Iron Powder and Spellcasters

  Chapter 473 Rekindling the Spark (5)

  Withstood the test of spring plowing and summer harvest, widely used by major refugee farms, and the well-known Montessori plow in Iron Peak County, it came to the next-door Vogne County but received a cold reception.

  For the new plow truck, the visiting gentry and businessmen of Wargne County showed great interest.

  However, their enthusiasm is limited to "through eyes and mouth", and once they hear any sign of trouble, they will hold their money bags tightly and refuse to let go easily.

  So, except for a few manor owners who lived in the suburbs, in order to take care of the face of a certain gentleman, each bought one humiliatingly—Winters suspected that they were planning to imitate it privately—and took it home to "enshrine";

  The rest of the Artemis gentry were like lazy donkeys pulling mills—although they barked loudly, but upon closer inspection, the four hooves were still in their original positions, and they hadn't moved from their nests at all.

  Unless Winters raised his whip and whipped them **** the back, there was no way for the "lazy donkeys" to take the initiative to pull the grinder.

  The merchants of Vorgne County who gathered in Artemis have the same attitude towards the new plow tools as the group of manor owners:

  As long as they are not allowed to spend money, the compliments of businessmen can even make Winters blush;

   But once real money needs to be spent, the merchants will come up with all kinds of excuses, making Winters literally "blush".

All in all, Montessori's unfavorable start in Wargne County not only made Winters' "most proud work of his life" dusty, but also diluted the joy Winters gained from spending a lot of money, and even made people around Winters brought unexpected troubles.

  Richard Mason is the biggest victim.

  …

  [Outside of Artemis]

   "The people of Vaugne County won't buy your new plow—what's the use of asking me?" Senior Mason, who was so annoyed when the reserve officers walked away, finally broke out: "Ask the people of Vgne County!"

  The questioner became angry with embarrassment, but the questioner calmed down: "I asked, but I didn't hear a single truth. They are all false excuses."

   "Then ask the locals to ask for you!"

"I've looked for it, and it's the same voice that came back." Winters didn't seem to be asking a question, but instead seemed to be solving a problem for Senior Mason: "People in Vaugne County don't trust us, and we can't be trusted in Vaugne County." So even if we ask the local gentry to seek advice on our behalf, we will only get the same answer.”

   "You." Mason corrected vigilantly: "Not 'us'."

   "Senior, it's okay to say this in private, I don't take it seriously." Winters put away his smile, and warned the senior with stern eyes and a serious expression: "But if others hear it, they will misunderstand."

  Winters' tone made Mason feel dazed and helpless for a moment. When he subconsciously reflected on himself, a chill suddenly climbed from the tailbone along the spine to the back of the neck.

   "Posting! You look like a dog!" Mason brandished his whip and beat his junior angrily, "Let me set an example!"

  …

  In the guard tower in the distance, a guard in charge of supervising the work of the captives couldn't help but sigh to his companions: "Your Excellency the two tribunes really have a deep relationship."

"Of course." Another guard pretended to be profound and replied: "I think back then, my lord slaughtered all the breeding stock that the tribunes of Mason worked so hard to cultivate, and the tribune of Mason didn't reprimand you. After searching the entire army, only Tribune Mason can get rough with your lords."

   "Bragging again."

   "Heh, when your lord kills a pig, I'm the one who lit the fire next to you!"

  …

   On the other side, before Winters complained of pain, Mason was already a little tired.

   "So what if the plow cart can't be sold?" Mason put away his horsewhip, wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked heavily, "Don't the nails sell well?"

  Hearing this, Winters, who had been whipped calmly just now, suddenly became melancholy.

   "Yes." He replied rather ashamedly: "The supply exceeds the demand."

  Your Excellency Montagne never imagined that the new plow carts he regarded as the "ace troop" were not cared for in Vogne County. Instead, several carts of iron nails brought by Berlyon were robbed.

  Almost every merchant from Vorgne County who came to Artemis wanted to install as many "Gevaudin round nails" as possible when they left.

  Businessmen who failed to grab the goods were annoyed, and they all asked someone immediately: "Will there be another batch of goods? If so, when will they come?"

  After receiving affirmative answers, some merchants who came from afar simply chose to live temporarily in the county town, looking forward to the arrival of the next "rebel" supply convoy every day.

  The troubles of the old blacksmith Poultin have been resolved, and the Gervaudin Ironworks has adjusted its course, and is now working hard to make iron nails.

  The nail maker, the nail seller, the nail buyer, everyone was happy—except Winters Montagne.

  The work of confidence that he named as his surname lost to a small iron nail, which hit His Excellency Montagne's self-esteem quite a bit.

  In the dead of night, Winters also secretly lit the oil lamp and checked the "Gevaudin round nail" in his hand over and over again.

  In the end, he came to the conclusion that there was nothing special about it, just the ubiquitous, unremarkable nails—except cheap.

