Chapter 170 Taking over the Snow Maple Territory
After three months of disposal, Viscount John finally completed the sorting and relocation work, and bid farewell to the Snow Maple Territory completely.
This also means that Raven can officially begin to take over the Xuefeng Territory.
Outside Eagle Castle, Raven was riding a clawed yellow flying lightning. On his left was Eric, and on his right was Volaf holding the battle flag of the Griffith family. Behind him stood a column of bright armor. Liang's personal soldiers, followed by the two hundred best-performing recruits.
Old Gordon was the only one, holding the notes that never left his hand, wearing the enchanted monocle given to him by Raven, and writing furiously.
"Get ready to go, Old Gordon." Eric asked: "What are you writing, so serious?"
"Today is a big day." Old Gordon did not hide his excitement: " This is a big day that the Griffith family has not had in hundreds of years! ”
Looking up, I saw Old Gordon’s wet-stained notes written:
On July 21, 1194, Raven Ota Griffith Baron, officially incorporate the Snow Maple Territory into the territory of the Griffith family!
“Let’s go!” Lei Wen gave the order, and the troops rushed towards Xuefeng’s leader.
The Nord province has been stable for hundreds of years, and the citizens of Xuefeng Territory have experienced territory exchange for the first time. They are somewhat at a loss and can only resort to the usual methods of holding celebrations. The street trees on the roadside It was covered with colorful ribbons, which was quite fitting for the occasion.
The people stood on the roadside, wanting to see what their new lord looked like and whether he was as young as the legend.
When I saw it, I was a little surprised, because Raven was not only young, but also a little too young. It was difficult to compare him with the fierce image in the rumors.
When the Eagle Army passed by, they also subconsciously compared the differences between the old and new lords' armies, and were surprised to find that in terms of equipment, Baron Raven's soldiers were superior.
At least even the new recruits are wearing a full set of heavy armor.
Most of these heavy armors were captured from the Battle of Bloody Highlands. After repairs and modifications, some of them were given to recruits. Now, of the more than 2,000 recruits, only one brigade, or about 500 people, can be equipped with heavy armor. .
The horse was walking on the road led by Xue Feng, looking at the golden fields on both sides of the road, Lei Wen gradually began to feel hot in his heart.
Although he had an idea before, there was one limitation that always stood in front of Raven's eyes - lack of food!
Food is the foundation for the development of a territory.
The Eagle Territory is too small, with limited cultivated land. Although the food produced can be self-sufficient, it is very unable to expand the population and develop other industries.
For example, the main industry of Goldshire is the tavern.
It was because of the war that business routes were cut off and it was difficult to import foreign drinks. As a result, the entire tavern industry in Goldsmith Town suffered heavy losses and was in ruins. A large number of taverns closed down!
In fact, Raven had a plan to build his own brewery very early, not only for the sake of Goldsmith Town, but also in the hope that Angel Tears and Angel Kiss could have a relatively stable output.
It’s a pity that wine requires food, and the Eagle Territory doesn’t have that much.
Even if Lei Wen stockpiled a batch of grain before the war, this is not a long-term solution - everything else can be imported, but if the grain is choked by others, it will really be in trouble. You are making a joke with the future of the entire territory and the entire family.
Food security is a top priority for a country or a territory.
Now, Xuefeng Ling’s acquisition has completely solved Raven’s concerns.
If the eagle collar is like an irregular olive, then the snow maple collar is like a long, curved loaf of bread.
Unlike Eagle Territory, which has a variety of terrains and industries, as well as unique granite output, Snow Maple Territory's output types are relatively poor, mainly agricultural products.
Ke Xue Maple Territory also has a unique advantage. It is located between two mountain ranges, with the Liujing River running through it. The land area is only about six or seven times that of the Eagle Territory, but the cultivated land area is larger than that of the Eagle Territory. It is more than twenty times that of Eagle Territory. According to Old Gordon's preliminary estimation, as long as it is fully developed, it can fully support a population of more than 300,000!
This means that as long as Raven relaxes the policy and allows the serfs to have enough to eat, the population of Xuefeng Territory will be able to at least double in less than twenty years!
More population, more productivity, more soldiers!
Xue Maple Territory not only has a huge area and wide arable land, but also has various types of arable land. In addition to fertile black soil suitable for cultivating staple foods, there is also sandy loam suitable for the growth of peanuts, watermelons, and even the favorite areas of flowers. There is no shortage of acidic red soil either.
