Chapter 106 Before the Banquet
Although the Department of Food believed that so much food was enough to feed one or two baronies.
However, under Olivia's various lenient policy planning standards, this amount of food was only enough to cover the entire Eindhoven's expenses for one year.
After the Grain Department settles the figures for this year's autumn harvest, the first thing it needs to do is plan food for the soldiers in the territory.
Every soldier in the camp has a fixed amount of staple food for three meals a day. This food standard was set by the Baroness and is definitely more than the rations of soldiers in the surrounding towns.
There are currently more than 2,000 soldiers in total.
There are currently four fully staffed mountain military estates, with a total of 200 soldiers and four knights.
As a standard, each estate needs to plan for 30,000 pounds of grain each year.
The main camp in the port barracks directly commanded the army, with a total of fifty officers, fifteen hundred soldiers, and twenty baron attendants.
Currently, we need to plan for 60,000 pounds of staple food every month, or about 700,000 pounds a year.
The City Defense Department currently has 400 soldiers and requires 60,000 pounds of food each year.
Apart from these major expenses, food expenses in other areas are very sporadic.
There are still 500,000 pounds of food left, mainly storable grains, which will all go into the grain warehouse.
According to the preferential policies formulated by the lady, more than 500 tenant farmers on the ten agricultural estates had to give out 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of grain every month at a low price of one sur, which amounted to 200,000 pounds a year.
The latest report Olivia got from the Household Registration Department said that the number of tenant farmers was increasing at a rate of fifty people per month, and most of them were voluntary cheap laborers.
The Household Registration Department estimates that the number of tenant farmers could increase to one thousand by the autumn harvest of next year.
So, at the end of the year, there were only 100,000 pounds of food reserves left in the granary.
According to the report provided by Jagbu, the plantation can deliver 300,000 pounds of grain in December this year.
He set aside half of the plantation for experiments with double-cropping wheat and various Southern plants.
So, in the end, there are only 400,000 pounds of grain left in the granary this year, which is not a small amount.
Olivia couldn't help but laugh at herself. If it were a stingy baron from another town in the north, he would only be able to save one million pounds of the 1.3 million pounds of grain.
She thought that by spending the grain, she would gain a stable army and stable tenants. These new tenants could at least cultivate another three or four thousand acres of land.
By next year, the amount of grain harvested in autumn may double.
She also planned to spend several thousand gold coins to import several ships of grain from overseas to regulate the food prices in the city.
In the blink of an eye, it’s October.
The weather turned cold rapidly, and every morning a layer of frost would form on the glass windows of the study.
In the past half month, under Caesar's supervision, Olivia has been eating and sleeping on time, taking care of her body, and controlling the intensity of her daily work at a reasonable level, even though she has no health problems.
By mid-October, Christina was almost one month old and her christening was approaching.
The entire fort was being cleaned and furnished in great haste, in preparation for the distant guests.
Fortunately, the Jiusi Yamen had been built and they moved out.
The fortress is now large enough to prepare twenty or thirty empty rooms for guests.
Half a month before the banquet, Fanxi received replies to almost all the invitations.
She counted the number of people and reported to Olivia and Caesar.
There were many guests, and almost all the nobles in the north wrote back to say that they planned to come.
These included twenty-three barons and ladies, and their families.
Both of the sons of old Earl Everk were planning to come, and the eldest was coming to deliver the reward on behalf of the Earl.
From other northern counties, the heirs of the Marquis de Ciso also replied that they would come, as well as the younger brother of Count Antoine.
These also have a history.
There were about a hundred people in total, and a flowerpot falling from the sky could hit eight barons.
With the reply, Fanxi can arrange the seating details, the quantity of dishes, and the details of overnight stay.
Most of the barons who lived nearby would return on the same day, while those who lived far away would leave the next day.
However, the sons and brothers of the earls and marquises had no intention of leaving the next day. Their reply letters implied that they wanted to stay in Einweiden for two days to get to know the place better.
However, they will not stay here permanently. In early November, the Earl's birthday comes, so they must go back early.
Olivia and Caesar analyzed the matter privately. One of the earl's two sons came to deliver a reward, and the other was a guest.
I'm afraid both of them want to win over their own family.
After all, neither Olivia nor Caesar has any background with either of the two, and they are not considered supporters of anyone.
Unlike Lavossen next to him, the Baroness is the Countess's maternal family, so her family is naturally the second son's direct line.
But now, Eindhoven is the most important region in the north, and they have no choice but to bow their heads.
