Iron Powder and Spellcaster

In the early morning of the next day after the banquet, the three newly formed infantry battalions lined up neatly on the playground of the Jevaudan military camp.

"That day someone told me that after winning the battle, he wanted to eat meat and sleep. I promised him, 'Go back to Gevaudan and kill pigs and sheep!'" Winters stood in front of the stage and asked the entire army: "Did you kill the pig yesterday?"

"Kill!" the soldiers replied.

"Have you slaughtered the sheep?"

"Kill it!"

"Have you eaten enough? Did you drink enough? Have you slept enough?"

"You're full!" a soldier shouted.

Some soldiers also shouted: "I want to have another meal!"

"Want to have another meal?" Winters laughed: "Me too! The haggis white soup is delicious! The roast pork is delicious!"

The soldiers burst into laughter.

"But no!" Winters changed the topic: "We can neither eat nor drink! If we hold yesterday's banquet again, the Tiefeng County Government will go bankrupt!"

Winters took out the money bag and emptied it and showed it to the soldiers: "Look! There is no silver dime left."

The matter was actually very serious, but Winters' relaxed tone relieved a lot of anxiety.

"So." Winters said seriously: "We have to farm! If we don't farm, there will be no bread to eat!"

Only then did the soldiers realize that the land was going to be given to them. Everyone was excited and nervous.

"In the first year of land granting, everything is waiting to be done! The number of farm tools and farm animals is limited." Winters announced: "So this year, farm tools, livestock, seeds and rations will be distributed in companies and used intensively! During the war, , you are a collective; when dividing and cultivating the land, you are still a collective! A company is a village, do you understand?"

"Yes!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

"Okay!" Winters laughed boldly and waved his right hand: "Let's all plant the land! Plant as much as you can for me!"

When Winters disbanded the army, Bard was also giving a speech a hundred kilometers southwest of Gevaudan.

"Don't worry about three or two fields!" He stood on the carriage and spread hope to hundreds of hungry and cold people: "There is no need to leave it fallow this year! All the land that can be dug up! Plant it!"

"Wheat! Barley! Buckwheat! Grow whatever you can!"

“We don’t divide the fields! We don’t divide the fields into households! We don’t have that time to waste!”

"Plows and farm animals are distributed uniformly! Men pull the plow! Women and children sow and harrow the ground! If you want to eat, you must work!"

"Survive the winter! Hold on until next summer's harvest!" Bud's voice was firm and powerful: "You will be full!"

Overwintering crops are usually planted from late September to early October.

It is now October 20th, and we must race against time to plant overwintering crops before the temperature drops.

"Let the refugees cultivate the land again" is easy to say, but only Bud knows how difficult it is to do - Winters knows part of it.

Because everything is lacking.

Lack of shovels, lack of rakes, lack of plows, lack of plow animals...everything imaginable is extremely scarce.

Not only is it difficult to restore agricultural production, but how to ensure the survival of the refugees is also a big problem.

Refugees are human beings, they need to eat, drink, and have a house to live in.

Winter is approaching, and the refugees lack warm clothing, so they need a lot of fuel to stay warm.

In such a tricky situation, no matter who is in charge, it will be very difficult.

But Bud had a smile on his lips for a long time, because in his opinion, the key issue of life and death had been solved by Winters.

The regime has won the right to survive, and the remaining difficulties are just minor problems.

And there are always more solutions than difficulties.

Forty veterans and three hundred militiamen selected from the refugees, this is all the troops in Bard's hands, standing in front of him at this moment.

"The bloody battle was won by Tribune Montagne! He won beautifully!" Bard lectured coldly: "We have to fight the bloodless battle. If we cannot win, then the blood of others will be lost." It’s Bailiu!”

The atmosphere was solemn and solemn, and everyone's bodies were tense.

"Ish from Ganshui Town!"

Ish was no longer the timid farmer he once was. He cheered up and answered loudly.

Bud ordered: "Take your people and get the property details of the Blue Mountain Manor, and go and count them one by one for me. Bring back the farm tools. Seal the house temporarily! It will be distributed in the future!"

"Yes, sir!"

"What are you waiting for? Go now!"

Ish took the order, took a team of people, and set off immediately.

Because Bud successfully achieved a "peaceful handover", the properties of each manor were preserved intact.

Under the leadership of the owner of Blue Mountain Manor [Richard Marta], the manor owners cooperated in providing a list of fixed assets such as farm tools and buildings.

