On the eve of the water season, the first reservoir was finally repaired. Hand in hand with Nicole, Victor and Nicole stand on the edge of the reservoir, their hearts fluctuating.

From a distance, the reservoir looks like an irregular bowl embedded in the ground, and up close, it looks like an ugly crater. But this ugly crater is an unprecedented innovation, it is the first step of human beings in another world to transform nature, and represents a new chapter in human civilization.

The reservoir is more than 200 acres in size, funnel-shaped, and the deepest part is 22 meters.

Although the 200-acre lake does not irrigate much farmland, the irrigation canals that extend from it can turn the barren land into a fertile field. Of course, the first step is to build a main diversion canal to connect to the Jinshui River, which until then was just a giant reservoir.

Victor believes that now is not the time to build the main ditch, and this is not due to a lack of manpower.

The civilians of the other world seem to have their own architectural aura, and they are all masons. As long as someone organized, Victor was amazed by their ability to build the project.

The strength of these young and strong hired workers is 1.3 times that of the earthlings, and their physical strength is 1.5 times. Nine thousand hired laborers, with only rudimentary tools and manpower trailers, repaired the reservoir in two months, digging out the earth to make a low hill. At this rate, the hired workers only need to work, eat, and get paid, and they have another four months to build the main canal. However, as an organizer and decision-maker, Victor has other issues to consider.

Randall was 110 kilometers from south to north, and if an aqueduct were to be built to run through the territory, 9,000 young hired workers would have to work for at least three years, while the Yorks could only afford two years. Two years later, Victor had to pay for the project himself. That's not a small number!

The daily wage for each of the 9,000 hired workers is 4 copper soles, plus two meals, for a total of 8 copper soles. Therefore, the wages and food of the hired workers alone cost 2,000 gold soles per month, not including logistics and management costs.

The worst thing is that money doesn't necessarily mean that you can't hire enough people. The reason why these young men worked hard was to gain the status of the lords of the House of York, and they did not want to work all the time digging earth and building canals.

This meant that Victor not only had to bear the full cost of the project, but also had to recruit free folk workers himself.

Expensive and lacking in people, even the Yorks could not believe that artificial canals could connect the entire territory of the hills, as long as there were stream reservoirs they were satisfied, although the water source of stream reservoirs was unstable and the irrigation capacity was quite limited.

Victor devised a strategy of using bricks to raise canals, giving the lords hope. Victor found that things were not so simple, and the problem was with the Chebman family.

The construction of the reservoir produced a lot of soil. The dirt was transported to Nicole's giant brick kiln, where it was processed into clay and used to make ordinary green bricks.

So far, Victor has more than 2.6 million bricks. With such a huge amount of green bricks, Victor used 800,000 pieces for himself, and the Chebman family only bought 200,000 pieces!

The fact that the Chebman family did not buy green bricks on a large scale was not only because of stinginess, but also because of the lack of congenital conditions.

The Chebman Realm, like the Randall Realm, is too remote! They are located in the southernmost part of the kingdom, adjacent to the Jinshui River, with only three neighbors, the Randall, Buryat, and Tholim Realms.

Fewer neighbors means fewer ports, and fewer ports means poor trade capacity.

At present, Victor can only sell the bricks to the Chebman family. As a result of the expulsion of the Buryatia from their subjects, relations between the Chibman family and them became extremely poor. Therefore, the Chipman family only has the Marquis of Solim as a trade object, and the Solim family also has a trade monopoly, they can do whatever they want, and Count Chebman has nothing to do about it.

In fact, asymmetric trade has already cost Victor dearly.

Take, for example, the grain trade. Wheat spoils after three years of storage, and the lords are more than happy to sell the old grain in their warehouses, no matter how low the price is, 1 copper sol can often buy 2 pounds of old wheat. The old grain was shipped to Randall, but it was sold for 3 copper soles per pound. The price has multiplied by 6 times!

There are three main costs involved. The Chebmans' profits were the smallest part, as they barely made any money. The second is the cost of transportation. Finally, the lords are exploiting layer by layer. The grain purchased by the Chebman family must be taxed every time they pass through a territory, which is the biggest cost!

The Chebman family faced the same problem with the sale of green bricks, which wiped out the cost advantage of the giant brick kilns.

The green brick industry is stuck in the sales link, which makes Victor very angry. Without the support of the brick industry, Randall would have borne the cost of building the canal alone. In this case, it is better to build the stream reservoir first, and then realize the brick canal after the green brick market is cultivated.

As for how to open the sales situation of green bricks, Victor has an ideal trading partner in mind, that is, the Buryat family.

Buryatia is a long and narrow territory from east to west, bordering eight families, making it an excellent trade corridor. However, the political situation of the Buryat family was not stable, and the uncles and nephews seized the heirs and drove out the lords, which made them very unhappy with the surrounding lords.

Viktor decided to wait for the Buryatia family to settle down and then try to make contact with them. As for the previous grievances, what is it in front of the overall interests?

