Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 98 Six Silver Coins
Winters and Andrei have already visited every village on the island.

The process is almost the same: first find the village chief, convene all the villagers for a meeting, publicize the recruitment policy (five silver coins per day, paid daily), and then go to the next village.

However, two days passed, and the number of farmers who came to Chiliu Port to apply for the job was very small.

After intensive surveying, the engineering officers of the road construction countermeasures headquarters have come up with a road construction plan for the first five kilometers, and the remaining plans will be developed as the road is being constructed.

With construction about to begin, the workers hadn't arrived yet, and Winters and Andrei, having gained nothing, were dragged away and given a severe dressing-down by the deputy director of the countermeasures headquarters.

The two men, their faces covered in drool, returned to the field camp in dejection and called Bud over to discuss countermeasures. Bud hadn't been transferred to the road construction headquarters because he was too capable, and the head of logistics couldn't bear to part with him.

"[The vulgar swear words he learned from the sailors], [repeating the previous swear words]... I think these peasants are just despicable!" Having been scolded, Andrei grew increasingly furious, his face twitching with rage, and he could barely speak: "Tomorrow I... I'll lead my troops and clear out one village after another, [like a sweet rain]! Let's see who dares not come! [Even the roughest soldier would be too ashamed to utter such swear words]!"

“If you can avoid forcing it, then do it. It’s not honorable, and someone might use it against you in the future. You don’t want that to be recorded in your file, do you?” Winters looked very tired as he washed his face. “Otherwise, why isn’t someone else in charge? Why is it being handed to us two warrant officers?”

Over time, Winters has come to understand how to persuade Andrea. He has discovered that Andrea Cellini is much like the two cats in his household: he is like a semi-social wild animal, caring only about "his own people" and lacking empathy and kindness towards others.

Therefore, the best way to persuade him is to start from his interests.

Sure enough, after hearing Winters' words, Andrei immediately fell silent.

Bard, resting his chin on his hand, said, “This matter is indeed in a gray area. The key is how the governor defines civilians on Chiliu Island. Are they currently enemy population? Or have they automatically acquired Venetia citizenship? If it’s the former, then they are not protected. If it’s the latter, then forcibly conscripting citizens under Venetia law would result in a military court.”

"Then what should we do?" Andrei stood up impatiently. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

“Sit down and talk, save your energy.” Winters pulled Andre back to his seat. “Actually, if you put yourself in their shoes, if I were a farmer on the island, I wouldn’t dare work for the army from outside… How about we increase the daily wage a bit? Up to one small silver coin a day?”

Eight silver coins could be exchanged for one small silver coin. In daily life, gold coins and large silver coins were not commonly used. Silver coins and small silver coins were the most common items for ordinary people.

Because the San Marco Legion raided the treasury of the Red Sulfur Harbor Council, the Venetian army on the island is now well-off and can afford to hire soldiers for a day for a small silver coin.

“No!” Badr said firmly. “Five silver coins a day is already far more than the normal wage. If we increase it to one silver coin a day, even fewer people will dare to come. In my opinion, we should not only not increase the wages, but also decrease them. Now is the off-season for farming, and two silver coins plus meals are enough to satisfy the farmers on the island.”

Winters and Andrei both grew up in Hailan City, and as teenagers, they went to Guitu City for school. If you put them in the field, they couldn't even tell the difference between malt and weeds.

To the two city kids, "money" was the most persuasive language. However, on the small island of Ajiri, this persuasive language met with resistance.

On the contrary, the tenant farmer's son, Bad, understood the farmers' thoughts better than anyone else.

"What can we do then? Even if you pay them more, these peasants won't come. But if you pay them less, they'll come?" Andrei glared at him again.

“Don’t use that term, ‘mud-legged’. They’re just like you and me, people too. If you were them, you wouldn’t be here.” Bard frowned and said, “The key issue between the civilians on the island and us is the lack of trust. Once we have trust, all problems can be solved.”

