Chapter 118

Fourth Marches

South Hill Castle

While Audrey led the Council Meeting, Lansius immersed himself in strategic planning within the confines of his study. He had learned enough from the village elders and the Nicopolans under Servius about how to proceed with South Hill.

Seated behind a large desk, Lansius scrutinized this year's harvest records. Even in a low-yield situation, a baron like him still secured a fair share of the harvest. The harvest collected by the Nicopolans from the communal field would be kept in the city granary and, as was the norm, sold whenever needed to maintain food prices.

Aside from the grains in the city granary, from which he would allocate a portion for his campaign, Lansius also received a share of grain from the peasants who sought the Nicopolans' assistance. Moreover, the villagers sent a few more carts of grain to the camp as a gesture of gratitude.

In his hand, he held a small letter from the village elders.

> We, the elders of the Northern Villages,

>

> On behalf of our fellow villagers, we humbly wish to convey our deepest gratitude for My Lord's benevolent policies. They have brought an abundance of harvest and joy to the community. We, your humble servants, wish to offer what meager supplies we have, in hopes it could be used for My Lord's future campaign.

>

> May the Ageless One and the Ancients protect My Lord and My Lady from all harm.

>

> - Signed, the elders of the Northern Villages

Lansius felt overwhelmed by the farmers' generosity. As he looked at the donated amount, he mused, "They're really confident in their winter wheat."

Aside from the first source, the communal land, and the second source, the farmers' share, Lansius also had a third source: his purchases.

Due to the weak harvest and merchants' price gouging, the market had been shocked. However, it also provided Lansius an opportunity to counter the market dynamics. After today's gambit, he was confident that the next day prices would plummet, leaving him as the sole buyer in the region.

This situation would undoubtedly dent the merchants' pockets, but he viewed it as a necessary lesson to humble the rich, making them think twice before profiting from others' suffering. With everyone having enough to eat for the winter, Lansius hoped it would strengthen South Hill against possible rebellion or coup, as potential perpetrators would not be able to secure enough men to rally for their cause.

Returning to the grain issue, Lansius estimated that, with all three sources combined, he would have more than forty days of supplies, with some room to spare. Yet, the situation in Umberland remained a source of concern.

He kept it to himself, but he was deeply troubled. Early reports brought by Sterling from Three Hills were especially damning. From these, Lansius learned that Umberland's countryside had been ravaged and was now devoid of its peasantry.

Defending a region with scarce food production is a death trap.

Thus, as preparation, he needed as much grain as he could acquire without causing his allies to suffer. To achieve this, he planned to buy grain in Three Hills but needed to keep this part of the plan secret. He didn't want anyone to speculate that he was planning to purchase a large quantity of grain from Lord Jorge's domain.

Lansius glanced at the numbers, calculating how many carts of grain he had so the Three Hills merchants wouldn't try to speculate. Fortunately, he found the number to be sufficiently large.

"It should be grand enough," he muttered to himself, sure that the supply carts would be sufficient to deter anyone from speculating.

With the supplies for the campaign largely secured, Lansius stored the parchments in his drawer and took a moment to lean back in his chair. Gazing around the room, he couldn't dismiss the bright colors used in the study, yet had purposely kept the place mostly unchanged, knowing his stay in South Hill would be brief.

Lansius then picked up another parchment marked 'Plans for South Hill.' The first item on the list was the road project. Despite the challenging topography, he wanted to ascertain the feasibility of a direct route to Korelia. With South Hill potentially becoming a breadbasket, a faster direct route to Korelia would significantly benefit his domain.

Next on the list was the plan to send an envoy to Corinthia. But first, he needed to learn more about them.

"Sterling," he called.

The squire quickly rose and approached with hurried steps. "Yes, My Lord."

"Can you summon Sigmund for me? He should still be in the castle after the council meeting."

"At once." Sterling bowed and exited the study.

Even without Sterling at his side, there was no risk to Lansius' safety. Guards stationed outside the door were loyal men from Korelia and Midlandia who had followed him since his battles with Lord Robert. It was said that competition to be his guard was so fierce that they spent their own money on appearances, including trimmed beards, perfumes, brightly tailored brigandines, and even polished accessories.

Lansius dismissed the thought of investigating further, choosing to trust his staff and his men. While curious, he preferred to avoid micromanaging his men unnecessarily.

As long as they don't cause issues, I see no harm.

