Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 263 Salt Iron

  To be on the safe side, Winters should not come into face-to-face contact with any enemy. But White Mountain County's messenger status was special, and Winters had to make an exception - the bald Gisa sent a direct squad leader of Winters, Balaz Yusas.

   The last time the two met was at the seniors' conferment ceremony. Time flies, and it has been three years in the blink of an eye.

  After a brief greeting, the senior said straightly: "Colonel Geisa wants to get his horse back."

   "No," Winters replied simply.

   "You probably don't know." The senior sighed helplessly: "My senior principal... also likes money very much."

   "Also?" Winters smelled a hint of territorial discrimination.

   "No one doesn't like money, so I didn't come to you for nothing." The senior said it lightly, and solemnly told Winters: "The horse in your hand, Colonel Geisa can exchange materials - as long as you agree."

   "Secret agreement?" Winters thought.

   "Secret, of course."

   "What in exchange."

   "What do you want?" the senior asked.

   "What do you have?" Winters returned the original words.

  The two sides could not trust each other, and the conversation fell into a deadlock for a while.

   "Okay. We don't need to continue to test." The senior said cheerfully: "I tell you the truth, Baishan County can't exchange food, weapons, ammunition and other military resources with you for horses. But we have one thing, you need it very much."

   Winters was noncommittal.

   Seeing that Winters didn't respond, the senior didn't answer the riddle: "It's nothing else, it's salt. People can live without horses, but people die without salt. Without enough salt, you won't be able to raise these horses.

   Baishan County will continue to block the Anya River, and Tiefeng County will not receive any salt supply from normal channels. But we can provide you with salt alone. You take the salt and you can be the hard currency in Iron Peak County. "

   Winters was surprised, but he didn't show it: "What else?"

   "What else do you want, you can negotiate. If you want money, it's not impossible."

   "The horse farm of the New Reclamation Regiment." Winters said with a chuckle: "The Regiment hasn't come to me yet, but Colonel Geisa is in a hurry."

  Senior Balaz did not answer.

   "Let me think about it." Winters got up and said goodbye: "You stay in Gervodin for a few days first."

   "Is Lieutenant Worthington still alive?" the senior asked suddenly.

  Worthington was the White Mountain County officer who chased Winters with a centurion and was captured instead.

   Winters answered truthfully: "He's alive and well, don't worry."

  …

   Leaving Senior Baratz's place, Winters went straight to his quarters, the single officer's townhouse.

   In Catherine's exclamation, Winters went straight into Anna's bedroom.

   The first sentence of the meeting, Winters asked: "Is there no salt at home?"

   "Huh?" Anna, who was napping, was awakened and was still in a state of confusion. After faintly recognizing who was beside the bed, Anna happily stretched out her arms: "You're back!"

   At this moment, Anna is as cute as a kitten that has not been weaned. The contrast is too strong compared to the usual quiet and reserved, no matter who will be inspired by unlimited desire for protection.

   Winters couldn't help picking up the kitten and asked again: "Is there really no salt at home?"

   "I don't know." Anna leaned on Winters' shoulders and rubbed her eyes lightly, complaining in a low voice, "You haven't said that you miss me yet."

  Catherine saw this scene at the door, turned around and left in shame.

  The matter still had to find someone related, so Winters called the cook in the officer's quarters and asked bluntly: "Is there any salt in the kitchen?"

   "Yes, my lord." The cook, a very strong woman, replied dumbly, "How many jars are there?"

   "Is salt still available on the market?" Winters asked, "What about the price?"

   "You can still buy it, but the price keeps going up." The cook is very strong, with a round face, broad shoulders, and a thick waist, but the more she speaks, the quieter her voice becomes.

  Anna touched Winters' boots quietly.

   Having a good understanding of each other, Winters smiled as much as possible: "When did it start to rise? How much has it risen?"

   "The price increase just started not long ago." The employer's expression changed suddenly, making the cook a little puzzled: "I don't know how much it will increase... I bought several cans in advance."

