Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Visiting Ronald and the other seniors was the last thing on Winters' mind.

Thinking about "Why do we (we) rule Tiefeng County" made Winters realize that no one among these captured alumni would stand on his side. If so, it must be with bad intentions.

Winters believed that he had "conquered" Iron Peak County by defeating the old rulers by "force of force."

If he rebelled against the New Reclamation Army with a clear-cut banner and sent battle messages in all directions, maybe one or two ambitious Plato officers would come to defect to him.

But if we do that, the crusade might come to visit us next week—and even General Winter can’t stop us.

General Adams has many headaches, and Winters doesn't want to be the one that causes the General the most headache.

So he tried his best to show weakness and deliberately showed himself to be in a corner. The field troops of Wargne County were wiped out by Don Juan, but Winters did not send any organized troops across the border.

Instead, he sent a letter to Maple Stone City to explain, and also symbolically paid a bag of gold coins as back taxes. He still has the house number of "Revaudan Residential Home".

This moderate attitude is also beneficial internally: it has less pressure to rule, can maximize recognition, and inherits the authority of the old garrison.

Just like the North Eight Towns, they don't really support Winters, and Winters doesn't have the energy to directly rule the North Eight Towns at the moment.

Therefore, Winters issued decrees in the name of the garrison. They were on good terms with each other in terms of face, so Beibazhen just pretended to be deaf and dumb.

Of course, there are always particularly "brave" guys who refuse to obey discipline. Winters has been busy with autumn plowing recently and has no time to pay attention to the flies, so he just stands by and watches the mosquitoes and flies dancing.

"When you have some time to relax." Winters rubbed the hilt of his sword.

But this ambiguous attitude also has obvious disadvantages. If enemies look down on Winters, potential allies will look down on Winters even more.

Not to mention that from any aspect, the New Reclamation Corps has an overwhelming advantage. In the eyes of many people, it is unclear whether the new government of Tiefeng County can survive until this time next year. Of course, they will not place their bets lightly.

The only people Winters could really rely on were his companions, his old troops, and the warriors who had been assigned land. But even his old subordinates and soldiers will inevitably feel uneasy because they all rely on his prestige.

So he simply gave up the idea of ​​recruiting captured alumni and honestly managed his real foundation.

As Winters rode on horseback, he couldn't help but feel sad, because he gradually figured out why the aristocratic system emerged: "To gain the support of most people, you must benefit most people. This is too difficult. It is better to only benefit a small number of people." It's easy to conquer some people by force of arms. Knights? Aren't knights just the 'soldiers' of Charlie the Hammer who have horses, attendants, and fiefs?"

As he walked, he came to a camp far away from villages and farms in the north of Wolf Town.

When the guard saw Winters coming, he immediately lowered the hanging door.

This camp is very interesting. Its hanging door faces inward instead of outward, because it is a prison. The soldiers who stayed in Wolf Town called it [Wolf Forest Prison].

After an unpleasant escape, all the captive officers were transferred to Wolf Town. Samutin did not want officers to come into contact with ordinary prisoners, so he built this prison specifically to hold officers.

Major Ronald was writing a letter when he heard the sound of horse hooves outside and looked up to find Winters walking to the door.

"Why are you here?" Ronald put down the pen and paper and smiled.

"Winter is coming soon." Winters walked into the cell carrying the package and replied with a smile: "My lady asked me to bring you a coat and blanket."

He took out a pipe and a large pack of cut tobacco leaves from his bag, and apologized: "This is the best I can find. No one is growing tobacco this year, so please don't dislike it. There are also two cans of sugar. It’s in the bag, too.”

"I'm not welcome." Ronald took the tobacco leaves, took out his pipe from the box next to him, and filled it: "Haha, my inventory has been smoked out a long time ago."

After Ronald filled the tobacco leaves, Winters naturally took the pipe and lit it for his senior.

"Your wife is still living in the official residence, as are the families of other seniors in Gevaudan." Winters handed the pipe back to the senior: "The salary will be as before, and each family will send flour and non-staple food every week. Please no need to worry."

Winters' tone did not contain any charity or pity, as if he was chatting with his senior.

Ronald took the pipe, took a pleasant puff, and slowly exhaled: "How is Changsheng?"

