Chapter 351 June, Harvest (Two in one! Please subscribe!)

At the end of June, the farmers in the Principality of Idar will become busy.

Although the hot summer has just begun and the air around is extremely hot, the first batch of potatoes planted have reached maturity and are ready for harvest.

In order to improve the efficiency of grain harvesting, starting last year, Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, who was well aware of the suffering of the people, began to provide oxen to the farmers of the Principality of Idar free of charge.

At this time, the farmers of the Principality of Idar would drive their old oxen, dragging simple furrowing plows, and turn over the soil covering the potatoes.

It has to be said that the oxen provided by Bruno and the furrowing plows made by Idar craftsmen provided great convenience to the people. As long as they turned the land over with the furrowing plow, they could go up and pick up potatoes.

Of course, this was convenient for both the serfs and Bruno.

Taking into consideration the social background and actual conditions of the time, and in order to facilitate the regulation of grain prices and allocation of grain reserves, the Principality of Idar prohibited the public from selling large quantities of grain privately.

And once discovered, severe punishment will be imposed.

Therefore, the process of assisting people in harvesting food is also the process of registering the food production of each farmer.

After the potatoes are harvested, the officials of the Idar Agricultural Department who have been waiting on the side for a long time will buy the farmers' excess grain at a reasonable market price. They exchange money with grain at the same time, and they are fair to everyone.

Three days ago, the Idar Daily began to use a lot of space to promote the news that potatoes were ripe.

In the eyes of the Idar people who had already been able to fill their stomachs, these news were worthy of attention, but they were not a big deal.

But for the refugees who poured into the Principality of Idar, it was always a stone weighing on their hearts.

The refugees are short-sighted, but not stupid.

They can't spell or recognize the words in books, but they have seen the bitterness of life too much.

Since officially taking over the eastern part of the empire, Duke Bruno Stuart of Idar has also accepted all the refugees living in this land.

It's not just refugees from the eastern part of the empire, there are also many homeless people from the inland part of the empire.

These people don't know exactly how much food they consume every day.

But they knew in their hearts that in order to feed these refugees who had just entered the Principality of Idar, the daily food consumption was a shocking astronomical figure.

For these poor people living in the Norman Empire, who hasn’t escaped hardship and begged for food a few times?

In addition to being expelled and whipped by the nobles, they naturally also received relief from other nobles.

But……

After all, such relief cannot last long.

The amount of food each noble received was limited, but the refugees pouring in from everywhere seemed endless.

The nobles could distribute some relief food to demonstrate their respectability and kindness.

However... in most cases, the distribution of these relief grains would stop after a short period of time, and what awaited these refugees would be the ruthless expulsion by the nobles.

Because the nobles would not always have enough food. When the local nobles got tired of the fleeing people, the lowly refugees would be expelled by the nobles' private armies.

Such examples are everywhere in the Norman Empire.

Therefore, when the Principality of Idar conditionally opened its doors and allowed some refugees to enter the land of the Principality of Idar, these impoverished refugees were happy in their hearts, but they also had hidden worries.

after all……

Even birds know how to choose a good tree to roost in, and the same is true for humans and nature.

The refugees saw a completely different situation in the Principality of Idar from the inland of the empire, and saw hope for their future life. The longer they lived in the Principality of Idar, the more attached these refugees from afar became to this land.

As time went on, they were always worried that Bruno Stuart, the Duke of Idar, would drive them away from this land one day in the future due to food shortage.

The work-for-relief relief method adopted by the Principality of Idar made these refugees feel much more at ease.

In this way, the food the refugees received was not just a unilateral contribution from the nobles, but the result of an equal exchange between the two parties, that is, the refugees provided labor and the nobles provided food.

Although this would make the refugees exhausted, the worries in their hearts were gradually reduced. After all... looking at the huge construction site in front of them, the refugees could realize that the Principality of Idar needed their labor and dedication.

They worked desperately to prove their worth to the Principality of Idar, so that the largest noble lord in the eastern part of the empire would allow them to continue living on this land.

Officials of the Principality of Idar distribute relief food to all refugees who participate in the work every day, but the reality is... the refugees often hide and store the already scarce food, and then continue to work on an empty stomach to receive the relief food.

They worked and went hungry day after day until they were really starving. Only then would they carefully take out the food and fodder they had treasured and chew them slowly, bit by bit.

Because they couldn't be sure whether the Principality of Idar would still provide them with these life-saving foods tomorrow!

It is precisely for this reason that almost every few days there are refugees fainting from hunger on the construction site.

Even though Idar officials have assured all the refugees countless times that the daily relief food would not be stopped and that they did not have to hide the food as a treasure, these refugees kept repeating the same behavior.

They had been driven away too many times and were fed up with hunger.

Therefore, under Bruno's instruction, the latest issue of "Idar Daily" began to circulate in the refugee camp, sending the news that grain was about to be harvested to all homeless refugees.

Bruno knew very well that only by allowing these refugees to witness with their own eyes the horrific output of those crops, would the anxiety and worry in their hearts gradually dissipate with the passage of time.

Just as he expected, when the news of the first batch of grain harvest in June spread from the refugee camp, these refugees who came from afar were even more enthusiastic than the farmers of the Principality of Idar! They gathered around the ridges and cultivated land, looking at the first batch of harvested potatoes and the farmers working in the fields.