This also means that the flowers used by Angel Kiss can basically be self-sufficient in the future.
"My lord." Eric whispered from the side: "Ahead is the Crystal River."
Raven looked up and saw a silver ribbon shining in the sun.
It is the flood season at this time, and there are fishing boats of all sizes floating on the river that is more than fifty meters wide.
This is the Liujing River, the mother river of Xuefeng Territory. It runs across Xuefeng Territory from northwest to southeast. It is also one of the tributaries of Meng'en River.
From the current perspective, the original riverside workshop is already a bit small in scale. The new workshop can be placed beside the Liquid Crystal River to be responsible for large-scale industrial production.
For example, metal smelting and weapon forging, and the original riverside workshop can be dedicated to manufacturing Angel series products.
There is a stone bridge across the Liujing River. Not far beyond the stone bridge is Xuefeng Town.
As the core of the entire Xuefeng Territory, Xuefeng Town is quite large. Although it is not a commercial town, its permanent population has reached about 16,000, and its industries are relatively complete.
The streets are spacious and clean. The residents are no longer swarming on the roadside. Instead, they have elected a group of representatives, headed by Xuefeng’s administrative officer Kuman, who lined up at the entrance of the town to respond. Complete preparations were made. welcome ceremony.
Not only were there spontaneous bands and fireworks displays, the local priests also organized church choirs to line up on both sides of the road to welcome the visitors.
After all, the fact that Raven is favored by Archbishop Thomas is not a secret within the Church of Light in Nord Province.
The choir consists of a group of children aged six to fourteen. The boys wear gray vests and white trousers; the girls wear plain white dresses.
They held bouquets and waved them eagerly on the street, and there was even a beautiful little girl who gave Raven a wreath.
When seeing this scene, Raven felt as if he had returned to his previous life.
It’s just that at that time, he was the child waving bouquets and cheering below, but now, he is the one who is welcomed.
Bent down to take the wreath, Raven held the little girl in his arms. Xuefeng Town Administrative Officer Kuman stepped forward to salute and presented a meeting gift on behalf of Xuefeng Town.
A Griffith family flag said to have been embroidered stitch by stitch by the residents of Snow Maple Town. It has a red background and gold thread. The craftsmanship is extraordinary at first glance.
Lei Wenxin accepted it happily and said something that seemed very gentle. If the water is squeezed out, the dry content can be summed up in one sentence:
Those who follow me will prosper. Those who oppose me will perish.
It fully embodies the arrogance, strength and arrogance that a noble should have. And no one feels inappropriate about this. Even if we don't mention Raven's dazzling achievements, his own achievements alone are already amazing.
That was a second-level magician in his early twenties!
Magicians inherently represent power and mystery, and coupled with their youth, they become even more irresistible.
The welcome meeting ended quickly, because everyone knew that it was just a front stop, a passing scene, setting the tone for Raven's subsequent rule.
Leaven led his soldiers through Xuefeng Town and came to Xuefeng Castle.
Just like the name, Xuefeng Castle itself has a very distinctive architectural style.
The exterior wall is paved with pieces of white granite with maple leaf patterns carved on it. It looks elegant, bright and clean, like a church more than a castle, and has the style of the Parthenon in Raven's previous life.
The servants were waiting in the yard. When they saw Raven arriving, they all knelt down and saluted, expressing their submission to the new master.
Snow Maple Castle is larger than Eagle Castle and uses more servants. Even though some were taken away by Viscount John, there are still more than a hundred servants today.
Having no interest in torturing his servants, under Raven's order, Old Gordon took Fiona to register these people and asked them to return to their respective places, stating that as long as they serve with their heart, they don't have to worry about their jobs. .
The soldiers began to take over Xuefeng Castle, and Simon and others began to re-map the entire Xuefeng territory under Raven's order.
As the saying goes in Nord Province, a new lord always has to do three major things when he takes office.
After a night's rest, Raven held a half-month buffet banquet in Xuefeng Castle. Free citizens in the entire Xuefeng territory could come to dine, and Raven would personally Meet them and let them express their worries and needs face to face.
Among the five major human forces in Middles Continent today, human classes can be divided into three classes, from bottom to top: serfs, free people, and nobles/priests.
Among the three, nobility and priests need not be mentioned in detail, serfs account for the largest proportion of the population.
They have no personal freedom and have been the private property of their lords since birth. Poverty and ignorance are synonymous with them.
