Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 460 Eye of the Storm

   In June, the sun is like fire.

  Tiefeng County Army "take over" Maplestone City for seven days, and the siege of Maple Leaf Fort also lasted for seven days.

   The roar of heavy artillery in the ears reminds everyone that the war is still going on.

   But life has to go on.

  Like other cities, there is also a large area of ​​arable land on the outskirts of Maplestone City. Now, the rye outside the city has been cut, and it is time to cut the wheat.

  The ox and horse slowly dragged the heavy stone scorpion, grinding out a large flat field in the harvested farmland.

  The threshed grain is spread evenly over the field and drained under the scorching sun.

  Looking around, the fields outside the city were full of sudden golden spots, as if someone had thrown them on with a paintbrush.

   Because harvesting, threshing, drying and other processes require a lot of manpower.

   Therefore, at this time of year, whether male or female, adults or children in peasant families, as long as they have hands, they have to work in the fields.

  Not only the homesteaders and tenants in Maplestone City, but also the landless people in nearby villages and the poor in Maplestone City were also attracted to work in the fields, relying on selling their labor during the harvest season for meager remuneration.

   A large number of day laborers gather like a stream in the morning, and return home like a bird in the evening.

   The busy work scene is almost no different from June in previous years.

  If you turn your attention to the more remote Iron Peak County, people will be surprised to find that the large refugee farms under the rebels have even finished harvesting winter wheat, and are rushing to plant vegetables and beans to supplement their rations.

   It seems that the entire newly cultivated province has shaken off the war and turmoil, and regained its former stability and tranquility.

   However, this peace is more like the peace in the center of the storm.

   There is no need for deliberate propaganda at all. The results of the Battle of River Valley Village naturally spread beyond the new reclaimed land, immediately causing violent turmoil in Palatu and even the alliance.

   A new round of purges broke out in the castles.

   The Red Rose faction, which split from the old Great Council, was divided into two again according to "whether or not you support Grove Magnus unconditionally".

A large number of Red Rose MPs who were at odds with Grove Magnus' political views - especially those local factions who were fiercely opposed to external forces intervening in the Palatine Civil War - have been called "traitors", "spies", "anti-Party sympathizers" arrested and imprisoned.

  Individual members of the Red Rose were even executed in public without trial as a "collaborator who caused the defeat of the battle".

  The castles returned to the horror atmosphere of the last **** coup: every door and window was closed, and there were no pedestrians on the road except for the cavalry with wanted orders.

  Some people say that dying beasts are more dangerous than usual.

   But what Grove Magnus was doing was more than just dangerous, more like madness.

   I just don't know if the councillors who once surrounded Grove Magnus to the Speaker's throne when they bowed their heads before the execution of the great sword, felt remorse.

   In Guitu City, the province that learned the latest battle situation in Palato started a new round of mobilization and arming.

  The prices of iron, lead, nitrate, and sulphur on the market have skyrocketed. Along with the price of military supplies, there is also the price of raw wool.

  The Piedmont Wool Importers Guild has given a listed offer for a pack of [medium quality, uncooked] raw wool [one gold shield and two silver shields] — and it's just a suggestion.

   Panicked textile millers began to stockpile raw materials at any cost, and wise millers were already laying off weavers.

   On the other side of the Inner Sea, Veneta's tremors were no lighter than that of the United Provinces.

  Cenas Alliance has not had a large-scale battle in which "both parties involved in the war invested tens of thousands of troops" for many years.

   Going back a hundred years, a battle of this scale is enough to destroy a country and rejuvenate a country; even today, which has experienced the baptism of a sovereign war, such a tragic battle is enough to go down in history.

   It's just that the Veneta's shock was more positive.

   The "inside story of the rebels in Tiefeng County", which had been deliberately suppressed by the government, could no longer be covered. The name of Winters Montagne spread all over the Lagoon Gate overnight.

   Serbiatti's mansion, the ladies of the sea blue came one after another, and asked Kesha Sererti about the situation; when they went out, they went straight to the Navarre Manor and congratulated Mrs. Navarre half-truths.

   Not to mention the gossip that spread in the living room and salon of the sea blue, and the reactions of Mrs. Navarre and Mrs. Serbia needless to say.

In response to the latest battle situation in Palatu, the Veneta administration issued a stern statement to the Federal Council of Governors through public channels - warning the allies not to intervene in the Palatu civil war in any form, otherwise Veneta would forced to respond.

