Wellsburg, built on a peninsula in the river valley, has begun to take shape. It is said to have taken shape because the huge castle currently has a stone outer wall and an inner castle on the top of a gentle slope. As for the space between the inner castle and the outer wall, except for the military camp wooden houses hastily built more than a month ago, it is basically a wilderness.
Nowadays, these open spaces are slowly filled with trophies transferred from the lake land, mainly more expensive cloth, leather, olive oil and other items.
In the middle of the open space, the foundation of Wells Cathedral has been built, and hundreds of craftsmen and laborers are working on the construction site.
This largest church in Wales was supervised by Bishop Hamish himself, and its construction was funded by tithes from believers in Wales.
The state and religion of the Province of Wales is extremely special. To a certain extent, the church in the Province of Wales is dependent on secular rule and is attached to Art himself. Therefore, except for the part that must be handed over to the diocese of the princely state, most of the religious taxes in the entire Province of Wales fall into Art's treasury.
However, Art did not intend to compete with God for profit, so he would always invest two-thirds of the religious taxes into social affairs such as education, health, and relief in Wales. Of course, these undertakings were all done in the name of religion.
This Welsh Cathedral was built by Art under the instructions of Hamish with two years of religious taxes. The construction period is expected to be three years, including a cathedral that can accommodate 300 people and a supporting monastery.
Of course, in addition to the cathedral, high-ranking officials from the military and government offices of the Province of Wales have also successively purchased planned residential sites in the city from the government office. Government officials such as Scott and Lawrence have begun to hire craftsmen to dig the foundations of their residences and prepare building materials.
Standing on the high square stone tower of the inner castle of Wellsburg, Art put his hands on the wall and looked up at the river rushing past the castle and disappearing into the south of the Wells Valley, rendering a vibrant autumn scene on the fertile land on both sides.
The business roads built along the river are full of cars and horses, and unemployed young farmers are walking in groups towards the south. They are all going to the lakes to apply for labor and carry the mountains of grain and grass supplies in the lakes.
Among the travelers, there were occasionally three or two patrolling peasant soldiers wearing cotton armor and holding short spears.
In the fields on both sides of the road, you can occasionally see peasant women and children picking up wheat ears after harvesting, and a dozen villages rising up along the valley are also faintly visible...
"It's a good atmosphere!" Cooper beside Art was twirling his gray beard, and his smile made his aging cheeks more wrinkled. A tight-fitting robe on his body was wrinkled and stained with ink.
At took a secret look at the old man dressed as a craftsman next to him, and suddenly felt ashamed.
Ten years have passed, and this gray-haired old man has worked hard for ten years.
In recent years, Art is more like a warrior holding a sword and expanding territory than the lord of the hall, trying his best to gain territory. But the old man next to him is the operator who cultivates and sows the land, builds bridges and paves roads.
Along the way, although the old man has become a baron and originally had his own manor servants, he dismissed the servants and placed the manor under the control of the Government Office. Every year, only a small part of the manor's tax property is left to support the servants and grandchildren of the mansion, and most of the rest is included in the treasury of the Government Office.
Only giving and not taking anything, Art really doesn’t know how to evaluate this old man.
Perhaps his heart died ten years ago, and the only thing he wants is that everyone in this valley will not repeat his tragedy.
"Old fellow, just accept the title of Chief Viscount of the Province of Wales. Half of the credit for establishing the Province of Wales should be attributed to you." Art said solemnly.
The province of Wales is an earl province, and Art has three viscounts in his hands that have not been enfeoffed. In addition to the fact that Art knows that there is still a final battle in Lombardy that requires Lord promotion as a battle reward, the more important thing is that Art does not want to create a large number of important ministers and nobles prematurely.
However, Art had long ago proposed that Cooper receive the title of Chief Viscount. It would be extremely strange if there was not even one viscount in the entire Earl of Wales Province. What's more, this is what this old man should gain.
Cooper didn’t say anything. He just stared at the road and farmland in the distance with a smile.
After a while, he turned around and sighed in a low voice: "Master, in two years, I will be sixty."
"My father and grandfather have never lived so long."