"Don't mention it." Winters got a headache when mentioning Changsheng: "Changsheng drinks goat's milk, plays with dogs, shakes his head and jumps around like a puppy all day long, and even wants to imitate the barking of dogs. He is completely led astray. "

Ronald laughed so hard that he shed tears. Wiping away his tears, he smiled and said, "If you come to see me, it means you have won your battle."

Winters nodded.

"How was the process?" Ronald asked curiously, "Can you tell me about it?"

Winters took the pen and paper, took out two chess pieces, sat down facing each other, and started to deduce them for his seniors. The two of them talked to each other, and the atmosphere was very lively.

That's all, Ronald couldn't help but admire: "Your fights are getting more and more handsome."

"Thank you."

"Your army has a sword and a dagger. Your enemies are all staring at your sword, but they don't notice the dagger hidden behind them. It's not surprising that you lose the battle."

Winters thought of Don Juan and Moritz, and said sheepishly: "I am actually a dagger, and the one hidden behind my back is the sword, the deadly sword."

"[Old saying] Youth is such a terrible power." Ronald was a little sentimental and asked: "How is Lieutenant Colonel Zipper of Wargne County doing?"

Winters was silent.

Ronald sighed deeply, but comforted Winters: "[(Ancient proverb) Only the dead will not suffer the disaster of weapons], these are unavoidable, don't worry too much."

The two chatted for a few more words, but there was nothing more to say.

Winters stood up: "Do you have any letters that you want me to take back?"

"There are exactly three letters." Ronald carefully took out two pieces of letter paper, then hurriedly finished writing the third letter piece on the table, and handed it to Winters together: "Please give it to my wife."

Ronald handed it open to Winters without sealing it or folding it.

Without looking at it, Winters carefully folded the letter for the senior and put it in his arms: "I will definitely deliver it. When I return to Gevaudan, I will send you some chessboards, books and other entertainment things."

"It couldn't be better." Ronald smiled and nodded, pointing gently to the next door: "You'd better go and see where the lieutenants live. Second Lieutenant Adam... his mood is not right, and you need to persuade him."

"I'll go right away." Winters turned and walked towards the cell door.

Ronald was silent until one of Winters' boots stepped outside the threshold, and then he spoke softly: "Thank you."

What is Ronald thankful for? Thanks for taking care of his family? Thanks for respecting him? Thanks for not saying anything to try to surrender?

Winters doesn't know either. He nodded, left, and the cell door closed again.

Over there with the lieutenant and the prisoner, the situation was different from that of Ronald. Ronald lived in a single cell, while the lieutenants lived in several large cells side by side.

Winters actually captured some lieutenants from Baishan County and Wargne County, but he temporarily left those seniors in Gevaudan and did not put them together with the prisoners from Tiefeng County.

Epel and Asko, two men who had suicidal thoughts, lived in one room, weaving baskets in silence like skilled bamboo craftsmen.

Istvan and Adam lived in one room. The former is sitting against the wall, looking out the window at the blue sky; the latter is lying on the straw mat and sleeping with his head covered. Both men were shackled on their hands and feet, a small souvenir of their failed escape.

Most of the other officer prisoners were like this - sitting listlessly, playing with straws and wickers carelessly. No one, except Epel and Asko, was seriously weaving baskets.

"Dong, dong, dong..." footsteps came from the corridor. The officers and prisoners suddenly became alert. Even Adam suddenly sat up straight. Only Epel was still focusing on weaving baskets.

Because this sound was all too familiar to them, the guards' feet were covered in straw sandals, clogs and leather-soled shoes, and in the corridor there was obviously a pair of military boots studded with iron nails.

Then, Adam saw a certain hateful junior student appear in front of him.

Before Winters could say anything, Adam slammed into the cell door, causing the wooden bars to tremble: "Winters! Kill me anyway! Do it quickly! Don't insult people!"

"Hello, squad leader!" Winters raised his hand and saluted: "According to your military rank, you should salute me first, but you will always be my squad leader!"

"Stop doing this!" Adam shook the cell door frantically, and the shackles rattled: "Let me out, let's duel! I will fight you to the death!"

Winters laughed it off and turned to salute the other seniors. No one responded to him, only Senior Epel nodded and continued to weave baskets.

