Chapter 667 Return
On a gentle slope two miles south of the lake land, a young man wearing half-mail mail rode a tall horse with his eyebrows covered and looked towards the north.
The blazing midday sun made his skin feel hot, and a thin layer of sweat had already formed on the linen lining. With the breeze blowing, the man pulled at his collar, trying to let the cool breeze flow into his sultry body.
The man looked north along the commercial road. The traces left by the war more than a month ago on both sides of the road were still clearly visible. The black spots left on the stones after being burned by kerosene were in sharp contrast with other gray-white stones. The bushes and weeds burned by the fire looked like pieces of bearskin spread on the ground.
More than a month ago, soldiers of the Welsh Legion and the private soldiers of Earl Walder Burley of the North Lombardy had several fierce battles in this narrow valley. Because the Welsh Legion had a large weapon, the Lombard soldiers suffered a lot. For a time, this several-mile-long passage was littered with corpses and rivers of blood.
Now that the war on the northern front has long ended, this narrow passage from the southern border of Burgundy to northern Lombardy is no longer as neglected and difficult to navigate as it used to be.
Since all the main battle forces of the Welsh Army went to Lombardy, Art issued an order to the government, asking its Construction Department to dispatch some manpower to open up the road between the Lake Land and Rock Castle.
As the future transportation artery connecting Wales and Lombardy, Art made several demands.
First of all, the trade road must be built according to the standard of the road from the valley castle to the lake land, and the requirements cannot be lowered. In addition to the road having to be widened to accommodate two carriages, the foundation had to be paved with gravel to enhance the bearing capacity of the road.
In addition, there are many mountain streams on both sides of the road, and drainage ditches must be dug at the edge of the roadbed to prevent flash floods from washing out the road surface during the rainy season.
Secondly, a post station was set up every five miles on both sides of the road, which was manned by three peasant soldiers from the Valley Guard Corps.
In addition to providing a place for pedestrians and traders to rest and eat, the inn can also serve as a checkpoint to stabilize public security along the way and deter bandits.
Finally, select some flat land suitable for reclamation and residence along both sides of the trade road, and settle some of the people in these places, and gradually form villages.
Under the leadership and coordination of Cooper and other senior government officials, the Department of Construction's efficiency in building commercial roads has improved a lot. In less than half a month, the weeds and bushes on both sides of the road had been cleared away, and the narrow path that could only accommodate a few people could now barely pass a four-wheel carriage.
At this time, the autumn harvest was basically over, and a large number of people in the province of Wales were able to free up their hands from the land and join in the project of building trade roads.
From the government recruitment notices that can be seen everywhere in towns and villages in Wales, we can know that the construction of trade roads this time requires the recruitment of a large number of local people who can work in the fields. Regardless of men, women, old or young, they will be paid corresponding wages according to the age and ability of the labor force.
After the news spread, a large number of residents flocked to the registration point just to get a spot. You must know that when the government builds trade roads, it does not require the residents to work for free in the form of labor, but hires labor. In this way, it can provide a well-paid job for the residents who are idle at home and increase their income.
In the end, after several days of selection, the government government recruited a total of more than 1,200 workers. In addition, prisoners escorted back to Wales from Lombardy were also arranged to be involved in this massive project.
Different from the citizens, these captives did not receive any reward except a full meal every day. In addition, these combat-proficient guys wear locks while working and are supervised by dedicated personnel. If there are those who behave well, the government will consider restoring the freedom of the captives and allowing them to become free subjects of the Province of Wales. On the contrary, those prisoners who attempted to sabotage and escape would be subjected to inhuman torture after being caught, then put into a separate cabin, deprived of food and drink for three days and three nights, and then returned to the construction site to continue working.
At first, a few clever Lombard soldiers tried to escape, but the dense forests and bushes meant that they were caught back by the peasant soldiers as soon as they ran a few miles away. One of the unlucky guys stepped on a trap set by a hunter in the mountains, and his calf was pinched alive.
These unlucky guys were captured by the peasants and soldiers and thrown into the pile of rocks for three days and three nights as a warning to the other prisoners. The Lombard soldier with a broken leg died before the next morning, and his body was buried directly in a mountain col not far away. Another guy with a sallow complexion huddled up in a ball due to hunger and cold on the morning of the third day and failed to make it through the last day.
