Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 337 Arrangements

   Iron Peaks, Gervodin.

  In the winter of 559 in the imperial calendar, Iron Peak County's battle against Teltown has not yet been officially named.

   But in private, the people of Tiefeng County refer to the final battle as "Battle of Blood and Mire".

   is used a lot, and the "Battle of Blood and Mud" has gradually become a synonym for all the battles on both sides of the Bighorn River in a broad sense.

No one can tell exactly how the name    came about. A more credible statement is that because the two sides shed so much blood that the battlefield was watered into mud from the frozen farmland, so it was named the Battle of Blood Mud.

   Anyway, on the afternoon of the day Budd returned to Gervoudan, Winters Montagne stepped into the Gervoudan garrison for the first time after the Battle of Blood Mud.

  The guards on duty watched the blood wolf walk in front of him intently, and even forgot how to salute.

  Similarly, for Winters, the two-story building in the station became somewhat unfamiliar. There were many unseen faces among the people coming in and out, presumably newly hired clerks.

   Winters recognizes the Guards - 2nd Founding, Little Rock native. But for some reason, he couldn't call out the guard's name.

   But that's okay, because the guards recognize him too.

   "Who's there?" Winters asked.

   "Captain Bart Xialing." After the guard answered, he remembered to add: "Report!"

   Winters nodded. The guard raised his hand in return, and Winters returned the salute.

Among the    Tiefeng County Infantry Regiment, the fully formed company was sent to Manyun Valley, while the incomplete company stayed in Saint Ke Town to rest. At present, there is only the second company stationed in Gervodin.

   Knowing that the centurion appeared, Bart Xialing did not wait for the summons and rushed to the garrison at the first time.

   Today, the Revodan Station - this modest two-story masonry building - is the real heart and brain of Tiefeng County, not the county seat, nor the city hall.

The power concentrated by the new garrison is far from comparable to that of the old garrison in the "Ronald era". All military and political orders in Tiefeng County are now issued by the new garrison, and the original semi-autonomous system has suffered a serious impact.

  Winters never worked in the garrison, so there was no dedicated office.

  Bart Xialing knew this, so he climbed to the second floor in three steps and two steps. He pushed open the door of the conference room with a little unease, and unsurprisingly saw the familiar cane on the table.

   "Your Excellency!" Bart Shalling immediately saluted, his eyes turned slightly, and he saw another person: "Your Excellency Bard!"

   "It's coming soon." Bud smiled and motioned for the second company commander to take his seat.

   "Where's Mason Tribunal?" Winters asked.

   "Just out of the city at noon." Bart Shilling was still standing: "I'll go back to Lord Mason?"

   "No." Winters was writing something: "You sit too."

   Bart Xialing sat down, but not too deep, leaving at least a foot between the spine and the back of the chair.

   Seeing the sitting position of the second company commander, Bud shook his head slightly.

   "Should I call two scribes?" Bart Shalling asked in a low voice.

   Winters didn't look up: "Don't reveal the following to anyone below company level."

"Yes."

   "I'm going to send each company to each town for the winter." Winters glanced at the second company commander: "The second company goes to Hammer Castle."

   Bart Shilling knows exactly what attitude he should show when. He put away his cautious look and asked seriously, "Is the supply still provided by Gervoudan?"

   Ordered the second company commander, and Winters never needed to explain too much: "If conditions permit, recruit as much as possible."

   "On-site recruitment?" Bart Xialing said bluntly: "I'm afraid it will not be very good-looking."

   "It's not for you to forcefully levy it." Winters stopped writing: "Every company will be allocated a small denomination of land coupons."

   "Is that the 'small denomination' military merit certificate mentioned in the previous announcement?"

"right."

   "Ordinary people...will accept it?"

   "Of course they'll accept it, at least not too reluctantly." Winters said word for word: "As long as the county government allows anyone to 'cultivate the land first, pay the voucher later'."

  The conference room became quiet, and Bart Xia Ling stood up and asked, "You mean that next year's spring ploughing will allow farmers to clear land first? As for the process of replacing land with military merit certificates, can you make up for it later?"

   "Yes, that's right."

   "I'm afraid..."

   "There will be countless encroachments, and the interests of the garrison will be damaged, right?"

   Bart Shalling nodded.

