When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Although Horn's message hadn't reached Hotham County yet, the administrator, Herman, seemed to have a premonition and chose the Poison Witch Swamp as the flood discharge point.

This was almost the only choice.

After the Innosence Dam collapsed, Upper River County had basically no time or ability to intercept the flood.

All they could do was, like Horn back then, find the nearest mountain to take refuge.

Of course, the flood they were facing was definitely not on the same level as the one Horn encountered.

Firstly, there hadn't been much rain this year, and secondly, they could open the hedgerows to reduce losses.

They hadn't opened them before simply because the land near Highfort belonged to the Church's lords, and Barneyfoist wouldn't allow it.

Now it was different; everyone was treated equally.

When the flood reached Lower River County, if they let it develop, it would definitely divert at Duck River Township, affecting all four counties of the plains.

Therefore, Horn and Herman, on the advice of hydraulic engineers, both chose the Poison Witch Swamp as a depression for flood discharge.

As long as they built a dam and connected it to the Poison Witch Swamp from the nearest tributary, they could absorb a large portion of the flood.

Thus, the discussions that took place in Iron Gate Town were happening in almost every town and village in the Thousand River Valley.

… … … …

Hotham County, Connaught Hundred Area.

Inside a rammed earth thatched hut, light leaked in from all sides, and grass and dust fell on their shoulders as they walked.

In winter, if they couldn't afford peat, they would freeze to death.

The recruiting officer kicked the woman over directly and dragged the skinny fifteen-year-old grandson out from behind the woodpile: "The Earl's order, how dare you disobey?"

"Didn't the notice say that disabled people don't have to go?"

"You even looked at the notice?" Grabbing the young grandson by the collar and lifting him up, the recruiting officer scolded, "People who are disabled have no hands or feet, you just have trouble walking, disabled your grandma."

"I'll pay for a substitute, I'll pay for a substitute." Lally completely panicked, "I'll go exchange the field for money right away."

"Do you think I care about your few pennies?" The recruiting officer snorted disdainfully and shouted to the two guards beside him, "Take him away!"

… … … …

Lower River County, Stinky Boot Town.

This quiet town, famous for its leather boots and woolen socks, was particularly noisy at the moment.

Outside the town hall, strong young men held wooden sticks with their names written on them, forming a long queue.

Unlike Hotham County, which was full of old people and children, the team in Stinky Boot Town was full of strong men, and the number was much smaller than the average number in the Hotham County Hundred Area.

Even if they were selected, they would only sigh softly, not howl like those in Hotham County.

"Are you an adult?" The wandering monk asked, glaring, using a wooden stick to lift the young man's upper palate in front of him.

"I, I'm sixteen." The young man, who was clearly thirteen, said with a guilty conscience.

"Get out!" Spreading his fingers, the wandering monk slapped the young man's face, "Tell your older brother to come."

The young man walked away crying.

The wandering monk shouted at the long queue behind him: "Don't disturb our work, I'll say it again, if the men in your family are only under sixteen, don't come, honestly pay the substitute money."

"That's a lot of money." Many townspeople muttered.

"If there isn't much money, how can we transfer other laborers from other places?" The wandering monk glared and scolded, "Did I take this money?"

"Who knows… …"

"I'll reiterate." On the other side, the chief monk stepped on a wooden box and held up a tin horn, "The farmland of the laborers' families will be regarded as public land and cultivated by others in the Hundred Area! Fighting the flood is glorious, it's not that scary!"

… … … …

Kasha County, Dock Township, Military Reclamation Area.

The young men with packages on their backs were saying goodbye to their parents and lovers.

Wearing brand new, uncomfortable military boots, they walked towards the flute-shaped boat by the river under the leadership of the leading knight.

The women and old people waving handkerchiefs on the shore were in tears, and their cries caused the recruits on the boat to cry together.

Unlike the people in other regions, ordinary villages and towns conscripted laborers, while the military reclamation area conscripted new soldiers.

The military reclamation area was a major feature of Molitia's policy.

The so-called military reclamation area was an area near the water and land transportation hubs where a large area of land was allocated to the mountain knights and mountain people who came down from the mountains.

Through exile and large-scale prisons, Molitia transferred almost 30,000 to 40,000 plains people to the five mountain counties.

