Chapter 6: If you wake up in the middle of the night with the cold, don’t forget to lift the quilt for your roommate. The
morning mist has just dispersed, and the face blown by the cold wind has become increasingly dry.
Leon galloped along the north bank of the White Blade River.
On the second day after returning to Antolia, Leon finally walked out of the Castle of Thorns accompanied by the Viscount Guards, walked through the crowded city, and was able to gaze into the distance beyond the city wall.
Since there is only a continuous mountain range separated from the land abandoned by the gods, there will often be thin black mist that crosses the barrier of the mountains and envelopes the sky of Antolia.
Especially in the evening and early morning when the light is not strong, the entire Antolia looks a bit foggy.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that many creatures that are completely different from those in the kingdom appear on this land.
The Moon Mushroom Forest is just one of them.
In addition,
there are grums floating in the black pine forest, piranha growing on the foothills, and even plateau hounds that invade the territory in groups from the southwestern highlands... Therefore,
as an Antolian As the new Viscount, Leon plans to take advantage of the cold winter to find out the surrounding situation.
Even though he had already gotten a general idea from the mouths of the old butler Aaron and many guards, he still had to see his territory with his own eyes before he could feel at ease.
The boundaries of the Viscounty of Antolia are actually extremely blurry.
Because except for the Thorn Territory located in the center of Antolia, the three directions of east, west and south are actually in a state of urgent development.
There are large forests of moon mushrooms on both sides to the north and south. To the east is a wild land called black pine woodland by the Antolians. To the south are rolling mountains, and to the southwest are plateaus and hills.
As for the land available for cultivation, except for the plain farmland around the Thorn Territory, most of it is occupied by forests.
The idea of logging and clearing land suddenly appeared in Leon's mind.
At present, Antolia is extremely poor, and the dilemma of desertification is far away. As long as the forests on the foothills are not cut down to avoid secondary disasters such as mudslides and flash floods, large-scale land reclamation can be said to be promising.
"After all, the population is still too small..."
Leon couldn't help but sigh.
Although the territory is currently short of food, as long as it survives this cold winter, when the flowers bloom next spring, the black soil generation technique can turn the barren land in front of them into fertile soil.
As long as there are no external threats, food self-sufficiency is actually not a problem, so that the most worrying thing is that the territory cannot provide enough manpower.
"The Viscount needs manpower?"
Todd, the captain of the guard, took over the conversation.
"We don't need it now, but after next spring, the more manpower the better."
"This is easy to handle, don't worry, Lord Viscount! As long as we get through this cold winter, I will take people up the mountain to arrest people. Even if they are tied up, they will be arrested." The Viscount needs the manpower he needs!" Toth pledged with confidence.
Catch people on the mountain!
Todd's words made Leon suddenly realize a resource that he had ignored before.
It’s not just the people living in Antolia who live in it!
The chaotic Antolia lacks everything except bandits and savages.
But...
Compared to going up the mountain to catch people,
Leon already had a better idea in mind.
So,
he turned his attention to the citizens who were cutting down the moon mushroom forest not far away.
In other words,
the efficiency of the old butler Aaron is indeed commendable.
Although Sherman's weaving machine was not yet in place, and the moon velvet mentioned by Leon was unheard of, the first batch of territorial residents had already started a vigorous logging movement around the moon mushroom forest out of trust in their Lord Viscount.
"Todd, tell me...why do plateau hounds go crazy just staring at the thorn collar in the Year of the Jackdaw?"
Leon suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Todd immediately replied:
"It's not that we have to keep an eye on the Thorn Territory. The main reason is that the Thorn Territory is located on the only way for plateau hounds to migrate. In addition, the hungry hounds have a keen sense of smell, and a large number of people have gathered in the Thorn Territory. The leader of the castle will naturally become the target of these beasts."
"You said... if we cut a road to the north from the moon mushroom forest in the north, can it alleviate the pressure on the territory a little?" Lai Ang asked calmly.
"You mean..." Todd couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"The nobles in the north of Antolia have never been good birds. During the cold winter, the price of grain transported from the interior can even triple. They make a lot of money. How can we not let us pay for it?"
" The people of Antoria must avenge themselves, and since those nobles who have added insult to injury have made our wallets deflated, they themselves will not have a good time this winter!" "I just don't know if
my idea is feasible?"
After that, Leon looked at Todd who looked shocked.
Instead of suffering on your own, it would be better to drag everyone into the water together.
It's like being woken up by the cold in the middle of the night. No matter what, you can't forget to put a quilt on your roommate.
"It seems..."
"You can try it!"
"Plateau hounds are particularly sensitive to the smell of blood. As long as they are guided and arranged, this can be done!" For
a moment, Todd seemed to realize something extraordinary and looked at Leon's eyes. His eyes were full of admiration.
Living in such a difficult environment, the Antolians have never been kind people. If Aaron were here, he might have hesitated about the impact on all parties, but Todd would only applaud and praise.
However, even Aaron has enough reasons to convince Leon.
As a vassal of the Duke of Galicia, what Leon needs to maintain most is the relationship with the lord, the Bravis family of the Duke of Galicia.
As for the rest of the nobles...
Anyway, Leon knows very well that the nobles in the north of Antolia have always been aloof from the Duke, and the Bravis family has long wanted to weaken the strength of these young men.
Although it is unethical to lead plateau hounds to invade north, for Antolia, it is a certainty that the benefits outweigh the risks.
If there is no chaos, it will create chaos; if there is no population, it will create refugees.
It is really unknown how many combatable soldiers the southeastern kingdom of the Kingdom can gather for a long time. Maybe in the end, they will have to rely on their own mercenaries to solve the problem.
In this way,
not only will Antolia's population increase, but he will also get the opportunity to blackmail himself and take the opportunity to solve the employment problem of the mercenaries. It is really a win-win situation.
"In that case, I'll leave this matter to you, but you also remember to communicate with Butler Aaron and try not to make any mistakes." "
Yes!"
Todd rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
While he was talking,
a guard rode a tall horse and galloped from the direction of the Thorn Territory.
"Lord Viscount!"
"Sherman said he has already built what you want!"
(End of Chapter)