Chapter 62

Gerald gazed at the distant streets through the study's window. Under the mild heat of day, the streets brimmed with life. The once lifeless paths were now crowded with tradesmen and craftsmen. Merchants had recently begun to pour into Ard in numbers. It was an opportunity for most of them.

It was a place where craftsmen were devoid of work and would accept any price for their wares. With the arrival of the merchants, the idle had more work and more coin. And more coin meant more merchants coming to sell their wares.

The reason Ard was even more crowded with merchants, however, was the preparations some of them were making to commence trade from Maric to Andross. Quite a few merchants had arrived to gain knowledge about the possible tolls and the condition of the roads between the Kingdom and the Empire.

The liveliness in the streets wasn't just because of the merchants though. Work in the scorched land in the west had begun. Men worked on clearing the land where a forest once stood, preparing it for cultivation. Gerald had commanded for the idle men inside of Ard to be given the opportunity first. For simple reasons, he didn't like the thought of numerous young, idle men dawdling within his walls.

Arthur had begun by recruiting the young and able from within Ard, then he'd later moved on to recruiting from the idle refugees outside of the walls. An army of laborers was already clearing the land in the west. Often, groups of them would return to Ard to spend their earned coin or see their families. The distance between the scorched forest and the castle wasn't that large, after all.

There were a few knocks on the door.

Gerald turned around to a large map spread on the table. It showed the basin and its neighboring territories. "You two can enter," he said, his eyes still fixed on the map.

Arthur and Robard entered, saluting.

"Has everything been well?" he asked them.

Robard spoke first. "Yes, my lord. We've done another sweep in the west, wiping out a few more brigands. Their numbers have dwindled to near nothing. We're preparing a sweep in the east next."

Gerald nodded. The bandit crews had been removed, but some escaped bandits had struck out on their own, forming small groups and robbing passersby. The wiser ones had either hidden themselves in the southwestern forest near the mountains or attempted to slip into the crowd of refugees around Ard.

He glanced at Arthur who nodded and began, "clearing the scorched forest is going well, my lord. The land will be ready when it's time to plant the winter grain. The undertaking will cost us from 4 thousand to 5 thousand gold. I suggest that we build a village in the middle of these lands, my lord. If we allow the farmers who will grow crops there to build their houses around this village, it can grow on its own. We won't have to worry about their accommodation."

"How much will it cost us?" Gerald moved his eyes to the western part of the basin on the map. A small forest was drawn there, one which would have to be removed from all maps soon.

"Two thousand gold at most," Arthur said.

Gerald nodded. "Do it then." Then he narrowed his eyes, remembering a problem. "How will refugees plant those lands? I doubt they will have the coin to do so. Even if we've prepared the land for them."

Arthur nodded with a troubled expression. "There are several ways for it to happen, my lord. The ones making gold through the current labor would be able to afford planting a small piece of land, considering that many have begun laboring as a family. If a family has a father and two sons, their labor can provide enough coin for planting a piece of land. The farmers could also borrow from money-lending merchants. The loans would be paid upon harvest. There is also the least likable choice . . . "

Gerald moved his eyes from the map to his minister quizzically. "Speak."

"We could lend them the gold ourselves. But unlike the merchants, we won't be receiving any interest, lest it slights your honor. It would be a weight on our treasury without any benefits, and we're already expending a considerable amount of gold on this undertaking, my lord. There is also the problem of repayment. If something happens to the harvest like a storm or any other unfortunate event, we would have to shoulder the weight of the wasted gold, since the farmers won't have anything to pay us back with."

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Gerald tapped the table a few times. "What would happen if they can't pay back the merchants' loans?"

Arthur appeared to be thinking then grimaced for a moment. "The most common result is slavery, my lord. The King hasn't outlawed it, so it will be allowed or disallowed by your command. The merchants would sell those who owe them gold as slaves. They will likely be shipped to the United Archipelago to be sold there. But, if you outlaw the slavery in the territory, then you might be accused of swindling the merchants out of their gold, my lord. There is always labor to pay back the loans, but with how many debtors there will be, it would be wasteful for the merchants."

Gerald sneered. "The merchants know how to get their gold." He glanced at the map again. The farmers would have to pay him half their harvest as a tax, and then they would have to pay their debts. He didn't mind them being modestly poor, but he didn't want starving farmers in his lands because of merchants' greed. The interest some merchants demanded was nothing short of robbery. "Give land to those who can afford to cultivate it first. Then use gold from the treasury to lend those who can't."

