Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 471 Rekindling the Spark (Part 4)

Spending money brought Winters genuine joy.

Because His Excellency Montagne, with a stroke of his pen, abolished the special tax previously imposed by the New Reclamation Corps in one fell swoop, and also announced a postponement of the agricultural tax and poll tax for the first half of the year;
Therefore, the Iron Peak County Army cannot expect to extract resources from Vaughan County through taxation in the short term—unless His Excellency Montagne intends to completely abandon the honorific title of "Your Excellency" and adopt an even more unpleasant nickname.

However, the Iron Peak County army, far from the rear, desperately needed the resources of Vaughan County.

From the initial dozen or so deserters who went hunting in the mountains and forests to fill their stomachs, to conquering Ghevodan and seizing the granaries of the garrison in Iron Peak County, and now taking control of a city and two counties with General Adams's treasury at his disposal, the distribution system employed by Winters Montagne's troops has always been a "supply system."

This means that soldiers do not receive military pay, and all spoils of war are turned over to the public, with the army taking care of all the soldiers' needs instead.

This system did not arise from intentional design, but rather emerged naturally.

When Winters led his men to set up camp in the primeval forest outside Wolftown, he cooked no more meat or soup than the others.

At that time, his army—though only a dozen or so men—was like a primitive clan tribe, with all members eating and living together, and all property being common and shared.

Each soldier received no more than anyone else, but certainly no less. Those officers selected from among the soldiers did not enjoy any special privileges because of their officer status.

This naturally gave Winters' army a strong sense of cohesion. To borrow the old marshal's words:

"If a commander is willing to share the same food and risks with his soldiers, then the soldiers will go through fire and water for him. Friendship, recognition, and a shared destiny inspire soldiers more than wealth and honor."

However, as the size of the Tiefeng County Army expanded to nearly half of a standing army, the supply system gradually revealed some drawbacks.

Thousands of soldiers and warhorses were like an insatiable pit, devouring all the resources they had acquired.

Food, textiles, medicine, tools... there was almost nothing that the Tiefeng County Army didn't need, and nothing that they couldn't use.

As the Tiefeng County Army achieved more and more "victories", the soldiers' needs were no longer limited to "being full" and "being warm". Naturally, they began to expect entertainment and material enjoyment.

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

Considering the losses during transshipment from Iron Peak County and Maple Rock, everything on the procurement list should be sourced from Vaughan County.

At the same time, in order to prepare for war, the Iron Peak County Army must also acquire as many resources as possible from Vaughan County.

Since there is demand and no intention is to collect it without compensation, purchasing it is the only viable option.

Fortunately, His Excellency Montagne now has a large sum of money at his disposal.

……

[Outside the city of Artemis]
"looking at what?"

Noticing that Winters was gazing absentmindedly at Deer Mountain in the distance, his mind not on his explanation at all, Mason asked, half annoyed and half suspicious:
"Still wondering why your plow is not selling well?"

Winters, having his thoughts exposed, came to his senses, coughed lightly, and replied solemnly, "Of course not—I was thinking about the fate and future of humanity."

Mason poured cold water on the idea with disdain: "Then you should spend some time figuring out why no one is buying your 'Montessori plow'! After all, it takes up a lot of space in the warehouse."

A short, silly laugh drifted from among the accompanying reserve officers.

Winters didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He coldly called out the name of the guy who couldn't hold back his laughter: "Houdel! Step forward."

"Yes!" Houdel said awkwardly as he rode forward.

"What are you laughing at?" Winters frowned, hands on his hips, and demanded, "Isn't the fate and future of humanity worth thinking about?"

The reserve officers, who had just been excited about temporarily escaping literacy classes, instantly wilted like eggplants struck by frost.

Hodel's forehead was also covered in cold sweat, and he stammered, "Well... the weather is very nice today..."

“What?” Winters’ brows furrowed even more, and his tone became even sterner.

Senior Mason lowered his head, covering his face in shame and indignation with a long sigh.

Houdel, however, was completely unable to empathize with Mason the Tribunal; when Blood Wolf stared at him with his cold gaze, his heart skipped a beat.

Houdel instinctively shuddered and answered loudly, "Report! I'm laughing because the weather is nice today!"

Winters didn't seem satisfied with the answer; he stared at Hoddle without saying a word.

This time, not only the men in front of Winters, but even the warhorses of the reserve officers stiffened and tucked their ears in, almost pressing them against their necks.

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

“Go,” Winters broke the silence, deliberately drawing out his words. “Go back to the city and ask Tsar Bard for me…”

The reserve officers couldn't help but prick up their ears, and Houdel's eyes widened.

Winters turned away from the group of reserve officers and sadly ordered, "How many ploughs will be sold today?"