Unlike gambling, there were only benefits to having well-motivated guards with a good appearance. Lansius then returned to the current issue: Corinthia. Although the city was part of Lowlandia, its distance, and terrain rendered the Barony largely independent, often keeping it uninvolved in the Lowlandia conflict.

Despite many considering the barony to be little more than a poor fishing village, Lansius saw the potential for an ally or the opportunity to learn about the Middle Sea, locally known as the Narrow Sea.

However, expectations for Corinthia to transform into a bustling trading city were generally dismissed. The Narrow Sea was treacherous, characterized by cliffs on both sides or endless inhospitable marshlands, leading to frequent accidents even for experienced Navalnia seamen. Consequently, the southern trade route remained mostly inactive.

After taking a sip from a goblet of water, Lansius turned his attention to the last on the list. It was South Hill's most pressing issue: manpower. He recalled the elders' words and his discussions with Servius.

Good or bad, this year's result is due to the Nicopolans' assistance.

And next year, there won't be Nicopolans in South Hill.

For this harvest, Lansius had implemented a modified version of the Military Agricultural Colony with some success, inspired by the Tuntian system from the Han Dynasty. Unlike the Roman practice of allocating land to veterans as both a reward for service and a means to create strong outposts and recruitment sources, the Tuntian system used soldiers to directly produce their own food during campaigns.

Implementing a full Tuntian model in the Imperium was impractical due to the forty-day campaign limit and the reluctance of levies to engage in such hard labor on a campaign. However, since Lansius maintained a year-long payroll for his army and they were in the midst of real threat of famine, he believed it might be feasible to adopt this model to some extent.

Yet, its use for South Hill had come to an end. Lansius needed to move his army to Umberland before winter.

Thus, there was a real concern for South Hill's food production in the absence of the Nicopolans. The question was whether the region could still thrive and produce a surplus with the current manpower shortage.

Medieval agriculture was not without risks. Without pesticides, over-cultivating but failing to harvest could lead to rodent infestations, or worse, locust swarms that could devastate the entire province.

Thus, drawing on his extensive knowledge of history—a subject he once vaguely considered unnecessary—Lansius dipped his quill pen into the ink and began drafting his plans. He aimed for a strategy that might enable Sigmund to govern the region with relative ease and lessen everyone's burden in the long run.

While he could simply accept the situation as it was and leave the farmers to their work, Lansius aspired to do more. He aimed to improve the odds, even slightly, that next year would be better, even without his troops around to assist.

...

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Soft knocking was heard from the door, followed by, "My Lord, I'm here with Captain Sigmund."

"Ah, let him in," Lansius responded. He had been waiting.

The skald, dressed in a fine crimson doublet, entered the study chamber. "My Lord, you summoned me?"

"Please, have a seat," the Lord motioned, quickly adding, "Sigmund, what do we know about Corinthia?"

The skald's gaze sharpened as he sat down. "Not enough," he mused, pondering what Lansius' question really was.

Lansius chuckled, satisfied by the skald's sharp intuition.

Sigmund added, "I think I could fathom just a slight hint of My Lord's intention. I shall send two of my best agents to Corinthia."

"Other than a small cost, there's no harm in gathering information, and the benefits from it will be worth their weight in gold," Lansius voiced his support.

"But, My Lord, what has piqued your interest in Corinthia?"

"Hopefully, a potential ally and trading partner. If things go well, I might even invest in ship design or sea trade," he explained.

"I see," Sigmund nodded thoughtfully.

There was nothing else to say about Corinthia, so Lansius moved to the next issue. "While you're here, do you have any requests regarding your upcoming governorship?"

Sigmund breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad My Lord asked. I need advice on managing the nobility. How can I rein them in, especially when two factions are at odds?"

"Which factions concern you?"

"The knights that opposed you, they might be in bed with the merchants, and the landlords."

Lansius nodded, seemingly unperturbed. "Not everyone will openly support us while the situation remains undecided. Currently, we enjoy popular support, so it's natural for people to wait and remain neutral before pledging their support to any faction. Thus, the best strategy is to maintain our neutrality."

Sigmund listened intently, so Lansius continued, "If you remain steadfast and keep military power free from their influence, you should emerge unscathed. Moreover," Lansius pondered, "you can always rely on delay tactics to diffuse tensions. Tell them you're awaiting my discretion. I can always respond with a stern no."

Sigmund nodded, seemingly satisfied with the advice. "Then, My Lord, how about managing the land for next year? Without the Nicopolans, South Hill lacks a thousand men to work and tend the farm."

