warm dragon

Chapter 19 Windmill
"Ah, sir, Old Hans is just a foreman. Let Old Hans whip the serfs and supervise their work. Old Hans is very good at it."

Hearing Russell's question, Old Hans suddenly smiled bitterly: "But Old Hans really doesn't understand how to let Old Hans develop the manor. Master, you are our lord, the great fluorescent mushroom bloodline, you will definitely lead us to live a good life. of."

Faced with the adulation of old Hans.

Russell shook his head helplessly. Times were different, and it was indeed a bit difficult to give full play to the subjective initiative of servants and serfs.

He couldn't help but change his words: "Let's put it this way, Old Hans, you have lived here for a long time, do you think there are any shortcomings here? Or for you, what is the most inconvenient thing about living in the manor, such as whether the roads are good or not?" , is there any shortage of food..."

Russell is naturally ambitious for the development of Black-rumped Snake Manor.

The future blueprint can indeed be colorful, but he has not yet decided how to take the first step.

It feels like every aspect needs to be developed.

However, it is like a piece of white paper. There are so many places where you can draw, but you don’t know where to put the first stroke.

In the past, the Black-rumped Snake Manor was managed by Old Hans, and he wanted to listen to Old Hans' advice.

"This..." Taking a secret glance at the young and handsome lord, the old Hans hesitated. He didn't know whether he should give advice to the lord.

Although he is the foreman of the manor, in real terms, he is just a servant beside the lord.

A servant is one who does whatever the master tells him to do.

It should not be raised by him, but by His Excellency Charles, or Knight Commander Eric.

But seeing the serious look on Russell's face, old Hans felt a warmth rise in his heart. He saw hope in the young lord like the rising sun. It was like when he saw the Baron in the fields more than 20 years ago, he looked at Shenfei with the same look.

This is an inheritance among nobles.

Although, the Baron seems to be a bit mediocre in appearance, not as handsome as the current Mr. Russell.

"Just say whatever comes to mind, it's just chatting." Russell cast an encouraging look.

Old Hans smiled flatteringly: "Master, if a mill can be built on the manor, I think it will be more convenient for the serfs to grind flour. Otherwise, they have to walk a long way to the town to grind flour, and they often have to queue up. "

"Mill." Russell nodded.

The staple food in Youguang River Valley is flour, mainly bread, and wheat, barley, rye, oats and other wheat crops are widely grown.

Wheat flour is not easy to preserve, so when the serfs need to make bread, they carry the wheat to grind flour. Basically, they can't do without the mills all year round, and the mills in the Youguang Valley are basically concentrated in the town.

It takes more than two hours to ride a horse from Black-rumped Snake Manor to the town, and even longer to walk.

"A very good proposal, old Hans, I will consider it."

"Ah, praise my lord, all the serfs will be grateful for your generosity and kindness." Old Hans' flattery came out of his mouth.

Russell accepted it calmly, and he was indeed thinking about the people.

After a while.

Charles came over on horseback: "My Lord Russell, you are either keeping vigil for Cordyceps or patrolling the fields. As a noble lord, no one is more dedicated than you. The dragon is watching, and the Grand Duke should recruit you to take charge of the palace."

"If the Shadow Flame Dragon is really looking at me, the Grand Duke should ask me to be the chief minister." Russell made a joke.

"Who says it's not?" "Teacher Charles, you've come at the right time. I plan to build a mill in the manor. Do you think the nearby Youguang River is suitable for building a water-powered mill?"

"Well, in the section of Youguang River from the manor courtyard to the birch forest, there is almost no flow, so it is obviously not suitable. Further downstream, in the section near the Xiangshui River Cave, the flow is very fast, but it doesn't feel very good. Safety."

Russell asked: "Would the freemen of the crypt raid the mill?"

"Of course, those untouchables who don't even have enough to eat always want to cross the border and come to the manor to steal things. They will definitely not let go of the mill."

“Then we can only build a windmill.” Russell turned around and asked Old Hans, “Where is the windiest part of the manor? It’s best if the wind blows all year round.”

Old Hans replied: "The windiest place must be over the Alfalfa Village, especially on the slopes near Crooked Edge Mountain. The wind is always blowing."

Youguang River Valley belongs to the terrain of two mountains sandwiching a basin.

The continuous mountain range to the west is the Curved Blade Mountain. Although it is not very high, it is like a scimitar with an outward blade, guarding the western border of the Youguang River Valley.

The ice and snow are also blocked by the Crooked Blade Mountain.

"Then find a place in Alfalfa Village and build a windmill." Russell did not hesitate and made a decision directly.

Charles touched his chin: "Russell, it costs a lot of money to build a windmill."

"The waterwheel mill cannot be built. The animal-drawn mill is inefficient. If you want to meet the living needs of the entire manor, at least one windmill must be built." Russell said, "Otherwise the serfs can only go to the town to grind flour."

The Youguang River Valley is too long and narrow, and the distance between the north and the south is far away. A trip to the town might take a serf a day.

A serious waste of time.

When the windmill was built and the time saved, Russell had already calculated that he could serve the lord and build a beautiful home together.

No one can go against the Lord's decision.

From the moment Russell decided to build the windmill, it became part of the Black-rumped Snake Estate.

"Old Hans, I need to recruit a hundred workers to build a windmill. Tell the serfs that they can provide two meals a day when they come to work, and there is no need to bring their own meals." Russell did not treat the serfs harshly, but he was not generous enough to give them anything. Pay wages.

Most lords recruited serfs to serve, and not only did they not pay them, but they also required the serfs to bring their own meals.

Old Hans praised: "You are such a generous nobleman. You praise the dragon and bless it with light. Master, you will definitely become a great dragon knight!"

"Teacher Charles, I need you to go to the town to contact the old masters who can build windmills and hire them to come over and preside over the construction of windmills."

"It's such a small thing." Charles smiled. "Serving the Fluorescent Mushroom Family, even if you don't have to earn a living, masons and carpenters will be happy for you."

“Not only do I take care of the food, but I also pay for it.”

"No need at all, Russell, they give everyone a job." Charles didn't understand why they had to go to the trouble of paying the craftsmen when they clearly didn't need to spend any money - most of the craftsmen were serfs of the Fluorescent Mushroom family.

"It doesn't matter, it's just a little reward." Russell didn't explain.

There are always inconsistencies between his ideas and those of the indigenous nobles, and the moral bottom line must be raised.

"You are so generous." Charles shrugged. It was not spending his money anyway.

(End of this chapter)