The reserve officers burst into laughter.

Houdel paused for a moment, then, amidst the envious, jealous, and gloating gazes of his peers, he hurriedly fled towards the city of Artemis.

……

In reality, someone's happiness is merely a byproduct of planning.

Iron Peak County Army made large-scale purchases of military supplies in Artemis, partly to avoid losses from transporting supplies from Gevordan and "reduce the cost of maintaining a military presence in Vaughan County".

On the other hand, it was also to build trust in the "new government" among the people of Vaughan.

Trust is a wondrous emotion; it's difficult to plant a seed, but once it grows into a towering tree, it can bear immense weight.

In the most crucial and difficult step of "planting the seeds," incentives are the fastest and easiest strategy—Bard and Winters have already put this into practice on Chiliut Island.

In addition, the reappearance of caravans on the roads can not only promote the restoration of traffic, but also boost public confidence in public safety;
"The agricultural tax and poll tax of the newly reclaimed provinces are nominally taxes in kind, but in reality, they are mostly collected in monetary form. Deferring the collection of these two taxes and releasing gold and silver into the market through open procurement should alleviate the burden on ordinary people caused by rising gold and silver prices." — This is how Anna explained to Winters in her letter.

"The rise in gold prices is the perfect time to buy," Anna also told Winters in her letter. In this grand scheme devised by Tribunal Bader and Madame Montagne, the lethal dose of dopamine secreted by a certain gentleman due to the satisfaction of his material desires was merely an insignificant byproduct—though it certainly made someone very happy.

Besides "buying" things in Vaughan, Bud and Anna also hoped to "sell" things there.

With the return of Berion, the addition of the Steel Castle workers, and the utter despair of the Gévordan Blacksmiths' Guild, the production capacity of the Gévordan Ironworks increased day by day.

But no matter how much the ironworks increased its production capacity, the buyers remained the same two old customers:
The refugee farms in Lower Tiefeng County mainly purchased agricultural tools; and the logistics department of the Tiefeng County Army mainly purchased military equipment.

However, whether it was the refugee farm, the logistics department, or even the ironworks itself, they were actually three branches growing from the same tree trunk.

The refugee farms and the Iron Peak County Army Logistics Department purchased from the ironworks, essentially taking money out of one pocket, deducting the production costs paid to the craftsmen and miners, and putting it back into another pocket.

In his letter, Shao Sha said that his father-in-law remained silent all day, staring at the mountains of shells piled up in the warehouse.

The Zhewodan Ironworks is currently in an awkward situation where it lacks the ability to manufacture more complex military equipment and has no market for simple agricultural tools. Not only has it failed to generate the expected economic benefits, but it has also seriously violated the old blacksmith's original intention to restart the mine.

The massive military procurement campaign by the Iron Peak County Army successfully attracted merchants from various towns in Vone County and even the Maplestone City district to Artemis.

Without a doubt, Artemis is not only a great place to buy things, but also an excellent occasion to sell them.

Winters then proudly unveiled his most prized creation—the new plow.

Although the soil in the newly reclaimed land was fertile, it was sticky and heavy, requiring a heavy two-wheeled plow to cultivate.

Heavy plows require strong, tall horses to pull them. Although oxen can also pull plows, they are rarely used by newly established farmers who rely on extensive farming methods because they are slower at tilling the land and may miss the planting season.

Since the Great Wilderness War, conscription, plague, and turmoil have caused the loss of a large number of livestock in the newly reclaimed provinces, including draft horses.

Because horses were the primary draft animals, farmers in newly reclaimed land had far more draft horses taken from them than cattle, sheep, and donkeys were eaten.

Although the lack of draft horses has had the current impact only reflected in the soaring prices of large livestock;

However, anyone who knows how important draft animals are to agricultural production will surely toss and turn and have sleepless nights because of the foreseeable famine and turmoil.

To avert the imminent disaster, Winters developed a new type of plow.

"Using lighter wood and reinforcing with metal components, it is not only lighter but also stronger."

“Look at this soil turner, it’s as smooth and delicate as a monk’s rosary—made of applewood. I assure you, it can turn over grassy clay as easily as a ship’s rudder glides across the waves.”

"The plow blade is made of top-quality steel, enough to be used to forge weapons. The angle of the plow blade was determined after numerous experiments—experiments!"

"The position of the wheel can be changed by the positioning pin, which makes it easy to adjust the tillage depth. There is no need to knock it off and then back on. If you want to cultivate barren land with lots of rocks, you can simply remove the wheel and use it however you like."