  The situation in the Tanilla Islands and the River River Basin has heated up again. The vacations of the officers of the Third and Fourth Corps have been cancelled, and the soldiers are no longer seen loitering outside the garrison barracks.

The   Veneta Inland Sea Fleet also left the home port, and started a new round of hunting for the inter-provincial smuggling ships above the Inner Sea.

   On the banks of the Inner Sea, both Liaoning Province and Veneta have already arched their backs, exploded their manes, and pressed their bodies tightly to the ground, as if they were about to pounce on each other and bite them in the next second.

   On the contrary, it was on the north bank of the Jinliujiang River, and the Palatu military government in Hongchuan had a mediocre response to the war on the south bank.

The   Hongchuan military government neither took advantage of the opportunity of the enemy's loss of troops to attack the eastern border cities bordering the United Provinces; nor did it try to break through the Jinliujiang defense line again.

   All in all, the Hongchuan military government hardly took any action, and its negative attitude is intriguing.

   As time passed, the waves caused by the boulder "Battle of River Valley Village" in the alliance were reflected back to Xinken.

   The upper-level citizens of Maplestone City who were able to receive news from the outside world could not help but become pessimistic about the prospect of the new land.

   And the situation inside the newly reclaimed province is also turbulent.

  The Tiefeng County Army released the victory communique signed by Winters Montagne to the public, and Maplestone City immediately became expensive in Luoyang.

  The printed bulletin was looted, and the handwritten bulletin was sold for a silver coin, and the three printing workshops in the city had to urgently reprint it.

   The citizens of Maplestone who got the bulletin not only read it in the square, living room, and dining table, but also secretly sent them to other places.

  Although the communiqué omitted many tactical details, it was silent on the casualties of the coalition forces.

   However, through the summary content in the article, ordinary people outside the two sides of the war were able to get a glimpse of the whole battle for the first time, and understood what a devastating blow the Grand Council Army suffered.

The subtle emotions revealed between the lines—for example, the parliamentary army is called the "pseudo-government army", the army of Baishan, Bianjiang and Leiqun is called the "new reclamation army", and only the "Tiefeng army" is used "" Our Army"—Many smart people in Maplestone realize pessimistically that there may still be a battle to be fought within the so-called "New Reclamation Coalition".

   The development of the situation is also as expected by the citizens of Maplestone.

The   Leiqun Army was stationed in the southeast of Maplestone City, and never joined up with the Tiefeng County army. They sat and watched the Tiefeng County army besiege Maple Leaf Castle alone.

It is said that the blood wolf invited a major to contact the Leiqun County army. As a result, the colonel and Colonel Skool had a big quarrel. The borders of Thundershire County.

   On the other hand, the garrison in Vigne also rejected the blood wolf ultimatum.

  Vogne County garrison politely received the blood wolf's messenger, but firmly stated that he would never accept "unconditional surrender", let alone "surrender to the rebels".

  Under the appearance of tranquility in the newly reclaimed land, undercurrents are surging.

   The Iron Peak Army, the Leiqun County Army, and the Vigne County Army controlled each other, and there was no movement on the surface.

   But those with discerning eyes can see clearly that although the Tiefeng County Army controls Maplestone City, they are in the most unfavorable situation. Its ties to the base were cut off by Vigne, while the Thundershire army, backed by the mainland, was replenishing losses.

   See the micro-knowledge, see the beginning and know the end. All the signs made the upper-class citizens of Maplestone City, who had a broader vision, even more convinced that the current peace was only a mirror image, and that a new round of war would come down at an unknown time.

  The pessimism spreads from top to bottom and gradually spreads to every corner of Maplestone City.

   Even people who work in the fields occasionally stand up and look at the dark clouds in the sky, and they will feel anxious about the future.

   But all of the above, Major Alder Felt, who was trapped in Maple Leaf Castle... didn't know anything about it.

Major    Felt didn't know about the purges of the castles, nor the war between the provinces and Veneta, much less the unusual quietness of the military government, and even who of his colleagues survived.

   From the moment he escaped into Maple Leaf Fort, the major's world was less than one square kilometer in size, roughly in the shape of a circle with Maple Leaf Fort as the center and a radius of 300 meters.

   Maple Leaf Fort originally had a large group of defenders, but they ran away after learning the news of the defeat. After that, one hundred or ten remnants of Felt's army escaped, plus one hundred and ten servants and handymen, and the total number of people who could pick up weapons was still around one brigade.

   In fact, Major Felt has proven his ability to maintain the morale of these 500 or so people and not be tied out to the blood wolf by them.

   But beyond that, he was powerless to try anything else.

