I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 247 Murder Case
Leaving Raoul and Torstan behind, the months between the end of spring planting and the autumn harvest were always the most leisurely time for farmers.

In the past, a valley with a dozen or so people would need to send out a team of wild fruit pickers during this period, but under the now "separate" manor model, the free farmers only need to pick the fruit themselves.

The tax on wild fruits remains the same: you have to pay the same amount as the fruit you harvest to Luke.

In other words: five out of ten are taken.

The same goes for the fish, but only in the Agate River; the fishponds belong to Luc.

If you want to eat fish in winter, you need to exchange it for pennies or grain.

That's the advantage of being a lord.

Even though Luc's taxes were low, he abolished the mill tax, and even allowed his subjects to freely cut down trees, harvest crops, and fish, Luc would never lose money; he would only become richer and richer.

Moreover, it's all unearned.

Perhaps by taking a nap at home, one could earn ten fat fish and three baskets of wild fruit.
"Old Ek, tell the lumberyard to speed up the production of a batch of timber for Thorstan's use. Also, how are the serfs on the other side of the market?"

"Sir, I've already sent Miller to the logging camp."

Old Eck watched as Luc sat lazily outside the Deer Hall, with little Charlie lying cross-legged at his feet, his tongue lolling out, and a miniature recliner swaying in his right hand.

It was a baby recliner designed by Luc himself and built by Ryan himself.

Inside the recliner, little William, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was laughing rhythmically as the chair rocked.

The warm sunlight shone down on little William's face, and his blue eyes sparkled in his childish laughter. At these moments, little Charlie's ears would creak and twitch.

Luc likes dogs, and Duss likes cats.

Not long after they brought the male cat home, it had kittens with the original white cat, and the new kittens were held in Duss's arms every day.

Old Eck smiled and stretched out his rough fingers, tracing little William's smooth face. In just over a month, the eldest son of the Losh family was no longer wrinkled like a rag. Instead, he had fair skin, big eyes, and red lips. Having inherited the best features of Duss and Luke, it was already clear that he would definitely be handsome in the future.

After teasing him for a while, old Ek said:

"On the other side, with Ryan and Hans overseeing things, the reclamation is going smoothly. In just a few months, we've already gathered more than thirty people. If all goes well, it will be a new village by next year."

"Well, not bad."

Luc, lounging in the sun with his legs crossed, said, “Tell George and Bauer to spread the word through those drunkards and gamblers at Telfbridge, and tell them that whoever brings a family can drink a free day of ale.”

The return of the Treff Bridge, amidst its twists and turns, indirectly boosted the tavern's reputation. During the time it was confiscated by Berry, some of the drinkers moved to the Cooper's Castle tavern, only to find that they could no longer drink ordinary malt liquor after getting used to the hops. Plus, there weren't many fun games, and the only prostitute was impossible to get. When the tavern reopened, they became even more obsessed with the Treff Bridge, and even took some of Cooper's Castle's drinkers with them.

The small tavern, originally designed for only ten tables, is already starting to feel cramped.

"It's rare to enjoy a few days of leisure, old Ek, so give us a report on the recent situation at the manor."

"Yes, sir. The manor isn't much different from before, except the brewery is busier. Also, someone in Ward village said they hope to raise some pheasants this year. What do you think?"

"Of course, as usual, half of the eggs will be handed over after they are laid."

"Thank you, sir!"

Old Ek smiled slightly, revealing a bunch of wrinkles.

"In addition, your cow's belly is getting bigger, and I think it will give birth in a few months; also, the private army is training every day and is a bit overwhelmed. They asked me to ask if you could allow them to rest for a while."

"Can't you handle training every three days?"

Luke suddenly opened his eyes. Having been a lord for a long time and having experienced a lot of killing and scheming, Luke's temperament was even more imposing. Old Eck chuckled twice, not knowing how to respond.

After all, the mercenary group he joined when he was young, an armed organization that relied solely on force, never had such frequent training.

Luke's army is now divided into four types, in addition to his private army which trains every three days.

Ryan, Jean, Byrne, and others, like Luc, trained almost every day.

They were Luke's team.

Miller, Hans, Gil, Sis (one of the bandits in Eugene), and other free peasant soldiers trained for three or four hours a week.

The remaining serfs would take time to train in a drill or spear exercise, perhaps once a month or once every six months.

“Tell them that if they hate eating meat, hate Finney, hate being respected, and only want to be serfs, then they can leave now. I will not force them.”

"But if you can't do that, then you'd better train properly. If anyone fails to train properly, don't blame me for resorting to family discipline!"

What is a private army? Only an army loyal to the Loche family is called a private army. For them, Luke compiled a set of rules called family law, not military law.

Of course, this set of instructions was incredibly lenient for Luc, but it was extremely harsh for them.

However, behind the strictness lies the satisfaction of both material and spiritual needs.

As the lord's private soldiers, they naturally possessed a sense of superiority, and the ample rewards they received made them almost as good as free farmers.

