—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobto
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After gathering information at the inn, I went to the Marquis and told him I wanted to look around the countryside.
The Marquis seemed very displeased, but I said to him, “I will go directly to the countryside to see the living conditions of the peasants and find out what they need.”
Hearing those words, the Marquis had no choice but to allow it.
So now I was in a carriage with Varso, hurrying to Windheim.
It was quite far from the castle, taking two days by carriage, but I had expectations that I could definitely find an opportunity to prove my abilities there.
**
On the evening of the second day after leaving the castle, a vast wheat field began to appear in the distance behind a plain covered with short weeds.
Since it was still some time before the harvest season, the golden fields I had seen in movies were not yet spread out, but the sight of the unripened wheat forming green waves was truly beautiful.
“How much further to the village?”
“In about 30 minutes, we’ll reach the village, young master.”
“30 minutes? It still seems quite far, but it’s all wheat fields from here.”
“Well, to pay taxes to the knights who own this land and to His Excellency the Marquis, and to secure enough food for their families to eat, they have to cultivate an immense amount of land.”
I had learned before that when one peasant had to support a family of 5-6 people, they had to cultivate 4 hectares of land per year, which is about 40,000 square meters.
so they have to work until they’re nearly dead to cultivate all that land.
“It’s not easy for them to make a living either.”
“And well, after paying taxes…”
Then suddenly, Varso stopped talking and shouted.
“Look, young master.
The peasants are plowing the fields.”
Hearing those words, I turned my head in the direction Varso was pointing.
“Giddy-up, giddy-up!! Let’s go, that’s right, good job!!”
As the farmer whipped the horse, the plow attached behind the horse began to turn over the soil in time with the horse’s stride.
However, the speed was too slow, and the depth of the plowed soil was too shallow.
Even such a plow is better than nothing, but a plow should plow the soil to a depth of at least 30 cm.
This is because most of the nutrients necessary for crops to grow are stored in the soil up to about 30 cm deep from the surface.
I looked at Varso with a frustrated heart and said,
“Varso, isn’t that plow defective? No matter what, it’s plowing too shallowly…”
Hearing those words, Varso looked at me as if he was seeing a strange person and asked back,
“Well, young master.
Originally, plows can only plow the soil to that extent.”
Regardless of the issue of my ability as a ruler, if I come to govern this territory, I’ll have to supply plows that can plow the soil to at least 30 cm deep.
Because compared to the plow that can only plow about 15 cm as seen over there, it would yield more than twice the harvest.
And before long, the horse pulling the plow seemed to start panting, so it stopped moving to catch its breath.
Curious as to why the horse stopped, I observed closely and saw that the force of the plow was concentrated not on the horse’s chest but on its neck.
With such a structure, every time it pulls the plow, it puts a strain on the neck, making it hard to breathe properly.
But it seems there are more problems than just that…
I should get out of the carriage and take a closer look.
“Coachman, please stop the carriage here for a moment.
And Varso, take out a pouch of copper coins.
I’m going to ask that person some questions.”
Then I immediately stopped the carriage and went over to the man who was pulling the plow.
As soon as the man who was pulling the plow saw me, he let go of the plow and said, lying flat on the ground,
“Greetings to Your Highness, how have you come all the way to this lowly village where peasants live?”
The words themselves were polite in their own way, but judging by his trembling voice, I could tell that my presence was burdensome and frightening to this peasant.
To ease the tension so that I could have a smooth conversation with the peasant, I took out about 2 copper coins from the pouch and put them in the peasant’s hand.
When the peasant in front of me checked the copper coins, his expression brightened.
“I just want to ask something.
If you answer well, I can give you more.”
At those words, the expression of the peasant in front of me brightened.
“Really?”
“I don’t talk out of both sides of my mouth.”
As I said that, the peasant in front of me waved his hands, smiled, and said,
“Thank you! Then how can I help you?”
“Good, I wanted to see something, can you show me how you use the plow?
There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Yes, yes!”
The peasant who had been in front of me ran to where the horse with the plow was and began to whip it.
After about thirty seconds, the horse started moving and the plow began to turn over the soil.
However, the furrows were only about 10-15 cm deep at best, and even that was too narrow in width, as if scratched with a fingernail.
Also, looking closely at the horse’s hooves, they were worn down as if ground with sandpaper.
