Early the next morning, the sun shone through the window panes of the wooden house and woke up Art. He lifted up the leather blanket and got off the wooden bed. Ron had already put a wooden bucket filled with water on the table, and a large bowl of broth was still heating in front of the fireplace in the house.
Yat rinsed it with water, picked up the broth and drank it all in one gulp.
"Ron, Ron!"
Ron was feeding black beans to the green mules and war horses in the stable. When he heard Art's voice, he quickly put down the bag and ran in, "Sir, you called me?"
"Go find the old butler, then saddle up and prepare food. We are going to the south valley today." Art said as he got dressed.
Ron went out to look for old Cooper, and soon Cooper came in.
「Good day, sir.」
"Cooper, today is a rare good weather, and I plan to go to the southern valley to have a look. You have to do three things today. The first is to register everyone in the wooden fort; the second is to count all our supplies, including food, weapons, livestock, farm tools, and land. , scraps, etc.; I don’t know anything about farming, so you can ask Otto and others to help you. So the third thing is to formulate an arrangement for reclaiming the land in the valley. You can call Scott and Lawrence together to discuss it. I will come back in the evening to listen to your discussion. In addition, I will bring the old carpenter back to you and help you with some carpentry work. His wife and granddaughter will go to Emma's kitchen to help. Now we have to make good use of everyone. Children should be used as women, women as men, and men as livestock. Oral use, but I have to tell Emma that we have to work hard during this period of cold weather, so we have to make sure that everyone has enough food. We don’t have much food, so we ask everyone to pick more wild vegetables and fruits when they have time. I will also take Odo and the others to hunt, and make some broth for everyone from time to time."
After speaking, Art returned to the bed, took out a quill wrapped in torn parchment and a small jar of ink from the wooden box under the bed and handed it to Cooper, saying, "Ink is too expensive, use it sparingly. The parchment is gone, so you can use birch bark instead."
After giving orders to Cooper, Art left the wooden house and opened the door of the cabin opposite. Odo, Bas, and Kazak were huddled together on the wooden bed. Art walked over and patted Kazak beside the bed.
Kazak wiped the gum from the corners of his eyes and looked at the person with blurred eyes. It took him a long time to react and quickly pushed the two people around him to wake up.
"Sir, we drank too much yesterday and overslept. Let's get up right away, get up right away."
"Odo, how is the wound on your arm?"
"Sir, you applied those concoctions on me yesterday, and the wound has stopped festering and is still cool."
h , I can just take a rest at home and go to eat early. The kitchen will not leave food for lazy people.”
Ron came in carrying Art’s weapon and leather armor and told Art that the horse was ready to go.
Matt took the leather armor from Ron and put it on his body, tied his belt, hung up his sword, walked out of the gate, and got on the horse. Ron mounted the green mule and followed.
The two rode horses south along the creek in front of the wooden castle, passing through the dense forest canyon. Before noon, the two of them left the valley and arrived at the northern edge of the valley.
In front of you is a trumpet-shaped open land. The valley where the stream flows out of the valley is less than a hundred feet wide. There is a low gentle slope on the right, and there is a flat land on the gentle slope. Less than two miles to the south, the terrain opens up abruptly, reaching a mile at its widest point. On both sides, a series of mountains on both sides of the remaining mountain ranges of Mount Poje and Mount Carmel rise step by step until they are as high as the main vein. After the stream enters the valley, it becomes gentle and the river surface becomes more open. The river passes through the middle of the valley and flows to the south in a meandering direction. Six miles to the south, it flows around a gentle hill on the right side of the mountain range and then flows to the south. The land between the valleys has been uncultivated for hundreds of years, and the land is overgrown with grass. In some places, thatch grows taller than people.
The two drove their horses out of the valley mouth and walked along the river bank to the south of the valley. The weeds on the right bank had clearly been cut out of a path. Every few dozen steps there was a path leading to the depths of the grassland. There were some newly opened land on the path - it should have been left by Cooper and Scott when they came to investigate some time ago.
After walking for about a mile, the previously opened road was interrupted, and the two men on horseback reluctantly advanced slowly through the grass.
"Master, there is movement in the grass." Ron rode a green mule and looked into the grass that was half a man tall. The grass was shaking.
