Chapter 126: The Idea of Forming A Camel Caravan
As the smoke rose in the kitchen, the aroma of food began to permeate the air.
The ingredients that had been prepared last night were all processed in the kitchen. The peasant women were more meticulous as they were as strong as the male peasants. In terms of taste and texture, they were much better than before.
The entire Oasis Lookout welcomed this warmly.
No one would refuse them.
For example, the bread and dried meat that they usually ate the most could became a favorite delicacy by the hands of these peasant women.
The bread was sliced and roasted on a small fire until both sides turned golden yellow.
The dried meat was torn into strips and roasted until it dripped with oil and had a slightly charred fragrance.
After eating this delicious breakfast, there was no problem for them to last until noon. This was especially so for the light cavalries who went out to patrol the dune. Every time, they would bring a few more pieces of bread and dried meat. If they missed lunch, they could made do a small meal in the desert.
This included the new inventions of the last two days.
The wheat grains became extremely soft after being boiled. Date palm and sugar cubes were added.
20 eggs were added to form a thin and long egg flower. Finally, flour and water were added to thicken the soup.
Sweet egg flower oatmeal.
It had only been launched for two days, but this slightly sweet oatmeal was already popular among everyone.
There was even a unique way to eat it.
The brown and crispy bread was coated with a layer of oatmeal. With a bite, the slightly soft sweetness and sticky taste mixed with the crispy taste of the bread filled up the mouth, allowing the tongue to absorb the sweetness and charred aroma. Then, there were the roasted and greased salted dried meat. The feeling was too wonderful.
Even if he was used to eating the expensive dishes in the Castle of Leo, Kant still gave this sweet egg flower oatmeal a good review.
Of course..
As a Lord, Kant’s meals were even more sumptuous.
This was one of the privileges of being a lord and a superior. People from the continent of Caradia, who had a strong principle of cla.s.s and hierarchy, should feel that this was normal.
As a superior and a person vested interests.
Kant certainly would not mind about it.
With 10 Swadian footmen, Kant made a routine inspection of his “Drondheim” fortress.
This was his morning job.
But this routine was indeed a routine. Usually, it was just patrolling around the fortress. The civilians and soldiers who came to this world were usually very serious, they had the spirit of a pioneer, and did not slack off at all.
Even the workers of the construction team were quite conscientious.
At least, Kant had never seen his subjects being lazy in the slightest.
The soldiers did not relaxed at all.
“This is very good.”, Kant made a round of inspection and nodded in satisfaction as usual.
Back in the council hall.
He found that Manid was already waiting in the hall.
When he saw Kant coming over, he immediately bowed and said solemnly, “Lord Kant, I have successfully completed my mission and returned. I have also bought a large number of tools, some grain, and fur products to block the coldness at night.”
“Yes.”, Kant nodded and said with a relieved tone, “I can rest a.s.sured when you do things.”
Manid bowed respectfully again. “Thank you for your trust.”
Kant came to his seat, Manid reported, “This time, I went to the Stone Pa.s.s, Baron Dylan was still the same. Fortunately, the salt trade was very smooth. We obtained a profit of 1,000 great silver coins from 20 bags of table salt. At the same time, I used 100 great silver coins to purchase 500 iron farm tools and two whole carts of wheat.”
“We won’t be short of farm tools for the time being. Well done.”
Kant nodded in satisfaction.
When the peasants unloaded the goods from the carriage this morning, he had already seen bundles of farm tools, including hoes, shovels, forks, and logging axes. They were all made of iron, and their prices were much higher in the iron-deficient northern county.
However, it was useful in the Oasis Lookout. After all, most of the peasants were refugees, and they did not brought too many things with them when they fled.
Manid continued to describe what he had seen and heard when he went to the Stone Pa.s.s.
Kant also interrupted and asked, “I didn’t see any arrows or crossbows in the carriage.” After a pause, Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a mocking tone, “Could it be that my uncle Dylan did not agree to the small request that I mentioned to him in the letter?”
“Yes, he rejected the idea of purchasing a large number of arrows and crossbows.”
Manid shrugged and said, “In fact, the purchasing process of these farm tools is a little difficult. This baron is very tricky. If I didn’t give the merchant who provided the farm tools 10 great silver coins as a rebate, it would be impossible to buy so many farm tools. After all, as you know, if you melt these farm tools, they can be completely forged into weapons.”
“Just like the low-quality goods used by the conscripted peasant at the Stone Pa.s.s?”, Kant could not help but sneer. “You must be joking.”
