Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 226 Business
An atmosphere of anxiety and unease filled the air.

The militia had just returned to Wolftown from the Valley of Saint Giss when more than seventy convicts were gathered in the old square.

They were not told what to do; only fully armed militiamen watched them warily.

The waiting process was incredibly agonizing, and some of the more timid laborers had already begun to shed tears.

The convicts also knew that Wolf Town was short of food—the militia guarding them only received two pieces of coarse bread per meal, and the convicts only received a bowl of mixed wheat porridge.

But at least they lived a relatively peaceful life, with shacks to live in and food to eat. They didn't have to kill or rob. Their daily work consisted of cutting down trees, making charcoal, and building houses.

But judging from the current situation, it seems like they're going to be completely eliminated.

“My father said,” one man said fearfully to the person beside him, “that when the Magyars want to kill someone, they give him a shovel and make him dig a pit. Once he’s dug a person deep, they fill the pit back in with soil…”

"Damn it! Just you wait! I... I'm not going to just sit here and wait to die!" The person who answered was also trembling.

Someone shouted desperately at the militiamen: "What do you want? Why are you torturing people? Just give us a quick death!"

The militiaman gripped his weapon expressionlessly, and no one answered him.

The man wanted to shout again, but suddenly shut his mouth tightly because he saw the Montagne garrison officer walking towards them.

Winters walked into the town square. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, he waved to reassure everyone: "Sit down, everyone. Let's talk while we're seated."

He found a tree stump to sit on, but none of the laborers moved.

Winters kindly repeated the command: "Sit down."

Like a sickle cutting through a wheat field, the people in the square all shrank and sat down on the ground with a clatter.

"How many of you are landless laborers or tenant farmers?" Winters didn't like small talk and asked directly, "Put your hands up."

Hands were raised one after another; of the more than seventy people present, only two did not raise their hands.

Winters asked the two men, "Are you two yeomen farmers?"

“No, sir.” The tall, thin man quickly shook his head, his answer very organized: “My brother and I are brick makers. No one was buying bricks and tiles anymore, so we brothers had to flee the famine, and then… we came here.”

"what's your name?"

"Sean, Sean Bricklayer."

Winters nodded, making a mental note of the man, and then asked, "As far as I know, in Wolf Town alone, there are over two hundred households of hired laborers and tenant farmers. Where did all the refugees go? Did they all become bandits?"

The convicts were at a loss, and some were muttering under their breath.

Finally, the potter Sean gave an unexpected yet reasonable answer: "Reverdon".

When there is no food anywhere, people will follow the food; wherever there is food, there will be people.

Where is the largest grain production area in the entire Thewadan region today?
It is the city of Gevordan.

Ironically, in February, Zhevodan still had to send troops to conscript men.

Five months passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhevodan no longer had to worry about manpower.

Because the vast majority of refugees have already gathered in the city of Zhevodan with their families, begging to join the army to earn a living.

Therefore, recently the Revodan garrison has only sent grain requisition teams and has not sent any more conscript teams.

Winters then asked, "Apart from those two bricklayers, were all the rest of you originally farmers?"

The group of convicts nodded in agreement.

“If I offer you land,” Winters asked, his eyes gleaming, “would you be willing to farm in Wolf Town?”

The town square erupted in uproar. The convicts stared in disbelief and began whispering amongst themselves.

"Quiet." Winters clapped his hands gently.

The town square fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

"Are you willing or not?"

An elderly man with gray hair stood up with difficulty and mustered his courage to explain, "Sir, it's not that we don't want to farm. It's just that even if you gave us land, we can't farm it now..."

“Sir, please sit down and talk.” Winters asked, puzzled, “Why can’t we plant it?”

The old man remained standing. He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Sir, what farmhand doesn't want his own land? But the farming season... has already passed."

The old man gestured and explained for a long time before Winters, the blue-haired girl, finally understood what he meant.

Simply put, farmers in Plato generally practice crop rotation, with two agricultural cycles each year.

The planting cycle for staple crops is from autumn of this year to early summer of the following year, with winter wheat being the main crop.

The planting cycle for supplementary grains is from spring to autumn of this year, mainly consisting of oats, rye, and beans.

If there are any spare bits of farmland, grow some vegetables to supplement the food supply.

It's early August now, right between two agricultural cycles, and we've missed the farming season.

Moreover, crops don't mature overnight; to farm, you need at least enough stored grain to last through an agricultural cycle.