   Except… cheap.

   Whether you make a living as a carpenter or not, people will always use nails. Nails were so plentiful and useful that some families even kept their own set of tools and used their spare time to make nails for their own needs.

   But the vast majority of nails are still hand-forged by professional blacksmiths. Although not expensive, they are by no means cheap.

After visiting the market of Artemis, Winters learned a shocking fact: the round nails sent to him by Berlyon cost only one-third of the square nails made by the blacksmith in Vogne .

  After Winters' test, although ordinary square nails are stronger than "Gevaudan round nails", the difference is not obvious.

  The conclusion is obvious: the same small object that every household needs but is a little troublesome to manufacture, its performance is almost the same as that of competing products, and the price is only one-third.

  Then it became an understandable behavior for merchants in Vaugne County to snap up the "Gevaudin Round Nails".

  Meng Shili was not wronged when he lost.

  Even when they learned that Iron Peak County could manufacture iron nails in large quantities at a low cost, some active merchants in Warney County immediately smelled business opportunities.

  They mustered up the courage to come to visit Your Excellency Blood Wolf, and asked tremblingly:

   "Are you interested in asking your highly skilled craftsmen to make things other than nails? For example... wooden barrels?"

  That night, the three coopers of Artemis went to Gervaudin overnight with a lot of money in their pockets, escorted by Pierre himself.

  …

  [Outside of Artemis]

   "The round nail is the work of Berlyon." Winters sighed: "It's not mine."

  Mason sneered: "This time, there is no distinction between 'you' and 'us'?"

  Winters pretended not to hear anything, he folded his arms: "Actually, I have an explanation..."

  Mason pulled out the drawing book from the saddle bag without saying a word, and flipped through it intently.

  Winters continued indefatigably: "Can explain why no one cares about the Montessori plow."

   "I don't want to hear it." Mason didn't look up.

   "Senior." Winters asked melancholy: "If you don't listen, who else can I talk to?"

"Whoever wants to listen, you can tell whoever you want." Mason gritted his teeth, his hands clutching the blueprint book burst into bruises: "Bud, Andre, Father Carman... If you can't find anyone in Vorgie County, just write Write to Mademoiselle Navarre. Leave me alone."

  Winters cleared his throat, and said to himself: "This matter is actually similar to 'building the city wall'."

  Senior Mason's facial features were blocked behind the drawing book, and he didn't make a sound.

  Winters paused for a moment, deliberately holding the senior's appetite, and waited until the senior almost lost his patience, before speaking:

"For a city, a city wall is an expensive necessity. Because it costs too much money to build it, it cannot be easily knocked down and rebuilt. Just like the city wall of Hailan, even if it is in disrepair and outdated, the city council will only I am willing to spend a small amount of money every year to repair it, at most renovate it, instead of completely re-planning. The result is that Hailan, which is the capital of the Republic, is not as good as the small mountain city on Chisulphur Island in terms of city defense."

  Mason still didn't make a sound. But based on the senior's body language, Winters judged that the senior listened.

"And this fortress in front." Winters continued his efforts: "If it wasn't because the defense of Artemis was too bad, how could we start from scratch? Even if the defense of Artemis was bad, we would still keep it It's coming down, isn't it?"

  Mason put down the drawing book, looked at the work that had just begun to be written in front of him, and said with emotion: "Yes! If not, how could I have the opportunity to preside over the construction of a fortress?"

   "It's just a small star castle." Winters couldn't help teasing.

"You are not from the Artillery Department." Mason glanced at his junior: "I don't understand the mood of 'stonemason'. This fortress is to me, just like those majestic churches are to the ordinary stonemasons who built them, far beyond their own existence s work'."

The more Mason talked, the more he was touched. He simply put away the drawing book, and asked Winters with red eyes: "Why can you name Zebei's new plow tools for later generations, while my surname can only be added to low, dark, On the humble board room that everyone despises?"

  Winters felt the senior's grievances, but he didn't know how to answer, so he could only comfort in a low voice: "But no one cares about my plow, and your board house shelters countless people from wind and rain."

   "Then are you willing to exchange with me?" Mason asked back.

  Winters was silent for a long time, and shook his head honestly.

Mason took a deep breath, turned his head to look at the construction site, and introduced enthusiastically: "So this is my work, the first work. Although it is just a small star castle, it is still the place I left in the big city. The first trace on the ground. I may have the honor of presiding over the construction of other things in the future, but nothing will change its place in my heart. When it is completed, I will proudly name it Fort Mason—just as you will your The new type of plow is named after the Montessori plow."

   "No problem!" Winters agreed without hesitation, and silently crossed out all the names he had prepared in his heart.

  Mason calmed down, turned to look at Winters, and asked doubtfully, "Didn't you finish?"

   "Say what?" Winters raised an eyebrow.

   "Why can't you sell your plow?"

