Under Haili's reminder, Yang Ling noticed that whether it was a craftsman, a maid or a warrior, there was a deep cross-shaped brand on their forehead. According to the convention of the Tyrant Continent, this cross-shaped mark was the symbol of a slave.

  The source of slaves is extensive, among which prisoners of war are the main source. Whenever a large-scale war occurs, it means that there will be a large number of slaves on the market. The slave and warrior sent by Haierbei to Yang Ling were basically prisoners of war or young people from defeated countries.

  The fate of slaves is miserable, often bought and sold like goods, without any dignity or rights. In the wilderness, slaves without a mark of ownership can be slaughtered at will, so no slave dares to escape privately. The only way to get rid of slavery is to gain the master's appreciation and reuse, erase the mark of slavery and cancel the record of slavery.

  Normally, artisans, beautiful maidens and warriors were the most likely to escape slavery, as long as they gained their master's favor, there was a possibility of being reinstated. Otherwise, what awaited them would be a miserable fate, generation after generation, forever slaves.

  Under the direction of old steward Mulberry, it was not long before the servants had arranged the numerous gifts and slaves in order, and the council chamber was restored to quiet.

  "Yang Ling, I heard that the situation in Weisen Town has been a bit off lately. Do you know what's going on?" Haier Beili asked Yang Ling, who was sitting across from her, after taking a sip of jasmine tea.

  "It's not just a bit bad, it's very bad!" Yang Ling shook his head. "Ever since the Bantu Empire sent this so-called lord Stoff over here, Visen Town has been in an uproar, with blood flowing like water!"

  After drinking a few sips of jasmine tea served by Alice, Yang Ling briefly mentioned the game between the Bantu and Ross people, but simply glossed over his own behind-the-scenes manipulation. Although Haili Bell was from the Livensa Kingdom Alliance and had a good relationship with him, after all, one can't know another person's heart, so it's better to be cautious.

  As the ruler of the Brad Chamber of Commerce, Haier Baili was intelligent and astute. Seeing Yang Ling's ambiguous attitude, she didn't need to think much to understand his concerns, and wasn't bothered by them at all. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke out her own collected information and insights.

  It turned out that the years of war, coupled with the severe flooding in the south, had caused a serious financial deficit for the Bantu Empire, leaving its treasury empty. In desperation, several ministers set their sights on the resource-rich Trass Forest, hoping to open up a new territory.

  As the largest primeval forest in the Tyrhenian continent, the Tras Forest stretches for thousands of miles, remote and secluded. It is considered a public place by the world. In order to avoid destruction by hostile forces, the Bantu people acted discreetly, hoping to create a fait accompli before publicly declaring that they would incorporate the region around Visen Town into the Bantu Empire.

  But unexpectedly, the news still leaked out and attracted the destruction of their sworn enemy, the Russians.

  Hailie Belly repeatedly emphasized that the Bantu Empire was low-key, and Yang Ling's heart moved. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "Miss Hailie Belly, your meaning is that before truly controlling the situation in Visen Town, the Bantu Empire will not send a large army to occupy Visen Town with great fanfare?"

  "In principle, the Trassen Forest is considered a public place by the world, and although the Bantu Empire has its eyes on its resources, it does not want to get into more trouble because of this!"

  After finishing, Haier Baili lightly sipped a cup of light jasmine tea. In fact, she came to Weisen Town this time with a large following, not only to thank Yang Ling for his kindness, but also to shoulder a secret mission.

  The Livonsian Confederation, sandwiched between the Bantu Empire and the Ross Empire, took a neutral stance and did not want the Bantu Empire to gain control of the rich resources of Tarsis Forest, thereby breaking the balance that had existed with the Ross Empire.

  All successful merchant guilds have a complex relationship with the local government, and the Brad Guild is no exception. Therefore, when the liaison of the Commonwealth came to their door, Haili did not immediately refuse their request.

  For the public, destroying the Bantu people's strategy will benefit everyone in the alliance. For private purposes, if we can take advantage of this opportunity to monopolize the resources of the Trass Forest, then the power of the Brad Commercial Guild will grow rapidly.

  Low-key behavior?

  After understanding the abacus of the Bantu Empire, Yang Ling rubbed his temples and thought about how to gain the most benefit in this game. With his current strength, it would be no different from hitting a stone with an egg to collide head-on with the powerful Bantu Empire, without any chance of winning. But if the other side is cautious and hesitant, then he will have an opportunity, an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

  After inexplicably arriving in this strange world, he quickly adapted to his new surroundings. He didn't seek to achieve great things or make a name for himself, but only hoped to comfortably enjoy his new life and one day find a way back to Earth.

