Kewen Village covers a large area and the farms are sparsely distributed, making it very difficult for the lord to find the center of the village.
In the center of the village, there is actually only one street.
This street is composed of shops and markets, and it carries daily transactions and communications within a radius of dozens of miles.
The reason why this is the center of the village is because there are many noble manors around this street.
Countess's manor is nearby.
As a veteran aristocrat of the Lionheart Kingdom, the manor of Countess's family has been built for more than a hundred years and has a large overall area, covering thousands of acres.
But her manor is not about growing food.
There are a large number of grapes planted in the manor, but at this season, the grapes have not yet been harvested, and only the green twigs are neatly arranged.
Behind the manor is a large oak forest.
This is obviously a winery that produces wine, and it is probably the industry where Countess's family made their fortune.
It is rare to see thousands of acres of vineyards. The lord thinks that this is probably the largest winery in the entire Pande Continent.
Kewen has plenty of sunshine, suitable rainfall, and few strong winds and heavy rains. It is indeed very suitable for growing grapes.
There are hundreds of people working in the manor, and the weeds in the fields have been cleared away.
And Countess was actually among them, wearing a gauze hat and holding a cane to direct the servants to work.
Seeing the flag of Li Ang, Countess came over.
"Lord Li Ang, I really didn't expect you to come to my country place."
After not seeing each other for more than two months, Countess's complexion has become much more rosy. Perhaps doing farm work and making wine in this manor is the life she wants.
"I'm here to ask for help, madam. I need to purchase a batch of food..."
The lord expressed his needs straight to the point, and he felt that Countess would agree.
Unexpectedly, after Countess learned about the situation, he said he was helpless.
"Brave Shield Fortress will indeed give me half of the agricultural tax, but it has been fully booked a few days ago - it would have been better if you had come a few days earlier."
"Have they all been sold so early?"
The lord couldn't believe it. He thought he had arrived very early and hadn't even harvested yet, so he actually sold everything?
Countess shook the dirt off his body and looked back at his own vineyard. "Lord Li Ang should also be able to tell that I don't need much food now. If someone buys it, I will naturally sell it. The agricultural tax is expected to be 300,000 pounds. I don't want to spend a lot of effort to transport it. It would be good to change it to dinars as soon as possible."
This is true, Countess does not need to raise troops now, her manor only has more than a hundred people, and the local output is enough for her.
"Can you tell me who specifically bought it?"
The lord has a headache.
Countess pointed to the east. "Madam Bella from Long River Town, I wrote a letter a few days ago saying that I want to buy it, and the price is quite high."
Now my brain hurts even more - Madam Bella What is a 'pregnant woman' doing buying so much food? This must have been bought by Alma...
This is troublesome. Alma can buy grain, but naturally he can't sell it. The business with Amy will definitely not work out.
The lord was a little unwilling, looked at other nearby manors, and asked, "Madam, you should be in charge of the taxation of Kewen Village now, and there should be a lot of food produced here. Can you help me buy some?"
Countess shook his head and laughed, "Lord Li Ang, you probably don't know that Kewen's situation is very complicated and will be quite troublesome..."
It's really complicated. Kewen This village is full of nobles...
Although most of the land in Kewen belongs to the fiefdom of Baron Leofric, and Leofric is indeed the lord here, in fact, all the best land in the center of the village is in the hands of other nobles.
This is not a rare situation. In the Lionheart Kingdom, this situation is quite normal, especially in villages with a better and more livable environment.
Yes, Kewen is a livable place with a very good environment.
If you go two hundred miles west from Kewen, you will reach the famous Goddess Mountain - this is the highest peak in the Lionheart Kingdom and the source of the Tongtian River.
The main peak of this mountain is covered with snow all year round, and is surrounded by snow-capped cliffs. It is said that no one has ever climbed to the top. People in Old Pendor believe that this mountain is the residence of Goddess Eunomia, so they named it Goddess Mountain.
