Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Almost no one noticed that after the battle of blood and mire, Winters Montagne fell into some kind of negative mood.

In other words, Winters didn't want anyone to find out, so no one found out.

It is a very strange feeling of exhaustion, which is manifested in the fact that "it seems at first glance that there are many things that need to be done, but in fact there are very few things that can be done."

The new city on the south bank, the hungry refugees, the military school that only existed on paper, Pierre and Vashika who had no news... it was a mess, and it was a mess, but there seemed to be nothing he could do. .

…

The grain reserves in Jevaudan are getting less and less day by day, and Tiefeng County is on the verge of famine.

Winters sent Tamas to restore communication with Baishan County and organize the Tiefeng County merchants to sell the backlog of goods.

But he couldn't solve the underlying problem. Until next summer's harvest, Tiefeng County must rely on external grain imports.

So he could only wait.

The new city on the south bank of the St. George River is an empty shell. It is still far from Winters' expectations and needs to be replanned and rebuilt.

But Nancheng is now crowded with homeless military families and refugees. What they need is not workshops and stone roads, but bread and shelter.

Winters continued the food-for-work policy and provided winter housing for refugees.

But he still couldn't solve the fundamental problem - it wasn't that the refugees didn't want to go home, it was winter that stopped them. Refugees can only return to their homes when "it doesn't freeze to death at night."

So Winters had to wait.

Winters also wanted to reopen the Iron Peak Mine, but also encountered difficulties.

Previously, the Tiefeng mine relied mainly on the labor of captives. However, because of the contribution of the captive group during the Siege of Jevaudan, Winters also gave most of the prisoners their freedom, which directly caused the mining of the Iron Peak Mine to fall into a manpower shortage dilemma.

The life of a miner is difficult and dangerous. If there is land to farm, no one would want to be a miner.

what to do? Winters didn't know.

Pierre and Vashka went to look for Balian and Dussac, but so far there has been no news.

Winters wanted to send more people, but for a while he couldn't find suitable people.

Winters has written two volumes of plans for the establishment of a military school and even selected a school site.

However, the students in the plan have now become the backbone of the army, and he does not know whether his subordinates who have already taken company-level positions are willing to return to school.

…

Every time he felt that drowning powerlessness, Winters hated the Teltown people from the bottom of his heart.

Tiefeng County's future, just like his life, was pushed off its original path by uncontrollable external forces. He tried to get the carriage back on track, but couldn't.

So during this period, not to mention compared with the two model workers, Bud and Mason, even Andre's life was more fulfilling than his.

Except for some horses and a small number of stallions that were kept for breeding, the rest of the war horses in Tiefeng County have all been sent to Baishan County as cargo.

At present, Tiefeng County is really unable to protect those delicate warm-blooded horses through the winter. On the contrary, the captured Hede horses are more adaptable to the current situation.

Although there were no more "decent" horses on hand, Andre tripled the size of the cavalry.

Seeing Andre busy training new recruits, leaving early and returning late every day, Winters felt a hint of jealousy.

Looking back at himself, he seemed to be needed everywhere, but also seemed not to need him anywhere.

Winters didn't tell anyone about these troubles, not even Anna.

Because he felt it was too unworthy to be mentioned, and to be troubled by such trivial matters seemed to him tantamount to desecrating the dead.

After all, he is still alive and his limbs are intact. And so many people died, and so many others will live with disabilities for the rest of their lives.

Compared to those who lost everything, Winters really felt that his pain was not worth mentioning.

There must be no such thing as fairness, Winters thought. If so, it is the greatest irony that Winters Montagne is still alive.

He pretended as if nothing had happened - and nothing should have happened to him.

But he couldn't control the feeling of powerlessness in his heart, and the guilt caused by it tortured him more than the powerlessness itself.

Therefore, Winters rarely goes out, and when he has to go out, he chooses to go out at night.

He didn't want to see the soldiers saluting him, and he didn't dare to see the empty sleeves and trouser legs of the wounded soldiers.

In addition, his family affairs are also tormenting him. He can always hear the dead people questioning: "We died because of you, but you are troubled by the love of your children. Is this fair?"

He wanted to send Anna back to Hailan, and Leo persuaded him in the same way.

"The newly cultivated land is very dangerous now and will become even more dangerous in the future, especially for a woman who comes from a foreign country and has no relatives." Leo said sincerely: "Hailan is the safest place. No one can Being in Hailan is not good for Miss Anna. For Miss Anna's benefit, you should send her back to Hailan."

Leo's words were persuasive. War is the most uncontrollable beast. Once war breaks out again, Winters has no way to guarantee Anna's safety.

But Winters is reluctant to let go, because Anna is almost the only firelight that can give him comfort.