"Maybe it's an animal like a wild boar or a hare. It's frightened, so we have to be careful." He took out the riding bow from the saddle and held it in his hand.
Along the way south, except for the tall grass that was difficult to pass through, the two of them were safe. The occasional wild animals were frightened and fled in all directions.
As the sun set in the west, the two of them had just arrived at the foot of the hill on the right side of the mountain range in the valley. They tied their mules and horses to the small trees and climbed to the top of the hill. The hill was not high, and after a while the two of them climbed to the top of the hill. There is about half an acre of flat land on the top of the hill, with a few dwarf pine and birch trees growing sparsely here. There is a steep cliff on the west side of the hill, and the east slope slowly extends to the river, surrounded by the river, forming a small peninsula facing water on three sides.
At the top of the hill, he put his right hand on his forehead and looked to the south. The river continued to flow to the southwest, passing through a weedy wasteland and entering a dense forest. As far as the eye could see, there was a large area of land interlaced with hills and basins in the south of the dense forest, extending to the canyon in the south.
In the distance as far as the eye can see, the mountain valley continues to extend southward, all the way along Mount Carmel to the plains of northern Lombardy...
This is the first time that Art has gone deep into the valley to survey the entire landscape.
"Sir, it's amazing. Who would have thought that there would be such a vast land among these mountains and forests." Ron was already stunned by the vast land in front of him.
"Yeah, I didn't expect that either. It is said that hundreds of years ago this was a trade road that ran from north to south. But now it is a corner forgotten by God."
At noon, the two of them ate some bread with clear water at the foot of the hill and started to return.
Before dark, the two hurried back to the wooden castle. In front of the kitchen, everyone held wooden bowls and cutlery in their hands and gathered around the iron pots and pots, waiting for Emma to put the porridge. Kazak, who was standing at the end of the team, saw Art returning from an outing. He quickly stepped forward to say hello and held the reins for Art.
"Kazak, how did you rest today?"
"Sir, we have all had a good rest. In the morning, we helped the old housekeeper register everyone and count supplies. In the afternoon, we went to the dense forest with everyone to chop down a lot of firewood."
"Okay, you go to eat"
At handed the horse to Ron and walked straight into his small courtyard. Cooper was still discussing with Scott, Lawrence and several farmers about opening up wasteland for farming.
"Sir, you are back." Everyone greeted Art.
“Let’s go eat first. After dinner, Cooper, Scott and Lawrence will come to my place. I want to hear the results of your discussion.” Art said and returned to the wooden house.
...
Just as Ron finished clearing the tableware on the wooden table, Cooper led a few people into the wooden house carrying low stools and wooden pillars and each found a place to sit down.
Matt put down the wooden cup in his hand and said to Cooper and others: "Let's do it one by one. Cooper, you first talk about the registration of refugees and the clearance of materials."
Cooper picked up a few flat pieces of birch bark and said, "Okay sir, after cleaning and registering, there are thirteen households with thirty-four people in the wooden castle, including thirteen farmers in their prime, eleven peasant women, six children over ten years old, four children under ten years old; one carpenter, his wife and two granddaughters. The other four are Ron, Odo, and you and me, for a total of forty-three people."
Cooper pulled out another piece of birch bark and read: "In terms of materials, in addition to the items brought by the farmers. We currently have two acres of land, more than 1,200 pounds of grain, twenty-one farm tools, one or two four-wheeled carriages, one mule and horse, in addition to axes, wood, saws, iron pots and cooking utensils and other odds and ends; in terms of weapons, eleven short spears, ten spearheads, and three long swords They have seven hilts, five battle axes, four bows, more than fifty arrows, three sets of leather armor, one set of iron armor, two iron helmets, one buckler, three sets of saddles, eight sets of blankets, water bags, whetstones and other odds and ends. The food and weapons are temporarily stored in Otto's room, and the farm tools are kept in the stable."
Cooper handed the birch bark to Art, who took it and glanced at it briefly before returning it to Cooper, "It's enough for you to know about the supplies, and don't spread them out, especially the amount of grain."
