Chapter 391 New World (I) [Two in one! Please subscribe! ]
November, 538th year of the new calendar.
Although the Second Prince Reiz has broken through the blockade of the Imperial Guard Division on the Central Great Plains and is approaching the imperial capital of St. Lawrence, this does not mean the end of the war.
The emergency call from the imperial capital St. Lawrence caused Pitsman to desperately plunder soldiers and confiscate food and fodder, causing the civilians who could barely survive to lose the last bit of food stored in their homes as winter approached.
When the number of refugees began to increase, even the dumbest nobles would gradually become nervous.
Many nobles began to flee the lands they had ruled for generations and went to places far away from the center of the war to avoid the war.
But... even the carriages and horses of the Norman nobles would be greatly hindered in their progress when faced with the chaos in the inland and the hordes of refugees.
Therefore, even though they had left the imperial capital of St. Lawrence earlier, when the Graf siblings had gone through many hardships and finally arrived in the Principality of Idar under the protection of mercenaries, it was already early November.
The temperature has cooled down a bit, and the scorching sun has faded away quietly. This is probably a sign that early winter is approaching.
To the west of the Stranglethorn Customs, out of humanitarian considerations, the Idar Government Office has set up a large number of tents to accommodate a large number of refugees from the inland of the empire.
Not only were they penniless, but their already empty bags did not even have enough food to fill their stomachs.
What's worse, even if they can't be said to be ragged, they can at least be said to be naked.
It is no exaggeration to say that if there had not been the relief provided by the Principality of Idar, a large number of innocent civilians would have frozen to death this winter.
In fact, Bruno knew very well that the east and west sides of the Stranglethorn Customs were two completely different worlds.
On one side were the civilians who had to leave their homes due to the war, and on the other side were the civilians of Idar who lived and worked in peace and contentment under the rule of the Stuart family.
Although the refugees were pitiful, Bruno, as the ruler of the Principality of Idar, knew very well that he must not allow certain unstable factors to breed and spread in the eastern part of the empire because of a momentary weakness.
Up to now, the number of spies and agents arrested by the Idar CIA in the Principality of Idar has exceeded twenty.
But if it were just these, it would be fine. In Bruno's eyes, there are far more unstable factors than these.
The Idar Immigration Administration once provided Bruno with a set of data. Since the establishment of the Principality of Idar, the number of "civilians" who were denied entry by the Idar Customs has long reached three digits.
As we all know, the Norman nobles were extremely unscrupulous in their exploitation of the common people and serfs. It was precisely because of the extremely difficult living experiences of the common people that many religious organizations were born and spread in the interior of the empire.
A large number of the civilians who were stopped by Idar Customs were suspected to be followers of cult organizations.
Bruno would never allow the followers of these organizations to live on the land of the Principality of Idar, nor would he show leniency to them just because of their civilian status.
The only thing Idar Customs could do was to add more staff and double the original four entry inspection channels to eight.
This is the bottom line of the Principality of Idar, and it is also Bruno's leniency towards the refugees.
After all... even if the administrative efficiency of the Principality of Idar has been greatly improved, it cannot withstand the massive influx of countless refugees at one time. Not only will it cause chaos in social order and an increase in crime rates, it is also not in the interests of all Idar people.
You know, now the speed at which the Principality of Idar accepts refugees is more than twice as fast as before, and the civil servants of the Idar Immigration Administration have been working overtime and complaining bitterly.
It was under such circumstances that Marquis Soto's convoy successfully passed through the Stranglethorn Vale customs. For the first time in their lives, the brother and sister Ferona and Johann set foot in the Principality of Idar in the east of the empire and came to this wild and remote place in the eyes of the nobles.
"Those people... don't even charge money?"
Riding in the swaying carriage, Johann couldn't help but sigh.
Even though he had successfully passed the Idar customs inspection, Johann still had countless doubts in his mind.