“Oh, my 'Bishop,' stop with the nonsense. Just tell me what you’re going to do, and don’t give us both an equal education,” Andrei retorted angrily.

Because Bard only had one Bible and two Gospels when he enrolled, and given his experience in the monastery, some of his classmates secretly nicknamed him "Bishop."

This nickname actually carries a very strong insult, because a tenant farmer's son could never become a bishop... It's only natural that an outsider would be bullied when suddenly thrown into a group of boys he's known for years.

Winters never used that nickname, nor did he allow anyone else to use it around him. He had at least used the nickname "Master Swordsman" a few times as a joke, but he had never uttered the nickname "Bishop" even once.

This was also the first time Winters had heard Andre call out that nickname to his face. He immediately nudged Andre, indicating that he had gone too far.

Andrei realized he had spoken out of turn and awkwardly shut his mouth.

Instead of getting angry, Bard smiled and stared at Andrei, saying slowly, "How about we make a bet? If I can solve this problem, you'll never have to use the word 'mud-legged' again, okay?"

“Holy Body! At a time like this, let’s stop being stubborn.” Winters also used a curse word that only believers would use for the first time. He felt particularly tired now—spiritually.

"Well, do you dare to bet with me?" Bard ignored Winters and kept staring intently at Andrei.

Andrei felt a little uneasy under her gaze, but he remained defiant: "Fine, if you can recruit enough people to repair the road, I'll never utter the word 'mud-legged' again in my life!"

"Okay, it's a deal."

Bad and Andrei made a vow by high-fiving.

After the high-five, Bard said slowly, "I've already said it, what the civilians on the island lack between us and them is trust. And trust... can be bought with money."

"Buy trust? How do you buy it?" Winters became interested, and his upper body involuntarily leaned forward towards Bard.

Hearing Bud's words gave him a bit of inspiration, but it was still like looking through a layer of gauze. This feeling was like an itch that couldn't be scratched, making him eager to know the answer to the mystery.

“It’s simple, we just need to buy some firewood.” Bard didn’t keep us in suspense and explained in detail: “Building trust starts with the most harmless things. We buy firewood on the island at a high price, and the farmers receive payment on the spot after selling it to us. That’s how we establish basic trust with them.”

"If they buy firewood... then they can come and repair the road?" Andrei stood there, stunned and bewildered.

“Buying firewood alone is certainly not enough. After buying the firewood, we will hire people in the village to carry it to Chiliu Port, and we will pay them a high price as well.” Bud smiled confidently. “Most farmers will not sign up; only a few daring ones will dare to come. However, as long as the farmers who transport the firewood return safely with money and grain, the rest of the village will be envious and regretful.”

Gerald's Bud took a breath, looked into Winters and Andre's eyes, and said in a deep voice, "In this way, we will have a foundation of trust. You can then go to the villages to recruit people, and the boldest and greediest farmers will volunteer. And as long as a small portion of the farmers who come to repair the road can return home safely, the other farmers will understand that we are not taking them as slave laborers. At that time, hehe, every able-bodied farmer on the island will be your road repair worker!"

"That's the plan! I don't believe we can't get people to do it!" Winters slapped his thigh and laughed, "If you ask me, not only should we pay those farmers who carry firewood, we should also give each of them two bolts of cloth! Money is something that no one can see when it's in your pocket. Give them two bolts of fine red cloth to take home, and anyone with eyes can see it clearly!"

“You have so many clever ideas…” Bard was amused as well.

"Hey? Wait a minute, I'm a little confused." Andrei rubbed his temples and asked hesitantly, "Then why are we buying firewood?"

"What are you doing? Didn't Bard say it's about buying trust?" Winters patted Andrei's arm.

“No, no, no, what I mean is… since we’re buying things anyway, what’s the point of buying firewood?” Andrei sorted out his thoughts and asked, “Why not buy something useful? Like some grain and live pigs or something.”

