Kite Fort, Regent's Chamber.

"This is the iron brick I fired according to the method provided by the Duke of York. It is hard, heavy, smooth, and regular, and fully meets the requirements for building a castle. It turns out that my wife, your queen, Anna her uncle is not a liar, he did not lie - there will really be a castle cast in iron. ”

Fifteen-year-old King Edward Auguste wore a brown smock, brown trousers, and a freshly unearthed iron brick in his hand, and his plastered face was full of excitement and triumphant smiles, like a young craftsman who had made his work for the first time.

The Marquis of Ludwig, the palace minister, clenched his fists to his mouth, coughed, and stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, no one here thinks that the Duke of York is a liar...... I would love to know, who is denigrating the reputation of the House of York in front of His Majesty?"

"Huh?" Edward, with a stunned look on his face, hid the iron brick behind him, and said with a dry smile, "I...... It's been too windy these two days, and I may have misheard. ”

"Do you need to ask?" the Marquis of Golon's deep voice resounded throughout the council chamber, "Roland deliberately lied to the king in order to pull Edward to build a kiln in the palace garden to burn bricks, saying that there were people in the palace who criticized Anna's uncle. Hmph, the bricks burned out, and Roland didn't know where to hide. ”

The Guardian of the Knight Castle was well aware of the playful and playful nature of the descendants of the Auguste family, and when the little king tried to move his steps out of the hall, he said, "Your Majesty, this is not a royal meeting, but since you have already come, you might as well stay and listen." ”

Edward rolled his blue eyes and said with a sincere expression, "I...... I'm covered in mud, and I want to take a shower, change my clothes, and listen to your discussion again. ”

"As I said earlier, this is not a pre-imperial meeting. The Marquis of Goron did not give the young king a chance to escape, pointed to the chair beside him, and said, "Sit here." ”

I was so stupid, I was deceived by my sister again...... Edward cursed his stupidity in his heart as he used his brains to find an excuse to sneak out of the council chamber. He didn't want to listen to the tirade of the important ministers of the court.

"Oops! Oops...... Oops......"

The young king suddenly hugged his belly, secretly suffocated his face red, and groaned in pain: "My stomach hurts terribly...... It must be something that is not clean...... I'll go back first......"

As he spoke, he staggered towards the side door, and the Marquis de Ludwig said to himself, as if inadvertently, "Shouldn't your face be pale when you have a stomachache?"

Marquis Golon's gaze poked on his back like a substance, and Edward suddenly hated itchy, and secretly vowed to make Marquis Ludwig look good when he became in power. But he immediately realized that the day he came to power, the Marquis of Ludwig would have long since returned to the arms of the Lord of Light. This made the little king very frustrated, and stood in the doorway with his back to the council chamber, saying nothing.

"Edward, well, don't tear down the brick kiln in the palace garden. After a while, I'd like to try it and burn a few iron bricks. ”

"Yes, Uncle Williams. ”

The little king was overjoyed, and sprang out of the council chamber, and ran away without looking back.

Goron turned his head to look at the nonchalant Williams, remembering that the guy on the throne used to roll on the floor when he was fifteen years old. Edward's tricks of pretending to have diarrhea are nothing compared to how he behaved when he was young.

"I really want to try it, the iron brick manufacturing process. The Regent of Gombis shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and said with an innocent expression.

The guardian of House Augustus snorted and instructed the Night Stalker Spy Commander standing beside him, "Varus, tell me what the Night Stalkers have learned. ”

"More than eight years ago, the House of York claimed that the giant brick kiln had been invented by Sir Anthony York, the brother of Baron Phenice. However, the first giant brick kiln in the Centaur Hills appeared Randall, which is still producing green bricks today. There are ample indications that His Royal Highness Randall invented the first giant brick kiln. ”

"Unbelievable!"

