Chapter 451: The Crisis of Stone Pass

Northern county, Stone Pass.

After two months of development, this place had become the most important business and trade center of the northern county. In a short period of time, the flow of people had increased several times, filling up this fortress built in the middle of the canyon.

Even in the villages that planted barren land outside the pass, there were many people temporarily staying there.

The table salt trade from the Nahrin desert fed this fortress.

There was no other way.

The fine table salt produced by the Nahrin Desert had already taken over the market of table salt in the Dukedom of Leo.

Even if the quality of the mineral salt purchased from the distant dwarf tribes was not inferior to the boiled salt of the Nahrin desert, or even slightly higher than that, due to the cost problem, it had completely lost its ability to compete.

Even the human countries along the Riesnidon River began to trade the fine white salt from the Nahrin Desert.

The price was only two-thirds of the table salt of the dwarf.

But the quality was almost the same.

The fine white salt from the Nahrin desert quickly became the most popular commodity in the northern prefectural territory.

Not to mention the trade caravan of all sizes in the Dukedom of Leo, even the trade caravan of other kingdoms on the Riesnidon River began to inquire about the Nahrin desert, whether intentionally or not, and even pushed the trade caravan’s base here.

Especially the stone pass, which guarded the central point of the Senwaya range, there were more than 300 trade caravan firms gathered there.

In addition, there were a large number of speculators who came to look for opportunities.

There were even spies who had ulterior motives.

There were countless laborers who saw business opportunities and gathered to look for jobs.

There were also all kinds of vicious bandits who were active in the wilderness or at the borders of the Dukedom of Leo.

They included mercenaries who acted as guards for merchants or guards for the Lords along the way. Even in the now wealthy villages, they would occasionally hire these mercenaries to guard against bandits’attacks.

After the development of the table salt trade in the Nahrin Desert, the northern county territory actually flourished in a strange manner.

It completely relied on the table salt trade.

This was an iron item.

Table salt was a complete luxury item!

This kind of modern cheap condiment was an important resource that could support the taxation of a kingdom in the feudal era. Especially in the inland areas without the sea, it was something comparable to a silver mine!

In some places, table salt could even be used as a currency. It was enough to show the value of this material.

Fatis also understood.

He stood at the top of the city wall at the Stone Pass.

Next to him, the Swadian Infantry in chain armor were patrolling.

There were also the archers of Veruga and the crossbowmen of Swadia, who were holding battle bows. They were stationed majestically in the tall watchtowers and large towers, vigilantly staring at the dense road outside the city wall.

The current Stone Pass was no longer as desolate and barren as before.

It was only crowded.

A large number of houses were being renovated. The house prices in the entire pass had already increased by three times.

The rich merchants had all bought land. They had built a spacious and luxurious office near the original market of the pass. This allowed the local merchants who were used to the poor Stone Pass to see what was truly decent.

This also brought about the upper-class atmosphere of the entire pass and began to move towards luxury and elegance.

Even the commoners wore clothes made of cloth from other kingdoms.

As for the traditional coarse linen.

Only coolies and poor people would wear it. The commoners all wore fine linen clothes.

As for the knights and country gentry, as well as the nobles who were more passionate about luxury, they even wore velvet clothes. One had to know that this was once the clothing that only the lord of Grothenburg, the highest viscount in the entire northern county, Viscount Wayne, could afford.

However, in the rich profits of the table salt trade, the big merchants revealed a little bit of oil, which made countless people very full.

It indirectly promoted economic development.

And taxes.

Not to mention all kinds of taxes at the Stone Pass.

Even from the Stone Pass to Grothenburg and Masburg, these noble families made a lot of money from taxes.

There was also Lionheart City on the Riesnidon River. Because of the table salt trade, the monthly tax revenue increased by two times. As time went on, more and more merchants came to the Dukedom of Leo, and the amount of tax revenue also increased.

According to the estimates of some scholars, it was possible to increase the tax revenue by 20 times in two years!

However.

Those noble families were not happy.

Even the trade caravan that controlled the majority of the table salt trade.

Even the taxes and tolls along the way made their mouths full of oil.

However, looking at the real gold and silver mine in the Nahrin Desert, which was still not under their control, each of them had a covetous and greedy look on their faces. They rubbed their fists and slowly gathered together, wanting to do something.

They all wanted to get a share of the salt mine in the Nahrin Desert.

Instead of being like now, where they could only eat some oil and water.

They.

Wanted to become the owner of the salt mine, even if it was just one of them!

Thus, under the pull and indulgence of some noble families, a group of mercenaries was organized, occupying some of the hills outside Lion Mountain, forming a huge mercenary group.

There were close to 20,000 people, and there were even mercenaries from other human countries outside of the river.

There were also close to 10,000 people from the Allied army of other noble families outside.

With Viscount Wayne as the leader.

Although they did not directly indulge, they crossed the threshold of Masburg that led to the southern county territory.

However, the many noble families in the northern county territory had already begun to probe the Stone Pass.

During this period of time, at least a dozen mercenary groups disguised as bandits had appeared. They had intercepted and killed the trade caravan, which had a very bad impact. At one point, many trade caravans had avoided the trade routes of the northern county and chose to go near the death penalty mountain of the southern county.

This was only the news that had been exposed. In the dark, there were many more burning, killing, and plundering.

Mercenaries were not good people.

If a Lord hired them, they were soldiers.

No.

They were bandits.

Some female mercenaries even had to act as female soldiers.

For these guys who would sell their lives and integrity for money, that was even easier.

These were all digressions. Currently, Fatis was facing an alliance army that was led by a noble and led by mercenaries. They were starting to approach the Stone Pass, and the smell of war was getting stronger.

If they were still immersed in the prosperous economic activities at the Stone Pass, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fatis understood.

Rolf, who was originally active in the outer regions, had returned.

He brought along a large number of desert bandits and spread out as scouts to resist the light cavalry of many bandits.

As the days passed, the war was getting closer and closer. Moreover, some merchants had sent news that the Alliance Army of the northern county seemed to be moving out, and their target was here.

The war was about to start. It was in the northern county, the territory of the Dukedom of Leo.