When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#327 - Moncruz Estate

Beside the Moncrus Manor was the knight's old castle.

However, when Jourdain, Coleman, and the others arrived, it had long become a large ruin through the ravages of time.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting mottled shadows on the ancient stones, each of which had witnessed countless histories.

However, these stones were too cold and gloomy, and no one wanted to live in such an environment.

These knights had long lost the diligent spirit of their ancestors; living in such a cold and gloomy fortress was simply uncomfortable.

Besides, money should be spent wisely. Wouldn't it be better to use it to buy gorgeous clothes and hold banquets?

What age is this? Only those Norn barbarians and knight orders would think about fighting and killing.

Crawling through a hole beside the outer wall's gate, Laurent lowered his head, and when he looked up again, he only saw a few stone pillars standing forlornly against the sky.

Standing next to the pillars, Jourdain stomped hard on the ground, but it left no trace.

"Not bad." Touching the rubble ground, he brushed the dust off his hands. "The foundation is solid; no need to rebuild it."

Laurent looked up at the family crest engraved on the broken wall, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

In the 23rd year of the Empire, after gaining a foothold in the Eastern Continent, the Empire's Elder Aire and bishops issued the famous 'Opening Order'.

As long as you were willing to develop and pay taxes, any land you opened up would be your own.

Thus, a large number of imperial immigrants began to develop eastward, which naturally exposed the developing villages to the local barbarians.

To resist the invasion of barbarians and monsters, the villages would take in deserters, retired legion warriors, or simply elect a sheriff from among their own people.

This sheriff was the predecessor of the knight.

In imperial history, this was a counter-intuitive common knowledge: the nobles at that time were appointed, the knights were elected, and the bishops were hereditary.

The castles of that era were all stockades built on mounds, with a watchtower erected and a ditch dug around them. When bandits and barbarians came, they would hide inside.

Using these stockades as strongholds and outposts, the imperial legions began to advance into the depths of the continent.

They would plunder the wealth of the local natives and capture them as slaves.

In essence, these actions were the imperial colonial conquest war to expel the natives.

The natives who lived close by became the ancestors of the current public farmers and serfs, while those who lived far away were protected by the mountains and forests and formed the current Kingdom of Norn.

Even today, the Laiya people still call the Norn people barbarians.

During the opening war, a large number of sheriffs participated in the war as cavalry, making great contributions.

At that time, the 'Aire' nobles of the old empire, who flew the 屮-shaped flag, were unwilling to grant noble titles to these mud-legged people, so they gave them the title of 'knight' without a title.

The knights officially stepped onto the stage of imperial history.

However, the good times did not last long. During the 'Great Slave Uprising', the Snail Palace City, the predecessor of the Holy See City, was burned to the ground by the rebel army.

From then on, the central authority of the empire was exhausted, the entire empire was out of control, and it entered a dark age of warlord melee.

It was during this period that the knights began to step onto the historical stage. They skillfully used the combination of breathing techniques and heavy armor, becoming an essential military force for the warlords, and quickly eliminated the infantry legion model.

At this time, with the advancement of construction technology, coupled with the wealth obtained through war and plunder, the knights finally completed a gorgeous transformation from mud-legged people to hereditary untitled nobles.

While changing their clothes and status, the knights replaced wooden walls with stone walls and changed the main castle from a pure wooden structure to an earth-wood structure.

"...Until the end of the dark age, in the fierce wars, the castle gradually changed from an earth-wood structure to a brick-stone structure. The construction of a castle could even last for hundreds of years, which is why it is the scale it is today."

While introducing it to Jourdain, Laurent gently stroked the broken brick and stone walls, the tips of his fingers feeling a rustling sensation.

But now, this castle, which was built for hundreds of years, was abandoned and ignored by its owner, exposed to the wilderness for hundreds of years.

The bricks were covered with moss, and on the half of the spiral staircase in the tower, rotten wooden planks hung above the animal bones.

Moreover, the gate of the tower could not be opened from Laurent's side. On the porch was engraved nonsense left by someone: "You are not qualified, you are not qualified."

"According to the superiors, we are going to build a defense line here," Jourdain stood on the mound, looking around.

The mound was more than three meters high, and the castle had three floors. The two corner towers at the highest point could clearly see the enemies in all directions.

Even standing on the broken walls of the castle, you could have a panoramic view of the scenery below.

Hundreds of engineers were sweating profusely, burying their heads in digging trenches on the ground, and baskets of stones and bricks were transported to the trenches.

Laurent asked the doubt in his heart all along, "I still don't understand, what is the significance of us building a defense line here."

Jourdain found a low wall to sit down on, Laurent was a step slower and didn't tell him there was dog poop on it.

Jourdain himself didn't notice at all: "At the pre-war legion commander meeting, His Majesty has made it clear that this line of defense is not just for defense, but to make them actively attack us."

"Without a castle, they would attack, right? How would they attack if there is a castle?"

Coleman and Jourdain looked at each other, Coleman generously: "Tell him, this is an open conspiracy, unsolvable."

The latest novel is first published in Six/Nine/Book/Bar!

"It's very simple, the enemy's intentions are too easy to understand," Jourdain grinned and said, "They just want to lure us into a wild battle in the wild, and then use their numerical advantage and mobility to gain the upper hand.

Marshal Jeshka has always said a simple military principle: never do what the enemy wants you to do.

So His Majesty asked us to use the fortress advancement tactic. With the assistance of fortifications, their numerical advantage and cavalry advantage cannot be brought into play."

Laurent thought for a moment and asked, "But there is a premise, that is, they will actively attack us, instead of sitting still, and we don't have enough time."

"That's right." Coleman leaned against the wall appreciatively. His right foot was a prosthetic. Although he could stand, it was always uncomfortable to stand for a long time. "That's what I asked at the time."

"His Majesty said, the land distribution team, start." Jourdain imitated Horn's tone at the time, "With Moncrus Castle, we will distribute land near Black Pottery Town, and it will be distributed.

The fortress continues to advance, then to the next castle, and then distribute land near Moncrus Castle. See if the knights are in a hurry or not."

Laurent suddenly understood that His Holiness was drawing salary from the bottom of the pot. If you dare to give up the land, then the Salvation Army dares to distribute the land.

Anyway, it's like killing two birds with one stone. It would be better if the Iber knights came to attack actively. The Salvation Army will rely on the fortress to fight them hard.

If they don't come, the built fortress can be used to block the knights, while weakening their economy and consolidating the border. The fortress defense line can be formed in two months.

With the support of local farmers, logistical problems can be greatly alleviated.

Even if Horn goes to rescue Rapid Stream City, it will be difficult for the knights to break through the layers of fortresses guarded by clockwork guns.

After Laurent suddenly realized, he was still a little worried: "But we only have two thousand five hundred people, and many are engineers, can this ruin resist?"

"Do you know how many days it takes for mortar to solidify without the blessing of natural divine art?"

"Seven days when humid, five days when dry."

"What if there is alchemy... I mean natural divine art?"

"Three days."

Jourdain laughed: "Then do you know how many days it takes for mortar to dry on this hot land of Iber Plain, with natural divine art?"

Laurent blinked and asked tentatively, "Two days?"

Jourdain stretched out a finger: "Less than a day."