Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 235 Visitors

   As soon as the sky was bright, Winters walked out of the barracks and went to swim in the river west of town.

   He first swam two back and forth to warm up, and then began to try diving to the bottom of the river.

   When he got ashore, he found Bud waiting for him.

   "When did you learn to swim?" Bud sat on Winters' clothes and asked with a smile.

"self-taught."

   "Still practicing diving?"

Speaking of this matter, Winters' heart ached: "Our dear Lieutenant Cellini, when he was excited, he threw the Grand Cross into the river. I felt the bottom of the river, maybe I could find it back. "

   "Why are you fishing for that thing?" Bud didn't care.

"Why?" Winters was furious: "That's gold! If you don't want it, you'll exchange it for food! You should check Andre's family, I really don't know what kind of Veneta he is! Such a big piece Gold, I threw it into the river as soon as my brain was hot, and I had to get up early to catch it."

  Bud laughed, and the corners of his eyes were slightly wrinkled.

   He handed the clothes to Winters: "I have something I want to ask you. I heard that in early July, an assassin broke into the Army Headquarters of Kings Fort and killed Sackler. Did you do it?"

   "Who made the rumor of Lao Tzu?" Winters was furious: "When did I do an assassination?"

   "Well, yes, that's good." Bud patted the assassin's arm with confidence: "No matter who asks, you can answer with this attitude, it's enough. And..."

Bud's words were interrupted, because Winters hadn't finished speaking: "I took a saber and rushed in through the main gate and came out of the main gate, how could it be an assassination? When have I ever done an assassination? !"

   Winters suddenly thought of the Monta gang at Seablue Pier.

   He repeated with a little guilty conscience: "When did I commit an assassination in Palatu? I work in Palatu and have always been upright!"

   "Oh? Then you have assassinated somewhere else?" Bud sighed.

   "Then don't worry about it." Winters turned his head: "In short, I haven't done it in Prato."

   "Are you left alive?"

   "I'm not a bad person. He doesn't block me, so why should I kill him? But it was dark and no one could see who."

"Your spell, no one will admit it wrong." Bud sighed heavily: "In my opinion, this matter will not end like this. However, the castles are thousands of miles apart, and even if they know you are in Wolf Town, they will be out of reach. Right now, there is something more important—are you reclaiming wasteland for the victims?"

"Yeah." Winters pointed to the other side of the river, with a proud look on his face: "There is new land over there. They are landless tenant farmers and long-term workers, I have wasteland, and cattle, horses, and plows. It hits the spot.”

  Bud listened carefully, and suddenly asked: "Do you know, the latest news from Maplestone City?"

   "I don't know anything. Before I met you, I could only inquire about Gervodin's affairs."

  Bud smiled: "Maple Stone City, I've been as busy as you recently."

   "The New Reclamation Corps is also recruiting refugees to open up wasteland?" Winters raised his eyebrows.

   But he quickly figured it out: "It's not surprising. If you don't farm the land, you will starve to death. Maplestone City can't give porridge to the refugees for nothing."

   "That's right. In Laem, in Drenthe, there are many ways to make a living, begging and eating bread. But for the peasants, if they don't farm, they starve to death. That's the truth of their lives."

  After leaving the land, people gradually forget that the grain is grown from the ground - this is the case with Winters in the past.

  [If you don’t farm the land, you will starve to death], two years ago, he didn’t feel as deeply about this sentence as he does today.

   Tenant farmers and hired laborers all over the country fled one after another, which meant that a large number of laborers were suddenly disconnected from production.

  The snow-capped mountains have not collapsed because there are still surplus grains from last year and even the year before.

   But sooner or later, a bigger disaster will come to this land, because the farmers who are still producing can't feed so many mouths.

  Either famine or civil uprising, it is not a choice, it is likely to come together.

   Winters saw this and tried to resume production. He didn't want to see famine, and he didn't want to see chaos, so he turned to throwing water on the fire.

  Budd lowered his head and fiddled with the few stone chips in his hand: "Man-made disasters, drove landless peasants to flee. Then recruited victims and distributed land to open up wasteland. Since then, the Legion has become the largest manor owner of the newly cultivated land."

   "It's very powerful, as expected of holding the handle of the knife." Bud raised his head to look at Winters, and said with a sneer: "But the Legion is the biggest landlord in the new land, and there is no difference between left and right."

