The Month of Recovery had arrived.
The long and cold winter in the northern part of the continent had finally left the land reluctantly. Although its remaining power was still daunting, the warming temperature and the few days of warm sunshine gave people a sense of hope. At least in Cecil, the word "hope" was no longer an elegant word used by the upper class to express their feelings after dinner, but something that even the common people could look forward to.
A baby was born on this day when spring had just returned to the land.
In the "Western Factory Apartment" that had just been completed this winter, a young father was a little flustered as he entertained his neighbors and friends who came to visit. The small living room was crowded with guests who brought gifts. Although there was only some bland tea and coarse snacks to serve, the guests obviously did not care. Perhaps few people would have thought that these people were a group of homeless and unknown wilderness refugees just a few months ago.
They wandered in the wilderness and settled down in Cecil. They met in the buffer camp, got to know each other when they were building the house, and finally became friends in the factory. For these people who had experienced the days of being homeless, it was a meaningful thing that one of them became a father in a warm home.
At this moment, one of the people standing at the door suddenly shouted, "The Monarch is here!"
The people were shocked, but the lord was really here. The tall figure quickly appeared at the door, and everyone felt that this figure was familiar.
Gwen quickly saw the young father in the crowd. His face was immersed in joy. He quickly stepped forward and reached out to stop the man who was about to salute in fear. "Today is the day you bring hope to this land. There is no need to salute. Is the mother and child safe? "
"Yes … Yes, my lord …" The young man was obviously nervous, but he was also excited because of joy. He stuttered and rubbed his hands. "They are safe, they are safe …"
Gwen smiled gently. "Can I see the child?"
"Of course, of course …"
The newborn baby and the young mother were in a quiet and undisturbed inner room. Although there were many visitors, only a few of them had gone in for a visit. Gawain was probably the most special one among the visitors that had come today.
Due to the popularity of the new Mana Net, the system of using magic-powered heaters and heat conduction ducts to heat the entire building had become the standard for new buildings in the fief. This apartment building that was completed in winter was no exception, and a warm and constant temperature house was the key to ensuring the safety of mother and child. Otherwise, winter childbirth would be a life and death crisis that most pregnant women had to face.
In the warm room, Gwen saw the baby in swaddling clothes.
It was a healthy boy, wrinkled and unable to open his eyes. At this moment, he was sleeping peacefully.
A pharmacist's apprentice was taking care of the woman and the baby after giving birth. This was not a wandering witch or a "traveling doctor" who could only fool people, but one of the apprentices trained by Pitman himself. Although there was no real Druil among Pitman's apprentices, at least these apprentices were professionals in the field of pharmacology, surgery, and medicine that did not require magic talent.
Looking at the baby in swaddling clothes, Gwen smiled.
This was the first newborn in the fief. Almost a year after the construction of the fief, the first baby was born here, but this was not surprising at all.
This was because the people in this land were either the eight hundred lucky survivors from the old Cecil Hill, the purchased serfs and slaves, or the vagrants gathered from the wilderness. There was no need to mention the serfs and slaves. Slave traders would never sell pregnant female slaves, and the refugees and vagrants had experienced the most difficult test of all. In that test, they had to go through the most difficult test, and in that test ….
It was difficult for any pregnant woman or fetus to survive.
The child in front of Lin Sheng was lucky. If his parents had not found a place to settle down in time, it would have been difficult for him to be born safely in this world.
His parents were the first batch of refugees who immigrated here. The young father was now working in the rune foundry, and the mother was a female worker in the textile factory.
"Does the child have a name?" Gwen turned his head and asked the young father who followed him into the house.
"Not yet …" The young father grabbed his hand, and his eyes moved from Gwen to his child's face more than once. He smiled a little straightforwardly. "We originally wanted to give him a name, but … but I'm in school, and I want to ask the teachers in the school to help give the child a name … A name given by a learned person can make the child smarter, and he will definitely learn to read faster than me in the future …"
Gwen could not help but laugh at the young father's naive and simple idea, but there was also a trace of relief: this person who was illiterate at least now knew that it was good to let the child learn to read.
Then he shook his head. "In that case, I'll give him a name. Let's call him 'Ors'."
In the human language of this world, this pronunciation meant 'hope'.
The young father was stunned for a moment before he realized what had happened. He immediately bowed. "Thank … Thank you for giving the child a name!"
