Hetty's worries are actually not a problem in the context of this era, because in the views of most people, and even in the facts of this era, cold winter only means one thing: all things are withered and life is slow. Less, all work will stop. Human beings will have stored enough food and fuel before then, then stop working, return home, and enter a state of pure consumption.
Just like those animals that store food in tree holes in advance and spend the winter in caves.
This way of survival is determined by reality - although there are various kinds of "magic" that appear to be black technologies, they only belong to a very small number of upper-class elites, and the world as a whole Still firmly tied to the land, farmers are the most basic producers of almost all social wealth. Agriculture and various production activities based on agriculture are the main production activities of this society. Once winter comes and farming stops, Then 80% of the people will be idle, and the backward aristocratic order prohibits these people from doing business freely or engaging in any "sideline business that is not in line with their status." Without the permission of the aristocrats, civilians can even go to the river to fish and Anyone who goes into the mountains to hunt or cut firewood will be severely punished.
In addition, most civilians have limited food reserves in winter, and they can only maintain a half-full state throughout the winter, so they do not dare to waste energy to do anything "over the top" thing - every breath of hot breath they exhale in winter is depleting their already small physical reserves and may cause them to die of cold and starvation before spring.
However, in Cecil Territory, the situation is completely different.
The Cecil family currently does not have any form of extravagant expenditures, which has greatly saved costs. The new production model ensures that sufficient supplies can be stocked before winter. Pittman and his trained The pharmacy apprentices tried their best to ensure that the territory had sufficient food - coupled with the food purchased from Tanzanian Town and the supplies supported by the king, the people of the Cecil Territory did not have to consider consumption in winter.
Here I have to focus on the materials supported by the king - Gawain admitted that he tricked Francis II a little in this regard, because the agreement he signed with the king was for the royal family to provide materials. The entire territory of Xier Territory was consumed in the early stages of development. He did not say how many people there would be in his territory, nor how much the population would increase in a short period of time. Therefore, he had openly requested several additional supplies from the royal family... …
Food supplies have been ensured, and there are plenty of jobs here in Gaowen.
Having nothing to do after winter? That is another territory, and there are many things to do here in Cecil Territory. The steel plant is expanding in scale, and two large workshops have been added next to the machinery manufacturing plant to accommodate new production lines. The kiln area where Rebecca crystal is fired has also been converted into a formal factory, called the "Magic Crystal Smelting Plant." ”, not only used for firing Rebecca crystal, but also set up a laboratory to test what new substances can be synthesized from various minerals dug out from the dark mountains,The silly roe deer has to throw more than two hundred fireballs at the crucible and small furnace in the laboratory every day to be happy...
In addition, there are iron mines in the east and countless fireballs in the territory. Construction sites also need manpower.
After winter, the ground hardens and water easily freezes. All kinds of construction-related work will slow down, but this does not mean that the construction work will stop. Rebecca tosses out Although the output of the "alien cement trial product" is low, it performs very well at low temperatures. In addition, there are no large buildings in the territory now, so the construction work at various construction sites will not stop, and There is also a major project about to begin -
As the Whitewater River enters the dry season and the water level decreases, Gao Wen plans to build a truly solid bridge on the river that can be used for a long time to replace the current temporary one. Crossing the bridge, in this way, the development work on the north bank of the Baishui River can be started smoothly after the next spring.
He was even worried that even if the refugees in the wilderness were included, the manpower in the territory would still not be enough - after all, those people needed training, and they would not be able to adapt to having strong people by their side when working. The infinite magic engine kept spinning...
After Gawain presented these plans and supporting plan books one by one in front of Hetty, the latter fell into a long period of astonishment.
"How about it, don't worry about those refugees having nothing to do now, right?" Gawain smiled, "We have enough positions to keep them busy all winter, and in the process everyone They will adapt to the new and uncomplicated laws of the Cecil Territory, so what do you have to worry about?”
Hetty silently glanced at the plan on the table and took a deep breath: “I’m tired of worrying?” Die..."
Gawain: "...ahem..."
Thinking about the pressure this eldest granddaughter must bear, Gawain could only comfort him: "Don't worry, Viscount Andrew found a way to find a group of down-and-out knights and bankrupt businessmen and scholars in his territory, and used money to convince them to come to Cecil Territory to work. I plan to arrange for half of them to teach in night schools, and the other Half of them will serve as your deputies, so that you can put up the Ministry of Interior's shelves when winter comes." Heidi finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: "Thank you, ancestors..."
"Why do these words sound so much like what those barbarians used to say back then," Gawain said with a strange look in his eyes, "Back then, no matter what they did, they used to praise the spirits of their ancestors first..."