"How much will we lend, my lord?"

"Enough so that by the end of the winter harvest we can feed everyone including the refugees without having to deplete our granaries. After ensuring that we won't starve, if there are even more people who want to farm, let them borrow from the merchants," Gerald said. He tapped on the map. "Now let's begin."

"Yes, my lord," Arthur nodded and approached the map.

"Let's begin from the south."

"As you wish, my lord. The southern pass of the basin touches the borders of two Counties and an alliance of Baronies. To the southeast lies Count Eryale's territory, and we have no ties with him. Straight south are the Baronies. Small territories rules by allied Barons who have lately been getting wealthier and wealthier. They are not weak though. They have been strong enough to deter the two Counties bordering them from getting greedy."

"What makes them so wealthy?"

Arthur cleared his throat. "Two things, my lord. The first being Mountpie. It is the richest mining area in the northern half of the Kingdom. Even though it doesn't contain any gold mines, the sheer amount of silver and copper mined there every day would make even Kings look twice. The second source of their wealth is the bridge."

"Bridge?" Gerald looked at the map, seeing the river cutting through the breadth of the Kingdom, originating from the Wild Plains in the east and ending at The Sleeping Sea in the west. The Baronies were north of the river, but they had a wider territory than the neighboring Counties. The two Counties southwest and southeast of the basin were each cut through by the river. He estimated that each County only had a third of its territory north of the river, while the rest was south of it.

"The shallowest part of the Qasm River is here, my lord," Arthur tapped his finger on the river at the part south of the Baronies. "It's the only place where there is a bridge. Merchants have to pass over it, as well as almost anyone who wants to cross the river. The only other way to cross it is by boat or ferry. The two Counties would often use boats to move their subjects or goods across the river, but it's very slow. Merchants would never consider it. That is why the bridge is a gold mine of its own."

Gerald nodded in understanding. "Where exactly is Mountpie then?"

Arthur pointed in the middle of the Baronies. "Most of the baronies have a part of Mountpie in their territory. The ones that don't are those that border the two Counties. They are considered the shields of the alliance, so they raise the most men and have built several forts on their borders. The alliance guarantees them a share of the coin from Mountpie and the bridge." The old minister took a breath then looked at Gerald. "I should mention that we have received a rider from the Baronies yesterday, my lord."

"What did they want?" Gerald cocked his head.

"Trade. Some of our craftsmen need copper. And the Baronies need grain. The land north of the Qasm River is mostly barren, except for the bank of the river itself. The Baronies always need grain, my lord."

Gerald nodded. "This means they don't have forests either. We will have to buy wood from the north in end." He sighed. One of the largest forests of the subcontinent was north of the basin, separating most of Duke Malfi's territory from the a neighboring Count's lands. He didn't want to buy his timber from the north though, because he would likely have to buy it from the Duke.

Arthur smiled wryly. "They buy timber too, my lord. Just like we intend to. The Baronies' rider informed us that an envoy will be arriving in a few days. I can handle the negotiation if you don't want to meet the envoy, my lord."

Gerald nodded. If the envoy had words of importance to deliver, then he would listen to them; otherwise, it wasn't worth wasting his time. "Let's continue then."

Arthur nodded. He pointed southwest of the basin. "This is the Westwell territory. Count Alaric Westwell rules after his late father. After his father passed, he abandoned the alliance that tied us."

Gerald squinted, remembering something. "Ah, yes. You said that he bought a mine in the southern pass from my father." He rested his finger on the southern pass.

Arthur pointed at a spot of the southern pass that touches the border of the Westwell territory. "The mine is here, my lord."

"Hmm," Gerald squinted. "That's barely in our territory. It isn't rare for conflicts to spark because of a mine like this." He knew that it was only an iron mine, but it was still a much needed resource for any Lord. It was always better to have your own iron for your armor and arms instead of buying it from another noble or from merchants. Conflict with your source of iron could put you at risk, after all.

Arthur fidgeted at his words, his face paling slightly.

"Is something the matter?" Gerald gazed at his minister whose eyes avoided his a time or two.

"Nothing, my lord."

He glanced at Robard who was obviously fuming, seemingly holding something in and on the verge of blowing it out. He questioned the knight with his stare, and the latter finally said the words.

"The mine wasn't truly bought, my lord."