In fact, the absolute height of Goddess Mountain is not particularly high - according to Li Ang's estimation, the altitude of the main peak of Goddess Mountain should be more than 5,000 meters. In fact, it is not much higher than Dengjier Mountains to the south of Wheat Fragrance Territory, and it is incomparable with the snow-frozen plateau snow-capped mountains in the Misty Mountains vein.
But because Goddess Mountain is a steep mountain rising from the plains, its relative height is far higher than other mountains, so it looks extremely majestic and spectacular.
Goddess Mountain blocks the monsoon from the west, making the dozens of miles at the foot of the mountain filled with thick fog all year round, making it difficult for humans and animals to travel. The fog is connected to the no-man's land in the basin to the south.
However, a hundred miles east of the mountains is another world.
Since the warm and moist air flow from the west cannot combine with the north wind, severe weather such as thunderstorms and thunderstorms are rarely produced in the eastern part of Goddess Mountain.
Therefore, a hundred miles east of Goddess Mountain, the hilly area beside Tongtian River has a suitable climate and abundant water resources, making it a very livable place.
Kewen Village is the center of this livable area.
Since it has been a livable place since ancient times, Kewen Village has a very long history.
Countess's family is Kewen's century-old noble family, and her family's fiefdom originally belonged to this area.
But by her generation, she was unable to lead troops to fight alone as a woman, the family's power gradually shrank, and the fiefdom gradually stayed at its original state.
Originally, in this situation, one should recruit a son-in-law to continue the family line.
Unexpectedly, Countess fell in love with Oden, who was just Pioneer Lord at the time, and married him.
It's not about recruiting a wife, it's about getting married.
After marrying Oden, in order to support Count Oden in expanding the territory and building Brave Shield Fortress, she sold part of the land to other nobles to build manors - Oden could become Earl, a powerful faction in the kingdom. In addition to his own ability, Countess's strong support played an important role.
The climate of Kewen is very good, and the nobles of the kingdom are also willing to build houses here for vacation or retirement.
Therefore, in addition to the vineyard in Countess, there were more than a dozen noble manors in Kewen, all of which were built by nobles above the baron level for their retirement...
When the nobles came to build large-scale construction projects, many free people had to move to the outskirts of the village - the land was occupied or 'bought' so that the nobles could build manors.
The freedmen who lost their land would repopulate nearby areas to reclaim wasteland, and the place newly occupied by these people would actually become ownerless land - this was illegal development.
These unclaimed lands did not originally belong to Kewen Village, so they were re-confessed to Baron Leofric ten years ago. This was for the purpose of collecting taxes and for lords who could lead troops to fight to protect the property of the nobles.
Since these new sites almost surrounded Kewen, for the convenience of management, they were also unified under Kewen Village.
Therefore, Baron Leofric is now the nominal lord of Kewen, but his actual territory is only the large slum area in the north of Kewen near the Tongtian River.
And now, probably in order to quickly improve its strength, Baron Leofric has also entrusted some Knight's Territory and sold a lot of land...
As a result, now in the entire Kewen Village, there is a Earl collar (of Countess), a barony (of Leofric), a dozen Knight's Territory, plus about twenty noble manors...
I really can't tell whose family Kewen Village belongs to...
Baron Leofric is willing to take over Brave Shield Fortress Faced with risks, he probably also feels a little bit troublesome - it is quite difficult to collect taxes.
The estates of the great nobles cannot collect taxes, and in order to evade taxes, free people may 'suddenly become' tenant farmers of those noble estates at any time, and the boundaries are often unclear.
On the contrary, it is Countess. Since she sold those estates and is more familiar with them and easier to identify, it is relatively easier for her to handle Kewen Village's taxes than it is for Baron Leofric.
"Lord Li Ang, even though Kewen Village is so big, I estimate that the agricultural tax that can be collected is only about 60,000 to 70,000 pounds of winter wheat. After excluding the daily expenses of my manor and leaving some grain and reserves, there won't be much left..."
