Riding and Slashing

Chapter 134 It's All For Food
The people of Mettenheim will definitely help, but before that, the lord must return to the territory and take care of the affairs in his hands.

"The famine problem in Mettenheim can only be solved by transporting it by ship like this..."

After all the grain was transported to Maixiangling through the Aire River, Amy sighed.

The efficiency of shipping is indeed very high. It took less than two days to transport 40 pounds of grain back to Maixiangling from the area behind Changhe Town across the lake.

This is much faster than the overland route - because the boat has always been traveling downstream, the boat has never stopped.

Although only small wooden boats with pure oars in the inland river were used to transport the grain, it still took less than [-] boats to take all the grain away.

This is a flat-bottomed barge that is only about ten meters long and two meters wide. It does not seem to have much space. If it is carrying people, it can only carry twenty people at most.

But for carrying grain or other heavy objects, this kind of small boat can hold more than [-] pounds (about ten tons)-people cannot overlap or be too crowded, but grain bags can...

The advantages of shipping in this day and age are obvious.

This is just an inland river boat for paddling. If it is a sea boat, an ordinary two-masted sailboat can hold hundreds of thousands of pounds of grain, but only a dozen people can operate it.

This means extremely low intermediate consumption.

As Amy said, the problem can only be solved by directly transporting a large amount of food from the seaport city of Pendor Continent to Mettenheim by ocean-going ships, and completely avoiding land transportation.

Just a few shipments of grain to Mettenheim will get them through the worst of times.

"Amy, who is the consul of the Bacchus Empire Lingang? Is it Governor Kailos?"

Thinking of the harbor city, the lord's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to ask Amy.

"Yes, it's Kailos. He is also the head of the 'Shadow Legion' of the Bacchus Empire, and he has a high status in the Bacchus Empire..."

Amy nodded. She knew a lot about the enemy countries that White Hart Castle had faced for a long time.

The lord nodded, and asked again: "General Agathon should be from Kairos, right? He brought a lot of shadow centurions with him in the battle before."

"Yes, General Agathon himself came from the Legion of Shadows. My father mentioned him, saying that he is the most terrifying enemy. You seem to have said the same thing when you rescued White Hart Castle last time... It is said that Governor Kairos and Ma Emperor Marius was at odds, but General Agathon was Emperor Marius' confidant. I feel that it was because of General Agathon that Kairos' Shadow Legion and Emperor Marius could maintain a relatively stable relationship."

Li Ang nodded, his eyes lit up.

General Agathon does not belong to the same faction as Justus and Livius-this can be seen from the kidnapping of the two governors at White Hart Castle last time.

And Agathon is the old subordinate of Governor Kailos, who came from the Shadow Legion, so Kairos must be at odds with the other two governors...

It seems that every governor of the Bacchus Empire is a faction, plus Emperor Marius himself, it seems that there are four factions.

This is normal, and the Sarleon Kingdom is similar. King Ulrik, Duke Alma, Duke Brennus, and the forces of Border County now also have four factions.

However, since there are factional struggles, the lord does have a way to help Mettenheim complete the trade!

"Frederi, you originally planned to conduct trade in Emperor Lingang of the Bacchus Empire, right?"

"Yes, my lord, we originally brought a lot of dueling swords and plate armor, and planned to use these precious weapons to trade food with the Bacchus Empire. But after a hurricane, all our goods sank to the bottom of the sea..."

Frederick sighed, eyes full of frustration.

"How much are the weapons you bring worth? How much food did you plan to trade?"

The lord seemed to have made up his mind and began to ask for details.

"It can be worth at least 400 dinars. They are all high-quality weapons and can arm an army of at least 100 people. Originally, we planned to transport at least [-] million pounds of food back."

Frederick thought for a while and replied.

Fifty dinars for a set of plate armor and dueling swords?
This is probably the local cost price in Mettenheim...

Frederick was clearly not very good at business.

