In the afternoon, Velin summoned both the blacksmith and the carpenter, preparing to manufacture a long-range attack weapon of immense power to easily deal with the gnolls arriving in five months.
In a spacious clearing, twenty-five artisans sat quietly on the ground, listening intently to the lord's explanation.
This weapon is what I call a ballista; the general shape is like this, and you will need to figure out the specific operation yourselves. Pointing at the crude drawing on the board, Velin spoke without his face turning red or his heart skipping a beat, showing not the slightest embarrassment.
"Its components consist of a pivot, a traction rope, a trigger, a front bow, a main bow, a rear bow, and pulleys. You will research the specific principles yourselves. I will give you three months. As long as you complete the manufacture of this weapon, I will pardon your slave status."
"Complete it within a month, and I will bestow a woman upon you to propagate offspring for you."
As soon as those words fell, the eyes of the twenty-five artisans turned green. Completing this thing would not only allow them to become freemen, but Lord Father would also hand out women.
"Please rest assured, My Lord, we guarantee to complete the task you entrusted to us within a month." Joseph, a thirty-two-year-old carpenter, stood up and made a guarantee on behalf of these twenty-four artisans.
Because he was the oldest and had the most experience, he was appointed by Velin as the leader of the carpenter group.
Another one named Smith, twenty-eight years old, was the person in charge of the blacksmith group.
"As long as you complete the task I assigned, I will not be stingy with rewards."
Velin looked at the artisans present and promised once again.
He believed that as long as the reward was big enough, the drive of these people would be stimulated to the extreme, and perhaps they could produce results in half a month.
Afterward, Velin designated a work area and had Belder supply the materials and tools they needed, striving to produce the ballista as early as possible.
Three days later, after finishing breakfast, Velin learned that the half-elf maiden Eunice requested an audience, so he rushed over without stopping.
Upon entering the wooden cabin, what came into view was a very detailed castle planning map.
It stood on a drawing stand inside the room, with more than a dozen sheets of white paper laid flat on boards upon the stand.
In the middle was the overall planning map of the castle, flanked by some internal structural diagrams and the selection of building materials.
"My Lord, according to your requirements, this castle covers an area of 4,800 square meters, with a maximum capacity of 5,000 people and a permanent garrison of 600."
Half-elf maiden Eunice came to the side of the drawing stand, with a trace of fear in her eyes, and slowly proceeded with her explanation.
"Here is the Outer City Wall, 6 meters high, 80 meters long, and 46 meters wide, with platforms two meters long that can accommodate 240 people fighting simultaneously. A small armory is set up every thirty meters, connecting to the lower level to facilitate the storage of weapons and food."
"Behind it is the inner city wall, 9 meters high, 63 meters long, and 34 meters wide, designed with more outward-bulging platforms according to your requirements. There are a total of 31 platforms within this section of the wall, which can accommodate 230 people fighting simultaneously."
After the introduction of the city walls, Velin followed the direction of Eunice's finger and looked at the other parts of the castle.
A large armory, barracks, the lord's chambers, hall, kitchen, water storage area, food warehouse, toilets, weapon repair shop, wine cellar, and stables, everything was complete.
On the very top layer of the castle, six large platforms were also set up to facilitate Velin in placing large ballistas to launch attacks against invading enemies.
"Eunice, how long will it take to build this castle?" Velin turned his head to look at the half-elf maiden and asked.
"Twenty-five masons and two hundred humans can complete the construction of this castle within three years."
"No, the time is too long."
Velin shook his head and said that there were only five months left before the gnoll attack, and he must complete the construction of the castle before then.
"Then, what is the time expected by the My Lord?"
"Five months, the castle construction must be completed before the end of November."
Hearing this, Eunice spoke in a soft and gentle voice: "If it is just for defense, other buildings can be temporarily suspended, and only the outer city wall, the inner city wall, plus the five areas of the water storage area, food warehouse, toilets, weapon repair shop, and stables will be built, abandoning the external aesthetic optimization and other areas, and adding another two hundred people, it can be completed within five months."
After listening, Velin began to think in combination with the current situation of the territory.
Freemen and serfs together numbered 343 people, and bandit slaves numbered 107.
Farmland required manpower, and salt mine excavation work was also about to begin, so only 143 serfs and 57 bandit slaves could be mobilized. Taken together, it only amounted to 200 people.
Thinking of a turn, Velin also considered the troops Belder's subordinates were training.
"No, the salt mine needs manpower, and peripheral patrols also need manpower. The army cannot be used to build a castle."
After pondering for a while, he quickly dismissed this idea.
"Eunice, I entrust the work of building the castle entirely to you. The twenty-five masons will also obey your command, but the manpower is temporarily only two hundred people. I will find a way later, so you go and choose the site for construction first."
"Yes, My Lord." Hearing Velin's appointment, the half-elf maiden was stunned for a moment, and then accepted the task.
Subsequently, Velin left the wooden cabin, walking and thinking about where to get more manpower to fill the problem of insufficient manpower within the territory.
Over the next few days, under the command of the half-elf maiden, the two hundred workers and twenty-five masons were divided by her into nine groups, with twenty-five people in each group.
Three groups were responsible for quarrying stones, two groups were responsible for transporting materials, and the last four groups were responsible for construction work.
After pondering for a long time, Velin suddenly came up with an idea that cement could be used to make up for the shortage of materials, but the next moment he gave it up.
He knew some of the formula for this thing, but that was just some.
Limestone, clay, and iron ore powder were ground finely and mixed in proportion, and then it needed to go through a series of steps to become cement, but he did not know them.
Moreover, there was not that much time to experiment slowly now.
Forget it for now, things will sort themselves out when we get to the bridge, and perhaps I will get a solution to the problem in a few days.
Putting this matter aside, Velin decided to organize manpower to mine the salt mine on a small scale to increase the income of the territory.
When setting off from the family, there were 85,000 gold coins on hand. After a series of expenses, there were now 53,000 gold coins left in his hands.
With only expenditures and no income, he felt very insecure in his heart.
On the morning of June 26th, Velin led two knights, three squads of soldiers, and 60 bandit slaves toward the salt mine located twelve kilometers southeast of the Lake of Star Prayer.
After two hours, the crowd arrived at the location of the salt mine.
The two knights stepped forward, removed the boulders blocking the entrance, and allowed the passageway to open up.
"Andrew, take your men to supervise these slaves and build a camp first. Start mining the salt mine tomorrow."
"Yes, My Lord."
A knight pounded his chest in salute and immediately replied.
Watching the gradually busy camp, Velin rode a horse with a squad of soldiers to patrol around and drive away wild beasts to ensure the safety of the camp.
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