Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 261 Prison
Visiting Ronald and other senior students was Winters' last wish.

Winters's contemplation of "Why should we rule Iron Peak County?" made him realize that none of his captured alumni would side with him. If any did, they would certainly have malicious intentions.

Winters believed he had "conquered" Iron Peak County by defeating the old rulers with "force".

If he openly rebelled against the New Reclamation Army and sent out battle proclamations in all directions, perhaps one or two ambitious Platt officers would come to join him.

However, if we do that, the punitive army might come knocking next week—and even General Winter can't stop them.

General Adams has many headaches, and Winters doesn't want to be the one that gives the General the most headaches.

So he tried to appear weak, deliberately adopting a posture of being content to stay in one corner. The Vaughan County field forces were wiped out by Don Juan, but Winters did not send any organized troops across the border.

Instead, he sent a letter to Maplestone explaining the situation and symbolically handed over a packet of gold coins as payment for the overdue taxes. He still keeps the sign for the [Gevadan Garrison] on his door.

This moderate approach also has internal benefits: less pressure to govern, greater consensus, and the continuation of the authority of the old garrison.

Just like the Eight Towns of the North, they don't genuinely support Winters, and Winters doesn't have the energy to directly rule the Eight Towns of the North right now.

Therefore, Winters issued a decree in the name of the garrison. This maintained appearances, and the eight northern garrisons pretended not to hear and accepted it.

Of course, there are always some particularly "fierce" ones that refuse to be disciplined. Winters has been busy with autumn planting lately and has no time to deal with flies, so he's just watching the mosquitoes and flies dance around with indifference for now.

“When we have some free time,” Winters said, stroking the hilt of his sword.

However, this ambiguous attitude also has obvious drawbacks: if the enemy looks down on Winters, then potential allies will look down on him even more.

Not to mention, from any perspective, the newly established land reclamation forces hold an overwhelming advantage. Many believe it's uncertain whether the new government of Tiefeng County will even last until this time next year, so they certainly won't take a gamble lightly.

Winters could only truly rely on his comrades, his old followers, and the warriors who had been allocated land. But even his old followers and warriors were not without unease, and were only held together by his prestige.

So he simply gave up on recruiting captured alumni and focused on building his true foundation.

Winters rode along, a sense of melancholy creeping into his heart, as he gradually came to understand why the aristocracy had emerged: "To gain the support of the majority, one must benefit the majority, which is too difficult. It's much simpler to benefit only a small group and then conquer the majority by force. Knights? Aren't knights just Charles the Hammer's 'soldiers' with warhorses, squires, and fiefs?"

As he walked, he came to a campsite far from villages and farms on the north side of Wolf Town.

When the guards saw that it was Winters coming, they immediately lowered the hanging gate.

This camp is quite interesting; its gate faces inwards instead of outwards, because it was a prison. The warriors who remained in Wolf Town called it [Wolf Forest Prison].

After an unpleasant prison break, all the officer prisoners were transferred to Wolf Town. Samukin didn't want the officers to have contact with ordinary prisoners, so he built this prison specifically to hold them.

Major Ronald was writing a letter when he heard the sound of horses' hooves outside. He looked up and saw Winters walking to the door.

"Why are you here?" Ronald put down his pen and paper, a smile spreading across his face.

“Winter is almost here.” Winters walked into the cell carrying a package and replied with a smile, “Your wife asked me to bring you a coat and a blanket.”

He then took out a pipe and a large bag of chopped tobacco leaves from his bag, saying apologetically, "This is the best I could find. Nobody grows tobacco this year, so please don't mind. There are also two jars of sugar in the bag."

“I won’t stand on ceremony.” Ronald took the tobacco leaves, rummaged through the box next to him to find his pipe, and started filling it: “Haha, I’ve already run out of my stock.”

After Ronald filled the pipe with tobacco, Winters naturally took the pipe and lit it for his senior.

“Your wife is still living in the official residence, as are the families of the other senior students in Ghevodan.” Winters handed the pipe back to his senior: “Their salaries are still paid as before, and each family receives flour and groceries every week, so please don’t worry.”

Winters' tone was devoid of any condescension or pity, as if he were chatting casually with a senior.

