85_85536 The reason why William would have such an idea and want to do such a thing was not a casual decision.

This mainly stems from what happened a few days ago, when he had returned from the Black Forest and was hanging out with Her Royal Highness Princess Elise.

After taking a few steps down the country road, William felt a little regretful. This regret is not just because the summer sun is shining on his body, which makes him feel uncomfortable. It's not just that Her Royal Highness Princess Elise is dressed cooler, he is afraid that this will be taken advantage of by others.

He felt uncomfortable, more than not, because there was really no scenery to see outside the castle - and it could even be said that his mood was heavier after seeing these things than when he didn't.

Look out from Hereford Castle. The sky was pale blue, the sun was dull, and the fields were green mixed with withered yellow. This is very different from William's impression of the lush vegetation and wild scene. And after walking out of the castle, he entered and looked, and William felt more and more the severity of the situation.

The leveled land on the periphery of the castle, the training ground for the soldiers, and the bazaar under the castle are not counted. The surrounding circle of barracks for soldiers and the quarters for military families are not counted. After a few steps, the scenery around me became terrible and unsightly.

In fact, William is still a little mentally prepared for this matter. He was ready to see a bad scene. After all, the level of productivity in this world is about the same as that of the European Middle Ages on Earth.

But the reality was worse than his mental preparation. In William's eyes, the badness of the Barony of Hereford has been detached from the level of "Cheng dù" and raised to the level of "realm".

Walking on the dirt road that people had stepped on, William looked at the fields around him. The ground in the field is cracked, like the lines of a tortoiseshell. The wheat is half withered and not yellow, and it is lying on its stomach in the field. The leaves on the side of the road also drooped. In this case, the only ones that can grow well are all kinds of weeds that are tenacious but cannot fill people's stomachs.

"William, shall we go back?" Princess Elise said to William, "there is really nothing to see here. ”

William shook his head, then looked to the butler who had accompanied him and Princess Elise out with him, and asked, "Is there a drought this year?

"It's like this every year. "Although the housekeeper Fu didn't know, why did his young master suddenly become interested in this. But he patiently replied: "This is the climate of the territory. Nor can it be said that it is not a disaster. ”

"Every year is like this?" William was startled when he heard this, and then remembered - the old version of William was not interested in this at all, so that in his memory, there was no accurate belief in this. However, with the help of some objective clues, William still knew the truth - the butler Fu told the truth and did not lie to him. Of course, in fact, it is not good for the other party to lie to him. Completely unnecessary.

Thinking of this, William felt very unwilling, and he then asked, "Is there nothing that can be done?"

"What's the solution. The butler shook his head, then pointed not far away.

There were two peasants, their skin blackened by the sun, their hands and faces wrinkled, and their clothes in tattered clothes that could not be patched, and one of them carried two buckets, and staggered towards the fields, and then scooped out the water from the buckets in small pots, and poured water on each wheat plant little by little.

The farmer is very careful in his movements, and he is also careful when walking. lest I step on the straw. He watered the wheat little by little, as if it were some kind of treasure. After watching this scene, William only felt that it was not a taste in his heart.

"How can you water like this......" William couldn't help but say as he felt someone tug on his sleeve. When I turned my head, I saw Princess Elise with an uncomfortable expression:

"Let's go back. Elise said, "I don't want to look at this." ”

"Wait a minute. William smiled apologetically at her. He also knew that in the case of accompanying a princess, he should not dwell on these things. But if he doesn't figure out these things, he will feel uneasy.

After saying this, William frowned. Because he awakened the seed of power, his five senses were raised, and he heard the sound of rushing water:

"There is the sound of running water, and the water should not be far away, so why not build a canal and bring the river water over?"

"There's a stream nearby," explained the butler patiently.

"But there is a hill in the middle, and if you want to build a canal, you have to dig up that hill, and the amount of work is too great to organize so many people in the territory. ”

"Oh......" William nodded. Then he said, "Is this true of all the fields in the realm?"

"This ...... It's really ......" the butler shook his head:

"One of the manors owned by the owner is right next to the river, which is quite convenient. But the vast majority of other lands are not so good. Some are not easy to irrigate, and the land suitable for irrigation is too barren. Nothing grows. ”

"Isn't there a place in the territory that is convenient for irrigation and fertile soil?" William couldn't help but ask, "Can't we develop new fields?"

