After spending just over a day in Aosta, at noon the next day, Arte bid farewell to the Viscount of Berrion and rode north under the gifts of the stewards of the European Merchant House.

The main purpose of Art's southward trip this time was to explore the valley and prepare for the next step of expansion, and secondly, to dredge up the relationship between the European Merchant Houses on the eastern border, these things Salter had already done very well, but it was still necessary for Art to come forward in person.

After personally visiting the Viscount of Berrion and going north to meet and greet the magnates along the way, the purpose of Atter's southward journey was basically achieved, and now he must rush back to the north and return to his own territory to take charge of military and civil affairs.

After more than a year of post-war recovery, the law and order in the north of Provence has basically returned to the pre-war level, so everyone does not have to worry about the sudden emergence of bandits and robbers.

In addition, the northerners of Provence were more honest and honest than the southerners, so it was rare to set up checkpoints along the way to loot taxes, and everyone arrived in Kitsby, an important town in northern Provence, at the end of April, and the Kitzby Continental Merchant House rested overnight before embarking on a journey back to Burgundy across the border.

Art had made many trips back and forth on this wilderness road across the border, but the Provençal refugees fleeing north were almost invisible on the trade routes, replaced by refugees from the Count of Burgundy who had fled south from the Northland.

"I never thought that in the past, the displaced people of Provence ran to Burgundy to escape the war after all kinds of difficulties and dangers, but now the stars have changed, and the refugees from Burgundy have dragged their families south to Provence to avoid disasters." Looking at the refugees who retreated to both sides of the road to make way for the horses, Art couldn't help but sigh.

Ron turned his head to look at the refugees who were kneeling and trembling on the side of the road, "Master, I have observed, the refugees I have seen along the way are basically the old, weak, women and children and burdensome families with their families, I think those young and strong refugee families have been sheltered and recruited by the refugee recruitment points we set up along the way." ”

Art nodded, "Yes, it's heart-wrenching to watch the loss of these civilians, a war will have countless casualties, and these civilians with all beards and tails will flee south again, who will cultivate the land and resume production after the war?" Who will make utensils to build the castle? ”

Art couldn't help but worry about the future of the Count of Burgundy, and on the way north to Provence, he saw a country devastated by war, and even a bustling city like Aosta was so withered, and even those farther away could not bear to look at it directly.

Ron disagreed, "Sir, I think war is good. If there is no war, how can you be promoted to knight and baron with outstanding military achievements, and then step by step to become a real viscount? If there is no war, how can we be in Provence? If there were no wars, how easy would it be for us to recruit a large number of people? ”

Art smiled, he knew that in Ron's head, the "feeling of home and country" had basically not appeared, whether it was Provence or Burgundy, it was just a name for him, and the place in his heart was far less important than the valley.

Ironically, even Art himself did not have this complete "family feeling", it stands to reason that he was born Lombard and was considered a Lombard, but now he is the lord of the Count of Burgundy, and he is inextricably linked to Provence, and has helped Provence resist the Lombard army.

"Regardless of its country, the land that belongs to me is my home." Art sighed in his heart and kicked the horse's belly lightly and walked slowly, trying his best to preserve the horsepower of the warhorse.

"From Vilno to now, our war horse has been galloping for more than ten days, the war horse's physical strength is very depleted, and the horse's fat has fallen off several laps, after returning to the valley, you let the wrangler give me a good breed and recover as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

Southern Heath, County Tignats, Border Outpost.

The outpost of a few years ago, enclosed by a few wooden houses and a ring of wooden fences, has been replaced by four distinctly planned districts—the "outpost" tower in the commanding high wasteland of the gentle hills, the military fort with high wooden fences separated by 100 paces, the neatly planned residential area, and the free market surrounded by low fences, with a north-south avenue running through the four districts.

The overall size of the area has not changed much from a year or two ago, but the details inside have changed dramatically. The "outpost tower" was doubled, and the original wooden fence was removed, replaced by a rammed earth wall built by the Beiguan military fort technology, and the barracks, arsenals, warehouses, houses, stables and other facilities in the wall were complete, which was a miniature version of the Beiguan military fort; The original temporary shacks and thatched huts in the residential area have basically disappeared, and the people who have registered and settled here have built houses one after another, although the houses are very simple, but they are always better than those shacks, and some past business travelers have seen the potential value of this place and have spent money to buy land to repair and build houses here.

In the past two years, the civil affairs officer Cooper has visited the place more than a dozen times to direct the construction of more than a dozen single-storey cabins, which are specially rented to business travelers to set up shops, and special officials such as sheriffs and tax officials have also been set up in the free market.

The entire border post garrisoned 30 people, and the people of 57 households and 230 people.

In addition to the registered merchants, there are five other merchants who live here to sell goods, these people are renting houses and opening some grocery shops and prostitutes, and they pay heavier taxes than the lords, but they are all within the scope of bearing, after all, the development policy of Atí is "attracting investment and drainage".

As the popularity and status of the place became more and more important, according to Art's arrangement, four walls were to be built to completely transform this place into a walled border market town......