Ronald took the pipe, took a leisurely puff, and slowly exhaled: "How is Changsheng?"

“Don’t even mention it.” Winters’s head ached at the mention of Changsheng: “Changsheng drinks goat’s milk, plays with dogs, and is like a puppy all day long, shaking his head and jumping around. He even wants to bark like a dog. He’s been completely led astray.”

Ronald laughed until tears streamed down his face. Wiping them away, he smiled and said, "The fact that you came to see me means you've won your battle."

Winters nodded.

"What happened?" Ronald asked curiously. "Could you tell me about it?"

Winters took the paper and pen, picked up two chess pieces, sat down facing each other, and began to play a game for his senior. The two chatted animatedly, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Well," Ronald couldn't help but exclaim, "you're fighting better and better."

"You flatter me."

"Your army has a sword and a dagger. Your enemies are all focused on the sword, but they don't notice the dagger hidden behind you. It's no wonder you're losing."

Winters, recalling Don Juan and Moritz, said sheepishly, "I am actually the dagger; the sword hidden behind my back is the deadly one."

“[An old saying] Youth is a terrifying power.” Ronald said with a touch of melancholy, then asked, “How is Lieutenant Colonel Zippert of Vaughan County?”

Winters remained silent.

Ronald sighed deeply, but instead comforted Winters: "[(Ancient saying) Only the dead are spared from the calamities of war], these things are unavoidable, don't worry about them too much."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, but then ran out of things to say.

Winters stood up: "Do you have any news that you need me to take back?"

“There are exactly three.” Ronald carefully took out two sheets of paper, then quickly wrote on the third sheet on the table, and handed them to Winters: “Please give these to my wife.”

Ronald handed it to Winters unsealed and unfolded.

Winters didn't even glance at it, carefully folded the letter for his senior, and put it in his pocket: "I'll definitely deliver it. When I return to Gevadan, I'll send you some chessboards, books, or other things to keep you entertained."

“That would be perfect.” Ronald smiled and nodded, then gently pointed to the next room: “You should also go and check on the officers’ quarters. Lieutenant Adam… seems a bit off; you’ll have to talk to him.”

“I’ll go right now.” Winters turned and walked toward the cell door.

Ronald remained silent until one of Winters' boots touched the threshold, at which point he softly said, "Thank you."

What exactly was Ronald thanking for? Was he thanking him for taking care of his family? For the respect shown to him? For not making any attempts to persuade him to surrender?

Winters didn't know either. He nodded and left, the cell door closing once again.

The situation was different for the officers who were prisoners of war. Ronald was in a single cell, while the officers were in several large cells side by side.

Winters also captured some lieutenants from White Mountain and Vaughan, but he left those senior officers in Ghevordan for the time being, instead of putting them with the prisoners from Iron Peak.

Eppel and Asco, two men who had contemplated suicide, lived in a room and silently wove baskets like skilled bamboo weavers.

Istvan and Adam shared a room. The former sat against the wall, gazing at the blue sky outside the window; the latter lay on a straw mat, fast asleep. Both wore shackles on their hands and feet, small souvenirs from a failed prison break.

Most of the other prisoner officers were the same—sitting listlessly, fiddling with straw and willow branches. Apart from Epel and Asco, no one was seriously weaving baskets.

The sound of footsteps, "thump, thump, thump..." came from the corridor. The officers and prisoners became alert instantly, and even Adam sat up abruptly. Only Epper was still focused on weaving baskets.

They were very familiar with the sound. The guards were wearing straw sandals, wooden-soled shoes, and leather-soled shoes, while in the corridor, there was clearly a pair of military boots with iron nails.

Then, Adam saw a hateful junior student appear before him.

Before Winters could speak, Adam slammed into the cell door, the wooden bars trembling as he slammed it: "Winters! Kill me or what! Hurry up and do it! Don't insult me!"

"Good morning, sir!" Winters raised his hand in salute. "According to rank, you should salute me first, but you will always be my sir!"

"Don't give me that!" Adam shook the cell door frantically, the shackles rattling loudly. "Let me out, and we'll duel! I'll settle this once and for all!"

Winters laughed it off and turned to salute and greet the other senior students. No one responded except for Eppel, who nodded and continued weaving his basket.

