Heidi's concern was actually not a problem in the context of this era, because in the worldview of most people, and even in the reality of this era, winter only meant one thing: everything would wither, the vitality would decrease, and all work would stop. Before that, human beings would store enough food and fuel, then stop work, return home, and enter a state of pure consumption.
Just like those animals who stored food in tree holes in advance and spent the winter in caves.
This way of survival was determined by reality. Although there were all kinds of "magic" that appeared like black technology, it only belonged to a very small number of elites. The whole world was still firmly bound to the land. Farmers were the most basic producers of almost all social wealth. Agriculture and various production activities based on agriculture were the most important production activities of this society. Once winter came and farming stopped, 80% of the people would be free, and the backward aristocratic order prohibited these people from freely doing business or engaging in any "side business that did not suit their status". Without the permission of the aristocrats, civilians would be severely punished even if they went fishing in the river or went into the mountains to hunt and cut firewood.
In addition, the food that most civilians could store in winter was limited, and they could only maintain a half-full state throughout the entire winter. Therefore, they dared not waste their physical strength to do anything that was "out of bounds". Every breath they exhaled in winter consumed their already limited physical strength reserves, and could cause them to freeze and starve to death before spring.
However, the situation was completely different in Cecil's territory.
The Cecil family did not have any form of extravagant expenditure, which greatly reduced the cost. The new production model ensured that they could store enough supplies before winter. Pitman and his apprentices did their best to ensure that the territory had enough food. Coupled with the food purchased from Tanzania Town and the support from the king, Cecil's people did not have to worry about consumption in winter.
Here, we have to mention the support from the king again. Gwen admitted that he had cheated Cecil a little in this regard. Because the agreement he signed with the king was that the royal family would provide the initial consumption of Cecil's territory. He did not say how many people he would have in his territory, and how many people would increase in a short period of time. So, he had openly asked for extra supplies from the royal family several times.
After ensuring the food supply, Gwen had plenty of jobs.
After winter, there was nothing to do? That was in other territories. Cecil's territory had a lot of things to do. The steel factory was expanding, and two large factories were added next to the machinery factory to set up new production lines. The furnace area where Rebecca's crystal was fired was also converted into a formal factory called the "Magical Crystal Smelting Factory". It was not only used to fire Rebecca's crystal, but also set up a laboratory to test the various minerals dug out from the Gloom Mountains and what new substances could be synthesized. The silly roe deer had to throw more than 200 fireballs at the crucibles and small furnaces in the laboratory.
In addition, the iron ore mines in the east, and countless construction sites in the territory.
When winter came, the land would harden, and the water would freeze easily. All kinds of construction-related work would be slowed down, but this did not mean that construction work would stop. Although the production of the "otherworldly version of cement" that Rebecca tossed out was low, it performed very well in low temperature. Besides, there were no large buildings in the territory, so the construction work in various construction sites would not stop. And there was a big project that was about to start.
As the Whitewater River entered the dry season, the water level dropped. Gwen planned to build a solid, long-term bridge over the river to replace the current temporary crossing bridge. This way, when spring came, the development work on the north bank of the Whitewater River could be smoothly carried out.
He was even worried that even with the help of the refugees in the wilderness, the territory would still not have enough manpower. After all, those people needed to be trained, and they would not be able to adapt in the beginning when there was a powerful magical engine running beside them while they worked.
When Gwen presented these plans and supporting plans one by one in front of Heti, the latter fell into a long period of shock.
"So, now you don't have to worry about the refugees having nothing to do, right?" Gwen smiled. "We have enough positions to keep them busy for the whole winter, and in the process, everyone will adapt to the new laws of Cecil. So, what are you worried about?"
Heti silently glanced at the plans on the table and took a deep breath. "I'm worried that I'll die of exhaustion …"
Gwen: "… Ahem …"
"Don't worry. Viscount Andrew has found a way to find a group of downtrodden knights, bankrupt merchants, and scholars in his territory, and used money to persuade them to work in Cecil Hill. I plan to arrange for half of them to teach at night school, and the other half to be your assistant. This way, you can set up the framework of the Ministry of Interior when winter comes." Gawain could not help but comfort her. "Viscount Andrew has found a way to find a group of downtrodden knights, bankrupt merchants, and scholars in his territory.