The price of [-] sets of plate armor and dueling swords produced in Mettenheim is far more than [-] dinars in the Pendor Continent, and it is almost ten times the price.

You know, Li Ang spent almost 200 dinars in order to purchase more than [-] sets of heraldic chain armor burqas, helmets, swords, lances, and crossbows.

Of course, there are more types of these equipment, and customizing the coat of arms does cost extra, but the equipment in Pendor Continent is indeed several times more expensive than a place like Mettenheim, which is full of blacksmiths.

However, the people of Mettenheim are now facing a famine, and they really have no room to bargain in the current situation.

"Is a million pounds of grain . . . enough? Mettenheim seems to be over 100 people, I recall?"

The lord felt incredible.

Twenty pounds each...

Enough to eat for a few days?
And the people of Mettenheim are foodies.

"Our famine is caused by the poor variety of food and the continuous decrease in production. It is not completely out of food, my lord... In fact, the 100 million pounds of food that we plan to exchange for is not for food. What we need is food seeds! And it is best to use seeds from the southern coastal area, which will be more in line with the climate of Mettenheim. So we will go to Emperor Lingang of the Bacchus Empire for trade."

Friedrich explained.

That's the case, no wonder even though it has been a year, he still can't forget to complete the mission.

The people of Mettenheim used to seldom farm, and used to rely more on iron tools and mercenaries in exchange for food.

But since the declaration of independence, the Buckley Empire no longer traded with Mettenheim, and continued to wage wars, which made the people of Mettenheim have to rely on this small peninsula for self-sufficiency.

After all, Mettenheim has only one neighbor—and only enemy, the vast Buckley Empire.

This kind of commercial sanctions imposed by a big country on a small country makes them very uncomfortable.

Because their arable land is scarce, and the output of the wheat currently being grown has become very low.

During the long war, the variety of wheat has not been improved, and the seeds have not even been well maintained, which has led to a decrease in production every season.

By last year, in the absence of major natural disasters, the average yield per mu in Mettenheim had dropped to more than 60 pounds—you know, it takes [-] pounds of seeds to plant an acre of land.

In this situation, farming is almost meaningless, the ratio of planting to harvesting is only one to three, and the quality of the next season's seeds will be even worse...

Such an output would naturally lead to widespread famine, but the Barclay Empire launched another war at this time. The people of Mettenheim, who were hungry, had no energy to fight back, so they could only hide in the mountains and defend passively.

So the current Earl of Mettenheim, Guderian von Mettenheim, called on everyone to find a way to get new seeds, because a year or two of famine can survive, but if you can’t get new seeds, you will be completely dead. hopeless.

Therefore, the legion that Frederick is in is to exchange for the best grain from the most suitable place.

The southern part of the Bacchus Empire and Mettenheim belong to the same oceanic peninsula climate. To put it scientifically, the latitude and climate environment are not far apart, so the food seeds there will be more suitable.

A million pounds of grain is really useless, but if a million pounds of suitable seeds are obtained, perhaps in a year's time, the country can be completely revived.

"Since this is the case, then I really have a solution... After I arrange the affairs of the territory, I will take you to Emperor Lingang."

……

In early May of Pendorli 355, the eastern region of Sarleon ushered in a rare period of peace.

The Jiatu people did not go south this year, but set their sights on Xiaolu City of the Ravencrow Kingdom in the north. It is said that the two sides are fighting hard.

The Bacchus Empire did not launch any more wars. It is said that the Snake Worshipers in their country were once again rampant and making troubles. Emperor Marius was ordering all the lords to pursue and suppress them.

As for the Sarleon Kingdom, King Ulrik didn't move much. He just sent some knights to Changhe Town to investigate the case, saying that he wanted to investigate the heresy case of Mrs. Bella.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that these knights are here to monitor Changhe Town.