Cooper took a breath, "Ten years ago, I should have died. If I didn't want to repay Master's kindness, how could I survive these ten years?"
Cooper wiped his wrinkled cheeks, "Master, I have already I am getting old. Nowadays, the territory of the Province of Wales is expanding year by year, and the government affairs that need to be managed are becoming more and more complicated. "
After more than ten years of hard work, this old man who has exhausted his heart is almost exhausted.
"When you capture the territory of Lombardy, the territory of the Province of Wales will expand several times, and then I will no longer be able to take charge of civil affairs for the master." Cooper said very calmly, without the slightest sadness.
It is indeed too cruel to let a dying old man take on such heavy government affairs, especially since Yate has been fighting wars every year in these years. In addition to running the territory, this old man also has to provide logistical support for Yate's war. It is really exhausted both physically and mentally.
Cooper had the idea of retreating to the second line as early as two years ago, but Art couldn't do without this old man who was proficient in government affairs, so he refused many times.
But this time Art really felt Cooper's mental and physical exhaustion, "I promise you, when I capture the Lombardy Territory, I will send someone to take over the government affairs of the new territory, and when there are suitable political officers, I will let you live a long life."
This is what Cooper really wants to reward, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."
"But until the overall situation is stable, you, the old man, must support me. The most important thing is coming now. The monarch will lead his troops south to fight in the near future, and they will inevitably pass through the hinterland of Wales. I don't want the monarch to see clearly the strength of Wales." The slaves and slaves organized themselves..."
...
In the town of Tyniec, Wells, the lord's hall that was renovated last winter has just been painted with a layer of white dust. The inside and outside of the lord's hall have been washed several times with water, and the carpets, tables and chairs have also been replaced, making it look clean and tidy.
Not only the lord's hall, but also the entire county has changed since Art took over Tynets County. The streets that were originally muddy and full of feces and sewage were paved with a layer of gravel. After the technology of manure composting was promoted, the feces dumped everywhere in the city every day were collected and processed by special trucks, so the pungent smell of feces and urine in the past gradually disappeared.
Business in the city of Tyniec has become more prosperous. Since the European Commercial Bank established its official headquarters here, almost all southern merchants from northern Burgundy will come here to trade. Therefore, the free market in the county has expanded several times and had to occupy half of the church square to build a new trading area.
The prosperity of commerce has brought about the development of the city. The original residential areas of the city have long been extremely expensive. In the area with the "Liberty Buffalo" tavern as the core, the most ordinary residences have risen to 50,000 pfennigs. A slightly more spacious mansion can easily cost tens of thousands of pfennigs.
Since land in the city was at a premium, the merchants and nearby gentry who heard about it took a look at the land outside the county city and purchased the land one after another to build houses.
· Of course, the county government office is willing to make Tyniec more prosperous, so after obtaining the consent of the government office, they planned several open spaces around the county city and sold them to businessmen and squires, thus earning a large amount of land sales fees.
In the backyard of the Lord's Hall, in the official room on the second floor of Art's lord's residence, Lynn, the deputy director of the Wells Provincial Government Office and the administrative officer of Tyniec County, was wearing a linen robe and a delicate calfskin belt hanging around his waist. He was sitting on the chair in front of Art's official desk.
Beside Linn, Bass, the commander of the Wells garrison, who was wearing armor and carrying a sword at his waist, was also sitting on one side.
Matt approved the disposition on the last submission, and then signed his name. He put down the quill, rubbed his wrist, and looked up at Bass and Lynn, who were sitting quietly.
"Bath, how's your head injury going lately?" Art asked.
Bas then relaxed a little and touched the scar on his head, "Thank you for your concern, sir. This wound on my head is already a chronic disease and cannot be cured. But the pain will be unbearable any time the weather changes. I rely on the poppy ointment Dr. Farnaz gave me to relieve the pain."
Art looked at the person following him all the way. His abilities are actually no worse than Odo and Angus, but he was seriously injured in the head while fighting with the gangsters, which left him with incurable diseases. He often had headaches and found it difficult to adapt to the high-intensity load during marching operations. Therefore, he has been responsible for guarding the army in the rear and rarely charged on the front line, so he still holds the title of knight to this day.
