Iron Power And Sorcerer

Iron Power And Sorcerer Chapter 263

2021-02-25

Chapter 263 Salt Iron
For safety reasons, Winters should not come into face-to-face contact with any enemy. But White Mountain County's messenger status is special, and Winters cannot but make an exception-bald Gisa sent a direct squad leader of Winters, Balaz Yusas.

The last time the two met was at Senior's ceremony. Time flies, three years have passed.

After a brief exchange, Senior said straight to the point: "Colonel Geisa wants his horse back."

"No," Winters replied flatly.

"You probably don't know." Senior sighed helplessly: "My Principal... also likes money."

"Also?" A hint of regional discrimination Sniffed by Winters.

"No one doesn't like money, so I'm not here to ask you for nothing." Senior casually exposed it, and solemnly told Winters: "The horse in your hand, Colonel Geisa can exchange material for-- As long as you agree."

"Secret agreement?" Winters thought.

"Secret, of course."

"What in exchange."

"What do you want?" Senior asked rhetorically.

"What do you have?" Winters returned.

The two sides could not trust each other, and the conversation came to a deadlock for a while.

"Okay. We don't need to continue to test." Senior said readily: "I tell you the truth, Baishan County can trade food, weapons, ammunition and other military resources with you for horses. But we have one thing , you need it."

Winters indifferent expression.

Seeing that Winters didn't respond, Senior didn't answer a riddle: "It's nothing but salt. People can live without horses, but people will die without salt. If you don't have enough salt, you can also raise these horses. Not good.

Baishan County will continue to block the Anya River and will not get any supply of salt from normal channels in Iron Peak County. But we can provide you with salt alone. You take the salt, in Iron Peak County Can be a hard currency agent."

Winters was surprised, but he didn't show it: "What else?"

"What else do you want, you can negotiate. You If you want money, it's not impossible."

"Legion's horse farm in the new land." Winters said with a chuckle, "Legion hasn't come to me yet, but Colonel Geisa is in a hurry."

Balaz Senior did not answer.

"Let me think about it." Winters got up and said goodbye. "You will stay in Gervodan for a few days."

"Is Lieutenant Worthington still alive?" Senior said suddenly ask.

Worthington is the White Mountains officer who chased Winters with a Hundred Men Squad and was captured.

Winters answered truthfully: "He's alive and well, don't worry."

...

Leaving the Balaz Senior location, Winters went straight to His residence - a single officer's townhouse.

In Catherine's exclamation, Winters broke into Anna's bedroom.

The first sentence of the meeting, Winters asked: "Is there no salt at home?"

"en?" After dizzyingly recognizing who was beside the bed, Anna happily stretched out her arms: "You're back!"

At this moment, Anna is as cute as a little kitty who hasn't weaned yet. The usual quiet and reserved contrast is too strong, no matter who will be inspired by the infinite desire for protection.

Winters couldn't help picking up the kitten and asked again, "Is there really no salt in the house?"

"I don't know." Anna leaned on Winters' shoulders Rubbing her eyes lightly, she whispered angrily, "You haven't said you missed me yet."

Catherine turned around and left in shame when she saw this scene at the door.

The matter still had to be found, so Winters called the cook at the officer's quarters and bluntly asked, "Is there any salt in the kitchen?"

"Yes, sir. The cook, a very strong woman, replied dully, "How many jars are there?"

"Is there still salt available in the market?" Winters asked, "What about the price? "

"You can still buy it, but the price keeps going up." The cook is very strong, with a round face, broad shoulders, and a thick waist, but the more she speaks, the quieter her voice becomes.

Anna touched Winters' boots quietly.

Understood, Winters smiled as much as he could: "When did it start going up? How much has it gone up?"

"It just started going up not long ago." The employer's expression was abrupt The change made the cook a little confused: "I don't know how much it will go up... I bought several jars in advance."

After continuing to ask, she couldn't find any more useful ones. Anna opened the jewelry. Box took out a silver ring to thank the cook, who left happily.

