Iron Powder and Spellcasters

  Chapter 472 Rekindling the Spark (4)

   Spending money made Winters feel sincerely happy.

  Because His Excellency Montagne swiped his pen, he banned the special tax previously imposed by the New Reclamation Legion at one time, and announced the postponement of the agricultural tax and poll tax for the first half of the year;

  So in the short term, the Iron Peak Army cannot expect to collect resources from Vogne County through tax collection—unless Lord Montagne plans to bid farewell to the honorific title of "Your Excellency" and change to a more ugly nickname.

  However, the Iron Peak Army, far from the rear, really needs various resources from Warney County.

From the beginning when a dozen deserters went hunting through the mountains and forests to feed their hunger, to conquering Jevaudan and seizing the warehouses of the garrison troops in Iron Peak County, and now taking control of one city and two counties, General Adams's warehouses are all under control, Winters ·The distribution system adopted by Montagne's troops is "supply system".

   That is, soldiers do not receive military pay, and all the spoils captured are returned to the public. Instead, the army takes care of all the needs of the soldiers.

  The emergence of this system did not originate from intentional design, but came into being naturally.

  When Winters led his men to set up camp in the virgin forest on the outskirts of Wolf Town, he did not cook more meat or soup in his pot than the others.

  At that time, his army—although there were only a dozen people—was like a primitive clan tribe, all members ate and lived together, and all property was shared and shared.

  Each fighter gets no more than others, but never less than others. Those officers who are selected from among the soldiers will not enjoy privileges because of their status as officers.

   This makes Winters' army naturally have a strong cohesion, borrowing the conclusion of the old marshal:

   “If the commander is willing to share the same food and risks with the soldiers, the soldiers will go through fire and water for him. Friendship, recognition, and a common destiny are more motivating soldiers than wealth and glory.”

   However, when the size of the Tiefeng County Army expanded to nearly half of the standing army, the supply system gradually showed some disadvantages.

  Thousands of soldiers and war horses are like a bottomless pit that cannot be filled, devouring all the resources at hand.

   Grain, fabrics, medicines, tools... There is almost nothing that the Tiefeng Army does not need, and there is nothing that the Tiefeng Army cannot use.

  As the Tiefeng County Army achieved more and more "war results", the needs of the soldiers were no longer limited to "satisfaction" and "warmth", and expectations for entertainment and material enjoyment naturally began to appear.

  As a result, tobacco and alcohol were listed as supplies, and the logistics department's purchase list became longer and longer.

  Considering the loss of transshipment from Iron Peak County and Maple Stone City, everything on the purchase list should be obtained from Warney County;

  At the same time, in order to prepare for war, the Iron Peak Army must also obtain as much resources as possible from Warney County.

  Since there is demand and no free collection is planned, buying is the only feasible option.

  Fortunately, His Excellency Montagne now holds "heavy money".

  …

  [Outside of Artemis]

"looking at what?"

   Noticing that Winters was looking at the distant deer mountain absent-mindedly, and his mind was not on his explanation at all, Mason asked half annoyed and half suspicious:

   "Still wondering why your plow truck is unsalable?"

  Winters, who was stunned, came back to his senses, coughed lightly, and replied solemnly: "Of course not—I'm thinking about the fate and future of mankind."

  Mason poured cold water on it with disgust: "Then please spend some time thinking about why no one bought your 'Montessori plow'! After all, it still takes up a lot of space in the warehouse."

  A short smirk came from among the accompanying reserve officers.

  Winters knew who it was without looking back. He coldly named the guy who couldn't hold back his laughter: "Holder! Come out."

   "Yes!" Holder stepped forward in embarrassment.

   "What are you laughing at?" Winters frowned, and asked with his hands on his hips, "Isn't the fate and future of mankind worth spending time thinking about?"

  The reserve officers who were excited about temporarily escaping from the literacy course were instantly like eggplants beaten by frost—withered.

  Holder also had cold sweat on his forehead, and he replied hesitantly: "This...then...today's weather is fine..."

   "What?" Winters frowned more tightly, and his tone became more severe.

  Senior Mason lowered his head, covered his face in embarrassment and sighed deeply.

  Holder was completely unable to empathize with Mason's tribune, and his heart stopped beating when he was stared at by the blood wolf's cold eyes.

  Höder shivered subconsciously, and replied loudly: "Report! I laugh because the weather is fine today!"

  Winters looked dissatisfied with this answer, he stared at Holder without saying a word.

  This time, not only the people in front of Winters, but even the horses of the reserve officers closed their ears stiffly, almost sticking to their necks.

  The birds in the sky seemed to sense the danger, and flew away without looking back.

   "Go." Winters broke the silence, he deliberately dragged his voice: "Go back to the city, and ask the Bud tribune for me..."

  The reserve officers couldn't help pricking up their ears, and Holder also widened his eyes.

  Winters turned around, turned his back to the reserve officers, and sadly ordered: "How many plow trucks are sold today?"