Winters silently placed the paper packages containing raisins and tobacco at the door of the cell, one package at the door of each cell. He didn't say anything, he just gave me something.

Adam stared at Winters and shouted angrily: "With this small favor! Do you want to bribe us?"

"You're dreaming!" Adam kicked the paper bag away hard.

The paper package was kicked out of a huge hole, rolled and hit the wooden fence on the opposite side of the corridor, and dark green raisins and tobacco leaves were scattered on the floor.

Even though Winters's threshold had been raised a lot, he was still aroused. He glared at Adam: "What are you doing?"

Adam was stunned at first, and then became more furious: "You deserve to ask me?!"

"The soldiers guarding you have no raisins to eat, and I have no raisins to eat." Winters picked up a raisin with an expressionless face: "If you don't want it, just return it. Don't waste things."

Adam was so angry that he started banging against the wooden fence again: "[Vicious expletive that insults Veneta people]!"

Winters blew the dust off the raisins, rubbed them, and ate them. Ignoring the mad-cow-like Adam, he turned around and walked outside Epel's cell.

István, who shared a cell with Adam and was also shackled on his hands and feet, grabbed Adam and asked coldly: "Winters, what do you want to do by locking us here?"

"Nothing." Winters answered honestly: "I'm locking you up because I can't let you go. Officers are valuable war resources. Letting you go means endangering the enemy. I can't let you go, and I don't want to kill you, so It can only be closed."

"What did you say?" Adam laughed wildly: "You said you didn't want to kill?"

Winters frowned slightly and asked, "Squad leader, do you want me to kill you?"

"Come on!" Adam roared like thunder: "Kill me! I will never say a word! Open the door! Duel!"

"Enough!" Epel, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly shouted.

Epel's voice seemed to have a miraculous effect. Although Adam stared, gasped, and his face was blood red, he closed his mouth.

Among the lieutenant prisoners, only Epel and Asco could earn full portions of bread, while other prisoners who were unwilling to work could only receive half portions. When Adam was dizzy with hunger, it was Epel who gave Adam the bread each time. So Epel spoke, and Adam obeyed obediently even though he was dissatisfied.

"Don't be embarrassed!" Epel scolded in a deep voice: "If you want to die, just commit suicide. If you really want to die, who can stop you? Sit down!"

Adam was so punished that the tip of his nose was sore and tears welled up in his eyes. He walked back to the corner in frustration and sat on the floor. The shackles clinked and made a cold sound.

"Winters." István leaned against the cell door and asked with a playful smile: "You don't expect to surrender us in this way, do you?"

"What did you say? I never thought about using labor to reform you." Winters also smiled: "I can't use you because I don't trust you. You are who I used to be, and everything about you has nothing to do with Pa Latu is tightly bound. If I conquer Maple Stone City one day, I may be qualified to ask you to help me. Now? Forget it. I let you work because my soldiers have to work hard to farm. If you don't If you work, you will eat and drink, which is so unfair to my soldiers."

"Okay." István said with a smile: "If you attack Maple Stone City, remember to come back to me."

Winters smiled and nodded.

Adam still couldn't hold it back and asked sarcastically: "Work? Then you let us weave baskets?"

"That's right."

"[Indignant and obscene words]!" Adam suddenly jumped up: "You just want to humiliate us! Basket weaving! Basket weaving? Basket weaving is a woman's job!"

Winters raised his eyebrows and asked, "A woman's job? Have you ever seen a bamboo craftsman?"

Adam subconsciously wanted to say "I've seen it", but he looked through his memory and found that he had indeed not seen it. The desire to maintain his dignity made him want to insist on answering "I have seen it", but his deeper self-esteem made him unwilling to lie.

He fell silent, and his momentum suddenly dropped.

"There are both men and women bamboo craftsmen, but it is mainly men who do it. Who says it is women's work?" Winters' momentum gradually increased: "Let you weave baskets, because this is the simplest and easiest job. If you weave one basket a day, you will get bread to eat, and occasionally wine and meat. How can there be such good things outside? Go to the labor camp and see how many baskets the prisoners there have to weave a day to fill their stomachs!"