   Continued to ask and did not find anything more useful. Anna opened the jewelry box and took out a silver ring to thank the cook, who left happily.

   Winters' mood went down. He propped his forehead, his eyebrows wrinkled unconsciously: "I still have to go to the street to see it myself."

   "What's the matter?" Anna took Winters' hand.

   Winters told Anna about White Mountain and Salt.

   "No more salt? I...I don't know." Anna was also surprised, she said seriously: "It's time to take a look on the street and ask the salt buyer and the salt seller in person."

   "I'm going right now." Winters grabbed his jacket and saber.

"Salt is a big business, I don't understand." When sending Winters out, Anna hesitantly reminded her lover: "But if everyone is afraid of rising prices and running out of stock and rushes to buy salt, how much salt is there in the store? will be robbed.”

   "I know the seriousness. Don't worry, there will be a way." Winters shook his lover's hand lightly and went out to leave.

  …

   Later that day, Winters met with Mason, Andre, and Moritz in the station's conference room.

  Bud settled the refugees outside, and Don Juan hasn't returned from hunting, and the [Resolution Council] is currently the only four of them left.

   Winters informs his companions of White Mountain County's proposal.

   "Threat us?" Andre was furious: "It's better if he doesn't sell! Gather the army during the winter break and fight across the Anya River! I want to see what the bald guy can do!"

   "Snatching is also a way, so keep it on the record first." Winters said with a smile, "In fact, the fact that Baishan County is willing to 'exchange' is the most interesting thing, rather than exchanging salt for horses.

   It seems that the New Reclamation Corps itself is not a monolith. It is estimated that because of General Adams' sloppy attitude, the counties are also a little bit distant from him. "

   Moritz glanced casually at Winters, only to find that Winters was also looking at him.

   Winters spread his hands and explained to the old chief helplessly: "There is really no way but to grab... like the Heard tribe."

   "I'm just a little curious." Moritz laughed: "Don't pay attention to me, you can just get down to business."

   Before the meeting, Winters first found the old Priskin, and through the old Priskin summoned the Revodan salt merchant to investigate, he already had a general understanding of the salt thing:

   Tiefeng County does not produce salt, and all salt is purchased from the neighboring Baeksan County. Although the two counties are only separated by the Anya River, their natural endowments are very different.

  Tiefeng County only has what some farmers call "salty land". The salty land has poor soil properties, and neither crops can be grown nor salt can be boiled.

  Baishan County is home to high-quality salt wells, and the well salt produced by brine town supplies the entire province of newly cultivated land. Salt is called white gold, and Baishan is the mountain of white gold.

After a brief    briefing, Winters concluded: "The White Mountains are really threatening us outright."

"Not only that." Senior Mason, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said: "The new reclaimed land is a military-controlled province, and salt is also under military control. Salt merchants have to pay taxes to Maplestone City before they can buy salt in brine town. Tax."

   "Can't buy salt from outside?" Andrei asked eagerly.

"The Legion does not allow salt from outside to enter the new farmland." Mason sighed deeply: "There were many private salt dealers in the labor ranch I used to manage. purse."

   "Then you have to beat him even more!" Andre slapped the table and stared at Winters: "Go ahead! If you don't do it again and again, beat Baishan County down too!"

  Mason sighed again: "No."

   "Why not?" Andre glared at the senior again.

"There is no food." Mason also spread out his book, and said with a gloomy face: "Most of the warehouses in Revodan are handed over to Bard to resettle the refugees. The remaining reserves in the granary - according to my calculations - are not enough to last until next summer's harvest. ."

  Andre was stunned.

   Mason asked Andre: "Do you know what 'no green and yellow' means?"

  Andre shook his head.

   "It doesn't matter." Mason patted his junior brother on the shoulder: "You'll know in a few months."

   "Isn't it said before that maintaining the 'minimum food supply' can last until next year's food supply?" Winters was also a little surprised: "Why is it not enough."

  Senior Mason replied slowly: "It was barely enough before, but adding more than 1,300 mouths will not be enough."

