Simon arrived at the Lord's Castle in the Barony of Arnhem on the third day of his journey.
After the soldiers reported their names and titles, and after a short wait, the guard soldiers respectfully invited Simon and his party into the wooden fort.
"Is this Baron Arnhem?" Simon thought in surprise after seeing a strange figure.
The man in front of him was very young, but the skin on his face was extremely dehydrated and covered in redness. It was obvious that he was an alcoholic who soaked himself in a barrel of wine every day. Simon also noticed that this man had a slight stoop, as if his spine had been bent due to a congenital curse.
Standing at the gate of the tower, he stared closely at Simon who was walking towards him, with a different kind of complicated emotions flashing in his eyes.
"I welcome your arrival, Baron Simon from Foldburg," Baron Arnhem's smile was a little bitter. "I am honored by your arrival, but unfortunately, the economic situation of my territory is stretched. I hope you will not misunderstand my enthusiasm because of my humble hospitality.”
"Of course not, distinguished Baron Arnhem, I can understand the dilemma you are in."
Simon and the young Baron Arnhem walked into the tower, and a strong smell of ale hit their nostrils. The dim light in the house and the empty wine barrels everywhere made Simon feel a little uncomfortable.
"Let the kitchen kill a chicken and serve my guests well." Baron Arnhem sat in the lord's armchair and said to a jar-headed servant.
Another servant took two wooden cups and scooped out two full glasses of beer from the barrel in the corner of the hall and handed them to the two barons. The young Baron Arnhem started talking.
It turned out that after his father lost the war against the Baron of Iser that year, he was gradually engulfed by the pressure coming from all directions.
His debt to the Jews was not repaid on time, but he was already so impoverished that even maintaining the operation of the territory became precarious. Apart from land, he had nothing to repay the debt.
Therefore, amid the scoldings of the people in the territory, the unanimous resistance of the vassals, and the disappointed eyes of the bishop, the old Baron Arnhem handed over a piece of his direct territory to pay off the debt. Since then, a group of heterodox believers in Judaism The believers have established a firm foothold in this land.
In the days that followed, Baron Arnhem's depression gradually worsened to the point of insanity. He lost his appetite, lost weight rapidly, and his rosy cheeks were replaced by paleness and thinness.
He often says strange things and sometimes sleepwalks. He seemed to be surrounded by a ghost invisible to ordinary people. Until one morning, a servant who got up early to fetch water from the river was horrified to find the old baron's body entangled in a fishing net.
"So I took over this dilapidated territory, but I know myself, and my mediocre ability cannot change the status quo. Life is too short, so it is better to live one day at a time." Baron Arnhem drank a little decadently A sip of beer.
Simon was very emotional. He silently warned himself repeatedly in his heart that he must act cautiously, especially in this complicated and troubled world, otherwise he would end up with such a tragic end.
After Simon enjoyed a simple lunch, he rode around with Baron Arnhem around his wooden castle in the afternoon sun.
His castle was surrounded by desolate crop fields and dilapidated dwellings. The farmers he met along the way were sallow and thin, and they seemed to be poor people who were used to a hard life.
There was a muddy clearing near the wooden castle. In the center of the clearing was a house surrounded by a crooked pointed fence. It looked like a temporary woodshed erected by a woodcutter.
Baron Arnhem said that this was his barracks, where the levies would gather and prepare for war.
Simon rubbed his eyes, a little disbelieving. If it weren't for the fact that there were several peasants next to Baron Arnhem's so-called barracks who were hitting scarecrow targets with wooden sticks under the command of a soldier, he would never have thought that this was actually a barracks!
Simon also wanted to see the Jewish settlement, but according to Baron Arnhem, the territory was close to the sea and was a day's journey away, so Simon had to give up.
Night fell quickly, and the windows of the guest rooms in the tower were leaking, making it difficult for Simon to fall asleep. The sound insulation effect of this pure wooden building is not very good. As long as a servant passes by outside the room, the "click-click-click" footsteps seem to ring next to your ears.