"Here!" Winters took a semi-finished product and neatly knitted it into three layers. He made it up crookedly, but he did make it up: "I will never force you to do something I can't do! I can do it, why can't you do it?"

"That's what I say, but if you give us some carpentry and blacksmith work, it's better than basket weaving." Istvan still had a smile on his face.

"Carpentry work? Blacksmith work?" Winters sneered: "Give you an ax, will you hit my warrior on the head? Senior, I tell you clearly, I don't trust you. My people's lives depend on me. The eyes are more important than your dignity, so you can only weave baskets.

I also want to ask you a question that has troubled me for a long time - besides killing and destroying, what else will you do? What else can you do? What else do you want to do? "

The smile on Istvan's face gradually solidified. This question made his body stiffen and his chest felt as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer, making him feel numb.

The more people think about it, the stronger their reaction to this question will be.

But Adam didn't feel anything. He scratched his neck and shouted, "I don't weave baskets anyway!"

"You don't want to weave baskets?" Winters asked coldly.

"I won't make it up!"

"Okay! I'll give you another job!" Winters said and left.

Before leaving, he stopped briefly at the door of Senior Epel's cell: "Many files in the towns in Tiefeng County have been lost. You were in charge of the files before. Bard would like to ask for your help. If the Legion returns to Tiefeng County, Fengjun, they also need these files."

"There is no need to explain to me." Epel lowered his head and knitted a basket: "Let Bud come over and talk to me in detail."

"Thank you." Winters left the prison without looking back.

…

After visiting Wolfwood Prison, Winters is about to embark on a journey back to Gevaudan.

He came with a large army, and returned with an even larger army.

So Winters asked Samkin to lead the prisoners slowly, while he took the Mitchell family and the "accounting school preparatory students" ahead.

Bud selected thirty young people from farms in each town based on the three-level ascending criteria of "honest, smart, and numerate." The youngest was less than sixteen years old and the oldest was twenty-two years old. The best seedlings are both honest and good at arithmetic, while the worst ones are honest. They will be part of the accounting school's first class, as Winters works to recruit students from Gévaudan and military families.

As Winters put Mrs. Mitchell into the carriage, Carman led a slave horse and a pack horse to the town square, just as he had done when the centurions of Wolftown went out.

"Don't ask!" Kaman said with anger in his eyes, "I won't answer either."

Winters nodded expressionlessly.

What is the relationship between Carman and Ellen Mitchell? Winters didn't know yet, but he was sure it wasn't a relationship between a man and a woman. Winters felt offended by even the mere assumption of this, two honorable men.

There is a big age difference between the two! Mrs. Mitchell was in her forties. As for Kaman? Winters' first impression of Kaman was that he was young and could not be more than thirty years old.

Winters' knowledge is limited, but one thing he can confirm is that Kaman has been silently protecting the Mitchell family. This "wanting to protect" emotion is very strong, even to the point of risking one's own life.

Winters noticed and took advantage of this, already making him feel guilty. For him, it was enough for Kaman to go to Gevaudan, and he did not want to pry into Kaman's privacy. If Kaman didn't want to tell, he would never ask.

"Pierre and Scarlett are both in Gevaudan, and the Mitchell Manor has also been turned into a farm. There is no point in Mrs. Mitchell staying in Wolf Town. It is better to have someone to keep her company in Gevaudan." Winters said seriously "And I think Mrs. Mitchell prefers to live in the city."

Kaman sneered and said nothing.

Winters adjusted the harness and said casually: "Believe it or not, it's up to you. Whether you go to Gevaudan or not, I will not leave Mrs. Mitchell alone in Wolf Town."

He was telling the truth. Scarlett missed her mother, and Ellen also missed her children. It would be better to take Ellen to live in Gevaudan temporarily.

Kaman snorted lightly and mounted his horse: "I won't let you know any secrets about magic. Give up as soon as possible."

"Don't worry." Winters made a pun.

Winters recalled the great deeds of Antoine Laurent, the father of the spellcaster, and his attitude was as optimistic as ever: as long as Carman is taken to Gevaudan, other problems can be easily solved.

Kaman doesn't want to take the initiative to speak?

Isn’t it possible to ride a dumb horse the same way?

On the way back, Winters rode side by side with Kaman. He gently poked Kaman with a needle: "Don't the sending of priests require the consent of the Pope?"

