Chapter 182 Plans and Goals
Autumn in the North always comes earlier.
It’s mid-August, and although it’s still hot during the day, the weather always becomes cool and pleasant in the morning and evening.
In the early morning of this morning, Lei Wen ran in small steps among the fields and ridges. The slightly cold air flowed down his throat into his lungs and was spit out again, which made Lei Wen's spirit more uplifted and his mood changed. Much more relaxed.
The wheat planted in the spring has already matured and been harvested and returned to the warehouse. However, the hard-working citizens did not let the land lie idle, but planted a variety of seasonal vegetables.
Spinach, radish, and chrysanthemum are all crops that can be harvested before winter, but the most popular ones are lettuce - which is actually Chinese cabbage. Now the seedlings have broken out of the ground, with dewdrops hanging on the dark green leaves. In a month or two, you will be able to see fat cabbages all over the ground.
In an open space next to the farmland, there are more than a dozen carriages gathered together. They are the carriages of the Dark Side of the Moon Traveling Troupe. They just arrived last night and applied for the right to use the venue from Eagle Castle. It is estimated that by tomorrow, the stage will be completely set up.
Leaving the farmland, we arrived at the outskirts of Eagle Town. The sky was just getting bright at this moment, and the streets were empty.
As Raven stepped on the smooth street, the sound of his footsteps sounded clearly, and the wall of the arena next to him hit the wall and reverberated, making it look ethereal and clear.
The streets were built flat and solid, and willow trees were planted along the roadside. If it weren't for the lack of street lights, Raven would almost feel like he had returned to his previous life.
Morning jogging hadn't been a long time coming, but Raven had already formed a habit.
Self-discipline is of course one aspect, but more importantly, Raven likes this feeling.
Not just the running itself, but watching buildings like pubs, restaurants, and arenas rise from scratch, and watching Eagle Town become prosperous little by little under his own plan. A sense of accomplishment will arise spontaneously.
The fact before him made Raven more gratified than any flattery.
When we bypassed the arena and arrived at the other side of Eagle Town, the smoke from the homes of the residents was already rising.
The women began to prepare breakfast for the whole family. They also fed the chickens and took out a few eggs. Then they opened the door and let the ducks go to the Jinsha River to find food.
So Raven's ears began to be filled with the quacking of ducks. Fortunately, there were not many people raising geese, otherwise he would have been chased for a long distance.
I don’t know who’s dog ran out. When I saw Raven, I followed him all the way. It was a big yellow dog that is common in the countryside. Raven couldn’t tell the breed. The fur was shiny yellow, with its tongue sticking out and its tail. Shaking and flying.
Running straight outside the castle, the yellow dog was still a little reluctant to leave.
Leaven stopped, squatted down, and rubbed its head.
This yellow dog also has a very good temper. Even if Raven kneads it out of shape, it won't even hide.
"What, you want to go home with me?" Raven asked with a smile.
At this moment, a slightly urgent cry came from the town: "——Bobby! Where are you?"
The yellow dog was stunned for a moment, then shook his head Tails turned around and ran away.
Not paying attention to this little episode, Raven returned to the castle and changed his clothes. As soon as he returned to the study, Xiaobai came over and rubbed his big head against Raven's chest, and then suddenly became alert. stand up.
His head moved left and right beside Raven, sniffed his hands, and then stared into his eyes, which seemed to mean:
Do you have a pet outside?
Leaven couldn't laugh or cry, so he patted Xiaobai's head gently and sat back at the desk. Xiaobai came over and put his head on Raven's lap.
Laying out a blank piece of parchment, Raven picked up the quill and dipped it in ink. After thinking for a moment, he started writing without stopping.
Every morning run is not just exercise, but also a process for Lei Wen to sort out his gains and losses, making his next goals clearer.
Soon, three goals appeared on the parchment:
First, speed up the construction of the forging factory and strive to complete the mass production of weapons and equipment within the year.
Second, plant and cultivate Congyun kumquats, and use Denise to collect other raw materials for the magic potion.
Third, urge the construction of the new castle to be completed as soon as possible without sparing manpower and funds.
These three things are judged according to the priority of the matter.