   To open up wasteland for the refugees is a method that Captain Montagne can think of, and General Adams can also think of, and probably more deeply.

   "You mean, all this is intentional?" Winters was surprised, but not surprised.

  Bud got up, walked to the river and floated, and said calmly: "There may not be a plan, it is likely to take a step and see a step. But things have happened, we can only analyze from the results."

   Winters was in deep thought.

  Wolf Town is too small, with too little population, not enough potential, and most importantly, no time.

   There is no time for him to accumulate strength. The legion can tolerate corruption and incompetence of officers, but it is absolutely impossible for officers to rebel.

  If the New Reclamation Army stands firm, with a single punch, Wolf Town will be turned into powder.

   That's why he wanted Gervodin.

  If the Legion's strategy works, then as Senior Mason said, Gervoudan is not enough.

  Bud sat back next to Winters, took the stone as a chess piece, and asked, "Once and again, the landless peasants have land, the legion has tenants, the farmer or the farmer, whose interests are damaged?"

   "The manor." It was too obvious, and Winters answered without hesitation.

   "So the manor owners in Wuzheng Town, Heishui Town and other places chose to strongly support you, asking for money for money, grain for grain, and providing you with a hiding place."

Bud smiled and picked up the black stone representing the owner of the manor: "They may not understand the deep game, but their interests are obviously damaged. The long-term workers have run away, what more land is there for the plantation? Land prices have fallen, no Does it mean that their property has shrunk?"

   Winters nodded.

   It is precisely because of the help of these "squires" that his troops can appear and disappear in the southwest of Gervodin.

  In addition to providing supplies, the manor owners can also provide information. They have extensive local connections, and the news channels extend in all directions.

   "But they are not enough." Badyan threw the black stone into the river.

   "Too few people," Winters said softly.

  After the victory of the Sovereign War, the new republics banned all personal attachments—Hard slaves were not considered human—this was also a precious legacy left by the generation of the old marshal.

  Although the manor owners of the newly cultivated land are very influential, they only have influence.

   is not the same as those nobles in the old days who could pull out a large number of peasants during wars.

"In my opinion, the line of the New Land Reclamation Corps is right, let go of restrictions and recruit disaster victims to open up wasteland. Land prices will fall, but it has nothing to do with the Corps. If they can create a huge group of homesteaders, we will definitely be no match for them. Still Go back to Veneta as soon as possible, and I'll do a small business with you." Bud laughed and spread defeatist remarks.

   Winters tried to defend Veneta: "We Veneta... are not all businessmen."

"It's even worse, once it fails, even a small business can't be done." Bud's smile became more and more fiery: "So we have to take the route of the New Reclamation Army, and we have to walk harder than them. Bigger, more determined, more thorough."

   "More resolute?"

  Bud pointed to the other side of the river and asked Winters: "It's the end of August now, and winter wheat will be planted in September. How many acres of land have you cultivated?"

   "This...I really don't know." Winters really didn't know.

"Just a few cows, a few horses, and a hundred and ten people in our hands, how many acres of wasteland can we reclaim from exhaustion? If we spread it on people's heads, we can barely make ends meet. It is wishful thinking to expect them to pay you food in the coming year. There will be a big hunger next year! Even if it can be reclaimed, it will be the worst land in Wolf Town! Because the good land has already been bought!"

  Bud's voice became louder and his eyes became brighter: "But right now, there are thousands of acres of the best arable land... are being abandoned!"

   Winters was horrified: "The land of the estates? That's their private property!"

"I know! We don't want to take it for nothing, we can give them some rent and let us lease their land! Then distribute it to the disaster victims. Why don't the New Reclamation Corps dare to do this? Because they are the owners of the manor themselves! We want to defeat them, We must go their way, and we must go more resolutely than them!"

  Bud already had a case, and he explained patiently: "No matter how good the land is, it will be abandoned if it is abandoned for too long. If it is abandoned, it will be abandoned. Someone will take care of the land for them, and the manor owner should be happy."

   "What about after that? Can't they occupy forever?" Winters asked back, "Don't they become tenants and long-term workers again?"

   "The most important thing is to reclaim wasteland! The newly reclaimed land is not a province where all wasteland has been reclaimed, and she still has room for further development!"

