Chapter 812 Construction of the rear
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Having followed Art for many years, Cooper has always been diligent and diligent. Now his body is getting worse and worse from the labor day after day. Sometimes, his body is in pain all night long and unable to sleep because of the stubborn diseases left by long-term labor.
As the first person to follow Art to settle in the valley, Cooper's contribution far exceeds that of others. But the old man did not use this to show off his achievements. Instead, as usual, he devoted all his time and energy to the construction of the territory.
Now that Art is far away in the Southern Continent fighting, he is unable to take care of the old man who has followed him for many years. So Lottie, as the mistress of the valley, will naturally assume her husband's responsibilities.
Seeing Cooper's tears streaming down his face, Lottie couldn't bear it and stepped forward and said, "Old housekeeper, what are you doing? I'm not here. As the backbone of the territory, you have been doing your best for many years. We have already regarded you as our own family. This is what I should do." "Yes. You are getting older and your health is not as good as it used to be. No matter how the master and I try to persuade you not to do everything yourself, you never listen -" At this point, Lottie felt guilty and did not continue.
Cooper wiped away his tears and said, "Madam, I promise you. Once the master comes back from the Southern Expedition, I will no longer do everything myself as before. But now is the critical period of the Southern Expedition. While my old bones can still do something for the master, you can't stop me~"
Lottie nodded helplessly.
"Madam, there's nothing to do, so I'll leave first. Some of the newly built wooden houses for the residents in Boulder Town in the north of the valley still need a lot of stones and logs. I plan to take the craftsmen and officials from the construction department to take a look, calculate the approximate amount, and arrange manpower to prepare as soon as possible." I gave you the green mule. It will save a lot to take the carriage."
Cooper waved his hand and rejected Lottie's suggestion, "Madam, that green mule has been following me for a long time and has long been used to it. You don't have to worry, I'm fine. If nothing happens, I'll leave first. "
Lottie nodded.
Cooper then bid farewell to Lottie and walked out of the Lord's Hall.
Looking at Cooper's hunchbacked back, Lottie felt very uncomfortable. She knew very well that it wasn't that Cooper didn't want to ride the carriage, but that the valley had been busy with spring plowing in recent days. The carriage could transport fertilizers, wheat seeds, farm tools, and irrigation water to the residents. He would rather be a little tired than delay the progress of spring plowing.
After Cooper left, Lottie took Ollie to Ron's home not far away, intending to discuss with Ron's mother Emma about gathering the peasant women in the valley at night to weave linen.
Because at night, a large number of peasant women in the territory often stay at home with nothing to do. Lottie planned to gather these people together and spin flax into cloth to make clothing and daily necessities, increase the income of the valley and these peasant women, and improve their lives——
Since the Welsh Army marched south to Lombardy, the construction of the Province of Wales has not stopped for a moment.
The valley leads to the north, and the patrol team is stationed in Boulder Town.
Since the end of the Successor War, Art has built this place from a few outposts with shacks into a small market town with a free market, residential areas, taverns, inns, and shops.
With the increase in the number of merchants passing through the Principality of Provence and the Kingdom of Burgundy, the scale of this place is also expanding step by step.
After the dense forest surrounding the market town was cut down by the Ministry of Construction, a vacant land was cleared on which about a hundred houses could be built.
After several months of leveling, compacting, and measuring, workers from the construction department collected a large number of stones from the surrounding areas for the construction of the foundation.
After a whole winter, the place looks completely new.
The area of Boulder Town has more than doubled from its original size. Near the dense forest to the east, brand-new wooden houses have risen from the ground, with a strict layout and clear functional areas. Except for the fact that some of the outer buildings lack materials and have not yet been completed, the newly built parts are generally ready for use.
Not only that, the Construction Department also rebuilt aqueducts and drainage ditches in accordance with the topography and layout of Jushi Town, and even dug a fertilization pit in a low-lying area about half a mile away to improve the fertility of the surrounding wasteland that was being reclaimed.
As the number of goods shipped from Provence to the north gradually increases, the commercial tax revenue of Boulder Town has more than tripled since the beginning of winter last year.
In addition, more and more merchants traveling from north to south are using this place as a transit point, setting up warehouses and shops, and cooperating with European trading companies that have set up contact points here, trying to take this shortcut to send their goods further north.
To the west of the business road connecting the north and south in the middle of Boulder Town, a military fort that can accommodate seventy people stands tall. This is where the patrol team is stationed to maintain security in the surrounding area.
With the increase in business and trade, the headquarters was moved here from its original location and expanded.