“If we want to buy grain, the farmers won’t sell it to us. People will starve to death if they don’t have grain, and if they don’t have firewood, they can just cut some.” Bud immediately explained his deeper considerations: “The farmers on the island are most afraid of us stealing their grain right now. If we go to buy grain, it’s like luring the snake out of its hole. We need to buy firewood, and dry firewood at that. Although the farmers have dry firewood, they don’t have much. And even if they sell it all to us, they won’t be afraid.”

"Is that even a consideration..." Andrei felt a little dizzy.

“But just in case, we’d better find another ‘shill’,” Bard said with a smile. “A ‘shill’ that we can trust, that the island’s civilians can trust, and that will never be seen as a ‘shill’.”

“Red Pine Manor – Kalman!” Winters and Andre exclaimed in unison.

The three warrant officers exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

……

……

This was the second day after the three warrant officers finalized their plan.

The sun is now setting in the west; it is already dusk.

Sanye Village, near Hongsong Manor.

Farmer Boris crouched behind the gate, peering down the village path, anxiously awaiting his wife's return.

The pile of firewood that used to be as tall as a person under the eaves of Boris's house is now empty.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps, which startled Boris. The sound grew closer, and Boris realized it wasn't a man's heavy footsteps, but his wife's light, quick steps. Only then did he relax.

His wife, Maria, had returned.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door, Boris rushed to open the gate before his wife could knock, asking hastily, "Are you back?"

"Oh my god, you scared me to death! You're back, you're back!" Maria was startled and, catching her breath, complained, "You should have let me in first."

Boris quickly let his wife in.

The farmers in the village have been living in fear these past few days, and Boris is no exception.

A few days ago, two old men on horseback came to the village with dozens of fierce-looking guards. They called the farmers together and said they wanted to recruit people to repair the road.

When the lord arrived, Boris didn't dare go to the village square, and of course he dared not go to "fix the road".

Although the offer of five silver coins a day was tempting, who knew if it was a scam? The men were all worried that if they went, they would never come back, so no one dared to go.

Although Boris was illiterate, he wasn't stupid. He knew very well that since no one in the village was going to the port, the two mounted gentlemen would not let the matter rest.

So Boris has been sleeping with a food bag under his pillow these past few days.

Right now, inside the house, by the door, there are the packed dry food and clothes.

He was prepared to run away at any time. If his wife brought back bad news, he would immediately run into the woods on the island and hide until things calmed down.

But to everyone's surprise, those two gentlemen came again today, but this time they didn't bring any guards. They only said they wanted to buy firewood.

Moreover, they bought firewood at a price that farmers could never even dream of.

Boris was tempted, but he was careful and didn't sell himself; instead, he had his wife do it.

The six silver coins he'd gotten from exchanging firewood were now tucked into his pocket, right against his skin. The feeling of the coins digging into his ribs reminded Boris he wasn't dreaming.

They bought a huge pile of firewood, which the two gentlemen couldn't carry on their own—and of course, they couldn't do such rough work themselves. So, the two gentlemen decided to hire a few large carts in the village to transport the firewood back to the port city.

This made many people suspicious. Selling firewood in the village was one thing, but going to the port city with the master was another.

Seeing that no one was willing to take the job, the two gentlemen offered an unimaginable price for it, and only wanted to hire five large carts, no more.

Boris was tempted again; he had a large wagon at home... and a mule... but he was still afraid and didn't dare to go.

Finally, the two gentlemen hired two large carriages from Mr. Kalman at the nearby Red Pine Estate, and Mr. Kalman even sent his personal valet to drive them.

Seeing that even Master Kalman wasn't afraid, some of the men in the village started to have their own ideas.

Two usually bold farmers and an old cripple who had been treated by Mr. Kalman mustered their courage, drove out their own carts, and together they made five carts, loaded with firewood, and headed towards the port city.

Boris looked down on the three men from the village. He didn't believe in easy money and thought the master was just trying to trick them into buying firewood.

Watching the convoy disappear at the end of the road, Boris thought to himself, "I was smart enough not to be greedy. I took the bait and ran. Hmph, those three fools are probably not coming back."