"Lord Simon, all the stones within five miles of the outpost have been used up, and even the river stones in the stream have been dug up to make stones, but there is still a lot of difference, especially the whole stone slab, there are very few fine stones in the wasteland here, and there may be a lot of stones in the forests in the southeast, but they are all covered by dense forests, and it is difficult to dig and transport. Otherwise, we will first use the stone as the foundation and wood on top, so that the fort wall will also be strong. A middle-aged man who looked like a builder with architectural blueprints in his hand complained to Simon, the supreme commander of the place, with a thin sweat on his forehead.

Simon, who was one-armed, was squinting at the stones piled up in the clearing, "Lord Art is planning very far, so he repeatedly emphasizes that the walls here must be solid enough. ”

"I have already reported to the civil magistrate, and he agreed that we should first consolidate the foundation of the city wall, and if the stone is not enough, we will first build the foundation of the wall half a person high, and then build a higher wall every year, and little by little one we will be able to build a strong city."

Ten paces north of the stream, a deep ditch four feet wide, five feet deep, and three hundred feet long had been dug, and on three sides there were such ravines, and bridges were made of planks to make it easier for men and horses to get in and out of the ravines, and the laborers were filling in the foundations with gravel and river stones, and at intervals they were erecting stakes.

Since the beginning of winter last year, the city has begun to recruit refugees from the south to build the wall, but the progress is very slow, and last month the valley civil administration sent a builder to help build the wall, and transferred more than 20 newly recruited refugees from the north to work, these refugees do not have to pay salaries, only need to provide a dry and thin food every day, and a shack that can barely shelter from the wind and rain.

Simon was holding a long wooden stick to check whether the foundation stone of the wall was tight, and he heard a few sounds of horses, and looked up to see a fast horse on patrol coming in the dust.

When they got closer, the cavalry jerked the reins to stop the horses' hooves, and jumped down before the horses could stop.

"What's the matter? Panicked! Simon yelled at the cavalry.

The cavalry spat out the dust from his mouth, "Lord Simon, my lord, they are here." ”

Simon threw away the long stick in his hand and said in surprise: "My lord? My lord, they're coming on their southern tour? ”

The cavalry was also excited, "Yes, just now we followed Chief Benjamin on the southern road patrol, and happened to meet the adults who came back from Kitsby, accompanied by Sir Ron and Matthew brothers, my lord, their horses have traveled too long to run, so I will come back to report the news first." ”

Ten days ago, Simon had heard Salter mention that Art was heading south along the valley, and that he might have passed through it on his way back, but there had been no movement for a long time, and he had almost forgotten about it.

"Quick, prepare me a fast horse, and I'll go meet them. Also to free up a few of the cleanest rooms in the hostel and prepare a table with the best food......"

Standing in a farmland on the bank of the upstream stream of the outpost station, holding a handful of wheat seedlings that had just been budded, watching the wheat buds crawling all over the seedlings, the corners of Art's mouth rose from the heart.

This is the earliest cultivated land reclaimed by the border outpost, and it is also the first place where the "farmland manure method" was first piloted, and until now there are crosses erected by Yate around the farmland, but those crosses have been remade and made stronger.

Manure manure has spread in Yat's territory, using this method in half of the inter-valley fields in the valley, and crop yields have increased by three points, and in some barren lands by up to six points.

However, the manure method promoted by Art was kept a top secret by the civil administration, and the people of the rest of the country, except for the farmers in the valley, only knew that human and animal dung plus crosses and the prayers of the faithful could produce abundant food, but only a few people knew the details.

Art couldn't laugh at this, he had no intention of hiding this "secret recipe" that is conducive to increasing agricultural production, but several chief officials of the civil administration insisted on keeping it private, and there were indeed not many lords who could accept dung, so Art simply agreed.

“...... Simon, Benjamin, half of the credit for getting this place to this point goes to me and Cooper, and the other half goes to you two! Art smiled and complimented Simon and Benjamin, who were accompanying him.

"It's all your strategy, my lord, Lord Cooper personally commanded, Benjamin and I are just doing some chores, and it deserves your praise." Simon said a few polite words.

Simon had been trained at the Military Academy, and had twice been instructed to attend the parish academy, so it was said that there were some scribes and troubadours in tune.

Art handed the seedlings to Ron, turned and touched Simon's empty left cuff, "You are all meritorious people to me, I have been busy fighting here this year and rarely come here to see you, but I always remember you in my heart. ”

Simon was very moved, "My lord, I know that you are always thinking about us. In the early autumn of last year, my wife gave birth to a son for me, and Madame sent Miss Ollie to bring us clothes that you and Madame had gifted us, saying that you had specially ordered them. My wife was so moved that she couldn't cry and said that she must bow down and thank you when she sees you. ”

Art was stunned for a moment, he knew that Simon was married, but he didn't know that Simon had a child, and he was so busy all day long that he might care about these little things.

Slightly stunned, Art immediately understood that this was all his wife Loti's idea, and couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his heart, "This is all as it should be, I have always been careless, but I still have a little more thought about you heroes." Art also climbed the pole, and he couldn't live up to Lottie's hard work.

"When your son grows up, I will arrange for him to enter the parish academy and enter the officer academy, and become an officer like you in the future, inherit your title, and glorify your family."

Art shouted to the others who accompanied him: "You will too, and in the future your children will also enjoy the same education as the nobility, and will become new civil officials and army officers......"

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Chapter 399: A Border Town