Winters' mood went down. He propped his forehead and frowned involuntarily: "I still have to go to the street to see it myself."

"What's the matter?" Anna took Winters' hand.

Winters told Anna about Baishan County and the salt.

"No more salt? I...I don't know." Anna was also surprised, she said seriously: "It's time to take a look on the street and ask the salt buyer and the salt seller in person. ."

"I'll go." Winters grabbed his jacket and saber.

"Salt is a big business, I don't understand." When sending Winters out, Anna hesitantly reminded her lover: "But if everyone is afraid of rising prices and running out of stock and rushes to buy salt, No matter how much salt there is in the store, it will be robbed."

"I know the seriousness. Don't worry, there will be a way." Winters shook his lover's hand lightly and went out to leave.

 …

Later that day, Winters met with Mason, Andre, and Moritz in the Conference Hall at the station.

Bud settled the refugees outside, and Don Juan hasn't returned from hunting, and the [Resolution Council] is currently the only four of them left.

Winters informs his companions of White Mountain County's proposal.

"Threat us?" Andre was furious: "It's better if he doesn't sell! Gather the army during the winter break and fight across the Anya River! I'd like to see what the bald guy has. ability!"

"Grab is also a method, so keep it on record first." Winters said with a smile, "In fact, rather than exchanging salt for horses, the fact that Baishan County is willing to 'exchange' is the most interesting thing in itself.

It seems that Legion itself is not a monolithic new land. It is estimated that because of General Adams's sloppy attitude, the counties are also a little bit distant from him."

Murray Tsz glanced casually at Winters, only to find that Winters was looking at him too.

Winters spread his hands and explained to the old chief helplessly: "There is really no way but to grab... like the Heard tribe."

"I'm just a little curious." Ritz laughed: "Don't pay attention to me, you can just talk about the business."

Before the meeting, Winters first found the old Priskin, and through the old Priskin, he convened a salt merchant in Revodan to investigate the salt issue. He already has a general understanding:
Tiefeng County does not produce salt, and all salt is bought from Baishan County next door. Although the two counties are only separated by the Anya River, their natural endowment is the difference between Heaven and Earth.

Tierfeng County has only what some farmers call "salty land." The salty land has poor soil properties, and neither crops can be grown nor salt can be boiled.

Baishan County is home to High Level salt wells, and the well salt produced in brine town supplies the entire province of newly cultivated land. Salt is called white gold, and White Mountain is the mountain of white gold.

After a brief explanation, Winters concluded: "The White Mountains are indeed threatening us outright."

"Not only that." Mason Senior, who had been silent, suddenly said: "The newly reclaimed land is a military-controlled province, and salt is also under the military's control. Salt merchants have to pay taxes to Maplestone City before they can buy salt in brine town. In fact, it is a disguised poll tax."

"Not from the outside. Buy salt?" Andrei asked eagerly.

“Legion doesn’t allow salt from outside to enter the new farmland.” Mason sighed: “I used to manage a labored ranch that had many private salt dealers, and the least sentenced one lost an arm—salt It's not just salt, it's Legion's purse."

"Then he has to beat him more!" Andre slapped the table and stared at Winters: "Go on! Do it again and again, and bring down White Mountain County!"

Mason sighed again: "No."

"Why not?" Andre glared at Senior again.

"There is no food." Mason also spread out his book, and said with a gloomy face: "Most of the storage in Gervoudan is handed over to Bard to resettle the refugees. The remaining reserves in the granary——according to me Calculations - not enough to last until next summer's harvest."

Andre was stunned.

Mason asked Andre, "Do you know what 'no green and yellow' means?"

Andre shook his head.

"It's okay." Mason patted Junior Brother shoulders: "You'll know in a few months."

"It wasn't that maintaining a 'minimum food supply' would last until next year. Is the food coming down?" Winters was also a little surprised: "Why not enough."