Winters silently placed paper packets containing raisins and tobacco outside each cell door. He didn't say anything; he was just giving them things.

Adam stared intently at Winters, roaring furiously, "You think you can buy us off with this paltry favor?"

"You're dreaming!" Adam kicked the paper package away hard.

The paper package was kicked open, creating a huge hole, and rolled as it crashed into the wooden fence across the corridor, scattering dark green raisins and tobacco leaves all over the ground.

Even though Winters' threshold had risen considerably, he was still provoked and glared at Adam: "What are you doing?"

Adam was taken aback at first, then became even more furious: "You dare ask me?!"

“The soldiers guarding you don’t have any raisins, and neither do I.” Winters picked up a raisin expressionlessly. “If you don’t want it, return it. Don’t waste it.”

Adam was enraged to the point of madness, and began pounding on the wooden fence again: "[Vicious insults against the Venetians]!"

Winters blew the dust off the raisins, wiped them clean, and ate them. Ignoring the mad bull-like Adam, he turned and walked to Eppel's cell door.

Istvan, who shared a cell with Adam and was also shackled, grabbed Adam and asked coldly, "Winters, what exactly do you want to do by locking us up here?"

“Nothing,” Winters answered honestly. “I’m keeping you locked up because I can’t let you go. Officers are a valuable war resource; letting you go would be tantamount to aiding the enemy. I can’t release you, nor do I want to kill you, so I have no choice but to keep you locked up.”

"What did you say?" Adam laughed wildly. "You said you don't want to kill?"

Winters frowned slightly and asked, "Squad leader, do you want me to kill you?"

"Come on!" Adam roared like thunder. "Kill me! I won't utter a sound! Open the door! Duel!"

"Enough!" Epel, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly shouted.

Eppel's voice seemed to have a magical effect; although Adam's eyes were wide, he was panting heavily, and his face was flushed, he shut his mouth. Among the lieutenant prisoners, only Eppel and Asco earned the full portion of bread; the other prisoners who were unwilling to work only received half. When Adam was dizzy with hunger, it was Eppel who always shared his bread with him. So when Eppel spoke, Adam, though resentful, obediently complied.

"Stop making a fool of yourself!" Epel snapped. "If you want to die, go kill yourself. If someone really wants to die, who can stop them? Sit down!"

Adam's nose stung from the scolding, and tears welled in his eyes. He walked back to the corner, feeling humiliated, and sat down on the floor. The shackles clanked coldly.

“Winters,” Istvan leaned against the cell door, a playful smile on his face, “you’re not hoping to recruit us this way, are you?”

“What are you talking about? I never intended to reform you through labor.” Winters laughed as well. “I can’t use you because I don’t trust you. You are just like I used to be, and everything about you is inextricably linked to Palatour. If I were to conquer Maplestone City one day, perhaps I would be qualified to ask you for help. But now? Forget it. I’m making you work because my warriors have to work hard in the fields. If you get food and drink without working, it would be too unfair to my warriors.”

“Alright,” Istvan laughed. “If you conquer Maplestone, remember to come back and find me.”

Winters smiled and nodded.

Adam couldn't help but ask sarcastically, "Work? So you're making us weave baskets?"

"Yes."

"[Angry, slurred profanities]!" Adam jumped up. "You're just trying to humiliate us! Basket weaving! Basket weaving? Basket weaving is a woman's job!"

Winters raised an eyebrow and retorted, "A woman's job? Have you ever seen a bamboo weaver?"

Adam instinctively wanted to say "I've seen it," but when he checked his memory, he realized he hadn't. The desire to maintain his dignity made him want to force himself to answer "I've seen it," but a deeper sense of pride prevented him from lying.

He fell silent, and his imposing manner instantly diminished.

"There are men and women who weave baskets, but it's mainly men who do it. Who says it's a woman's job?" Winters's arrogance was slowly rising: "Let you weave baskets because it's the simplest and easiest job. You can get bread for weaving one basket a day, and occasionally some wine and meat. Where else can you find such a good deal? Go to the labor camp and see how many baskets the prisoners there have to weave in a day to fill their stomachs!"

“Here!” Winters took a half-finished product and deftly wove three layers. His weaving was crooked and uneven, but he had indeed finished it: “I will never force you to do something I can’t do! If I can do it, why can’t you?”

