The night is dark and everything is quiet.
Only the occasional crackling of the logs burning in the fireplace.
Xiao Bai curled up in front of the fireplace, the hair on one side of his body was slightly burnt because of being too close.
Colin stretched, and stood up from the mountain of government documents.
"I have read the tax documents for the past few months. You have done a good job. The measures to reduce taxes and attract business are quite effective and can continue to be implemented."
Colin said to the tax officer Quincy, while walking to the fireplace, he picked up the kitten who was greedy for the temperature of the flame and almost caught fire, held him in his arms, and then lay down on the wicker chair in front of the fireplace.
"Meow-"
Xiaobai let out a cry of dissatisfaction, as if angry and stupid human beings had disturbed its rest, but quickly calmed down under Colin's touch, and squinted his eyes again as he lay on Colin's chest.
"Yes, Lord Viscount. Your approval is my greatest honor." Quincy bowed his head to Colin, feeling relieved.
He obviously didn't expect Colin to be patient, and he had the ability to understand cumbersome and complicated tax documents, so he was a little apprehensive before.
Most of the aristocratic lords in this world don't have the heart to manage these mundane affairs in the territory, and basically leave them to the stewards and tax officials, and they themselves are either immersed in pleasure, or lingering among the noble ladies, or He wanted to show off his strength.
Lords like Ke Lin who are willing to spend their time on these boring government affairs are indeed relatively rare.
Quincy couldn't help cheering up, reminding himself that he must not be sloppy in his future work.
"Okay, it's getting late, Quincy, go back and rest first."
"Yes, Lord Viscount."
After Quincy left, only Colin and the butler Aemon were left in the study.
Colin stroked Xiaobai's soft hair, and said, "Today is the last day of the Winter Veil Festival, and the snow has stopped, starting tomorrow, let the slaves continue to work."
"Yes, sir. You have been very kind to let them rest for the whole Winter Veil."
The corner of Colin's mouth twitched, he was still a little unaccustomed to the way the nobles of this world oppressed slaves.
"What are the main tasks in the future?"
Aemon opened the parchment in his hand, inspected it and then reported: "Master, the work in Ice Rock City has been basically completed, and the next work is mainly to repair the Red Castle and the water conservancy project."
Emon paused, looked up at Colin, saw that he had no objection, and then continued: "This time I have a lot of spare labor, and I am going to renovate the Red Castle.
Warehouses, stables, martial arts arenas, and cellars also need to be expanded. This is the design drawing I have drafted, please have a look. "
Ke Lin took the blueprint and flipped through it, asking, "What's the approximate budget for repairing the Red Castle?"
"About 30,000 gold coins, my lord."
Colin pondered for a moment, and felt that the cost was acceptable.
The current financial situation of the Angelet family is not as embarrassing as it was half a year ago. What's more, with the support of a wealthy half-elf, Colin can spend a lot of money.
Moreover, taking advantage of the slave rebellion this time, Colin gathered a large number of slaves. It would be a pity if these almost free laborers were not used well.
"Okay, let's do it according to your plan."
"Okay, sir." Aemon nodded, and then said, "As for the second project, the water conservancy project. My plan is to divide it into two phases.
It will be completed within three to four months in the near future, mainly for water diversion and irrigation projects, serving the upcoming spring plowing.
In the long run, it can be slowed down to three to five years. River dredging, embankment reinforcement, irrigation system expansion... all of these will take longer and cost a lot. "
Ke Lin looked at the short-term and long-term construction plan of the water conservancy project handed over by Emon, and nodded solemnly: "This is worth doing. Water conservancy is the foundation of agriculture. No matter how expensive it is, it needs to be done well."
"Yes, sir. In addition, the Half-Elf Kingdom has many agricultural experts. I want to hire some to come to Ice Rock City to guide the slaves in their work. I wonder if you can recommend them for me."
"Of course, I will write to Queen Elsa and ask her to send some people over."
"Thank you, master." Aemon put away the parchment, hesitated, and said again, "Master, more and more rebels have gathered in Ice Rock City recently, although they are vulnerable to the black cavalry, but...so many The concentration of slaves in the city always worries me..."
Colin squinted his eyes halfway, and asked lightly: "How many slaves have we gathered in our hands now?"
"A statistic was just completed the day before yesterday, and we have collected more than 85,000 slaves so far."
"Well, that's quite a lot. However, it's not a big problem." Colin waved his hands nonchalantly, "As long as you give those slaves a bite to eat, and let them see the hope of becoming free people, they won't rebel. "
Aemon still said worriedly: "Master, there are so many slaves and their origins are complicated that we can't investigate them one by one. I'm worried that people with bad intentions will be mixed in and deliberately incite these slaves to rebel."
Only then did Colin open his eyes, with a serious expression on his face.
"Well, two measures." After thinking for a while, Colin ordered, "First, mix the slaves together, and don't let the slaves who are familiar with each other stay together to prevent cascading.
Second, implement the whistle-blowing system. Anyone who finds anyone in the slave gathering area acting suspiciously or trying to deceive the public can report it. If the whistle-blowing is successful, the whistle-blower can be rewarded with ten silver coins. "
"Yes, sir."
Colin picked up the coffee in hand, took a sip, and then asked, "Is there still no movement from Marquis Dawson and Earl Uman?"
"No." Aemon shook his head, "My lord, I guess, they should be waiting for the winter to pass, after all, now is not a good time for war."
"En." Colin nodded, agreeing with Aemon's judgment, "Also, it is probably waiting for this famine to further ferment.
There is still more than half a year until the next autumn harvest. At present, only the lowest-level slaves are the ones who can't eat. When the civilians have no food left, I'm afraid the northern border will fall into even greater chaos. "
"Master, the rumor that you drew my attention to before has intensified now. Even many residents in Ice Rock City have begun to believe that the successful invasion of the northern border by the trolls was the result of Duke St. Hilde's failure to lure the enemy. The consequences of the plan."
"Did Winter City not respond to this?"
"not yet."
Colin couldn't help frowning. He couldn't understand why the Duke of St. Hilde didn't come forward to refute, but allowed this rumor, which seriously damaged his prestige, to spread wantonly in the northern border.
Could it be that the Duke was really seriously injured in the previous duel with the paladin
Seeing that Colin's face was not right, Aemon asked, "Master, are we going to stop the spread of this rumor in Ice Rock City?"
"No need." Ke Lin shook his head with a smile, "Our most important task now is to develop ourselves, and we don't need to worry about other ups and downs, just watch the show safely."
"Yes, sir." Aemon nodded in response.
Then the old butler looked at the clock on the wall and reminded: "Master, today is the last day of the Winter Veil Festival, and it is almost midnight, and you are needed to preside over the Angelet family's vigil."
Only then did Ke Lin remember that there was still such a thing, sighed helplessly, stood up as if he was dealing with drudgery, and walked out.
clang clang clang...
When the clock struck twelve, Colin, who presided over the vigil, finally stopped praying, raised his head, and looked at the dark night sky outside the window.
There the stars are lonely and the crescent moon is dim.
The new year has come so quietly.
(end of this chapter)