Chapter Twenty-Five: Autumn is Coming to an End

With the completion of the marina, the town of Fendra is no longer as peaceful as it used to be. ()

The establishment of this port has greatly changed the traditions of the region that have lasted for hundreds of years. For example, in the past, farmers had to haul the grain in horse-drawn carts to transport grain to the south, and when the roads were muddy on rainy days, the grain transportation line would be interrupted. As a semi-enclosed town, Fandra largely served as a large market for the surrounding farmers and artisans.

The land here is fertile, and the peasants only need to plant in the spring and harvest in order to live well: cultivate a few acres of land, sow the stored seeds, and eat bread all year round, of course, white bread is not eaten every day; Families with many children can go to the market and bring a few hooves of lambs back for the children to graze, so that the family can eat dairy products and a small amount of meat; It is also a good choice to raise pigs at home, if you have loose hands, you can also raise a donkey, usually ride yourself, and lend it to others to push the two-day mill when the crops are harvested to make a little money.

The population of the town will not be very large, because the function of the town is not enough to support the huge population. In the long period of tranquility, most of the residents have the leisure to plant a garden of flowers or lead a few melon seedlings at home, the farmers sleep in the haystacks with straw hats on their faces, and the ploughing cattle and horses walk around boredly, which are all common scenes in the autumn fields.

Now this pastoral life is coming to an end.

King Nord has already made up his mind to develop the entire North Sea.

In order to do this, King Nord must first strengthen his control over the North Sea region, and the old era of not being able to do things must be ended, which must be done by an emperor determined to achieve great things.

Despite the resistance, King Nord did not retreat. Countless small lords are worried about King Nord's actions behind their backs: King Nord is strengthening his royal power step by step, and almost every slightly larger town has civil officials sent by King Nord, who are ostensibly helping town leaders deal with official business, but everyone knows that these are all sent by King Nord to monitor and override the lords.

If royal power is the standard, then Swadia and Rhodok are the two extremes.

After the collapse of the Kalad Empire, the Swadias transformed their tribuns into lords, and then formed several large and small alliances in the form of loose confederations, until that time, both Swadia and Rhodok still had the legacy of the Karad era--- and their lands were dotted with free cities and autonomous regions.

But with the rise of the aristocratic clique led by Swadi Ayanzu, this loose form of government collapsed after just over a decade of existence.

Swadiya carried out a series of reforms, promoted the centralization of power with great leadership charisma, and by the time of Taizu's death, Northern Svadia had squeezed the lords large and small into the poor countryside. In the last years of his life, Taizu built a well-established bureaucratic system in the hope of grasping the entire country from top to bottom, but unfortunately he died suddenly before he could finally succeed, and the transformation of southern Swadia had not yet begun. This laid the groundwork for the future division of Svadia.

The traces left by Taizu are still obvious, and his 'improved' Northern Swadia has become the envy of other kings--- and the royal power of this country is so developed that it can even arbitrarily appoint and dismiss certain village lords.

In the decades that followed, South Swadia, which had not undergone a revolution, had well preserved the legacy of the Carlad era--- and a large number of reports, institutions, and personal notes about that era had been preserved, and through the interpretation of these documents, the lords of Rhodoc who held real power constantly defended their legitimacy.

Long before the 'tax wars', there were already irreparable rifts in the polity. After that war, it was not surprising that the Rhodoks chose to quit Great Swadia. Rhodok began to explore the era of the ancient Carade, while Svadia went further and further on the path of strengthening the royal power.

Suffice it to say, the kings of the continent were envious of the kings of Svadia, and their lords were envious of the Rhodok polity. However, in recent years, the Rhodok people have also begun to move, such as in the army, the Rhodok council has deprived many of the privileges belonging to the lords. In fact, many people in the council were also lords, but since Rhodok did not have the strong royal power of the Swadias to rule everything, in order to prevent a few lords from manipulating the country by controlling the military power, the lords had to compromise this consensus.

King Nord's bureaucracy was largely borrowed from Svadia's. This action of King Nord was shocking, and it was even speculated that at this rate, it would not be long before Nord would become a second Svadia.