“That’s true, but it would be better if you gave us some carpentry or blacksmithing work to do than basket weaving,” Istvan said, a smile still on his face.

“Carpentry? Blacksmithing?” Winters sneered. “If I gave you an axe, would you chop it on my warrior’s head? Senior, I’ve clearly told you, I don’t trust you. My men’s lives are more important to me than your dignity, so all you can do is weave baskets.”

I also want to ask you a question that has troubled me for a long time—besides killing and destruction, what else can you do? What else are you capable of doing? What else do you want to do?

Istvan's smile gradually froze. The question made his body stiffen, and his chest felt like it had been hit by a sledgehammer, leaving a dull ache.

The more a person thinks about something, the stronger their reaction will be to this question.

Adam, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. He stuck out his neck and shouted, "Anyway, I'm not weaving baskets!"

"You don't want to weave baskets?" Winters asked coldly.

"I won't make it up!"

"Alright! I'll find you another job!" Winters said and left.

Before leaving, he paused briefly at the door of Senior Epel's cell: "Many of the archives in the towns of Iron Peak County have been lost. You used to be in charge of these archives, and Bard wants your assistance. If the Legion returns to Iron Peak County, they will also need these archives."

“There’s no need to comfort me.” Epel said, bowing her head as she wove her basket. “Let Bard come over and we’ll talk in detail.”

"Thank you." Winters left the cell without looking back.

……

After visiting Wolfwood Prison, Winters was about to embark on his journey back to Gervodan.

He arrived with a large entourage, and his return journey was marked by an even larger one.

Winters then instructed Samukin to lead the prisoners slowly, while he himself led the Mitchell family and the "accounting school prospective students" ahead.

Bard selected thirty young men from various town farms based on an increasing three-tiered standard of "honesty, intelligence, and arithmetic," ranging in age from under sixteen to twenty-two. The best candidates were both honest and arithmetic-savvy, while the least capable were simply honest. They would become part of the first cohort of students at the accounting school, as Winters was also actively recruiting from Gevordan and military families.

As Winters helped Mrs. Mitchell into the carriage, Carman, just as he had done with the Wolftown Hundreds before, led a steed and a packhorse to the town square.

"Don't ask!" Kaman said, his eyes blazing with anger. "I won't answer either."

Winters nodded expressionlessly.

What exactly is the relationship between Kaman and Ellen Mitchell? Winters doesn't know yet, but he's certain it's not romantic. Even just the assumption itself feels like an insult to two respectable people.

The two are quite far apart in age! Mrs. Mitchell is in her mid-forties. As for Kaman? Winters' first impression of Kaman was that she was young, no more than thirty.

Winters knew little, but one thing he was certain of was that Kaman had always been quietly protecting the Mitchell family. This desire to protect was so strong that it bordered on recklessness.

Winters felt guilty for noticing and exploiting this. For him, it was enough that Kaman went to Ghevodan; he didn't want to pry into Kaman's privacy. If Kaman didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't ask.

“Pierre and Scarlett are both in Gévordan, and Mitchell Estate has become a farm. There’s no point in Mrs. Mitchell staying in Wolf Town; she’d be better off in Gévordan with company,” Winters explained seriously. “Besides, I think Mrs. Mitchell prefers city life.”

Kaman sneered and remained silent.

Winters, adjusting the horse tack, casually remarked, "Believe it or not. Whether you go to Gervodan or not, I won't leave Mrs. Mitchell alone in Wolftown."

He was telling the truth. Scarlett missed her mother, and Ellen missed her children. It would be good to take Ellen to Gévordine for a temporary stay.

Kaman snorted and mounted his horse: "I won't let you know any secrets about divine magic, so give up now."

"Don't worry," Winters said, his words carrying a double meaning.

Winters recalled the great achievements of Antoine Laurent, the father of spellcasters, and remained optimistic: as long as Kaman could be lured to Gévord, all other problems would be easy to solve.

Is Kaman unwilling to speak up?
Even a mute horse can be ridden.

On the way back, Winters rode side by side with Kaman, and he gently poked Kaman with a needle: "Doesn't the dispatch of priests require the Pope's approval?"

