Many family members of Baron Kunir's private soldiers were ruthlessly driven out of the fiefs awarded to their families. Some family members who saw the situation clearly and the people who were familiar with them came to the wooden castle in Esbai Village to complain to the lord. Ask for forgiveness.
Maybe there are honest, kind and hard-working people among the deported people, but this is impossible for Simon to withdraw his order. Changing the order overnight will reduce the authority of the lord. When there is such an expulsion order next time, will everyone be able to beg for mercy and avoid punishment?
But this time among those who came to intercede were Father James and the priest. As servants of God, they expressed their dissatisfaction with Simon's expulsion practices that put women and children to death.
Simon also thought about it carefully.
I finally exchanged the actions of returning the holy relics of Lyle Abbey and purchasing the "rotten" grapes of the church in exchange for the appreciation of the bishops and an opportunity for asylum. If it is not necessary, I should not do anything cruel in the eyes of the monks. Lower your hard-earned reputation.
"It's really troublesome." Simon rubbed his sore temples.
In order to expel them and leave them a way to survive, Simon thought, do he have to send a team of soldiers to respectfully escort the families of these private soldiers to the nearest town?
Suddenly, a good compromise idea came to Simon's mind.
"I can expel them from the fief and let them open up wasteland in the forest of the territory. The land and crops produced will belong to me except for a small amount of rations."
In this way, those women and children were expelled from the fief homes where they relied for survival, but they did not die on the way to being expelled from the territory. While accepting the punishment they deserve, they can still produce food for Simon, and the church will not have any objections.
"Let's do this. The decree to expel the fiefs remains unchanged, but we can send them to the Dehes Forest to clear up wasteland. In addition to leaving the necessary rations during each quarter's taxation, all other crops produced will be handed over to Esbai Village. in the granary,” Simon said to Father James.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Simon," Father James' tense face softened, "At least we no longer have to see those poor old women and children dying."
"Poor people must be hateful." Simon shook his head.
"In my opinion, what these poor people need is salvation." Priest Hannes disagreed with Simon's point of view. He had compassion on his face and looked like he had a good heart.
Simon thought to himself that all he had to do now was to wrap a string of coral beads with the words "Love Conquers All" around his arm.
"Yes, yes, Priest Hannes," Simon took a sip of red wine to moisten his throat and glanced at the priest and said, "If your salvation can allow them to open up wasteland honestly and no longer harbor any suspicion towards me. Hostility, I’m certainly happy to forgive them.”
"I can try, I hope God will let me succeed." Priest Hannes did not dare to finish his words at this time.
When Simon, Father James and Father Hannes walked out of the castle tower, the inner fort outside was crowded with villagers who came to petition and families of private soldiers who came with luggage and children to beg for mercy.
Brown is Simon's first impression.
Except for a few free farmers wearing faded colorful clothes, most of the villagers were wearing clothes stained by mud. They stood bustling on the tawny land of the inner fort, chattering against the backdrop of the ocher-brown wooden fort wall. .
After the priest, who was trusted by the villagers, announced Simon's decision, most of the family members of the private soldiers who were about to be expelled were able to accept the result and left with relief.
For them, compared to losing everything, losing the protection of their lords, being expelled from the familiar land and facing the dark world outside, this is already a good result. At least they still have a place to live.
As for their hatred for Simon, which is stronger than others, they can only hide this hatred deep in their hearts.
However, Simon still noticed that some families of private soldiers still had disappointment and anger on their faces. Perhaps in their view, what Simon should do is to repeal the law that expelled them and let them continue to live in the fief, instead of working exhaustingly to open up wasteland. In the end, they will get nothing, just not to starve to death. .
"It seems that if some people do not experience real pain, they will become more greedy and imagine more benefits that cannot be obtained, and finally turn into stronger resentment." Simon's brows frowned, it depends on how the priest can redeem this person. Criticize the so-called lambs in his mouth.
…………………………
After lunch, Simon rested for a while, then rode on his "Lucky" and rode towards the riverside mill with the stonemason Ryan.
In fact, yesterday, the people who came from Verde Village to Esbai Village to participate in the congratulations crossed the river and went back, but Ryan was left alone by Simon.
Simon shared with Ryan his plans for a new ferry and trading post in the large clearing next to the mill in the village of Esbay.
No one came to Esbai Village to cross the river before, mainly because the miller's boat could not help the caravan and the large amount of goods reach the other side of the river safely.
