I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 220 Knights' Castle Exposed! (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader, Prussian Royal Eagle)
"This is the place in my territory where the most wild animals roam. When I was just an adult, the previous baron, my father, hunted that huge black bear here."

"May you, like your valiant father, hunt down the black bear again this time!"

Berry, riding on horseback, laughed off Furman's boasting; he was reluctant to mention his father.

Turning to the nonchalant little Joseph, he said, "Remember, once you get the complete bear skin and go to Dijon, your task isn't just to celebrate the Duke's birthday. Don't focus all your attention on those graceful women. Find out more about the family, see how the Duke treats Count Macon, and also visit your sister, understand?"

“I understand.” Joseph, who had inherited Berry’s height, nodded solemnly.

Berry withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. Apart from being lecherous and slightly arrogant, his eldest son had inherited almost all of his good qualities. He believed that his son could tell what to do on important occasions.

“Bears are hibernating at this time of year, so I brought Hus along. He’s an excellent hunter and archer and can help us find the bear dens.”

Furman pointed to a bearded soldier behind him.

"Well done."

With Huss leading the way, the group turned left and right, descending the mountain range southeast of Kupolburg.

Hus walked at the front, glancing at the marks on the ground from time to time, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Why are there hoofprints?" Huss suppressed his doubts. This was an unmanaged valley, perhaps the trail of passing travelers.

"Master," Young Master, "I predict there's a bear den a short distance south."

"Oh?" Berry stretched his limbs. He was decent at archery, but rarely used it. However, he brought it out specifically to obtain the bear pelt intact this time.

"Lead the way, and remember, keep quiet. I don't want to wake a ferocious beast!"

Bear hunting has always been a dangerous activity.

If it weren't for the gift, Berry wouldn't have wanted to climb a snow-covered mountain in the dead of winter.

Huss followed the bear droppings and crouched quietly on a hillside. He pointed to a tree hole not far away and whispered, "Sir, that's the bear's den!"

"My idea is to light some pine wood to smoke it out. The bear is sluggish when it just wakes up from hibernation. You and I can shoot arrows together and kill it directly!" The experienced Huss said, explaining his strategy.

"Good idea, Furman, take some men and smoke the bear out!"

Berry's private soldiers quickly chopped up some branches, lit them with flint and steel, and the smoke gradually drifted into the cave entrance with the wind. After a while, a low, hoarse cry came from inside the cave, and sure enough, a large black bear staggered out under the close watch of Berry and the others.

"I'll shoot your eyes, you shoot your heart!"

Berry grabbed his bow, drew it sharply, and Huss, who had also drawn his bow at the same time, released the arrow. But as soon as he released the bowstring, Berry cursed inwardly.

Sure enough, his arrow missed.

The arrow grazed the black bear's ear, causing the half-asleep beast to feel pain, but then a second arrow struck the bear's heart with deadly accuracy.

"Housse's archery skills are quite good. No wonder he's the son of the previous hunter!"

Berry smiled and praised Huss, "We've got the complete bearskin!"

Joseph waved for Furman and the others to carry the bear, and then yawned.

This hunt was so boring, he had almost nothing to do, it would have been better to let him sleep with that big-breasted maid in the castle.

Bored, little Joseph looked around aimlessly, then his eyes suddenly widened.

"What the hell!"

"Father! Father!"

"What's wrong, little Joseph?"

Berry was examining the bear pelt when he heard his eldest son's call and turned around in confusion.

“Look at that thing on the hillside,” little Joseph asked seriously, pointing to a snow-covered mountain in the southeast.

"On the hillside?"

Berry, who was initially puzzled, followed Joseph's arm and squinted to take a closer look. After a while, he widened his pupils just like Joseph.

"That's... a watchtower?!" ...

"Yes, that's it. Put the grid frame in. Robert, is the willow basket you were asked to weave finished?"

The Agate River broke through a huge ice hole in half a day. While Luke had his men lower the wooden frame into the water, he had Robert carry the gabion he had been given to make up the river.

For bridge piers to be stable, they not only need to be firmly rammed into the riverbed, but also need to be further reinforced at the bottom with seven or eight river embankments made of a mixture of limestone, clay and horsehair.

However, both of these steps are very difficult.

"Eight pieces of wood, divided into two layers, with the four outer pieces inserted at an angle, like an inverted cone."

Luc gestured with images in the air and talked eloquently to Old Eck and the others.

"The four internal shafts were drilled in vertically."

"Let's drill through the inner layer first!"

Luke turned his head and asked, "By the way, how's the waterproofing going?"

The bridge piers in the river needed to be firmly anchored in the water, so Luke specifically ordered that a large amount of tar be refined to make them waterproof.

“Waterproofing isn’t a problem, but sir, how are we going to drive such heavy logs into the riverbed like nails?” Ryan frowned.

"Of course, we'll use manpower!"

"And animal power too!"

What makes humans different from other animals is their ability to work together.

With one end of the bear-tendon pulley firmly tied to a stone weighing several hundred pounds, two mules, a donkey, and more than twenty serfs, at Miller's shouts, pulled the stone dozens of feet into the air.

"put!"

Ryan's shouts were drowned out by the heavy blows, unprecedented thuds echoing through the valley, their sounds reverberating after being blocked by the mountains.

Luke lay on the ice, listening intently to the churning underwater. He forcefully covered his left ear to block out the knocking sounds, and only then could he vaguely hear the riverbed seem to have changed from a muffled thud to a solid sound.

To make sure he hadn't misheard, Luke didn't call for a stop until there was no more commotion, at which point he waved his arm to stop everyone's movements.

"Take a break, then switch to another group and hammer in the second one!"

The yellow flag with black deer fluttered in the mountain wind as it shook.

The cold wind caressed the tall wooden walls, swept over Knightsburg, and reached the hundred acres of farmland, causing the winter crops to sway slightly. As it blew into Ward village, some free farmers, who were not working, leaned against their doorsteps, watching the bustling Agate River and whispering among themselves.

Berry and Furman lay hidden in the snow-covered mountains, taking in all of this.

Although the distance is far, the towering city walls are particularly conspicuous.

"Damn it! I was wondering where his construction crew went; turns out he owns a territory in this valley!!"

Furman clenched his fists, his eyes seemingly blazing with fire.

Berry didn't speak, but his clenched teeth testified to the turmoil in his heart.

They actually built a manor right under my nose without me even noticing.
Berry examined the location of the granary closely, then suddenly grinned maliciously, "What territory? Without my permission, this is just a lawless, unclaimed valley!"

"Let's go back to Fort Cooper first!"

After watching for a while, Berry, who had brought few people, prepared to quietly leave. He was neither blind nor an ignorant fool. The crops in the field in front of him were growing better than any of his estates. The watermill and the red-brick church proved that this was indeed a prosperous territory.

That's right, strictly speaking, this place is not under the jurisdiction of Cooperburg, but similarly, it doesn't belong to anyone else, especially Luc!
As his vassal, unauthorized land reclamation was a challenge to his authority, or even a usurpation and betrayal.

As his lord, he has the right to confiscate this land!

“It seems my Cooper Castle territory can be expanded a bit more.” Berry sneered and shrank into the shadows.

(End of this chapter)