  Bud pointed to the wasteland on the other side of the river: "It's too late to open up wasteland this year! It won't even be too late next year! Wasteland will not turn into arable land out of thin air, it will take time! Where does time come from? We can only make up for it from ready-made arable land.

   Farming at ordinary times and reclaiming wasteland in slack seasons, this is what farmers have been doing for thousands of years. It is only in the newly cultivated land that this natural process is artificially suppressed. And we, just rebuild it. "

   Winters found Bard so eloquent for the first time.

   "And after that?" Winters asked, "and will the land be returned to the manor?"

"I'll talk about the future, I think it can be paid back." Bud's attitude was very serious: "As long as enough wasteland is reclaimed, the land can be returned to the manor owner. But at that time, it will be difficult for them to recruit enough. tenants and long-term workers, unless there is a new influx of people, or until the population grows naturally."

   "What if they don't agree?"

   "Who doesn't agree?" Bud asked rhetorically, and he asked again with a smile: "Who doesn't agree?"

"Yeah!" Winters suddenly remembered what Brother Rhett said, and he laughed loudly: "In the final analysis, you still have to hold the handle of the knife. If you can hold the handle of the knife, all problems are not problems. Just go and do it! War, I've never been afraid of anyone."

  …

  Bud took over the land reclamation business, and Winters was ready to deal with Geraldine.

   As graduates of the same military academy, everyone is too familiar with each other, and things will definitely not end like this.

  The sixth day after Gervodan received the news that the Budd and Mason Centurions were "destroyed"—that is, September 21st.

  Ciel came back with the little lion.

   The last thing Winters wants to see now are guests, but guests always come when he least wants to see them.

   "Good luck, Batu." The little lion gave a saber as a gift and hugged Winters affectionately.

   In addition to the saber, the little lion also brought thirty horses, which are also gifts.

   It has been a while since he heard the name "Batu", and Winters had a subtle feeling.

   "You are also lucky!" Winters gave the little lion a hug: "Is your brother okay? Are you... sister okay?"

   "Eerlun? She is very good. My brother, he is also very good." The little lion replied casually: "He has been busy making account of Qimin recently, otherwise he will come over in person."

   Winters' body instantly stiffened.

   He sorted out his emotions and asked as naturally as possible: "Oh? Qimin, a householder? What do you mean?"

   "It's the accountant Qimin." The little lion is obviously not willing to answer this question more: "Just like you."

  There are distant visitors, no matter according to the rules of the wasteland or the etiquette of Plato, you should introduce your family and friends.

   Winters took the little lion and went to the barracks to meet Bud, Andre and Mason.

  Bud and Andre still have a deep impression of Heard slaves on Red Iwo.

   Everyone was very sorry to hear about Winters' experience in the wasteland.

   Then, Winters led the little lion to meet Anna, Catherine, Mrs. Mitchell, Scarlett and other female relatives.

   Seeing a "barbarian" visiting, although the ladies were surprised, they still showed 12 points of courtesy to the little lion.

  Little lions can speak common language and respect their female relatives, but there is only one rudeness:

  When Winters introduced Anna, "This is my fiancee", he raised his eyebrows and looked at Anna carefully, making Anna quite uncomfortable.

   Winters' smile also became a little stiff.

   The little lion sighed: "I know why Erlun lost."

  The ladies are keenly aware of the subtle emotions in the little lion's words.

  Catherine's almond eyes glared at Winters immediately, if it weren't for the guests, she would have attacked on the spot.

   Mrs. Mitchell reluctantly shook her head slightly, but Scarlett was still a little baffled.

  Anna frowned and asked the little lion with a smile, "Excuse me, who is Erlun?"

   "My benefactor," Winters answered first.

   "I'm asking - Mr. Ahachi." Anna's smile grew brighter.

   This smile was all too familiar to Winters. The last time he saw this smile, he got a slap in the face—but now that I think about it, it’s not a loss.

   "Excuse me, who is Erlun?" Anna asked again with a smile.

  The little lion swallowed and replied sternly: "It's Winters' benefactor."

  Things are temporarily over.

When Winters left the Mitchell Manor, he flattered Anna: "I made you a very beautiful easel, I made it myself. The pine wood used is light and strong, and it can be carried on horseback. Get outside. I'll bring it to you tonight..."