Major    could only watch in despair as the rebels in Tiefeng County went crazy. First, they built a high wall around Maple Leaf Fort, and then built a second high wall outside the high wall.

  In the beginning, only the rebels were digging trenches outside Maple Leaf Fort.

   A few days later, some prisoners in brown clothes also appeared on the construction site, which greatly accelerated the efficiency of the rebels.

  The rebels used the space between the two high walls as a new camp. While digging trenches and approaching Maple Leaf Fort, they organized prisoners in the new camp to make a lot of baskets.

  Because the Maple Leaf Fort was built next to the river, the river bank between the river and the fort was completely exposed to the range of the defenders, so there would always be a section of the river bank under the control of the defenders, and it was difficult to completely encircle it.

   However, the rebels did not spare even the last section of the river bank.

  The rebel sappers took a different route, first building a camp on the other side of the river, and then extending a pontoon bridge from the camp on the opposite bank at night.

   By the time Major Felt woke up in the morning, the bridgehead of the rebels had already risen.

The bridgeheads on both sides of the    and the pontoon bridges not only blocked the last gap in the siege fortifications, but also blocked the Anya River.

   If it weren't for the fact that the pontoon bridge across the Anya River in front of him was the masterpiece of the enemy, Major Felt would have applauded the officers who commanded the project.

   However, when it is your turn to become the "enemy" in the textbook battle example, the taste is not good.

   With the completion of the rebel bridgehead, the Maple Leaf Fortress was completely cut off from the outside world, not to mention sending and receiving letters, and even fetching water.

   If it wasn't for a spare well in Maple Leaf Fort, the defenders would have to surrender immediately.

   By the fourth day of the siege, rebel artillery appeared outside Fort Maple.

   When he saw the thirty-two-pound cannon launched by the rebels, Major Felt immediately turned black.

Major   's last hope was also dashed, knowing that he had only one way left: negotiate and then surrender conditionally.

   However, according to Felt’s own observation, the rebels seemed to be attacking violently—otherwise there was no need to dig so many trenches; it seemed like they were going to be under siege for a long time—the double-height wall was obviously to guard against external enemies.

   Only there is no willingness to negotiate.

   "Why don't you negotiate with me?" Major Felt asked himself every day, but he still couldn't figure it out.

   He looked out of the city and shouted in despair, "Why don't you negotiate with me?"

Major    Felt—or the Fort Maple garrison—has a bargaining power.

  As the headquarters of the New Reclamation Army, Maple Leaf Fort is not only a fortress, but also a warehouse of the New Reclamation Army, keeping the gold, ordnance and gunpowder that support the entire army.

   At the same time, as the core defense fulcrum of the Palatu Army in the new reclaimed land, Maple Leaf Fort has undergone several expansions and reinforcements since its completion.

  The renovation in 532 corrected the firing range of each fort, the expansion in 535 built a new triangular fort outside the main bastion, and the renovation in 539 made a large-scale adjustment of the terrain outside the Maple Leaf Fort…

   As a military project alone, the value of this fortress is immeasurable.

Major   Alder Felt has already figured out what to say in the first sentence of the negotiation: "Want me to surrender? I would rather set the gunpowder depot on fire and take Maple Leaf Castle to pieces!"

   In order to say this sentence firmly, Major Felt secretly practiced in front of the mirror many times, and he was able to do it without leaking.

   However, the Major waited on the left and right, until the high wall was built outside the Maple Leaf Fort, until the pontoon bridge was built over the Anya River, and he could not wait for the rebel negotiator.

   As the sun went down, Major Felt stood alone on the ridge of Maple Leaf Fort.

   "Winters Montagne!" The major gritted his teeth and wailed in his heart: "Do you really want me to send Maple Leaf Castle to the sky?"

Major    Felt didn't know that the Winters Montagne he cursed was within sight of him at this very moment.

   Looking south from the high-lying Maple Leaf Fort, you can have a panoramic view of the north and west of Maple Stone City.

   Just at the west gate of Maplestone City, where the carriages gather, Winters is talking to a middle-aged farmer.

  Because the West Gate, which was taken over by the Tiefeng County Army, did not accept tolls, many farmers had to go through the West Gate to enter the city even if they made a detour.

  So, from morning to night, there is an endless stream of carts entering and leaving Maplestone City from Ximen.

  The peasants are eager to transport the dried grains into Maplestone City, not only because there are warehouses in Maplestone City protected by the city wall, but also because they need to pay rent and taxes as soon as possible, and they can’t afford to delay a day.