If the Principality of Idar was really as bad as those nobles described, why would so many civilians flock to this land? You know, on the way to the Principality of Idar, he saw many civilians, bringing their families, carrying their remaining food and money, and migrating all the way to the east of the empire.
and……
You don’t know until you ask, and you’ll be shocked to find that most of these civilians have the same destination - the Principality of Idar!
In fact, a long time ago, the Idar Immigration Administration and the Idar Central Intelligence Agency stopped promoting the various welfare and benefits of the Principality of Idar to the people, and stopped deceiving the people to migrate to the eastern part of the empire.
Because that piece of land in the eastern part of the empire has long been talked about by the people and lingered in the ears of countless civilians in the Norman Empire.
Today, the Idar Immigration Administration does not need to continue its propaganda, as there are many refugees who follow in the footsteps of their relatives and friends and spontaneously migrate to the eastern part of the empire.
But……
As members of the Norman aristocracy, the Graf siblings didn't know much about these things.
Therefore, everything they saw and heard along the way amazed them and gradually gave them some confidence, as they had been hanging in the balance.
And just now, the experience of passing through the Stranglethorn Vale Customs was also fresh in their memory.
When passing through customs, Johan Graf habitually took out a few copper coins from his pocket as a reward for the Idar customs staff, but these staff members felt they were facing a formidable enemy and rejected his gifts sternly.
“Build an honest and efficient Idar administrative system!”
Although the above words were hung on the wall on the side of the Stranglethorn Vale Customs, it was not until he was sternly rejected by the customs staff that Johann finally realized the meaning of this sentence.
In fact, in any noble territory except the Principality of Idar, asking for "gifts" from passing merchants and nobles has long become the norm.
Although such behavior may not be very reasonable, it has been recognized by the vast majority of people, including the nobles.
However, the Principality of Idar's clear attitude and the customs staff's complete compliance with the code of conduct are unique in Scorpio.
“It’s really a bit unusual.”
Seeing this, even Ferona, who was the first to propose seeking refuge in the Principality of Idar, couldn't help but sigh.
She also knew that the staff of the Principality of Idar were only practicing their most basic professional ethics, but such ordinary behavior and reactions were like outliers among the countless noble territories where corruption was rampant and exploitation was rampant.
The carriage moved slowly along the road. Although it was still quite a distance away from the city of Idar, Ferona clearly felt the difference between this place and the west side of the Stranglethorn Customs.
Even though the Territory of Conte is much more stable than the interior of the empire due to its proximity to the Principality of Idar, it is still not worth mentioning if compared with the Principality of Idar.
This piece of land seems like a paradise on earth isolated from the rest of the world, without any disturbance or impact from war.
In the endless farmlands of the Principality of Idar, the abundant autumn crops have been harvested and the winter crops have been planted.
The Idar farmers, who finally had some free time, showed no sign of tiredness and had already started looking for work everywhere, turning the long-peaceful Idar Principality into a bustling large-scale construction site again.
It can be said that... every winter is the time when the labor force in the Principality of Idar is the most abundant. Unemployed farmers become temporary workers, and the construction of many large-scale public infrastructure and public projects in the Principality of Idar also starts at the end of the year.
If it had happened in the past, or in other noble territories, such a scene would never have occurred in winter.
Because once winter comes, the common people, who can only wear thin short clothes passed down from their grandfathers, all huddle in their huts, praying that the cold winter will pass as soon as possible.
Civilians and serfs only worried about whether their stored firewood could last until the end of winter, and whether their remaining food could survive the cold winter of that year.
As for major repairs and construction, actively responding to the call of the rulers to build roads, bridges, and city walls?
hehe!
That's something only a fool would do!
Without the sharp knives and whips, no civilian would leave their homes and risk freezing to death or frostbite to work for their lords.
But the problem is... this is the Principality of Idar, the Territory of Idar.
Bruno is a lord who clearly distinguishes rewards and punishments.