"That food... looks like a lot..."

An elderly refugee couldn't help but exclaimed loudly.

Although this is just a piece of arable land, the harvested potatoes have almost piled up into a small hill.

Considering the weight and size of each potato, and the vast farmland outside the city of Idar, the harvest scene before their eyes undoubtedly left the refugees watching with deep shock.

Most of the lower-class people make their living by working in the fields, so they have a very clear understanding of the amount of food that each piece of land can produce.

But at this moment, they were stunned by the scene before them, because the potato output had completely exceeded the scope of their cognition!

Such a small piece of land can harvest such a large amount of food!

If we use this piece of land to grow rice and wheat, I'm afraid that by the time we harvest, we won't even be able to produce one-third of the potato yield...

These days, they have already tasted this new crop, potatoes.

This specialty unique to the Principality of Idar has been deeply imprinted in the hearts of all Idar citizens for its strong sense of fullness and soft texture.

and……

It is said that in the city of Idar, there are endless ways to cook potatoes. Just by listening to them, the refugees, who are only allowed to move around in refugee camps and construction sites, feel quite envious.

"My Lord Duke... the great God of Light..."

Looking at the potatoes that were almost piled up into a small mountain, some refugees suddenly knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

This situation made them think of their past difficulties.

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If they had been able to have a new crop like potatoes, their family and friends might have been able to avoid the same fate...

For a moment, looking at the scene of the harvest before their eyes, many people's hearts trembled slightly, awakening the memories hidden deep in their hearts, and they shed sad tears.

Some people even lay down directly on the edge of the field, used their hands to throw away the topsoil, turned it over desperately, and then tightly grasped the potatoes that still had a slight smell of mud, sobbing softly.

"In fact, what the people want is not much, but the nobles in the inland of the empire and the Church of Light that has been rooted for many years have never been able to fulfill their wishes."

Not far away, Bruno looked at what was happening between the ridges and spoke calmly.

"But there are no potatoes in the interior of the empire..."

Will Roach on the side argued cunningly.

At this time, Will Roche had already led several of his Crusaders to completely rebel, joined the Protestant camp, and became a "special" citizen of the Principality of Idar.

but……

Looking at the scene happening not far away, he still said this.

This was not Will Roche's deliberate defiance, nor was it an attempt to shirk responsibility for the Church of Light. Instead, he was simply raising the questions in his heart and wanted to get answers from Bruno.

Anyone who can become the commander of the Crusaders is definitely not a simple guy.

In Will Roach's view, rather than saying that Cardinal Michael is the spokesperson of Protestantism, it is better to say that Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, who is standing in front of him, is the true expounder of Protestant doctrine and the controller behind the scenes.

The Protestant teachings were indeed refreshing to everyone, and while they did reduce the burden on the people, they also created an image of God that was more in line with the people's wishes.

But Will Roach could also see that with the birth of Protestantism, Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, who was known as the "Guardian of the Faith", directly intervened in religion, allowing the Stuart family's rule over this land to officially override theocracy.

If it were in the past, this would never have been acceptable to Will Roach.

Because he once believed that under the influence of secular power, people's faith in God would be distorted, and prayers to the God of Light would not be answered.

But……

The actions of the Church of Light suddenly woke him up, and everything in the Principality of Idar also changed his inner thoughts.

Bruno's interpretation of the doctrine may indeed have his own selfish motives, but as Will Roach's understanding of Protestant doctrine became more and more profound, he was able to feel the unique advantages of Protestantism.

To be honest, although Bruno's interpretation of Protestantism contains a lot of personal opinions, compared with what the Church of Light preaches and promotes, Protestantism can be said to be an extremely progressive religion.

Take Will Roach, the commander of the Crusaders, for example. After joining Protestantism, he was dismissed from his military post and became an ordinary Protestant believer.

Personal practice and personal experience are part of the Protestant doctrine. Will Roche walked around the Principality of Idar, accompanying Bruno, and observing everything that happened on this land with his own eyes and thoughts.

To discover the differences between the eastern part of the empire and the interior of the empire.

And this scene of the refugees shedding tears was like a sharp sword, piercing deep into Will Roach's heart.

"There is indeed no crop called potatoes in the interior of the empire..."

Bruno nodded and said affirmatively: "...But even if it is available, will people's lives really be better?"

Will Roche was about to say something when Bruno continued:

"Of course, the people at the bottom of society cannot live better. The nobles will only intensify their exploitation of the people living on their land. They will impose more taxes and impose more labor service. Wars and famines will still occur frequently on this land. All of this... is inevitable..."

Hearing this, Will Roach fell silent.

He couldn't understand everything Bruno said, but the Principality of Idar before him confirmed almost all of Bruno's views time and time again.

"Also... faith can be a value standard in your heart, but it should not become a shackle that restricts your thinking. Instead of stupidly praying to the God of Light over and over again, you might as well make your own contribution to the Principality of Idar like everyone else."

"Using your own hands to build a kingdom of heaven, rather than just blindly begging for mercy from the gods, this... is what a true believer should do."

Bruno's words lingered in Will Roach's ears again and again, making him nod thoughtfully.

"Use your own hands to create... instead of just begging for God's mercy..."

"Use your hands... to create..."

(End of this chapter)