"You have to be careful, Mr. Montagne." Anna leaned on Winters' shoulders and said kindly: "I brought the golden sword you gave me. If you are unwilling, I will follow yours. Teach - stab hard."

   After finishing speaking, Anna lightly kissed Winters on the cheek.

  Winters took the little lion and left Mitchell Manor as if he were running away.

   Of course, the little lion went to Wolf Town not to visit friends.

  He represents the white lion with full authority, and he wants to negotiate a business, perhaps a large sum.

   After the courtesy reception, it's time to get to the point.

  The little lion just arrived in Wolf Town in the morning, and in the afternoon, he held a closed-door meeting at the barracks.

   "What do you want?" Winters cut to the chase.

There were only Winters, Bud, Andre, and Mason in the    large tent. No one else was there, not even a recorder.

   "What do you want?" The meeting was private, and the little lion was very relaxed. He smiled wryly and said, "I want everything."

   Grain, iron, cloth, oil... Chihe Department needs everything.

  The Heard Wasteland is surrounded by mountains to the north and south, the bitter cold plateau to the west, and the mountains behind the plateau; there is only one exit to the east, which is strictly blocked by the Paratus.

   The smuggling caravans that go to the wasteland are either the money-making tools of the powerful or the spies of the Palatine Army. Most of the caravans have two identities at the same time.

  Hard's tribes knew that they were spies, so they could only bite the bullet and do business.

   The little lion spread his hands and said, "The prairie produces nothing except grass; nothing but grass is lacking."

   There are exaggerated elements in his words, but they are roughly accurate.

   "The key is what do you have?" the little lion asked rhetorically.

   Winters blushed: "We don't have anything either. Wolf Town has nothing but farmland, nothing but forests. But there will be in the future."

   The little lion sighed: "I can see it too, you are rebelling... What do you want?"

  Bud and Mason smoked their pipes and said nothing.

   "You captured Platonic people." Winters didn't hesitate.

  The little lion nodded.

   "There are also horses!" Finally, he said what Andre was concerned about.

   Mason said slowly, "Horses, cows, sheep, we need all these animals."

  The little lion nodded again.

   Winters simply took out his quill and settled the account for the little lion:

"Vinetta has a saying, [Only gold can be sold thousands of miles away]. Items with high profit per unit weight and volume can only be transported over long distances. Wolf Town produces nothing, and Iron Peak County has only a little handicraft. If your brother It is not appropriate to think of Tiefeng County as a window for smuggling.

   Tiefeng County is not directly connected to the grasslands of the Chihe Department. Transferring materials from other places to Wolf Town and even Revodan, and then transferring them to the Chihe Department, is equivalent to a big circle.

  From Veneta and Interprovince to Palato, usually by water. Originally, it was upstream, and the land route had to be detoured, and the cost of goods would be pushed up very high. And the poor road conditions in Tiefeng County will also increase the cost.

   For goods with a low unit price like cloth, the shipping cost is one to two times higher than the value of the goods themselves. If you take another detour, the shipping cost can be three to four times the price of the goods themselves. "

Winters concluded: "It must be produced and processed in Tiefeng County as much as possible, and then sent to the wasteland, so that the price can be cheap. If the Chihe Department wants to sell leather and other raw materials outside the wasteland, it must first rough process it by itself and transport it to the wasteland. After arriving in Tiefeng County, and then fine-processing, it is best to leave Tiefeng County as a finished product, so as to be competitive.

  I have sent someone to scout the overland route of [Iron Peak County-Vineta], if…”

   Winters gushed about business, which surprised Andre and Bud.

  Senior Mason may not know, but Andre and Bud know Winters well.

  Winters Montagne, a man who can't even remember his bills, never spends money.

   He goes shopping and doesn't even bargain. He will give as much as they say. If he thought it was expensive, he turned around and left.

   He has some understanding of business, just because he lived in Hailan and Guitucheng since childhood, and he was familiar with it.

   But as eloquent as it is today, it has never happened before.

  Andre and Bud stared at Winters and asked with their eyes.

   Winters noticed the gazes of the two, he coughed lightly, and pretended to explain casually: "Miss Navarre told me."

   "I understand what you mean. You want to open a furnace and smelt iron in Tiefeng County, and then sell it to us, changing people, horses, and skins. Isn't that what you meant when you told my brother about the iron ore?"