However, he was also somewhat anxious, as if there was a thorn in his heart that itched and he couldn't scratch. He couldn't help but think, "What if this really is a windfall... what if... I mean, what if the master isn't lying?"

So Boris spent the entire afternoon anxiously waiting at home, hoping for both good and bad news.

He didn't know what he was waiting for.

As darkness fell, he heard the creaking and groaning of large trucks on the road.

Boris was eager to know what had happened, but he remained cautious and sent his wife to find out.

Women have their own unique channels of information, and they are very well-informed.

Boris stayed at home, and if the master brought soldiers to arrest people, he would immediately jump over the wall and run away.

"Are they all back?" Boris asked, gripping his wife's arm tightly and staring at her.

“Ouch, you’re hurting me.” Maria shook off her husband’s hand and replied, “They’re all back. The old cripple and Cliff’s two sons from the west side of the village are all back.”

"Are you sure?" Boris asked incredulously.

“I saw them with my own eyes! The old cripple was so proud of himself. The two gentlemen personally escorted them back and rewarded each of them with two gold coins… Good heavens, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen gold coins. They also gave them a bottle of fine wine and two bolts of red cloth.” Maria stretched out her arms to measure: “Very fine red cloth, very, very fine. I’ve never seen anyone in the village wear such fine material…”

As his wife excitedly described the fabric she had seen, Boris felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had lost something very important.

The joy of exchanging firewood for six silver coins seemed insignificant, overwhelmed by a greater and heavier sense of frustration.

Boris felt unsteady on his feet and nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Maria noticed her husband's unusual behavior. She looked at him cautiously, her voice full of worry.

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" Boris exclaimed in frustration, pulling the six silver coins from his pocket and throwing them on the ground. The young farmer, pulling at his hair and pounding his chest and thighs, cried out, "Oh dear! Oh dear!!"

Maria hurriedly picked the six silver coins from the dirt. Though simple-minded, Maria vaguely understood what had happened. She hugged Boris to stop her husband from hitting her: "Honey, don't do this. We still have six silver coins, don't we? There's no such thing as a free lunch! I don't want the red cloth; these six silver coins are enough. I'm content..."

However, Boris continued to repeat in frustration, "Oh dear, oh dear."

It quickly became completely dark.

Lamp oil was expensive, and nightlife was a luxury in this era, so farmers would go to bed as soon as it got dark.

Boris, who usually snores as soon as his head hits the pillow, was unusually quiet tonight.

Maria lay in bed, listening to her husband's heavy breathing, knowing that he was clearly not asleep.

She deliberately changed the subject, asking, "Hey, husband, why do you think Master Kalman sent a large cart along? Master Kalman's family is very wealthy."

Boris was already irritated. Hearing his wife's question, he, who considered himself the smartest man in Clover Village, immediately understood why. He replied impatiently, "Didn't you know that Master Kalman's house was raided? Master Veneta took all the slaves from Red Pine Manor. Sigh, now Master Kalman is broke too... Alright, go to sleep."

Maria gently took her husband's hand and said softly, "We don't need to envy others. Aren't we good enough with a house to live in and food to eat? Besides, we got six silver coins for free today. When have we ever had so much money? I have you, that's enough. What use are those two bolts of red cloth?"

Boris grunted but didn't say anything.

“Those two Veneta gentlemen said they need to hire more people to repair the roads in the port city, but this time they're only giving two silver coins a day, though they'll provide meals.” Maria rambled on, her voice growing softer until it became a half-asleep murmur: “...But...that really is very, very good red cloth…”

Boris shook off his wife's hand and angrily turned away in the opposite direction from her.

(From the perspective of onlookers who didn't move the log as a sign of good faith)
Thank you to all the readers who voted for the book. Special thanks to writersblock, 2020602133325563 (a new reader), 正义纯洁是考拉, 黑色电脑配件, and 天水有佳人 for their votes. Thank you everyone.

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(End of this chapter)