Early morning.

The rising sun turns the sparkling surface of the river golden, making the majestic Jinshui River particularly magnificent.

A gentle breeze, wrapped in cool water vapor, blows away the last heat of the season of fire and announces the arrival of the season of wind.

Standing on a high tower, Victor looked over the surging river and landed on the opposite bank a dozen kilometers away. On the south bank of the Jinshui River, thousands of fish-men run and frolic on the river beach, while on the north bank, there is not a single fish-man in sight, only soldiers in armor patrolling back and forth on the river beach.

"Sir Anthony, why didn't the fish-men on the other side of the river come?" asked Victor to the Home Chamberlain beside him.

Anthony walked to the edge of the tower, trying to see the situation on the other side of the river, but he could only see a white patch, he shook his head and sighed: "Victor, your eyesight is really enviable. He then explained: "Although the fish-men are aquatic orcs, they cannot leave the river bank for a long time, and every once in a while, they have to go ashore to bask in the sun and remove the moss from their bodies, otherwise they will die of lichenosis." Fish-people like to run wild on the banks of rivers because the moss on their bodies makes them itch like crazy. Therefore, any creature that invades the riverbank will be attacked by the fishmen, and the fishmen are also called the riverside fishmen or lakeshore fishmen. ”

"In fact, the fish-people are not capable of crossing the Jinshui River, and they do not even dare to go near the deep waters. There are many ferocious aquatic animals in the Jinshui River that will prey on the fishmen, and the lizards in the center of the river are not something that the fishmen can deal with, and those 10-meter-long monsters are the overlords of the Jinshui River. ”

"Adult water lizards will overturn small boats and prey on those who have fallen into the water, and the early days of the Borui Kingdom suffered heavy losses. In order to protect the safety of goods and people, the ships of the Borui Kingdom are getting bigger and bigger. Later, the Borui people found that the candles made with water lizard oil were very bright, and there was no smell of butter candles, and the quality of the water lizard skin was also very good, so they began to build a fast boat dedicated to killing water lizards. ”

Victor patted the female wall on the tower and said with a smile: "I heard that a water lizard is worth 10,000 gold soles. I'd like to build another pier on top of this control gate. ”

In the last month of the Season of Fire, the control gates on the banks of the Jinshui River were finally repaired. Built of solid limestone, 20 meters high, 10 meters wide, 15 meters long, with walls 2 meters thick, with two towers, 7 rooms, 2 storage rooms, and a capacity of 50 soldiers, this control gate is a small castle altogether.

Although the temperance gate is not as good as the Baron's Castle, it is not something that can be shaken by the fishmen, and with the help of this fortification, it is completely possible to build a pier by the river. Anthony shook his head and said, "The value of the water lizards is not enough for us to build a dock. As he spoke, he smiled bitterly: "We can't afford to fix it either." ”

Building a wooden dock is very simple, Victor uses 200 alchemy militia, and it only takes ten days to build it. However, the cost of maintaining the operation of the dock was quite high, not only in terms of sending soldiers to protect it, but also in building supporting docks and building ships. If there is no steady output here, there is no need to build a dock. What's more, the construction of the territory has consumed the last goldsol of the York family, and if it weren't for the purple cane wine trade, Sylvia would even have the mind to rob.

Victor also understands that the top priority now is to promote the construction of streams, reservoirs and artificial canals to provide material support for the future Ant-Man war.

"Two days ago, the Chebman family purchased a batch of green bricks from me. Victor said lightly.

"Green bricks?" Anthony was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a moment, he was overjoyed, "Yes, we can sell green bricks to the outside world." This will reduce the burden on us to build reservoirs and artificial canals!"

Before the advent of giant brick kilns, making green bricks was a time-consuming and laborious task, and the green bricks that the lord had managed to accumulate were not enough for his own use, let alone sold to the outside world. The York family's imitation of Victor's giant brick kiln was originally intended to sell the bricks for profit, and the construction of streams, reservoirs, and artificial canals itself produced a large amount of soil, which was made into green bricks and sold to other lords. If it is operated properly, it is equivalent to other families bearing the cost of building artificial canals, which will greatly speed up the progress of human water conservancy projects.

