Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Early in the morning, the labor prisoners of Wolf Town were taken to the ruins of the church and the ruins were cleared under the supervision of the militia.

The militiamen were not only responsible for supervision, but also participated in the reconstruction work and did some lighter tasks.

The charcoal mud and black ash must be shoveled away, the burnt wood must be cleaned, and the usable slates and stone bricks must be picked out and brought to the river for cleaning.

Wolf Town is so small that you can count the buildings on one hand.

The church became lively, and the center of the town suddenly became like a construction site bustling with people.

Building a church is a grand event wherever it is, and for many believers it is even more sacred and honorable than building water conservancy and paving roads.

So everyone works extremely hard, even the "slave workers" who are forced to work.

But on such an important occasion, the Montagne resident officer did not appear.

The scene was directed by his deputy, Mr. Mitchell Jr.

It's not that Winters deliberately avoided it, but because the fire was burning at the tip of his brow and there were more pressing matters that needed to be dealt with.

While everyone was immersed in cleaning up the ruins, in the Wolf Town military camp across the road, a man with bloodstains on his clothes was awakened by a bucket of cold water.

"Name, affiliation." The voice of the interrogator was very cold, and it didn't even sound like a question.

The man had not yet come to his senses, and his eyes had not yet adjusted to the light.

He looked at the interrogator in a daze, and immediately received a solid punch in his ribs - only then did he realize that there were two other interrogators in the dark room.

"Name, belonging."

The man gasped in pain. He spoke with difficulty and said intermittently: "I am... I am Sergeant Gulashi of the Rewardan garrison..."

"Evidence." The cold voice continued to ask.

"Sir...how could you not recognize me?"

The light was poor, but Qurashi could still see that the other person was wearing an officer's uniform.

In fact, he had already recognized this uniform during the battle last night.

The most important thing is that Qurahi has been a soldier for more than ten years, and he can recognize the tone, attitude, accent and style of the other person's speech at a glance.

Because they have lived in the United Provinces all year round, orthodox officers will unconsciously speak with a Guitucheng accent, which cannot be faked.

Even Qurashi did not realize this. He just listened to the "accent" of the officer when the other party spoke.

"Clothes don't mean anything." The officer was unmoved: "Bandits can also wear officers' armor. Who is the commander of the Gévaudan garrison?"

A glimmer of hope ignited in Qurashi's heart. If the other party is not a bandit, he still has a way to survive: "It's still Major Ronald. It's always been the same."

"Everyone knows Major Ronald."

"And Captain Epel! Lieutenant Arcos! Lieutenant Elek!"

"Belong."

Qulash tried his best to report all the information that could prove his identity: "Rewardan garrison gendarmerie, my name is Qulash, many people know me..."

The interrogator waved his hand, and the person next to him punched Qurashi again.

Qulash was so painful that he almost convulsed. Now he was even more sure that the other party was an officer. And he is a serious officer, not a wild man.

"What do I ask and what do you answer?"

Qulash nodded desperately.

"You are a military policeman."

"Yes." Gulash didn't dare to say any more.

"You are a military policeman, why are you running?"

"I..." Gulash felt a little aggrieved, and he said carefully: "You chased me first, and then I ran away..."

After saying this, Gulash's body curled up unconsciously, preparing to receive another punch.

The expected punch did not fall.

Only the voice continued to ask: "You are sneaking around Wolf Town and spying, why don't I chase you?"

Qurashi vaguely realized that the other party was actually very easy to talk to.

So he said everything he could say like he was pouring beans from a bamboo tube: "I'm not here to spy on you, really not! You believe me. More than 20 days ago, a collection team was robbed, and the escort fled back to Jevo Dan, Major Ronald asked us to come over and check. I found this place all the way and saw houses being built in the town. I was curious and wanted to take a closer look... No one is building houses anymore. I'm really surprised..."

"us?"

"There have been several grain robbery cases in Tiefeng County in the past two months. The lieutenant principal has sent out all the gendarmerie. They will investigate wherever there are cases... It's really a misunderstanding..."

The other party interrupted Qulash: "Whose orders does Gévaudan take now?"

