The day after the rain stopped, the Bianfeng Town became lively again, and many villagers gathered in the square, waiting for the fourth prince's speech.

For this speech, Roland posted a notice on the bulletin board the day before, and anyone who came to the square to listen could receive a portion of wheat porridge and half a piece of bread. For the townspeople, this was equivalent to a free lunch, so there were many more visitors than when watching the hanging.

It was almost noon when Roland climbed onto the built high platform.

Facing the crowd of people under his feet, he wanted to say that he was not nervous, which was lying to himself. In the past, he had dealt with the most computer monitors, and even during meetings, he only used to applaud in the audience. This was the first time he encountered such a big scene that needed to go on stage in person.

But he had to go there. If he wanted to keep everyone in the border town, there would be a general mobilization.

Roland waved his hand to calm everyone down.

He had practiced this scene many times alone, but when he was on stage, his mouth was still dry, "My leaders, good noon. I am the fourth prince of the Grayburg Kingdom, Roland Wimbledon. I will gather everyone at this moment because there is an important news to tell you!"

"The messengers of Changge Fortress arrived here four days ago. They came for the ore delivery. Everyone knows that a month ago, we encountered an unfortunate accident and a landslide in the North Slope mine cave. Until today, the mining area has not fully resumed production. This accident caused the ore to produce only two months last quarter."

"I explained the situation to the messenger and hoped that he could allocate the food in the Border Town in full, and the ore that was short of was replenished after the winter was over. But he refused! Without any room for negotiation, he refused to allocate more food--just like two years ago."

There were bursts of exclamations in the crowd, and it was obvious that everyone was deeply impressed by the food shortage incident two years ago.

"And this time it's obviously worse. The astrologers of Graycastle told me that this year's winter will be longer than before, and the Month of Demons is likely to last more than four months. That is to say, this time everyone is likely to face a two-month food gap. Two years ago you lost 20% of your companions, some lost brothers, and some lost children. How much do you have to prepare to lose this time?"

"No! Your Highness, save us!" Someone below shouted loudly, and then more people shouted, "Your Highness, please help us!"

It seems that preparing a few entries in advance is the right choice. Roland raised his hand and suppressed the voices of the crowd, "Of course, I will not leave my subordinates, none of them! You may not know that the wheat and bread transported by the fortress every year are completely different from the ore they transported. At the normal market price, just two months of ore will be enough for half a year of food! I have sold the ore to merchants in Liuye Town, and the cargo ships they transported food will soon arrive in the border town. In addition to bread, there are cheese, honey wine, and jerky! The amount in a full winter can be eaten!"

A burst of cheers suddenly broke out in the square.

"However, this means severing ties with the Changge Fortress. They will not accommodate one more person, so this winter, we will spend the Border Town. Most people have seen a solid wall being built to the west of Border Town. I know someone is worried about whether we can stop it when the evil beasts attack. I want to tell you that evil beasts are not much stronger than the beasts in the forest. Although they are thick in skin, they cannot climb up the walls and bite stones. No matter how thick the skin is, they are just a group of pitiful targets!"

"Tell me, my leaders, are you willing to hide in the fortress shack and starve to death, or under my leadership, protect your relatives and children and guard the border town to the last moment? I promise that as long as you stick to the end of the Demon Moon, all townsmen who fought on the city walls will receive twenty-five silver wolves. Anyone who is unfortunately sacrificed will receive compensation from five golden dragons!"

"I'm willing to fight for Your Highness!" Under the guidance of the tutor, everyone shouted to fight to the death. Seeing the atmosphere was rising, Roland ordered lunch to be distributed in time. He did not expect everyone to stay in the border town. As long as half of them were willing to stay, he would be sure to block the evil beast's advance eastward steps here.

************************

Naturally, Pelo didn't know how His Highness the Fourth Prince arranged him. When he brought the news back to the six nobles in the fortress, the response he received was just a burst of laughter.

"You said that innocent prince actually wanted to leave us alone? Do you dare to repair the city wall before winter comes. Should I praise him for being brave or laugh at him for being overestimated?"

"It is well known that His Highness the Great Prince is extremely brave. When did the Fourth Prince also have the courage? I am just ignorant!"

"Yes, he didn't even have a stonemason, so he just piled up the unmatched stones, and was covered with wet mud in the middle, for fear that he would collapse if he piled up."

"Anyway, this is a good thing. If he escapes back to the Long Song Fortress, he will naturally be at our mercy. If he dies in the Border Town... we can also end the farce soon."

The duke who had been closing his eyes and pondering suddenly said, "Pelo, what do you think?"

Pelo was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that the Duke of Changge would ask for his opinion, "Well, I originally wanted to maintain the monopoly operation. As long as it was below 30% of the market price, it would still be a business worth doing for us. However..." He quickly sorted out his thoughts in his mind, "But Your Highness does not intend to let the fortress specialize in ore. He is willing to lower the price of 50% to sell ore, which means that he has plans to increase the production of ore next year. As long as the capacity increases to double the past, we may make more money than before. He also plans to produce iron tools for sale by himself. Iron tools are sought-after everywhere, and it is easy to resell them. But... these are not the key points."

"Oh? What's the point?"

"If he can defend the border town, it is also excellent news for the fortress. We don't have to focus on dealing with evil beasts every year, which can save a huge amount of expenditure. The second advantage is that this vast area of ​​land from Changge Fortress to the border town will be owned by us. Whether it is reclaiming or immigration, it will greatly alleviate the current overcrowded fortress." Pelo said his ideas one by one, "And the four princes will not stay in the border town forever. The order for the king is only five years, and in five years we will get a more prosperous border town. If the town is included in the fortress, Changge Fortress will become the third largest territory in the kingdom. So my suggestion is..." He glanced at the duke and said carefully, "The fortress sent people to help His Highness build the city wall and jointly defend the border town."

"It's right," the Duke smiled, "but they are all the ideas of merchants, and they can only see the gains and losses."
Chapter completed!