Hetty thought for a while: "I am different from them. My ancestors can indeed hear me thanking him..."
"Then your ancestors will reduce your workload. Well," Gao Wen glanced at this eldest granddaughter who was rarely able to joke, "Okay, okay, go and do your work first. When the next batch of human resources from Tanzanian Town is delivered, I will give it to you first. Can you just pick a group of assistants? Just don't say 'Thank you ancestors' in that pious way in front of me... I had a psychological shadow from dealing with the barbarians, youAs soon as I thanked my ancestors, I felt like I was going to become a spirit in heaven again..."
Hetty: "..."
Not long after Hetty left, Amber's figure disappeared from the sky. Gawain appeared in the air nearby.
Gawain pulled all the valuable things on the table in front of him with ease, then raised his eyes and looked at the half-elf thief: "How about it, I caught it. Did the two mercenaries cooperate? "
"You haven't cooperated yet. After all, you don't allow prisoners to be tortured, so those two are still spending time with the soldiers," Amber wandered to Gawain's desk and found that he couldn't do anything. Then he curled his lips and said, "I said you really don't think about tying those two silent mercenaries to a pillar and giving them a few whips? This kind of mercenary is actually very easy to deal with. Even though they can be fierce in front of the refugees, as long as you are tougher, they will immediately sell their employer obediently. Now they are silent because you don't use a whip. Beat them without spending money to bribe them..."
"The kind you are talking about is stealing for a few silver coins. The members are basically armed militia-level mercenaries," Gao Wen glanced He glanced at the half-elf, "But the two we caught... didn't you notice? A knight who has reached the third level, a second-level arcane mage, and the low-level knight and mage who were shot to death before. Although these people are all low-level professionals, they are not easy to fool around in this place in the south. You can serve as an army commander or occult advisor to a certain lord. If you go east to gain military exploits and curry favor with Silas Loren's family, you can even join the aristocracy and become a baron or viscount, but they Why do you think you are willing to work as a mercenary in such a remote place? "
Hubo thought hard: "Is it for ideals? You see, I am such a powerful Shadow Master, and I am still digging graves..."
Gawain didn't expect this shameful man to have any serious answer. After hearing Amber's nonsense, he Zi Guzi continued: "There are indeed powerful professionals among the mercenaries, but such mercenary groups usually operate in places near the Holy Dragon Principality in the north or near the Typhon Empire in the east, because these places are full of dangers and opportunities. The wealth that can be harvested in the process of taking risks or completing commissions is enough for professionals to choose this less than honorable path. However, the peace in the south has been long, and the mercenary groups operating in this area usually have little strength and little financial resources. So, those mercenaries who have several professionals on staff and can wear extraordinary weapons usually have only one explanation - they are a 'black-hand team' dedicated to serving one or a few nobles. "
Speaking of this, Gawain smiled: "This kind of mercenaries have very strong psychological quality, and most of them have some clues or hostages in the hands of nobles, so they are not afraid of torture. Ordinary whipping won't work. "
Amber looked at Gawain curiously: "Then how do you pry open their mouths? "
"Pitman said he had a way, but he just needed to prepare some special ointments.and rituals, that’s why I’m not in a hurry,” Gawain glanced at Amber with a smile, “And I don’t believe you didn’t loot something from those two mercenaries. I know your character. You help me go to the warehouse to get some ink and you can drink half a bottle on the way..."
Amber's face suddenly turned red: "When did I drink ink! "
"I'm just trying to make a metaphor. Do you understand the metaphor? "
"Hey," Amber squeezed some air from between his teeth to express his dissatisfaction, and then he started to touch his body with a tangled expression, "I'm telling you, this But my trophies, you have to return them to me after you have seen them..."
"Why don't you return them? The rules I just formulated prohibit plundering on the battlefield. The trophies will be handed over to the public and credit will be recorded. You forgot ? Gawain said while taking the various bits and pieces that Amber took out in front of his eyes and looking at them, "Don't pout, you are my exclusive guard, you still want to take the lead in breaking the rules?" And it’s not like I won’t compensate you. There will still be rewards for meritorious service... Heh, there’s still a lot of stuff, right? No wonder the soldiers came over just now and reported that they didn't find any valuable belongings on the two prisoners... but you got them all? ”
The corners of Amber’s eyes twitched, and she was so distressed that she seemed to be bleeding. After hearing Gawain’s promise of compensation, she felt a little better.
And Gawain’s sight was suddenly caught. One of the trivial items attracted the attention.
The handle of the dagger had a mark that looked like the coat of arms of a certain noble family.