It was possible to split the goods into many trips and move them to the other side, but the miller's price was much higher than the ferry ports with ferries to the north and south. No businessman would be stupid enough to spend more money and cause more trouble for himself.
If Simon wants to develop business in his territory, he must first improve the transportation within the territory. It is necessary to build new ferries and expand and repair roads.
As for why not build a wooden bridge or pontoon bridge to connect to the village of Verde on the other side, just look at the wide surface of the Rhine and you will know that the cost will definitely be very high.
In addition, since there are often ships on the river, this means that Simon had better build a wooden bridge with a higher bridge hole, which requires much more cost than building a new ferry.
"That place is suitable for building a ferry," Ryan pointed to a river bank in the distance that was slightly recessed into the inner bank. "It's not difficult to build a ferry. It's just that it's hard to find a boat for crossing the river."
"I know a baron whose territory is by the sea. Maybe he can help me find a ready-made ferry or a shipbuilder." Simon thought of Baron Reid, whom he met in the barony of Iser.
"Very good, next is the market," Ryan looked at the empty grassland by the river, sketching various rising buildings in his mind, "Maybe the flat land in front of the ferry is good. The land here is flat, and at the same time we A tax house could be built next to the ferry where transaction taxes and crossing fees could be collected conveniently.”
"Yes, I took note of it." Simon nodded. He was looking forward to this deserted grassland becoming a bustling market in the future.
"As for the residences of guards, merchants and residents, they can be built on the hillside," Ryan pointed to the gentle slope behind the open space. "This is also conducive to drainage, and the residential areas will not accumulate water when it rains heavily."
Basic planning is completed.
Simon thought that there was still a shortage of a blacksmith in his territory. The blacksmith of Baron Quinier went to the Principality of Flanders with his heir. In his blacksmith shop, only a helper with a snot nose and a heavy hammer were left. anvil and a coal-burning stove.
It’s funny to say that according to the villagers, the blacksmith’s helper has not received decent remuneration for several years. The blacksmith always uses various excuses to excuse him. Send him away, or treat him to a drink in the tavern.
This helper is also quite dull, probably because of his previous miserable wandering experience. In his opinion, having a job that provides food and accommodation is already pretty good.
This time the blacksmith went to the Principality of Flanders with the fleeing heir to make a living, so he gave the helper all the items that could not be taken away from the blacksmith shop as unpaid wages over the years. Unfortunately, the dull helper had nothing after leaving the blacksmith. He knows how to do it, which makes Simon very troubled.
In addition, now that everything has stabilized, Simon thought it was time for him to meet Brother Linde who was a monk in Deventer Church.
"Ryan, let's go back first. If you want to build a new trading point, there are a lot of things to prepare and a lot of things to deal with."
………………………………
The next morning was punctuated by screams and exclamations.
"What happened?" People rubbed their sleepy eyes and poked their heads out of the windows. Some had curiosity on their faces, and some had dissatisfaction with having their dreams disturbed.
"The cow I raised died, and the sheep died too!" Theodore, the sheepherd, walked towards the lord's castle in mourning with his hands covered in blood. His face was stained with hay and dirt, and he burst into tears.
"You can't go in."
The two half-asleep guards at the gate of the wooden castle were startled. They quickly picked up their spears and blocked this crazy-looking guy. God knows what he wanted to do.
"Please let me go in to see the lord, whose cattle and sheep have been murdered!" said Theodore, startled and frightened. Since he helped the lord raise the livestock, and now the livestock died, he must have the responsibility as a sheepherder.
"Wait a moment, I'm going to ask the lord if he's up," one of the guards pressed Theodore's shoulder, signaling him to calm down and wait there, and then said to another guard next to him, "Watch him."
After the guard finished speaking, he walked into the inner fort from the entrance of the wooden castle. After a while, Theodore was told that he could go in to see the lord.
Simon was wearing casual clothes and sitting on a back chair. The sheepherder in front of him looked very embarrassed.
Everyone said that Theodore was an honest man, which was why Baron Quinnell trusted him and entrusted him with livestock to raise.
"Calm down," Simon pressed his hand on Theodore, who was breathing heavily, "Little Klein, give him a beer first."
"Thanks."
Theodore unceremoniously took the wooden cup and drank it in one gulp, then placed the cup on the big oak table next to him, lifted up the hem of his clothes and wiped the tears from his face, trying to make himself look decent in front of the lord.
"Tell me, what happened?" Simon asked doubtfully.
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