“Even if we plant winter wheat, we’ll all starve to death before it ripens.” The old man grew increasingly distressed and heartbroken as he spoke: “The land here is all clay; clearing it requires a heavy plow pulled by four horses, otherwise you can’t even turn the soil. We have neither horses nor plows. Even if you, sir, give us land, we can’t clear it…”

The remaining farmers nodded in agreement.

Winters listened carefully; he hadn't brought paper, pen, or ink, otherwise he would have definitely written it down.

He had considered this issue, but not in such depth—because he knew nothing about farming.

After the old man finished his long, rambling story, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.

After listening to the old man's words, Winters had made up his mind.

He took a deep breath and then a deep breath, and asked earnestly, "What if I gave you land, cattle and horses, plows, enough grain to last until next year's wheat harvest, and everything you need... how about that?"

The old man was stunned, the other farmers were stunned, and even the militiamen around him were stunned.

The old man's voice trembled: "Give it to us forever? Or... like before, for us to be tenants and farmhands?"

“It’s forever to you.” Winters said calmly and firmly: “As long as I’m here.”

……

It was midday on the fourth day after returning to Wolftown from the St. Giss Valley.

In the military camp, Winters was sawing wood.

He was shirtless but wearing gloves, which looked incredibly comical.

However, you can't work without gloves, or you'll get blisters – that's Winters's work experience.

He had mastered the trick to sawing wood: push it forward gently and pull it back forcefully.

Winters' arms moved back and forth mechanically, sawdust falling with a "whoosh" sound; even two people combined couldn't work as fast as him.

Erlun had gone to great lengths to fatten him up a little, but now he had quickly lost it all.

Compared to when he first graduated two years ago, his physique has not changed significantly; in fact, he has even lost some weight, but his muscle lines have become more even and defined.

Pierre rode into the camp and immediately spotted the centurion among the workers.

He waited quietly until Winters finished his work before speaking: "My mother invites you to our house for dinner."

Winters took off his gloves and replied with a smile, "Okay, but I'll have to change my pants first."

Winters was wearing a pair of worn-out work trousers, so soaked in sweat that their original color was no longer visible.

“Scarlett also asked me to take your measurements; she wants to make you a dress.”

Winters smiled and shook his head. He walked to the bucket, picked it up, and gulped down the diluted salt water.

Not content with just drinking, he poured the remaining water from the bucket over his head.

"Phew!" Winters wiped his face, laughing as he splashed water all over Pierre. "Nothing feels better than a refreshing drink after a good day's work."

Pierre helplessly wiped the water droplets from his face.

Winters grabbed his shirt: "Samukin! Tamas!"

"Yes!"

"I'll leave this to you!"

"Yes!"

“Let’s go!” Winters called to Pierre, “Let’s go check out the blacksmith.”

The Wolf Town military camp is located diagonally opposite the old church site, right next to the town square.

At this moment, the military camp resembled a large construction site, with militiamen and convicts working everywhere.

The previous seventy-odd convicts had been pardoned by Winters, and the current convicts are the thirty-odd accomplices from St. Gis.

Wolf Town has abundant forest resources and no shortage of timber.

Winters was not short of manpower; he had many "slaves"—though nominally they were convicts.

He could neither release the prisoners nor indiscriminately kill them, nor could he keep them around for nothing.

Winters' current solution is to provide food and shelter for the prisoners, who then work for him and lose their personal freedom.

They were nominally convicts of forced labor, but in essence they were slaves—but at least they had their lives.

Winters has manpower and resources; all he lacks are food and tools.

Therefore, Winters immediately thought of the old blacksmith Misha.

Misha was limping when he served his military service and was not drafted, making him one of the few remaining men in Dusa village.

Winters personally approached Misha and asked him to return to public life.

The ruins of the blacksmith's shop were cleared away, and the usable tools were collected.

The new cabin was quickly rebuilt on the original site, and the extinguished forge was rekindled.

The young blacksmith Carlos takes over his brother's job as old Misha's assistant.

Accompanied by the pleasant clanging sound of hammering, steel swords were forged into axes, vertical saws, and heavy plows, while inferior ironware was hammered into nails.

Anyone who witnesses this scene can deeply understand why blacksmiths occupy an important position in rural society.

Because human civilization needs tools, and tools cannot exist without blacksmiths.

The two blacksmiths, one old and one young, work from sunrise to late at night every day, yet the tools they forge are still in short supply.