The first is the blacksmithing workshop. Not long after the war, the demand for weapons and equipment is at its peak. Entering now can make a quick buck.
Moreover, weapons and equipment are a necessity for the nobles. The price may fall in the future, but as long as the war is not eliminated, there will never be any worries about sales.
Then there is the magic potion, which can awaken the talent of a magician. This is undoubtedly the sooner the better. With each additional magician under his command, Raven can do more things.
Not to mention anything else, Raven couldn't keep an eye on the magic plant alone. Except for the key parts, he had to do it himself, such as transplanting, watering, and harvesting. He had to hand it over as soon as possible. good.
The last thing is the construction of the new castle. It is not only a castle, but also the core of the future development of Raven's territory. Only when it is built can Raven's next plan be carried out step by step.
This is undoubtedly a huge expense, and the few gold coins left in my hand cannot even make up for a fraction of it. Even with the continuous blood transfusions in the Arena and the Wallace Hotel, it is not enough.
"Then set a small goal for yourself first."
The tip of the pen fell on the paper. Raven first wrote a 0, then hesitated for a moment and added another 0 in front. , and finally wrote the word 1 repeatedly.
“One million gold coins!”
People have to have some dreams!
You don't even have the guts to talk about overthrowing the Mages Guild and tearing down the Deep Blue Platform?
What's more, to become a count, you can't even have a millionaire!
However, as a lord, you cannot just focus on your own one-third of an acre of land, but you must also always pay attention to the situation around you and the outside world.
After integrating Xuefeng Territory, Raven's territory has expanded a lot. It is shaped like an irregular pea pod and is located on the northwest border of Xuefeng County.
With this as the center, to the northwest, across the Eagle Mountains, is the Bloody Highlands.
Adjacent to the southwest is the mountain territory of Baron Anderson. This baron is now around thirty years old and does not seem to have any ambitions. He has not even responded to the previous call of the Slater family and is concentrating on living his life behind closed doors.
The south connects to Holorland and is ruled by Baron Hugh of the Vernon family. Raven and he have not met yet and have only spoken to him a few times based on letters.
Xiu Fu's situation is very similar to Raven's. The previous head of the Vernon family died on the battlefield and had no heirs, so Xiu Fu was found as the heir.
This man was born in Hovey City, and he did not shy away from the label of the Fox family. He was vaguely proud of being the dog of the Fox family. In the correspondence, he used this to get closer to Raven more than once. relation.
In the southeastern Eck Territory, the previous head of the family died in battle with Viscount Fisher, and his eldest son, Moss Tanbeck, inherited the title. It is said that he has a deep relationship with the Slater family. After Hyde left the Eagle Territory before, he made a special detour to stay at his place for a day.
The last is Ironforge Ridge to the east, run by our old acquaintance Judra Wharton, oh, it should be called Judra Ota Wharton now.
I heard that Judra's life has not been very good recently.
Logically speaking, Tielu Ridge has a strong forging industry foundation, and the armored weapons it produces have a good reputation. It can be said to be well-known in the province of Nord. Now is the time when armored weapons are most popular. How can I say this? It’s time for everyone to embrace them with their arms full.
Unfortunately, although Lei Wen promised him that the ore produced by the Gray Mountain Mine would be supplied at a fair price, and Lei Wen did so, the cost of manufacturing equipment in Iron Furnace Ridge was also rising. Production capacity is still declining.
The reason is simple - lack of fuel.
The Wharton family has been rooted here for hundreds of years and has been engaged in forging. The trees in the Iron Furnace Territory have been cut down for a long time, and they have been relying on the high-quality firewood provided by the Thousand Needles Jungle.
After Raven took back the land, he immediately banned commercial logging.
It’s not that he wanted to kill Kajudra’s neck, it’s just that in Raven’s territory, all kinds of construction and production activities are indispensable for the support of wood. He doesn’t even use enough for himself, so how can he squeeze it out and give it to him? Judra?
So Judra had to buy firewood from the outside at a high price. Even so, it was unsustainable and had to use coal to smelt the ore.
As a result, the smelted finished product is difficult to use and requires a lot of time to process and refine.
I heard that two big orders have been messed up!
