Iron Powder and Spellcaster

"Actually, I think missing this 'fighting opportunity' might be a good thing." Mason said nonchalantly, "Just a newly cultivated land makes me very anxious. If there is another castle of kings, I won't even think about it." Dare to think.”

"You are too humble," Winters joked, "Senior, I have confidence in you."

Mason groaned angrily, "It would be better for you to have less faith in me. I'm begging you."

"It's a pity that we couldn't take the King's Castle." Winters still felt a little regretful about missing the opportunity, but he changed the topic and said in a serious voice, "But I completely agree with you.

"If we send troops to the King's Castle immediately after the Battle of River Valley Village, we will have to fight Colonel Gesa and the others first. Without a fight, there will be no way to secure the rear.

"Even if we kill our previous comrades and are lucky enough to capture the King's Castle, an isolated city, what's the use to us?"

Winters laughed at himself, "By then, if I don't want to be Venetta's agent, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it."

"You just think too much," Andre sneered at this. He put down the tableware, "We are Veneta people. We were, are, and will be in the future. We can't change it! If you ask me, don't give a damn about other people. What do you think? If anyone is dissatisfied, let him come and talk to us with a saber!"

"The people of Veneta and the agents of Veneta are still different," Winters emphasized calmly.

"That's the same thing in some people's eyes."

"But we can't treat them as the same thing."

As a federal man, Mason really didn't want to discuss what an agent of Veneta was with two Veneta people, so he tried his best to bring the topic back on track.

"That's enough, everything you said is right... Where were you talking about?" Mason rubbed his forehead and clapped his hands, "Yes, talking about Lieutenant Colonel Matthias' plan."

Mason said seriously, "I think Lieutenant Colonel Matthias' plan is more feasible than Colonel Geisa's idea of ​​taking the King's Castle directly."

Mason drew with his fingers on the dining table: "From a military point of view, Beilu Province is far away from the King's Castle and Jinliu River, but very close to the newly cultivated land. It is good for our supply, but inconvenient for the enemy's support.

"If, and I mean if, the United Provinces decide to send troops to Beilu Province.

“Then, by going overland, they would have to maintain a long and fragile supply line.

“By water, although both the Bienjiang and Dvina rivers are navigable, the west bank of Bienjiang is in our hands, and the east bank of Dvina belongs to Veneta—it’s more difficult to walk than the land route.

“So in theory, Beilu Province is a more feasible goal than the King’s Castle.

"But that's just 'theoretically'," Mason hesitated. "I dare not say that the series of mountain cities in the Beilu Province are really better than the King's Castle."

"Mountain City? What do you mean?"

"This is a long story." Mason explained as concisely as possible. "In the past, every time the Hud barbarians invaded in large numbers, the Plato settlements in the plains would suffer. The surviving Platos would either They hid in the water villages along the Jinliu River, or fled south or north into the mountains and forests, built forts in strategic locations, and made a living by cultivating small pieces of land in the valleys. When the Hed people retreated, they returned to the plains. , re-establishing settlements until the next invasion came.

"Yihua Castle, Bian Castle, and the string of large and small mountain cities and stone castles in Beilu Province all came from this way. It's just that Yuanhua Castle and Bian Castle were rebuilt on abandoned sites, while Beilu Castle The province has held on to this day.”

"So," Mason concluded, "it's hard to say whether it is better to fight the isolated kings' castles or the series of mountain cities in Beilu Province."

Winters nodded slightly and asked jokingly: "Senior, are you suggesting that we 'take the center line straight'?"

"From a technical point of view," Mason replied seriously, "the plains in the middle of South Plato are indeed easier to fight."

"So, the 'Veneta Corridor' that Lieutenant Colonel Matthias wants to chew on is also a hard bone? Is it just the softer of the two hard bones?"

"This..." Mason smacked his lips, "It's a bit complicated to say."

"You say."

"I'm not sure about this," Mason first made up for it, and then explained with some lack of confidence, "In my opinion, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias is not worried about the war, and Bianjiang County is not preparing to attack the city. He didn't even ask me about the artillery we had."

Mason said hesitantly, "I think... what Colonel Geza wants is our military support; what Lieutenant Colonel Matthias wants is our political support."

Winters asked encouragingly: "You mean, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias has the ability to take the Veneta Corridor 'easily'?"

"I guess... that's it," Mason's expression was not very confident. He gave a conclusion one second, and passed the decision-making responsibility to the junior student the next second, "So the judgment is still up to you, but, from now on From a military perspective, I think the 'Veneta Corridor' is a better direction of attack."

