A week of continuous rain heralds the arrival of spring. It is very short, so for the people in the north, spring is also very precious. When the snow melts, the farmland begins to be cultivated, and the mines resume mining. Blackhammer Castle's
All economic production activities must be completed in the spring and summer, otherwise, once autumn comes, the temperature will begin to be unbearably low again. To put it bluntly, Rhodes must seize the time to make a living in the short spring and summer seasons.
Make money, otherwise, in winter, you will face the danger of fiscal deficit. Without money, you cannot hire soldiers, and the castle is equivalent to a dead city. Therefore, this matter cannot be delayed.
As the saying goes, money is not everything, but without money, nothing can be done. No matter where he is, Rhodes can understand the profound meaning of this sentence...
"Sir, as per your instructions, the construction team has been found. They said they can start work after the rain is over."
In the dark office of Blackhammer Castle, the affairs officer came to report the progress of his work to Rhodes. Rhodes nodded slightly, pushed the bonus that had been prepared to the edge of the table, and motioned to his subordinates to take it away, taking the money for work.
The road construction plan was made by Rhodes early on. If you want to get rich, build roads first. This is the truth left by our ancestors. As a generation who grew up under the red flag, Rhodes will not forget these truths that he has read thousands of times.
Dogma. Of course, it is not that easy to implement. Road construction is also a science. Blackhammer Castle is located in the northern wilderness. There is no idle labor force. Even if there is, these people will not build roads and build houses. They are willing to come to the north.
Most of those who are on the border are refugees, people who cannot survive in the kingdom's capital or big cities, bankrupts, vagrants, and refugees who are willing to come here. It is difficult to find skilled craftsmen among these people. That's why Rhodes went there.
Find a construction team.
And this is just the first step in a long march of thousands of miles. To find a construction team, you also need to see whether they are willing to work in this desolate and barren northern border. You must know that road construction is not like other jobs. The construction of some major roads even takes several days.
It will take years to complete the construction. Moreover, many people are unwilling to have the construction team live in a desolate area for such a long time. There are no taverns, no women, and life is boring unless the hiring price is increased... And Rhodes gave his men
This money is used for investment in this area.
"My lord, Serphis, is a trustworthy subordinate. He is efficient and knows how to handle things. But I still haven't figured it out yet. Why do you spend so much money and material resources to build these two roads?"
?The products of Blackhammer Castle are not rich. Even if the road is repaired, there will not be much profit. What I mean is that it will take a long time for us to recover the cost."
After the steward left, the butler Muros came over and handed Rhodes a cup of boiling water, and at the same time expressed the questions he had always had. He indeed had too many questions. Ever since the young lord fell down while riding a horse a few months ago, he had
His thoughts and ideas have become different. Even his combat effectiveness has made a qualitative leap. Muros doesn't understand. Like everyone else, he seizes the opportunity to ask.
"Blackhammer Castle is not rich in products? That is temporary. It's not that we don't have resources, but we don't have enough manpower. The northern mining area has rich mineral reserves. According to the survey of those prospectors, the copper reserves of that mine are,
With the current manpower, we can dig for at least another two hundred years. Although the soil in the southern plains is not fertile, there are streams flowing through it, which can be used as cultivated land. Finding some cold-resistant crops for cultivation can ensure Blackhammer Castle's food reserves in winter.
.North of the Haihe River, there is a large area of black forest. If we have a strong armed force, we can organize manpower to cut down trees in the forest. You must know that the trees in the north are much tougher and taller than the trees in the south, and they are high-quality timber resources.
The empire’s shipyards love the timber from northern Kislev.”
After receiving the hot water from the butler, Rhodes put it to his lips and took a sip before speaking slowly.
"I know all this, but..."
"but what?"
"The time, the time is wrong... Why don't we develop production first? Since we have the ability to defend the town, more and more people will come to live here. When the population of the town is large enough, the productivity will naturally increase.
, at that time, it will not be too late for us to build roads? Of course, this is my personal humble opinion."
While clearing the stone table, Muros expressed his opinions in a nagging manner. After all, he was in charge of the finances, and lords generally only knew how to take money, but did not care about their income. What Muros was worried about was that Rhodes spent money lavishly.
I lost my temper and thought there was a small treasury in Blackhammer Castle...
Of course Rhode knew, he just didn't want to say it sometimes. Seeing how persistent the old man was, he couldn't help but get closer and tell him the real reason for building the road. Anyway, Dennis believed him even about building the road, let alone the matter of building the road.
Something happened.
"You really want to know?"
Rhodes turned his face sideways and stared at the old butler with a wicked smile. This expression made the old butler very unaccustomed. Generally speaking, nothing good would happen at this time.
"If you don't tell me, you have your own reasons. Of course, if you have something to say, I'll just listen."
He forced a smile.
"Okay, let me tell you then." Rhodes said, he took another sip of hot water and said - "As you said, the investment return period for road construction is very long, and we spend a lot of money.
With the financial and material resources to build these two roads, it may take five to ten years, or even longer, to recover our cost. However, this is from an economic point of view. However, castle construction is never just about one aspect, the military.
, economics, and politics, none of them can be missing. I built the road from Blackhammer Castle to Heidelberg and Iron Ring City actually out of military value."
"Military value?"
If Muros realizes something.
"Yes, it has military value. The Battle of Evil Moon that just passed made me fully realize the importance of unity in the north. Just imagine, if I had traveled to Heidelberg and Iron Ring City, and tried my best to persuade Aubrey and Lord Varrel,
Can our city still block the attack of the beastmen? The answer is no. The security of the north depends on the close cooperation between city-states and castles. The Great Wall has been abandoned, and I don’t expect Catalina to recover it in my lifetime. So
, to defend against beastmen, werewolves, and even the possible invasion of Chaos in the future, we must rely on the people of the North themselves. The construction of these two roads was ostensibly to enhance trade between Blackhammer Castle, Heidelberg, and the Iron Ring City.
In fact, it is also to connect these three cities together. The business road is also the military road."
Rhodes said.
"Military Road? You mean that on the surface it is a commercial road, but in fact it is to prepare for the passage of the army?"
Muros asked.
"Yes, during the Battle of Evil Moon, Heidelberg and Iron Ring City were not active in the battle at all, because even if Blackhammer Castle really fell, the threat of the beastmen would not be enough to reach their territory. There would be a little bit, but it would not be serious.
.This is the idea of Aubrey and Varrel. Now, once the trade road is open, the three places will be connected. Once the Blackhammer Castle is destroyed, the beasts and werewolves can rush to the next town along the trade road.
Therefore, if Blackhammer Castle is threatened again, I will have one more reason to request support from Aubrey and Varrel."
"Would they have thought of that?"
"Perhaps. But this does not hinder the construction of the project. After all, no one knows when the beasts and werewolves will invade again, and the benefits after the trade road is repaired are immediate. Not only Blackhammer Castle can generate income, Iron Ring City and Heidelberg
Follow the profits. At least Lord Aubrey, who loves gourmet food, can eat the sea fish from the Kislev Bay for the first time instead of eating frozen dead fish. Moreover, the cost of building the trade road will be borne by us, the stingy Lord of Heidelberg
Varrel wishes for such a good thing."
After Rhodes finished speaking, a confident smile appeared on his lips. This spring, many things are being secretly planned...