Early the next morning, Simon hurriedly said goodbye to Baron Arnhem and continued to march east to Deventer Church.
After passing several villages with large abandoned fields, Simon entered a forest.
"Perhaps this is the forest that the old Baron Arnhem claimed back then." Simon was reminded of the past.
Not long after entering the forest, the road ahead was blocked by a strong military outpost.
The tall observation tower of the outpost uses thick wooden piles as the main structure, which gives people a strong and durable feeling.
There is a rectangular house built of logs next to the observation tower. There are several short spears placed in empty wooden barrels at the door of the house. Next to the barrels are several shields printed with the emblem of the Baron Iser family.
After a simple negotiation, Simon, as a nobleman, was not charged a toll. The strong soldiers wearing padded armor moved away from the horse, and the road ahead suddenly became clear.
While passing by a hunter's cabin camp next to the main road in the forest, Simon decided to refresh and have lunch here.
There are three families of hunters and a ranger living in this small camp. Simon noticed that these hunters had hound fences next to their houses, and one of the hunters actually had a stable.
"Baron Iser, who won the last war, really made a fortune!" Simon thought.
This forest was not big. Simon walked out of the forest before the sun had set, and was replaced by endless lowland plains as far as the eye could see.
Unlike the town of Nijmegen, which has a developed livestock industry, this plain is lined with carefully tended crop fields and wealthy small farms. There are some seemingly "abandoned" grasslands interspersed among the fields. Simon knows that they are pastures specially used to grow hay.
"This place is much better than the shabby place in Arnhem Barony." Simon couldn't help but praise.
Seeing the busy and orderly production scene in the fields, Simon couldn't help but think. In addition to the town of Nijmegen, the territory of his friend Baron Iser seems to be very suitable as an important stop for his business development.
When the faint outline of the curtain wall and the bastion appeared in the distance, Simon knew that it was Isselburg.
There are many changes in the current Isselburg compared to the last time Simon came. There are some more vendors and some new buildings in the not prosperous village under the original hillock.
The clothes of the villagers coming and going could not be said to be good, but they were not degrading. It could be seen that their lives were not bad.
When the news of Baron Simon's visit from Foldburg reached the ears of Baron Iser through the mouth of the guard, the usually pampered man jumped up from his chair and walked through the atrium of the wooden castle to the gate to welcome Simon. .
When the two met, they gave each other a big hug like long-lost friends reunited. Baron Iser said that he liked the gift Simon gave him very much. Simon replied that he also liked the gift that Baron Iser gave him. ship.
The two people walked into the tower talking and laughing.
Since during the last war, most of Baron Iser's cabinet members were sent to vassal territories to seek help, organize recruitment, and gather intelligence, Simon did not know them. This time, Baron Iser introduced his courtiers to Simon one by one at the dinner.
His Lord Privy Seal is a decent old man, elegant in conversation, eloquent and eloquent, and mainly deals with foreign affairs.
His parish bishop is a knowledgeable and obedient faithful servant of God, who is mainly responsible for improving the relationship between Baron Iser and the church.
His financial controller is a middle-aged man with a shrewd look on his face. He was so diligent that even while waiting for the food to be served at the table, he was still whispering to his staff about work matters. He is mainly responsible for the tax affairs in the barony.
His military commander was a majestic man, with an inverted triangle structure and a muscular body that put Simon to shame. He is a brave knight and a general who knows how to command the army and ensure logistics.
His spy chief looks a bit mysterious, and his seemingly gloomy face seems to hide an extremely lively heart. His eyes scanned the entire banquet hall from time to time, observing everyone's expressions and behaviors, as if digging for some secret in the darkness.
"It's time for me to form my palace cabinet." Simon was greatly inspired at the banquet.
When Simon was still a knight, he could clearly say that forming a cabinet was completely unnecessary, because the direct territory was just a village.
But now, Simon's barony encompasses several village fiefs, and management is indeed gradually beginning to fail. He thought it was time to form a cabinet and recruit all kinds of talented people to help him manage his territory and share the pressure.
