I welcome your help, Duke Otto, and look forward to greeting you again as a brother in arms.

However, I must take both you and Chancellor Diettrich to task a bit for questioning my reasoning in regards to my merchants.

You see, one can never have enough merchants. They make a town lively, they bring their own entertainers to my court at times (a very witty pair of Irish jugglers last week, in fact). Most importantly, they set an example of wealthy decadence which inspires the common people to strive for more themselves. And thus my tax base increases.

In the current time, though, when robbers clog the roads, it is true that I should focus my treasury and energy on more important matters, such as snuffing out those mean and lowly pustulences calling themselves "rebels". So, I have changed my orders accordingly. Be assured, though, that I will train more merchants and have the grandest time with them, and their jugglers!