   Winters woke up instantly—he was a prisoner, a prisoner of Vigne.

  …

The underlying logic of    farming is very simple - there is sowing before harvesting.

  Although there is no statistical data to support it, Winters dares to conclude that the large number of hired laborers and tenant farmers have caused the total grain output of the newly cultivated land to plummet.

   The current situation can still be maintained, firstly because the self-cultivators are generally still guarding the land; secondly, because the manor is mainly used to grow cash crops;

   Continue along this road, the Great Famine is waiting not far ahead. The famine will further exacerbate the unrest, the yeoman will have to flee by then, and then there will be an even greater famine... so dark that there is no light.

   With the simple idea of ​​"finding a way out for everyone", Winters wants to bring the refugees back to agricultural production.

   However, the mad cow has already escaped from the cage and is rampaging and trampling the ground. How could it be so easy to lock it back?

   Leaving aside the refugees, Winters only needed to feed more than 1500 soldiers and military dependents, and Gervodin's storage was more than enough, but he decided to make a big one.

   So from the moment he decided to take on more responsibilities, the finances of the new government were racing towards the end of bankruptcy.

   Winters had to tighten his belt to get by.

   The whole army is divided into top and bottom, and all the food is distributed according to the quota of heads. The quota is limited, even the smallest appetite can only eat six full. As for the displaced people, the per capita food there is even less.

  Everyone was in a state of semi-starvation. The refugees and soldiers not only had to cultivate the land and sow seeds, but also tried their best to get food: dig wild vegetables, pick wild fruits, fish, hunt…

   Therefore, as soon as Don Juan went out hunting, he disappeared for several days. Winters never went home for meals, but stayed at the garrison to work with his subordinates.

   The only good news is that Winters is completely numb. Before opening his eyes, when more than 30 people were eating, drinking, and leasing, he was worried every day; now, when he opened his eyes, more than 20,000 people were eating, drinking, and leasing, but he felt nothing.

  According to Senior Mason’s estimate, by reducing the consumption rate, the existing warehouse should be able to last until next summer’s harvest. When the summer grains are harvested, the situation can be greatly improved.

  And only when the new government actually collects the grain tax will this small, poor but tenacious regime be considered on the right track.

   But plans never change fast. Senior Hu An fought a great victory with great pleasure. He had a great time playing, but invisibly he made more than a thousand small holes under the grain depot.

  The captives are also human, and they are all grown men who can eat and drink.

   Food, not enough.

  …

  The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became dull, and even Moritz's brows were not consciously hung with melancholy.

"What are you doing with your face?" Winters laughed heartily: "We are pushing the waves back against the tsunami. It is normal to have difficulties, but it is not normal to have no difficulties. It is precisely because of the difficulties that the benefits are great! Wait until next year. Grain harvest, the current difficulties will be easily resolved."

   Winters grinned hard: "Don't frown. We keep our faces and frowns all day, and let the soldiers think? They'll just worry more. So laugh, don't frown."

  Mason sighed helplessly and smiled.

  Andre didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Don't laugh, you are more scary than frowning."

   "That's what I said, but the problem of lack of food has to be solved, and there is also the matter of salt." Mason said sternly: "Otherwise, we will have to beg when it is really too late."

   "How to solve it? What the **** do you need to say?" Andre grinned: "Grab!"

  Moritz coughed violently, beating his chest hard.

"Don't take me too seriously! I've also thought about it carefully!" Andre was extremely aggrieved: "As long as you're willing to grab it, any problem can be solved. And how fast is the grab? Save it... In the end, there are only more than 200 horses. What about grabbing? I grabbed a thousand horses in one breath! Isn't it easier and more enjoyable than digging the soil?"

   "That's right, that's right!" Winters is already very proficient in the work of smoothing horses: "I'll write it down - the backup plan."

  Andre sat down angrily.

  Mason fiddled with his quill pen and pondered: "There are two ways to go about food, open source or cut expenditure. It is impossible to cut expenditure, and everyone will starve to death."