Mason Senior replied slowly: "It was barely enough before, and adding more than 1,300 mouths will not be enough. ”

Winters wakes up in an instant—a captive, a captive from Vigne.

 …

The underlying logic of agriculture is very simple—as long as you sow, you will reap.

Although there is no statistical data to support it, Winters dares to conclude that the large number of hired laborers and tenant farmers have caused the total grain output of the newly cultivated land to plummet.

The current situation can still be maintained. First, because the self-cultivation farmers generally still guard the land; second, because the manor is mainly planted with commercial crops;

Continue down this road, the Great Famine is waiting not far ahead. The famine will further exacerbate the unrest, and the yeoman will have to flee by then, and then there will be an even greater famine... so dark that there is no light.

With the simple idea of "finding a way out for everyone", Winters wants to bring the refugees back to farming.

However, the mad cow has already escaped from the cage and is rampaging and trampling the ground. How could it be so easy to lock it back?
Leaving the refugees alone, Winters only needed to feed more than 1500 soldiers and military dependents, more than enough with Gervodin's storage, but he decided to go big.

So from the moment he decided to take on more responsibilities, the new government's finances were racing towards the end of bankruptcy.

Winters had to tighten his belt to get by.

The entire army, regardless of rank, will be allocated food according to the quota of heads. The quota is limited, even the smallest appetite can only eat six full. As for the displaced people, the per capita food there is even less.

Everyone is in a state of semi-starvation. The refugees and soldiers not only have to cultivate the land, but also find ways to eat: dig wild vegetables, pick wild fruits, fish, hunt...

So when Don Juan went hunting, he didn't see a silhouette for several days. Winters never went home for dinner, but stayed at the garrison to work with his subordinates.

The only good news is that Winters is completely numb. Before, when he opened his eyes and more than 30 people were eating, drinking, shit and piss, he was worried every day; now when he opened his eyes and more than 20,000 people were eating, drink, shit and piss, he felt nothing.

According to Mason Senior's estimates, by reducing the consumption rate, the existing warehouse should be able to last until next summer's harvest. When the summer grains are harvested, the situation can be greatly improved.

The small, poor, but tenacious regime won't be on the right track until the new government actually collects the grain tax.

But plans never change fast. Hu Senior Brother An had a great victory. He had a lot of fun, but invisibly opened more than a thousand small holes under the grain depot.

The captives were human too, and they were all grown men who could eat and drink.

Food, not enough.

...

The atmosphere in the Conference Hall immediately became dull, and even Moritz's brows unknowingly hung with melancholy.

"What are you all doing with a straight face?" Winters laughed heartily: "We are pushing the waves back against the tsunami. It is normal to have difficulties, but it is not normal to have no difficulties. It is precisely because of difficulties that benefits Great! When next year's grain harvest, the difficulties will be solved."

Winters grinned hard: "Don't frown. I'm more worried. So laugh, don't worry."

Mason sighed helplessly and smiled.

Andre didn't know whether to cry or laugh: "Don't laugh, you're more scary than frowning."

"That's what I said. , but the problem of lack of food has to be solved, and there is also the matter of salt." Mason said resolutely: "Otherwise, we will have to beg for money when the time comes."

"How to solve it? Needless to say?" Andre grinned: "Grab!"

Moritz coughed violently and beat his chest hard.

"Don't take me too seriously! I've also thought about it carefully!" Andre was extremely aggrieved: "As long as he's willing to grab it, any problem can be solved. And how fast will the grab be? Save, save, save... and save more than 200 horses in the end. What about grabbing? I grabbed thousands of horses in one breath! Isn't it easier and more enjoyable than digging the soil?"

"That's right, that's right!" Winters was already very proficient at the work of the horses: "I'll write it down - a backup plan."

Andre sat down panting with rage .

Mason fiddled with the quill, pondered then said: "There are two ways to go about food, open source or cut expenditure. Throttling is impossible, and everyone will starve to death."