  The little lion leaned on the back of the chair carelessly: "Actually, there is red iron in the Hanlan River, and we also know. My brother also sent people to explore the mines upstream. The problem is that the grassland lacks iron smelting fuel, and there are no blacksmiths."

   "There is a forest in the newly reclaimed land, and there is a large forest."

   "But according to what you say, the farther you transport it, the higher the cost. Have you considered how far it is to transport iron ore from the upper Hanlan River to you?"

   Winters waited for the little lion to say the next word.

   The words in front of the little lion are all lowering the price, and what he really wants to say is at the end.

"The white lion has a suggestion for you." The little lion sat up straight and said with a serious face: "You give the smelter in your hand to the Chihe Department, if they really know how to open a furnace and smelt iron [master] .My brother is willing to help you redeem the captives."

The little lion looked at Winters and slowly emphasized: "It's not the prisoners in Chihe's hands, but all the prisoners. Are you not going to rebel? These prisoners are all veterans. If you save them back, they will be willing to fight for them. You are dead."

   As soon as these words came out, Andre was a little moved. They had too few veterans.

   The Jieska Brigade belonged to the militia order and suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the Great Wasteland.

   After returning to Palatu, seeing that the superiors refused to disband the troops, many militiamen who had been recruited temporarily fled home.

   In the end, there were only three officers and forty-seven soldiers left in the Jesska brigade—all homeless and hard-working.

   The three Centuries brought back from Gervoudan were rebuilt using the old foundation of the Jessica Brigade plus the recruits recruited in Gervoudan.

   Their combat power has not been tested, and Winters is not very optimistic.

   There is only one piece of good news: Gervodan's troops are just as bad, if not worse.

   Winters didn't speak, reached out and poured a glass of water for the little lion.

   "I can't guess, but it's always right to try." The little lion smacked his lips: "Even if iron ore can be mined, have you considered how to transport it to you? This distance is really not short."

   Winters smiled, showing a set of straight teeth: "Water transport."

   Little lion's eyes narrowed.

"If iron ore can be mined, go by water. From the Hanlan River to the Jinliu River, all the way is downstream. The Jinliu River to Tiefeng County is a countercurrent, but it can be drawn in the way. I have seen trackers. If you pull a boat, a dozen people can pull a big boat. You have enough animal power, and you can do it without people.

  You, the Chihe Department, should also make some efforts, preferably to occupy the wasteland to the west of the newly reclaimed land. Although I don't know whose territory is there, it's definitely not yours. Control the entire route first to ensure the safety of transportation. "

   "Water transportation may be feasible, although it is still a bit troublesome." The little lion suddenly sighed: "But—the west side of the new land is no-man's land. Do you know whose territory is on the west side of the no-man's land?"

   Winters suddenly had an ominous feeling: "Who is it?"

   "Fire roaster." The little lion looked complicated: "From the new reclaimed land to the west, across the no-man's land, to the west of the Ete River in the west, it is all the pastures of the Teltown Department."

  The tent fell silent for a while.

   Winters walked over to the bookcase without saying a word, and came back with a map.

  The map is spread in the center of the table, and a few people are around it.

  Senior Mason walked along the waterway with his fingertips and said, "If you walk in the no-man's land, you won't pass directly through the Terton Division's territory."

   Winters also knew that he would not pass directly through the Terden Division's territory. The key is whether the Terden Division would block it?

   In the 100-kilometer no-man’s land, Hurd’s light ride came and went like the wind. As long as the fire roaster wanted, he could put his hand in at any time.

  If the fire roaster does not agree, this business is likely to fail.

   "Still keep it secret, keep it as secret as possible." Winters was a little annoyed. He gritted his teeth and said, "I must do this business. If Monkey Butt Face doesn't agree, let him ask my saber first."

   "Report!" Someone shouted outside the tent, interrupting the conversation of several people.

   Winters put away the map, glanced at the little lion again, and got up and walked out of the tent.

   A sentry was waiting outside the tent.

   "What's the matter?" he asked.

   "My lord, an officer has arrived from Gervodin." The sentinel replied in a panic, "I want to see you by name."

   [This chapter says that there is a map "Tiefeng County Map Version 1.03", it will be more intuitive to look at the map]

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

   [Thanks to the leader of the book friend JDJason, thank you again]

   (end of this chapter)