  The reserve officers laughed.

  Holder was stunned for a moment, and then fled to the city of Artemis in a panic under the envious, jealous and gloating eyes of his peers.

  …

   Actually, someone's happiness is just a by-product of planning.

  The Tiefeng County Army purchased military supplies in Artemis with great fanfare. On the one hand, it was to avoid losses caused by transshipment of supplies from Gervaudan and "reduce the cost of maintaining a military presence in Vogne County."

  On the other hand, it is also to lay a foundation of trust in the "new government" in the hearts of the people of Wargne County.

  Trust is a wonderful emotion. It is difficult to plant the seeds, but once it grows into a towering tree, it can bear a heavy burden.

   As for the most critical and difficult step of "planting the seeds", temptation is the strategy with the quickest effect and the least difficulty - on this point, Bud and Winters have already practiced on Red Sulfur Island.

  In addition, the reappearance of caravans on the road can not only promote the recovery of traffic, but also boost the public's confidence in law and order;

"The agricultural tax and poll tax in the new land reclamation provinces are taxes in kind in name, but they are mostly collected in the form of currency. Deferring the two taxes and putting gold and silver on the market through public procurement should ease the rise in the price of gold and silver to ordinary people. The burden brought by the people.”—Anna explained to Winters in the letter.

   "The price of gold is rising, which is also the time to buy." ——Anna also told Winters in the letter.

The lethal dose of dopamine secreted by one of your lords in the gratification of his material desires is but an insignificant by-product of this grand plan by the Tribunes of Bard and Madame Montagne to kill many birds with one stone—although It does make someone very happy.

   Except for "buying" things in Vogne. Bud and Anna also hope to "sell" things in Vogne.

  With the return of Berlyon, the addition of Steel Fort workers, and the complete despair of the Jevaudin Blacksmiths Guild, the production capacity of the iron workshop in Forge Township is increasing day by day.

  But no matter how much the ironworks factory increases its production capacity, the buyers are always those two regular customers:

  The refugee farm in Xiatiefeng County mainly purchases agricultural tools; and the logistics department of the Tiefeng County Army mainly purchases ordnance.

  However, whether it is the refugee farm, the logistics department, or even the iron workshop itself, it is actually three branches growing from a tree trunk.

  The refugee farm and the logistics department of the Tiefeng County Army purchase from the iron workshop, which is equivalent to taking money out of one pocket, taking out the production costs paid to craftsmen and miners, and putting it back into another pocket.

   Shao Sha said in the letter that his old father-in-law was silent all day long looking at the pile of shells in the warehouse.

The iron workshop in Forge Township is currently in such a situation that "the ability to manufacture more complex ordnance is insufficient, and the market for simple agricultural tools is lacking. original intention" embarrassing situation.

  The massive procurement of military supplies by the Tiefeng County Army has successfully attracted merchants from all towns and cities in Vergne County and even the direct jurisdiction of Maplestone City to Artemis.

   There is no doubt that Artemis is not only a good place to buy things, but also an excellent place to sell things.

  So, Winters proudly showed his most proud work in his life-the new plow truck.

  Although the soil of the newly reclaimed land is fertile, it is sticky and thick, and it must be reclaimed by a heavy-duty plow with two wheels.

  Heavy-duty plow trucks require strong, high-headed horses to pull them. Although oxen can also pull plows, they are seldom used by new land reclamation farmers who are extensively working because they will miss the farming season because of the slow plowing time.

  Since the Battle of the Wilderness, conscripts, plagues, and turmoil have led to the loss of a large number of livestock in the newly reclaimed provinces, and the draft horses are naturally among them.

  Even because they were mainly conscripted draft animals, far more draft horses were taken away by farmers in the new land than cattle, sheep and donkeys were eaten.

  Although the lack of draft horses has an impact on the current situation, it is only reflected in the skyrocketing price of large livestock;

   But anyone who knows how important draft animals are to agricultural production is bound to lose sleep at night because of foreseeable famine and upheaval.

  In order to prevent the imminent disaster, Winters' new plow truck came into being.

   “Lighter wood, reinforced with metal members. Not only lighter, but stronger.”

   "Look at this dirt flap, as smooth and fine as a monk's rosary—applewood. I assure you, it turns over the clay of the long grass as easily as the rudder of a boat sails through the waves."

   "The coulter is made of first-class steel, which can be used to make weapons. The inclination angle of the coulter was determined after many experiments—experiments!"

   "The position of the wheels can be changed through the positioning pins, and the cultivation depth can be easily adjusted. There is no need to knock it down and up again. If you want to reclaim wasteland with many rocks, you can simply remove the wheels and use them as you like."

  Winters suppressed the pride that was beyond words, and deliberately sold it off. After enjoying the awe-inspiring gaze of the gentry of Vergne County for a moment, he proudly stated the biggest advantage of the new plow truck:

   "The key point is that it doesn't need a heavy-drawn horse or a farm ox. It can be pulled by only two Herd horses. If it is a farmland with loose soil, a single Herd horse can be easily towed away."

