A week of rain heralds the arrival of spring, which is very short, so it is also very precious to the people of the North. When the snow melts, the fields are cultivated, the mines are restored, and all economic production at Blackhammer must be completed in the spring and summer, otherwise the temperature will start to be unbearably low again when autumn comes. To put it bluntly, Rhodes had to hurry up and make money during the short spring and summer months, or else he would face the danger of running a fiscal deficit in the winter. Without money, it is impossible to hire soldiers, and the castle is a dead city. Therefore, this matter cannot be delayed.

As the saying goes, money is not everything, but without money, it is absolutely impossible. Wherever he was, Rhodes could appreciate the profound meaning of this sentence......

"My lord, according to your orders, the construction team has been found, and they have indicated that they can start work when the rain is over. ”

In the dark offices of Blackhammer Castle, the clerk walks up to report to Rhodes on the progress of his work. Rod nodded slightly, pushed the prize money that had been prepared to the edge of the table, and motioned for his subordinates to take it, and took the money to do things.

The road construction plan was formulated by Rhodes early on, and if he wants to get rich, he must first build the road, which is the truth left by his ancestors. As a generation that grew up under the red flag, Rhodes will not forget these dogmas of truth that he has recited thousands of times. Of course, it is not so easy to implement, road construction is also a science, Black Hammer Fort is located in the northern wasteland, there is no idle labor, even if there is, these people will not build roads and build houses, and most of those who are willing to come to the north are some refugees, people who can't survive in the capital of the kingdom or big cities, bankrupts, homeless, refugees will be willing to come here. It is difficult to find skilled craftsmen among these people. That's why Rhodes went to the construction team.

And this is only the first step in a long march. Finding a good construction team depends on whether the other party is willing to work in this desolate and barren north, you know, road construction is not like other work, and the construction of some major roads even takes several years to complete. Moreover, many people are reluctant to ask the construction team to live in a desolate area for so long. No taverns, no women, life is boring, unless the price of employment is raised...... And the money that Rhodes gave to his subordinates was used for this investment.

"My lord, Sephes is a trustworthy servant who is efficient and well-measured. But I haven't figured it out yet. Why would you spend so much money and money on these two roads? Blackhammer is not very rich, and even if we build the roads, it won't make much profit, I mean, it will take a long time for us to pay for itself. ”

After the clerk left, the butler Mouros leaned over and handed Rhodes a cup of hot boiling water, while expressing his long-standing doubts. He did have too many questions, and since the young lord had fallen from his horse a few months ago, his thoughts and thoughts had changed from one to the other. Even the combat effectiveness has made a qualitative leap, Muros does not understand, he, like everyone else, seizes the opportunity to ask.

"Blackhammer Fort is not abundant? That's temporary, it's not that we don't have resources, but we don't have enough manpower. The northern mining area is rich in mineral reserves, and according to the prospectors, the copper reserves at that mine could be mined for at least another two hundred years with the current manual mining. The southern plains are not fertile soils, but there are streams flowing through them, which can be used as cultivated land. Find some hardy crops to cultivate, you can guarantee the food reserves of Blackhammer Fort in winter. To the north of the Haihe River, there is a large area of the Black Forest, and if we have a strong armed force, we can organize people to cut down trees in the forest, and you know, the trees in the north are much tougher and upright than the trees in the south, and they are high-quality timber resources. The shipyards of the empire all loved the timber of the northern realm of Kislev. ”

Taking the hot water handed by the butler, Rod put it to his lips and took a sip, and said slowly.

"I know all of this, but ......"

"But what?"

"Time, time is not right...... Why don't we develop production first, since we have the ability to hold the town, more and more people will come to live here. When the population of the town is large enough, the productivity will naturally increase, and at that time, it will not be too late for us to build roads? Of course, this is my personal humble opinion. ”

Muros cleaned up the stone table and expressed his opinion in a chattering voice. After all, he is in charge of the finances, and the lord generally only knows how to take money, but does not care about income. What Muros was worried about was that Rhodes was spending money lavishly and without moderation, thinking that Black Hammer still had a small coffer......

Of course, Rhodes knew that he was only reluctant to say it sometimes, and when he saw the old man so persistent, he couldn't help but lean closer and tell him the real reason for building the road. Dennis's business was believed in him anyway, let alone the road construction.

"You really want to know?"

Rod turned his face sideways and stared at the old butler with a wicked smile. This kind of expression made the old butler very unaccustomed, and generally speaking, at such times, there is always no good thing.

"You always have a point if you don't say it. Of course, if you're going to say it, I'll just listen. ”

He squeezed out a small smile.

"Well, I'll tell you anyway. "As you said, the return on investment in building roads is very long, and we spend a lot of money and material resources to build these two roads, and it may take five years, ten years, or even longer, to get back our costs." However, this is from an economic point of view. However, the construction of castles is never only based on one aspect, military, economic, and political, all of which are indispensable. I built the road from Blackhammer to Heidelberg and the Ring City out of military considerations. ”

"Military value?"

Muros was enlightened.

"Yes, military value. The Battle of the Evil Moon that has just passed has made me fully aware of the importance of unity in the North. Think about it, if I had run to Heidelberg and the Ring, and tried to persuade Aubrey and Lord Varrel, would our city still be able to hold off the beastmen? The security of the north depended on close cooperation between the city-states and castles. The Great Wall is in ruins, and I don't expect Caterina to reclaim it in her lifetime. Then, defending against the beastmen, werewolves, and even the possible future Chaos invasion must rely on the people of the North themselves. These two roads were built ostensibly to increase trade between Blackhammer and Heidelberg and the Iron Ring, but in fact, it was also to connect the three cities together. Business is also a military way. ”

Rhodes said.

"Military road? Do you mean that on the surface, you are building a trade road, but in fact it is preparing for the passage of the army?"

Muros asked.

"Yes, the Battle of the Evil Moon, Fort Heidelberg and the Ringring are not active at all, because even if Blackhammer does fall, the threat of the Beastmen will not be enough to reach their territory. There will be a little, but not severely. This is what Aubrey and Varrell think. Now, once the trade route is unblocked, the three places are connected. Once Blackhammer is broken, the beastmen and werewolves can run along the trade routes to the next town. So, if Blackhammer is threatened again, I will have one more reason to ask Aubrey and Varrell for help. ”

"Would they have thought of that, then?"

"Maybe. But this did not prevent the construction of the project, after all, no one knew when the beastmen and werewolves would invade again, and the benefits after the repair of the trade road were immediate, not only the Black Hammer Castle was able to generate income, but also the Ring City and Heidelberg followed. At the very least, the food-loving Lord of Aubrey can eat the fish of Kislev Bay for the first time. Instead of having to eat frozen dead fish. Moreover, we paid for the construction of the trade road, and the miserly lord of Heidelberg, Varell, was eager for such a good thing. ”

After Rod finished speaking, a confident smile rose at the corner of his mouth. This spring, a lot of things are going on in secret......