Chương 20: 20" Fox borrows the tiger's might

"I understand." Tagg knew he wasn't cut out for business dealings, so he felt that in this situation, it was more reliable to listen to Tang Mo.

After all, he had witnessed Tang Mo negotiate with the Lord Earl, and it was truly the epitome of a merchant's demeanor. Penny-pinching, unbudging...

"Mr. Tang Mo..." The guards at the door wanted to scold Tang Mo as usual, but when they saw Tagg, dressed in an officer's uniform, standing by Tang Mo's side with a respectful demeanor, they immediately swallowed what they were about to say. The latter half of their sentence naturally transformed into the word "sir."

"I wish to see the town mayor…" Tang Mo waved at the guards at the door, an indifferent expression on his face.

This was his first encounter with them since crossing over. It seemed these two guards hadn't refrained from causing trouble for the original owner of Tang Mo's body.

He was now representing the Lord Earl, so there was no reason to be pleasant to two little gatekeepers. Sometimes, a superior's arrogant and indifferent attitude could instill a sense of reverence in the petty.

If Tang Mo were genial to these two guards, how would he manage to... ahem! How would he negotiate when meeting with the town mayor?

Sure enough, after seeing Tang Mo's imposing manner, one of the guards didn't show any sign of annoyance and obligingly went to pass on Tang Mo's message.

When the town mayor of Brunas heard of Tang Mo's visit, he was clearly taken aback. Of course, he recognized Tang Mo who had been rooted in Brunas for a long time, but he truly couldn't fathom what Tang Mo would want with him for no good reason.

Keep in mind, the taxes for this year were exacted from Tang Mo several months ago, and it was said that the weapon workshop wasn't doing well. As the town mayor headed to the reception room where Tang Mo was waiting, he pondered the purpose of Tang Mo's visit.

When he saw Wes and Tagg standing beside Tang Mo, his perplexity reached its peak.

He really couldn't figure out why Tang Mo would come to him bringing an officer and a ranger who appeared somewhat disreputable.

However, he quickly adjusted his demeanor and sat down next to Tang Mo with an expressionless face, asking, "So it's you, I heard that an officer from Wolf City had arrived and wondered who it could be."

"Indeed it's me. This is Captain Tagg from Wolf City, and this time, I come on behalf of Lord Earl Fisello of Wolf City to discuss some matters with you," Tang Mo said casually with a smile, carelessly flaunting Earl Fisello's name.

The town mayor wasn't easily intimidated by this show of strength, for most of the time the area was under Baron Stela's control and had little to do with the Lord Earl of Northern Ridge.

Since he wasn't governed by the Lord Earl, he didn't need to show deference, so the town mayor also spoke in a casual tone, "Since you're here on behalf of the Lord Earl, speak up. What exactly brings you here this time..."

"I want to purchase all the land in the southern part of the town, farmhouses, estates, and some of the residences within the town," Tang Mo stated calmly, glancing at the town mayor and then at Tagg, who stood by.

No sooner had he spoken than Tagg's hands, clasped behind his back, began to tremble involuntarily — because he was acutely aware that the money in Tang Mo's possession was nowhere near enough to buy a large expanse of proper farmland.

If he bought only a few pieces of farmland that couldn't be connected to the weapon workshop, wouldn't that money be squandered?

Therefore, he looked towards Tang Mo, making an effort to hold back a look of surprise, fearing that the town mayor sitting next to Tang Mo might notice his expression and uncover Tang Mo's lie.

Nevertheless, he overestimated the town mayor, who was immediately startled by Tang Mo's words and had no time to observe the expressions of Tagg, his attendant.

The town mayor contradicted with alarm, "That's impossible, much of that land is privately owned!"

"The Earl hopes to acquire some properties here... so he entrusted me with full authority... to negotiate with you..." Tang Mo glanced at Tagg, who was resting his hand on the hilt of his firearm, and at Wes standing beside Tagg, seemingly threatening implicitly.

Both men were veterans of bloodshed, with lives on their conscience, and the murderous aura they exuded made the town mayor swallow hard.

The further south in town, the land naturally became more expensive. After all, the south was home to fertile fields and flat lands worth investing in.

Although some had been bought by the nobility, there was still plenty belonging to the town, or rather, to the kingdom.

But whether it was the town mayor or other local officials, none were willing to sell these lands to the Earl of Northern Ridge because if the lands were left vacant, freemen who cultivated them would have to pay taxes — and these taxes were the main source of illicit income for them.

