At the southern border outpost, the outpost commanders, Simon and Benjamin, are accompanying Yat and the others around the outpost.

Simon, the commander of the outpost, explained to Art half a step behind, "My lord, we will begin to strengthen the walls of the outpost after receiving your order. Since the beginning of the summer, the displaced people who had fled from the south and north have stopped near the outpost one after another, and I consulted with Benjamin, took out the grain stored at the outpost, and recruited a group of young and strong refugees to repair and strengthen the wall for us. Now not only has the outpost wall been reinforced, but even the perimeter of the wall has been planted with a one-man high spire to reject horses. After the outpost was reinforced, the displaced people who stayed around the outpost spontaneously built a half-man-high fence in their huts with miscellaneous wood and dead branches. ”

Art had long thought that the outpost on the north-south highway would become more and more lively, but the speed at which the outpost developed was still beyond Art's expectations.

A few months ago, there was only a five-man border outpost and four or five makeshift shacks made of dead leaves and rags. But a few months later, two thatched huts, seven or eight shacks, and a large ring of low fences had been erected around the outpost on the mound, and it had become almost a shortened version of the small mound - the outer courtyard "castle".

Art looked at the increasingly popular border outpost with surprise on his face, and boasted, "Simon Benjamin, I didn't misunderstand you two!"

"My lord, this is all your merit, if it weren't for the fact that you led your army to wipe out the bandits rampant in the south some time ago, no one would dare to come and go here." Simon was humble and did not forget to praise Yate.

Art waved his hand and smiled, and said: "Since this can really develop into a village fortress settlement, then let it continue to expand and strive to become a new border town, anyway, this is our territory now, and no one dares to come to point out the construction of my territory, and when I return from this trip to the north, I will select a few more capable brothers from the wounded soldiers of the army to send here to strengthen the garrison." When you have enough men, you must always patrol up and down the stream with your soldiers, and you must not let the profiteers sneak in from other parts of the stream. ”

"There are already a lot of displaced people gathered here, so you can just use a pointed fence in the open space next to the outpost as I said last time, turn this place into a small border fair, build a thatched hut in the fair, prepare a few iron pots and a few floor shops, and use it as a small inn, and arrange a few reliable people to run it, and in the future, traders from the north and south can stop here to make transactions. Then you collect some of the taxes from the merchant travelers who stop by to keep the market running. ”

"As for those who are willing to stay permanently, you can also choose and register them, so that they can also become our subjects, and then select a group of young and strong people from the registered people to serve as peasant soldiers, and when the garrison of the outpost is not enough, these young and strong peasant soldiers can be filled."

"Most of the land around the outpost is not suitable for farming, but the small amount of land along the banks of the stream should be able to barely grow some lowly miscellaneous grains, and after the displaced people are registered as subjects, a few plots of land along the banks of the stream will be allocated to those peasant families who have joined the peasant army in their families, and these lands, like the valleys, will not be taxed for the first year, and then levied five taxes and one, and after five years of cultivation, the same can be returned to the peasant households for permanent cultivation......

"The next time you go back to Mubao, discuss this matter with the old housekeeper, let him check it for you, and then see if the Mubao side can give some support for cattle, farm tools, grain and other materials."

The creation of new bazaars, the registration of displaced people as vassals, and the attempt to cultivate the barren land on both sides of the stream were all improvised by Art after seeing the current state of the border outpost, and since this was the domain canonized to him by the court, he certainly wanted to make this barren land prosperous.

After explaining these things, Art looked back at the barren land on both sides of the stream, and after a moment of struggle, finally decided to take out what he had been thinking about for a long time.

"Simon, I've given you another special task, and you're in charge of it."

Simon thought that Art was going to give him an important secret mission, so he quickly listened intently.

Art whispered beside Simon, occasionally pointing to a piece of land near the outpost by the stream, to the stables in the outpost, and to the pile of manure outside the outpost.

Simon listened to Art's words, his eyes grew bigger and bigger, and his face became whiter and whiter.

"My lord, how can this work??? It is blasphemy against the gods to allow seeds to grow in these filthy things!! If the church had known, we would have all been burned at the stake. Besides, if you put seeds in the land with manure, can they really grow? ”

Art knew that "dung" was absolutely unclean to the devout faithful, and whoever dared to sprinkle excrement on the ground would be destroying the land that had been blessed by God. Moreover, dung is the material for witches, wizards, and demons to cast spells, and if you dare to use this as fertilizer, it is normal for the crops in the field to be reduced, and if the yield is high, it will be burned at the stake.