If the new viscount of the Buryatia family does not know how to promote, it will not be too late to settle old accounts!

Having made up his mind, Victor said to Nicole, "Honey, the reservoir has been dug. I'm going to give the hired people a three-day rest before I organize them to go to Randall to build a stream reservoir. ”

"It stands to reason that you should build your own stream reservoir first. But we cannot fail to consider that once there is land to cultivate, the freedmen will devote their minds to farming, and it will not be easy to call them on when the time comes. Only by making the hired workers completely dependent on their work can they concentrate on repairing the canals. ”

"Randall has a well-established farming and pastoral system, and with a few streams and reservoirs, he can produce more food. In this way, I have the ability to reduce the cost of transporting supplies for the York family. Victor explained apologetically.

"Well, I'll listen to you. Nicole said with a smile.

Victor reached out and grabbed Nicole's waist, and Nicole leaned into his arms.

The construction of the stream reservoir involves the core interests of the territory, and it is impossible for any lord to back down, but Nicole did not hesitate to agree. In fact, Nicole prefers to be Victor's woman rather than a lord, and she obeys Victor's words, and the affairs of the territory are completely managed by Victor. Although Victor is busy enough, it does have a lot less constraints and more convenience.

Nicole's unreserved trust and attachment made Victor a little ashamed. Nico gave Victor the greatest support due to her background and lordship, and because of this, Victor could not fully trust Nicole. Some sarcasm, but more helpless.

The two quietly hugged each other and enjoyed a moment of warmth. Nicole glanced up at Victor and stopped talking.

"What do you want to say?" asked Victor curiously.

"I heard that Lady Sylvia is going to choose two of your valet maids? Are you going to choose Sister Alina? Yes, surely, they are the most beautiful female midshippers in the family. ”

Nicole tries to look nonchalant, but her pursed red lips reveal her true thoughts. Victor's head suddenly became so big that he tried to change the subject: "This is not my intention。。。。。。 By the way, how are the Yorks and the Eriksons talking?"

Nicole said with a flutter of eyebrows, "Duke Erickson has been put in a prison car by His Royal Highness Doonkru, and is about to be brought back to the capital of the Duoduo to be punished. As the guardian of the Erikson family, Doonkru has agreed to compensate us with 200,000 gold soles, as well as to build a castle for you. Now, Madame is discussing with him the sphere of influence in the northern part of the Centaur Hills。。。。。。 ”

As he spoke, one of the guards hurried over and reported to Victor, "My lord, the royal tax collector has arrived in Hekou Village. ”

——————————————————————————

Hekou Village has been expanded several times, and it is no longer what it used to be.

The standard brick houses replace the wooden shacks, the straight and wide main road allows three horse-drawn carriages to run in parallel, and the flower beds are built on both sides of the road, and the flower beds are planted with a row of landscape trees, which separate the houses from the main road a path for passers-by to walk. This design of roads, landscape trees, and sidewalks is unique to Kawaguchi Village.

The only fly in the ointment was the rudimentary wooden fence, and the lack of defensive facilities such as arrow towers and moats inside and outside the fence, which just shows Victor's determination to build the city here.

Viscount Turnis walked the streets of the village of Kawaguchi with his colleagues and attendants, and it gave him the impression that it was particularly neat.

The houses in Hekou Village are all blue brick houses, and the distance between the houses is exactly the same, and all the buildings appear to be uniform. Despite the light rain that had just fallen, there was no mud on the cobblestone road. The air is naturally fresh and free of any peculiar smells. Cleanliness and tidiness is a kind of beauty.

"It's incredible! It's the cleanest town I've ever seen, and the air here is even better than the aristocratic district of the royal capital!"

"Of course, the dirty freedmen can't get into the aristocracy, but there is no limit to what they smell like. ”

"The problem is that most of the villagers here are freedmen, but the houses they live in are made of bricks。。。。。。! ”

"But there's no art, no sculptures, no fountains, no gardens, it's all the same buildings, and there's a smell of outbursts. It's not like the aristocratic district of our royal capital。。。。。。 ”

"I know Viscount Victor, he's not an upstart. The Viscount has a great talent for art, and the Elven Bloodline cannot tolerate any uncleanness, as his town exemplifies. ”

Colleagues were talking in low voices, but they didn't have to be so cautious. The villagers had gone out to reclaim their land, and the village of Hekou was particularly empty, and there were hardly any people to see on the streets except for them and the Randall family's guards. Unaware of the fact that these noble children have unwittingly regarded this place as an aristocratic district and are trying to maintain their own manners.

Tenis could see the surprise, envy, and jealousy of his colleagues, who longed to own such a town. Tenis was also envious, but it was not the town that he envied, but the will of Victor to move unhindered on the land.

Yesterday evening, Tenis and his party entered Randall's territory. They had planned to spend the night in the wilderness and then go back to the village of Kawaguchi the next day. While encamping, Randall's patrol found them and escorted them to the village for the night.