"'Military perspective'?" Winters nodded slightly, hearing something behind the senior's words, and asked with a smile: "Are there other perspectives?"

"Of course!" Mason said anxiously, "You just said it and you forgot? Wool! Wool! Wool!"

Mason blushed, spoke faster and faster, and became more and more emotional, "Do you know how much wool we have on hand?

“One hundred and fourteen warehouses!

"Do you know how much wool we sell?

“Not a single bundle!

"And the wool is still coming in a steady stream - bastard! No matter how many warehouses I build, will they be able to withstand you and not be able to get in or out?!

"And don't forget, the ironware, tobacco, and cloth you exchanged for wool with the Hud people are all accounted for now, but one day you will have to settle the account for them!

"There are also rents promised to the major manor owners in Tiefeng County, but they have been delayed. Although they are increasingly afraid to ask you for payment, it does not mean that they have really forgotten!

“The profits and losses, liabilities, and arrears on the books will all have to be cashed out in the end,” Mason said, becoming more and more desperate. “I don’t even know what we will do when the day comes.”

Poor Mason, because he is more sensitive to numbers than others and has a stronger obsession with equations than others, he also suffers the most psychological pressure.

"Tell me!" Mason asked Winters sadly, "What will happen when that day comes?"

Andre on the side snorted coldly and suddenly interjected, "Then guess, senior, why no one has come to us to ask for payment?"

Mason felt suffocated. He clutched his chest and was speechless for a long time.

"Don't worry, senior, drink some water first." Winters quickly poured a glass of water for the senior, stood up, put it in his hand, and comforted thoughtfully, "I don't think... the problem is big."

Mason squirted out half the glass of water he had just drank, and the anxiety that had finally calmed down surged into his chest again, "Not big yet? Do you know how much we owe?"

"I don't know." Winters wiped his face and answered honestly, but he smiled and said, "But Anna and Bud have always been in charge of these things, and they never told me that there was a problem, so I don’t think it’s a big problem.”

Mason was speechless.

After a moment of silence, the artillery officer, who came from a family of small merchants in the United Provinces who advocated living within one's means and being prudent on budget, sighed and waved his hand feebly.

"It's up to you," Mason gave up thinking, but he soon became impatient again, "But no matter what, you have to find a way to get rid of the wool quickly, burn it, throw it away, give it away, whatever you want, anyway, don't Let me build another warehouse!”

Winters suddenly felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, "I forgot to tell you, senior, this time the Red River Department has shipped another batch of wool, uh, and sheepskins. The quantity... is more than the previous times combined. ”

Mason stood up numbly, "Okay, I'll go find Lieutenant Colonel Matthias now and send troops to the Northern Foot Province tomorrow."

"Wait a minute," Winters smiled and pulled the senior, "Although Lieutenant Colonel Matthias' plan is more feasible from a military and economic perspective... But we can no longer only consider military and economic aspects. ”

"What else to consider?" Mason asked.

Winters replied succinctly: "Politics."

He immediately explained: "Lieutenant Colonel Matthias contacted us privately, but what he wanted was for us to publicly support him. In other words, he wanted two votes from us to overwhelm Colonel Geisa."

Winters paused, "But as a last resort, I don't want to push the matter to a public vote," he smiled. "It's not conducive to unity."

Andre burst out laughing.

Mason glared at Andre and asked in confusion: "But isn't that what the voting system is?"

"That's true, but that is the last resort," Winters expressed his thoughts without reservation. "If it comes to the point where a public vote is needed to convince Colonel Geza, it means that the contradiction is irreconcilable.

“Lieutenant Colonel Matthias hopes to open up the Veneta Corridor first, and we need the Supreme Council to accept the newly reclaimed land.

“If we support Lieutenant Colonel Matthias in the direction of sending troops, then we can only seek the support of Lieutenant Colonel Matthias in matters of foreign land reclamation.

“This means that in the first two important decisions of the Supreme Council, Baishan County was suppressed twice by our joint efforts with Lieutenant Colonel Matthias.

"It wouldn't be a big deal if we really were 'an' army, but the reality is we're not and we don't have such a strong bond yet."

“I am worried that this will lead to us and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias getting closer in the future, while Baishan County will gradually become isolated.

"I'm worried that this will sow the seeds of division."

"So," Winters' eyes were as cold as agate and as dark as a deep pool, "unless it is absolutely necessary, I don't want to drag the matter to the stage of a public vote. If it really comes to the point where we have to use a public vote to resolve differences, it means of our frustration.”

Mason was already dizzy, "It's too complicated...Forget it, you have the final say."