Currently, besides his private soldiers, Luke still needs to support servants, a small number of serfs (who are mostly self-sufficient on their allotted land, but occasionally require Luke's food allowance), as well as beekeepers, tavern staff, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and other skilled workers. Of course, the latter are somewhat special cases. For example, young Maiman can make furniture with his apprentices in his spare time to sell, the tavern can earn some extra money, and the stonemasons receive a church stipend.

Even so, Luke can only afford to support four private soldiers who have left their jobs.

Of course, Ryan and others don't count.

They have their own fiefdoms, and although they have taken off their jobs, they don't need to support themselves.

Old Eck nodded, understanding what Luc meant.

"My lord, what do you think? Once your territory becomes more prosperous, why don't you ask Bishop Hugo to find some orphans for you to train as your private army?"

"good idea"

Hugo had been fully promoted to bishop, and Pierre, shortly after the birth of William the Younger, was dismissed from his post by the Cluny Church and the Count of Macon on charges of corruption and sent to Rome. As for what would happen on the way, only God knew.

Luc felt a little sentimental about the fate of this "big shot" he met so early on. In fact, there wasn't much sullenness between the two at the beginning, and Pierre even helped him to some extent to hide Berry's secret.

Luc was not sentimental; he was just suddenly reminded of the recent arrival of the Hoffmann caravan.

George brought the Hoffman caravan from Telfbridge to Knightsburg, leaving him speechless with astonishment.

What Luc was unaware of was that, from his perspective, everything about the development of the manor was traceable.

From Hoffman's perspective, it's like leaving Luke and coming back to find that this guy has suddenly become a big shot who fought and won against the Baron, acquired thousands of acres of land, a castle, hundreds of subjects, his son became a count knight, and he himself is a double secular knight, a saint's guard, a holy knight, an apostle of God, a temple contractor, and owns several trade routes and various specialty goods.

Damn it! Where are the caravan and the down-on-his-luck knight we were promised?
How did you go from being a small vendor selling charcoal and odds and ends of liquor to a grand knight almost on par with a baron?

But the most shocking thing was yet to come.

When Hoffmann was taken to the Deer Hall by Lucre and revealed his involvement in smuggling coarse salt with the church, to Lucre's surprise, Hoffmann, in a state of shock, immediately agreed.
"Hey, don't be so surprised, buddy. Back in the day, I had the guts to buy your charcoal and even dared to sell it in Provence. Now that this is a clear opportunity to make a fortune, why wouldn't I take it?"

Hoffman stroked his sparse hair and smiled shrewdly.

However, when he learned that Luc did not intend to share profits with him, and even wanted to disband his caravan and form his own, with him becoming the leader of the caravan and joining the church team, and only receiving a fixed salary afterwards, he did hesitate for a while.

Luc waited quietly for Hoffmann's reply; whether Hoffmann could seize the opportunity depended on his choice.

Ultimately, the decisive Hoffman agreed to the request.

He became a merchant to earn pennies, and the contrast between being a small caravan leader for life and the salary he received from smuggling coarse salt immediately shattered Hoffman's unrealistic fantasies.

After all, he's over forty, not twenty anymore.

“From now on you will only be able to move between Knightsburg and Lombardy. You may go to other places in the future, but you will not be able to return to Bavaria for a long time. If you want your wife and children to live a wealthy life, I advise you to move them to Knightsburg. I will give them a piece of rich land and build them a nice house.”

"I'll consider it."

Hoffman paused for a moment, then nodded.

Hoffman was allowed to stay temporarily at Knightsburg, and Lynn was invited to come. Under Lynn's witness, the caravan transfer agreement was signed. In front of Hoffman and his caravan of six or seven mules, Luc officially acquired the caravan.

"Don't worry, Hoffman, the charcoal business is still 50/50 with you."

Hoffman smiled and nodded, which was one of the main reasons he chose to join Luc.

While waiting for Hugo's caravan to finish cleaning up, they also waited for Thorstein to build the dragon ship.

Indeed, although flat, shallow boats were needed for transporting goods, Luke insisted that the first vessel be a Viking dragonship.

This highly maneuverable and adaptable small boat was exactly what Luke needed.

Building a dragon boat is not difficult, at least in Thorstein's eyes.

Raoul chattered away with him and little Maiman for a while, and then the two of them went off to find oak trees suitable for making keel.

After circling the forest for a whole day, we finally chose the best tree trunk.

Thorstein held the Danish long axe, which served as both a woodcutter's axe and an armored weapon, in his hand. The Viking's distinctive war cry was used in the felling, almost awakening long-forgotten terrifying memories in some of the timid women who were gathering the wood.

There had been no news from Cooper Castle for the past few days, and they hadn't even paid attention to the fact that the Hoffmann caravan no longer passed through the castle.

George had secretly gone to check on things several times, and all he heard was that an archer had escaped from Cooper Castle, and that Baron Berry was still recuperating.

Five or six days later, one evening, a heart-wrenching scream came from the south bank.

A disheveled peasant woman, seemingly insane, ran along the long bridge to the north bank and cried out incessantly beside the church.

In the evening, Lynn, looking grim, led the peasant woman and Peter into the Deer Hall.

"Lord Luke, her husband has been dismembered!"

(End of this chapter)