The gate of the military fort is facing the commercial road. The two sentry posts built on wooden frames outside are much higher than the surrounding houses. They are used to observe the refugees and traders on the border who try to bypass the sentry posts and enter the Wells Province.
Behind the gate, a row of houses on the north and south sides are the barracks of the patrol soldiers stationed here. The barracks are surrounded by stables and warehouses for storing fodder.
The spacious hall about fifty feet inward opposite the gate is where the patrol soldiers stationed here hold military meetings.
The wooden staircase on the left side of the hall leads to the official room on the second floor and the patrol captain's bedroom. In the not-so-spacious cabin under the wooden ladder, the patrol soldiers on duty were lying on the wide chairs enjoying a rare rest.
This guy was the one who followed the patrol captain Redoan in the days of robbing houses in Tyniec. When Redoan, the second leader of the bandits, defected to Art, this guy and his accomplices transformed into patrol soldiers who received military rations under the name of the Giant Wells Legion.
In the official room on the second floor of the military castle, the patrol team captain Redoan held his head with both hands and looked at the words on the parchment on the table in confusion.
He specially took this from the tax collector stationed in Boulder Town in order to learn a few more words and take the time to write a letter home to his son Matthew who was far away in the south.
It has been nearly two months since I last saw my son, who served as a military judge in the army. Although Redoan had been a bandit before, it is still natural for him to miss his relatives.
Previously, many people had criticized the patrol captain who was a bandit, believing that Redoan, who had engaged in murder, arson, and house robbery, was not worthy of the position of patrol captain. But since their son Matthew became the military judge of the Wells Regiment, people generally changed their previous attitude towards him, a patrol captain who was born as a bandit, and became more respectful and polite.
It was also from that time that Redoan began to strictly discipline and train his subordinates, and intensified his crackdown on bandits in his area who robbed farmhouses and small caravans from time to time.
After almost an entire winter of strangulation against several bandits in the surrounding areas, security in Tyniec and the areas bordering Provence has been greatly improved. For a time, many citizens looked at the patrol captain with admiration.
Not only that, after getting Lottie’s approval, Cooper also rewarded the soldiers of the patrol in the name of the government.
At this time, Redoan lay on the table and felt sleepy while looking at the words on the parchment. In desperation, he had no choice but to put away the parchment, go to the official stationed in Boulder Town, and ask the other party to write a letter from the family trustee and send it to the south to his son Matthew.
As soon as he strode down the wooden stairs, he turned around and saw the subordinate who was slacking off, and then he slapped the door frame with a sudden slap~
Snap!
The soldier who was sleeping soundly suddenly woke up from his dream and looked at the patrol captain with a look of horror.
"You bastard, if you let me see you being lazy again, I will have you thrown into the jungle to become a bandit!"
After a while of scolding, Redoan turned around and left the station, leaving the frightened soldiers standing motionless~
When businessmen traveling from south to north were shuttled back and forth in this emerging market town. , but the lake land located in the southernmost part of the valley is a different scene -
"-You guys, move quickly, move all these logs to the west of the lake, give them to the craftsmen there to peel and cut, and then go to the attachment. Cut down some wood of the same size in the nearby woods and send it over. Remember, you must come back before dark. Wild boars in the dense forest often come down the mountain recently, and several guys have been injured by the wild boars coming down the mountain! "
Next to the pile of lumber on the east side of the lake next to the edge of the dense forest, construction officer Lawrence was methodically dispatching his men to transport the materials cut from the dense forest to build houses to the residential area on the other side where the foundations had been dug.
While his friend Scott was busy guiding the people of the valley to do spring plowing, he, the construction officer, once again transferred hundreds of people from the Construction Department all the way south to the lake land to assist the craftsmen here to speed up the construction of houses, so that the people who were still living in shacks could live in new houses as soon as possible.
On the northeast side of the lake, the house that the Yaming Construction Department had built earlier for the old knight Christopher and his people who lived in seclusion in the nearby mountains and forests has been completed.
These houses are all built along the foothills of the northeastern side, close to the commercial road that passes through the lake. Due to the heavy humidity around the lake, the bottoms of all the houses are elevated by stone steps, and then the exterior walls and windows are built with a mixed structure of wood and stone. Finally, sloping beams are used on the top to support the roofs of different heights. The roof is covered with thick wheat straw and waterproof thatch, which keeps it warm in winter and cool in summer.
While Lawrence was busy in the open space with people coming and going under the scorching sun, his footsteps touched the ground. Not far behind him, an old man slowly came towards him holding a bowl of water.