On the watch tower on the top floor of Wellsburg, wearing a raw silk dress, a white soft velvet robe with a circle of gold stitched at the cuffs, and winter boots made of deerskin, Lottie, the hostess of Wales, has been standing here for half a day, accompanied by her maid Ollie.
Seeing that his wife did not respond, Ollie said nothing and also moved his gaze towards the south valley, stroking his slightly bulging belly with both hands.
The sun sets in the west, the autumn breeze is pleasant, and a golden river winds its way deep into the valley, the surface of the river shrouded in layers of white mist. A golden wave of wheat swayed in the wind, and the air was filled with the fragrance of wheat, filling the entire valley.
Lotti closed her eyes slightly, breathing slowly and slowly, softly and evenly, breathing in the aroma lingering around Wellsburg. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on that still delicate face, making her feel an indescribable joy.
On the commercial roads that connect the villages in the valley, and on the criss-crossing field paths, oxcarts and horses in groups of three or three pull the harvested wheat in and out of Wellsburg.
According to the original plan of the Ministry of Government and Rural Affairs, the harvested wheat will be stored according to quality differences in the Wellsburg granary and wooden castle, as well as in the public granaries of the village castles in the valley. However, due to the southern expedition of the Wells Army, a large amount of grain and supplies seized from Lombardy were piled up, and the granary in Wellsburg could not accommodate them at all. Therefore, the Government Affairs Office took the lead and the Ministry of Construction implemented the project and expanded it on the basis of the original granary of the village fort along the river in the valley. The grain captured from Lombardy was hoarded around these villages and fortresses, and the newly harvested wheat was stored in Wellsburg as a strategic reserve in case of emergency.
In addition, the Lakeland is the southern border of the Province of Wales and is adjacent to Lombardy. Naturally, it also stores a lot of military rations and serves as the most important supply point for the legion.
Since Art went south to Lombardy with King Flanders, she, the countess, had not had a good night's sleep.
During the day, she had to assist Governor Cooper in cleaning up the large amounts of supplies seized from Lombardy. Moreover, when the army went south, part of the work of allocating and distributing military supplies also fell on him. In addition, he also has to manage all the affairs in the territory, often running around without touching the ground, and is often busy until late at night before he can rest.
Since the war between Wales and Lombardy began, the entire province has entered a state of war. However, daily production and operation, farming and commerce continued as usual, except for the significant changes in the deployment and distribution of certain materials, which mainly involved military materials such as grain, cloth, ironware, and medicinal materials.
Government Governor Cooper is old, and several of his subordinates are busy with the work at hand. As a countess and as the mistress of the territory, Lottie had to go into battle herself.
Perhaps because as a businesswoman’s daughter, she has a natural determination and strategizing ability. Lottie is methodical, well-coordinated and extremely efficient. Even Cooper and several senior government officials under him praised the countess repeatedly, feeling ashamed and feeling a little more admiration and respect in their hearts.
Perhaps it’s because I spend less time with Art and stay away more often. Apart from the daily busy work, whenever I have free time, my husband’s figure fills my mind and heart, and I can’t get rid of it. Even after becoming a mother, Lottie's longing for love has not diminished at all over the years, and has even become more frequent.
Happily, with Ollie and her mother by her side, Lottie didn't feel so lonely.
Since her father Lord Galvin went south to conquer Flanders with the king of Flanders, Lottie's mother also arrived in Wellsburg two days later. But this time she no longer complained about Galvin's neglect of his family. Instead, she packed Lord Galvin's luggage before he went on the expedition, and she took the trouble to ask him to pay more attention to his health. This change in attitude is largely due to the fact that after Galvin became Flanders's confidant, he still cherished his love and did not abandon his wife. Although he was busy with general affairs, Galvin cared more about his wife than before, which surprised the already old Mrs. Galvin at first, and then moved her deeply.
With Galvin heading south to Lombardy, Mrs. Galvin, who had not seen her daughter and grandson for a long time, also set off for Wales two days later.
As a new nobleman of the Kingdom of Burgundy, and as the cousin and right-hand man of King Flanders, Galvin was extremely influential in the court. On weekdays, businessmen and dignitaries from all over the world often visited Galvin's mansion, which made the countess extremely unhappy. If she hadn't thought about Galvin's face, Mrs. Galvin would have turned away all the guests. But this does not mean that Mrs. Galvin is unkind.
When Lord Galvin was still the Baron of Sappburg, nobles from all over the world scorned this distant relative of the marquis who was based on business, and rarely had close contact with the Galvin family. In that era when merchants had a low status, noble gentlemen naturally disdained to get together with these low-class people. This would not only devalue their own worth, but also suffer the contempt of other nobles. In addition, Lord Galvin was a complete fence-sitter before the Marquis of Ivrea took over. Those who cherish their own feathers naturally looked down on Galvin's behavior.
But now it seems that Lord Galvin's approach is extremely wise. Although as a royal noble, Galvin stayed away from the whirlpool of the power struggle with a neutral attitude and would not be coerced by both parties. In this way, not only would no one be offended, but the strength of the Yuge family would also be preserved.
Secondly, as a royal noble, although he is marginalized by other nobles, he is not oppressed by others. In addition, Galvin focused on managing the territory and developing commerce, and eventually monopolized the western trade routes of the Count of Burgundy. He was evenly matched with the Dean family, and eventually became a wealthy businessman.
Ever since the War of Succession, the power of gold coins has shown its inherent power. Whether it is purchasing weapons and armor, food and supplies, recruiting troops to fight, or winning people's hearts, money plays a dominant role. After a succession war, both sides spent tens of millions of pfennigs. The wealth of the entire Burgundy Kingdom was almost exhausted, the people were in dire straits, and corpses were everywhere.
Flender is lucky, and Art is also lucky. The wealth and connections accumulated by Lord Galvin over the past few years have helped them gain a foothold.
This time Galvin finally stopped being a fence-sitter and firmly chose Flanders. With the end of the War of Succession, Flanders won a great victory and became the king of Burgundy. At this time, Galvin, who pushed Flanders to the throne of marquis, was rising rapidly and became a new noble and important minister of the marquis country.
Those distinguished merchants who had previously despised the Galvin family came in droves, either giving gifts or making marriage arrangements, which made Mrs. Galvin furious. Coupled with not being good at making friends, Mrs. Galvin was very lonely in Besançon. So just as Galvin headed south, his back foot left Besançon.
This way, not only can I be reunited with my daughter, but I can also be closer to my husband and son, which gives me some relief.
On the sentry tower, Lottie opened her eyes slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Mrs. Galvin who was playing with George by the river, she suddenly sighed in her heart, "Why is my life now the same as when my mother was young? Alas... Art, this guy, promised to write letters from time to time for several days." Lottie rubbed her fingers fiercely, "Wait until he comes back and see how I deal with him."
Ollie on the side also echoed, "Yes, madam, all the men have gone off to war, and we women are the only ones left at home. When Ron comes back, I will also deal with him well."
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