Victor sat in the main seat of the living room, Nicole and Anthony sat on either side of him, and the butler Joffrey stood respectfully below, waiting for Victor's question. As the steward of the nobles of the fiefdom, he must defend the dignity of the master, even the nobles of the upper rank cannot take the throne, and it is an extremely serious provocation to sit in the position of the master like Victor. But neither Nicole, Anthony, nor Joffrey raised any objections, as if it were taken for granted. On the one hand, this is a villa rather than a castle, which is an informal occasion, and on the other hand, it also shows that the Anthony family regards Victor as the male owner here.

Anthony was very pleased with Joffrey's respectful attitude, or rather, he was very happy with the current situation. After Nicole was promoted to knight, there was a steady stream of people who came to propose marriage, including the second son of the Earl of Terrandon, and Nicole would immediately become a baroness as soon as he promised him. However, no matter how much her parents tried to persuade her, Nicole refused. Nicole left the Baroness alone to be Victor's mistress, which Anthony was puzzled and depressed about.

Now the situation is different, Nicole is dead set on Victor and has become a lord again, which is simply better for Anthony's family. Anthony knows that the Moon Elf bloodline is notoriously difficult to procreate, and it would be great to have one or two heirs in his life, even if Nicole and Victor have children, they will inherit Victor's family business, and Nicole's territory is mostly inherited by the heirs of her mother's family, maybe it is Anthony's own descendants. Therefore, Anthony's family wishes that Nicole and Victor would go on like this.

Victor didn't know anything about Anthony's careful thinking, and now he just wanted to figure out what to do with these more than 10,000 people.

"Steward Joffrey, what do the civilians eat mainly, how is the food served, and how is it distributed?"

"My lord, the main food of the common people is black bread, green wheat porridge and a small amount of beans, and they can eat broth every few days. We built several warehouses to store food, and the food was collected and distributed by the head of the cabbage, and every six months, the family's convoy would transport the grain and store it in the warehouse. ”

Victor asked curiously, "What kind of grain is green barley?"

Anthony explains: "Green barley is a unique crop in the north, with three times the yield of ordinary wheat and two crops a year. The Sarsanian Empire had a very large grain reserve because of the green barley. The green wheat of the Sassan Empire is also sold to our three kingdoms, but because of the hostility between them, the green wheat trade can only be carried out in secret, your lady...... Well. As she spoke, Nicole glanced at her, and Anthony changed her words: "Marquis Sophia is the largest grain merchant, and all this green wheat is sold to our York family by her caravan." It is said that the taste of green wheat is not bad, but the price is not cheap, a pound of green wheat in the market is sold for 4 copper soles, and the marquis of Sophia provides us with green wheat for 2 copper soles per pound. We aristocrats generally don't eat wheat porridge, even bread is rare, and it's normal for you not to know green barley. ”

The aristocracy mainly ate meat, eggs, milk, vegetables and fruits, and almost did not eat wheat. Victor lived such a luxurious and uneducated life in the Marquis's Palace, and Anthony was afraid that Victor would be embarrassed, so he followed this path. But Victor didn't have time to pay attention to these details, and he asked eagerly, "Can green barley be grown here?"

"No way. Anthony shook his head and said, "For thousands of years, the church and the lords have tried to transplant green barley, and they have tried countless methods, but they have failed. ”

"That's a shame. Victor was stunned, and then relieved, if the green wheat could be transplanted to the south, the human kingdom would not be the current pattern, he cheered up and asked, "Steward Joffrey, how many civilians are there now, how much food is consumed every day?"

"This ......," Joffrey thought for a moment, and said embarrassedly, "My lord, I really don't know this. I'm afraid I'll have to ask the foreman and the vegetable head. ”

Victor frowned and asked, "What about them?"

"My lord, Foreman Dennis and Papo the Cabbagehead are waiting outside for your summons, do you want to call them in now?" asked Joffrey, bowing.

Victor nodded slightly, and Joffrey turned to go out, and a moment later he walked in with two sturdy middle-aged men. The two men were dressed in new thick linen robes, their hair still wet, and they had obviously just bathed. They saluted Victor, Nicole, and Anthony separately, and then stood aside.