Marquis Ludwig shook his head and said, "I have seen the design of the giant brick kiln, and its internal and external structure is very ingenious, and it fully meets the requirements of architecture. As far as I know, His Highness Randall did not study architecture...... Eight years ago, he was not yet 20 years old. ”

"But he has a gift for wisdom. "As far as we know, His Highness Randall can accurately calculate the height, slope, and volume of the hills with just one glance. On his way to become a lord, he was first attacked by a fierce gnoll, awakened his talent for popularity, and when he arrived at the territory, he found that the Yorks had not built a castle at all, and he could only camp on the hill with his followers. He was exhausted and fell into a coma...... We guess that at that time, His Highness Randall's bloodline mutated and awakened a rare talent of wisdom. ”

Gong Xiang stroked the beard on his chin and said reservedly, "I don't doubt the extraordinary wisdom of His Highness Randall. But it takes enough accumulation in architecture to be able to design a giant brick kiln. I prefer that His Royal Highness Randall came up with a clear idea, and that Anthony York Scholar helped him perfect the first giant brick kiln. After all, Baron Fenix is a close companion of His Royal Highness Randall, and it makes sense for her to use her brother to help her lover. ”

Williams knocked on the table and asked amusedly, "Ludwig, does it make sense to pursue this question?"

"Yes!" replied Marquis Ludwig without hesitation, "to sort out the context of the matter will help us judge the subsequent changes." We need to at least know how much Lord Anthony York had in the feast of iron bricks, and did he have a design for a giant brick kiln dedicated to the production of iron bricks? Anthony was just an ordinary aristocratic scholar, he was incapable of protecting himself, and he was particularly vulnerable to the plots of external powers. ”

The Marquis of Gronn exchanged glances with the Lord Regent and asked the Night Stalker Commander, "Is Sir Anthony's recent situation, does the Night Stalker have any grasp of it?"

"He's been overseeing the Southern Fortress of the Centaur Hills, often with the priest and two Rose Knights by his side. ”

Marquis Goron nodded and said, "It seems that the York family attaches great importance to Anthony's personal safety, but this is not enough. ”

"I also doubt that the House of York will be able to stop outside forces, especially the Sassanian Empire's coveting of iron brick technology. Williams smiled faintly: "I'm sure of one thing, even if there are two legendary highnesses in the Centaur Hills, Sylvia and Victor, the secret agents of the kingdoms will enter the Centaur Hills to spy on relevant information, and Sir Anthony is their primary target." ”

The Ludwig Palace Minister laughed and said, "The opinion of the two highnesses is consistent with the judgment of the palace secretariat. ”

Williams controlled the pace of the conversation, waved his hand to stop the palace minister from talking about the conclusions of the palace think tank, and turned his head and asked, "Can the night owl determine the inventor of the iron brick?"

A bitter smile appeared on Varus's face, and he bowed and said, "Your Highness, before the Iron Brick Feast, the Night Stalker didn't even know that there were Iron Bricks in the Centaur Hill...... However, we have revisited the information related to the giant brick kiln, and His Royal Highness Randall once reached an agreement with the Wellington family and the Nîmes family to purchase green bricks, and a key part of the agreement was that the Nîmes and Wellington families purchased green bricks from the people's hills, and ten years later, the centaur hills handed over the design drawings and brick-making process of the giant brick kilns to them. However, before the ten-year agreement was reached, the Duke of York publicly displayed the iron bricks. This shows that the York family did not master the technology of producing iron bricks at that time, but the York family assigned craftsmen to develop iron bricks that could build fortresses in order to break through the blockade restrictions of the stone trade. Viscount Randall was promoted to His Royal Highness, and the centaur Hills had enough confidence to sell iron bricks and giant brick kilns, and to ensure their own interests...... Iron bricks should have been invented later. ”

Williams turned his gaze to the Marquis de Ludwig and asked, "What about the results of the discussions?"