"It can still save money." Winters made up his mind and said cruelly: "When the autumn ploughing is over, we will weed out the prisoners in Vigne, all the prisoners who are too old, too young, and too weak. Let go, let the new land Legion have a headache."

"Put it back?" Andre's eyes widened: "I think it's better to kill them all! They know our inside story! You let go now When they go back, they will come back next year with weapons!"

"There are pros and cons. If you kill them all, the enemies who come next year will be even more desperate. Let's let each of you pay a little toll. "

"And the toll?" Andrei laughed.

“It’s not necessarily a good thing for the captives to let the captives go back. The Vigne County is still short of food, and the old, the sick and the sick may starve to death even if they go back.” Winters sighed: “I suggest that we take Hand vote."

Andre was a little impatient: "Vote? Why do you make so much trouble? You said to let it go, will I still object? Then let it go."

But Winters insisted on a show of hands.

The final result: mysterious man B abstained, Winters, Andre and Mason all agreed. This matter is settled.

"As for open source." Winters thought hard: "Hunting, fishing, all military villages and farms are doing it. Winter is coming, and there is nothing to collect. After all, Still have to buy food."

"Where to buy?" Mason asked suspiciously.

"Buy from the yeoman. First in Ironhorn, then in Vigne." Winters tapped the table: "Samukin will do well."

Winters explains in detail how Samukin organized prisoners to work, exchanging shoes and baskets for food in various villages.

Do the farmers in Tiefeng County have food on hand?
Yes!
The autumn harvest has just passed, how could there be no food?
The harder the old garrison was, the harder the peasants hid. The peasants who did not hide have already fled their homes, and the rest are naturally peasants with grain in their hands.

Winters does not want to impose, and does not want to impose. In the past year, the "hide and seek" between the expropriation team and the farmers has pushed the cost of expropriation to an unprecedented height.

This fall, many yeomen farmers are no longer even cultivating their original land, but are running into those unregistered deserted ditches - they have been forced to be startled. Even if Winters issued a public statement saying that it would not forcibly levy grain, the farmers would not believe it.

If you can't force it, you can only exchange it. The needs of the peasants are exchanged for many things, and they are happy to exchange them.

“Salt and iron.” Winters said heavily: “Farmers can’t produce these two distinct things, so they want these two distinct things most.”

“Salt?” Andre's eyes widened: "You want to return the horse?"

"Of course not!" Winters laughed heartily: "It fell into Lao Tzu's pocket, how could it be returned to him? He was dreaming! Take it To change salt for a horse is to drink poisonous wine to quench his thirst. He thinks I have no way out, so I have to carve out a way!"

"What should I do?"

"Without salt, the point is It has to fall on the iron."

"Iron Peak Mine?"

"That's right!" Winters looked towards Mason Senior, gaze as if a torch: "Senior, it should be early It's not too late, we'll start smelting iron tomorrow. Whether it's successful or not, let's hit the first hammer first!"

"No problem, I'll prepare now." Mason has been listening quietly to the two The Junior Brother had a conversation and couldn't help but remind: "But about the salt, have you figured out how to solve it? Tiefeng County does not produce salt after all." "Actually, I'm not really worried about the salt. I solved it before I found you."

Mason, Andre, and Moritz all looked at Winters with a stunned expression.

"I chatted with the little lion." Winters didn't give a shit: "Andre, Senior, do you remember the west bank of the Netherworld River... those rock salt licked by cows and sheep?"

>

During the war last year, the Palatu expeditionary force had just passed the Netherworld River, and the Palatu shepherds rushed to drive the herd to the west bank of the Netherworld River, because there was rock salt on the west bank.

Winters played with a knife and refreshed: "When I was talking to a salt dealer in Revodan, they told me that in addition to buying military salt from White Mountain County, there used to be a man who smuggled rock salt from Heard wasteland. The way.

The caravan took the goods to wasteland to trade, and then came back with salt. Later, the Palatine army blocked the Heard's troops with a ruthless hand, and this way was cut off."