Victor nodded and said, "That's true. However, I have a few suggestions on the issue of green bricks. The first is the output, my giant brick kiln used to produce 30,000 green bricks a day, and the brick kiln you designed may produce even more. ”

Anthony said with some pride: "I have a duplex structure, which can produce up to 40,000 bricks a day. ”

"That's great, but the more bricks you produce, the more firewood you consume. If left unchecked, we will soon find ourselves in a situation where we have no firewood to use. In my opinion, it is reasonable for the brick kiln to produce 20,000 green bricks per day. ”

Anthony bowed his jaw and said, "Makes sense." ”

Victor continued: "The second is selling and pricing. I hope that the green bricks of Renma Hill can be sold uniformly and priced in a unified manner. The specific method is that the lord starts to build artificial canals, and he is responsible for the sale and pricing of the bricks. ”

The House of York built 11 giant brick kilns, which were spread across the domains of various vassal families. The lords still have doubts about the huge artificial canal, but they are very enthusiastic about the construction of stream reservoirs, but even if they build stream reservoirs, it will cost huge manpower and material resources.

Thinking of this, Anthony frowned and said euphemistically: "Victor, with our relationship, I am willing to support you. However, after all, I am only the internal affairs officer of the House of York, and I have no right to intervene in the internal affairs of other vassal families. According to the plan for the construction of artificial canals formulated by Mr. Edwin, Randall will first build artificial canals. If you want to dominate the sale and pricing of green bricks, you should come up with a suitable reason. ”

Victor nodded and said, "The market, like a forest, needs to be protected and cultivated. Deforestation destroys forests, leaves us with no wood to use, and the indiscriminate sale of bricks destroys markets. ”

"This ...... Victor, I can't understand what you mean. Wasn't the market built in town, and how could it be destroyed by bricks?" asked Anthony, confused.

Victor scratched his head, he didn't know how to explain to Anthony what the market was, so he decided not to dwell on the issue anymore.

"Well, you should understand that the value of man-made canals is much higher than that of green bricks. If the sale of bricks can help us build artificial canals, even if there is no profit, the lords will not be counted. Right?"

"There is no doubt about it. ”

Once the artificial canal is connected, it can increase the area of cultivated land of the lord several times. Compared with the value of cultivated land, the sale of green bricks can only be regarded as a small profit. Anthony believes that most lords are even willing to put some money upside down to complete the canal project.

"Good!"

Victor continued: "The aristocracy needed bricks to build manors and villas, and the giant brick kilns produced far more bricks than the nobles needed. When the aristocratic manors and villas were repaired, our bricks were left unwanted. At that time, the cost of building the artificial canal will be borne entirely by the individual families, which no one family can afford. ”

Anthony thought for a moment and said, "I see. In other words, the sale of green bricks can only support the construction of a section of artificial canal. However, it is even less likely that the other families will agree to let Randall Collar monopolize the interests of the bricks and artificial canals. ”

Victor sneered in his heart, if it weren't for the fear that the vassal lords of the York family would follow the green brick business and destroy the green brick market, Victor didn't want to care about their life or death, as long as Randall took the lead in repairing the water conservancy facilities.

Victor knew from the beginning that no one lord could complete a large-scale water conservancy project on his own, and it was not a matter of financial and material resources, but a matter of system.

During the slack season, the lords had to provide four months of labor to the lord every year, mainly to harvest crops and build infrastructure, plus they also had to be trained as a militia, so they had time to dig and build ditches? Free people work hard to become a vassion, and when they find out that they can't become a vassal after digging a pit for a few years, they will definitely choose to leave. Even if the lord was willing to raise his wages, how long would his finances be able to support him? As for forcing the freedmen to work, the Rand Emperor did so, and he died.

Gillian came over to buy green bricks and provided Victor with an idea: to make green bricks into an industry, and let this industry drive the construction of water conservancy projects.

Since it is an industry, it must be sustainable.

First of all, the resources must be sustainable. As far as the green brick industry is concerned, it goes without saying clay, but forest resources need to be protected, and the overproduction of green bricks will cause a shortage of firewood and destroy wildlife resources. Therefore, it is necessary to control the yield of green bricks, and at the same time plant shrubs that can grow quickly as firewood.

Second, the market demand is sustainable. The amount of bricks used by the nobles to build manors and villas alone was not enough to support the industry. Victor can expand the use of the green bricks, but until then, the vassal lords of the House of York can't be fucked in the back. This is also the reason why he proposed that Randall lead the sales of green bricks first.

