When Att and his party were walking slowly on horseback in the southern valley, in the middle of Tyniec County in the North, the civil administrator Cooper personally led the settlement, built two chief officials (including subordinate officials), a team of peasant soldiers and more than 30 households escorted three people. A cart of grain and wheat, a cart of wine, meat, fruits and vegetables, and a cart of farm tools were heading towards the manor known as Stone Pine Castle. Along with the team was the new lord of Stone Pine Castle - the leading knight Odo Fernando and two attendants.
Stone Pine Castle was originally a fiefdom estate owned by the frontier baron Bazel. It was named after dozens of tall stone pines that were more than 500 years old growing in the forest to the north of the estate.
This place is located in the center of Tynets County. The land is relatively fertile, and the residents are relatively wealthy. There are thousands of acres of cultivated land in the area, and there are more than 60 households of serfs and more than 200 people. It was originally a high-class manor in Tynets County.
However, two years ago, Baron Barzel "died tragically" on his way back to Wincheston Manor. After Barzel's death, no one inherited the territory. A Bernardite dignitary took advantage of the situation to seize the manor and sent a retainer to manage it.
When Art was rampant in the county, this manor belonging to Bernard's faction suffered a lot. After the East-West Succession War began, the manor gradually followed the trend and chose a camp, but unfortunately it chose the Western Army camp.
The next thing is very simple. When Baron Antayas was cleaning up the Western forces in the county at the end of last year, he only sent one knight and more than thirty peasant soldiers to capture this place. The retainer who was in charge of it fled for his life early.
At that time, Art had not yet been granted the title of Tyniec, and Antayas would not be lenient due to his kindness, so he basically swept away all the food baggage and gold and silver goods in Stone Pine Castle, and he also captured most of the young serfs and people in the territory.
After the manor was looted, the remaining residents could not survive, so they had to drag their families and flee the manor to find a way to make a living... "...Odo, Baron Antayas attacked Stone Pine Castle Manor at the end of last year, and the manor was looted by the army. Some time ago, Scott personally inspected and found that there were only 21 old and weak residents in the manor, fifty-seven people, with less than a month of food reserves, and a shortage of agricultural tools and wheat seeds for spring plowing. "
“Before leaving, Your Majesty repeatedly told the civil administration that the fiefs of the new lords should be restored to their original state as soon as possible. Therefore, I urgently allocated 6,000 pounds of grain and 2,000 pounds of wheat seeds from the public treasury and recruited and resettled 30 newly recruited households in Shisong. Fortress, these are all allocated to you by the Civil Affairs Acting Master."
"This amount of food supplies is definitely not enough, so I will continue to borrow food and farm tools from Wincheston Manor, Southwest Farm and other places in the future. The livestock are brought to Shisong Castle to allow the people to organize spring plowing as soon as possible. However, these grain supplies and livestock farming tools must be borrowed by Shisong Castle from the public, and we will return them within five years with Shisong Castle’s taxes. The fief tax you can get from Stone Pine Castle may not be too much, you have to be mentally prepared for this. "
"However, the land here is fertile and the products are rich, and you will definitely gain a rich harvest in a few years."
Cooper, the civil administrator riding the green mule, was much shorter than Odo, who was riding the tall horse. However, Odo, as an army adjutant and flag knight, followed the old Cooper half a horse's head behind and listened respectfully.
Odo had absolute respect for Old Cooper. Old Cooper held a transcendent position in the military and civil affairs of the valley. Even Viscountess Lottie respectfully called the old man Uncle Cooper.
Of course, this old man gained his transcendent status not only because of Art's trust and seniority in the valley, but also because this old man with a white beard and over fifty years old was one of the founders of this paradise. For many things, Lord Art only proposed ideas and deployed tasks, and it was almost always this old guy who actually implemented them.
Hyper status, high qualifications, super ability, and amiable personality, many factors made Old Cooper a well-deserved venerable in the valley.
"Old steward, I'm sorry to trouble you. If it weren't for the hard work of you and the civil affairs officials, it would be difficult for Stone Pine Castle to recover in more than ten years. The five-year deadline is already very fast." Otto is also a person who has experienced the construction of the valley. He knows the hardships of running the territory. If he is really given full responsibility, he really doesn't know when he will be able to make a difference.
Cooper nodded, "Since you entrusted me with the fief, I have to manage the territory for you. My Lord said that when you become famous, what you will see when you return to the fief is the warehouse. The people are prosperous and the people are prosperous..."
While talking, the group of people had arrived at Stone Pine Castle Manor. The people who had learned about the arrival of the new lord in advance were already waiting on their knees outside the broken gate of the manor to greet them.
Odole reined his horse, jumped off the horse and glanced at the people kneeling on the ground. Except for a few men who looked like serfs, most of them were just old men with gray beards, half-dressed women, and children with runny noses. Fortunately, it was already spring and the temperature would become milder, otherwise not many people would freeze to death.
Looking at the "domestic people" who were kneeling like refugees and beggars, Otto couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. These were not farmers cultivating the fields. They were simply a group of blood-sucking and flesh-devouring hungry wolves. What else could they do except waste food.
Old Cooper couldn't help but shook his head when he looked at the group of ragged, unkempt and skinny guys on the ground, and cursed Antayas fiercely in his heart.
It is ugly to look at, after all, it is also a fief.
Tunnel officer Scott and construction officer Lawrence then directed the newly recruited citizens who were transferred from Tyniec County to kneel down with the original citizens to wait for the announcement of the new lord.