"It can still save money." Winters made up his mind and said cruelly: "When the autumn ploughing is over, we will weed out the prisoners of Vigne, and let the prisoners who are too old, too young, and too weak be released, and let the new ones let go. Let the Reclamation Corps have a headache."

   "Put them back?" Andre's eyes widened: "I think it's better to kill them all! They know our inside story! You let them go back now, and next year they will come back to attack us with weapons!"

   "There are pros and cons. Kill them all, and the enemies who come next year will be even more desperate. Let's let each of them pay a little toll."

   "Are you going to pay tolls?" Andrei laughed.

"It's not necessarily a good thing for the prisoners to let the prisoners go back. Vigne is still short of food, and the old, the sick, and the sick may starve to death even if they go back." Winters sighed: "I suggest we raise our hands to vote. "

  Andre was a little impatient: "Vote? Why do you make so much trouble? You said to let it go, will I still object? Then let it go."

   But Winters insisted on a show of hands.

   Final result: Mysterious man B abstained, Winters, Andre and Mason all agreed. This matter is settled.

"As for open source." Winters thought hard and said: "Hunting, fishing, all military villages and farms are doing it. Winter is coming, and there is nothing to gather. After all, you still have to buy food. "

   "Where to buy?" Mason asked suspiciously.

   "Buy it from the yeoman. First in Ironpeak, then in Vigne." Winters tapped the table: "Samukin did a good job."

  Winters explained in detail how Samukin organized the labor of prisoners and used the shoes and baskets produced to go to various villages in exchange for food.

  Do the farmers in Tiefeng County have food on hand?

Have!

  The autumn harvest has just passed, how could there be no food?

   The harder the old garrison was, the harder the peasants hid. The peasants who did not hide have already fled their homes, and the rest are naturally peasants with grain in their hands.

   Winters did not want to impose, nor did he want to impose. In the past year, the "hide and seek" between the expropriation team and the farmers has pushed the cost of expropriation to an unprecedented height.

  This fall, many homesteaders no longer even cultivated their original land, but ran into those unregistered deserted ditches—they have been forced to be frightened. Even if Winters issued a public statement that he would not forcibly levy grain, the farmers would not believe it.

   cannot be forced, so it can only be exchanged. The needs of the peasants are exchanged for many things, and they are happy to exchange them.

   "Salt and iron," Winters said heavily. "Farmers can't produce either, so they want them most."

   "Salt?" Andre's eyes widened: "You want to return the horse?"

"Of course not!" Winters laughed: "If it falls into Lao Tzu's pocket, how can it be returned to him? He is dreaming! To exchange a horse for salt is to drink poisonous wine to quench his thirst. He thinks I have no way out, so I have to dig it out. There is no way!"

   "What then?"

   "Without salt, the emphasis must be on iron."

   "Iron Peak Mine?"

   "That's right!" Winters looked at Senior Mason, his eyes burning brightly: "Senior, it should be sooner rather than later, we will start the furnace tomorrow. Whether it is successful or not, let's hit the first hammer first!"

"No problem, I'll prepare now." Mason has been listening quietly to the conversation between the two juniors, but still couldn't help reminding: "But about the salt, have you figured out how to solve it? After all, Tiefeng County does not produce salt. ."

   Winters spoke surprisingly and said lightly: "Actually, I'm not really worried about the salt. I solved it before I found you."

  Mason, Andre, and Moritz all looked at Winters in surprise.

   "I chatted with the little lion." Winters didn't give a shit: "Andre, senior, do you remember the west bank of the Styx... those rock salt licked by cattle and sheep?"

  During the war last year, the Palatine Expeditionary Force had just crossed the Styx, and the Palatine shepherds rushed to drive the herd to the west bank of the Styx because there was rock salt on the west bank.

  Winters played with his knife and said refreshingly: "When I was talking to the Revodan salt dealer, they told me that in addition to buying military salt from White Mountain County, there was a way to smuggle rock salt from Heard Moor in the past.