As for the Marquis's heir and Count Antoine's younger brother, they were targeting Christina.
The heir of the Marquis Desiso was named Closili. He was in his early thirties and his wife had given birth to two sons, the eldest being six years old and the youngest two years old.
Lord Closili was a kind father. He knew that his eldest son would have no worries about the future and would definitely inherit the title, so he planned to make plans for his youngest son who was just learning to speak.
If he could arrange a marriage between his youngest son and Christina, then his youngest son would have found a good home.
Everyone knows that Christina will inherit two baronies in the future, and her future territory will be very rich and have a very advantageous geographical location.
Even if his youngest son is only a nominal co-lord after marriage and has no real power, he can still live a worry-free life by Christina's side without worrying about his status declining.
As for Count Antoine's younger brother, Lord Rocanse, the same situation occurred. He had an eldest daughter and a second son, who was only a few years old.
Although he had no territory or title, he had land properties and a huge fortune.
According to inheritance laws, these properties will be inherited by his eldest daughter in the future, and his eldest daughter is much older than his second son.
The second son’s future life does not have much security.
So, they all came here to curry favor, give gifts, and hope to get engaged to the heiress as soon as possible.
In fact, the current Countess Constant was also like this when she was a child. She was engaged to the royal family of Lennia at an early age.
Olivia and Caesar both shook their heads, not thinking that now was a good time to get Christina engaged.
Caesar rarely showed a look of disdain and indifference.
He knew the details of these two families. They were both second-generation descendants of the same family. No one could stand up to their abilities in either civil or military affairs.
Although they are a family of earls and marquises, they only have the title and can sit back and enjoy the offerings from the people.
What good will the descendants of these people be?
Caesar looked down on it, and Olivia felt that Christina's marriage was not something they could decide.
Given her rebellious nature, she didn't know what the future would hold, so how could she possibly allow herself to be bound by an engagement?
She is an open-minded parent and can accept Christina deciding her own marriage.
However, Olivia still asked Caesar to restrain himself from showing them too much displeasure.
Since there is only one treasure in your family, and there are two thieves who are eyeing it, let them fight it out. This will scare away the other thieves who are eyeing it.
For the next two days, Caesar would go home every day and hug Christina and sigh, feeling like he didn't know what to do.
Olivia couldn't help but find it funny that he looked like a worried old father.
A few days later, as the date of the banquet approached, actions began inside and outside the fortress, including the entire city.
The first thing is to prepare security. These valuable guests may have enemies outside who may come to assassinate them.
Caesar dispatched the direct army and the city defense department to set up garrisons inside and outside the city, at the Lavossen ferry terminal, and at the seaport.
Ensure the personal safety of guests coming to Einweiden through various channels after they step into the town.
The arrival times of guests are different. Some may arrive a day or half a day in advance. The main roads in the city will also be closed, forcing people to take other routes.
Once inside the fortress, the nobles were provided with entertainment to keep them entertained throughout the day and during meals.
Starting from the early morning, the fortress would host animal fights and jousting performances, using this time to wait for all the guests to gather.
After that there will be a big luncheon, where you can accept gifts and congratulations from various guests, show your face, and get to know people.
After the big lunch, everyone moved to the church to watch the baptism ceremony.
After the ceremony, it is time for the guests to visit. Caesar will take them to visit the town’s walls, port, military camp, and the display areas of the granary and workshop.
If you don’t want to go out, you can stay in the fortress and watch different performances throughout the day, such as music and dance.
Olivia also hired two twin circus performers to perform acrobatics.
This long day will only come to an end after the last dinner.
The city will not relax its vigilance until all the guests have left after they are sent away one after another.
Since the beginning of October, various departments have been preparing for this, informing townspeople of the evacuation time in advance, coordinating with merchants, and checking procedures with personnel involved in each link.
In the fortress alone, servants were busy running around, making preparations.
Olivia hadn't seen Fanxi for two days. The maid said that she had been so busy that she hadn't slept for several days.
The day before the banquet, Fan Xi was personally preparing the guest rooms for the Earl's two sons.
Olivia had no choice but to find Fan Xi that night and explain everything to her clearly, saying that the purpose of these people coming to her house was that they all wanted to ask for something, and there was no need to worry about offending them by not serving them well.
By then, even if they don't live comfortably, eat well, or are not well taken care of, they will adapt.
Times have changed now, and it is not our own family that needs help from others.
People who are easily offended can be screened out and distanced from as early as possible.
After hearing this, Fanxi couldn't help but feel a little relaxed, but he still went to work honestly.
…
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