"From the south of the city all the way to Maiqiu and Gongshao Town." Although the middle-aged farmer didn't know the identity of the young man in front of him, he used the honorific word cautiously: "Anywhere you can see the land, it's almost ' Lord of the city'."

   Winters handed over the kettle and asked politely, "What is the old man in the city?"

   "The master in the city is naturally the master who lives in the city." The middle-aged farmer gratefully took the water bottle and moistened his dry throat: "But there is a lot of land outside the city."

   Winters is no stranger to urban citizens holding out-of-city real estate. For example, many farmers in the suburbs of Gervoudan automatically have the citizenship of Gervoudan. They go out to work in the city during the day and return to the city to rest at night. Although they are "citizens", they are also "peasants".

   "Aren't there any homesteaders around Maplestone?" Winters asked.

   "Not many." The middle-aged farmer shook his head: "It's all rented from the hands of the masters in the city, and so do I. So if you buy food, you have to pay the rent overnight, plus taxes."

   "So anxious?"

   "Hurry up, or you will have to put in a lot of interest."

   "Oh?" Winters raised his eyebrows.

The middle-aged farmer explained the way to Winters bitterly: "The official hall collects the summer tax on the fourth Monday of May every year. It is when the green and yellow are not picked up, and the tax will be paid by the gentleman in the city on our behalf. When we have the food, we will pay it back. Lord in the city, every time you come and go, you have to take in a lot of interest, so you can't delay a day."

   Winters only knew that farmers needed to borrow food to survive when the green and yellow were not available, but he did not expect such a layer of exploitative joints in Maplestone City.

   He couldn't help sighing: "Isn't this inviting the taxpayer back again?"

   "Who?" the middle-aged farmer asked in confusion.

   "It's nothing." Winters smiled and asked, "Who are the lords in Maplestone City?"

   "It's not 'who'." The middle-aged farmer waved his hand quickly: "There is no 'who'."

   Winters understood the meaning of the other person skillfully: "You mean, not someone?"

"That's right, it's not someone." The middle-aged farmer grinned happily, and he counted with his fingers: "The wool guild, the mason guild... the southern parish, the northern parish, the Anya monastery... the local master, the foreigner master…"

   In the end, the middle-aged farmer slapped his forehead: "But the most land is in the official hall, and I rent the land in the official hall?"

   "Official hall? What official hall?" Winters frowned.

   "What else could it be an official hall, an official hall is an official hall." The middle-aged farmer was also very strange: "The New Reclamation Army."

   Winters was stunned, then realized, and finally burst out laughing.

The middle-aged farmer in front of    looked puzzled, and Houder, who was accompanying him, was also inexplicable.

   By the side of several people, carriages full of grains are continuously driving into Maplestone City.

   "If there is an opportunity, you can own a piece of land." Winters asked softly: "Would you like to accept it?"

   The middle-aged farmer lowered his head, and the answer was a soul tormented by poverty and deprivation: "I am willing to give everything."

   Winters solemnly stretched out his hand to the middle-aged farmer, shook it firmly, then stood up with his saber.

   "Come on," Winters said to Holder.

  …

  …

   [Vogne County]

  [Artemis]

   At dawn, Major Sandel, the garrison officer in Vigne, was awakened by the sound of an explosion.

   He rolled off the bed and slammed open the window.

   In the distance, the navy blue flag of the Tiefeng County Army has been inserted into the city wall against the rising sun.

   [Complete this Wednesday! And they are all big chapters ヾ(^▽^*)))]

   [The previous big map forces were marked incorrectly, and the part bordering the north of Jinliujiang and the United Provinces is still in the hands of Hong Qiangwei. Will come up with the correct version as soon as possible]

   [Additional explanation]

   [In fact, it is not only the wealthy people in ancient China who will try their best to buy land. Before the Industrial Revolution, people all over the world who "have money" will try their best to "buy land". Because at that time, land was the safest and most lucrative investment option - usury was limited by religious reasons and was not an option in many cases]

   [Therefore, in the late Middle Ages, in Renaissance Italy, in the Netherlands, in Germany, many real estates on the outskirts of the developed autonomous cities, if you look carefully, most of them are still owned by the urban residents]

[It is not surprising that such a situation occurred in the German Peasant War: the equally oppressed urban bourgeoisie, when faced with the help of the peasant insurgents, often took the side of the feudal ruling clique and the church, because they were also landowners, and the feudal Notify that the interests of the group and the church are aligned]

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

   (end of this chapter)