"So I'll let you do it yourself, Simon, and most importantly plant a cross on each side of the manure and the field that has been fertilized. A monk once told me that the land with four crosses in the east, west, north, and south became a sacred place for God. When the seed is planted, find four of the most devout believers to kneel before the cross and pray, then water it regularly, and leave the rest to God and miracles. ”

Simon was skeptical and asked, "My lord, can the cross really drive away evil things from the dung and make the grain abundant?" ”

"Simon, we are to believe in God's miracles. I also happened to hear from a passing monk who said that God has the power to turn unclean things into nourishing things, and that the piles of human and animal manure and weeds and sludge will be transformed into seed power after God's influence. Art knew that if the manure was to be forced, it would cause great resistance, but if the process was involving the power of God, then everything that would happen in the future would be a miracle.

Seeing that Simon was still skeptical, Art said: "You just think that I am eager to prove God's miracles, anyway, if we fail, our hearts are not pious enough, which means that we must continue to pray to God." ”

Anyway, Art had already arranged it, Simon simply didn't think much about it anymore and nodded in response.

"Alright, let's go back to the warehouse and see if Salter has finished counting the goods." With that, Art turned and led the group towards the outpost.

As soon as the Artists entered the gate of the outpost, a caravan was reported from the watchtower.

"Let's go, let's take a look." Art then turned around and led a few men towards the barricade in front of the outpost, standing aside to observe and signaling the sentries and officials to ignore their presence.

The four escort coachmen drove three wagons with flags slowly towards the outpost, and when they reached the stone bridge, the leader of the convoy stopped, looked at the outpost for a few moments, walked to the barricade, and said to the sentry: "Man, we are a caravan from Provence, can we pass?" This is our lacquer paperwork. "Apparently there was no outpost here when they came before.

The sentry took the paperwork and offered it to Art, who waved his hand at the officer.

The clerk took the paper from the sentry's hand, opened it and saw that it was indeed stamped with the seals of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Burgundy and the Guild of Commerce.

"Are you transporting goods for the Dean family? My master has a relationship with the Dean family, but all teams related to the Dean family will be treated preferentially. The clerk asked.

"The Dean family? We don't dare to make friends with the Dean family. "Apparently this caravan has a holiday with the Dean family.

"What kind of goods are you carrying, and do you have any southern goods?" The clerk continued.

"There are no southern goods, only some fur bacon and dried fruits. I heard that the north is going to be more stable now, so we went north to buy grain in empty cars. ”

"How much are these goods worth?"

"One hundred and fifty pfennigs, maybe a little less."

The clerk estimated the value of the goods, and then motioned for the sentry to inspect them. The sentry carefully examined the carriage and nodded to the officer.

"Pay the five-pfennig transit merchant tax, and your convoy will be protected by the Imperial Patrol Officer of the Southern Border within the county of Tinets, and in case of emergency, you can call for help at the outpost or at a garrison camp on the west side of the trade route twenty miles northeast of this place with the tax papers we have given you."

The chief took out the five-puff nipples and handed it to the clerk, took a piece of birch bark stamped with the heraldic seal of the howling wolf handed over by the clerk, and carefully studied it for a long time, for the first time he saw that the tax had been paid and the document was returned, although this document was only a birch bark with a few lines of words written.

"You have to take this paperwork, and there will be patrolling soldiers behind you to check if you have this paperwork, and if you lose it, you will be detained as trespassing on the border."

When the leader heard this, he quickly took the palm-sized birch bark into his arms.

"By the way, in the future, if you have southern goods or weapons, armor and fine iron and other goods in your hands, you can send them here to trade, and we will buy your goods at a high price, and as long as you take out a tenth of the southern goods to trade with us, you can be exempted from the entry merchant tax." The clerk added.

The leader nodded and replied, "As long as you can give us a reasonable price, we will make a deal with you." ”

"Very well, when you go back, you can also tell the merchant brothers of Provence that this place welcomes business travelers from all over the world, and we will treat them as honored guests." The officer beckoned behind him, and the sentry in front of the horse removed the barricade to allow the convoy to pass smoothly.

Yate watched the process of inspection, tax collection, issuance of documents and release at the outpost, and was very satisfied, "Very good, you will do this ........." 166.com

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Chapter 143: Outpost Development