4 – Exploited Lands, Windheim (1)

After gathering information at the bar, I went to the baron and said that I would like to tour the countryside.

The baron was very upset, but I told him:

“I will go to the countryside and see the lives of the serfs and find out what they need.”

Upon hearing that, the baron gave permission as if he couldn’t do it.

So now I am hurrying to Windheim in the wagon with Balt.

It’s quite far from the castle, a two-day carriage ride away, but I hoped that if I went here, I would definitely get a chance to prove my abilities.

**

On the evening of the second day after leaving the castle, I began to see wide fields of wheat in the distance behind the plains covered with short weeds.

The golden fields like those seen in the movie did not spread out, perhaps because there was a little left before the harvest season, but the sight of the unripe wheat forming green waves was very beautiful.

“How far is it until the village?”

“If you go about 30 minutes, you will come to the village. young master.”

“30 minutes? It seems like there’s still quite a bit left, but it’s all wheat fields from here on out.”

“Well, to pay taxes to the knights who own this land and to the baron, and to secure food for the family, we have to cultivate an enormous amount of land.”

It was once taught that when a serf supported a family of five or six, he had to cultivate four hectares a year, or two hundred meters squared.

The horse is 200 meters wide and has to cultivate land equivalent to several hundred apartments of about 40 pyeong, so you have to work until you die before you can cultivate the land.

“It is not easy for serfs to live.”

“And what, after paying taxes… ”

Then, suddenly, Balt stopped talking and shouted.

“Look, young master. The serfs are plowing the fields.”

Hearing that, he turned his head in the direction Balt pointed.

“Come here, come here!! Let’s go, that’s good!!”

As the farmer whipped, the plow attached to the horse’s back began to plow the ground in sync with the horse’s gait.

However, the speed was too slow, and the depth of the plowed ground was too shallow.

A plow like this would be better than nothing, but the plow should plow the ground at least 30cm deep.

This is because most of the nutrients needed for crop growth are stored in the soil at a depth of about 30 cm from the ground.

I looked at Balt with a frustrated heart and said.

“Bald, isn’t that plow defective? Even so, it’s too shallow… ”

Upon hearing those words, Balt looked at me with eyes as if looking at a strange person and asked back.

“Hey, Bocchan. The original plow can only plow the ground to that extent.”

It will be a separate issue from my ability as a ruler, but if I am to rule the territory, I will supply plows that can plow the land at least 30cm.

Because compared to the plow that can only plow the ground about 15 cm that you see here and there, you will reap about twice as much harvest.

And not long after, the horse on the plow seemed to be running out of breath and stopped moving to catch his breath.

Curious as to why the horse had stopped, upon closer inspection, the force of the plow was concentrated on the horse’s neck, not its chest.

With that structure, every time he pulls the plow, the strain on his neck puts a strain on his breathing, so he must be breathing incorrectly.

But I don’t think that’s the only problem… I’ll get off the wagon and see for myself.

“Coachman, please stop the carriage here for a moment. And Balt, bring out a fairy tale bag. Ask him something.”

He immediately stopped the carriage and went around the man pulling the plow.

The man who was pulling the plow, as soon as he saw me, immediately let go of the plow and knelt down on the ground.

“Meet you, dear man, how did you come to the village where such a lowly serf lives?”

The words themselves were respectful, but from the trembling voice, I could tell that the existence of me seemed burdensome and frightening to this serf.

I took out about 2 fairy tales from the fairy tale bag and put them in the hands of the serf in order to ease the tension so that I could have a smooth conversation with the serf.

The serf in front of me brightened up when he checked the fairy tale.

“I just want to ask you something. If you give me good answers, I can give you more.”

At those words, the face of the serf in front of me brightened.

“Is that true?”

“I won’t say it twice with one mouth.”

When I said that, the serf in front of me waved his hand and smiled.

“thank you! How can I help you then?”

“Okay, I want to see you, but can you show me how to use the plow? I have a little question for you.”

“Yes Yes!”

And the serf in front of me ran up to the plowed horse and started whipping it.

Then, after about thirty seconds, the horse moved and the plow began plowing the ground.

However, the furrow was only about 10 to 15 cm long, and even that was too narrow, as if it had been cut with a fingernail.