Kaman struggled to defend himself: "I didn't originally belong to Wolftown Church. The official priest of Wolftown Church is Father Anthony. My actions are—relatively free."

"What will happen to the believers in Wolf Town if you leave?"

“I will write to the regional bishop and ask him to send another priest from Gevordan.”

"So you're planning to accept the Gevordan Cathedral?"

"I'm not going to become the Bishop of Zhevodan..."

As Winters continued to question him, Kaman began to feign deafness and muteness. No matter how Winters poked him with a needle, he ignored it all. In the end, Kaman simply stopped riding his horse and hid in the students' carriage, completely avoiding Winters.

"Unable to test suppression-type divine spells." Winters noted this with considerable regret in his spellbook. He chewed on a feather and wrote another entry: "Deadly divine spells... require a safer testing method."

……

The situation on Samukin's side is also quite interesting.

Prisoners of war in the Wolf Town labor camp were, in principle, either to continue serving their sentences or to receive a pardon.

The prisoners who would continue serving their sentences would be taken to Forge Township to join the more than one thousand captives there.

The prisoners who accepted the pardon could actually be divided into two categories. Those like Ivan and former military police officer Gurahi, who were from Zhevodan, naturally wanted to return to Zhevodan and their families.

The two have already agreed to go home together so they can look out for each other on the way.

Many of the prisoners were landless peasants who were not from the Zhevodan people and did not know where their families were now.

“Please take me with you, Commander Samukin.” A prisoner named Riemann approached Samukin and pleaded pitifully, “I have nowhere to go and I don’t know where I can get food. Winter is coming soon and I really have nowhere to go… Please take me with you and let me continue to work for you.”

Samukin, who had once been a landless farmer, silently looked at the faintly visible holy emblem branded beneath Riemann's coarse linen clothes.

“The tribunal Montagne always told me, ‘There will be a way out.’” Samukin patted Riemann on the shoulder. “I went to the tribunal to apply. I told everyone—if you have nowhere else to go, stay with me as free men.”

……

Winters left, Samukin left, but the matter of Wolfwood Prison was not over yet.

The day after Winters left, former Lieutenant Adam was taken to cut down trees.

The autumn wind was chilly, and cutting down trees was hard work. Adam was still in shackles, and his arms quickly swelled up. On his first day as a lumberjack, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Then came the second and third days.

On the fourth day, Epel sent a message to Bud, asking Bud to bring Adam back to weave baskets.

Just as Adam began learning basket weaving, Winters returned to Gevordan.

"How are you?" Winters exchanged a cheek kiss with Mason. "What happened?"

"What could possibly go wrong?" Senior Mason replied with a smile, "Everything's fine. They've already mined two or three tons of ore at the Iron Peak Mine, and Carlos and Shaosha are busy with something called 'roasting'? I think that's what it's called. The Sean brothers' bricks are also firing very smoothly. If Carlos hadn't insisted on waiting for you to come back before starting the furnace, I would have done the next step for you."

After hearing this, Winters felt an urge to give Mason a big kiss.

He gave his senior another bear hug, almost with tears in his eyes: "I knew you were the only one I could rely on!"

Mason coughed as he was being strangled, and said with a helpless smile, "But there's one more thing you need to handle personally—an envoy has been sent from White Mountain County."

[Military conquest is a natural way to acquire legitimacy to rule, and it should be considered one of the most common methods in history.]
Charles Martel (688-741) pioneered the system of knighthood and fiefdoms, from which the "European feudal system" as we know it today originated. Martel was nicknamed "Hammer" because of his skill with a warhammer, hence the name Charles the Hammer. From a hindsight perspective, Charles Martel was remarkably visionary, but in the context of his time, his promotion of the fiefdom system was aimed at acquiring more soldiers and loyalty. In many cases, the fiefdom system meant assigning free peasants to the "knights" as serfs, tenants, and subjects. Did the peasants agree to this? Certainly not. But they were no match for the knights…
[Regarding Kaman, you can see it when the Wolftown militia set off, during the Battle of the Styx at the medical post, and when Kaman returned to Mitchell Manor after coming back from the wasteland.]
[Qidian has a search function that can search for all cached chapters, which is really useful.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments.]
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(End of this chapter)