Thanks to Mayor Priskin old, the Salt Merchant would never have told Winters these secret things.

"Laughing and talking is really useful." Winters concluded, squeezing out a smile: "must laugh more."

"Rock salt?" Andre was stunned: "Cow and sheep can lick Can people eat it?"

"The Hurd people eat rock salt, the little lion said." Winters as it should be by rights said: "If the Hurd people can eat it, we can eat it. Salt bricks are still a kind of 'currency' in the Hurd ministries."

Andrei long relieved, he can do anything without handing over the horse.

"Chihebe Shiro gave us rock salt?" Mason narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Of course not." Winters sighed and smiled bitterly: "We'll change it for a latte."

Mason's expression became serious, and he asked in a low voice: "That doesn't mean that Putting iron teeth on the lion? The Hurd people don't agree with us. The Hurd people have occupied the Iron Peak Mountain for several decades, how could they not know about the Iron Peak Mine? But did the little lion mention it to you?"

" I understand, Senior. There are two glasses of poisoned wine in front of you, one drink and you die immediately, the other drink and you die slowly." Winters shook his head gently: "You still have to drink it slowly, and you have a chance to live."

Mason couldn't help but sigh heavily: "Yeah, you have a chance to live."

"Actually, Mr. Boltin, the old blacksmith, has a good idea." Winters said a little sorry. Said: "He said that the iron material of Tiefeng Mine is not good, brittle, and it is difficult to forge weapons, but it is just right to cast iron pots. There is no need to sell steel to the Hurd people, just sell the pots."

"Can the Chihe Department agree?" Mason laughed dumbly.

"We need to talk about business." Winters spread his hands and said with a smile, "They don't sell their rock salt to us, and no one else buys it. We don't have steel, so where can we get the steel for Chihe? Ministry? Just this thing, do you love it or not. If the business can't be done, then we will go to Baishan County to grab it."

"We should go straight to grab it!" Andre suddenly became interested.

"Have you talked to the little lion?" Mason asked Winters: "The thing about the pot."

"I haven't said it yet, but said I'll exchange it for him with iron. He's anyway. I'm quite happy." Winters sighed: "In the end, it's better to smelt iron. If we don't have iron, we really have to change our name to Tiefeng Department, put a face on it, and go to Baishan County to find bald men to fight grass valleys."

Mason also sighed: "Yeah, in the end, there must be a pillar industry."

"It's okay, don't worry." Winters smiled: "It's better than we only have It was much stronger when the town was five or six? Nothing to worry about.”

The salt and iron issues were settled, so the meeting should be dismissed directly, but Winters did not let Andre and Moritz go, and insisted on It is not possible to continue the meeting.

"Didn't you hate meetings the most?" Andre couldn't help asking Winters.

"Keep insisting." Winters took a solemn tone: "I think... the salt incident exposes two problems that must be solved."

" What's the problem?" Andre snapped: "The problem is no salt?"

"The first question." Winters said word by word: "Iron Peak County is currently unable to be independent without the premise of being separated from the outside world. To survive, a lot of things have to be bought from the outside. The new land, Legion, is already blocking us, but the time is short, and it has not shown its formidable power."

Mason sat up suddenly, his expression changed Gotta get serious. He thought Winters was just trying to chat, didn't expect to talk about it. Andrei no longer shouted to leave. Even Moritz opened his eyes and listened curiously.

“As for the various materials that Tiefeng County needs, we must find a way to produce it ourselves. If we cannot produce it ourselves, we will go to trade, smuggle, and rob.”

p>

"A living person can't be suffocated by urine." Andre smacked his lips: "It's just a matter of left and right."

"The second question." Winters flicked the blade gently. "As a military government, we don't know what the common people need. The price of salt is going up, but I didn't find out until I was reminded by the enemy. This shows that our eyes and ears are blocked. We have to open it, otherwise even if we solve the problem of salt. Question, and other questions will pop up."

