In addition to bandits, there are also beast disasters in the North, but the time of occurrence of the latter is not fixed. Generally, wild beasts will be more violent before winter, and more ferocious at the beginning of spring. Wild beasts often enter the territory and cause casualties. Therefore, every noble lord
I like hunting. Firstly, I can obtain rare meat, and secondly, I can reduce the risks in my territory.
At the same time, every few years, a coalition army will be formed to go to the barbarians in the North to harvest grass and valleys, giving full play to the power of the weak and the strong.
These issues need to be prepared in advance to prevent regrets later, so Irving has been busy with these business matters.
The problem of bandits was imminent. They could not break into the tall castle with soldiers garrisoned, but the serfs did not have this condition. After being robbed, they could go to other nobles to exchange for food. This made Owen very distressed.
It stands to reason that the castle is large enough to accommodate all the serfs in the territory, but the Hydera family has never done this before. Even if serfs freeze to death in their dens every winter, these serfs are not allowed to enter the castle.
.
Irving found it difficult to understand this approach, but he had no intention of violating this tradition.
When you are in doubt, it is best to refer to what your predecessor did. This way, even if you miss many opportunities, you will not make any bigger mistakes.
The problem is that Owen cannot just sit back and watch the serfs being plundered by robbers. These serfs are his property.
After thinking about it, Owen decided to gather the serfs and build a village, which would make it easier for him to station troops to protect the serfs from bandits.
After careful comparison, Owen felt that the better cuirassiers were most suitable for the current situation in the territory.
It's just that rebuilding the city wall requires too much manpower and takes too long, so the Hydera family has never rebuild it.
Owen wanted to repair it, but after calculating the cost, he decisively gave up and could only put it into later plans.
Next, let the serfs build a fence around the village so that no one will be picked off by wolves at night.
This thing can only be used for emergencies. After all, people are not mice. Living in a den for a long time will definitely cause problems. However, the life span of serfs is short, and many times they die before the disease occurs, so
No one cares about this.
So not long after, a small village appeared not far from the castle.
Originally, serfs did not have houses and lived in huts in the ground.
Although they are all simple straw sheds, Owen still made plans in advance. All straw sheds face north and south, so that they can get more sunlight and ensure that moisture does not accumulate in the straw sheds.
Since Owen decided to get rid of his dependence on systematic food, a large number of indigenous farmers were indispensable, so he could not sit back and watch the territory continue to lose people. Therefore, he decided to take advantage of the slack time to let the craftsmen take these serfs to build some straw sheds.
Add mud walls before winter and it becomes a thatched house. Although it is simple, it is better than a den in the ground. In this way, too many people will not freeze to death in winter.
Just find a sunny place to dig a hole, dry it in the sun and spread it with a thick layer of hay, and sleep in it at night.
The second floor is where soldiers rest. Owen specially asked craftsmen to build canopy beds, so that when necessary, the sentry tower can garrison more soldiers.
These peasants from the imperial era have strengthened their craftsmanship after retaining only their construction abilities. Originally they could only help build a house in the village. Now, as long as they are not too complicated and exquisite buildings, they can get started and work with tools.
It was very quick and easy. It took three days to dig the foundation, then lay stones and bury the pillars. In less than half a month, the sentry tower was built.
There is no technical content in the straw shed. You use wooden sticks to prop up the frame, and then lay the braided hay on top of it in layers. It can be built in half a day.
In fact, the Hydra family has always wanted to rebuild the city wall, firstly to enhance the castle's defense, and secondly to make it look better.
But in this case, it is necessary to lay a foundation and erect piles and beams to increase stability and frame strength, which is a considerable amount of work.
These stones were originally part of the city wall, because the castle wall is made of two layers of stone walls, inside and outside, with the middle filled with soil. This saves more materials, so although half of the city wall collapsed, the stones were not lost and were all buried underneath.
Just dig it out and use it.
At the top is a lookout with parapets, where soldiers can stand guard and shoot arrows to kill the enemy.
As a defensive building, the sentry tower must not be made of mud. It must be made of bricks. Otherwise, it would be ridiculous to kick it.
Unfortunately, although the cavalry only has one more horse than the infantry, the price is several times more expensive. A light cavalry requires three progress points, but the combat effectiveness is completely worth the price, because three swordsmen or infantry archers can easily
Killing a light cavalry, the combat effectiveness is not proportional to the exchange value.
Fortunately, there are a lot of stones under the castle wall, which can be used directly to build a sentry tower, otherwise it would be even more troublesome.
The first floor is a storage area where food, drinking water and equipment are stored. Even the metal farm tools used by serfs will be stored here.
The built sentry tower is square and looks quite strong, because it is supported by wooden pillars and beams inside, so it has a total of two and a half floors.
The appearance of the tall and solid sentry tower gave people a strong sense of security. At least the serfs' originally numb expressions relaxed a bit after they knew that their safety was more guaranteed.
Perhaps because they had a home, the serfs rarely became active. This made Owen very happy, and then arranged for craftsmen to start building a sentry tower at the entrance of the village, which would be a guarantee for the safety of the village.
After the guard tower was built, Owen stationed a total of fifteen soldiers here. They patrolled during the day and kept vigil at night. They rotated with the soldiers of the castle once a week, so as to protect the wealth of the territory to the greatest extent.
At the same time, sufficient distance was left to facilitate future expansion. Drainage ditches were dug in advance and public toilets were built. It can be said that he did everything he could think of and do.
However, Irving felt that the best way was to form a cavalry squad, which could not only attack proactively, but also expand the scope of patrols, and act as a deterrent to the surrounding neighbors, making them watch their claws.
In fact, they can also feel the changes in their lives during this period. First of all, there is more food. They can't say that they are full every day, but at least they won't feel weak every day, and they won't be so hungry that they can't sleep every night. Plus, they follow the sentry in the village.
With the appearance of the tower, these serfs truly saw hope. They might no longer be expendable goods, but could potentially become real citizens of the territory.
Cuirassiers are between light cavalry and knights. In addition to swords, they are also equipped with spears and shields. They can fight head-on and take advantage of chaos to pursue. You can exchange one for only five progress points, which is very cost-effective.
However, if you want to assemble a cuirassier squad, you need fifty points of progress points. Considering the recovery speed of progress points, if you really want to form one, you may not even be able to keep up with the autumn harvest.
In desperation, Owen could only choose to increase the number of swordsmen and archers first, so that more soldiers could be sent to patrol without having to worry about the security of the castle.
The effect of the implementation was pretty good. A five-person patrol team was enough to dissuade most bandits from taking risks, and the four scout cavalry also played a significant role in preventing the territory from being invaded by bandits.