   "If the farmers in Iron Peak County can all think that they have taken advantage of it, then this matter will be a success." Winters said lightly: "It's okay to suffer a little loss. If you insist on reckoning, you will probably still make a profit."

  Bart Xialing thought hard to no avail: "Apart from collecting supplies on the spot, are there any other orders? Your arrangement must have other meanings, but your subordinates can't figure it out..."

   "Yes, and there are many." Winters never played a riddle with his subordinates: "The clerks of the county government will be stationed in the towns with you. Their task is to count the population and clear the land. You must cooperate, assist and protect them."

   "The county government? Where did the county government come from?" Bart Shalling was puzzled. As we all know, the county government of Tiefeng County is an empty shell.

   Bud, who has been silent for a while, replied: "The accounting school is tentatively planned, and some people will be dispatched from the farm to help."

   "Measuring the land... Can the students of the accounting school be competent?" Bart Shalling was still skeptical: "I'm afraid there is not enough time."

   Wouldn’t it be more convenient to send clerks directly to the camp? Bart Xialing wanted to ask this question very much, but he was keenly aware of the deep meaning, so he didn't point it out.

   "It is precisely because the time is tight, so let them get familiar with and exercise as soon as possible." Bud explained patiently: "There are exercises in the army, and the inspection grounds this winter can also be regarded as exercises."

   The tribune's reason was very strong, but Bart Xialing couldn't find any reason to refute, so he nodded.

Winters rubbed a knife: "Counting Revodan, there are seventeen towns in Tiefeng County. You and the county government's personnel will be dispatched to [North Eight Towns] first. The current situation in Upper Tiefeng County is so far away. It's time to end the state of being in trouble. Beiba Town must be officially brought under the jurisdiction of the county government, and at least next year's tax revenue must be raised."

   "Yes!" Bart Xialing, who had just sat down, stood up abruptly: "It's long overdue!"

   But he remembered something and asked with a little worry: "But... what about Shovel Harbor? I'm afraid that Shovel Harbor will not easily accept our troops."

   "Shovel Harbor will not send anyone there for the time being. I have other arrangements."

"Yes."

"In addition to protecting and assisting the county government, I have other tasks for you." Winters lowered his eyes and looked at the dossier in front of him: "I have seen your requests for additional troops. I don't plan to open it in Gervodin. Recruiting troops, too obvious—it's a good opportunity to be stationed in the towns. Specific plans... Mason Tribunal will prepare them for you."

"Yes."

   "According to the current establishment, one company is full of 120 people." Winters tapped the table with his fingertips: "By next year, it will become two hundred and forty people in two companies."

  Bart Xia Ling was stunned at first, but after he figured it out, he replied excitedly: "Yes!"

"Also... Many peasants couldn't survive, and ran into the mountains to become robbers and bandits. [South Eight Towns], I took you to clean it up. As for [North Eight Towns], we were out of reach at that time. But now it is different, Since you want to collect taxes from Beiba Town, you must also do your duty to Beiba Town, do you understand what I mean?"

  Bart Xialing knew nothing about it. He bared his teeth and said with a smile: "To be honest, I'm worried that there are too few bandits to kill."

   Bud coughed lightly: "You can kill as little as possible."

"Yes!"

"The most difficult part of the gangs is not their combat power, but their two legs—the ability to run. It's not difficult to deal with peasants who eat and drink for one bite, but it is difficult to deal with those habitual criminals and habitual bandits." Winters looked towards Map on the wall: "I have a place for them."

  Bart Xialing followed the sight of the centurion, and his eyes fell on Shovel Harbor, a town in the northeast of Tiefeng County.

   "What do you mean?" Bart Shalling bit his lip and asked tentatively, "Hunting?"

"The most likely place to breed bandits is the junction of the two administrative districts. If bandits and robbers from Iron Peak County escape into Vigne County or White Mountain County, it will not be eradicated." A deep ditch grows: "So don't be tight on the outside and loose on the inside, don't let any bandits escape from Tiefeng County, and drive them all to Shovel Harbor."

"But…"

   "I know what you're worried about, I've decided."

"Yes."

   "Do you know why only you came to the meeting?"

   "...Subordinates are stupid."

"You are the smartest and most capable of the twelve commanders." Winters put the draft memo in front of the second commander: "What I said to you will not be reflected in the announcement, so I will I want you to go to Sanke Town and Manyun Valley in person to convey orders to other company commanders."