Just look at Fandra: a baseless mayor and a group of soldiers and careerists who have brought the native gentry and guild leaders into ruin overnight.

This was a complete betrayal, and when King Nord raised his army and called on the people to help him, he promised to return the full autonomy of his supporters. But now, the Nord King is tearing up the contract he has made with his actions, and for most of the Nord lords, it is time for everyone to be in danger.

But for ordinary Nord residents, life has not changed much now, except for more people coming and going, and the street market is a little more noisy. What was eaten in the past, still eats now; How to repair a house in the past, how to repair a house is still how to repair a house; How to drink and make trouble in the past, now you have to make trouble.

Fendra was twelve miles from the port, and the inhabitants had a vague sense that the center of the area would gradually shift to the docks. Despite the long distance, the inhabitants felt the scorching heat of the port of Fendla.

Rumor has spread that every day many ships are loaded with tools and raw materials to unload at the docks, and then load Fendra wool, furs, and grain and leave.

Around the harbor, the flattest land has been laid with large and small wooden piles, and many tents are neatly arranged on one side, and those who live in tents are working wood, digging foundations, and leveling the land during the day; Many clerks with quill pens in their ears ran around, recording the people who used the land and the area; From time to time, officials who look like big men come to inspect the progress of construction.

Now the port is more lively than it was when it was built, and people can't help but wonder, "Where on earth do we need to build so many houses?" ”

Driven by the ongoing construction around the port, many residents of the town of Fendra began to seek out farmers around the port to discuss the purchase of land. Before the construction of the wharf was planned, this land was just a bunch of swampy tidal flats, and the land was worthless and undeveloped. Now the farmers are looking at the new port and are reluctant to sell their land.

However, in the surrounding area, it is said that someone bought an entire piece of land at a high price, and there was no intention of building a plantation or a shop warehouse.

Those who have been to that land come back with a sigh of relief, the soil covers such a vast area, and looking at the stakes and bricks that they have nailed, it seems that the owner of this land did not intend to build a room out of thin planks like the people around the docks, which looks fancy, but after a few years it will show its decline. This kind of building, which is prepared to be made of fine bricks, will become more and more flavorful over time. This makes one wonder if the bishop is going to build a new church in this place.

But what is surprising is that this kind of building is actually used as a school.

Of course, over the years, Beihai has changed too much, and even if there is anything unreasonable, it has gradually become reasonable in people's minds. On the contrary, some people who stick to the habits of the past are beginning to be regarded as outliers, and the current Beihai is constantly changing, and it has become an unforgivable regression to stop moving.

Just when people were amazed, it was even colder.

The cold and humid air of the North Sea has returned, but the hot life of the people has not changed at all. The huge project is a great opportunity to make a fortune, and no businessman wants to miss it. The nails and chains produced by the town of Fandra are no longer enough, and countless building materials are brought in by ships, as if the port is a hungry mouth, and no amount of food can satisfy it.

Occasionally, it rains, and at this time people feel that winter is getting closer and closer. Soon after, the icy rain will turn into fluttering snowflakes all over the land. When the outside of the door is more humid and cold, the warmer the hearth and the food inside the door can make people feel happy and satisfied.

Jill soon walked out of the house where he had lived for a long time.

Martin brought some ripe pomegranates from an orchard to the south, and the skin of the pomegranate was frozen with a layer of frost, which cracked open with a slight click, revealing the plump red fruit inside.

These red fruits made Jill can't help but be in a trance. Jill thought of the red shiny cherry. In the illusion of a moment, Jill seemed to return to those afternoons more than ten years ago, in those days, in the shadow of the tall walls of Suno, the butler would buy a bowl of cherries for Jill, and the cherry trees were drenched in a layer of sparkling ice water, which looked bright and transparent.

In the memory, a little girl is leaving her own cherry, and the little girl's lips are redder than the cherry.

In the icy wind of the North Sea, Jill imagined the girl.

Jill picked up a pomegranate seed and gently put it in his mouth. The taste is different, but this bright red color is so familiar. Jill remembered the old butler's kind smile again.

The old butler smiled and said, "These cherries are like the jewels in the crown of the Paraven Emperor."