Winters raised the corners of his mouth in embarrassment, and immediately explained to the rare audience who took the initiative to ask questions: "Actually, plows, like city walls, are necessities, and they are not cheap 'big items'. As I said before, absolutely Most Vaugneshire farmers already have plows at home, and rather than spend money on a new plow, they would rather keep using the old ones – even if they don’t work.”

"The refugee farm in Tiefeng County is just the opposite. The plows and draft animals are all arranged by us. Farmers don't have to spend their own money, so they are naturally more willing to use them. Moreover, most of the draft animals used in refugee farms are Heide horses. Using old-fashioned plow carts is not the same. It’s inconvenient.” Winters frowned worriedly: “In contrast, farmers in Vogne County will either continue to use Plato horses or simply use cattle. The old plow carts can still be used, so why buy new ones?”

  Mason rolled his eyes: "Oh, so you know all about it, so why are you still bothering me?"

   "It's one thing to know, but another to be able to solve it." Winters didn't change his face, and turned the page of the senior's accusation lightly: "The lack of draft animals will eventually lead to a decrease in food production, do you agree?"

   "You should ask Bud about this." Mason replied rigorously: "I don't know much about farming either."

Winters ignored the senior's evasion, looked at the horizon, and analyzed in a daze: "Suppose there is a farmer, because of the lack of suitable draft animals and plows, this year's autumn farming is one-third or even half less than in previous years. They might still survive, right? They might starve, they might go into debt, but they'd still survive, I believe."

  Mason raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively, "Are you asking me?"

"But what we want is not for them to 'barely survive'." Winters said heavily: "What we want is for them to live in abundance. Only in this way can they provide us with surplus food so that we can support the army, Government. Otherwise, we'll just have to compete with them for a pitiful output, turning the 'bare survival' of the majority into a mass famine."

"so what?"

"So to solve the problem, we must start from both draft animals and farm tools." Winters tapped his elbow lightly: "The gap in draft animals can no longer be solved within Plato, and can only be found from the outside—from Hurd The problem of farm tools is not only the plow, but also many farm tools that are suitable for Plato horses, but not suitable for Hede horses. There are too many, and it is impossible for farmers to buy them all at once, so I plan to..."

  Winters blinked: "Give it to them."

   "Free gift?" Mason laughed dumbly: "Are you going to trade at a loss?"

  Winters stretched his back on the horse, and said freely: "That depends on whether 'making a profit' is more important to us, or 'restoring agricultural production in Vorgne County' is more important."

"I see." Mason sighed sadly: "You didn't want to ask me from the beginning, you just wanted to find someone to listen to you. Use the way of explaining your thoughts to another person to clarify your own thinking. "

  Winters certainly disagreed: "You are my conscience! Senior."

   "So the 'conscience' can grow outside the body?" Mason snorted softly: "So you don't have a 'conscience' in your body now?"

  Winters pretended not to hear anything. He squinted his eyes and looked at the avenue between Lushan and Anya River. He suddenly raised his whip and pointed at the smoke and dust in the distance: "I guess Pierre is back!"

  …

   Meanwhile, outside the south gate of Artemis.

  Pierre reined in his horse nimbly, and the accompanying light cavalry stopped behind him one after another. None of the cavalry surpassed him because of their poor equestrian skills.

  He glanced at Vasya, and Vasya whistled knowingly, and led the light cavalry slowly towards the military camp on the outskirts of the city.

  Only Pierre and three passengers were left outside the south gate.

   "Mr. Matiya." Pierre said goodbye politely: "I will send you here, and we will meet later."

   "Thank you very much." Old Matiya took off his hat and bowed his head deeply in return.

   [Supplementary explanation: nails]

   [In modern society, nails are no longer precious objects. People today can get all kinds of nails very cheaply. But it is quite counter-intuitive that in the handicraft era, a nail is a necessity that is not expensive alone, but is used in large quantities, so the overall cost is high]

   [Just imagine the ubiquitous box of a hundred nails, each of which requires

The blacksmith first heats the thick iron rod, forges it into a thin iron rod, then cuts it into a small iron rod, then pierces it, then grinds it, and hardens it again... The whole process can only be done with hands and simple tools, so you can probably understand its price How outrageous it would be]

   [Nails before the 16th century were thick and long square nails. It is difficult for blacksmiths to handcraft the thin iron wire nails that are common today]

   [So in the thirteen-state colonies of North America in the British era, people would burn the old houses before moving, just to recycle the nails (if the old houses could not be sold in time)]

   [On the other side of the ocean, until Scotland before the Industrial Revolution, nails were used as a conventional currency]

   [Even in ancient my country, nails were widely used instead of mortise and tenon. "Ding" in oracle bone inscriptions is one of the earliest Chinese characters recognized so far]

   [Many things that are easy to obtain today, before the industrial revolution liberated productivity, were counter-intuitive and expensive items, such as cloth, energy and clean water, nails are just one of them]

  (end of this chapter)