If these lands were sold to a powerful Earl, then they wouldn't dare to exploit, extort, or blackmail. The difference between the positive and negative amounts would be much too significant.

That's why if there is even the slightest chance, neither the town mayor, the sheriff, nor the tax collector would sell these lands of interest to nobility with whom they have weak ties.

Moreover, to maintain the Kingdom's basic structure of stability, there is an unspoken understanding among the nobility that once one possesses about half of the fertile land in a place, other nobles will no longer purchase land there.

This doesn't mean that these greedy nobles understand the destructive impact of land consolidation; it's that they want to ensure they leave a share of the benefits for the local governing officials to secure their support and maintain their rule.

Therefore, in this world, most peasants are still tenants, the only difference being whether they till the land for nobles or for officials.

As for the free men who own their lands, either they have long been pushed to inferior lands to eke out a living, or they can only hope to encounter a good noble lord.

Northern Ridge is a good example, where Earl Fisello has been managing through generations without land consolidation. With his good governance and exemption from harsh taxes and levies, the standard of living for the farmers there is notably higher than in other territories.

"You know, Lord Earl's Northern Ridge is right at the center of the conflict. Once the Suthers Kingdom's army marches southward, Northern Ridge will be the first to bear the brunt and will surely become a battlefield. If we win, that's one thing, but if we lose... Lord Earl needs a place to seek refuge…" Tang Mo continued to persuade with his reasoning, as if he hadn't heard the town mayor's refusal at all.

"I understand all you're saying, but as you've seen, there really isn't any excess land available to sell to Lord Earl here," the town mayor said resolutely, clenching his teeth.

Ridiculous, to sell out interests that are already in his grasp for the sake of a noble far away in the sky—that would be the real foolishness.

"Town Mayor…" Tang Mo intentionally glanced at Tagg standing beside him, as well as at the equally formidable Wes, and called out to the town mayor.

"What is it?" The town mayor glanced at Tang Mo and asked.

He deliberately lowered his voice, as if to let Tagg and Wes overhear, and whispered into the town mayor's ear, "Let's not beat around the bush; do you know how much money I spent to get this commission from the Earl?"

"What's that got to do with me...?" The town mayor snorted coldly and counter-asked.

Tang Mo then continued, as if threading a threat into the statement of fact, "Making it hard for me means I can't recover my investment, resulting in a lose-lose scenario and we'll all struggle to save face."

"Hmph! Do you think you can actually do anything to me?" The town mayor said with disdain. The Lord Earl was not someone he could afford to offend, but a mere hanger-on in Brunas, wasn't he easy to deal with?

"I indeed can't do anything to you… But you've seen it yourself, I didn't come here to carry out the Earl's errand alone; I also brought the Earl's soldiers... If I can't accomplish the task, then I won't be able to share the rewards with them…" Tang Mo tightened his fist, raised his thumb, and gestured at Wes and Tagg behind him, speaking word by word.

After saying that, he added, "Being unable to share the rewards means everyone will report your lack of cooperation to Lord Earl. While the Earl may not be able to trouble you directly, if things turn sour, it will be easy to dig up some dirt on you... You know how easy that is, and then to escalate the matter to the King. I presume, Mayor, that wouldn't be pleasant for you, right?"

"You! You dare to threaten me?" The town mayor furrowed his brow, glaring at Tang Mo, with a semblance of grinding his teeth.

"No, no, no! How could this be a threat? I am simply stating some facts," Tang Mo explained waving his hands.

The town mayor's heart eased slightly, but his facial expression remained unchanged, still displeased he asked, "Then what do you propose?"

"I'm just here on an errand; what Lord Earl wants... is a piece of land." Tang Mo said, pointing at himself, "Whether the land is good or its location, Lord Earl can't see it, and won't likely come to inspect it himself anytime soon... It's only me, and these soldiers who can see… understand?"

"Hmm?" The town mayor, also keenly astute in matters of greed, caught on and with an elongated voice, glanced at Tang Mo.

"If we buy only good land and grand houses... the money the Earl gave us will barely suffice, even slightly short... Where's the benefit in that? And how could these brothers get their share?" Tang Mo hinted under his breath at the stiff and frustrated Tagg, speaking softly to the town mayor.

The town mayor nodded to indicate for Tang Mo to continue. He sensed an aroma of compromise, a flavor of operability, in Tang Mo's words.

---------

Thank you, Your Majesty~~ Hmm, continue with the awkward smile, hehe, hehehehe...

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