If the settlement is violent, it will definitely lead to losses and it will not be as smooth as it is now - this is why Bard would rather give money than rob.

Houses and farm tools are all things Bud desperately needs.

The houses were provided by various manors as residences for hired workers and tenants, and most of them were empty.

Although these houses are dilapidated, they are just right for the refugees to live in.

The farm tools of each manor are also valuable resources.

In other words, Bud wants to "borrow the chicken to lay the eggs."

It’s still the same land, the same tools, the same houses, still cultivating and producing food.

But those who work must be replaced, and those who collect taxes must also be replaced.

Team after team was sent out to check the supplies, but Angelou, the pony boy, was the only one who had not received the order.

Angelou waited in silence.

"Angelou." Bud gently called Angelou to his side: "You go to Gevaudan."

"Send the message and let others go!" Angelou was a little anxious: "I'll stay here to help you!"

Bud sighed: "You have to go to this matter. If conditions don't allow it, I would like to go in person!"

"Okay! I'll go!" Angelou nodded heavily.

"You go and deliver a message."

"What?"

"Go to your centurion." Bard said seriously: "Whatever he wants!"

Angelou was in a daze, and his centurion was Winters Montagne.

"What do you want?" Angelo whispered.

Bud motioned for Angel to sit down, and said with a wry smile: "Whatever you want! It's not enough to just rely on old farm tools, you have to make new ones. Tell that guy, don't just hold a banquet to celebrate, but come and help me." help!"

Angel didn't dare to speak and nodded desperately.

The more Bud talked, the more helpless he became. He told the ponyboy: "Remember to tell your centurion - stop building plows! There are enough plows, and they are all cultivated land. You can just make do with a wooden plow!"

Does he only know plow trucks? It would be better to make more other farm tools! You might as well send me some axes! A bunch of plow trucks were sent, and I don’t have any farm animals here. Is it possible that I need people to pull the plow trucks? Can a person pull a heavy-duty plow truck? "

Angelou had never seen Lieutenant Bader complain about being tired. This was the first time he heard these complaints.

He had a vague feeling that Lieutenant Bader seemed to regard him as Centurion Montagne, so he poured out his bitterness.

"Let the Forge Township make more small farm tools." Bard has not finished his words: "Don't make pure iron ones! It's a waste! Make iron-clad ones! First they are enough, and then consider whether they are durable or not."

Only Forge Township in Tiefeng County can build heavy-duty plow trucks, and the blacksmiths in other villages and towns purchase their goods from Forge Township.

Take Misha, the old blacksmith from Wolf Town, for example. Misha's physical condition is no longer able to do heavy work, so he just repairs and doesn't build, and occasionally makes small pieces of iron.

After Winters took over the Forge Township, he ordered the blacksmiths in the Forge Township to build plow trucks.

In his opinion, what does it take to cultivate land without plowing?

But the reality is that there are more plows than livestock in the refugee camps.

Heavy plow trucks are for horses and require two or even three horses to pull them.

If farming is purely done by humans, the lighter the plow, the better, and there is no need for such heavy plows at all.

Without Bud, even if someone knew there was something wrong with Winters' order, no one would dare to correct him.

The mistake continues like this.

But Winters was still happy. He felt that he had done something right and good.

"Also, after the war is over, the horses should no longer be used intensively." Bud said naggingly: "Don't worry about war horses or draft horses, farming is the top priority now! Distributing the horses can also save fodder. Andre certainly won't Agreed, leave him a few more horses, he will figure it out in a few days..."

Bud gave a lot of instructions, all of which he wanted to tell Winters but could not reach the latter's ears during this period.

"Remember?" Bud asked Angelou

Angelou nodded sharply, then shook his head sharply.

"What did I say?"

"Plow truck!" Angelou swallowed: "And horses!"

"No plow cart! Horses!" Bud sighed: "Okay, you go."

…

The lives of the refugees have opened a new chapter.

The officer who held up the emblem of St. Ados and commanded them to swear allegiance actually gave them land, farm tools, and houses.

They are no longer "refugees" and have regained their identity as "peasants".

This alone was something they never dared to think about in the past.

But their production methods are different from ordinary homesteaders and tenant farmers.

Compared with the common [landowners and tenants] or [government and farmers] model, the "new government" they called adopted a new and backward system.

The new government did not allocate land to them on a per capita basis. Instead, they concentrated on using agricultural tools, livestock and seeds to collectively cultivate a large area of ​​land in "camps" - known as "farms".