This time Art almost devoted all his efforts to marching into Malombardy, so he had to put the heavy military burden of the north on Bass. From the Beiguan Army Fort to the town of Tyniec County, to Marsi Castle and to the important town of Beaune in the western border of the Burgundy Kingdom, Bass was responsible for all of them.
Two days ago, Bas had just returned from a tour from Bona City along Marsi to Fort Sap, and was training the garrison in Tyniec City to recruit new peasant soldiers.
"Although poppy ointment can relieve pain, poppy is a poison. Long-term consumption will definitely damage the body. You must try your best to restrain yourself. During this battle south, I have asked people from the government to look for doctors. "A skilled healer, if I can cure your old illness, it will also calm the guilt in my heart." Art looked at Bass, who was a little haggard. He had been taking opium poppy medicine for a long time, and this laborer who was often tortured by illness was getting thinner and thinner.
Basi waved his hands repeatedly, "My lord, you don't need to feel a little bit ashamed. I haven't had much military success over the years, but your lord has promoted me one after another, and I'm extremely grateful. Besides, the head injury only occurs occasionally, and it's not a serious problem."
Matt did not want to be too pretentious and changed the topic, "Now that the legion is marching south to Lombardy, is there any change in the northern territories?"
Speaking of military affairs, Bass became more energetic, "Back to your lord, Wells After the various divisions of the legion moved south, the garrison legion took over the defense of the north. The government allocated 300,000 pfennigs for military expenses. I also allocated 350 sets of weapons and light armor from the Beiguan arsenal. The standing peasants and soldiers in various places were in a state of combat readiness. The 400 standing peasant soldiers of the Army Corps have also been mobilized to garrison Wellsburg, Beiguan, County City and various fortress passes. The garrison of Fort Marsi and the Western Territory Garrison Army are also preparing for war to prevent any unexpected events."
“This time I returned to the county to train the 100 newly recruited peasant soldiers to consolidate the northern defense.” Bass said it euphemistically. The so-called consolidating the northern defense is nothing more than guarding against the forces in the north that covet the province of Wales.
Matt nodded approvingly, "You don't have to worry too much about the mainland of Wells. Your attention should be on the two extraterritorial enclaves of Fort Marsi and Beaune City. Those two territories are ultimately caught between various forces and are easily missed."
"We are fighting quite a lot in the south. It went well and a lot of weapons and armor were captured. When we go south this time, I will ask the Ministry of Transport to send a batch of weapons back and leave them to you to strengthen the army."
Bas nodded with a smile and accepted the order. Under the peasant-soldier system, Wells Province has no shortage of peasants and soldiers, but it is short on weapons and armor.
"Lynn, I will go to the northern border of the county to greet the monarch in the afternoon. I will definitely stop in the city of Tyniec tonight. Are the food and accommodation arrangements for the monarch and his important ministers and entourage in place?" Art turned his attention to Lin En again.
“Your Majesty, after receiving the order from the Government Office, we have been preparing to welcome the King’s visit these days. The Government Office allowed us to withdraw 50,000 pfennigs from the county treasury to prepare food and accommodation for the King and his army.”
"The garrison barracks outside the city have been prepared for the army to be stationed."
"The Free Buffalo Tavern in the city and our own newly opened Moulin Rouge received the palace ministers and the monarch. Attachment."
"As for the monarch and you, we will naturally settle down in the Lord's Hall."
"In addition, I have hired six chefs and more than a dozen helpers from all over the county to prepare food specifically for the monarch and his party, and the fruits, vegetables and drinks are also fully prepared..."
Lynn is also an expert in government affairs. He does these things very well, so Art doesn't have to worry too much.
"The monarch is heading south to Wales for the first time. We must not be careless. We must be especially careful about the security and defense of the county and city." Art turned his attention back to Bass.
「大人放心，昨日傍晚我已经从守备军团抽调了两百精锐换防郡城，又组织了三支队伍巡逻周边，不会有问题。」
巴斯说到此处，稍微迟疑了片刻，欲语还休。
"You are all my confidants, just say whatever you have to say." Art saw the hesitation in Bass's words.
"At least not for the time being." Art added.