Kaman struggled to defend: "I don't belong to the Wolf Town Church. The official officiant of the Wolf Town Church is Father Anthony. My actions are relatively free."

"What will happen to the believers in Wolf Town if you leave?"

"I will write to the archbishop and send a priest from Gevaudan."

"Then you plan to accept the Cathedral of Gevaudin?"

"I didn't go to be the Bishop of Gévaudin..."

As he asked questions, Kaman began to pretend to be deaf and dumb. No matter how much Winters poked him with needles, he ignored them. In the end, Kaman simply stopped riding and hid in the student's carriage, completely avoiding Winters.

"I was unable to experience the suppressive magic." Winters regretfully recorded it in his spell book. He bit his feathers and wrote another note: "The lethal magic...needs to use safer testing methods. ."

…

The situation on Samkin's side is also interesting.

In principle, prisoners in the Wolf Town labor camp have two destinations: to continue serving their sentences or to receive pardon.

Prisoners who continue to serve their sentences will be taken to Forge Township and camped with more than a thousand prisoners there.

The prisoners who accepted the pardon can actually be divided into two categories. Gevaudans like [Ivan] and the former military police sergeant [Gurahi] naturally wanted to return to Gevaudan and return to their families.

No, the two have made an appointment to go home together, and there is someone to look after them on the way.

There are also many captives who are landless peasants. They are not from Gevaudan and do not know where their families are now.

"Take me with you, Chief Samutin." A prisoner named Riemann found Samutin and begged pitifully: "I have nowhere to go, and I don't know where I can get a stutter. I'm about to die. Dong, I really have nowhere to go...please take me with you and let me continue to work for you."

Samkin was also a landless farmer. He looked at the faint mark of the Holy Emblem under Riemann's burlap clothes without saying anything.

"Montagne tribune always told me before that 'there will be a way out.'" Samkin patted Riemann on the shoulder: "I'm going to apply to the tribune. Tell everyone - there is no place to go, just Remain with me as free men."

…

Winters left, and so did Samkin, but things in Wolfwood Prison were not over yet.

The day after Winters left, former second lieutenant Adam was taken to cut down trees.

The autumn wind is cold and cool, and cutting down trees is hard work. Adam's hands and feet were still shackled, and his arms soon became swollen. On the first day of his lumberjack career, he gritted his teeth and persisted.

Then came the second and third days.

On the fourth day, Epel sent a message to Bud, asking Bud to transfer Adam back to weaving baskets.

Winters happened to be back in Gevaudan when Adam also started learning to make baskets.

"How's it going?" Winters and Senior Mason gave each other a kiss: "Did something happen?"

"What can happen?" Senior Mason replied with a smile: "Everything is fine. Two or three tons of ore have been dug out from the Tiefeng Mine. Carlos and Shaosha are busy doing some 'roasting'? It seems to be called this. Sean Brother's bricks were fired smoothly too. If Carlos hadn't insisted on waiting for you to come back before turning on the furnace, I would have done the next step for you."

After hearing this, Winters wanted to kiss Senior Mason hard.

He hugged the senior again, almost with tears in his eyes: "I knew you were the only one I could rely on!"

Mason was choked and coughed, and he smiled helplessly: "But there is still something that you have to deal with personally - Baishan County has sent an envoy here."

[Conquest by force is a natural way to obtain the legal power to govern, and it should be regarded as the most common way in history]

[Charlie Martel (688-741) created the system of knights and fiefs, from which the "European feudal system" we recognize today originated. Matt is Hammer, and his name is Charlie. He is good at using war hammers, so he is nicknamed Hammer, so he can also be called Hammer Charlie. From the perspective of later generations, Charles Martel can be called a visionary, but according to the situation at the time, his purpose of promoting the fief system was to obtain more soldiers and loyalty. In many cases, the feudal system assigned free peasants to "knights" as serfs, tenants, and subjects. Are farmers willing to agree? Definitely unwilling. But they can't beat it...]

[About Kaman, you can see when the Wolf Town Militia set off, when the Battle of Styx was at the medical center, and when Kaman just came back from the wasteland and returned to Mitchell Manor]

[Qidian has a search function that can search all cached chapters, which is really easy to use]

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