No one would refuse to spend the night in the village, and although they nobles could sleep peacefully in the carriage, it was also very good to let their guards get a good night's sleep, not to mention that the high village walls meant safety.

It wasn't the first time that Tenis's comrades had gone out to collect taxes, and they knew very well what the lord's village was like, filthy, foul-smelling, sewage-ridden, and littered with the smell of cow dung and sheep. So, they went into the village for the night, but they did not intend to leave the carriage so as not to stain their boots.

In fact, these noble children are not really squeamish, as the tax collectors of the kingdom, it is common to sleep in the open, and there is nothing to pay attention to in the wild. But when you arrive at the lord's village, you have to hold it, otherwise how can you show the demeanor and nobility of the nobles of the royal capital.

However, the village of Randall was so impressed by the tax collectors.

Moats, drawbridges, iron oak fences, arrow towers, wooden shacks, no different from other lords' villages. However, the village is surprisingly clean and tidy.

The roads in the village are paved with gravel and rammed, and there are drainage canals on both sides, so that there is no standing water or sludge on the ground of the village. The wooden shacks in the villages, apparently carefully planned, are of the same size and evenly spaced.

The village wall is also peculiar, with a ten-meter-high iron oak fence that is enough to withstand the invasion of ordinary beasts and monsters, but there is also a wall behind the fence that is 3 meters thick and more than 8 meters high. The walls were built of blue bricks and rammed earth, which not only greatly improved the defensive power of the village walls, but also provided a firing platform for the militia.

In this regard, the tax officials of the royal capital witnessed the village wall built of green bricks, and it was the first time they had seen it. In the royal capital of Gambis, the bricks were used to build beautiful manors and villas.

Subsequently, the tax officer discovered many more unusual things. There are only about 500 villagers in this village, but the cottage can accommodate 1,500 people. There are no cattle or sheep in the village, and every household raises wild boars and ground lizards.

Is a village without cattle and sheep still a village?

With this question in mind, Tenis asked the village chief George, who was accompanying him. George told them that in Randall, cattle and sheep were raised, wild boars were kept in captivity, the village walls were made of green bricks, and that the village had to be clean and tidy, because it was Lord Randall's will. The proud and proud appearance of the village chief George made the tax officials silent.

Looking at the neat and clean estuary village, Tenis was both envious and in awe.

A year ago, Tenis had been to Randall Territory with the Family Knights. At that time, it was still a barren land, and Victor and dozens of guards struggled to hold on, living in a shack, eating wild vegetables, and living like a savage.

A year later, Randall owned tens of thousands of acres of arable land, thousands of livestock, 7 villages, more than 8,000 villagers, and hundreds of guards. Every village, every person, even the cattle, sheep and wild boars here are carrying out the will of the lord, and this is what any lord desires.

Viscount Randall is now an out-and-out lord!

"Lord Tenes, my master has arrived. ”

The Randall family guard pointed to the other end of the road, where a group of cavalry was approaching, and they were surrounded by Viscount Randall.

"Welcome, my friend. Victor jumped off his horse, greeted Tenis, and greeted him warmly.

Tenis smiled and saluted, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Lord Randall. ”

Victor has a good impression of Viscount Turnis, who once helped Victor.

Originally, Victor was not a vassal lord of the House of York and could not enjoy the exemption from the annuity. The royal family apparently wanted to embarrass the Yorks from Victor, and they levied Victor 20% of the purple cane wine trade, and if Victor could not pay it, he would have to pay a large fine.

How could Victor hand over the purple cane wine? It was precisely because the York family monopolized the purple cane wine trade that Sophia kept bringing in a steady stream of barley and iron. Victor was also reluctant to pay, and he proposed a solution of installment payment, and Viscount Tenis agreed at once, and offered to pay the fine on Victor's behalf. Until now, Victor owes Tenis 5,000 gold soles and a favor.

This time, Victor not only has to pay back the money, but also has many things to cooperate with Viscount Ternis, such as snow sugar and coffee trade.

"Viscount Tenis, ladies and gentlemen, let's go to the village hall and talk about the annuity. ”

Victor and Tenis walked side by side, and before they had taken a few steps, a cavalryman galloped up, and when he saw Victor, he rolled off his horse and shouted breathlessly: "My lord!

Victor was shocked and commanded in a deep voice. "Don't worry! ”

The cavalry took a deep breath, glanced at the tax collector, and said, "My lord, the escort team in charge of patrolling the eastern border did not arrive at the post on time. Master Nelson personally took someone to inspect and found a group of men burying their bodies. Master Nelson has sent me back to ask for your help. Lord Nelson said that the six men on the other side are all knights!"

Victor was silent for a while, then turned to Tenis and smiled, "Viscount Turnis, it seems that I have to deal with some things first. ”

"I'll go with you, and I'll also want to know that it was the family that dared to break the covenant of the lords of Gambis and openly invade your territory. ”