The reason why this system is said to be backward is that it completely copies the feudal manor model.

Noble manors were like today's farms. There were no furrows or ridges to demarcate the land. The lord's land was staggered with the land of tenants and serfs.

When tenant farmers and serfs cultivated their own allotments, they also cultivated the lord's land.

From this point of view, the relationship between the new farmers and the new government is similar to that between lords and serfs.

The rights of the new farmers were restricted and they had to work whether they were willing or not.

The land is not demarcated and is cultivated uniformly.

Many old people still remember the days when they worked in noble estates, so they easily accept the status quo - they are farming land for the master anyway.

But this system is also an unprecedented new system:

It means that a regime cuts through the layers of middlemen and reaches an "agreement" directly with the farmers at the bottom.

There were no lords, no tax collectors, no lords and lords' lords.

Just like there is only one sun in the sky, even if farmers still cultivate land for the "master", they are also cultivating land for the biggest and only master - the new government of Tiefeng County.

It’s not that Bud didn’t know that “only when fields are distributed to each household can farmers be motivated.”

He also knows very well that "the refugees will work hard this year, not because they are hardworking, but because they are hungry. When they have enough to eat, the collective labor model will make them lazy."

But he decided to adopt this method after careful consideration.

There is no way, the displaced people do not have the conditions to "distribute farmland to each household".

Resources are too scarce and must be used intensively.

If you want to divide the fields among households, you must first "divide the fields".

To divide fields, we need to demarcate boundaries, and use furrows and ridges to demarcate fields. It’s too late to plant wheat, so how can we have time to do this?

Moreover, Bard did not have anyone who could measure the land or calculate the area.

Measuring land is not a simple task. The land is rugged and the shape is not square. If you want to find the area of ​​a polygon, you must at least learn "Geometry" first.

Not to mention that ridges and furrows will also take up valuable cultivated land area.

Growing up in the United Provinces, where cultivated land was scarce, Bud had seen farmers whose land was cut into small, disconnected plots. The fields, ridges, and furrows occupied almost 10% or more of the total cultivated land area.

He still lacked livestock and farm tools.

In order to get the most out of the few cattle, horses, and farm implements they had to be used intensively.

Bard has no shortage of manpower, so "when the people rest, the plow never rests" is the ideal state at the moment.

Therefore, in the end, we still have to distribute the farmland to each household, and collective farms are only a transitional measure.

After settling some of the refugees in Blackwater Town, Bud led the remaining refugees to continue moving to Wolf Town and Five Mastiff Towns.

Just one Blackwater town cannot accommodate all the refugees.

But Blackwater Town made a good start for Wolf Town and Five Mastiff Town.

Why are refugees moved to such remote places?

This is also the consensus reached by Winters and Budd after a long discussion.

"Although the eight towns in the north are richer, the people's hearts are not towards us, and there is no danger to defend. The eight towns south of the St. George River are our core territory." Winters summed it up this way: "The more the refugees move to the southwest, Move as far away from the tentacles of the New Reclamation Army as possible. Even if you move closer to the Hed's sphere of influence, it is still worthwhile."

Therefore, Bud gave priority to resettling refugees in Wolf Town, Blackwater Town and Five Mastiff Town.

If they cannot be accommodated, they will be transferred to other urban areas according to the principle of proximity.

In this way, after a great victory in Blackwater Town, Bard embarked on a long journey again.

There are many hardships and dangers waiting for him ahead, he knows this, and he is ready.

So what is Winters Montagne doing at this moment?

Bud would probably be pissed to death if he knew the answer - Winters was nursing.

To be precise, Winters was breastfeeding Little Changsheng.

"You bastard! No one is trying to rob you!" Winters was going crazy. He pulled Chang Sheng's neck hard, trying to stop Chang Sheng from immersing his head in the milk: "You're not afraid of choking to death!"

Scarlett on the side was laughing so hard that her branches were trembling and she was leaning forward and backward.

Anna was there too, smiling reservedly. This was her first time coming to the stables.

Because it was her first-born baby and it was difficult to deliver, Changsheng’s mother didn’t allow her to drink milk, and later she stopped producing milk at all.

Winters had to find two ewes to serve as wet nurses for Changsheng - and later he found a cow.

Changsheng was born on September 21st, which is exactly one month now.

A foal is born with sixteen teeth, four of which are incisors, similar to human incisors.

The four-week-old Changsheng has already grown four more incisors, and its sucking power is getting stronger and stronger.