  I don't know who took the lead, but the ignorant gentry and women of Wargne County applauded sparsely.

"Please allow me to selfishly name it-Mongshi Plow." Facing the folks and elders in Vergne County, Winters was inexplicably emotional, and he said emotionally: "Everyone, maybe there will be a day in the future when this Shanli's name is more popular than mine. If that day comes...I will regard it as the highest honor."

  It seemed to be moved by the sincerity of the blood wolf, and the applause became more enthusiastic. Several young ladies also shed a few tears at the right time in accordance with the atmosphere.

  Winters wiped the corners of his eyes, took a deep breath, and revealed the ultimate sales promotion secret.

   "Buy it now." He added enthusiastically: "And a free pack of nails. Quantity is limited, don't miss it."

  …

  [Outside of Artemis]

   "Why don't they buy it?" Wen Tesla looked at Mason and asked unacceptably, "Why don't they want to buy it?"

  Senior Mason is going crazy.

The senior suppressed his anger, clenched his fists, turned his horse and looked at the reserve officers, and announced loudly: "Just standing here watching and listening to me tell you, you can't learn anything—you should be asked to attend a class in advance." Field trip!"

  The reserve officers were refreshed.

  In front of the two tribunes and reserve officers—to the northwest of Artemis City, a star-shaped fortress with a length and width of more than 300 steps has broken ground.

  Thousands of builders are sweating the fields, including captives, hired urban poor, and farmers from nearby villages and towns—even across the river.

  As the soil was excavated, transported, and compacted, the shape of the trench, the main body of the fortress, and the six prisms could be vaguely seen.

   "Go and observe it at close range! Examine it!" Mason looked at the reserve officers, with a smile in his eyes: "Think about how you will attack it! Think about how you will use it! Then come back and tell me!"

  Seeing that the reserve officers were a little shy, Mason clapped his hands vigorously and encouraged him: "Don't worry! Go and observe carefully! Imagine boldly! Then come back bravely and tell me! Go! Go!"

  The reserve officers raised their hands in salute and left in groups of three or four.

  Mason watched the young reserve officers gallop towards the fortress that had just started construction. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly waved his arms. On the dark canvas, he outlined the appearance of the fortress when it was completed:

  It will have a perfectly symmetrical geometric shape, like a six-petal flower;

   It will have an open and good shooting area, and the surrounding land will be leveled and trimmed so that the extension line of each **** intersects with the shooting port;

  It will prepare a sufficient number of artillery—cannons with wheels, so that the commander of the defenders can concentrate or distribute firepower at any time;

  It will overlook the Anya River, control the artery of Artemis leading to the hinterland of Warney County, and guard the provincial road connecting Iron Peak County and Maplestone City;

  It will become the fortress, supply warehouse and material transfer station of the Tiefeng Army;

   It will be spear point, shield and shelter;

   Most importantly—it will be Richard Mason's first work written on the earth.

   "So..." Senior Mason said silently: "So..."

   "So why don't they buy my plow cart?" Winters grabbed Senior Mason's collar and asked himself in grief and indignation: "Why would they rather spend money on nails than buy my plow cart?"

   [Supplementary Note: Horses are more delicate and difficult to raise. Why do farmers in new lands still mostly use horses to plow land? Why not use cows? ]

[The answer given by "History of Technology" is that horse farming is faster, so small farmlands near the Mediterranean Sea are mostly cultivated with cattle; after the large forests and swamps in Central Europe were reclaimed, horses gradually became the main draft animals for farming (of course, farmers in Central Europe are also useful strong)]

   [At first, the author did not understand why [cultivation speed], a seemingly unimportant factor, could make farmers give up cattle that are more feed-efficient and hard-working. Although this setting is adopted in the new reclamation, doubts always exist in the mind]

   [Until the author watched "Clarkson's Farm", the farmer in the film originally had sufficient time to reorganize all the land. Unfortunately, when he just started working, it rained. And it took a long time, and the time left for him to plow the ground was only a few days]

   [And the agricultural consultant told Jeremy Clarkson that every seed that was planted a day late would lead to an eventual loss of yield. In the end, Clarkson had no choice but to sow the seeds without plowing the ground in advance]

   [For the agricultural model of small fields and intensive cultivation, the difference in cultivation speed cannot be directly reflected; but for the agriculture of large fields and extensive planting, the difference in cultivation speed may be the difference between a good harvest and a poor harvest]

   [Because [not losing the farming season] is really important, and [farming season] is easy to miss]

   [Combined with the large area of ​​newly reclaimed land and sparse population, everyone has the need for travel. Therefore, it is reasonable for the farmers in the newly reclaimed land to mainly choose to use horse plowing instead of cattle plowing]

  (end of this chapter)