Countess sighed and shook his head, "Noble estates do not pay agricultural taxes. There are actually not many farmers who really belong to Kewen Village. Last year, Baron Leofric only collected more than 40,000 pounds, which could not even feed his subordinates. So he would rather go to Brave Shield Fortress without Kewen's taxes."
The lord also sighed, this would be very troublesome.
If the aristocratic estates do not pay agricultural taxes, they will definitely have a surplus of grain, but there are dozens of households, and it is difficult to negotiate for each family to buy grain.
When switching from wholesale to retail, you have to find a way to transport it, which is a big headache.
Moreover, the harvest of each of the dozens of manors is not too much. After a rough calculation, they will definitely say like Countess, "There is not much left."
But Countess was indeed willing to help. She sent people to various noble manors to inquire whether they could help Li Ang purchase it. However, this would not be completed in a short time, and the specific amount was uncertain.
"Lord Li Ang, come with me. This will probably take a few days. You can try the wine from my manor by the way."
There is no way, although it is troublesome, but at least it is reasonable, and there is a local snake to help, so I can only wait here.
At least Countess's wine is really good.
On the other side, Long River Town Administration Hall.
Amy is discussing purchasing business.
She originally planned to find Duke Alma, but the Duke returned Lion Lake City, and the person who received her was Duke Alma's son - his biological son, Forster Horton.
Probably Grand Duke Alma is also a bad name...
Take a look at the names of their two sons. The biological son is called Forster (Forster), and the illegitimate son is called Foucher (Fischer). At first glance, it is easy to confuse...
Lord Forster is now the lord of Ermined Village, which is a subordinate village of Long River Town and the nearest large village to Long River Town, located between Long River Town and Fletcher Village.
Grand Duke Alma has not been idle in the past few months. He asked his own son to take over Ermined, obviously intending to completely control Long River Town.
Lord Forster is still very kind to Amy. After all, if we count them carefully, Amy can also be regarded as the daughter of Princess--Princess. In fact, she can also be called Princess (both called Princess).
However, as soon as Amy mentioned food, Forster immediately changed the subject.
"Sir Forster, how much harvest can Long River Town's wheat field produce..."
"Ah, Miss Amy, the wheat fields in spring are very suitable for traveling. This reminds me of the first time I saw you last spring..."
Basically, they are talking to a cow... the conversation between the two is not on the same channel at all.
Forster didn't respond to a word of official business, just chatting awkwardly.
After a few words of conversation, the topic gradually turned to a strange direction...
"Miss Amy, you may not know that I am your most ardent suitor!"
Forster seems to be quite thick-skinned. Seeing that the two of them have no common language, he actually said this directly.
This is actually not an unexpected situation - Forster was also a member of Lion Knight Order.
Many young Lion Knight have thoughts about themselves, Amy can certainly see that...
If we talk about single column conditions, the conditions of Forster are actually very good.
He is the heir to the first Duke of the Kingdom and has a great family. He has received the strictest education and is quite talented. He leads the family's elite cavalry troops and is very skilled. In addition, he is quite handsome...
There are not many young people who have a rich and powerful family, are well-educated in both civil and military affairs, and have good looks.
But the problem is, Amy doesn't like these noble knights, and she is not an ordinary noble girl - how can she be an ordinary girl who is interested in swordsmanship and deception...
Therefore, she directly dismissed Forster's intention as air. "I'm sorry, Mr. Forster, I don't plan to talk about these topics..."
But at this time, Forster brought up Amy's demand again. "Aren't you going to buy grain? I can show you my sincerity - I can supply you 300,000 kilograms of grain. I only hope you can respond to my pursuit..."
This is why Amy doesn't like these Lion Knight - they only do mischief based on their family background, and treat women completely as a commodity.
So Amy frowned and stood up and left, saying a dirty word he just learned from the lord, "Let your sister respond to you!"
Amy originally didn't say bad words, but Wheat Fragrance Territory's 'Gaokao' made her realize that being too gentle and polite is often not a good thing, so she spoke a lot more freely these days.
