Chapter 454: Chapter 224: Sudden Change! (Thanks to Boss Meng Zesheng for the Alliance Leader reward!!!)_4

A moment later.

The carriage arrived at a wide open space outside the border post,

where dozens of people were gathered, dressed and appearing quite prosperous, chattering incessantly about something.

Sadaoyi took a wooden token from a soldier on duty nearby and handed it to Mr. Thomson:

"Mr. Thomson, wait here, go up for registration and stamping when your number is called, and then go straight down the main road to reach Dumfries town."

"Merchants doing business can stay in Dumfries for seven days, and if you want to go to London, just pass through the town, but remember to register again at the England post."

Thomson expressed his thanks, took the number card, looked ahead a few times, and frowned slightly:

"God.... so many people."

Sadaoyi shrugged upon hearing this and said:

"There’s no helping it, tensions at the border are high, so merchants rush over to make money—it’s said that the current profits are more than three times usual."

Thomson was slightly taken aback, looked at the supplies lined up in front of him, and asked perplexedly:

"But Mr. Sadaoyi, winter is approaching, even if a war is to break out, it surely wouldn’t be in this season, right?"

Sadaoyi snorted coldly, gestured with his chin toward the merchants, clearly having little regard for those ahead:

"Mr. Thomson, those merchants know this better than you and I, but don’t forget, the civilians behind can’t grasp the front line’s situation."

"They just need to spread some rumors and create some momentum, even if there are only a few people, the supplies will still get snatched clean by blind followers."

With that, Sadaoyi sighed, pointed to another camp not far away, and said:

"Forget it, let’s not talk about this."

"Mr. Thomson, there’s just over an hour before dark, and by the time you finish registration, you probably won’t be able to travel anymore. That camp over there is a resting area built by the border post for travelers."

"Though there are no tents or blankets, at least there’s a fence for protection, and you’ll have some other trade caravans for company."

"Additionally, the border post’s camp is nearby, which is much safer than camping out in the wild."

"Alright, I wish you a safe journey, Mr. Thomson."

With that,

Sadaoyi waved his hand and left the scene.

After he left,

Thomson flipped through the number card in his hand and looked at the stout merchants ahead.

With a heavy expression, he sighed.

It was unclear whether he pitied the civilians behind or was troubled by having to spend another night at this gathering place.

....

The 19th-century United Kingdom’s border inspections weren’t as complicated as in later times, with the border post rigorously checking only two items:

firearms and alcohol.

The reason for the former goes without saying, while the scrutiny of the latter...

was due to the high alcohol tax in the United Kingdom at that time.

Starting in the early 18th century, the British Government began imposing high tariffs on alcohol.

By 1874, the highest tax rate had even reached 240% of the market price of alcohol.

And because Scotland possesses pure water sources, abundant barley, and ample peat, it has long been an ideal location for illegal whiskey distillation.

So throughout the 19th century,

the most smuggled goods from Scotland were not firearms or wool, but whiskey.

Thomson’s carriage was of limited size, with almost no space to conceal alcohol or firearms, making the inspection very straightforward.

After two hours.

"Mr. Thomson, please keep this document safe."

"Thank you, beautiful lady."

Thomson took the parchment from the military officer responsible for stamping and politely thanked her.

After leaving the inspection post,

Thomson glanced at the sky, which was completely dark by now, shook his head, and completely gave up the idea of continuing the journey.

He then returned to his carriage, ate some dinner prepared by Xu Yun and Will, and returned to his tent early to rest.

As for outside the tent,

the merchants who were about to reap massive profits were not in a hurry to rest. They were enthusiastically holding a bonfire banquet.

Das Ma was a grain merchant from Inverness, originally a cook.

Inverness is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom, and this geographical advantage in trade represents huge profits.

Thus, the income he could earn this time was among the highest of the various trade caravans.

Overcome with excitement,

Das Ma drank a few more pints of barley beer.

And beer, being a diuretic, soon made Das Ma feel the pressure in his lower abdomen.

"Hic——"

Das Ma let out a beer-laden burp, struggled to his feet, and said:

"Excuse me, I’m going outside to relieve myself."

With that, he loosened his belt with one hand and staggered toward the camp gate.

As he walked,

thinking of the huge profits he could earn this time, a greedy smile appeared on his plump face, as if he were ascending to heaven:

"Taking off..."

Just as the words fell.

Whoosh——

A faint whistling sound could be heard.

Das Ma suddenly fell heavily backward, landing with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.

The other nearby merchants saw this and laughed out loud, mocking:

"Hey, Das Ma, your drinking tolerance is too low!"

"And you claim to be a top chef!"

"How about we cook him while he’s still warm..."

Just then.

A middle-aged merchant, who seemed rather respectable, cleared his throat, stood up, pulled out a flashlight, and said:

"Okay, I’ll go help him to the torch... uh, what’s that all about?"

As the middle-aged merchant spoke, his expression suddenly became terrified:

Right at this moment.

About twenty meters away, Das Ma had something sticking out of his forehead...

an arrow!

Perhaps it was the flashlight’s bright light that stood out in the darkness.

In the next second,

Whoosh——

Another whistling sound came through,

"Ah!"

The middle-aged merchant dropped the flashlight, clutching his arm, and cried out in pain.

On his arm...

there was also a slender object sticking out!

In the flashlight’s dim light, it was clear that this object was not an arrow, but a...

crossbow bolt!

A moment later.

A commotion suddenly erupted:

"Enemy attack, there’s an enemy attack!!!!"

...

Note:

Thanks to the Alliance Leader Meng Zesheng for the reward, the debt has increased again.....