Lansius handed him a neatly folded letter from the table, which Sigmund accepted politely.

"Memorize this letter, take it to heart, and then burn it."

"My Lord, is that necessary?"

"No, but it sounds dramatic," Lansius quipped, prompting chuckles from both.

"In this letter, you'll find a framework for a Civilian Agricultural Colony," Lansius explained.

"Civilian Agricultural Colony?"

"It shouldn't be surprising," Lansius remarked. "We're currently using the military. However, there's another way to do it."

"By civilians, is My Lord thinking about the commoners?"

"Anyone unfortunate," Lansius clarified. "Seasonal laborers, landless farmers, orphans, the poor in the market. Any capable but unfortunate farmer should be invited to work on the communal farm."

"But wouldn't that compete with the private farms owned by landowners? They also rely on the same labor pool."

"Tell them we need to increase crop production no matter what to avoid famine. Stick to that point, and they'll quiet down eventually. After all, this will likely just force them to offer decent wages to their workers or to employ them year-round instead of seasonally."

"So, just a minor inconvenience for them," Sigmund commented.

"Indeed. They wouldn't stage a coup over mere pocket change," Lansius reassured him. "Also, I will allow two hundred camp followers to settle, so you're not starting completely from scratch."

"My gratitude, My Lord. But what about the payment system?"

"I have outlined the details in the letter. Divide the communal land into two parts: one half to be managed by the peasants as part of their tax, and the other half to be worked by the new labor force. You'll need to compensate the laborers, but consider it an investment."

"Will the region have enough cash, especially since My Lord has promised to waive tolls and market taxes for the next year?"

"It will. I'll abstain from claiming my share from South Hill for a year or two, until the situation stabilizes." Lansius paused, then added, "Frankly, don't worry too much about coins. We're facing a potential famine, and I fear grain will become more valuable than silver."

They heard the chirping of a bird passing by the narrow window, seemingly announcing the fair weather. "It will be a lovely week for marching," Sigmund commented.

"Hopefully, the weather will remain this good," Lansius replied with a smile. "Also Sigmund..."

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Could I ask you to create something for me?" Lansius' eyes brightened. "I've always wanted to try something to make the march less painful."

***

South Hill City

The Harvest Festival was planned for tomorrow, after everyone had completed the harvest, stored the grains, and cleaned the land sufficiently to avoid pest growth. As it would be a two-day event, extensive preparations were necessary.

From morning to noon, across the village and city, everyone was busy setting up tables and chairs, and slow cooking had already started to ensure the various meals would be ready by tomorrow. It was a community event where the Lord was expected to donate liquor, cooking ingredients, and musicians to ensure merriment.

Street performers had prepared a new act, dubbed "The Rise of the Black Baron and the Magical Grain." People were eager to watch the performance on the city's main street, or wherever patrons were willing to pay.

The cities buzzed with decorations of all sorts. Children gathered berries and wildflowers, while others brought fruits from the orchards and fresh vegetables from the gardens.

While the community prepared for the festivities, the Lord's military was gearing up to march. Footwear was repaired, fresh woolen socks distributed, and carts received their last major maintenance before heading to Three Hills.

The main army would march one day after the two-day Harvest Festival. Although he could have ordered them to march now, the Lord decided to boost their morale by allowing them to enjoy the festivities.

Meanwhile, Sigmund had quietly dispatched a small team of skirmishers, disguised as wandering minstrels, on a fast cart to Three Hills. This was the reason the Lord had allowed them to rest to their heart's content at the previous Lord's manor—so they wouldn't begrudge being sent out before the Harvest Festival.

Once again, the minstrels would serve as his forward eyes and ears. His scouts in bright clothing, falsetto voice, and thrilling music.

...

On the next morning, the city came alive with music, dances, and all kinds of festivities. There were small archery competitions, fishing contests, baking contests, running contests, and, of course, a drinking contest.

The baking contest was especially phenomenal, filling the city with the aroma of freshly baked bread for the entire day. Because it was a competition, butter and aromatic herbs were used generously, giving the air a sweet, milky, and rich scent.

The Lord and Lady were present, providing the crowd with barrels of liquor from his castle, along with flour, butter, and, special for this year, Korelian salted meat. In turn, the city offered the Lord and Lady the best cuts of roast duck, slow-cooked since the previous night.

Entertainment was everywhere, with folk dances, theatrical plays, and music. The highlight was a trained horse that took part in a drama play, behaving as if it understood its role and could act as well as any human.