"It's really difficult. The butler then shook his head: "The area around the castle is better, with the lord and his guards in charge." There were also several other knight gentlemen who helped. So it's safe. But no further afield. There are goblins, gnolls, orcs and centaur monsters everywhere, as well as robbers and outcasts. It's too dangerous. It is simply impossible to develop.

And His Excellency the Baron did not have enough troops to suppress the larger territory. In fact, with the current size of the Guard, it is quite reluctant to be able to defend such a large territory. The Captain of the Guard, Mr. Konstantin, would often ask the Lord for advice in order to narrow the scope of patrols and jurisdictions. But the old man didn't agree. ”

"Why don't you expand the team?" asked William. But then, he knew he had asked a stupid question.

"Because I don't have any money, young master. ”

Sure enough, the smile on Butler Fud's face widened, and then he answered William succinctly......

yes, looking at the Barony of Hereford, it's pretty good to be able to take care of so many people now. Where is the extra money to expand the army?

Without extra money to expand the army, it is impossible to expand outward and reclaim more land. If more land cannot be cultivated, the original level of finance can only be maintained. There is no extra money to expand the army.

The economic, military, and livelihood problems of the Barony of Hereford have thus formed a vicious circle. The generals and nobles in this strange circle were all put into it and sank together. This state of affairs is not an isolated case, but a common practice throughout the principality, and indeed the entire kingdom, and the whole old world.

With the exception of a very few exceptions, 99 percent of the people in the entire Old World are living in such misery and cannot extricate themselves. Technology and living standards are at a standstill. Ignorance, stupidity, hardship. The world is hell, and all living beings are suffering.

"This is the so-called, dark Middle Ages......" William was in a trance for a while, standing in place in a daze. At the same time, the two peasants with buckets saw William and the three of them. After being stunned for a moment, he quickly knelt on the ground and kissed William's shoe prints.

"Hurry up. You still have to do farm work, don't care too much about us. "William had never been treated like this before, and he just felt uncomfortable. So he said to the two peasants in as gentle a voice as he could, telling them to get up. But as if they didn't understand, they raised their heads and looked at William blankly, at a loss.

"The young master wants you to leave quickly, don't disturb the young master, didn't you hear?"

After that, after a roar from the butler Fud, the two peasants hurriedly stood up, and then hurried away with their buckets.

"Young Master, you are a nobleman, so you don't need to be too kind to these civilians. This is detrimental to the majesty and honour of the Hereford family. ”

After this, the butler Fude hesitated slightly, but still said this solemnly to William.

"Ah...... Well...... Oh. "William had never heard of it. His eyes were full of the humble, pitiful, bewildered, and frightened faces of the two peasants. These were the two most miserable and pitiful people he had ever seen. William felt that the beggars he had seen in his previous life were better alive than them. If you have to find someone on the same level as them, you have to go to Africa, to India or to the Arab region.

Their pity is not merely their material barrenness. It's even more spiritual. It was deeply engraved into their bones, seeping into the marrow.

And such a lowly wretched man numbered seven or eight thousand in his realm. In the entire Old World, it is likely that there are tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions.

They did not live in a far away, out of sight, on the Internet on television screens and computers, as William had in his previous life. They are real, they live next to William, and they can see it when they look up. I can't hide from it, and I can't pretend I can't see it.

William suddenly felt very nauseous, and the dizziness worsened. Dizzy, he immediately collapsed, then opened his mouth and vomited.

"Young Master, Young Master, what's wrong with you?!" Butler Fude's panicked voice sounded in his ears, and William vomited unheard of it. The head also hurts more and more. But a voice, a thought, an idea, a concept gradually took shape in his mind, becoming clearer and more obvious.

He had to do something. He had to change that. Because he has the power to change this qiē. And as the heir to the title and domain of Baron Hereford, he was equally responsible for changing this qiē.

"I'm fine, just a little, a little dizzy. William struggled to get up, and was then hugged by Princess Elise, who was choking on fear. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of William's mouth, then took the water bag from the butler, opened it and handed it over:

"Rinse your mouth, William. We'll go back now. ”

"Hmm. William nodded. Rinse your mouth, the butler's water bag seems to have mint added to it, it tastes very good, and after rinsing his mouth, he drank two more sips. After that, I felt a lot more sober. Then he was supported by Princess Elise and walked back in the direction of the castle