Him Since then, no prisoner dared to escape from this valley, and they could only live in fear in this valley far away from their homeland·
Him The young man wearing full-body mail armor looked at the hugely changing valley passage and the people passing by, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
Since passing through Rock Castle, the newly opened passage can be seen everywhere with people running back and forth holding farm tools and carrying wooden frames. They often work in groups of several people, with a clear division of labor. Women are responsible for cutting down dead branches and weeds on both sides of the road. Older men with some strength are responsible for filling in the deep pits in the road and using hammers to pound the ground. Young children, led by middle-aged women, collected gravel and wood and built simple shacks along the way, with cooking utensils and stoves for cooking outside. As the weather began to get colder, the shack was covered with thick weeds, and the ventilation gaps were blocked with moss and leaves.
When a group of people walk in the middle of the road, the citizens will stop what they are doing and bow to these distinguished adults to show respect.
The young man looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. The running around for the past few days made him feel uncomfortable, but the scene in front of him made him forget all the fatigue.
The voice from behind interrupted the young man's thoughts.
"What's the matter?"
Fenixler turned his horse's head and looked back. The person coming was none other than one of his flag captains.
"Master Galvin asked me to ask you if it's time for us to set off."
Phoenix covered his eyebrows and looked at the sun that was about to rise above his head, and said to the flag captain: "Let's go!" Then he lightly kicked the horse's belly and walked down the gentle slope.
The flag captain beside him followed closely and walked toward the resting team at the foot of the mountain. "-Father, we are about to enter the Province of Wales, and we will go home when we get here."
Phoenix, who was riding horseback, looked relaxed, with a hint of excitement in his tone.
But Master Galvin, who was also sitting on horseback, looked serious and did not relax at all. Unlike Phoenix, as they got closer and closer to the border of the Burgundy Kingdom, Galvin felt that the burden on him became more and more heavy.
This burden comes from his identity as the uncle of Flanders, the king of Burgundy, and from the same Otto family bloodline as Flanders.
Although he had been in business and court affairs for many years, Lord Galvin was never ready for the sudden departure of this young and promising monarch. With every step closer to Brian Di, the burden on his heart would become heavier.
But fortunately, they sent Flanders back to Burgundy alive. In this way, Flanders' body and soul also returned to his homeland.
Seeing that Lord Galvin did not answer, Phoenix stopped talking.
Bishop Olof and Doctor Thomas, who followed the two men, wore black robes and nodded to the pedestrians walking on both sides of the road from time to time.
As the Archbishop of the Burgundy Kingdom, Orlov wears a white round hat and carries a sense of religious majesty.
Every time he passed a market town along the way, Olof would go to the local church to pray and pray for Flanders. Although he knew in his heart that doing so would not help, as God's most faithful believer, he still expected that his prayers would be conveyed to God. Perhaps in his heart, this is the only thing he can do when faced with the life and death of King Fulfuland.
On the other hand, Doctor Thomas's actions were completely different from Bishop Olof's.
Although Thomas also calls himself a servant of God and a believer in the church, he almost never sets foot in the churches along the way.
Perhaps the secular attraction fascinates him far more than the preaching of the church clergy. He would rather sit down in a tavern and listen to others tell stories about foreign countries than recite a prayer.
But out of respect for Bishop Olof, he still suppressed the habits he had acquired from secular society.
Along the way, the two of them didn’t communicate much.
As the chief healer of the valley, and as a secular believer, Thomas received support from Art in many ways, including those behaviors and academic research that were considered heretical by the church. But walking with the archbishop of the princely state, Orlov showed amazing self-control. Along the way, he did not talk about some of his recent medical discoveries, but tried his best to cater to Bishop Orlov's religious views. Even though he completely disagreed with the claims, he showed no displeasure.
As a healer, Thomas is competent. But as a believer, he has his own opinions.
In this way, the group braved the scorching sun and finally arrived at the narrow doorway of the lake at noon.
Since the news had already been received, the government sent people to the lake area early in the morning to welcome the return of Galvin and others.
When the newly built iron-clad wooden door in the Lakeland slowly opened, it also heralded that the citizens of the Burgundy Kingdom were about to receive news that would shock them·
".—Father!"
As a familiar shout came, Galvin raised his tired body and looked sideways at the door. Seeing his daughter Lottie waiting there with Mrs. Galvin and grandson George, Mr. Galvin felt an inexplicable excitement in his heart.
ifier We're going home——'