Gulashi was stunned for a moment and replied in a low voice: "Listen to the Legion, Maple Stone City, General Adams."

"That's enough." The interrogator stood up and handed down the verdict in a leisurely manner: "You are still a prisoner and will be held in solitary confinement. I will go to Gévaudan and after verifying your identity, you can leave."

"Thank you, sir!" Gulashi was almost too happy to be lucky enough to save his life. In comparison, going to jail was not a big deal.

Winters left the cabin and walked toward the tent, with Samkin following behind him.

"Do you really want to go to Jevaudan? My lord?" Samkin asked worriedly, "I will go with you."

Winters smiled and explained the reasoning to Samkin: "Whether we go to Gevaudan or not, we must first stabilize him. Give him a little hope, otherwise he will definitely want to escape."

"Then why not just kill him?" Samkin asked matter-of-factly.

"He knows something. Keep it for now, maybe it will be useful." Winters explained: "Isn't that guy named Ivan also imprisoned?"

In fact, what a soldier of this level can know is very limited. Winters just doesn't want to kill indiscriminately.

"Then...let them work?" Samkin asked.

A total of six military police reconnaissance cavalry came, which was exactly one cavalry.

However, their combat effectiveness was worrisome. Three of them were killed on the spot during the battle and pursuit, and the remaining ones did not run away and were all taken prisoner.

When they returned to Wolf Town, the seriously injured one also died, leaving only Gulash and another slightly injured military policeman.

Winters was troubled: "I don't want them to come into contact with other people."

"I just lock them up and don't let them work." Samujin said somewhat unhappily: "Isn't that a waste of food? I think it's better to kill them."

The feeling of hunger has penetrated into the bones of the Wolf Town militiamen. After all, even the militiamen have to work and hunt to have something to eat, and they still don't have enough to eat.

The prisoners could sit still and wait for food to be delivered to their mouths - although there were only two bowls of wheat porridge a day, it felt a bit unfair after all.

Looking at Samujin's young and simple face, Winters felt inexplicably emotional.

Less than a year ago, Samkin Sopkin was an honest and simple farmer.

He works at sunrise and rests at sunset, and goes to church on weekends. One day he will marry a wife, have children, and one day be buried in the Wolf Town Cemetery by his descendants.

But now Samkin can naturally say "They can't work, I think it's better to kill them."

And it sounded so convincing that Winters even considered killing them all - he was also very hungry.

In troubled times, human life is really worthless.

"No." Winters patted Samkin on the shoulder: "We are not bandits, we are the army. Even if we want to kill, we must kill in a fair and just way. The excuse of not having food is not enough to warrant the death penalty. , even more untenable. Anyway, there are only three of them, so let’s keep them locked up for now.”

"Yes." Samujin nodded heavily.

He didn't quite understand what the centurion meant, but he did whatever the centurion said, and he didn't hesitate at all.

Winters had some inspiration and said with a smile: "Since we can't give them iron tools, give them a few bundles of straw, grass and branches. Let them weave baskets and straw sandals. If they don't weave, they won't be given anything to eat. Those who don't work can't eat. ! It’s really unfair that I have to pull a big saw and chop wood, but they can eat for free.”

Samkin also smiled, showing two rows of uneven teeth: "Yes, I'll do it."

"Don't set your goals too high on the first day." Winters said with a smile: "Go step by step and slowly increase your goals."

"Yes, I understand, don't worry." Samujin's eyes turned into crescent moons, and he agreed.

Samkin left, leaving Winters alone in the tent.

Winters's mind was filled with many unrelated and related things, and he needed to sort out his thoughts bit by bit.

The border town that hadn't seen a single new face for months suddenly saw three groups of people arrive in one day - four waves to be exact.

Taking each batch of visitors alone would give Winters a headache for a long time. However, fate is so cruel. Not only did they come, they also came together.

The most urgent matter was Gévaudan's reconnaissance cavalry. The military police stationed in the garrison traced it all the way to Wolf Town. Fortunately, they were discovered by the sentry posted by Winters.

First there was a lightning-fast battle, and then there was an endless pursuit all night long. Winters finally eliminated all six scouts without letting any of them escape.

