Kapitel 60: All come join the army!
The mayor of Willowbrook Town, Dick Long, was a middle-aged man in his forties. When he first met Magnus Valorion, he was dressed in a long robe that had been washed and faded.
This man had a dark complexion, white hair, and wrinkles on his face that made him look like a sixty-year-old farmer.
When handing over the work of Willowbrook Town to Magnus Valorion, Dick Long was very patient and meticulous, explaining everything he could think of.
Magnus Valorion could tell that this mayor of Willowbrook Town was a man who got things done.
However, Dick Long, in a town like Willowbrook, as a small-time mayor, couldn't stir up much in front of those entrenched powerful families.
Short of food, money, and manpower, Dick Long had no choice but to rely on the whims of others and act according to the whims of those families.
"Magnus, let me give you a piece of advice. Since you're new to Willowbrook Town, you should visit the leaders of the major families and get to know them."
"I ended up being so unsuccessful because I didn't connect with these families at the beginning. Now, I can't even control the grain prices in the town!" Dick Long advised kindly.
Unlike Dick Long, Magnus Valorion had money, grain, and troops. He didn't need to rely on others.
Moreover, if Magnus were to visit those families personally, those who had been robbed by him would be scared out of their wits.
Although he had no such intention in his heart, Magnus still accepted Dick Long's good intentions verbally.
"Thank you for the reminder. I will certainly keep it in mind!"
"I haven't asked, where are you from, and where will you go after resigning from your post?"
Dick Long looked into the direction of Green River Town, his face gloomy, and said, "To be honest, I am from Green River Town. Last time the Altai Tribe broke through the town, my parents and brothers were either killed or taken as slaves to the prairie."
"I originally wanted to gather food from Willowbrook Town to help the people of Green River Town, but unfortunately…"
Dick Long did not continue, but Magnus Valorion already understood the situation.
"I've heard that under your management, Green River Town is gradually recovering. On behalf of the people of Green River Town, I thank you!"
With that, Dick Long bowed deeply to Magnus Valorion.
"Please, get up, please get up," Magnus quickly helped Dick Long up.
"Dick Long, now that you've lost your post and are returning to Green River Town, it's like a fish returning to the sea, a bird to the sky. You will certainly have great achievements and ambitions to fulfill."
Dick Long had heard that Green River Town was now under the control of a bandit leader named Sinbad.
To Dick Long, having a bandit manage the town was like throwing a rat into a granary. Magnus's so-called great achievements and ambitions might mean advising Sinbad to treat the people well.
Thinking about this, Dick Long felt there was some hope.
In the worst case, he could end up sacrificing himself for a noble cause, becoming a hero remembered through the ages.
After sending Dick Long off, Magnus did not follow his advice to visit the major families of Willowbrook Town. Instead, he had a sign put up to recruit soldiers.
Since his promotion, Magnus had taken on the role of Magister Custodiae. Now he was not only the mayor of Green River Town but also the Magister Custodiae, managing the town's military affairs with the legal authority to recruit soldiers.
Conflicts in different regions require different approaches.
When Magnus was in Green River Town, there were less than two thousand people in the town, mostly the wounded, disabled, elderly, or young. The town had no wealthy families, as the original wealthy families had been slaughtered by the invading Altai Tribe.
Green River Town was on the brink of collapse. If Magnus hadn't arrived, the town would have become a ghost town in a few days.
But Willowbrook Town was different. Although the people there were poor and life was hard, they hadn't reached a state of despair.
If Magnus were to distribute grain now, it might have some effect, but it wouldn't be significant.
Moreover, the wealthy families might pretend to be commoners to take advantage of the situation.
Magnus didn't want his generosity to be exploited, so he decided to change tactics and issued a recruitment notice.
The recruitment notice in Willowbrook Town didn't mention the monthly 100 pounds of rice and 30 packets of pickles like in Green River Town.
It simply said: Join the army, no gender restrictions, three meals a day, and all meals provided.
In Green River Town, Magnus only recruited male soldiers.
But it was different in Willowbrook Town, where most of the land was controlled by the major families.
The remaining ten thousand people in the town, whether male or female, were laborers. Magnus couldn't let these laborers work for those damned families.
This was why Magnus decided to recruit female soldiers as well. He didn't want to let any laborer slip away.
At this time, the major families of Willowbrook Town, led by the Blackthorn family, began to discuss countermeasures.
Victor Blackthorn, the head manager of the Blackthorn family's grain store, said, "Isn't he recruiting soldiers with the promise of three meals a day? From what I know, the government's granary was almost empty before Dick Long left! We just need to raise the grain prices a bit more, and Magnus will have to come begging us when he runs out of food!"
A manager from the Hawthorne family's grain store said, "The grain prices in Willowbrook Town are already at 60 silver taels per kilogram. We've already acquired the land and houses of the townspeople. If we raise the prices further, what else can we take from those wretches?"
Victor Blackthorn smiled slyly and said, "No money, no houses, no land, but they still have wives and children, don't they? They can pawn those!"
Victor Blackthorn's familiarity with such tactics showed it wasn't his first time.
"Our target is the new mayor. Once we raise the prices, we can squeeze a lot out of him."
The other family heads and managers agreed with Victor Blackthorn's proposal.
But they didn't know that this was exactly what Magnus wanted.
By doing so, Magnus's recruitment of soldiers would speed up significantly.
Once Magnus recruited the soldiers and completed the initial training, it would be time to deal with the major families.
For now, Magnus decided to engage them in an economic war to accelerate their downfall.
That day, a new grain store opened on the busiest street in Willowbrook Town.
While other stores sold coarse grain at 8 silver taels per kilogram, this new store sold high-quality grain for only 10 copper coins per kilogram.
Of course, this price was only for families with members registered to join the army under Magnus.
For those without family members in the army, the price was 2 silver taels per kilogram, still far below the prices set by the major families like the Blackthorns.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein