Iron Powder and Spellcasters

  Chapter 270 Announcement

   Early in the morning, Shovel Harbor was awakened by the sound of hoofs, and three strange cavalrymen with green flags rushed into the town like lightning.

   They first rang the bell to gather the residents, then posted three notices on the church gate, and without reading them—the townspeople who knew how to read would read them to others—just left and went to the next village.

  …

  Shovel Lake is located in the northwest of Revodan and is the largest lake in Iron Peak County.

   According to folklore, in ancient times, the saint Aldous used a shovel to dig out a lake in order to educate the Palatine people and perform miracles in public.

   Since then, the Palatine people here converted to Catholicism, and the lake was also named Shovel Lake.

   The port town located on the lakeside is naturally also called Shovel Harbor.

  Shoanzigang people mainly make a living by farming and fishing, and some of them do business and work hard.

  Commodities shipped from downstream are unloaded here. Many crops sold in Iron Peak County are also shipped here.

  Because of its unique geographical conditions, Shovel Harbor has gradually developed into a wealthy town after Gervodan in Iron Peak County.

  …

After the strange cavalry left, the townspeople gradually gathered in front of the notice. A well-dressed old gentleman squinted his eyes and pretended to read deeply.

   There are three notices in total, saying three things, and the content is simple and straightforward.

  …

  The first chapter, "Advancing Agriculture".

   The winter is warm this year, and the wheat is jointed early. The Montagne Civil Protection Officer ordered the mayors and village chiefs to immediately organize manpower [pressing wheat seedlings] and organize [cow and horses lying on the ground] without delay.

  [Pressing wheat seedlings], that is, flattening wheat seedlings with rollers and rollers.

  Crushing overgrown winter wheat is not only harmless, but also beneficial, and the wheat will grow stronger next spring.

  It took a lot of work for Winters to understand what a farmer from Sanke said about "holding a market in a wheat field".

   It's just that people are used to trample the wheat seedlings in the market, and Winters went a step further and directly ordered the villages and towns to "press the wheat seedlings" with rollers and logs.

  [Cow and horse lying on the ground] is another famous farmer "Alator" who told Winters the way.

  Winter wheat is very delicate when it first sprouts. It cannot be touched or stepped on. It will be uprooted if it is not careful.

  But it is different now. After nearly a month of growth, the roots of the wheat have developed very firmly.

  Even cows and horses will not be able to damage the root system under the soil, but eating away the first stubble of wheat seedlings is beneficial to the development of wheat in the coming year.

   And after winter, the grass and trees are all dry, and cattle and horses are easy to lose fat when they eat hay.

   Let the big animals eat the fresh wheat seedlings, which can not only help the livestock to survive the winter and keep fat, but also let the livestock trample the wheat fields, which has the effect of "grinding the seedlings".

   And the cow and horse dung and urine are left in the fields, and the wheat will grow vigorously in the coming year, which can be called three birds with one stone.

   The farmer named [Arator] was forcibly brought to Gervodin, fearful and trembling along the way.

   After seeing the blood wolf with his own eyes, he realized that the tribune was not calling everyone for extortion, but really wanted to "protect the people".

   In addition to fluke, Arator's heart was moved a bit.

   He no longer hid and tucked away, and poured out all the little farm work secrets at the bottom of the press box.

   In addition to cows and horses lying on the ground, there is also "sheep lying on the ground", but the process of sheep lying on the ground is more troublesome. Needing to be watched by special personnel all night long, the Montagne tribune still gave priority to the promotion of simple measures.

  …

After    "Advancing Agriculture", it was "Preparing for War".

   The content of the "War Preparation Order" is simpler and more straightforward. Winters, as the [Supreme Commander of the Garrison Army], notified the villages and towns of Tiefeng County:

   The day before yesterday, the garrison army captured barbarian sentries. The barbarian spy confessed that the barbarians will harass the newly cultivated land for the second time due to the warm winter and abundant forage this year.

   This part is false in the front and true in the back - Winters has no intention of explaining the source of the intelligence.

  Montagne's garrison officer ordered the [township officer] and the [agent garrison officer] in each town to block roads, check suspicious persons, and set up sentries.

  The most important thing is: immediately recruit the militia; and set up beacon towers along the Dajiao River and inside the villages and towns.

   Once the barbarians are found, they must immediately raise a beacon to warn, and Gervoudan will send troops to rescue. Those who delay military intelligence will be severely punished.

  Beacon towers are ready to be completed within three days, and the inspection at the station is due. Delays will also be severely punished.

  The militia team and the beacon tower are all emergency measures.

  The Big Horn River isolates the wasteland from the new reclaimed land. It may be a good way to defend against the river.

   But the frontier line is too long, Winters has too many places to defend, his troops are too small, and his mobility is far less than the Hurd light cavalry that moves like the wind.

Can the    Militia stand up to the Tertown barbarians?

   Winters is not optimistic, but if there is any hope, he has to try.

  The plan for conscripting the militia was formulated by Winters himself and was divided into two stages.

  The first stage: Each village and town forms a militia team to be responsible for local defense.

   Will the villages and towns be obedient? Of course not - Winters was prepared for it.

  For towns such as Mudi Town and Fuyuan Town, which are hundreds of kilometers away from the border, if the barbarians don’t kill them, they won’t feel anything.

   Not to mention that Winters was unable to provide any weapons or baggage to the militias everywhere.

   The first-stage plan is a headache to execute, but the difficulty of the first-stage plan is nothing compared to the second-stage plan.

   As for what the second-stage plan is, the respected tribune of Montagne did not mention it in the "Preparing for War" notice at all.

   At this stage, if villages and towns can organize militia teams in an orderly manner, Winters has nothing else to ask for.

  …

  Compared to the previous two notices, the third notice sounds less urgent.

   The third notice has no title, and the general content is to order the villages and towns to select representatives of public opinion and prepare to go to Gervoudan to participate in the "complaint petition meeting". The specific time will be announced later.

   "The new government hopes to conduct an investigation into the suffering of the people of Tiefeng County, and the travel expenses and food and lodging expenses of the public opinion representatives will be provided by the new government."

  The whole article talks about two things, one is to convene representatives to hold a petition and complaint meeting, and the other is to guarantee reimbursement of food and lodging.

   Speaking of the meeting, the commoners of Tiefeng County did not understand. But when it comes to the "petition and grievance meeting", the old people who were born under the authority of the emperor all understand.

   The latter one sounds ridiculous, but it was strongly suggested by the tobacconist Priskin Sr.

   Apparently, Mayor Priskin was more sophisticated than the younger officers.

  …

   The three notices were not long, the old gentleman finished reading them quickly, and the surrounding townspeople started chatting.

   "Read it again! Good old man." Some townspeople who came late cheered: "We're too late."

   The old man frowned slightly, cleared his throat, and started thinking again.

  The belated townspeople listened carefully. The three notices were short and straightforward, with easy-to-understand vocabulary and grammar, even to the point of being "vulgar".

   Winters racked his brains to write these three notices. Bud is not there, and he doesn't even have a qualified pen by his side.

When    had a splitting headache, Winters had an epiphany and came up with an ultimate solution:

   recruited six illiterate old peasants, and read the notice drafted to them first; if the old peasants couldn’t understand or understood the ambiguity, they changed it until five of the six could understand.

   For example, the sentence "The scouts of the Hurd's Teltown Department are haunting the border of Iron Peak County", changed it over and over, and finally changed it to "The barbarians are going to kill".

  Old Mr. finished reading it for the second time, and someone coaxed him to do it again. The old man ignored him, shook his head and left.

  The townspeople discussed more intensely.

  Farmers are concerned about the jointing of wheat, fishermen and businessmen are concerned about the militia—because there is already a militia in Shovel Harbor, the petition will be ignored for the time being.

   "The Mayor of Portal is here!" Someone reminded loudly: "Let me go."

  The crowd gave way, and a tall, broad-shouldered Dussac walked to the sign with a gloomy face.

   Dussac Portar is both the mayor of Shovel Harbor and the acting resident officer. In other words, he is the actual ruler of Shovel Harbor in the political system of the newly cultivated province.

   He does not live in the town, but in the fort-like "Portar Manor".

   Adult Dussacks have been conscripted regardless of their status. But no one knows what means the Mayor of Portal has used to keep him out of the call-up list.

  The townspeople held their breath and watched silently. The Mayor of Portal walked to the door of the church and tore down three notices.

   Portal stood on the steps, crumpled the three notices into a ball of waste paper, and scolded with his eyes wide open:

   "Crushing wheat seedlings? It's all **** nonsense! That's the rebel leader trying to kill you!"

   "The barbarians are coming? To the west of Shovel Harbor is Shovel Lake! Barbarians are coming? Come on!"

   "The militia? Do you need the rebels? We already have a militia in Shovel Harbor!"

   "Fathers and folks, let me tell you! Militia? Shit! The rebels are going to arrest you as soldiers!"

   "It's all gone!"

  The crowd left in disbelief.

   Mayor Potar saw that his goal had been achieved, and immediately called his entourage to bring the horse over.

   He carefully put the "waste paper" made up of three notices into his arms, jumped on the horse's back, and galloped towards the Portal Manor outside the town.

   As the first settlers, when Portal was settled in Iron Peak County, it was common for a small group of barbarians to cross the river and loot, and new immigrants who lived alone were often exterminated.

   Therefore, at the beginning of the construction of the Portar Manor, there was a hint of a fortress - there are as many trenches and walls, and the sturdy stone mansion is completely the main castle of the castle.

   Seeing that the master came back, the tenant farmers who were guarding the gate of the manor hurriedly lowered the drawbridge.

  Portal ran non-stop into the manor, and the suspension bridge slowly rose again.

  Compared to other villages and towns that have been ruined by the military disaster, the Botar Manor is actually a thriving scene.

  The surrounding area of ​​the manor, whether wasteland or farmland, has been reclaimed, and the wheat seedlings have grown very lush.

   As early as when tenant farmers and hired laborers in other villages and towns fled, Portar joined hands with the estate owners of Shovel Harbor to control the landless farmers in this town.

   Later, he gathered the refugees from other places and distributed food. He was honored by the refugees as "the great master of Botar".

  Portal, with all his horsepower, galloped all the way back to the gate of the castle-like mansion, and asked his eldest son, "Where is Mr. Alpha?"

   "Upstairs." Portal's eldest son replied hastily.

  Portal threw the reins to his son, rushed into the mansion, and ran all the way up to the small meeting room on the second floor.

   There was no one else in the small parlor, only a young man.

   The young man was leaning against the window, reading a letter. He was wearing a light green hunting suit, with a modest little sword dangling from his belt.

   Looking at the facial features alone, the appearance of a young man cannot be considered handsome.

   But his smile is very kind, which makes people unconsciously feel good. Plus he's well built - long fingers, strong and well-proportioned limbs.

  Portar's youngest daughter and several young maids have been fascinated by this "Mr. Alpha".

   Seeing Portal hurried up to the second floor, Mr. Alpha put away the letter and said with a smile: "Tomorrow night, another ship of weapons and gunpowder will be delivered to Shovel Lake."

   Portal was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic: "That's great!"

   "I'm also bothering you to send someone to meet you." Mr. Alpha added politely.

  Portal was so excited that he forgot the original purpose of coming to Mr. Alpha. He patted his chest and assured: "Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will take someone personally!"

   "Is there anything going on at Gervodin?" asked Mr. Alpha.

  Portal woke up like a dream, and hurriedly took out a bunch of crumpled paper from his arms: "The rebels sent three notices."

  Portar wanted to spread the notice, but his fingers were too clumsy, and he tore a large hole inadvertently. It was Mr. Alpha who took over and flattened the crumpled three sheets of paper again.

   "This...how is it written..." After Mr. Alpha read the notice, he couldn't help laughing: "Why is it written like this?"

   Portal immediately echoed: "It means that the rebels are unpopular, they are all illiterate rascals."

   Actually, for Portal, he felt that the notice was well written. At least even a rude man like him who only knows simple words can understand it.

   "The rebels may be unpopular, but they are not illiterate rascals." Mr. Alpha corrected himself. He tapped his fingers on the windowsill, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Do you think what the rebel leader said is true?"

   "What? Let the cattle and horses go to eat the wheat seedlings?" Portal sneered disdainfully: "Unheard of."

   "The Hurds will come again."

   "Well... maybe it's true. This winter is indeed not as cold as it used to be. But it could also be fake... Who knows?"