Finally, the workforce must be stable. Dean is back in charge of the brick kiln village, with a group of novices, the daily output of green bricks is only 5,000, and in a few days it can reach 10,000 bricks per day, and only after these novices are very skilled can they achieve the maximum capacity of the giant brick kiln. The problem is that these brickmakers may not always be willing to work in the production of green bricks.

The biggest difference between a vassal and a freeman is that they can be promoted to vassals, which is the status that commoners strive for. In addition, in the event of a disaster, the lords are given priority to the protection of the lord, while the freedmen may have to fend for themselves, and their property and safety are not guaranteed.

To this end, Victor intends to include skilled brickmakers as his subjects, enjoying all the rights and obligations of the subjects. Other lords may also seek positions in Victor's estate. This is the system of mercenary of the lords envisioned by Victor.

The employment system of the subjects seems simple, but in fact, it liberates the people from a single agricultural production and engages in more specialized production, such as wood manufacturing, textiles, iron manufacturing, etc., without how proficient they are, as long as they can master one or two links.

Once the employment system is implemented, both free and common people can work when they have a job and farm when they don't, which is flexible and efficient. Suppose that a carpentry workshop under Randall's command is idle, and Victor places an order to build 50 carriages, and the carpentry workshop hires skilled workers among the civilians, and after the order is completed, the civilians take the wages and go back to farming, and the carpentry workshop closes again. Since these people only master one or a few links of the production process, these skills will be worthless without Randall's industrial system. As a result, the people of Randall's territory will become loyal followers of Victor.

Victor didn't want to introduce the York family to the mercenary system, but he couldn't let the brick industry be ruined in the hands of laymen. Anthony said it tactfully, but the meaning was very clear. Victor took the lead in the sale of green bricks, the money was also earned, and artificial ditches were built, taking all the benefits, and as a result, the other families couldn't even drink the soup, how could they agree?

"Randall's artificial ditches are not passable, so what's the use of other families building artificial ditches?"

Victor smiled and said, "The most critical issue is the sales of green bricks. So, we have to find a way to expand the sales of green bricks. The lords around the Centaur Hills don't need too many bricks, but what if they sell them too?"

"What does that mean, let our neighbors build giant brick kilns too? They've all sold bricks, so what else is going on with us?" Anthony snapped.

Victor shook his head and smiled: "It's not for them to produce green bricks, but for them to sell green bricks." After the surrounding lords have built their manors, we will provide them with green bricks at a relatively low price, and they will naturally sell them to other lords when they see that they are profitable. ”

"In addition, I will order the production of different specifications of green bricks, divided into bricks for nobles, bricks for vassals, and bricks for lords. The aristocratic bricks can be customized, and the designated pattern on the seal is nothing more than working the mold. Many wealthy vassals also wanted to build houses with bricks, and the bricks were used for them. Of course, the people could not afford to use the bricks, but most of those villages were fenced with iron oak, and there was no firing platform behind the iron oak fence, so the ability to counterattack was limited. If you build a three-meter-thick brick wall behind the fence with blue bricks and rammed earth, the fence's defense will be greatly increased, and archers can be placed on the brick wall. If a ferocious gnoll breaks through the iron oak fence and is buried by a brick wall, do you think the lords will be willing to build a brick wall for their village?"

"The market for green bricks can be solved, but the original intention of selling green bricks is not to make a profit, but to build an artificial water conservancy system. If there are more than a dozen lords of the Centaur Hills, large and small, all of them sell green bricks to the outside, the water conservancy system will never be built!"

Anthony was speechless, and after a long while, he shook his head and sighed, "It's hard to imagine that you can come up with such a detailed strategy without going to the White Tower to study." Is this a gift from a business aristocracy?"

Victor's heart moved, and he said, "I'd love to go to the Silver Tower." ”

"You should check it out. It's a remnant of the Chosen Era, and it's a spectacular building. I can ask Mr. Edwin to write a letter of introduction for you, and the White Tower Scholars will surely welcome you. Anthony paused, and then said, "I will return to Blackcastle Town soon, and I will convey your opinion to the family higher-ups, and I believe they will make a reasonable choice." ”