Just sitting quietly next to Anna, Winters felt less painful.

But... this is too selfish.

…

…

The day after Leo had a long talk with Winters, on a cold morning, Bud returned to Gevaudan.

"Why are you back?" Winters asked with a smile: "Isn't there a lot going on in Tiefeng County?"

Just seeing you makes me happy, old friend, Winters thought to himself.

"Winter is here, so there won't be much to do." Bard became more relaxed again: "As for the heretic priest, have you decided how to deal with it?"

"You came all the way here just to discuss this matter with me? Can't you just write a letter?"

Bud replied seriously: "This matter is big or small, but we still need to pay attention to it."

"I don't have any good ideas. Kaman asked me to help him buy some time. He seems to have his own plan."

"What about your plan?"

"I only have a backup plan. I wrote a letter to General Serbetti and asked him to contact the Alliance Magic Warfare Bureau. But the time spent going back and forth is probably more time than Kaman needs."

Bud nodded: "Then how do you plan to buy time?"

"Delay, drag hard." Winters smiled helplessly: "What else can we do? This is not an empire anyway, and the Catholic Church cannot afford to use force."

"Delaying is a good strategy, but dragging is not."

Winters was too familiar with his friend, so when he heard Bud's words, he immediately smiled: "If you have a way, just tell me, don't give me problems."

"Actually, it's nothing." Bard raised his hand and saluted: "If the Catholic Church is regarded as a religious organization, then the nature of sheltering heretics is very serious."

"so what?"

"On the other hand, if you think of the Catholic Church as a bureaucracy, then this is not a big deal. You have to understand that the priests of Gevaudan were not obsessed with destroying Saul out of piety or hatred of heresy. . They wanted to judge Saul only because their superiors had commanded them to do so, nothing more."

"Uh... I'm afraid that the current acting bishop of the Gevaudan Church really belongs to the 'extremely pious' type of clergyman. He is also very rigid and may be difficult to change."

"Rigidity means lawfulness. It's easier to deal with him. You don't have to worry about this. Leave it to me. I'll go talk to the Church of Gevaudan."

"Okay." Winters breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart: "Then how do you plan to talk about it?"

"Of course there is no problem if the church wants to judge Saul - we respect the internal governance of the church." Bud cleared his throat and took on the serious tone of a public official:

"But the Rewardan Garrison is a branch of the New Reclamation Corps. From a procedural point of view, this matter must first obtain the consent of the New Reclamation Corps. We do not have the authority to agree directly. In short, please be patient and go through the process. Urgent No."

"What if they actually got permission from the Legion?"

"Don't forget, Bishop Gévaudan was unfortunately killed, and a new bishop has not yet been appointed. Is the acting bishop qualified to apply to the legion? This issue is still open to discussion." Bud smiled: "Anyway, you don't intend to completely solve the problem. , just wait for time."

Winters laughed.

Bud also smiled kindly. He looked at Winters and asked softly: "I heard that you have been a little unwell recently?"

"What's not good?" Winters wiped away tears from laughter: "I'm not good, am I?"

"You're starting to look more and more like Lieutenant Colonel Moritz. You can't see anyone all day long."

"Who said that?"

"Senior Mason. There are also rumors in Lower Tiefeng County that your old injury has relapsed and you are about to die."

Knowing that someone cared about him, Winters felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. He sighed: "Senior Mason is probably deliberately retaliating. As for others, let them do whatever they want."

"I finally went back to Gevaudan." Bud suggested, "Would you like to go out with me for a walk?"

Winters subconsciously refused: "It's too cold outside, I don't want to move."

Bud stood up, took their coats, and looked at Winters.

Winters could only surrender: "Okay, let's go for a walk. But you can't go too far. My legs are hurting recently - bring me the cane."

After walking out of the apartment, Winters realized that Bud had come prepared.

Because there was a carriage parked in the yard.

"I know you have an injury on your leg." Bud smiled and said, "I borrowed a carriage."

"Where are you going?" Winters asked bitterly: "Aren't you going to drag me to Lower Tiefeng County? Are the rumors in Lower Tiefeng County serious?"

"No, just walking around casually." Bud urged Winters: "Get in the car."

The two got into the carriage, Bud knocked on the window, the coachman twitched the reins, and the carriage drove toward the St. George River.

The carriage blocked out the outside view, somewhat alleviating Winters' discomfort.

The smoky fire bisected the road in two in the middle, with pedestrians, vehicles and horses walking on each side in an orderly manner.

Bud suddenly spoke: "During this period, I have seriously considered General Serbetti's suggestion."

"Which suggestion?" Winters raised his eyebrows: "Surfing yourself to Arpad's military government?"

"right."

"What are the consequences of consideration?"

"I think we can try to get in touch."