"The House of York should have in their hands a technology superior to iron bricks, maybe another kind of iron bricks, maybe another kind of giant brick kiln. ”

Gong Xiang stepped forward, picked up an iron brick on the table, and said: "It is made of one iron powder, one stone powder, and eight percent clay, mixed with a special straw slurry solution, and placed in a kiln to fire. The iron bricks themselves are particularly hard and heavy, and according to the architect's estimates, the forts built with iron bricks need to dig deeper foundations, which means that the height of the iron brick forts is not as high as the limestone forts. Therefore, the cost of building an iron-brick fortress is not cheaper than a traditional fortress...... Even, it is difficult to popularize. Because no kingdom can have so much iron to produce iron bricks. ”

However, these shortcomings have little effect on the practical use of iron bricks. ”

"Transporting iron powder, stone powder and firewood is certainly easier and faster than transporting stone. What's more, the remaining eighty percent of the clay can be used locally. The height of the Iron Brick Fortress is limited, but it is enough to withstand the orcs who are not good at climbing. As for the reserves of iron, except for the Sasang Empire, other kingdoms have a large number of rusted and damaged iron tools, which can be used as a source of iron powder. Moreover, the iron brick fortress only needs to pile up iron bricks on the outside, and fill the middle with green bricks, gravel, rammed earth and mortar, which greatly reduces the amount of iron powder and does not affect the solidity of the fortress. ”

"Bricks are a building material that has the advantages of regularity, corrosion resistance and fire resistance. Forts and towns built with bricks are much more efficient than with limestone, and there is no need to consider resources such as forests and quarries. The key lies only in the capacity of the giant brick kiln and the quality of the bricks, as well as the abundant fuel. ”

"The strategic value of iron bricks and giant brick kilns cannot be measured in terms of Kinsol. If we had the technology, we would never trade them for gold with the lords of the nations. The dragon bone steel of the Kingdom of Duoduo is a key material for the manufacture of ballistas, the centaur and red-haired bison leather of the Sassan Empire, the ore of Neville, the medicinal herbs and Mithril of Seuss, and the adamantite gold of Borui are all strategic materials that we urgently need, and they are not materials that can be bought with money. We'll only trade iron bricks with giant brick kilns in exchange for trade shares of these strategic items. ”

"Smack!"

The Marquis Ludwig slapped the iron bricks on the table and said coldly: "Embiter York exchanged iron bricks for several million gold soles, which is too easy to talk to!"

After a while, the Marquis of Golon said in a deep voice: "Good things will not be easily taken out and sold, unless they have something better. ”

Varus couldn't help but interject: "Lord Ludwig, I beg your pardon. You may have underestimated the mind and means of His Highness Randall...... His Royal Highness Randall encouraged his people to invent and create, and His Majesty Clement once helped the Randall family invent straw paper, and on this basis, Randall's craftsmen improved the papermaking process and invented the black paper for mutual aid vouchers. His Royal Highness Randall was allowed to sell black paper to the outside world, but he made it public about the process of making black paper, and declared that anyone who could improve the black paper process or have other inventions would receive a high bounty from the Randall family. ”

"His Highness Randall is using the wisdom of more people to advance technology. ”

Williams bowed his head and said, "Indeed...... Iron brick technology is too hot, unless it is not used, no one has the ability to monopolize the iron brick manufacturing process. If the craftsmen of the Centaur Hills can invent iron bricks, our craftsmen can also improve the production techniques of iron bricks. Sylvia and Victor still sell iron bricks, and if a certain family makes a huge breakthrough in the production of iron bricks, he will have to share them, at least in the form of gold coins to Centaur Hills. ”

The Marquis of Goron suddenly stood up, paced back and forth in the council chamber, and stopped to ask, "What if the House of York had better technology in their hands?"

"Iron bricks and giant brick kilns can now be exchanged for the kingdoms' share of the trade in strategic goods, but the centaur hills have only sold for millions of gold coins. If they have better iron bricks in their hands, better brick kilns, what are they going to get in exchange?"

