By the time Knight Mark and the guards arrive, they find Henwell charging through the bandits, nce in hand. Mark immediately recognizes Henwell's use of cavalry tactics—maintaining speed and exploiting weak points in the enemy's formation to encircle and constrain them.

  Henwell's skills in horsemanship and archery are impressive. Even after breaking through the enemy ranks, he deftly turns and fires arrows with precision at the pursuing bandits.

  This puts the bandits in a difficult position; they can't withstand Henwell's charges nor dare to pursue him. Moreover, Henwell's horse is of exceptional quality, leaving the bandits with no chance to escape.

  Seeing the situation clearly, Knight Mark signals the guards to form ranks. Drawing his longsword, he leads them into a wedge formation for a charge. These guards are handpicked by Baron Jansen, skilled and battle-hardened, equipped with full armor and proficient with both bow and horse.

  Even without nces for the charge, they are more than a match for the bandits. By the time the bandits realize something is amiss, it's too te for them to mount an effective defense. The dozen cavalrymen sweep through the bandit ranks, with no losses or falls among the guards.

  In contrast, over twenty bandits are down, including those Henwell had already taken out. With more than half their numbers gone, the bandits lose their numerical advantage. Realizing their defeat, they scatter and flee.

  However, having traveled far, their horses are exhausted and can't outrun their pursuers. Half an hour ter, Henwell returns with the head of the st bandit.

  The rescued caravan expresses deep gratitude to Henwell for his intervention. However, Henwell declines any reward, stating that since he established the warehouse, he is committed to ensuring their safety. This earns him high praise from passing caravans.

  For the next month, Henwell stays at the warehouse, leading his guards on regur patrols along the trade routes. He engages in several skirmishes with bandits, each time emerging victorious, with hardly any bandits escaping alive. This bolsters Henwell’s reputation not only among the caravans but also among the residents of Peace Haven.

  Naturally, Henwell's name becomes even more notorious among the bandit groups. Despite this, the bandits are skeptical of the tales surrounding Henwell, doubting that a fourteen-year-old boy could possess such formidable strength or the courage to confront them.

  Nevertheless, Henwell's actions have undeniably disrupted their operations, acknowledged by all the bandits. Consequently, several bandit groups pn to unite and teach this brash youngster a harsh lesson.

  Soon, intelligence from the caravans reaches the warehouse. Knight Mark advises Henwell to return to the manor and have the defense officer send troops to garrison the area. Henwell, however, pulls out a map of Peace Haven that he has drawn. "Knight Mark, where do you think the main income of Peace Haven comes from?"

  "The caravans!" Mark replies.

  Henwell nods, "Exactly. Every year, hundreds of caravans pass through here. Smaller ones have dozens of people, while rger ones can number in the thousands. These caravans typically stay in Peace Haven for seven to fifteen days, during which they require numerous services."

  "From food to drink, rest stops to entertainment, everything costs money. During their stay, each caravan member spends, on average, one to two gold coins. This spending is what allowed Peace Haven to quickly regain its prosperity just a few years after the war ended. The caravan taxes are the rgest source of revenue for Peace Haven, amounting to nearly a hundred thousand gold coins annually."

  "Even though our tax rate is already low, at only thirty percent, many caravans still prefer to take smaller routes to avoid our tax zones. The small vilges they pass through are poorly managed, making it difficult to collect effective taxes, leading to significant revenue loss."

  "The vilgers, cking experience, offer services to the caravans at low prices, which means that aside from the rge caravans, few choose to travel our main roads. After investing so much money into building these roads, what's the goal if not to capture a portion of the wealth passing through?"

  Henwell personally believes that even the thirty percent commercial tax is quite steep.

  According to Henwell's perspective, ideally, the tax rate should be one-tenth, or at most, two-tenths. While gold coins are indeed desirable, they are merely cold metal with limited practical use. Money, in essence, serves as a universal equivalent. The value it represents—whether in goods or services—is a manifestation of productivity and bor.

  Rapidly transforming this territory into a bustling trade hub would lead to endless profits in the future. Unfortunately, Henwell isn't the lord of this nd, nor is he truly the baron's son. He can't dictate the tax rates, but he can compel the caravans to take the main roads and gather the scattered bor force from various vilges to where he wants them.

  By doing so, he can utilize this bor force more effectively and collect more taxes from the caravans. Despite Henwell expining his strategy clearly, Knight Mark doesn't seem to grasp the reasoning behind Henwell's actions.

  With a sigh, Henwell dismisses everyone else and speaks directly to Knight Mark. "By enforcing a strict policy against the bandits here, do you think they will disappear?"

  "Of course not," Mark replies. "As long as there are trade routes, bandits will never completely vanish. There will always be greedy, adventurous people!"

  Henwell traces several routes on the map with his finger—these are the paths often taken by small caravans trying to avoid taxes.

  "So, by intensifying our efforts against the bandits, they'll be forced to find other pces to operate. They can't challenge us, but they have a significant advantage over these small vilges. Bandits are made up of greedy adventurers, and so are the caravans that take these back routes. Letting them csh isn't a bad thing at all."

  Finally, Knight Mark understands Henwell's point. He looks at Henwell with surprise, unsure of what to say.

  Henwell anticipates his thoughts. "Knight Mark, you might think what I'm doing is a bit underhanded, but making money has never been a merciful endeavor. We can try to persuade the caravans nicely, but they might not listen. However, the threat of bandits will certainly make them see the value in our tax."

  Henwell pats Mark on the shoulder. "You don't have a knight's fief yet, just a title. Even if you get nd in the future, managing it and establishing a manor will require a lot of money. Stick with me, and I promise you won't lose out. Your future fief could very well be here, and I guarantee you won't have to worry about finances!"

  With that assurance, Knight Mark has no objections. As for Henwell, he isn't truly interested in managing the baron's nd well—after all, it isn't his.