hundred it is. We'll ship them in batches. The bottles and jars will go first, and the wheat and flour will be shipped last."
As he spoke, he tapped the map a few times.
"The straight-line distance between Chisha Territory and Hanhai Territory is over 100 kilometers. The terrain is flat with few hills, and a round trip by camel only takes three or four days."
Anthony looked down and did some calculations.
A camel can carry a maximum of 200 kilograms, so 600 camels can carry 120,000 kilograms at a time. For 40 million kilograms of goods, it would take about 300 round trips.
It might not even take a year to ship them all!
After calculating to the very end, he couldn't help but frown and ask, "Sir, if we can't buy more camels, how long will it take to transport them all?"
Richard chuckled.
"Slower shipping is actually just right, since Earl of Hanhai can't process this batch of goods all at once."
"When he resells it to other merchants, he also faces transportation problems, and those merchants also need time to distribute it to various territories."
"If we deliver too fast, even the warehouses in Hanhailing might not be able to hold the inventory. If we deliver slowly, they can sell slowly, so there's no pressure to stockpile."
Anthony thought about it and it seemed to make sense.
"But what if the volume keeps increasing? What if we haven't finished delivering this batch before the next order comes in?" Im interjected.
Richard was amused.
"Do you think the people of the Demon Spirits are all pigs? How could they possibly finish eating so quickly? Even if they had their own food supplies, it would still take over a month to brew ale!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the map again.
"Of course, we will definitely have to optimize this trade route in the future. The first step is to pave the road. It is more than 100 kilometers long and the terrain is flat. It doesn't need to be very wide, just enough for three cars to drive side by side."
Anthony and Im nodded simultaneously.
People in this era don't really value outdoor roads, or rather, the cost is too high, making it impossible to pave them on a large scale.
But they had seen the stone-paved road in the Black Pine Forest and knew how convenient a good road was for transportation, so they all agreed with the lord's decision to pave the road first.
"The second step is to develop Red Sand Territory into a place that adventurers like to stay." Richard pointed to the coordinates of Red Sand Territory.
"Taverns, blacksmith shops, general stores, inns and the like need to be put back into operation. People will only be willing to come if there is food, drink, places to repair equipment, and places to sleep."
Anthony and Im were somewhat confused. After exchanging glances, they asked, "Sir, what does this have to do with transporting goods?"
Richard smiled and said to Im, "I plan to issue bounties, encouraging adventurers to capture suitable monsters, one gold coin per monster."
""
"Have you seen monitor lizards before? Those things are not only strong and have great stamina, but they're also incredibly fast. Once tamed, they're much better suited for a cart than camels, aren't they?"
Anthony's eyes lit up!
"You mean, make monsters pull carts like oxen and horses?"
Richard nodded.
"Yes, we want everything that can be carried and pulled. Once this monster transport fleet is established, and we say that the Vast Ocean Territory is under our control, then our goods can be delivered throughout the entire Western Demon Spirit Realm. At that time, the price of grain can rise even further!"
With the honorary title in hand, there will be plenty of opportunities to gradually pry open up the entire food market of the Demon Spirit Empire and grow stronger!
Moreover, while others can't afford to maintain a large monster transport fleet, Chiffon has no problem.
I received over 15,000 gold coins. After upgrading 2,000 acres of system fields, I still have over 1,800 left!