Seeing that everything was ready, Cooper got off the back of the mule with the help of Odo, took out a canonization document from his arms, nodded to Odo, and began to read aloud to the "subjects" on the ground, "The pardon decree specifically entitles 300 acres of fertile land in the Shisonburg Manor in Tyniec County, and 50 households of the subjects. The buildings, roads, bridges, forests, lakes, rivers and palaces in the territory are led by the knight of the flag in the southern border, Odo Fernando; from now on, Sir Odo Fernando takes the throne as the lord of Stone Pine Castle Manor, giving him the power of justice, taxation, military affairs and people's livelihood in the territory, accepting the protection of the lord and fulfilling the obligations of the vassal..."
“Viscount of the Palace Frontier, Knight of the Palace Guard, Palace Military Officer of the South, Commander of the Southern Garrison, Palace Inspector of the South, Guardian and Ruler of Tyniec County, Viscount Artwood Wells, Signed and sealed personally." After reading, Cooper handed the canonization document, which was written on sheepskin and stamped with Art's coat of arms, to Odo, who bowed and raised his hand to take the canonization document.
After Odo took the document, he straightened his back and looked at the kneeling citizens. Led by a middle-aged man, the citizens shouted: "God bless Lord Odo Fernando."
The voices were not uniform and the pitches were different. Odo did not expect a group of hungry people struggling on the edge of life and death to show the momentum of a military salute.
Otto took two steps forward, held up the canonization document in his hand and issued the first order to go to the fiefdom. "I, Odo Fernando, Knight of the Banner of the Palace Frontier and Lord of Stone Pine Castle Manor, issue the first order."
Otto paused for everyone to hear.
"From now on, I entrust the management of Stone Pine Castle Manor to the civil officer of Lord Artwood Viscount Wells. The civil officer will manage the general affairs of the territory on his behalf. The orders issued by the civil officer are equivalent to my personal orders. Anyone who does not obey them will People, civil officials can kill and seize them! ”
The kneeling residents of the new and old territories still didn’t understand why the new lord entrusted the jurisdiction of the territory to others, but the leading middle-aged man immediately took the lead and kowtowed to accept the order, and everyone responded sparsely.
The simple formal process was completed, Odo asked all the people to stand up, and Scott waved over the middle-aged man who had been leading the people just now.
The middle-aged man is actually in his twenties and is a farmer of Shisongbao Manor. Due to the long-term exploitation of fish meat by the lord, this man who is less than thirty years old has a face full of vicissitudes of life.
Scott pointed to the man who was kneeling in front of Odo with several big holes in his clothes and the toes of his boots exposed. "Mr. Odo, the original village elders of Stone Pine Castle and the housekeepers and servants of the manor have either died or fled. This is a farmer in the manor. Everyone calls him Iron Plow Buff. He is honest and reliable, and he has some reputation in the manor. When I came here last time, I asked him to temporarily manage the manor until the civil affairs officials take over. What do you think?"
"Brother Scott, the person you picked is naturally good, I agree." Odo raised his hand to help the middle-aged man, who looked flattered.
"Buff, has the manor been tidied up?" Scott asked.
"Lord, gentlemen, the mansion has been cleaned and ready to welcome you at any time." Buff replied respectfully.
A group of people entered the manor. Cooper, who had a bumpy journey, went to the manor mansion to rest, while Scott and Lawrence led the civil servants and peasant soldiers to help Aldough to settle the people and unload the food baggage...
Odo also personally summoned the citizens and gave each household a gift - he spent his own money to make a high-quality iron hoe for each household in the valley workshop. This can also be regarded as Otto's hope for the people in the territory to work hard and manage the territory.
In the evening, Odo held a simple but lively banquet in the Stone Pine Manor in the name of the new lord, using wine, meat, fruits and vegetables specially brought by the civil administration.
Early the next morning, Cooper and several civil administrators left Stone Pine Castle Manor. They had to rush back to the valley to prepare to take Angus, Bass, and Kazak to take up the fiefdom. Civil affairs were still busy.
The civil administration of Shisong Castle Manor has also left three officials to help straighten out the general affairs. Odo and his attendants will also rest in Shisong Castle for two days before returning to the Beiguan Military Fort in the valley.
This was specially arranged by Art. The Odo people who have obtained the territory must be allowed to experience the comfort of being a lord...
There are two mills and ten households in the district. Only two mills can collect tens of thousands of pfennigs in mill tax every year, and there are dozens of acres of irrigated land around the mill..." Art was riding on horseback, letting the horse pace on the path along the river bank, and casually said to the guard Ron beside him.
This is the third day after the disaster in the canyon basin. The road going south from the basin is much easier than before. It is obvious that this road is a passage for those fierce mountain people to occasionally go out of the mountain. The road is not wide but can allow two horses to run side by side. People no longer have to cut vines and grass to clear the way.
There are no villages or settlements along the way, and there are no traces of people except this road out of the mountain. Art is even more convinced that the group of mountain people he met three days ago should be bandits and bandits fleeing the mountains and evading pursuit.
At this time, the Lameier Mountains on the right began to slowly lower, and everyone should be almost out of the valley.
Ron chewed hard bacon and replied nonchalantly: "Sir, actually I'm not really interested in fiefdoms. My family already has a lot of honors and favors. My father and mother are all receiving salaries from the civil service. Now even Camille is with my wife. Our family is not short of money. Rather than being a young master in the territory, I prefer to go out and explore with you. I have had enough fun in these mountains and rivers these days. As for the mill land, let Grandpa Cooper and father worry about it, I don’t have the time to do it~"
Matt was also planning to criticize Ron, but Matthew, who was scouting the road in front of the team, drove his horse back, "Sir, ahead is the mouth of the canyon where the river used to flow out of the valley. I rode out to look, and outside the canyon is the gentle hilly plain~"
"We are almost out of the valley?"
"It should be!"