The Duke of Brennus, who was appointed as the acting consul of Long River Town, has also been in his own cliff bay, and has never been to Long River Town at all.

Only his son, Lord Malbert, was sent.

However, Lord Malbert seemed to have no intention of managing affairs in Long River Town. It was probably Duke Brennus who told him not to conflict with Godric. Anyway, he would never be found in the administrative hall.

This wealthy kid in his 20s either hunts and fishes or plays around every day.The scenery around Changhe Town is indeed very good, and the lord seems to enjoy it very much.

Due to the defeat of the previous three Prophet armies, many knights of the Prophet Legion fled with the defeated soldiers.

In order to prevent those escaped rogue knights and routs from creating chaos around Changhe Town, Baron Godric's first policy as the Chief of Eastern Military Affairs was to rebuild the horn call patrol system, strengthen law and order, and suppress bandits.

So the Horn Called Rangers sent a large number of soldiers and horses to patrol around, Brave Shield Castle and White Hart Castle also responded positively, and even the Owl Knights participated in the hunt for bandits.

For a time, the entire eastern region was full of patrols, and high-level night scouts like Owl Knight were probing around.

As long as there are bandits and bandits who dare to take the lead, they will be chased and killed for hundreds of miles once they are discovered.

The eastern part of the kingdom quickly became calm and peaceful. It is estimated that most of the bandits fled to other areas.

Facts have proved that no matter what era, as long as the leaders of the political side are willing to do something, or even if no one is messing around, the place will definitely be better.

——Of course, the leaders of the eastern region are mainly to cooperate with the business of a certain transportation company...

In any case, it was a rare sight for civilians in the east.

There have been no large-scale natural disasters since last year, and the grain harvest this year is not bad.

Heresy was wiped out, bandits disappeared, a large number of carriages could be seen coming and going on the road every day, and businessmen from all over the place were also increasing day by day.

It seemed like life had hope again.

Except Seren Meath and Trubrun...

Trubrun is empty now, without a soul, the place has been utterly decimated by heretics.

And Seren Meath Village is a little better, but there are only [-] poor old people left.

Houses were burned, young adults were killed, all young girls were taken away by the three prophets, and all property and food were looted.

Ser Roland was at Seren Meath at this time.

More than 2000 people once lived in Serenmeath, and it was originally the domain of a baron.

The skinny knight Morgan who followed the Prophet Legion before was a subordinate of the baron, and his former knight leader was in Seren Meath.

But the baron didn't want to follow the three prophets, and the whole family was killed a few months ago, leaving only two elderly people.

One is the baroness's wife, and the other is an old housekeeper, both in their sixties.

Morgan once gave up his territory to follow heresy, which was originally a stain that could not be washed away in his life, but he turned to the light at the last moment and helped Leofric set fire successfully, which was regarded as his own redemption.

Therefore, under the joint guarantee of the three barons Godric, Leofric, and Leon, he returned to Serenmeath and became the adopted son and guardian knight of the baroness.

If he could rebuild the village, the baroness could leave him the estate.

This is certainly a good opportunity for Morgan, a mediocre knight, but he can't afford hundreds of old people who have lost their homes and have nothing.

Selen Meath is no longer young and strong, only Morgan and his nine soldiers are left.

He can't bring hope to these old people, so sending them to a place where they can live is a kind of simple kindness.

Hearing that Sir Roland was going to take these old people to Maixiangling, he actively assisted Roland to send the old people out of Seren Meath, and even gave away food for three days.

Morgan is not bad at heart, he sincerely hopes that these old folks from his hometown can live a better life.

The rhetoric used by the three prophets to confuse people's hearts, as well as the sacrificial rites they used, were originally consistent with the goddess of justice.With such teachings, coupled with the beautiful and beautiful Doom Introducer, most of the knights they deceived were actually ordinary people like Morgan.

Unwilling to do evil at will, but also unable to do good; have some desires and ambitions, but limited wisdom; have some knowledge and skills, but not much courage; can get some opportunities, but often cannot grasp them.