  The caravan took the goods to the wasteland to trade, and then came back with salt. Later, the Palatine army blocked the Hurd tribes with ruthless hands, and this way was cut off. "

  Thanks to Mayor Priskin old, the Salt Merchant would never have told Winters these secret things.

   "Speaking with a smile really helps," Winters concluded, squeezing out a smile: "You must laugh more."

   "Rock salt?" Andre was stunned: "Cow and sheep can be licked. Can people eat it?"

   "The Hurd people eat rock salt, the little lion said." Winters said naturally: "If the Hurd people can eat it, we can eat it. Salt bricks are still a kind of 'currency' in the Hurd tribes."

  Andrei let out a long sigh of relief, he could do anything without handing over the horse.

   "Akagawa Shiro gave us rock salt?" Mason narrowed his eyes slightly.

   "Of course not." Winters sighed and smiled bitterly: "We'll exchange it for a latte."

Mason's expression became serious, and he asked in a low voice: "That doesn't mean that you are putting iron teeth on the lion? The Hurd people don't agree with us. The Hurd people have occupied Iron Peak Mountain for decades, how could they not know about the Iron Peak Mine? But has the little lion mentioned something to you?"

"I understand, senior. There are two glasses of poisonous wine in front of you, one drink and you die immediately, the other drink and you die slowly." Winters shook his head gently: "You still have to drink slowly, and you have a chance to live. "

  Mason couldn't help but sigh heavily: "Yeah, there is a chance to survive."

"Actually, Mr. Boltain, the old blacksmith, has a good idea." Winters said a little embarrassedly: "He said that the iron in the iron peak mine is not good and brittle, and it is difficult to forge weapons, but it is just right to cast iron pots. There's no need to sell steel to the Hurds, just sell pots."

   "Can Akagawa agree?" Mason laughed dumbly.

"Talk about business, we want to talk." Winters spread his hands and said with a smile: "They don't sell their rock salt to us, and no one else buys it. We don't have steel, so where can we get the steel for the Chihe Department? That's all. , Love it or not. If the business can’t be done, then we will go to Baishan County to grab it.”

   "You should just go grab it!" Andrei suddenly became interested.

   "Did you talk to the little lion?" Mason asked Winters: "About the pot."

"I didn't say it, but I said I would use iron to exchange it with him. He was quite happy anyway." Winters sighed: "In the end, it is better to smelt iron. If there is no iron, we really have to change our name to Tiefeng. Ministry, put on another face, and go to Baishan County to find a bald man to fight grass."

   Mason also sighed: "Yeah, after all, there must be a pillar industry."

   "It's okay, don't worry." Winters smiled: "It's not much better now than when we only had five or six towns? Nothing to worry about."

  The matters of salt and iron have been settled, so the meeting should be dismissed directly, but Winters refused to let Andre and Moritz go, and had to continue the meeting.

   "Didn't you hate meetings the most?" Andre couldn't help asking Winters.

   "Keep insisting." Winters took a solemn tone: "I think... the salt incident exposes two problems that must be solved."

   "What's the problem?" Andre said, "The problem is no salt?"

"The first question." Winters said word by word: "Iron Peak County cannot currently survive independently from the outside world, and many things have to be purchased from the outside. The New Reclamation Corps is already blocking us, but it's just that The time is still short, and it has not yet shown its power."

  Mason sat up straight, his expression became serious. He thought that Winters was trying to chat, but he didn't expect to talk about it. Andrei no longer shouted to leave. Even Moritz opened his eyes and listened curiously.

   "All kinds of materials that Tiefeng County needs, if you can produce it yourself, you must find a way to produce it yourself. If you can't produce it yourself, you will go to trade, smuggle, and rob."

   "A living person can't be suffocated to death by urine." Andre smacked his lips: "It's just a matter of left and right."

"Second question." Winters flicked the blade gently: "We, the military government, don't know what the common people need. The price of salt is rising, but I didn't find out until I was reminded by the enemy. This shows that our eyes and ears are full of It's blocked. It has to be opened, otherwise even if the salt problem is solved, other problems will pop up."