Kant was backed by the continent of Caradia.
With the entire level up system of the Kingdom of Swadia, as well as the support of the other four countries.
Would Kant need these low-quality weapons?
Impossible!
However, Kant was very clear about what this Baron Dylan was planning. He was simply afraid that after the Oasis Lookout obtained so many farm tools, they would be smelted into weapons, which might affect his plans in the future.
Kant’s proposal to purchase a large number of arrows and crossbows was probably rejected because of this reason.
“But I think that perhaps we can purchase these materials in the future.”
Manid shrugged, but his tone was calm. “At the moment, both side don’t have the least bit of trust.”
“Trust?”, Kant’s lips curled slightly. “With those guys, this thing never existed.”
“But it has to be.”, Manid added.
Manid shook his head and continued, “Profits are the best foundation to ensure trust. When we let this Baron Dylan rely more and more on the profits brought by the table salt trade, trust was born.”
Kant shook his head and chuckled. “At that time, it’s probably his time to make a move on us.”
This was the truth, and it was also in line with the thought of Baron Dylan.
Towards this, he and Manid could not help but laugh.
If they really attacked, then this Baron Dylan would understand how weak an army without logistic supplies was in the Nahrin Desert. In just a few days, they would be defeated into a pile of sand, the most common sand in the desert.
The seven-meter-high city wall and about 600 soldiers and civilians.
It was as easy as flipping one’s hand to defend this fortress.
Humans were not Jackalan who could resist hunger, thirst, and heat. The conquest of the Oasis Lookout by the Dukedom of Leo 10 years ago had proved this point. If they really wanted to forcefully attack, a 2,000-man army without tens of thousands of logistical supplies. They even couldn’t defeated the messily-charging low-level Jackalan with no weapons and armors,
The harsh natural environment made the Dukedom of Leo not be able to maintain the conquest for too long.
In less than a month, they retreated from the Oasis Lookout and left the Nahrin Desert. Instead, they conferred the Stone Pa.s.s, which was then the logistics center, to Dylan and promoted him to a Baron, who was in charge of guarding this important pa.s.s.
“Take a break for a while.”
Kant arranged for Manid, “Go to the Stone Pa.s.s at the end of the month. I will ask you to bring more fine white salt. After all, there are only 20 bags. Even the n.o.ble and knights in the northern county can’t satisfy with it.”
Manid nodded, “Understood.”. However, he still suggested to Kant, “Lord, we have to increase the scale of the trade. Especially at the moment, our three carriages are not enough to transport too many goods. Although the profit of this trade is big enough, it is still too little for us to buy some goods.”
“This problem.”, Kant frowned and ordered his most trusted merchant, “You are in charge of handling it. Buy a carriage and a horse carriage. As long as you can transport the purchased goods back, it will be fine.”
“Okay.”, Manid nodded.
However, Kant thought for a moment. He obviously understood that relying on a carriage and horse carriage alone was not the best solution.
The soft desert was not suitable for this kind of plain carrier.
When Kant and the carriage came to the Oasis Lookout, they encountered some dune that were difficult to pa.s.s through. They had to let the peasants push the wooden wheel. Otherwise, the soft desert would not be able to bear the force and the carriage would tremble, they would not be able to pull the carriage that was full of goods.
The best solution, of course, was to form a camel caravan.
The history of Earth had proved that a camel caravan formed by single humped camels was completely capable of serving as a carriage to cross the desert.
However, Kant only had 10 single-humped camels.
Compared to the size of a camel city formed by hundreds of camels, or even thousands of camels, it was pitifully small. This was also the reason why Kant did not use these 10 camels as a trade vehicle.
The cargo that 10 camels could carry was too little.
Compared to the horse carriage, this was the disadvantage of camel caravan.
“Stabilize the Oasis Lookout first.”
Kant shook his head and did not continue thinking about this problem.
There was no single-humped camel in this world. Kant had never seen a creature similar to a camel in the books or travel stories of this world.
This meant that there was no way to build a camel team apart from relying on the system.
But if he had the chance, Kant would definitely build a camel caravan.
With this camel caravan, perhaps it wouldn’t be too much of a problem to pa.s.s through the cruel devil’s land that the Jackalan had mentioned. As for the Mannheim Coast, which could only be reached after a 30-day journey, he would also have the chance to extend his force there.
Kant’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “The most crucial thing is the Jackalan in the Kingdom of Gray Mane.”
Victory would grant him a new qualification.
That was to step into a new world, the world north of the Nahrin Desert!