Also, when I looked closely at the hooves of the working horses, they were sanded as if they had been sanded.

It must have been like that after pulling the plow all day while stepping on rough soil.

If the hoof is ground like that, there is a possibility that the nerve inside the hoof will protrude.

If you take care of your horse that way, bacteria from inside the soil can get inside the hoof and cause tetanus.

After plowing the ground with the plow for about 10 minutes, the horse seemed to be tired before it knew it, and no matter how much the farmer whipped it, it didn’t move anymore.

Normally, if you say something like this, I’ll let you rest, but I’m sure you’re whipping me.

“Good job, good job. He handled his horse well. Is there anything I would like to ask you, could you answer me more?”

Saying that, I threw two more fairy tales to the serf.

The serf caught the fairy tale quickly and answered.

“Yes, Bocchan. It’s an honor to hear that you liked it, hehehehe. Ask anything.”

“Well, what about that plow? I heard that the baron supplied the village for your serfs.”

“hahahaha, that’s really good! In the past, if I wanted to plow this field, I would take my next door neighbour, Hans, or my son to remove and pull the plow, but no matter how long I worked, I couldn’t plow even half of this. But now I can go this far by myself.”

“yes? But aren’t the furrows too shallow?”

Upon hearing this, the serf waved his hand and said,

“This is a much deeper dig than the previous digs. A few years ago, wheat or rye would freeze to death with even the slightest bit of cold, but these days, the furrows have become deep, so there is no freezing to death. This is all thanks to the grace of the lord.”

He said that, but at the same time, his face showed dissatisfaction with the lord.

If the baron didn’t collect taxes beyond the rules and even supplied farm tools, that’s enough…

As you heard at the inn, it is highly likely that Baileef Mars is embezzling taxes.

I acted as if I hadn’t noticed that dissatisfaction.

“Thank you for telling me. It’s small here, but it’s Chapter 3 of a fairy tale.”

“Are you really giving it to me?”

“Well, thanks to your answer, I was able to find out what I wanted to know. So you have to pay for it.”

“thank you!! young master!!”

Until I gave him money, he was very annoying, but when I gave him money, he quickly became a respectable boy.

After all, Korea and other worlds seem to be similar in liking money.

And if you’re cooperative like that, for a little more money, you’ll stay home and hear a worthwhile story.

“I’m on my way to Nantes, but it’s already dark… Can I sleep over at your house?”

Hearing this, the serf said with a look full of anticipation that he would be able to make money if he allowed me to stay overnight.

“Bocchan, it’s really shabby, are you okay?”

“It’s much better to sleep at your house than to be homeless. It has a roof and a wall, so it will block the wind and the morning dew.”

“All right. Coincidentally, I just got married, so there are some empty rooms at home… I have enough space to stay… But the money to prepare meals… ”

I handed the whole bag of fairy tales Balt gave to the serf.

“Is this enough? I think I’ve heard about 20 chapters… ”

“Can I count for a minute?

It is rude to count the money in front of you in disbelief after receiving the money given by a nobleman.

However, since I have the concept of a wandering aristocrat, I should look at that.

“Let it be.”

“One, two, three… twenty… That’s twenty. It’s shabby, but I’ll take care of you as best I can at my house.”

Balt, who heard the story, spoke to me in a surprised voice.

“No, Bocchan… You’re staying at the serf’s house, not at the bailef’s house nearby? A noble should not stay in such a place!!”

“What does it matter with Balt, aren’t you Balt a veteran who defeated even a knight on horseback with a single sword in a tournament before our family collapsed?”

“…..”

So I covered Balt’s mouth, climbed into the carriage, and looked down at the serf.

“Yes, serf. What is your name?”

“This is Zachry.”

“Zacri, you mount up and lead the way. We follow slowly.”

“All right.”

So I headed to the house of a serf named Zachry.

On the way, Balt asked me angrily.

“No, but why are you staying in a serf’s house? If you stay at the Baileaf house like an ordinary aristocratic master and receive alcohol and food, what’s the point?”

“Well, I’m not here to play. And it is very likely that the baileif mars here are embezzling taxes. You have to do this to dig up lively information.”

Balt looked at me and said with a sigh as if he was full of spirit.

“It’s nice to see him actively working for the people of the territory, but he’s too active.”