.

Based on the simple idea of ​​"finding a way for everyone to survive", Winters wants to let the refugees return to agricultural production.

However, the mad cow has escaped from the cage and is running rampant, trampling the earth. How can it be so easy to lock it back?

Leaving the refugees alone, Winters only had to feed more than 1,500 soldiers and military dependents. Gévaudin's warehouse was more than enough, but he decided to do something big.

So from the moment he decided to take on more responsibilities, the new government's finances were rushing towards bankruptcy.

Winters had to tighten his belt and get by.

The entire army, regardless of rank, all distributes food according to quotas per capita. The quota is limited, and people with small appetites can only eat six cents full. As for the refugee camps, the per capita food there is even less.

Everyone is in a state of semi-starvation. The refugees and soldiers not only have to cultivate the land and sow seeds, but also find ways to get food: digging wild vegetables, picking wild fruits, fishing, hunting...

Therefore, whenever Don Juan went hunting, he would not see anyone for several days. Winters never went home to have meals, but stayed at the garrison to join his subordinates.

The only good news is that Winters has become completely numb. Before, he was worried every day when thirty people were eating, drinking, and having diarrhea. Now, when he opened his eyes and saw more than 20,000 people eating, drinking, and having diarrhea, he felt nothing at all.

According to Senior Mason's estimation, by reducing the consumption rate, the existing storage should be able to last until next summer's harvest. When the summer grain is harvested, the situation will be greatly improved.

Only when the new government actually collects grain taxes can this small, poor but tenacious regime be on the right track.

But plans never change quickly. Senior Juan quickly achieved a great victory. He was very happy with the victory, but invisibly, he opened more than a thousand small holes under the grain depot.

The prisoners are human beings too, and they are all adult men who can eat and drink.

Food is not enough.

…

The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became dull, and even Moritz's brows unconsciously showed sadness.

"Why are you keeping a straight face?" Winters laughed heartily: "We are pushing back against the tsunami. It is normal to have difficulties, but it is abnormal not to have difficulties. It is precisely because of the difficulties that the benefits are great! Wait until next year

With the grain harvest, the current difficulties will be solved."

Winters grinned hard: "Don't frown. We have a sullen face and frown all day long. What do the soldiers think? They will only worry more. So smile, don't worry."

Mason sighed helplessly and smiled.

But Andre couldn't laugh or cry: "Just stop laughing, your smile is scarier than frowning."

"That's what I say, but the problem of food shortage must be solved, and there is also the matter of salt." Mason said sternly: "Otherwise, we will have to beg when the crisis comes."

"How to solve it? Then what the hell do you need to say?" Andre grinned and said, "Grab it!"

Moritz coughed violently and beat his chest hard.

"Don't blame me! I've thought about it carefully!" Andre was extremely aggrieved: "As long as you are willing to grab it, any problem can be solved. And how fast can you grab it? You have worked so hard to save,

After saving... In the end, there were only more than 200 horses. What about robbing? You can grab thousands of horses in one go! Isn’t it easier and more satisfying than digging the soil for farming?"

"That's right, you're right!" Winters was already very skilled at smoothing the horse's hair: "I'll write it down right now - a backup plan."

Andre sat down angrily.

Mason fiddled with his quill and muttered: "There are two ways to go about food, increase revenue or reduce expenditure. It is impossible to reduce expenditure. If we continue to restrict expenditure, everyone will starve to death."

"It can still save money." Winters made up his mind and made a cruel decision: "When the autumn plowing is over, we will cull the prisoners in Wargne County. All the prisoners who are too old, too young, and too weak will be released, and the new ones will be released."

Let the Reclamation Army go have a headache."

"Put them back?" Andrei stared: "I think it's better to kill them all! They know our inside story! If you let them back now, next year they will come back with weapons to attack us!"

"There are advantages and disadvantages. Kill them all, and the enemies who come next year will be even more desperate. It's better to give each person some travel expenses and let them go."

"You still want to pay travel expenses?" Andre laughed.

"It is not necessarily a good thing for the prisoners to let the prisoners go back. Wargne County is still short of food, and the old, weak, sick and disabled may starve to death even if they go back." Winters sighed: "I suggest that we vote by a show of hands.

"

Andre was a little impatient: "Vote? Why bother? If you say you want to let it go, will I still object? Then let it go."

But Winters insisted on a show of hands.

The final result: Mysterious man A abstained from voting, Winters, Andre and Mason all agreed. The matter was settled.

"As for open source." Winters thought hard and said, "Every military village and farm is doing things like hunting and fishing. Winter is coming, and there is nothing to collect. After all, we still have to buy food.

"

"Where to buy it?" Mason asked doubtfully.

"Buy it from the farmers. First buy it in Tiefeng County, and then go to Wargne County." Winters tapped the table: "Samkin did a good job."