   "How to open?" Mason asked.

"I have a rough idea - to gather the merchants of Gervodin and the peasants of the towns and listen to their needs. In the past, when the lords were particularly insane, the people would petition to hold a grievance meeting, and we can also hold a meeting. ." Winters said with a smile: "But the grievance meeting is not very pleasant, so it's called the negotiation meeting, how about it?"

   "Isn't that the county council?"

   "Neither, the county council has power. But I don't want to split it out right now. Let's vote."

   Still, one abstention and three votes passed.

   "Not only do you have to listen to what the people have to say." Winters rubbed his chin: "We also have to tell the people what we want to say. Andre, do you remember the newspaper in Antlers Town?"

   "Isn't the racecourse what the newspaper said?" Andre replied.

"I would like to set up a newspaper in Revodan... It doesn't have to be called a newspaper, but it is a regular notice and posted to various villages and towns. Hailan has a group of intelligence dealers who specialize in selling handwritten [ Hailan tabloid ], imitating the They'll just do it."

   Winters laughed happily: "Not only to win, but also to let more people know of our victory. Let them know that we are fighting for their interests."

  Andre waved his hands in panic: "Whatever you want, don't let me write it, just do what you want."

   "Senior." Winters grabbed Mason's hand: "I know, you are the most reliable person."

  Mason pulled out his hand calmly: "I can't do it either..."

   "Lieutenant Colonel?"

   Moritz was asleep.

   "You all?" Winters slapped the table and was so angry: "I'm going to find Bud!"

   "There are enough things about Bud, and it's so far away, how can you care about Gervodin." Mason patted Winters on the shoulder: "You better come by yourself."

  …

  The little lion quickly got Winters' offer.

   "Little lion, do you want an iron pot?" Winters excitedly grabbed the little lion's hand: "Add more money, and I'll get you an iron stove too!"

  …

  Senior Baraz Yusas of White Mountain County also quickly got a reply from Winters.

Winters held a saddle and told the senior with grief: "You are right, it's really not good to raise horses without salt. So I reluctantly ordered the horses to be slaughtered. Take this saddle back and give it to you. Light... oh no, take it for Colonel Geisa as a reminder."

  …

   A day later, the bald man who was waiting anxiously on the east bank of the Anya River finally saw the returning messenger.

   "How is my horse?" Colonel Geisa asked Baraz impatiently: "Will he say yes?"

  Balaz took out a saddle, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "That little guy is talking nonsense, but he doesn't agree."

   "It's good to talk about asking him to change it, but I don't agree." Gaisa was furious: "Does he want to force me to **** it?"

   "That's not true." Balaz smacked his lips: "The little guy asked if you have anything else you'd like to exchange. Tobacco, sugar beet, and sesame oil, the stock is limited, and large quantities are preferred."

  Balaz finally added: "Secret agreement."

   [Thanks to book lovers for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, reward and comment]

   [This chapter is a bit long, sorry. Mainly to straighten out Winters' next move. As a repeat offender of flashbacks, I subconsciously want to flashback again. But the mode of changing every day, maybe it is better to straighten things out first]

   [Winters is actually imitating the Octavian and Caesar stories]

   [BC59, Caesar ordered the daily publication of the minutes of the Senate and the Assembly of Citizens, written with a sharp pen on a white plaster-coated board outside the Roman Chamber, as a proclamation-style official gazette. The name at the time was ALBUM, which was later known as the "Daily Chronicle"]

   [As the "mouthpiece" of government agencies, the content of "Daily News" is mostly government matters, and has a strong political nature. In BC6, Octavian restored the "Daily News", and its content evolved into imperial politics, war news, proceedings, civil and criminal cases, religious activities, etc. In addition to the bulletin published in Rome, copies were also sent to political dignitaries and garrison commanders everywhere. It was published successively for more than 300 years until the Roman Empire moved its capital to Constantinople in 330 AD]

   (end of this chapter)