The Lady was enchanted and spent an hour playing with the horse. Seeing an opportunity, the Lord extended an invitation for the horse owner and other actors to perform in Korelia, which was graciously accepted.

"Korelia next year should be a great place to be," Audrey remarked excitedly as they rode home.

Lansius chuckled. "I'm sure it will be. Let's just hope we can resolve the Umberland issue before the harvest season."

Audrey offered a small grin. "With you leading, I doubt we can fail."

"That's high praise. But really... We should prepare for the worst. After all, there are many unknown factors in Umberland."

Audrey nodded, understanding that to underestimate the danger in Umberland would be foolish.

"My Lord, My Lady, apologies for interrupting," Sir Harold said as he rode closer.

"Please, speak," Lansius said openly.

"Your presence is requested again," Sir Harold conveyed.

Lansius looked to the skies. "But it's still early for supper."

"It's not the city, this request came from the village elders. They've begged me to extend an invitation for My Lord and Lady to the northern villages," the knight explained.

Lansius chuckled and looked at Audrey, who nodded with a smile. "I don't mind," she said.

"Well, then, let's enjoy a drink or two and a light bite," Lansius declared, his entourage readily agreeing.

As the festivities carried on, the air of merriment rejuvenated everyone's spirits. The usual doom and gloom were momentarily forgotten, swept away by cheerful cries and laughter. Individuals from various factions set aside their differences, united in joy, sharing laughs, meals, and drinks. That day, South Hill was reborn anew.

***

South Hill

Two days after the harvest festival, at dawn, the castle buzzed with activity. All its chandeliers and lanterns were lit, signaling the Lord and Lady's preparations to march. The kitchen staff busied themselves preparing breakfast and lunch for the road.

"Are you ready?" Audrey asked Lansius, who was already dressed in his traveling clothes, belt, and sword.

"Ready," Lansius remarked, his gaze lingering on the master chamber that had been their abode for the last several weeks. He noticed Agatha, assisting with packing their clothes. Catching his gaze, she looked up.

"Yes, Master?"

"Agatha, please take care of this place for us," Lansius said gently.

The girl hesitated.

"What's the problem?" Lansius inquired, not expecting any other response than affirmation.

Audrey, standing by his side, giggled and approached the chambermaid in training. "She's torn. Half of her wants to come with us, and the other half wants to stay with her family."

Lansius offered a gentle smile. "Is that true, Agatha?"

The girl nodded. "It's true, My Lord."

"Then continue your training. Once Umberland is safe for travel, we can invite you to join us, either there or in Korelia," Lansius reassured her.

"Really?" The girl's excitement was palpable.

"It's a promise. But in exchange, do me a favor."

"Anything, My Lord," said Agatha with a wide grin.

"Look after Sigmund for me. Offer him counsel from time to time. While he undoubtedly knows more about everything, being asked for advice and confided in is valuable and will make him wiser," Lansius confided in her.

The girl nodded earnestly. "I'll offer as much counsel as he needs."

A knock on the door interrupted them.

"My Lord, My Lady, do you need more time to prepare?" Sterling inquired from outside.

Lansius looked at Audrey, who shook her head as she donned her traveling cloak. "If it's time to leave then, we should act quickly."

Thus, the Lord and Lady bid farewell to the castle staff and the people who had gathered on the street outside. Marching in formation with their select guards and cavalry, they headed northeast, taking the route through the northern villages and towards Three Hills.

They had been there for just slightly over a month, yet the parting was bittersweet for the populace who had come to recognize the Lord's leadership during these turbulent times. Many wished he could stay and rule the city for a bit longer, but they knew that the Lord was shouldering the responsibility for the entire province.

As the formation moved away from the city, Audrey glanced back and caught sight of the castle's colorful glass window, shining like a miniature sun amidst the orchards on either side. "I'm going to miss this place," she murmured.

"Indeed," Lansius echoed, retrieving a small earthen jug from his saddlebag and offering it to her.

"What's this for? Are we celebrating something?" she inquired before taking a sip.

"To our victory over South Hill and to saving so many troops from hunger," Lansius declared, proud of his achievement.

"To past victories and the future," Audrey toasted. Their smiles broadened as they shared the sweet mead.

Grateful villagers lining the road waved them off, catching one last glimpse before the couple embarked on an eight to nine day march to Three Hills. Beyond Three Hills lay the plateau leading to the mountain pass where Umberland was situated. There, the fate of Lowlandia would be decided.

***