Through interrogation and the fragmentary information previously provided, Winters deduced two points:

First, the political stance of the New Reclamation Corps is ambiguous. They did not choose Blue Rose or Red Rose. However, the new reclamation province has not yet been divided internally, and is still gathered under the banner of the new reclamation army;

According to the information Winters learned, there were three groups of people who entered the newly cultivated land to collect grain and harvest wheat fields. Winters was still wondering at the time, who was the third party besides Red and Blue Rose? It now appears that it is General Adams' new Reclamation Army.

Secondly, Gévaudan has not noticed any changes in Wolf Town yet, and does not even know that he is still alive. Naturally, he has no plans to attack Wolf Town - for the time being.

Winters acted very cautiously. Except for "ambushing the grain collection team", nothing he did exceeded the authority and responsibility of the "resident officer".

Militia?

The garrison officer has the right to recruit militia.

Suppress bandits?

The officers stationed in the town were originally responsible for public security and combating banditry.

Make bandits do hard labor? Public trial of bandits?

Local judicial power also resides in the hands of town officials.

Cross-border enforcement?

He really can't control this Gévaudan. If he wants to control it, Heishui Town must first file an accusation, but it's too late for Heishui Town to be happy.

In the land of the Palatine military, the garrison officers had the status of feudal lords, and this was not a lie.

Based on what Winters did, Gévaudin should not only not punish him, but also give him a one-ton medal—excluding the robbery of the grain truck.

At present, the conflict between Winters and Gévaudin only occurs on one point: Gévaudin wants food, but Winters does not want to give it to the people. If it is given to the people, there will be no way to survive.

In fact, there is another contradiction that is difficult to detect and does not require direct confrontation: the land of the Palatine military was given to the refugees for reclamation.

As for when Gévaudan will find out that the robbery of the food collection team is related to Wolf Town?

Winters thinks it will be a matter of time.

It was impossible for the convoy to walk on the road without leaving traces, and the villages and towns along the way were all witnesses.

It's just that Wolf Town is too remote and Winters is careful when "committing crimes", so he hasn't been exposed yet.

Recently, during the lean period, Gévaudan did not send any more food collection teams to Wolf Town, so it did not trigger a second confrontation.

Moreover, according to the confession of the military police sergeant, the food collection team was robbed more than once, and there were other cases that distracted Gévaudin's attention.

But Winters had seen the officers at Gévaudan garrison.

He visited the home of Major Ronald, and was warmly entertained by Captain Epel and other seniors.

Those alumni were smart people who had the same education and training as him.

In fact, Winters thought he had been exposed. When he intercepted the scout team, he was already exposed to Gévaudan's sight.

Gévaudin might pretend to be confused, might want to gently expose him, or might hit him with a heavy fist. Winters didn't know what to expect.

But Winters already has some plans, thanks to Father Carman.

The information Kaman brought back was very valuable. He had been with the remnants of the expeditionary force, so... Winters had to go to Gevaudan.

As for Father Carman's church, its importance is currently slightly higher than "finding some milk-stimulating food for the Mitchell family's hunting dog" and far less important than "the blacksmith's charcoal has not been burned recently", so Winters just threw it away Give Pierre responsibility.

As soon as I thought of Pierre, Pierre came.

"I need you to go over to the church." Pierre seldom talks nonsense these days.

"What's the matter?" Winters didn't care: "Why don't we just build a wooden shed for Kaman to use first?"

Pierre showed a smile: "You still have to come to the foundation laying ceremony."

The military camp and the original site of the church are separated by a dirt road, less than twenty meters.

Winters and Pierre soon made their way to the construction site.

"I still have to ask you to lay the first stake." Pierre scratched his head: "We are not qualified."

Winters had nothing to say. He took the stone hammer and hit the "first wooden stake" hard.

"Okay!" Winters threw away the stone hammer and clapped his hands: "Let's get to work."

It took less than ten seconds to complete the groundbreaking ceremony.

The militiamen and slave workers were stunned for a while, then picked up their tools and got back to work. The silent church site was noisy again.

"Oh, if old man Anthony knew that it was me, the magician, who knocked the first wooden stake into his church." Winters suddenly felt a little funny: "I don't know what he would think."