"How pitiful." Raven sighed, but a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
No longer paying attention to Judra, Raven drew his attention back to his own territory and wrote two words on the parchment:
Break the situation.
Although he had taken advantage of the Slater and Fox families before, Raven knew that he was not qualified to challenge them based on sheer strength.
To really get out of the chessboard and become a chess player rather than a chess piece, you not only need to strengthen the strength of your own territory, but also need to have a larger force.
With many people, there is power.
Only by unifying Xuefeng County can we initially have the qualifications to talk to Slater and Fox on an equal footing.
This is not easy. You must know that Viscount John was previously the Sheriff, but in the end he could only get three noble families to stand by his side.
The simplest way is to turn to one of Slater and Fox and use their power to complete the integration.
But in this case, the act of integration itself becomes meaningless.
Lei Wen wants to develop his own power, but he doesn’t want to get under someone else’s pants and be a douche!
So how can we win these people over?
Benefits!
In fact, after the Battle of the Hand of Death, the problems of many noble families in the Nord province were exposed. In Xuefeng County alone, Judra's family was not the only one who was troubled by internal and external troubles.
Either there is a lack of money, a lack of food, a lack of weapons and armor, or like Ms. Doreen, the territory clearly produces something but lacks sales channels.
And Raven can basically solve these.
In addition to the fact that the Eagle Territory and the Snow Maple Territory can provide food on a large scale, don’t forget that Denise is a grain merchant!
In addition, Denise now serves as the president of the Mengcheng Lower City Chamber of Commerce. Through her, she can find suitable channels for the output of various businesses in Xuefeng County without worrying about being unable to sell.
This is the biggest card that Raven holds in his hand.
"Don't rush, the time is not mature enough." Lei Wen rubbed Xiaobai's head and said to himself: "You must have a famous teacher."
If the name is not right, the words will not be correct. By the way, what Raven is waiting for is the day when the appointment of Sheriff is officially issued.
At that time, it will be the beginning of Raven's official integration of Xuefeng County into a monolithic unit!
Time passed little by little. After lunch, Raven began his routine magic practice. After all, he bought six kinds in one go.
At dusk, Raven left the secret room, and while washing, he found that Petty was a little distracted: "What, you are not feeling well?"
"No, no, Lord Baron." Petty came back to his senses, Somewhat embarrassed: "I just heard that the traveling theater troupe has opened, and I was thinking about what it would be like!"
"Has the performance started yet? Lei Wen was stunned for a moment: "Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow?"
"That's true, but I heard that the stage has been set up, so they started the performance one day early."
"So that's it..." Raven nodded slowly, picked up a towel and wiped the foam off his face: "Then I'll give you a holiday and go have some fun."
Petty's eyes lit up: "Lord Baron, what should I wear?"
"Wear what you like best." Raven responded casually, got dressed and turned to leave: "By the way, there is no need for tonight. Save a midnight snack for me."
A trace of loneliness flashed across Patty's face - she still wanted to play with Baron Raven.
Leaven is not Brother Chu, so of course he can hear the hint in Petty's words, but now, what he is thinking about is not Petty, but someone else.
We arrived at Eagle Town Church all the way. The evening service had just ended. The setting sun dyed the church orange-red, but some people still did not leave.
It was a group of seven or eight-year-old children. They gathered around the water basin, holding peanuts, acorns, and wild peaches in their hands. They all approached Capibala who was soaking in the large water basin.
The Kapibala named "Little Lazy", under the care of Lux, became even more shiny and smooth. At this time, half of its body was floating on the water, and it was not picky about food. Just bite it in your mouth and then start chewing slowly.
Just watching it eat can calm people down.
“Where did Priest Lux go?” Raven asked.
This question immediately woke the children up. They threw the fruits in their hands into the basin, then stood up and began to salute in all directions.
There was a clever little girl who ran directly behind after saluting, shouting as she ran: "Sister Lux! The Baron is here to meet you for a date!"
Not long after, footsteps sounded, Lux's figure appeared in front of Raven.
"Leaven, why are you here?"
Leaven smiled and raised his eyebrows: "I came to see you on a date."
......
(End of this chapter)