There was silence in the council chamber for a while, and after a moment, Marquis Ludwig smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid this problem is not only our headache...... His Highness Randall's wisdom is difficult to guess, but fortunately, his style of action is relatively gentle, and he can always take into account the interests of all parties, and seek the most favorable external environment for the people and horses, and even the kingdom of Gombis. From this point of view, we don't need to worry too much, in fact, the kingdoms and churches are not very resistant to the feast of iron bricks and the changes that follow. ”

He paused, then tried to say, "His Highness Randall was born in Kite Castle, and he is also His Highness of our Kingdom of Gombis...... Shall we talk to him directly?, I think, no matter what plans His Highness Randall has in his plans, he needs the support of the entire Kingdom of Gombis. ”

At this time, an attendant knocked on the door, and after receiving a response from the regent, he came in and bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Earl of Greer of the Moon Bear family has just declared to the public that the right of the Duchy of Teuton to purchase iron brick technology is guaranteed by the Marquiss of Wimbledon. In addition, His Highness Randall has entered the city of Blinor. ”

Everyone looked at each other in amazement, and Williams couldn't help but stand up and ask, "What's the matter? Didn't the two highnesses' cars arrive at the royal capital at noon?"

The attendant replied respectfully, "Lady Sylvia is still in the convoy, and His Highness Randall has arrived alone. ”

"Where is Randall now?Blinor Cathedral?" asked Marquis Ludwig, frowning.

"No...... Her Royal Highness was in the Kite Castle, with Queen Mother Catherine. ”

Marquis Goron couldn't help but smile knowingly, waved away the squire, and said in a relaxed tone: "We don't need to be in a hurry to disturb Victor, let him and Catherine's mother and daughter get together first...... Now that all the rights to buy the brick craft have been confirmed, what will be the effect of the iron brick feast on the diplomacy of Cambys?"

Ludwig also smiled and said, "Neither Sassan, nor Dordor nor Borui will change. The Branstet family of Seuss were York's traditional allies and now August's in-laws, and although they do not currently have a Highness, Iron Bricks are able to increase their influence in the kingdom of Seuss. It's good for us. Lady Dolly of Neville was the birth mother of the Duke of York, and the de Kaiser family had access to the iron brick manufacturing process. However, the Centaur Hills gave her the right to purchase the iron brick craft, probably because of the potential connection between the Dekaizer family and the Rant Empire. His Royal Highness Randall is not dead set on the port on the shores of Lake Fez, and it is necessary for the four Highnesses to discuss this matter once...... I'll just remind you that both the kingdoms of Seuss and Borui are capable of building a port on Lake Fes within the territory of the Rand Empire. ”

Williams nodded expressionlessly, avoiding the topic of the Neowest family, and waved his hand: "Today's discussion will not be fruitful, Ludwig, Varus, you go back first." ”

The palace minister and the leader of the night owls bowed and retired.

When they were far away, Williams looked at the Marquis of Goron and said, "I noticed that in the feast of iron bricks, the Knights of Radiance failed to exert any influence, and the worldly lords all expected better iron bricks or giant brick kilns from the centaur hills, and everyone vaguely formed an alliance...... Is this a delicate situation deliberately created by Victor and Sylvia...... Maybe they're trying to unite with the secular lords to force the Knights of Radiance to make some concessions?"

Marquis Goron nodded, patted Williams on the shoulder, and walked towards the door of the council chamber.

"Let's wait and see what happens...... Victor is also the guardian of the Kite Castle. ”

Williams looked at the majestic lion-like back of the Marquis of Goron in amazement, and shouted, "Uncle Golon, are you so sure that I can't see through Victor's plan?"

"Can you read his thoughts, I'm not sure...... I can't see through it anyway. ”

The regent of Cambys, sitting on his throne in the council chamber for a long time, scratched his hair, and muttered in anguish:

What the hell does this kid want to do?