  Bart Xialing stood up suddenly: "Yes!"

   Winters had a sense of "must be done as soon as possible" at the moment that made him unwittingly harsh. Looking at the sunken cheeks and wrists of the second company commander, he realized this.

"In terms of seniority, you are second only to Tamas among the twelve company commanders in the first batch. In terms of credit, Tamas is not as good as you. Since Tamas became the first acting battalion commander, then the second acting The battalion commander should be yours no matter what. But until now you are still the second company commander. You should feel wronged or blame me." Winters faced his most powerful subordinate and said guiltily:

"Because I want you to be promoted through the compliant process, not like Tamas - I'm directly appointed. I set a very bad precedent with Tamas, so I want to correct it on you. But The reason is not your fault, so I'm sorry."

  Bart Xialing opened and closed his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't spit out any words. He raised his hand and saluted.

   Winters returned the salute: "Let's go, get to Sank Town and Manyun Valley as soon as possible. I have written the specific deployment in the memo, and the official announcement will be sent out the day after tomorrow at the latest."

  Bart Shalling nodded, turned and walked towards the door. He had just touched the doorknob when he was called again.

"There is one more thing." There are too many problems to deal with, and Winters' thinking is also a little confused. He smiled and told the second company commander: "Select ten people from your subordinates, preferably those who can read and understand arithmetic. , young, bright-minded, or who have made meritorious deeds and are of good quality.”

  Bart Xia Ling was stunned, and he replied with a bitter face: "Where can I find ten young warriors who are young, literate, understand arithmetic, and have a good brain, and who have to... have made meritorious deeds and are of good quality?"

   Winters also felt that it seemed too extravagant: "As far as possible, you can meet the requirements, or you can pick out ten fighters that you think are the best."

  Bart Harling's Second Company now has only seven Ten Commanders left, and picking out the ten best fighters is tantamount to taking out half of the company's backbone.

   "Are you going to form a guard?" Bart Shalling gritted his teeth: "If I say anything, I will find ten for you."

   "That's not it." Winters' eyes flashed with fire: "I'm planning to build a special military school... Let other company commanders choose ten people according to this standard."

   Bart Xia Ling's mood is a bit complicated.

  Although his militia career was not long, Bart Schalling learned many nicknames for officers from the veterans of the standing army, such as: leather boots, big white goose, officer...

  These nicknames satirize the arrogance of the officers on the one hand, but also implied admiration and jealousy on the other hand.

  Bart Xialing is now reluctantly considered an "official", but he knows clearly in his heart: there are only four real officers in Tiefeng County, and there is no need to list them all.

   "Army...Military school?" Bart Shalling asked awkwardly: "What...when does...start..."

   Winters sighed: "It will take at least two months. As for the graduates, it is tentatively scheduled to let them serve as assistant officers for you. Under the current situation, it is impossible to directly appoint them."

   For two months, Bart Shaling keenly captured the key words. Thinking of the centurion's abnormal behavior today, Bart Xialing couldn't help but be suspicious.

   He asked tentatively: "You haven't shown your face before, so many things have been arranged at once today..."

   "My old injury has recurred and I need to go back to Wolf Town to recuperate." Winters was expressionless: "After today, I won't be able to appear in public for at least two months."

  Bart Xialing fell into a huge panic. He rushed to the centurion's side, stammering with anxiety: "Where is the injury? Your leg injury is not a big problem? What is it..."

   "The reason for disclosure is this."

   "Then... what's the actual reason?"

"I'm going to take a long trip." Winters gritted his teeth and said bitterly: "I was used as a knife—hmph, I admit it. But at least, I want to see the hand holding the knife with my own eyes. Inviting me to be a guest, just in time, I also want to visit Yaxin, the white lion."

   Bud looked out the window and sighed heavily.

  Bart Charing was dumbfounded. His reason wanted to stop the centurion, but what he said was so outrageous that he didn't even know where to stop him.

   "Don't worry, I still have value, and the white lion won't kill me." Winters glanced at Bart Xialing: "Also, it's time to dig out that lump of gold."

   [This...this...this is last week]

   [The transition chapter was very difficult to write, but it was finished after all, Sahua]

   [Thank you for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, reward and comment, thank you all]

   (end of this chapter)