Victor asked them, "Can any of you tell me how many people there are, how many of them are young, how much food is consumed every day?"

The two looked at each other, and the foreman, Dennis, said inquiringly, "My lord, we don't know either." ”

"I don't know, what do you know?" asked Victor with a sneer.

Dennis stubbornly said: "My lord, there are more than 500 people in the Masons Association, and I have 30 big foremen and more than 100 small foremen, not everyone I can know. Victor turned his gaze to Papo, who hurriedly said: "My lord, I have 23 cabbage heads, each with a dozen people, in charge of a camp, and I have to ask them how many people there are." However, there must be more than 10,000 people here, and many of them have come here with their families to beg for a living. Those who can't do heavy work do laundry and cook under the head of the vegetable to earn a little money and make a living. ”

Then, Victor asked a lot of questions, and gradually figured out the operation mode of these young people.

Anthony was the chief designer of the project, and after he led more than a dozen apprentices to complete the design, he handed over the construction task to Dennis, the chief foreman. Dennis is ostensibly a freeman, but in fact he is the son of a vassal family, and has a lot of experience in building them, and even has the ability to oversee the construction of standard castles. He divides the construction plan to the big foreman below, who in turn divides the construction tasks among the small foremen, who will lead the young men to carry out the construction, and Anthony's apprentice will be supervised by the chief foreman Dennis.

Papo is the big cabbage head in charge of logistics, and his vegetable head leads a group of people, hires civilians to do laundry, cook, and clean, and applies to Papo for food, supplies, and commissions every day, while Papo withdraws from the housekeeper Joffrey. As for how the commission will be distributed, Papo waited for a long time before saying that the commission is paid every ten days, 10 gold soles per month for each camp, and he doesn't care how the following vegetables are distributed. The Masons Guild, on the other hand, paid a monthly commission, and each foreman received 40 gold soles, which was also distributed by themselves.

"I want to know how many people there are, how many young men are in each camp, how many old men and children, how many are in the hands of the Masons, how many are in the hands of the vegetable heads? In addition, if you have any other requirements, you can ask for them now. Victor said to the two principals.

"My lord, you must get the people below moving as soon as possible, otherwise there will be chaos. Chief Foreman Dennis said honestly.

Papo rolled his eyes and said, "My lord, I want to lead people to reclaim some wasteland and grow some vegetables. ”

"Got it, go down. Victor commanded lightly.

After the two of them retreated, Nicole asked puzzledly, "Victor, why do you bother with these things? Aren't you just leaving it to them? Do you have other ideas?"

"No! I'm not going to change anything. I'm here to settle accounts. Victor sighed.

"Reckoning?"

"Isn't it just settling accounts? Victor laughed: "I'm a layman in the construction, but this project is a rare opportunity, I want to find out the cost, see if I can save some money there, and when Randall leads the construction of the artificial canal in the future, I will know how much supplies I need to prepare? I am not as rich and wealthy as your York, and I must prepare in advance so that there will be no problems." ”

"Our Yorkie family is also in difficulty right now, and we have recently borrowed a large sum of money from the Duke of Somme, and we have done our best to build the control gates and reservoirs this time. ”

"That's why we have to settle accounts. Victor looked serious and asked, "Sir Anthony, you should know about the artificial canal plan, right?"

Anthony nodded and said, "I heard from Mr. Edwin, this is a great plan. ”

"It's a great plan, but it's a lot of money. If you can't make careful calculations and reduce costs, I'm afraid that artificial drainage will always be just a plan. Victor said coldly: "So, this time the project is not only to be completed, but also to see where the cost can be cut." At present, there are two costs, one is materials, and the other is wages. I'd rather pay more than waste materials, the town of Blackcastle is almost 400 kilometers away from here, and the cost of material transportation is quite high, so I can save this piece and reduce the overall cost by a lot. ”