"The Arpad faction is an orthodox Platuan warlord, and they will not tolerate us."

"If we can avoid war, we still have to fight for it." Bud's eyes flashed: "Even if we have to make partial concessions in exchange for the legal status of the cause we are doing in Tiefeng County, it will be worth it."

If someone else had said these words, Winters would have thought that the other person was scared and wanted to surrender. But Bud... Winters believed that Bud would never waver.

Winters held his forehead with his hands: "To be honest, I don't know what to do. Bud, I really envy you. You are always so determined, but I..."

"You're wrong." Bud put his hand on Winters' shoulder: "No one knows where we are going, no one knows what will be engraved on our tombstones after we die. Just because As long as you are here, other people don't have to worry about these unanswered questions. Tamas, Bart Shilling...and all the soldiers you can and cannot call, they don't need to think about the future, they are I live by trusting you."

Winters said nothing.

"I often wonder if the former federal provincial militia really understood the power gap between them and the empire." Bard was also a little disappointed: "Would they still have the courage to raise the 'Freedom Flag'?"

"I don't know about the others." Winters sniffed: "The old marshal is from the Imperial Army, he must understand."

"Then where does he get the courage? An ant is overestimating his capabilities by provoking a lion."

Winters sat back, his expression a little subtle: "Although it is not mentioned in the official records, I saw a note in the archives of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which said that the process of the old marshal's joining the militia was similar to...kidnapping."

"Who knows?" It was Bud's turn to laugh heartily: "Who knows?"

"Yes. No matter what the original intention is, actions cannot be faked." Winters felt a little sentimental.

"Speaking of history, I roughly summed up this rule." Bud mused: "No matter what you do, you should always unite sincerely at the beginning. There is no one who is not careful about anything and no one who is not working hard. The beginning stage is not that the difficulties do not exist, but that It’s people who actively ignore difficulties.”

Winters listened silently.

"When some achievements are achieved, people will feel confused. Because when achievements are achieved, setbacks will also follow. The environment improves slightly, and the spirit becomes slack. More importantly, blind confidence gradually dissipates, and people begin to be objective. Understanding is difficult. The mountain is so high, so high that you can see it is insurmountable just by looking at it. It seems that no one person, family, group or even country can escape from this cyclical law."

"Are you here to teach me?" Winters smiled: "Then how do you think we can break out of the so-called periodic law?"

"I don't know either." Bud said cheerfully: "But I think it doesn't matter what you think, or whether you feel afraid or confused. The important thing is to keep going. Maybe Marshal Ned is the one who is most afraid. People, but he gritted his teeth and walked in the front."

"Bud." Winters said with difficulty, "I'm not afraid, I'm just..."

"Look." Bud knocked on the car window: "The St. George River has arrived."

Two pontoon bridges span the St. George River during the dry season, with pedestrians, vehicles and horses constantly traveling between the two banks.

In addition to the pontoons on the river, there are six piling boats operating nervously, driving wooden piles into the river bed one by one.

"Those are the piling boats used to build the bridge?" Bud pointed to the river: "I also heard in Lower Tiefeng County that Jevaudan is going to build a magnificent stone bridge."

Winters took a look and said, "Yes."

"What are those boats doing?" Bud asked with interest.

"Senior Moreau's plan." Winters tried hard to explain: "To put it simply, drive two circles of wooden piles in the water, pour sand and gravel between the two circles of wooden piles to form a pool-like [cofferdam]. Then Use a water pump to drain the water in the cofferdam, then dig out the silt on the river bed, and finally pour lime mortar from the rock layer, and the bridge pier will come out.”

"When will it be completed?"

"If everything goes well, the bridge piers will be repaired before next spring. Senior Morrow plans to lay down the wooden bridge deck for temporary use, and wait until next year's slack period to dismantle the wooden bridge deck and repair the stone vault. If there are no mistakes in the plan, it will be completed the year after next. It’s completed.”

The carriage drove onto the pontoon bridge, and Bud was able to watch the process of building the bridge piers up close.

I saw two sets of waterwheels, one on the left and one on the right, erected on a completed cofferdam, constantly pumping water out of the cofferdam.

There are also several small boats carrying sand and gravel, rowing towards a cofferdam under construction.

"The Victory Bridge in Mennai Province took five years to build, and its span is not as wide as the Saint-Georges River." Bud commented: "Although I know your ability, it still makes me incredible that you can repair the Gévaudan Bridge. "

"It's not my ability." Winters corrected: "It's Senior Morrow's ability."

He sighed: "And the most important thing in Gevaudan right now is people who can work."

The carriage passed the pontoon and drove into the "New City" on the south bank.

Rows of low wooden houses are like plowed field ridges, spread flat on the flat land surrounded by three city walls.

