Edgar's Art of Governance
Edgar was officially appointed by Karl as Grand Steward of Carnford.
Morr continued to serve as clerk, while Hans, who had made great contributions to the Flint Mine, was promoted to treasurer.
In this way, personnel and financial power were in the hands of his own people, Edgar could actually mobilize very limited resources.
Karl's attitude towards Edgar was one of both using and guarding against him, after all, Edgar was the only person in the entire territory with real experience in managing the territory.
But he was, after all, someone sent by the family, not one of their own people, so they couldn't hand over all the power to him.
However, under his efficient management, Carnford's internal development is progressing at an unprecedented speed and precision.
After Edgar took over the task of preparing the "Militia Potion," he was not satisfied with Karl's workshop-style operation and demonstrated amazing organizational and management skills.
He first selected four quick-witted, nimble-fingered, and literate young men from among the newly arrived refugees and existing craftsmen, and personally gave them a three-day "crash course."
The training content did not cover complex chemical principles, but rather standardized operating procedures.
He broke down Karl's detailed manual into simple, repetitive procedures, each with clear quality standards and record-keeping requirements.
He then established a dedicated "Potion Workshop" in a well-ventilated, secluded stone chamber on the first floor of the castle, away from any source of fire.
The workshop is clearly divided into four areas: raw material area, processing area, reaction area, cooling area, and filling area. Tools and utensils are neatly arranged and clearly labeled.
Although limited by the single distillation unit, production could not grow explosively, but through precise scheduling and process optimization, Edgar managed to stabilize monthly production at around fifty bottles.
Each bottle of medicine was labeled with its batch number and preparation date, and he personally checked its quality.
This rudimentary form of industrialized management far surpassed the production methods of ordinary territories at that time, ensuring the stability and reliability of the medicine.
After the completion of the first phase of the new residential area at the foot of the mountain, a large number of Freemen originally lived in the castle quickly moved in, making it seem somewhat chaotic.
Edgar astutely identified the problem and immediately set about planning and reorganization.
The first thing he did was plan the streets and functional areas; he had people draw lines on the open spaces in the residential area with lime powder.
They managed to plan out several straight and wide main roads and crisscrossing alleys.
The residential area, artisan area, market open space, public activity space, and future expansion area are clearly separated.
Drainage ditches were also dug along both sides of the road to prevent mud from forming during the rainy season.
The second thing is to implement a public health system.
With Karl's permission, he issued a strict order prohibiting urination and defecation in the living area.
He personally selected the sites and built a large, deep pit-style public toilet on each of the east and west sides of the living area, and arranged for dedicated personnel to clean and disinfect it regularly with lime.
This measure has greatly improved the sanitation of the residential area, fundamentally curbed the previous phenomenon of indiscriminate dumping into the river, and significantly reduced the risk of disease transmission.
The third thing is to solve the drinking water problem.
The spring on Castle Hill has a limited water supply, mainly used for the daily drinking water of the Lord and the castle, and cannot meet the drinking water needs of hundreds of people living at the foot of the hill.
In the past, people could only fetch water from distant streams, which was neither convenient nor safe.
Edgar personally led the hydraulic engineer Feli to inspect several of the nearest streams around Carnford, taking samples to observe water quality and flow rate.
Ultimately, he chose a stream that originated from the northern mountains and forests, had clear water, and a stable flow.
He mobilized a large workforce to undertake a massive project: building an irrigation canal.
The craftsmen first built a simple dam upstream of the selected stream to raise the water level.
Then, following the terrain, they built an irrigation canal more than a mile long using excavated stone troughs and fired ceramic pipes.
The irrigation canal cleverly utilizes the drop in elevation to guide the clear stream water all the way to the highest corner of the residential area.
There, they built a huge public reservoir with stones, the bottom of which was lined with clean pebbles and sand, which had a certain sedimentation and filtration effect.
The pool has multiple outlets, allowing residents to access relatively clean drinking water at any time.
The overflowing water is then channeled through another drainage ditch into the farmland irrigation system.
The project took nearly a month to complete, but once finished, it completely solved the water problem in the residential area, and the health and quality of life of the residents improved dramatically.
After the canal was built, the irrigation facilities for farmland were also upgraded.
He organized the labor force during the off-season to upgrade the irrigation system of the vast farmland at the foot of the mountain.
They cleared and dredged the existing ditches and dug new branch canals and irrigation ditches, forming a more efficient irrigation network that ensures that every field receives sufficient water, resulting in better crop growth.