"This time, I don't plan to let the vegetable head and the foreman get away with it like this. First of all, make the number of people clear, and don't let people eat empty salaries. Secondly, the number of people in each camp should be implemented, and the materials should be distributed according to the quota, and the cabbage can no longer apply for materials at will. In addition, the vegetable head and the foreman are all talents, so they should take more benefits. However, the benefits should be made clear. In the form of currency, subsidies and bonuses are given to each foreman and vegetable head, so that they are not afraid of not working hard. ”

"Hehe, speaking of which, Papo is a smart man, he knows that I have to strictly check the supplies, and he has a good idea in advance. Victor smiled: "This time the construction of the artificial canal is relatively long, if the required materials can be solved in the territory, the logistical pressure will be much less." Nicole, although you have less arable land, you still have no problem growing vegetables and raising pigs. Let the head of the vegetable lead people to cultivate vegetables, cut grass and raise pigs, and then sell the output to the family at a discount, not only can you reduce the cost of material transportation, but after the project is completed, you can also get arable land, farms, cottages and funds, and maybe a group of people to work for you. ”

"It's not good. Nicole said nervously, "I didn't get anything, how could I get so many benefits?

"No, no, no, that's good, very good!" Anthony stood up and said excitedly, "Victor, Mr. Edwin said you are a real genius, oh, sorry, I used to dismiss it, but now I believe it!"

"Listen, Nicole, you are the lord here, and the output of the territory belongs to you. Sell the output to the family, and the family will give you money, and in doing so, it will also greatly reduce the cost of building reservoirs and fortresses for the family! Yes, including fortresses! These young men will not only build reservoirs but also fortresses here, and they will stay here not for two years, but for four years. The better the infrastructure and the more productive the family, the happier the family will be! When the reservoir is built, those vegetable fields can be converted into arable land, and the farm is also very important, and wild boars are far easier to raise than cattle and sheep, and replacing cattle and sheep with wild boars can save a lot of money. By the way, the cottage should also be built. In two years, more young people will come here to build a fortress, and with a cottage, they will be able to accommodate them. As for the more than 10,000 people here, they have built homes, and most of them are willing to stay here and become subjects. Four years later, the fortress had a supply of troops and the logistical problems were solved. Brilliant idea!"

Nicole looked at the excited Anthony dumbfounded, while Victor said, "Sir Anthony, we'll discuss these details slowly." Now I see the people who are repairing the gates, but what are the stones? and your plans can you talk to me about them?"

"Yes, sir. Anthony straightened his collar and regained his grace: "The stone for the construction of the fortress is provided by the kingdom, and we can appropriate a part of it for the construction of the temperance gate." The stone has been transported to the Chebman Collar and can be transported at any time. Before that, we're going to build a stone bridge. ”

The Black River flows from north to south, dividing Victor's territory in two, Chebman is on the east side of the Black River, and Nicole's territory is on the west side, although the Black River is relatively shallow, it is not something that ox carts can cross, and building bridges and paving roads is a necessary job.

"The water of the Heihe River is shallow, and the stone bridge is not difficult to repair. However, a camp was needed on the east bank of the river to receive the stones. That's your territory. So ......"

"No problem. Please continue. ”

"Before the stone is brought in, I plan to build a giant brick kiln to digest the clay from the excavation of reservoirs and ditches, and the green bricks fired will be used to lay the bottom of the artificial canal. We have already built 5 giant brick kilns, which can be built in a month at most, and my disciples can complete them independently. Then, I'll take someone to build a control gate. The Temperance Gate is just a special gate, and Mr. Edwin has already sketched it, and it is very simple, and I estimate that it will be built in two months. Anthony paused and said euphemistically: "My lord, there is no difficulty in the back wall, canal, and reservoir, and my disciple is fully capable of this work." I hope that when the Temperance Gate is completed, you will agree to let me out of here. As you know, there aren't many opportunities to see the construction of a giant fortress, especially Edwin's design. ”

Victor smiled very happily, Anthony wanted to learn to build a giant fortress on the one hand, and the bait thrown by Victor was also the reason why he chose to avoid suspicion, in short, the last trace of obstacle was gone, and the huge manpower and material resources completely fell into Victor's hands.

"Sir Anthony, I agree with it completely!"