"Yes, sir, the minimum consumption per day is thirty. Pounds of barley, the average daily consumption for land reclamation will be more than forty pounds, and our grain reserves can last for a month at most. Moreover, a large amount of seeds are needed for spring planting, and we will have to supply a large amount of grain after spring planting until the autumn harvest..." Cooper said while sorting out the birch bark in his hands.
"Well, Cooper, you don't have to worry. I will find a way to deal with the food and supplies. You mainly need to clear up wasteland and plant things in the wooden castle. Scott and Lawrence will share the burden with the old butler." Art said to a few people.
"That's it for the supplies. Next, let's talk about the reclamation of wasteland. Cooper said it first, you guys can add more."
"Sir, reclaiming wasteland and cultivating land is a big deal. We have to solve many problems while doing it, but today I found Scott, Lawrence and some farmers to discuss a rough plan."
Matt looked at Cooper and nodded for him to continue.
“Some time ago, Scott and I went to the southern valley to conduct a careful survey. The valley is generally relatively fertile, especially near the river. Most of it is black soil. However, the entire valley is overgrown with weeds, and the grass roots are deeply embedded in the soil. It will be very difficult. Our plan is to open up two pieces of wasteland along the river and half a mile on each side, which is the most fertile land and is close to the river for irrigation. "
"Well, it is okay to cultivate the most fertile land along both sides of the river first. Cooper, when demarcating the scope of reclamation, designate more land for my military garrison. First, divide it according to the food supply for fifteen soldiers."
"Okay sir. As for the specific steps of reclamation, we think it is easiest to use the burning method. In order to prevent the fire from spreading too much, we can first cut a fire separation zone up to 30 feet wide along the border, and then set fire to the weeds in the fire separation zone. This way we don't have to spend a lot of effort to mow the grass, and the ashes after burning the weeds can also increase the fertility of the land. ”
“Well, yes. The weather is good during this period, the snow is almost melting, and the weeds are easy to ignite after drying up.”
“Yes, sir. After the weeds are burned out, we need to organize everyone to plow, level, and rake the land quickly before the land freezes...” Cooper explained the steps to open up wasteland one by one.
"Okay, Cooper, I said I don't know how to farm. You are responsible for clearing the land and planting the land. Scott and Lawrence, you guys, help the old housekeeper. If you have any problems, tell me and I will try my best to solve it for you. Cooper, I believe you." Art has great confidence in this former builder and farm owner.
"Is there anything else you want to add?" Art asked several other people.
Lawrence stood up and bowed to Art.
"Lawrence, you don't have to be constrained, you can say whatever you think."
"Sir, I would like to ask you, how to distribute the reclaimed land, what to do with the wheat seeds, and also, are you really not going to pay the rent in the first year?" Lawrence's question is also a matter of concern to all farmers.
"I said I would give you enough land for farming. The old housekeeper just said that the land he planned is a hundred acres. Here is my plan: after the land is cultivated, three acres will be allocated to each man and woman in the prime of life, and two acres to each child over ten years old. There will be no tax in the first year, and then one tax will be paid to five. After five years, the land will be yours. Farm tools will be lent to you free of charge. I will also lend you the wheat seeds in the spring and autumn in the first year, and you will harvest. Return it to me later. As a condition, you have to cultivate my military camp well. "
"Kub, how much grain do you estimate the land can produce?"
"One pound of wheat seeds can produce up to three pounds of grain in the first year, and it is estimated that it can produce five to six pounds in the future."
"Huh? But your wheat field this year produced five hundred pounds of grain from fifty pounds of wheat seeds~"
"There is too little land. I work in the field every day, watering and weeding every wheat seedling personally, and of course I harvest more. It is impossible to cultivate such a wide land like that. And we currently do not have heavy plows and draft horses. We cannot dig out the fertile soil deeply with only iron hoes and light plows..."< br/>
Due to the lack of sufficient farm tools and livestock, the newly reclaimed land can only be plowed a thin layer, and the fertility of the land cannot be fully utilized. It is expected that the harvest after the first spring tillage, excluding the return and reservation of wheat seeds for the next year, will be enough for everyone to make ends meet, and there will be no surplus.
The people in the same room discussed the matter of clearing wasteland and farming for most of the night, and roughly planned the division of labor, the use of farm tools, food supply and many other matters.