Unexpectedly, this curse word brought her into big trouble - Forster's expression changed drastically, she closed the door and blocked the doorway.
"Amy! Are you spying on me? You have spies around me!?"
Amy is so stupid, what's going on?
Is this such a casual swear word hitting the mark?
I knew that the families of these big nobles were relatively chaotic, but I didn't expect to encounter such a situation...
The rule of not swearing among nobles seems to come from the painful experience of the predecessors, rather than out of any etiquette...
This is the administrative office of Long River Town, a government office.
Amy did not take Meitengheim people to the government hall. After all, Amy didn't think anything could happen to him here.
But who knew that would happen...
Amy looked at Forster who was blocking the door with a ferocious expression, took a step back and put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Open the door and make way, Forster, I don't know what you are talking about!"
But Forster had already frowned and pulled out his sword, his eyes showing a dangerous light.
"Amy, you actually know this... I don't want this, but you can't leave here now!"
Amy also drew her sword. She knew that she was definitely no match for Forster, but looking at the situation now, Forster probably wanted to detain her. She did not intend to surrender.
"Forster, please think carefully about what will happen if something happens to me!"
Amy bowed slightly, holding the sword in both hands in a defensive posture.
Forster's eyes were filled with uncertainty. After hesitating for a long time, he changed his face, put away the sword in his hand, and opened the door.
Amy ran out quickly, all the way to the outside of the administrative hall, called Kloze who was waiting outside, and planned to leave Long River Town quickly.
She felt that she might be in danger if she stayed here.
But after taking a few steps, she stopped again.
She saw Forster coming out of the administrative hall door. The Lord had been staring at her, and the retinue beside him was holding a horn in his hand.
Opposite the administrative hall is the garrison camp.
The flag of Grand Duke Alma is hung in the camp, and there may be thousands of troops stationed in it.
One of the cavalry teams, with at least 200 people wearing Forster four-sword heraldic blouses, is right outside the camp and can be seen directly.
Amy immediately realized the real danger - if she took Kloze and the others away from Long River Town and went to the deserted wilderness, it would be really troublesome...
In Long River Town, Forster dare not do anything - Forster cannot let anything happen to Amy, and does not dare to publicly detain Amy.
Otherwise, not only Baron Godric will kill him, but also King Ulrich may kill him, and a large-scale civil war may even break out in the kingdom.
Amy's mother is Princess after all.
But if you leave Long River Town and go to the plains and wilderness, a dozen Great Swordsman will probably not be able to stop two hundred cavalry, and they will not be able to escape.
In a place where no one knows, if Kloze and the others are silenced, and Amy is arrested, no one will know that he did it.
Maybe it can be said to be a bandit suppression...
Even the cavalry under Forster may not know exactly who they killed - these cavalry from Lion Lake City definitely don't know Amy.
After all, after studying with the lord for more than two months, Amy has been able to consider these situations.
Therefore, Amy did not leave the city.
She thought of the Lord's way of resolving the siege of White Deer Fortress.
"Kloze... Follow me and line up the team in an orderly manner."
Amy said calmly, "Let's kidnap people!"
Kloze nodded.
He didn't know what kidnapping Amy was talking about, but his advantage was that even if he didn't understand, he would do it.
Then, Amy looked back at Forster with contempt, mounted his horse, and walked in formation toward the main castle inside Long River Town.
When a dozen Meitengheim people formed a neat team and marched in the middle of the road, this macho bodyguard team with an average height of over 1.9 meters looked quite energetic.
The king does not have such a strong honor guard around him...
It was obvious that this little girl had an unusual identity, so everyone on the road moved to both sides of the road.
Some businessmen have recognized that this is the daughter of Lord Godric, and also recognized Kloze and others, waving to say hello to them.
Forster looked at Amy with a livid face. He did not expect that Amy would not leave the city and would deliberately walk through the city in such a ostentatious manner.
Watching her heading towards the main castle, Forster gritted his teeth and followed with a dozen of his followers.