"How to open it?" Mason asked.

“I have a rough idea-to gather the merchants of Gervodin and the peasants of the towns and listen to their needs. In the past, when the lords were particularly insane, the common people would petition We can hold a grievance meeting, too." Winters said with a smile: "But the grievance meeting is not very good, so it's called the Chamber of Commerce, how about that?"

"Isn't that the county council?"

"No, the county council has power. But I don't want to split the power out now. Let's vote."

Still, one abstention and three votes passed.

“Not only do we have to listen to what the people have to say.” Winters rubbed his chin: “We also have to tell the people what we want to say. Andre, do you remember the newspaper in Antlers Town?”

"Isn't the racecourse what the newspaper said?" Andre replied.

"I would like to set up a newspaper in Gervoudan...not necessarily called a newspaper, just regular notices and posted to various villages and towns. Hailan has a group of intelligence dealers who specialize in selling handwritten copies.

[Sea Blue Tabloid], just do it like them."

Winters laughed happily: "Not only to win, but to let more people know about our victory. Let them know that we are It's just to fight for their interests."

Andre lost one's head out of fear and waved his hand: "Do what you want, don't let me write it, do what you want."

"Senior." Winters grabbed Mason's hand and said, "I know, you are the most reliable person."

Mason pulled out his hand calmly: "I don't know how to dance with words..."

"Lieutenant Colonel?"

Moritz was asleep.

"You all?" Winters slapped the table, angrily: "I'm going to find Bud!"

"Enough about Bud, and being so far away, You don't care about Gervodin." Mason patted Winters' shoulders: "You'd better do it yourself."

...

The little lion quickly got Winters' offer.

"Little Lion, do you want an iron pot?" Winters excitedly grabbed the little lion's hand: "Add more money, and I'll make an iron stove for you!"

… …

Balaz Yusas Senior of White Mountains was also quick to hear from Winters.

Winters hugged a saddle, and Danger Land told Senior in grief: "You're right, it's really hard to keep horses without salt. So I reluctantly ordered the horses to be slaughtered. Take the saddle back to the light... oh no, take it for Colonel Gisa to think about."

...

A day later, on the east bank of the Anya River, waiting anxiously bald man finally sees the returning messenger.

"How is my horse?" Colonel Geisa asked Baraz impatiently, "Does he say yes?"

Baraz took out a saddle, didn 't know whether to cry or laugh: "The little fellow is talking nonsense, but he doesn't agree."

"It's good to talk to him for a change, but he doesn't agree." Geisa flustered and exasperated: "He wants to force Are you trying to grab me?"

"That's not true." Balaz smacked his lips: "The little fellow asked if you have anything else you'd like to replace, tobacco, beet, and sesame oil, which are limited in stock. , the larger the quantity, the better."

Balaz finally added: "Secret agreement."

[Thanks to the book lovers for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, call Rewards and comments]
[This chapter is a bit long, sorry. Mainly to straighten out Winters' next move. As a repeat offender of flashbacks, I subconsciously want to flashback again. But the mode of changing every day, maybe it is better to straighten things out first]
[Winters is actually imitating the story of Octavian and Caesar]
[BC59, Caesar ordered the daily announcement of the Elder's Council and citizens The minutes of the proceedings of the General Assembly, written with a sharp pen on a white plaster-coated board outside the Roman Chamber, served as a proclamation-style official gazette. The name at that time was ALBUM, and it was later called "Daily News"]
[As the "mouthpiece" of government agencies, the content of "Daily News" is mostly government matters and has a strong political character . In BC6, Octavian restored the "Daily News", and its content evolved into imperial politics, war news, proceedings, civil and criminal cases, religious activities, etc. In addition to the bulletin published in Rome, copies were also sent to political dignitaries and garrison commanders everywhere.陆陆续续刊发三百多年，直至公元330年罗马帝国迁都君士坦丁堡为止]