CHAPTER 230: CHAPTER 228: CONCEPT OF FORMING A MERCENARY ARMY_1

With merchants willing to accept Grain Tickets, Yan Xing had successfully created a closed loop for their circulation.

What remained was for the market to discover the various advantages of Grain Tickets and for them to gradually become a recognized common currency among both the upper and lower echelons of Nuta City.

Once Grain Tickets secured their status as currency in Nuta City, their influence would naturally radiate to the entire human-controlled area of the Wildwind Highlands.

And as the Eternal Grain Bank expanded outward, it would start to exert influence within the Silvermane Principality itself.

Gradually, the connection between Grain Tickets and the food supply from the Eternal Domain would become less apparent.

If the majority of holders recognized the value of Grain Tickets, then they indeed possessed value.

Moreover, unless absolutely necessary, individuals thousands of miles away holding Grain Tickets from the Eternal Grain Bank were unlikely to travel all the way to the Wildwind Highlands just to redeem them for food.

By that time, Yan Xing would only need to control the issuance of Grain Tickets to secretly print them and gather the world’s wealth.

Merchants were a crucial link in the circulation of Grain Tickets.

To prevent any errors in this link, Yan Xing took advantage of the merchants’ high spirits and proposed the formation of the "Eternal Merchant Guild."

This was a new concept.

Due to their low status and various other reasons, merchants did not have a guild of their own.

Some well-connected merchants would affiliate themselves with a large commerce guild to obtain more favorable goods.

Most merchants operated as family businesses, with an experienced elder leading several robust young men along trade routes their families had followed for many years.

The merchants didn’t understand what benefits a Merchant Guild would bring them.

And joining a guild would surely require a membership fee. Therefore, the merchants, seeing no immediate gain, were not particularly enthusiastic.

Eden wondered why Yan Xing suddenly wanted to form a "Merchant Guild."

After observing the lackluster response to the organization from many merchants, he explained to Yan Xing, "Mr. Yan, we understand that merchants would certainly benefit from banding together.

But forming and operating a guild requires a significant amount of money.

Although we merchants seem to handle a lot of money, our profits are very thin, and we likely cannot afford the guild’s membership fees."

"Membership fees?" Yan Xing finally understood why the merchants were silent, and he chuckled. "Joining my Eternal Merchant Guild doesn’t require paying any fees.

On the contrary, you can gain many benefits.

My domain will support the Eternal Merchant Guild in establishing a Guild’s Mercenaries, which will provide armed protection for the merchants’ trade routes."

The Guild’s Mercenaries would source its recruits from the merchants who joined the guild, with the Eternal Domain providing weapons and training.

"We’ll build this army of merchants’ sons together to ensure the security of merchants on their trading journeys.

I believe with this armed protection in place, the exploitation by highway robbers, bandits, shifty businessmen, and corrupt gentry will inevitably diminish."

When the topic of forming an army to protect merchants came up, the merchants immediately became animated.

The biggest headaches for traveling merchants were theft by thieves, robberies by bandits, deceit by dishonest businessmen, and exploitation by corrupt gentry.

Although merchants had their own family members protecting them during their travels and would hire mercenaries to guard their convoys, their own kinsmen were few, and mercenaries preferred to settle things peacefully for a profit.

As such, when faced with danger, mercenaries were reluctant to risk their lives and often advised merchants to spend a little money to avoid "offending people."

The thin profits of merchants were, in fact, mostly spent on various tolls along the way.

If we could save this money... Even if only a portion of it were saved, our days would be much more comfortable.

However, how this purported Eternal Merchant Guild’s Mercenaries were to be organized, managed, and how they could effectively protect the interests of the merchants... merely relying on a few words from Lord Yan Xing was not enough to make the merchants decide to join the guild.

But this proposal truly ignited the merchants’ enthusiasm.

Anything related to making money is a good thing!

At this point, Eden cooperatively said, "Lord Yan Xing, forming a mercenary army for merchants is truly a great thing for us who trade on the road all year round.

But what specifically would this mercenary army do?

What scale is needed?"

Yan Xing was very satisfied with Eden’s performance today, as he skillfully steered the conversation.

"The Eternal Commerce Guild’s business will certainly not be limited to Nuta City. The Eternal Grain Bank will also set up branches in other cities after the war ends.

I, like you, need road safety and freedom of passage.

You individual merchants, when facing various extortions on the road, likely resort to passive responses. If you encounter someone reasonable, it’s a matter of spending money to avoid trouble; if you encounter bandits who demand both your money and your life, you can only fight.

But as long as we band together to form a strong mercenary army, anyone wishing to cause you trouble on the road will have to consider the existence of this force.

Now, with the war in the Wildwind Highlands preventing you from traveling, why not use this time to establish and train the Guild’s Mercenaries?

Count Theodore has graciously permitted my troops to train and advance in rank in Nuta City, with all costs receiving a favorable discount.

Your family members can join the training. For all those who join the Guild’s Mercenaries and sign a five-year service agreement, I will fully cover every training expense.

Even if they have the potential to become Knights, to become heroes... I’ll take care of it all.

I plan for the first contingent of the Guild’s Mercenaries to number 3,000. All merchants who join the Merchant Guild will not be required to pay membership fees, but they must contribute at least five individuals from their families or businesses to serve in the Guild’s Mercenaries.

If the number is insufficient, my Eternal Domain troops will make up the shortfall.

Family members serving in the Guild’s Mercenaries must undergo at least three months of training and combat readiness annually. During non-training periods, they can accompany their family’s merchant caravans on trade expeditions.

Merchants who join the Merchant Guild, if they face unreasonable extortion or bandit robberies on their trade routes, should prioritize their own lives first. Then, when safe, they should report the incident to the Guild’s Mercenaries.

The mercenaries will first send a negotiation team to help the merchants negotiate and recover their losses.

If we encounter someone extremely violent and vicious, we will decisively send troops to eliminate them!"

As Yan Xing detailed the formation plan and functions of the Guild’s Mercenaries, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew increasingly charged.

No need to pay membership fees, and they even provide free training for our family members! What other guild could offer such favorable conditions?

And the well-trained family members would still be with the family’s merchant caravans most of the time, which undoubtedly increases the caravan’s self-defense capabilities.

As for the three months of annual training and combat readiness... Training is good! The more skilled our family members become through training, the better it is for the family caravan. As long as the training periods are staggered, the impact on the family’s business will be minimal.

Besides, the Guild’s Mercenaries will have a standing army ready to deal with all kinds of incidents that merchants encounter on the road.

Those who prey on merchants are actually just minor nuisances.

Now that the Merchant Guild has a mercenary army ready to strike at any time, it can absolutely solve most of the problems encountered on the road.

Money saved is money earned!