So the bricklayer brothers were assigned by Winters to be Misha's assistants.

Winters felt it was a waste to have a skilled craftsman working the land. But he didn't need bricks right now, so he had to ask the bricklayer brothers to work as blacksmith's apprentices for the time being.

The remaining refugees are working hard to clear land in preparation for the winter wheat planting at the end of September.

Apart from the warhorses, Winters handed over all the large livestock in his possession to them.

Steel plows turned over furrows in the hardened earth, and rows of wooden houses sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Wolf Town has risen from the ashes and is gradually regaining its vitality. All of this fills Winters with a deep sense of pride and joy.

He was no longer a monster that only destroyed, killed, and annihilated; he became a builder and creator.

But all of this made him feel worried and afraid.

He set up two cavalry outposts on the road to Gévodan and sent out three scouts to Gévodan.

Wolf Town is too isolated, and no matter how hard Winters tries, the information he gets from the outside world is very limited.

He was even considering whether he should go to Zhevodan himself.

But now, something else occupied his mind.

“Sigh, when will this sawing wood by hand ever end?” Winters complained to Pierre. “It’s too inefficient.”

Pierre, leading the horse beside Winters, suddenly retorted, "Nothing feels better than drinking cold water after a day's work, doesn't that sound like what you said?"

“That’s not the same thing,” Winters casually changed the subject. “I’m planning to build a water-powered sawmill.”

"Where did the water come from?"

"Isn't the river right outside the town center?"

"The water is so shallow, is it okay?"

Winters said smugly, "You don't understand, do you? First, use a waterwheel to lift the water into the reservoir, then use the reservoir to drive the paddles. No problem."

"Oh."

Why don't you seem surprised?

"Oh!"

Winters laughed heartily, then suddenly sighed.

He said with distress, "Without caravans, we can't buy anything, not even graphite. Last night I was drawing blueprints for a sawmill, using the stock that Lieutenant Colonel JASK gave me, and there's only a little left. Sigh, I wonder how the lieutenant colonel is doing now?"

Pierre sighed upon hearing this.

"What do you think about us finding Lieutenant Colonel Jessica and bringing him to Wolf Town to retire?"

"Okay."

Winters felt a pang of sadness at the thought of the lieutenant colonel. He gritted his teeth and said, "I have to go to Gervodan."

“I’ll go with you,” Pierre said without hesitation.

“No, you have to stay.” Winters laughed. “If I’m not here, and you’re not here, Wolf Town will collapse.”

As they walked and talked, the two arrived at the blacksmith's workshop.

Misha and the bricklayer Sean were forging nails, Sean's younger brother was sweating profusely while working the bellows, and the blacksmith Carlos was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Carlos?" Winters asked, somewhat puzzled. "Wasn't he the one who wanted to see me?"

"Who knows?" Old Misha said helplessly. "That kid and Vashika are acting all mysterious, I wonder what they're up to."

As Winters dressed, he casually asked the old blacksmith, "What do you think of Carlos?"

“This kid… is quite good.” Old Misha shook his head and smiled bitterly. “He’s skilled, but he’s far inferior to his brother. His brother is steady and can sit still. Carlos is smart and lively.”

Winters nodded, cleared his throat, and roared, "Washika!"

Vasya's voice echoed from nearby: "Coming! Coming!"

Big Cleverness and Little Cleverness ran back to the blacksmith shop, breathless.

The two men's clothes and pants were covered in mud, as were their hands and faces. They looked as if they had just been pulled out of a mud pit, with only their eyes showing as they rolled around.

"You two went to play in the mud?" Winters didn't know whether to be angry or laugh.

Vahika exclaimed excitedly, waving his arms and legs, "We've come to prepare a big gift for you!"

"What gift?"

"Take a guess?"

The next second, a boot print appeared on Vahika's buttocks.

"What gift?"

Vahika dared not waste any more words and brought back a wooden board from outside the workshop as if presenting a treasure. On the board was a hand-molded clay cup.

Even the clay was wet and hadn't been fired yet.

"Look! This is it!" Vashika said excitedly, "With this, you'll never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life! It was the first thing I thought of giving it to you!"

Everyone was confused, and Winters' expression gradually became serious.

Pierre couldn't help but scold, "Vasha! Stop fooling around! What are you doing..."

“No!” Winters stopped Pierre. “Let him speak.”