Winters described in detail how Samkin organized prisoner labor and used the output of shoes and baskets to go to various villages in exchange for food.

Do the homesteaders in Tiefeng County have any food?

have!

The autumn harvest has just passed, how could there be no food?

The harder the blows were in the old garrison, the more the farmers hid. All the farmers who had not hid well had left their homes and fled, so naturally the remaining farmers were those who had food in their hands.

Winters is unwilling to force the expropriation, nor does he want to force it. In the past year, the "hide-and-seek" between the expropriation team and the farmers has pushed the cost of expropriation to unprecedented heights.

This autumn, many homesteaders no longer even cultivated their original land, but went to cultivate unregistered ditches - they have been driven into fear. Even if Winters issued a public statement that he would not forcefully confiscate grain, farmers still

Don't believe it.

If you can't force the goods, you can only exchange them. Farmers need to exchange many things, and they are willing to exchange them.

"Salt and iron." Winters said seriously: "Farmers can't produce these two things, so they want these two things most."

"Salt?" Andre stared: "You want to give the horse back?"

"Of course not!" Winters laughed loudly: "If it falls into my pocket, how can I give it back to him? He's dreaming! To trade horses for salt is to drink poisonous wine to quench my thirst. He thinks I'm desperate, so I still have to cut it out.

There is no one way!”

"What should we do?"

"Without salt, the focus has to be on the iron."

"Tiefeng Mine?"

"That's right!" Winters looked at Senior Mason with blazing eyes: "Senior, it's better sooner rather than later. We'll start smelting iron tomorrow. Regardless of whether it's possible or not, let's hit the first hammer first!"

"No problem, I'll go get ready." Mason had been listening quietly to the conversation between the two juniors, but he still couldn't help but remind him: "But about the salt issue, have you thought about how to solve it? Tiefeng County does not produce salt after all.

.”

Winters spoke surprisingly and said easily: "Actually, I'm not really worried about the salt issue. I already solved it before I came to you."

Mason, Andre and Moritz all looked at Winters with stunned expressions.

"I had a chat with the little lion." Winters said, "Andre, senior, do you still remember the rock salt licked by the cattle and sheep on the west bank of the Styx?"

During the war last year, as soon as the Palatine expeditionary force crossed the River Styx, the Palatine shepherds rushed their herds to the west bank of the River Styx because there was rock salt on the west bank.

Winters played with the knife and said calmly: "When I talked to the Gévaudan salt merchants, they told me that in addition to buying military salt from White Mountain County, there used to be a way to smuggle rock salt from Heard Heath.

The caravans carried goods to the wilderness for trade, and then came back carrying salt. Later, the Platuan Army ruthlessly blocked the Hed tribes, and this road was cut off."

Thanks to the efforts of old Mayor Priskin, otherwise the salt merchant would never have told Winters these secret things.

"Smiling and talking really helps." Winters concluded, trying his best to smile: "You must smile more."

"Rock salt?" Andre was stunned: "Cows and sheep can lick it. Can people eat it?"

"The Hurds eat rock salt, the little lion said." Winters said matter-of-factly: "If the Hurds can eat it, we can eat it. Salt bricks are still a kind of 'currency' in the Hurd tribes."

Andre breathed a long sigh of relief, he could do anything without handing over the horse.

"Akagawa gave us rock salt for free?" Mason narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Of course not." Winters sighed and smiled helplessly: "We'll get some iron instead."

Mason's expression became serious, and he asked in a low voice: "Doesn't that mean we are equipping the lion with iron teeth? The Hurd people don't share our hearts. The Hurd people have occupied Iron Peak Mountain for decades, how could they not know about the Iron Peak Mine?

But has Little Lion ever mentioned it to you?"

"I understand, senior. There are two glasses of poisonous wine in front of you. If you drink one, you will die immediately, and if you drink the other, you will die slowly." Winters shook his head slightly: "You still have to drink chronically to have a chance to live.

"

Mason couldn't help but sigh heavily: "Yes, you have a chance if you live."

"Actually, the old blacksmith Mr. Boltan has a good idea." Winters said a little embarrassedly: "He said that the iron in Tiefeng Mine is not good and brittle, so it is difficult to forge weapons, but it is just right to make iron pots.

.There is no need to sell steel to the Huds, just sell pots.”

"Can Chihebu agree?" Mason laughed dumbly.

"Let's talk about business." Winters spread his hands and said with a smile: "They don't sell their rock salt to us, and there are no other sellers. We don't have steel ourselves, so where can we give the steel to the Red River Department?

That’s it, love it or not. If the business fails, then the worst we can do is go to Baishan County to rob it.”

"You should just go grab it!" Andre suddenly became interested.

"Did you talk to the little lion?" Mason asked Winters: "about the pot."
To be continued...