Civilians can be paid for their labor, and serfs can earn work points for their labor. As long as the labor they put in contributes to the Principality of Idar, they will surely receive equal compensation. Isn't this better than staying at home and warming themselves by the fire?
Under the rule of Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, the Idar textile factory was built and the Idar department store stood tall.
With the signing of the Treaty of Valens, wool and leather produced in the eastern highlands of the Odin Empire were all purchased by the Idar Chamber of Commerce at extremely low prices, and then transported directly to the Port of Cologne in the north of the Principality of Idar through convenient sea transportation, avoiding the long and risky land transportation.
In the Cologne industrial area, the Idar people will weave these wool and leather into clothes of different styles and prices, and then transport them to various parts of the Principality of Idar.
Maybe the shape and style of these clothes may not be good-looking, but what time is this? In this era, ordinary people never care about these things. Good-looking or ugly are all secondary. As long as they can be worn, it's fine.
As long as the price is affordable for the common people and enough for the common people of Idar to keep out the severe cold, that is enough! After all...
For the civilians who were used to a hard life, this was a good life that they had never dared to imagine! Before Bruno ruled this land, which winter hadn't frozen people to death? The only difference was whether more people died or fewer.
In other words, except for the Principality of Idar, almost no steward of a noble territory dared to claim that no civilians froze to death that winter, because this would be deceiving the noble lords as fools!
But……
These things that seem impossible to others have already become a reality in the Principality of Idar.
So much so that when Marquis Soto's convoy approached the city of Idar, the Ferona siblings were already dumbfounded.
"Aren't they cold?" Johann stared at the scene in front of him.
Countless workers were paving roads and building houses. It seemed that to the Idar people, the winter cold was just a trivial matter and could not stop them from working hard at all.
But in other noble territories, cities and towns would be deserted in winter, and deserted streets were the norm in the inland of the empire.
"Maybe it's because... they are all wearing clothes..."
Looking at the scene in front of her, Ferona didn't know what to say.
The reason was simple. The scene of the Principality of Idar before their eyes was completely beyond their cognition.
Different from those noble lords who wandered between the palace and the castle, the brother and sister, who lost their father at a young age and depended on each other for survival, have always been very concerned about the territory of the Graf family.
Especially Ferona.
After personally supervising the implementation of forced labor and the collection of land taxes several times, she was very clear about the suffering and difficulties of the common people.
Therefore, she could feel more clearly the uniqueness of the Principality of Idar.
In this land, Ferona could hardly see a ragged civilian.
Most of the civilians in the Principality of Idar wore well-fitting clothes and walked on the streets and in the construction sites throughout the Principality of Idar. There was no fear about the future on their faces, only faint smiles and expectations for the future.
It seems... for the Idar people, freezing to death has become a word that is extremely distant from their lives.
But how is this possible!
The poverty of the common people has almost become a reality that the nobles are accustomed to. Not only the nobles, but even the common people themselves have tacitly accepted this situation.
It's as if...
A life of poverty and hopelessness is what ordinary people should experience...
But Bruno completely shattered this inherent perception in the Principality of Idar! Although common people may not necessarily become rich and powerful, they definitely have the right, qualification and dignity to live!
Although this sounds simple, it is definitely not an easy task.
"Let's go into the city..."
Firona spoke first after taking a look at the busy civilians from a distance.
"Well, let's go into town!"
Hearing his sister's words, Marquis of Soto Johann Graf nodded quickly, with some excitement in his words.
after all,
When most of the nobles chose to wait and see where they were or flee to the western part of the empire, going against the current and choosing the Principality of Idar in the eastern part of the empire as their destination undoubtedly required great courage.
Although all that the Principality of Idar showed them, it at least made the siblings feel at ease and made them understand one thing - the Principality of Idar has a very deep foundation and strong strength! At least...
It is more than enough to protect the Graf family and ensure that the inheritance of Marquis Soto can continue smoothly! I don’t have time today. I have to go to class during the day, so I can only rely on the time at night to work hard on typing.
(End of this chapter)
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