“Vasha did not mean to offend you…”

Winters ignored everyone else and looked directly at Carlos: "You speak!"

"Lord Montagne!" Carlos exclaimed with boundless pride, "This is—a blast furnace!"

Without Carlos needing to explain, while everyone else was still confused, Winters had already figured out that the "clay cup" was actually a miniature model of a smelting furnace.

Although it is crudely made, it has all the necessary components, such as the bellows, packing inlet, and discharge outlet.

“I’ve seen blast furnaces,” Winters said, cutting straight to the point. “Have you studied iron smelting?”

"Learned."

Who taught them?

"My father."

"Your brother can do that too?"

"Sure."

"You know how to build a stove?"

"meeting."

"Do you understand craftsmanship?"

"I know a little bit, but my brother knows the most."

Winters and Carlos exchanged questions and answers at a rapid pace.

There were seven people in the blacksmith's workshop. Apart from Winters and Carlos, four of them were completely unable to keep up with the conversation. Only Pierre could still vaguely understand.

Where did the charcoal come from?

"If you have wood, you can burn it."

"mine?"

"Let me tell you this in private."

"Can you do it yourself?"

"My brother has to be there."

Winters sighed, "We really need to find your brother as soon as possible."

Carlos nodded frantically.

Winters led Pierre, Vahika, and Carlos to a secluded spot outside the blacksmith's shop.

"Tell me, where did the iron ore come from?" Winters asked. "Since you've brought this out, you must have come prepared."

Carlos was surprised by Winters' directness and looked at Vahika.

Vahika quickly chimed in, "Centurion, do you know why the Red River Tribe is called the Red River Tribe?"

"Why?" Winters had a bad feeling.

"The Red River is the Hanlan River. Every spring and summer, when torrential rains cause flash floods, the water of the Hanlan River turns as red as blood, hence the name Red River!"

"go on!"

Carlos licked his lips and said with determination, "The Monta Republic also has a red river, which the Monta people call the Rose River. The Rose River... is right next to Steel Fortress."

Winters narrowed his eyes: "You're not trying to tell me that the Red River Tribe is guarding an iron mine without even knowing it, are you?"

“Shallow ore and deep ore are not the same!” Carlos exclaimed anxiously. “The red color of the Rose River comes from the iron sandstone being washed away by rain. Both the Hanlan River and the Rose River originate from the Shade Mountains and change color when they encounter flash floods. So there is a high possibility that there is also iron ore in the upper reaches of the Hanlan River.”

"How do we explore deep-seated mineral deposits?"

"Go to Steel Fortress and hire prospectors! You can get them if you pay them!"

How to mine it?

"We can mine it if we have the manpower, and we can buy the equipment from Steel Fortress!"

"How do we transport it to the Hanlan River after we buy it?"

In the back-and-forth questioning, Carlos had been cornered. But upon hearing this question, he suddenly countered, "Sir, where do you think the iron of the Herd tribes came from?"

"What do you mean?" Winters narrowed his eyes.

"The Hed Wasteland is connected to the Republic of Monta".

"But there are mountains between us."

A subtle, cold smile appeared on Carlos's lips: "Beyond the mountains... can't we use caravans?"

Winters vaguely understood something, and he laughed loudly, spitting out a curse: "Damn it!"

Pierre and Vahika were puzzled.

“What do you want?” Winters asked Carlos seriously.

"I want my brother to come back, to come back safely."

“Alright! It’s a deal.” Winters instructed Vahika, “Call Charles here.”

Soon, Vahika brought Shar over.

“Charles, go to the Red River Tribe.” Winters made a quick decision: “Washika, pick two people to accompany Charles.”

"Yes!"

"Tell the white lion for me a message."

"What?"

“Tell him,” Winters said, a complex emotion etched on his face, “the deal continues.”

[The Red River Tribe, the Red River Tribe, the mystery of the Red River has been revealed.]
[The history of blast furnaces is quite long; at least in Winters' time, this smelting method already existed and was used in production. That's why Winters had seen a blast furnace—he had seen one at the Victory Arsenal. But many things in industry aren't about principles—the principles are quite simple—but about processes and specific procedures.]
[Readers can take a look at <Alliance Map 1.0>. Although the various tribes of Herd aren't included, it's still clear that the Herd Wasteland borders the Monta Republic, separated only by mountains.]
[I've paid off all my previous debts. I'm debt-free now, and I feel so relieved.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)