Some families, such as the Fox family, wanted to prevent serfs from escaping, so they stamped their bodies with the family crest of the Fox family like animals.
Then there are free citizens, who account for a small proportion of the population and are concentrated in relatively developed towns. The proportions vary significantly in different regions. For example, the proportion of free citizens in Meng'en City is as high as at least 60%.
Freedmen are also the main part of the floating population on the mainland. Businessmen, such as Denise and Phillip, are all from this status.
The free people who can come and dare to come to Xuefeng Castle are undoubtedly businessmen with considerable property. They bring their own gifts and behave politely.
They each have their own purpose.
Some people want to buy peace of mind, some want to reach a cooperation with Raven, and some are simply spies for other nobles to find out the details of the new baron and future Sheriff of Xuefeng County.
The carriage stopped outside Xuefeng Castle, and the merchants walked into the castle under the scrutiny of Raven and his soldiers. The soldiers had strong physiques, excellent weapons, and cold temperaments, plus the new recruits. The ferocious masks on their faces gave those who obeyed Raven a strong sense of security, and also brought huge psychological pressure to those with evil intentions.
When they enter the hall, they will see Baron Raven sitting on the throne.
Leaven wore high boots made of black Warcraft leather, his lower body was in smart white cloth trousers, and his upper body was wearing a high-collar dress made of silk, with a pure black background and dark embroidery with silver thread.
This is the masterpiece of Wrynn, the master tailor of Monen City, which can not only reflect the low-key luxury, but also bring out the heroic temperament of Lei Wen.
This is not in line with the mainstream aesthetics of today's Keynesian empire, but it better reflects Raven's style - a shrewd and capable person who rises through military exploits!
Coupled with his dagger-like face, the whole person looks calm and intimidating. There is a smile on the corner of his mouth, but it makes people feel awe, and all doubts about his age disappear.
So, no matter what their intentions were, the merchants would respectfully kneel down and salute Raven, address themselves as Baron Raven, leave their gifts and names, and communicate with Raven. Afterwards, go to the side hall for dinner.
Although the process was brief, no matter who he faced, Raven was always able to ask about the key and essence of the matter, showing his familiarity and control over business activities.
For example, if you meet a businessman who specializes in selling bulk goods, you will be concerned about warehousing issues; if you meet a businessman selling daily groceries, you will ask about the traffic situation; if you meet a businessman selling jewelry, you will ask about public security situation.
In addition to these basic exchanges, some businessmen will actually ask Raven for help.
Something as small as a lack of liquidity and the need for investment, or as big as one's own caravan being robbed by horse thieves or people acting in the name of horse thieves.
For these requests, Raven also solved them one by one. The former only required gold coins, and the most indispensable thing in Raven's hands right now was gold coins - there were still nearly two hundred thousand piled in the warehouse.
As for the latter, it is very simple. As long as Eric brings Raven's personal soldiers to the scene, no matter whether he is a real horse thief or not, he will become very talkative and reasonable.
In addition to businessmen, there are also some extraordinary extraordinary people who come to visit, most of them are first-order.
Some of them are retired military officers, and some are mercenaries.
The appeal is also very simple. I hope to serve the Griffith family and obtain the title and status of a knight.
Knight is the threshold of nobility and a title that can be passed down from family to family. Once you become a knight, your whole life will be completely different.
And Raven is now called a baron but is actually a viscount. It is not uncommon for a viscount to have more than ten or twenty knights under his command. With so many vacancies for knights under his command, it has naturally attracted many people to covet him. .
It is impossible to give them a title, after all, it is worthless if you give them too much.
However, Raven still made two conditions for them.
Either join the Eagle Army and start as a centurion; or become an instructor and be responsible for training the new recruits in martial arts.
The salary will not be lower than the first-level extraordinary standard salary.
Of course, they all need to pass the assessment.
This condition is not too harsh, but it is difficult to retain someone without a title, so for eight consecutive days, a total of thirty-one extraordinary people came, and only three agreed to stay.
Even among those who left, there were no idiots who clamored to make Raven look good, held a grudge against Raven, or showed off their martial arts skills to gain Raven's attention. After all, everyone was a decent person, and they got along easily and separated easily.
On the ninth day of the banquet, the number of visitors began to decline, but as Raven's reputation for "doing things impartially" spread, the status of the visitors began to rise, such as those from several surrounding noble territories. A knight, even a baron.
On the eleventh day, a visitor that Raven had not expected came to Xuefeng Castle.
……
(End of this chapter)