Winters suppressed his overflowing pride, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, and after enjoying the awe-inspiring gaze of the Wogne gentry for a moment, he proudly stated the greatest advantage of the new plow:

"The key is that it doesn't require heavy draft horses or oxen; just two Herder horses can pull it, and if it's loose farmland, one Herder horse can easily drag it."

It's unclear who started it, but the bewildered gentry and women of Vaughan began to clap their hands in a scattered manner.

"Please allow me to selfishly name it—Mont's Plow." Facing the folks of Vaughan, Winters was inexplicably moved. He said emotionally, "Gentlemen, perhaps one day, the name of this plow will be more famous than mine. If that day ever comes... I will consider it the highest honor."

Seemingly moved by Blood Wolf's sincerity, the applause grew even more enthusiastic, and several young ladies even shed a few tears to match the atmosphere.

Winters wiped his eyes, took a deep breath, and revealed the ultimate promotional secret.

“If you buy now,” he added enthusiastically, “you’ll also get a free bag of nails. Limited quantities available, don’t miss out.”

……

[Outside the city of Artemis]
"Why don't they buy it?" Wintes asked Mason, unable to believe it. "Why don't they want to buy it?"

Senior Mason is about to go crazy.

Suppressing his anger and clenching his fists, the senior student turned his horse around to face the reserve officers and announced loudly, "You won't learn anything just by standing here and listening to me talk—it's time for you to have a field trip lesson in advance!"

The reserve officers were greatly encouraged.

Before the two tribunes and the reserve officers—northwest of the city of Artemis—a star-shaped fortress, more than three hundred paces long and wide, had broken ground.

Thousands of builders were toiling away on the fields, including prisoners of war, hired urban poor, and farmers from nearby towns and villages—and even from across the river—who came to do odd jobs.

As the soil was excavated, transported, and compacted, the shapes of the trenches, the main body of the fortress, and the six pylons became vaguely visible.

“Go and observe it closely! Examine it!” Mason watched the reserve officers, a smile playing on his lips. “Think about how you will attack it! Think about how you will use it! Then come back and tell me!”

Seeing the reserve officers' somewhat hesitant demeanor, Mason clapped his hands vigorously and encouraged them, "Don't worry! Go and observe carefully! Imagine boldly! Then come back and tell me bravely! Go! Let's go!"

The reserve officers raised their hands in salute and left in small groups.

Mason watched as the young reserve officers rode towards the newly started fortress. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly gestured with his arms, sketching the fortress's completed form on the dark canvas:

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

It will have a wide and good firing range, and the surrounding land will be leveled and leveled so that the extension of each slope intersects with the firing port.

It will prepare a sufficient number of artillery pieces—wheeled artillery pieces—so that the defending commander can concentrate or distribute firepower at any time.

It will overlook the Anya River, control the artery from Artemis to the heart of Vorgne County, and guard the provincial highway connecting Iron Peak County and Maplestone City;
It will become a fortress, supply depot and material transit point for the Iron Peak County Army;
It will become the spearhead, the shield, and the shelter;

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

"So..." Mason muttered to himself, "So..."

"So why don't they buy my plow?" Winters grabbed Mason's collar, asking bitterly, "Why would they rather spend money on nails than buy my plow?"

[Additional explanation: Horses are more delicate and harder to raise, so why do farmers in newly reclaimed land still mostly use horses for plowing? Why not oxen?]
The answer given in "The History of Technology" is that horses are faster at plowing, so oxen were mainly used for plowing small plots of farmland near the Mediterranean; while in Central Europe, after large areas of forest and swamp were cleared, horses gradually became the main draft animals (although Central European farmers also used oxen).
[Initially, I didn't understand why the seemingly unimportant factor of "plowing speed" would lead farmers to abandon oxen, which are less feed-intensive and more hardworking. Although this setting was adopted in newly reclaimed land, the question remained in my mind.]
[Until I watched "Clarkson's Farm," in which the farmer initially had ample time to till all the land. Unfortunately, just as he began, it rained. And the rain lasted a long time, leaving him with only a few days to till the land.]
[An agricultural consultant told Jeremy Clarkson that every day the seeds were delayed in planting would result in a reduced yield. Ultimately, Clarkson had no choice but to sow the seeds directly without pre-plowing the soil.]
[For small-scale, intensive farming, the difference in planting speed is not immediately apparent; however, for large-scale, extensive farming, the difference in planting speed can mean the difference between a bumper harvest and a poor harvest.]
Because it is really important to not miss the farming season, and the farming season is also very easy to miss.
[Furthermore, the newly reclaimed land is vast and sparsely populated, and everyone has a need for transportation. Therefore, it is reasonable for farmers in the newly reclaimed land to mainly choose to use horse-drawn plows rather than ox-drawn plows.]