And she gradually transferred nearly 100,000 mountain people from the mountains to the plains counties, mainly the mountain knights' manors and the mountain people groups in the manors.

The mountain knights would directly take over the local manor, but they would not destroy the manor owner's ownership.

After the land rent was collected, 30% went to the landlord and 70% went to the mountain knight.

On the one hand, it gave the mountain knights sufficient rewards, and on the other hand, it would not tear apart the relationship with the local nobles.

But in actual operation, the mountain knights could give the landlords 20% at most.

Plains knights, they were once the enemies and objects of jealousy of the mountain knights.

Now that the power is in their hands, if they don't disgust you until your family is ruined, then the Thousand River Valley War was fought in vain?

Many knights and gentry families in the plains areas were forced by the mountain knights to engage in industry and commerce.

Fights between mountain people and plains people were also common.

Due to the bias of the peace officers and county magistrates, the mountain people basically won.

The plains people who were driven out of their homes either went to South Bay, or broke into the mountains, or went to Langsand County to work.

This, on the contrary, added a lot of labor to Horn.

On weekdays, the mountain people were arrogant and domineering, but when the conscription order came down, they would cry.

This kind of military reclamation manor was a blood tax field, that is, it did not pay money tax but paid human tax, and needed to bear a heavier military service.

On the contrary, the farmers in ordinary Hundred Areas no longer needed to bear the obligation to fight.

The original "agricultural soldier system" of knights leading serfs to fight was changed into this "hereditary soldier system" of mountain manors.

And there was naturally a reason for continuing to conscript new soldiers in addition to conscripting laborers.

… … … …

"Has the conscription work in the military reclamation area been completed?"

With two dark circles under his eyes, Herman put down the documents in his hand.

Guillaume, the Minister of War sitting opposite him, also had two dark circles under his eyes: "3,000 mountain people recruits are enough to suppress the people who are making trouble because of the bonds."

Nowadays, both inside and outside Summergreen City, and in the nearby satellite towns.

Led by the dispossessed nobles, a large number of speculators instigated rural hooligans to parade and make trouble every day.

Herman had to deal with the Laiya people on the Immortal Stone Dell border, and had to draw troops to meet Andre and Molitia.

There was no way, so he had to temporarily conscript a batch of new soldiers first.

Anyway, these armed farmers from the knight manors usually train, and the price of meat has dropped during this period, so they basically have a breathing technique.

They are not very good at fighting, but they are perfect for suppressing rioters.

"Okay, give them a flag, let's call it the First Nauan River Transport Corps."

Giving them a name like a logistics army transporting ships should reduce a lot of vigilance.

After explaining the matter here, Herman turned to the intelligence director, Philippe, and asked: "Have the people spreading rumors been caught?"

"We are investigating jointly with the Cheka, and we have only caught a few minions so far. It seems that there are lurking Shadowless Men active."

"The remaining poison of the Church, it hasn't been cleared up yet." Herman groaned, "This great situation, alas."

Nowadays, rumors that Molitia is not her biological daughter are spreading everywhere, especially among the nobles of the Mountain Faction.

However, Molitia has not been heard from yet, so it is impossible to easily refute the rumors.

The 100,000 hereditary soldiers of the Mountain Knights are not unconditionally loyal to Molitia.

Their loyalty is based on blood, that is, the blood of the Herman Stone family.

In Horn's view, this is a "loyalty" with many flaws, but it is the norm in this era.

Why do lords like to create yellow rumors during wars of succession?

It is to shake the legitimacy of their blood rule!

Originally, Molitia was the best person to deal with this kind of rumor.

But the conservative mountain knights can neither accept that Molitia is a witch, nor can they accept that Molitia is an adopted daughter.

However, the rumor-mongers don't know where they got the evidence from Nurse Luruth and the Imperial Heraldry Institute archives.

The Plains Faction nobles are parading, and the Mountain Faction nobles are questioning.

September has not yet passed, and Hotham County is already in chaos.

Minister of War Guillaume suddenly asked: "Do you have any clues about the debt crisis?"

"His Holiness the Grand Patriarch and Her Excellency Catherine are trying to borrow from the French, but we don't know how much they can borrow."

"May the Holy Father bless us, may the Patriarch succeed, may Great Fairness be safe." Guillaume smiled bitterly.