"Ha." A smile appeared on Bud's face: "Mason's room."

Winters couldn't help but laugh: "Yeah, I'm really worried that one day Senior Mason will go to South Bank and set a fire."

In order to save living space, there is no separate kitchen in the Mason House. Rather, it looks like a single officer's apartment, with several wooden houses sharing a stove.

After entering the new city, the road is not very easy to walk.

The sound of jingling gravel was constant, and men with strong arms were digging and paving the road, so the carriage could only go around.

As we approached the cabin area, faint smoke mixed with a pleasant fragrance floated into the carriage.

A group of snotty-nosed children were chasing each other in the open space between two rows of wooden houses. Women with their hair tied up in square scarves gathered in a corner sheltered from the wind. Each of them had a wooden basin placed between their knees, and they were beating their clothes with wooden sticks.

Winters looked out the window silently, and Bud didn't speak either.

After leaving the new city, the carriage took the main road towards Forge Township. For several kilometers, you can see teams of workers building roads.

In Winters' impression, Forge Township should have become a dead town. Because the blacksmith workshops were moved to the new town of Gevaudan, the residents also took refuge, and even the houses were burned to the ground.

But when the carriage crossed the hills, the sight that appeared in front of Winters shocked him.

Five two-story smelting furnaces stood on the original site of Forge Township, spewing thick smoke.

A rammed earth road starts from the smelting site and extends towards Tiefeng Mountain.

There are many people busy around the smelting furnace.

The middle-aged blacksmith Shaosha and the young blacksmith Carlos were greatly surprised by Winters' arrival.

"Your Excellency Montagne." Shaosha was the first to run up to Winters and greeted him with sweat on his face: "Is your old injury feeling better?"

Winters didn't know how to explain: "Don't worry, there is no problem."

Carlos babbled and said: "Mr. Shaosha and I have always wanted to invite you to come to the smelting site, but we heard that you had an old injury and didn't dare to disturb you at will. Thank you for God's blessing. You look so healthy now." , I can finally feel relieved..."

"Here?" Winters frowned slightly: "When did we add so many smelting furnaces?"

Seeing Xue Lang's displeasure, Shao Sha yelled in his heart that it was not good. He hurriedly explained: "The county government has recently been building bridges and roads, which requires a lot of iron tools. So Mr. Sawyer and I hired some Refugees, reopen the Tiefeng Mine. Your Excellency, we did not make our own decisions... We asked the county government for instructions..."

"I don't blame you."

"I don't dare." Shao Sha wiped the sweat from his forehead: "I don't dare."

"But...why don't I know about the Iron Peak Mine?" Winters looked at Bud and asked with a smile: "Senior Mason arranged this? Are you here just to let me see this?"

"How can you know everything?" Bud asked back: "This - I don't know how to describe - this existence, she is not your puppet, she is the collection of the will of many, many people. She is both an adult and a puppet. Thousands of scattered consciousnesses are individuals with instincts and desires. You are an important part of her, but she does not belong to you. You feel that she has deviated from your predetermined path, but have you ever thought about it from the beginning? There is no such thing as a road?”

In fact, what tortured Winters was not what Bud was thinking about, because he never thought that he had absolute control over "her". But Bud's words still touched him, from another place.

"Bud." Winters was silent for a long time and then asked with some choking: "We did some good things, right?"

"I don't know." Bard turned and looked at the vast world: "You should ask them - I think they have already answered you."

[Explain why the current situation in Tiefeng County makes it impossible to implement the "land-based" policy. Because judging from the economic system of that era, the land standard was actually the gold and silver standard in disguise] [Gold is not currency, but currency is naturally gold. Tax collection, trading, and essentially pricing precious metals. The gold standard is linked to [gold-currency], and the land standard is linked to [gold-land-currency]. Precious metals are still used to price land]

【In this case, a problem will arise. If there is a new regulation on the ‘value’ of a unit of land, there will be two tracks. The official land price is one number, and the actual private transaction is another number. This becomes a means of plundering wealth]

[If there is no mandatory ‘value’ per unit of land, it means that the ‘value’ of currency is also floating]

[So instead of linking currency to land, it is better to simply issue something like "military stamps". Directly link currencies to precious metals, and then use the value of precious metals as the basis to price other commodities and even taxes]

[For example, the ‘Red Army Tickets’ during the Long March, and the ‘Dominion Tickets’ issued by various feudal lords in Japan’s Edo period. European examples are also easy to find. Generals plundered wealth all by this trick...Locust General Wallenstein's unique skills]

[As for mortgaging land to raise funds, it is different from the "land standard". Although the process is similar. But without giving bonds monetary status, there is no need to worry about inflation and deflation caused by the fluctuation of bond values]

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