Hearing this, Heti finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the ancestors …"
"Why does this sound so much like what the barbarians used to say?" Gwen said with a strange look in his eyes. "No matter what they did, they used to praise the spirits of their ancestors first …"
Heti thought for a moment. "I'm different from them. My ancestors can hear me thanking him …"
"And then your ancestors will reduce your workload, right?" Gwen looked at his granddaughter, who rarely cracked a joke. "Okay, okay, go do your work first. When the next batch of manpower from Tanzania Town arrives, I'll give you priority to pick a group of assistants, okay? Just don't say 'thank the ancestors' in front of me with that pious look on your face … I've been traumatized by dealing with the barbarians. When you mention 'thank the ancestors', I feel like I'm going to become a spirit in heaven again … "
Heti: "…"
Not long after Heti left, Amber's figure emerged from the nearby air.
Gwen skillfully took all the valuables on the table in front of him, then raised his eyelids and looked at the half-elf thief. "How is it, did the two captured mercenaries cooperate?"
"Not yet. After all, you didn't allow the prisoners to be abused, so the two are still wasting time with the soldiers." Amber wobbled to Gwen's desk, and when she found that she couldn't do anything, she curled her lips. "I say, you really don't want to consider tying the two mercenaries to a post and whipping them a few times? This kind of mercenary is actually very easy to deal with. Don't look at how fierce they are in front of the refugees. As long as you are a little tougher, they will immediately obediently sell out their employer. The reason why they are not speaking now is because you don't use a whip to hit them, nor do you spend money to bribe them … "
"You're talking about the kind of mercenaries who would steal for a few silver coins, and their members are basically armed militia-level mercenaries." Gwen glanced at the half-elf. "But the two we caught … Haven't you noticed? A Level-3 Knight, a Level-2 Arcane Mage, and the low-level Knight and Mage that were killed by random gunfire. Although these people are only low-level professionals, they can easily become military commanders or mysticism consultants in a place like the Southern Territory. If they go to the East to gain some military merits and curry favor with Silas Loren's family, they can even become nobles and become Barons or Viscounts. But they are willing to become mercenaries in such a remote place. Why do you think they are willing to become mercenaries in such a remote place? "
Amber thought hard for a moment. "Is it for the sake of ideals? You see, I'm such a powerful Shadow Master, but I still dig tombs … "
Gwen did not expect the Shame of All Things to give a serious answer. After listening to Amber's nonsense, he continued, "There are indeed powerful professions among the mercenaries, but this kind of mercenary group is usually active in the North near the Duchy of Holy Dragon or the East near the Empire of Typhon. Because these places are full of danger and opportunity, the wealth gained in the process of adventure or completing a commission is enough for the professions to choose this undignified path. But the South has been peaceful for a long time, and the mercenary groups active in this area are usually not very strong or wealthy. And for those mercenaries who have several professions and can wear extraordinary equipment, there's usually only one explanation — they're the 'Black Hand Team' that works for one or a few nobles."
Speaking of this, Gwen smiled. "This kind of mercenary has a strong psychological quality, and most of them have some kind of leverage or hostage in the hands of the nobles, so they're not afraid of torture. Ordinary whipping won't work."
Amber looked at Gwen curiously. "Then how are you going to pry open their mouths?"
"Pitman said he has a way, but he needs to prepare some special ointment and ritual, so I'm not in a hurry." Gwen looked at Amber with a smile. "And I don't believe that you didn't plunder anything from the two mercenaries. I know your character. Usually when I ask you to go to the storeroom to get some ink, you'll drink half a bottle on the way …"
Amber's face turned red. "When did I drink ink!"
"I'm just making an analogy, understand?"
"Pfft." Amber squeezed out some air from between her teeth to express her dissatisfaction. Then, with a conflicted expression, she began to rummage through her body. "I'm telling you, this is my loot. You have to return it to me after you've seen it …"
"Return what? I've just set the rule that forbids plundering on the battlefield, and all loot must be handed over to the public and recorded for meritorious service. Have you forgotten?" Gwen said as he examined the various items that Amber took out. "Don't pout. You're my personal guard, and you want to lead the way in breaking the rule? And it's not like I won't compensate you. There's still a reward for meritorious service … Heh, there's a lot of things? No wonder the soldiers reported that they didn't find anything valuable on the two captives … You actually got them all? "
Amber's eyes twitched. Her heart was bleeding. Hearing Gwen's promise of compensation, she felt a little better.
Gwen's eyes were suddenly attracted by a dagger among the miscellaneous items.
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