Mr. Alpha thought for a moment, then nodded: "The leader of the rebel army asked each village to form a militia, and we happened to use the militia team as a cover to train refugees. As for the beacon towers, we can arrange some. Since the Hurds may come again, we must also prepare. Come on. Send someone to send a letter to Gervodin, ask the rebels for weapons and food, and say the militia needs it."

   "Can the rebels give it?"

   "It's good to give to nature, but it doesn't matter if you don't give it."

   "Okay." Portal nodded vigorously.

   "Go."

   Portal saluted, turned and left.

   Mr. Alpha looked out the window and let out a barely audible sigh.

  …

   At the same time, at the town hall of Heishui Town, more than 100 kilometers away, the messenger cavalry was handing Winters's handwritten letter and three notices to Lieutenant Bud.

  Bud opened the lacquer seal, read the letter carefully, and read the notice ten lines at a time.

   He also sighed heavily.

   During this time, he has been running between farms, dealing with all kinds of big and small matters.

  He is more short of people than Winters, and he is responsible for almost everything.

   He not only manages the distribution of agricultural tools, farming animals, seeds and other means of production, but also supervises and inspects the autumn ploughing of each farm.

   In less than a month, the resettled refugees and local farmers had already broken out several fights. It was all because he rushed to mediate and adjudicate at the first time that the conflict did not intensify further.

  The weather is getting colder and colder, and the farms need to repair their houses and harvest fuel, and he still has to make arrangements.

  Budd became tired almost visibly, and even started to look old.

   Seeing that the farms are gradually on the right track, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief and take a good rest, but...

  It is useless to think too much, Bud calmly accepts the reality. Getting his emotions in order, he opened the window and called out to the stable keeper.

   Anglo, who was brushing the red mane in the backyard, heard the sound and ran into the town hall with the brush still in his hand.

   "Recollect the horses sent to the farms."

   "Bring it in?" Anglo didn't know why: "Didn't you say that the horses should spend the winter on various farms?"

Bud handed the letter and notice to Anglo. He was sad, but his tone was unhappy: "After receiving it, it will be placed on the nearby farm in Heishui Town. Let the horses go to eat the wheat seedlings. I will give you some more concentrate. ."

  Although Anglo was learning to read during this time, he still struggled to read the letter. After reading the notice, he understood what happened.

   "The time is too short." Anglo said bitterly: "There is no fat on the horse."

   "As much as you can, call Ish."

  Anglu raised his hand to salute and ran out the door to saddle Redmane.

   After a while, Ish, who was sweating profusely, walked into the town hall.

   "You called me?" Ish was chopping wood. Knowing that the lieutenant was looking for him, he hurried over.

   "Gather the adult men from each farm and prepare weapons." Bud said with a serious face, "We have to defend ourselves."

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

   [The next chapter...No, the next chapter...I don't dare to give notice anymore, it's just a flag]

   [If winter wheat grows too well before winter, it really needs to be milled]

   [As for the cows and sheep lying on the ground, there is also a limerick: When the beginning of winter comes, the ground is full of frost, and the ground is clean and the stones are cool. The wild geese go south without a trace, only cattle and sheep are seen in the fields]

   [Quoting "Tonight News": After the wheat is sown in autumn, with a little heat, a little root will be planted, and wheat seedlings that are not tall will grow. In winter, it needs to be properly rolled. There are many functions of crushing wheat seedlings. On the one hand, after rolling at the seedling stage, the growth of the shoots is inhibited, which promotes the growth of tillers, so that the tillers occur earlier and more, and the wheat seedlings will grow robustly. This not only increases the effective tillering, but also thickens and shortens the internodes at the base, which is beneficial to its growth. On the other hand, the underground part strengthens the function of soil capillary, the root system is fully grown, the root system is developed, and it plays the role of squatting and strengthening the stalk, thereby improving the lodging resistance. Furthermore, when rolling, the clods are crushed, the soil cracks are bridged, the root system is closely combined with the soil, and the voids in the soil are reduced, which has the functions of water retention, fertilizer retention, warmth retention, and frost protection. In addition, the time for the differentiation of young wheat seedlings after rolling is prolonged, which is conducive to the formation of large ears and an increase in the number of grains. ]

   (end of this chapter)