Grington Village is like a big laboratory at this time, Bruce has implemented all kinds of whimsical ideas of his later life, fortunately the villagers here have been tightly tied to him in the war, otherwise some people will definitely think that Bruce is a devil.

"Is that all there is to the collection of nitrate?" Bruce asked the craftsman dissatisfied, in order to get a little saltpeter, Bruce almost stripped the old houses in the village, and obtained a small amount of saltpeter from the old earthen walls, but when dealing with the Angus family, he had used up almost all the saltpeter crystals in storage.

"I'm sorry lord, at least there are no old houses left in the village." The craftsman said helplessly.

"It's a shame." Bruce knew he would have to be more cautious with his gunpowder until he found the saltpeter mine.

Without gunpowder as the last killer weapon, Bruce wanted to improve the military of his territory, and the development of a standing army of discipline and combat valiance was put on the agenda, which was more reliable in the era of cold weapons.

"You mean that if I want to feed a standing army of about 500 people, I need to supply 100 catties of grain every day." Bruce listened to Phoebe's report to him, and couldn't help but lick his lips, which was really a big expense.

"Yes, Lord Baron, I'm curious why you have to keep a standing army in your territory?" Since Jeffrey's death, Phoebe has officially joined Bruce's court, because he used to manage the finances on behalf of Lord Jeffrey, and he is very skilled in calculating material consumption.

"I think only an army that takes combat as its profession can be truly combative." Bruce smiled wryly and said to Phoebe.

Sure enough, the idea is very plump, but the truth is very skinny.

"If you save the grain consumed by these standing soldiers, you can hire a mercenary army of a thousand people, usually these people don't need you to pay for maintenance, let alone five hundred people usually do nothing?" Phoebe frowned, he couldn't understand Bruce's thoughts, all the nobles and lords only maintain the most elite few knights and sergeants in the castle, and then recruit serfs in large numbers during the war, and if the war is unfavorable, it is a big deal to spend money to hire a group of mercenaries.

"So take a step back, what if it's a collar sufficient?" Bruce touched his chin, he remembered that in the Spring and Autumn Period, he equipped his countrymen with armor and weapons, conducted military training during the off-season, and cultivated during the busy farming period.

"What is a collar sufficiency?" Phoebe opened her mouth in surprise, Bruce often came out of his mouth with strange words that he hadn't quite gotten used to.

Bruce explained it to Phoebe, which made Phoebe even more shocked when she heard it, and distributed armor and weapons to the serfs, what if there was a rebellion?

"Lord Baron, the serfs are a group of people without intelligence, and they are easily agitated by their dissatisfaction with the rule of the nobility, and all the nobles are eager to let them not even touch a single iron, so you will distribute weapons and armor to them." Phoebe couldn't help but laugh, he felt that his common sense had been subverted by Bruce.

"The reason why serfs are easily incited is that there is no channel of communication, and if there is a smooth communication between them, they should understand." Bruce doesn't think so, he feels that he can not only ensure the combat effectiveness of his territory, but also not delay production, and undoubtedly how to unite the people in the territory is the most important.

"So what are you going to do?" Phoebe sighed, he couldn't keep up with Bruce's mind jump, and could only prepare to do what Bruce commanded.

"I will select adult men with families throughout the realm and train them as the Grington militia, but among them I will give them their own choice of military tribunes and civil tribunes, who will represent the will of the Grinton militia and speak for the militia and the people." Bruce said to Phoebe.

"Military Protector and Civil Protector?" Phoebe was even more shocked when she heard this, and asked the serfs to elect their own people to participate in the rule, is it possible?

At first, Phoebe thinks Bruce is just talking, but he quickly brings it up in the meeting, and the people who participate in the meeting like Phoebe are in an uproar.

"Let the serfs rule too?"

"What's going on?"

Edward and Sidney, the mad monk, both shook their heads, they could not imagine themselves meeting with the serfs as they could not have imagined it.

"I think it's good, it's like we pirates, everything is decided together." Danny leaned against the pillar indifferently, holding a red apple in his hand, rubbing it his chest and biting it hard.

"Don't we already have elders? Do we need to set up any tribunes? Eve frowned, a little unpleasant.

"Actually, I think the Baron's proposal is very good." Unexpectedly, Elder Warren stood up in support of Bruce, and he said to the others.

"Elder, I~~." Eve wanted to say something, but Warren reached out to stop her.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Tribune is a position in the Ancient Imperial Legion, right?" Warren walked out tremblingly, bowing respectfully to Bruce and asking.

"That's right." Bruce didn't know if it was the same thing, but he nodded anyway.

"Well, I propose that although the tribune is chosen by the lords, it must be appointed by the Baron himself to be legitimate, so that these chosen ones can be restrained." Elder Warren added to Bruce's proposal.

"Good." Bruce patted the armrest of the seat, but he didn't expect that Elder Warren not only did not object, but instead tinkered with Bruce's idea.

"Then we should make a detailed decree and then publicize it among the people, do you think that's appropriate?" Elder Warren said as he faced the crowd.

The meeting quickly passed the resolution with the support of Elder Warren, and although Bruce could use his authority to force it, it would be best if it was passed with the support of someone.

The villagers of Greenton Village were soon informed that every man in the whole family was going to the lord's house to make a choice, and they were all surprised, even the retainers, as to why they had to choose someone with a family.

"Men with families are complete, and they are more responsible." Bruce explained to the retainers who objected.

The men walked into the walls with trepidation, not worried about being hurt, just a few doubts about the unknown.