Then he muttered to himself, "Today … Today is a good day, a good day …"
"Don't forget to register the child as a resident and get an identity card." Gwen smiled as he helped the helpless man up. He had abolished the rule that civilians had to kneel when they saw the nobles, but it was not so easy to ban people's habitual bowing and even kneeling. These could only be done slowly. "In addition, you can report to the Resident Affairs Department of the Government Office in three days and get a living supplies, including rations and cloth, tonics, and commonly used medicines."
The young father obviously did not expect that the addition of a child to his family would be 'rewarded'. He hurriedly bowed and thanked Hao Ren. "Thank you for your generous reward!"
"This is not a reward. Remember, a reward is not the same as a government subsidy." Gwen emphasized. "This is an administrative system, the current law. From today onwards, all the families of newborns in the territory will receive 'subsidies' from the Government Office. This is to reward your contribution to the territory's population. And after ten years … the Government Office will decide whether to continue this subsidy based on the situation. "
The people in the room listened to Gwen's words. They probably did not fully understand the meaning and significance of this' system ', but they certainly understood the part about their own interests, and that was enough.
After Gwen returned to the Lord's Residence, he immediately called Heti and asked her to arrange the 'reward and subsidy for newborns'. After everything was arranged, he sat in his spacious chair and began to plan the development of the territory after the end of winter.
The reclamation of the territory was smooth, and foreign trade had also earned a lot of wealth. The military defense was improving day by day. Under the premise of not having to worry about food and clothing, and safety, the baby boom would soon come.
But it took a long time for babies to grow into laborers, so in the short term, the population growth of Cecil's territory still depended on two parts. One part was to continue to buy slaves and gradually liberate them into free people, and the other part was to continue to collect refugees.
In addition, Cecil's current population actually had an additional huge increase — residents from Kant's territory, a large number of farms and reclaimed villages attached to Kant's territory, and a large number of idle people in the hills in the east.
These people were now legal citizens of Cecil's territory, but they first had to accept the 'education' of Cecil's law and order.
Fortunately, the 'education' did not start in spring.
Over the past winter, Gwen had been subtly influencing Kant's territory. His actual rule over the land was not limited to sending soldiers to maintain order, build roads, and occupy businesses. He was also transferring Cecil's rules to Kant's territory bit by bit. At first, it was to let the craftsmen who came to Cecil to make a living abide by Cecil's rules. Then, using these craftsmen as a breakthrough, he launched a variety of construction projects in Kant's town. The new small factories, commercial streets, and renovated residential streets brought winter economic resources and a better standard of living for the people of Kant. It also brought a new way of life. Then, it was to send soldiers to maintain the security of the new streets. It was constant propaganda, and Padrick came forward to "unify" the more famous local people.
Now, in the town that was originally directly controlled by Viscount Kant, the residents had gradually become accustomed to accepting Cecil's order, but Gwen still had to solve a problem: the original Knight class of Kant's territory.
It was the old Knight of Kant's territory who controlled the surrounding villages, wilderness development points, and garrison points.
These Knight were the end of the Ansu's land noble system. They were the distant extension of the feudal lords. Although they did not have legislative power, independent feudal claims, and many of the privileges and glory of the official noble class, they were still part of the old, Ansu noble system.
Legally speaking, these Knight should now be loyal to Gwen? Cecil, but they had not yet sworn an oath. Even if they were loyal to Gwen? Cecil himself had sworn allegiance, and they had not yet pledged allegiance to Cecil's "order."
As long as they still existed and used the old order to control the land and population in their hands, then the land and population in their hands would not be able to become parts of Cecil's magical industrialization.
"Call Knight Philip over." Gwen tilted his head slightly and said to the air beside him, "Go and come back quickly."
A slight aura fluctuation appeared and disappeared in the air, and in the next moment, Amber's voice came from outside the window. "Roger! I'll be right there … Damn it, why are there rattraps on the courtyard wall! "
Hearing the sound coming from outside the window, Gwen smiled with relief.
Not to mention the courtyard wall, there were rattraps on the top of every street lamp on the road from the lord's mansion …
Not long after, Knight Philip appeared in front of Gwen.
There was also Amber, who was making all kinds of funny faces at Gwen.
Gwen ignored the half-elf girl who was making funny faces and looked at Philip. "We should consider the old Knight of Kant's territory."
As a role model for the young Knight, Philip immediately thought of the process at this moment. "Are we going to call them to swear allegiance?"
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