This time it was Pierre's turn to be speechless.

"But these labor prisoners work hard for the church." Pierre looked at the slave workers cleaning stones by the river and suddenly said with emotion: "It would be great if they could work so hard on weekdays."

Winters sneered: "After all, you are pleasing the gods. Sweat more when you are alive, and less warm after death."

[Note: This refers to purgatory]

Hearing this mean but to the point comment, Pierre wanted to laugh but didn't dare.

"I was originally building a wooden shed, but there seems to be something wrong." Winters looked at the blackened stone walls of the church and suddenly asked: "The mortar and plaster are overheated, can they still be used?

This question stopped Pierre. He smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know either. I have to find a mason to ask."

The old church of Wolf Town is divided into two parts, the older stone structure and the wooden structure that has been expanded in recent years.

After a fire, all the wood was burned away, leaving only stone walls that were unknown how old they were. Even the plaster and murals on the walls were burned until they fell off.

"Are there any masons in Wolftown?" Winters asked.

"Not in Wolf Town." Pierre shook his head: "You have to go to Gevaudin. In the past, when you built a big house, you had to go to Gevaudan to hire a mason."

Masons are not only masons, but also building designers and contractors.

"Let's build a wooden shed roof for Kaman first." Winters sighed: "Be careful. If there are any cracks in the wall, tell me immediately."

Winters has no time to draw drawings for Kaman now, so Kaman's church has been temporarily downgraded from "beautiful" to "make do with a wooden shed roof on the old wall."

Winters watched the "labor convicts" working hard to rebuild the church, and suddenly had an idea.

He whispered: "Pierre?"

"Yes?" Pierre tilted his head slightly.

"Tell me, is hope important?"

"It should be...very important."

"It's very important. Only if you have hope can you survive." Winters sighed: "We must also give these labor prisoners a little hope, otherwise they will just stutter and be forced to work, and they will not work hard."

"These labor convicts are...the ones in the St. Guis Valley." Pierre said with some embarrassment.

The crimes committed by the gangs in the Senges Valley were so heinous that if Winters' previous temperament was followed, every one of these gangsters would be dead.

It was precisely because he chose to kill with "explicit punishment" that these accomplices saved their lives.

"I'm not thinking about them, but about our interests. It's good for us if they work hard." Winters made up his mind: "We have to give them some hope and set a number for their crimes. For example After a thousand days, we will let them go free."

Pierre is always quick to understand. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said thoughtfully: "There also needs to be an evaluation standard to distinguish the good from the bad. For example, if a prisoner works hard for eight hundred days, we will let them go free. If he doesn’t work hard and hangs out for a thousand days, then he still owes us a thousand days.”

"Yes! Well said. Let's study it carefully when we call everyone for a meeting tonight." Winters thought for a moment: "Isn't this becoming Lieutenant Mason's working ranch? Ha, we need to give 'number of days' a name. How about just calling it 'Work Day'?"

Pierre pondered and said: "Working days are not accurate. Sometimes we work ten hours a day, and sometimes we work six hours a day. Otherwise, it should be accurate to the hour and called 'working hours'? Any labor prisoner, as long as Once you complete the stipulated working hours, you can regain your freedom - as long as you don't mess around."

"Okay, let's call it working hours." Winters clapped his hands and laughed. He said excitedly: "I will go back to the main account right now, write this down, and draw up a few rules first."

"Please wait a moment." Pierre's expression was a little subtle: "Sir, have you forgotten something?"

"whats the matter?"

Pierre said slowly: "My family..."

"It's broken." Winters shouted.

He went out last night with his sword in hand and chased the Rewardan scout all night long, returning only at dawn. After that, the two prisoners were interrogated non-stop, until now.

Anna is still waiting at Mitchell Manor!

[My wife has no job.jpg (face covering)]

[Winters was so anxious now that he left Anna alone all night...]

[The timeline of the Battle of the Great Wasteland has been updated at the end of the second volume. Interested readers please turn to the end of the second volume]

[There are two maps in this chapter, one is a map of Tiefeng County, and the other is an overhead view of Wolf Town. The paintings are very crude. Interested book friends can find it in the description of this chapter]

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]