Morgan is so, in fact, everyone is like this.

According to Sir Roland's original concept, he originally looked down on people like Morgan.

He has followed a heresy, but he doesn't have much ability. He doesn't seem to have any advantages.

But now, Roland did not show the slightest arrogance and prejudice.

After being reminded by the lord, he saw the shining points of ordinary people in Morgan.

Morgan treated those old people very kindly. He might be mediocre himself, but he was a noble knight and the lord of the village.

But he didn't regard himself as a superior existence, and his attitude towards Sir Roland was exactly the same as that of those weak commoner old people.

He would bid farewell to each old man and send some meager food.

He will not take the initiative to seek justice, but he will try his best to help the elderly when they need help.

Of course, many times he can't do it. At this time, he will smile and say that he is really powerless.

Morgan's behavior drove his soldiers, and these few people who had enough energy to survive tried their best to participate in this migration.

Perhaps there are not many things Morgan can do, but he is indeed using his greatest ability and intention to give those old people who were originally from his hometown a better chance of survival.

Even if he would lose most of the citizens and his few properties.

At this moment, Roland understood what Li Ang told him - let everyone play a role in establishing order, and use this to establish an orderly group and legal principles to protect the people.

That is the teaching of the goddess of order, not pure good and evil, not killing in the name of justice, nor high relief and charity.

Morgan looked so mediocre, and he didn't have the ability to do much, but he led everyone to do good at this moment, and no one even mentioned things like the belonging of the people.

Then, Sir Roland also got off his horse and began to bow before the common people.

This paladin, holding an elderly commoner by his own hand for the first time, took the first step towards the true mission entrusted to him by the goddess.

In order for the goddess of justice to return to the earth, what is needed is not to kill heretics and expel robbers, nor to give charity and sympathy, but to pass on the good deeds of ordinary people and spread them to the hearts of the people.

In the past few days in Seren Meath, Roland developed Morgan into a follower of the Lady Justice, and really took the first step in rebuilding the Knights of the New Dawn.

Li Ang once warned him, don't just look at the teachings of the goddess of justice, every goddess has meaning.

Don't think of yourself as a superior spokesperson for justice anymore, because what you can do, others can't.

You may be a superhero that other people look up to, but people will only see you as a superman, and they will only ask for help, but they will not think that they can do something, because they will feel that they cannot.

Charitable kindness is actually a sin.

This sin is called arrogance.

What should really be done is to bow down and enter the game.

In a way that an ordinary person can also do, guide the people around you to do as much as possible to do righteous things and try to have kind thoughts.Do not insist on being flawless, but do not indulge in evil.

This is enough, the kindling of kindness will continue to be passed on.

The residence established in people's hearts is the ladder for the goddess of justice to return to the earth.

……

When Sir Roland led the people back to Maixiang Territory, Li Ang was calculating the grain reserves in the territory.

The food that the lord planned to obtain is actually almost enough.

Extorted £60 from Fawcett;
Received 40 pounds from that estate of Faucher;
Returned nearly 30 pounds from Kerwin;

Coupled with the 'wild wheat' received from Trubrun and Maixiangling's own output, Maixiangling has become the place with the most abundant food in the eastern region.

In the next harvest season, in addition to its own harvest, it will be able to supplement another 30 pounds from Kewen Village.

White Hart Castle is not short of food now, and Godric has also brought back a large amount of food from Changhe Town.

This baron is indeed a decent person, but in fact, he often acts for his own benefit—in the name of suppressing bandits, he emptied Alma and Fawcett's food stockpile left in Changhe Town...

The goal of becoming the largest grain merchant in the eastern region probably has a good chance of being achieved, if White Hart Castle and Maixiangling can grow a large amount of wheat this season.

The lord is buying food everywhere, but it is not for eating, he is also for getting more food...

(End of this chapter)