With rchants 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 beco 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 beco 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 ti, Yan Xing would only need to control the issuance of Grain Tickets to secretly print them and gather the world’s wealth.
rchants were a crucial link in the circulation of Grain Tickets.
To prevent any errors in this link, Yan Xing took advantage of the rchants’ high spirits and proposed the formation of the "Eternal rchant Guild."
This was a new concept.
Due to their low status and various other reasons, rchants did not have a guild of their own.
So well-connected rchants would affiliate themselves with a large comrce guild to obtain more favorable goods.
Most rchants operated as family businesses, with an experienced elder leading several robust young n along trade routes their families had followed for many years.
The rchants didn’t understand what benefits a rchant Guild would bring them.
And joining a guild would surely require a mbership fee. Therefore, the rchants, seeing no imdiate gain, were not particularly enthusiastic.
Eden wondered why Yan Xing suddenly wanted to form a "rchant Guild."
After observing the lackluster response to the organization from many rchants, he explained to Yan Xing, "Mr. Yan, we understand that rchants would certainly benefit from banding together.
But forming and operating a guild requires a significant amount of money.
Although we rchants seem to handle a lot of money, our profits are very thin, and we likely cannot afford the guild’s mbership fees."
"mbership fees?" Yan Xing finally understood why the rchants were silent, and he chuckled. "Joining my Eternal rchant Guild doesn’t require paying any fees.
On the contrary, you can gain many benefits.
My domain will support the Eternal rchant Guild in establishing a Guild’s rcenaries, which will provide ard protection for the rchants’ trade routes."
The Guild’s rcenaries would source its recruits from the rchants who joined the guild, with the Eternal Domain providing weapons and training.
"We’ll build this army of rchants’ sons together to ensure the security of rchants on their trading journeys.
I believe with this ard protection in place, the exploitation by highway robbers, bandits, shifty businessn, and corrupt gentry will inevitably diminish."
When the topic of forming an army to protect rchants ca up, the rchants imdiately beca animated.
The biggest headaches for traveling rchants were theft by thieves, robberies by bandits, deceit by dishonest businessn, and exploitation by corrupt gentry.
Although rchants had their own family mbers protecting them during their travels and would hire rcenaries to guard their convoys, their own kinsn were few, and rcenaries preferred to settle things peacefully for a profit.
As such, when faced with danger, rcenaries were reluctant to risk their lives and often advised rchants to spend a little money to avoid "offending people."
The thin profits of rchants 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 rchant Guild’s rcenaries were to be organized, managed, and how they could effectively protect the interests of the rchants... rely relying on a few words from Lord Yan Xing was not enough to make the rchants decide to join the guild.
But this proposal truly ignited the rchants’ enthusiasm.
Anything related to making money is a good thing!
At this point, Eden cooperatively said, "Lord Yan Xing, forming a rcenary army for rchants is truly a great thing for us who trade on the road all year round.
But what specifically would this rcenary army do?
What scale is needed?"
Yan Xing was very satisfied with Eden’s performance today, as he skillfully steered the conversation.
"The Eternal Comrce 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 rchants, when facing various extortions on the road, likely resort to passive responses. If you encounter soone 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 rcenary 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 ti to establish and train the Guild’s rcenaries?
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 mbers can join the training. For all those who join the Guild’s rcenaries and sign a five-year service agreent, I will fully cover every training expense.
Even if they have the potential to beco Knights, to beco heroes... I’ll take care of it all.
I plan for the first contingent of the Guild’s rcenaries to number 3,000. All rchants who join the rchant Guild will not be required to pay mbership fees, but they must contribute at least five individuals from their families or businesses to serve in the Guild’s rcenaries.
If the number is insufficient, my Eternal Domain troops will make up the shortfall.
Family mbers serving in the Guild’s rcenaries must undergo at least three months of training and combat readiness annually. During non-training periods, they can accompany their family’s rchant caravans on trade expeditions.
rchants who join the rchant 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 rcenaries.
The rcenaries will first send a negotiation team to help the rchants negotiate and recover their losses.
If we encounter soone extrely violent and vicious, we will decisively send troops to eliminate them!"
As Yan Xing detailed the formation plan and functions of the Guild’s rcenaries, the atmosphere in the eting room grew increasingly charged.
No need to pay mbership fees, and they even provide free training for our family mbers! What other guild could offer such favorable conditions?
And the well-trained family mbers would still be with the family’s rchant caravans most of the ti, 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 mbers beco 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 rcenaries will have a standing army ready to deal with all kinds of incidents that rchants encounter on the road.
Those who prey on rchants are actually just minor nuisances.
Now that the rchant Guild has a rcenary army ready to strike at any ti, it can absolutely solve most of the problems encountered on the road.
Money saved is money earned!
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