Changsheng's sucking on the three "wet nurses" was so painful that neither the ewe nor the cow was allowed to drink their milk directly.

In desperation, Scarlett had to express the milk first, and then feed it to Changsheng in a bucket.

A new problem arises - immortality cannot drink milk from the bucket.

When Scarlett came to Gevaudin, she also brought two puppies from the litter of the family's hunting dogs.

In preparation for the war a while ago, Gévaudin's horses were requisitioned. Changsheng only has puppies as companions, and plays with them every day, causing him to behave more and more like a puppy instead of a pony.

It is the time when it needs to drink a lot of milk, and it is hungry all the time.

So every time Scarlett puts the milk bucket in front of Changsheng, Changsheng can't wait to put his whole head into the bucket.

Even the nostrils are immersed below the liquid level, and you will choke when you drink.

Since Winters, the "godfather" of immortality, has returned to Gevaudan, Scarlett gives Winters the arduous task of solving this problem.

Winters wasn't surprised.

When Winters was a child, Elizabeth secretly retrieved a kitten that had just been out for a few days from the garden.

Ella didn't dare let her mother know, so she begged Winters to help her.

Winters has always been his sister's "puppet", and he couldn't bear to see the kitten die, so he tried his best to feed the kitten.

That's when he discovered that newborn kittens didn't know how to drink milk from the plate.

The kitten smelled the milk and gnawed hard on the edge of the plate, but didn't know how to drink it.

Later, it was he who secretly cut a piece from his aunt's silk clothes, cut the silk into wadding, and used the silk wadding to drain the fluid and feed it to the kitten, so that the kitten survived.

后来不知什么时候，小猫自然而然学会了舔着喝奶；因为温特斯剪破绸衣，艾拉被珂莎暴揍了一顿；那只小猫也从此留在温特斯家中，被起It's called "Little General".

So Winters confidently accepted the task of teaching the elders to drink milk. When Anna learned about this, she wanted to follow him.

"The stable is dirty and smelly." Winters dissuaded Anna: "It's just feeding the foal, there's nothing to see."

"I want to get to know you better." Anna replied softly.

Then the embarrassing scene appeared in front of them. Winters failed as expected, Chang Sheng drank milk like he always did while diving, and the two ladies were smiling.

It wasn't until he drank all the milk that Changsheng's nostrils were completely exposed.

"Bring a plate to this bad boy to drink from!" Winters said bitterly.

"What should I do if I can't drink milk forever?" Scarlett asked.

"Hungry! If you are too hungry, you will naturally learn to drink milk."

Scarlett blinked: "Okay."

"I'm sorry." Winters sighed and looked at the blacksmith Shaosha on the side with a wry smile: "I made you laugh."

"I don't dare, Lord Tribune." Shaosha laughed along with him: "It's very interesting! I also worked as a farrier before and I like horses very much!"

Blacksmith Shaosha was summoned by Winters to meet.

To restore agricultural production, Winters needed iron farm tools most urgently.

Therefore, as the highest-ranking blacksmith in Gévaudan and not involved in the previous rebellion conspiracy, Chauchat was highly relied upon by Winters.

Winters had previously ordered that the blacksmith Shaosha not be stopped if he asked for an audience. So Charles didn't think much and brought Shaosha directly to the stable.

With Winters, Anna, Scarlett, and Immortal in the stable, the atmosphere was private and intimate.

Shao Sha barged in by mistake, which was actually very embarrassing.

Seeing that Winters and Shaosha were about to discuss business, Anna said to Scarlett: "Little Ms. Mitchell, I have a gift for you, come with me."

After that, Anna gave a gentle salute and pulled Scarlett to leave.

"Let me introduce you." Winters stopped Anna and said to Shaosha with a smile: "This is my wife."

He introduced Scarlett again: "This is my sister."

Anna's cheeks suddenly turned red; while Scarlett's eyes were a little dim, but soon returned to their usual wild and energetic appearance.

"My wife's opinion is very important to me." Winters explained to Shaosha seriously: "So if you have anything, you can say it in front of them. It also saves me having to repeat it again."

Shao Sha never expected that the notorious "Blood Wolf" would actually have an even more powerful "She Wolf" in his family.

And from the outside, there is no indication that Mrs. Montagne, who is known to be a well-known lady at a glance, has the ability to calm her husband.

But Chauchat really heard what Montagne tribune said personally, "My wife's opinion is very important to me."