  He originally only wanted to open a few shops in Weissen town and form his own merchant group when the time was ripe. Enjoying a life of wealth, also letting those who follow him live a day without worrying about food and clothing.

  But after this so-called lord descended from the sky, he felt a huge threat. Without great power and without strong authority, let alone forming his own merchant team, even whether he could survive till tomorrow was a problem, not to mention enjoying a comfortable life.

  Guns have come out of politics!

  Originally, Yang Ling just wanted to use the sneak attack of the Russians to disrupt the situation in Weisen Town and make Stoff too busy to deal with himself. Now that he understands the calculations of the Bantu Empire and the delicate balance between several major powers, for the first time, he has a clear idea. Weisen Town is his own base camp, it's his bridgehead for exploring this world, and he absolutely won't let anyone else touch it.

  Seeing Yang Ling's changing expression, Haier Belli understood that he was making a difficult decision, and except for sipping a few mouthfuls of jasmine tea, she remained silent. Although Yang Ling didn't say anything, through many informants, she had already figured out the situation in Weisen Town very clearly. Without being certain, she wouldn't agree to the Public Kingdom Alliance's request, let alone come to Weisen Town personally under Xie En's name.

  "Miss Haier Bailey, I don't know how many guards you've brought with you this time?" After making up his mind, Yang Ling prepared to either remain still or gather all resources and go all out.

  "I'm afraid I've only brought a few dozen guards with me, so as not to give anyone any leverage." Seeing the flash of cold light in Yang Ling's eyes, Haier Beili instantly understood his plan and continued: "Furthermore, I have received some very bad news. The Bantu Empire may not be sending out a large army with fanfare, but under the name of the Weis family warriors, they have assembled 10,000 black-armored soldiers who will soon arrive at Visen Town!"

  To avoid giving malicious people a handle to attack the Public Union, and also to avoid damaging the interests of the merchant group, Haierbei only brought over a few dozen guards, placing all her hopes for completing the task on Yang Ling's shoulders.

  ******

  After a thorough investigation, she believed that Yang Ling had the courage and strategy, with enough ability to defeat Stoff's three thousand Black Armor Guards before the reinforcements of the Bandit Empire arrived, lacking only the determination to break through the cauldron and sink the boat, as well as some excellent weapons.

  Of course, Haier Bailey also has a reserve force, that is, the wolf mercenary group that escorted her here.

  The reason why the Republic of Livena has not fallen for a thousand years, apart from its powerful commercial forces, is also due to its powerful mercenary groups. Among the top ten most famous mercenary groups on the entire continent of Tairn, five are in the Republic of Livena, and the Wolf Mercenary Group is one of the best among them.

  When necessary, for the sake of common interests, even if Haili Beili doesn't say it, the Wolf Mercenary Corps will lend a helping hand. If the Bantu Empire's power greatly increases and breaks the balance with the Ros people, I'm afraid the first to suffer would be the relatively weak Federal Union. When a country is destroyed and its people are enslaved, no one wants to become a lowly slave of a fallen nation.

  Ten thousand Black Armor Troops?

  Yang Ling shook his head and smiled bitterly, never expecting Hai Er Bei Li to bring only a few dozen guards, nor did he expect Stov to ask for reinforcements so quickly. If they waited for the enemy's reinforcements to arrive, defeat the Russian forces, and then Stov would be able to deal with him without any worries.

  The situation seems to be getting worse and worse!

  After the unexpected event, Yang Ling once again felt the disadvantage of insufficient intelligence. If it weren't for Haier Beili, he probably wouldn't have received news until Stoff's reinforcements arrived at Weisen Town, and by then, the consequences would be unthinkable. If he had received the news earlier, he could have calmly planned how to deal with Stoff, who was in a precarious situation on all sides.

  Strike while the iron is hot!

  After gritting his teeth, Yang Ling decided to go all out. With Stoff's personality, he would absolutely not allow a force like this on his own territory. If he couldn't control the situation before Stoff's reinforcements arrived, what awaited him was a fate of fleeing.

  More than 200 fierce barbarians, more than 100 elf archers, nearly 300 high-level swordsmen, plus the 300 slave warriors sent by Sea Child Belili, he already had nearly a thousand guards, his strength was comparable to that of the so-called Lord Stov.

  Yang Ling believed that as long as he chose the right time, sent many guards and Russians to launch a surprise attack together, and added his own powerful demon beast army, he would definitely be able to defeat Stoff's Black Armor Army in one fell swoop. If the strategy was correct, it might even be possible to annihilate Stoff's entire army, which had previously been invincible.