"I don't like politics either," Winters said decisively, remembering the voice and smile of an old monk, "but we must not underestimate politics. Since we have joined this game, we must continue to play, and we must continue to play. Play smart and play to win!”

Accompanied by the rich aroma, Bud walked into the restaurant carrying another pot of stew, "Hey, what are you talking about? The atmosphere is so serious?"

"We were talking about why we didn't just fight." Andre put down the tableware and burped. "It made me feel helpless to do anything today."

"Why did you eat it in advance?" Bud looked at Andre reproachfully, placed the stew pot heavily in the middle of the table, and picked up a smoked fish with a smile, "and you didn't even call me."

Bud sat opposite Andre and reached out to take back a piece of bread, "Then what was the result of your discussion?"

"What are we still discussing?" Andre snorted. "We've already missed the opportunity, and we can't have another fight now, right? I can't lose face anyway."

"If we really chose to 'attack with armor on'," Bud said with a smile while cutting bread, "I'm afraid we'd still be suppressing the remaining troops in various counties, and we wouldn't have the leisure to sit here and enjoy the delicious trout.

"Since we integrated the New Reclamation Corps without bloodshed, we must pay something. We can't take all the benefits..."

"Hey, you don't have to preach to me," Andre waved his hand impatiently, "I'm not [expletive]. What? Can't I complain? "

Although Andre said something back, Bud was not angry at all. He just shrugged and concentrated on enjoying the fish.

The restaurant was a little quiet for a while.

Winters put his hand on Andre's shoulder and patted him gently.

"Okay, okay," Andre raised his hand helplessly and reluctantly like a deflated wine bag, and apologized to Bud, "I was too aggressive just now... Alas, I just feel too aggrieved, boring, and not happy at all..."

"Me too," Winters looked at Andre tolerantly, "Believe me, Andre, me too."

Andre didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Okay, I'll call Anna, Scarlett, Charles and Heinrich," Winters stood up, "Tell them to stop working and come and eat quickly, I'm hungry..."

"Hearing this from someone who only set the plates," Bud, who had been busy in the kitchen all day, looked at the crooked plates on the table and said with a smile, "It really makes me feel complicated. "

"The more capable you are, the more work you should do." Winters also laughed and walked towards the restaurant door.

"To be honest, I think, despite the bald guy's loud voice," Andre suddenly said in a muffled voice, "they are not that resistant to the new land issue - isn't it hard to talk about it?"

"Ah?" Winters didn't react for a moment.

Bud also looked puzzled.

Only Senior Mason was stunned for a moment and asked suspiciously: "Didn't you always doze off during the meeting?"

"In that situation, you can't discuss anything," Andre's anger suddenly jumped up again, "If I don't sleep, what should I do?"

Winters made a downward gesture to signal the others to calm down. He returned to Andre and asked seriously: "Why do you think the new land issue is easy to talk about?"

Andre sneered: "Of course it's because they want to talk about it. "——

While the Montagne mansion was enjoying a lively dinner, a large ship was slowly approaching the riverbank on the Cinder Stream River hundreds of kilometers away.

In the cabin, Jason Cornelius sat quietly in the dark, an old sword lying across his knees.

Fritz of Nice pushed open the cabin door and walked into the cabin.

"General." Fritz stood at attention and saluted, "The Castle of the Kings is ahead. "

[…The tools that the early settlers of Plato had were too inefficient to handle the heavy clay and deep-rooted weeds. Their plows could not turn the turf deep enough, so the weeds would quickly grow again in the spring and strangle the budding grains…]

[…In contrast to grasslands, deciduous woodlands were easier to cultivate with simple tools. A stone axe could kill the trees by ringing the bark, allowing sunlight to reach the surface, sowing grains on the soft soil between the trees, and waiting for the harvest. After a few years of cultivation, the dead trees would be burned and the soil would be rejuvenated…]

[…However, the original forests were not inexhaustible, and the early Plato people who used slash-and-burn farming had no resources. The settlers would change their farmland every few years. When they could no longer find suitable forests, they had to return to the fields they had abandoned. With periodic recultivation, the forest gradually degraded and the old tree stumps rotted away. The plow repeatedly acted on the surface, and the unevenness of the land disappeared. Eventually, the areas covered by forests for thousands of years developed into neat and flat grain farms of the Plato people...]

[...As for the real large-scale development of grasslands, we have to wait until the Montessori plow is popularized...]

-"Platoon, the Prairie Frontier" [Bai Ruisi (author)] [Veneta People's Publishing House]

(The original book is "Eastern Europe, the Prairie Frontier" by William McNeill)