A qualified Plato man will never listen to his wife's opinion unless he can't beat his wife. Thinking of this, Shao Sha actually felt pity for Mr. Xuelang, and also felt towards Monta, who looked gentle and considerate but was actually amazingly powerful. Mrs. Nie gave birth to three points of respect.

Seeing blacksmith Shao Sha stunned, Winters reminded him: "Didn't you say there are iron ores in Tiefeng County? I asked you to write a report. How about it?"

Shao Sha hurriedly took out a folded piece of parchment from his arms: "Lord Tribune, this is my first time writing a report, so I didn't write well. Please..."

Wintersley landed on the ground and took the parchment: "I'll see, you tell."

Shao Sha cleared his throat and began to narrate: "Tiefeng County is called Tiefeng County because of the Tiefeng Mountain in the northwest. And Tiefeng Mountain is called Tiefeng Mountain because of the iron ore.

Before the opening of the border area, this was a place where the Hed people smelted iron. When my father-in-law's family moved here thirty years ago, the iron mine was also being mined. But now we only use the iron bars produced by Steel Castle, and the iron mine has become abandoned. "

Anna listened attentively, and Scarlett listened with rapt attention.

"Are there any reserves?" Winters only asked what he was most concerned about.

"Yes." Shao Sha nodded repeatedly: "My father-in-law said yes. The mineral veins are not broken and we are still very wealthy."

"Then why not pick it?"

Shaosha scratched his head and said sincerely: "Actually, I don't know either. I moved to Jevaudan fourteen years ago. At that time, Tiefeng Mine had ceased production. So my father-in-law told me, if there is anything I apologize for the mistake."

"Whatever you know, just say it." Winters frowned subconsciously.

Shao Sha was frightened and nodded quickly: "Yes! Yes."

Anna noticed Shaosha's emotional change, and she remembered it in her heart, but she didn't move or speak, she just listened quietly.

Shao Sha continued: "My father-in-law said that the ore from Tiefeng Mine is not good, and the iron produced is brittle and prone to rust. Moreover, the blacksmiths in Forge Township use small furnaces to smelt iron, and it costs money to buy ore and charcoal. It costs money, time, money and effort.

It would be more economical to buy steel bars directly from the steel castle. The steel bars were shipped by water, very cheap and of first-class quality. Objects made of steel bars are slightly more expensive, but everyone is willing to buy them. There will be no forge owners left to smelt iron. "

Winters said thoughtfully: "Just like sword strips, don't you also only buy steel castle sword strips?"

"It's really just like the steel sword bars. They are all ready-made, cheap and easy to use, so no one is spending time and effort forging swords anymore." Shao Sha smiled bitterly and said: "To tell you the truth, my sword forging skills have also been wasted. I was a good swordsmith before, but now I can only make beautiful sword hilts and scabbards."

Winters laughed heartily and happily.

"Mr. Shaosha, can you please ask your father-in-law to come and talk to me?" Winters stopped smiling and asked the blacksmith Shaosha seriously.

Shao Sha's expression was a little complicated: "Sir, my father-in-law's back was smashed eight years ago and he is now paralyzed in bed. That's why he recruited me as his son-in-law to inherit his forge..."

"I'm sorry that this happened." Winters patted Shaosha on the shoulder: "Then I will visit you personally."

"I don't dare to take it... I don't dare to take it..." Shao Sha hurriedly declined.

But Winters would not allow him to refuse, and after agreeing on a time, he sent Shaosha away.

Anna also took Scarlett out of the stable. Before leaving, she signaled Winters to come find her later.

"Ciel!" Winters called loudly.

Charles, who had just sent Shao Sha away, ran over in a panic: "What's the matter? Brother?"

"When Miss Navarre is with me in the future." Seeing Charles' confused look, Winters became furious: "Don't bring guests to me directly!"

"Oh...ok." Charles stood at attention with a smile and gave a crooked salute: "Yes!"

"Let's go." Winters waved his hand and laughed: "Call Carlos Sawyer over here!"

[Farming makes people happy]

[Because the author was named after a useless person, Tiefeng County is called Tiefeng County because it really has an iron peak; and Tiefeng County is called Tiefeng County because it really produces iron]

[Yes, Forge Township is called Forge Township because it is the ironware production center of Tiefeng County and has many forges - sincere thanks to the enthusiastic book friend Qian Jin Tailin for providing the place name]

[Personal experience of rescuing a kitten even though the newborn kitten won’t drink milk from the plate and covers its face]

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