Surely, walking on rough soil and pulling the plow all day long made them like that.
When the hooves are worn down like that, there is a possibility that the nerves inside the hooves may protrude.
If a horse is managed in such a way, soil bacteria can enter the inside of the hooves and cause tetanus.
After plowing the soil with the plow for about 10 minutes, the horse was already tired and would no longer move no matter how much the farmer whipped it.
Normally, they would let the horse rest if used like this, but he must be whipping it out of concern for my presence.
“You worked hard, I saw it well.
You handle the horse well. By the way, I have something I want to ask, can you answer more?”
After saying that, I threw 2 more copper coins to the peasant.
The peasant quickly caught the copper coins and replied,
“Yes, young master.
I am honored that you saw me favorably, hehe.
Ask me anything.”
“Hmm, how is that plow? I heard that His Excellency the Marquis supplied it to the village for you peasants.”
“Haha, it’s really great! In the past, to plow this field, I had to bring my neighbor Hans or my son and harness them to the plow and pull it, but even if we worked all day long, we couldn’t plow even half of this.
But now, I can plow this much just by myself.”
“Is that so? But aren’t the furrows too shallow?”
Hearing those words, the peasant waved his hands and said,
“This is much deeper and better plowed than what we used to dig in the past.
A few years ago, as soon as the weather got a little cold, the wheat and rye would freeze to death, but these days, the furrows are deeper, so they don’t freeze to death anymore.
This is all thanks to the lord’s grace.”
Although he said that, at the same time, dissatisfaction with the lord could be seen on his face.
Even though the Marquis does not collect more taxes than the regulations and even supplies farming tools, if he’s like that to that extent…
There is a high possibility that the Bailiff Mars is embezzling taxes, as I heard at the inn.
I pretended not to notice such dissatisfaction and said,
“Thank you for telling me.
Here are 3 copper coins, a small amount.”
“Are you really giving them to me?”
“Of course, thanks to you answering properly, I was able to learn what I wanted to know.
So I have to give you the reward for that.”
“Thank you!! Young master!!”
Before I gave him the money, he was acting extremely annoyed, but as soon as I gave him the money, he instantly became a respectful young master.
I guess whether it’s my first world or this world, people’s love for money is still the same.
And if he’s this cooperative with me, if I just give him a little more money, I could stay at his house and hear valuable stories.
“I’m on my way to Nantes, but since it’s already dark… Would it be alright if I sleep at your house and leave in the morning?”
Hearing those words, the peasant spoke with an expression full of anticipation that he could earn even more money if he let me stay the night.
“Young master, are you sure you’ll be okay with such a humble place?”
“It’s much better to sleep at your house than to sleep outside.
Since there’s a roof and walls, it will block the wind and the morning dew.”
“I understand.
I just got married not long ago, so I have some empty rooms in my house…
There’s plenty of space for you to stay….
But the money to prepare a meal…”
I handed the pouch of copper coins that Varso had given me to the peasant.
“Would this be enough? I think there were about 20 coins in it…”
“May I count them for a moment?
It is rude to immediately count the money received from a noble in front of them to see if you can trust them.
However, since I was playing the role of a young master of a fallen family, I had to let that pass.
“You may do so.”
“One, two, three… twenty… There are twenty coins.
Although it’s shabby, I’ll do my best to serve you well at our house.”
Hearing that, Varso said to me in a surprised voice, as if interrogating me,
“No, young master… You’re saying you’ll stay at a peasant’s house, not at the house of the bailiff nearby? A noble should not stay in such a place!!”
“What does it matter when Varso is here, Varso, you are the hero of the reversal, who even before our family fell, knocked down a knight on horseback with a single sword at a tournament, aren’t you?”
“….”
Like that, I silenced Varso, then got on the carriage, looked down at the peasant, and said,
“Alright, peasant. What is your name?”
“It’s Zachary.”
“Zachary, you ride in front and lead the way. We will follow slowly behind.”
“Understood.”
Thus, I headed to the house of the peasant called Zachary.
On the way, Varso angrily asked me,
“No, but why are you staying at a peasant’s house?
Why don’t you just stay at the bailiff’s house like a normal noble young master and receive food and drink, what’s wrong with that?”
“Well, it’s because I’m not here to have fun.
And there is a very high possibility that the local bailiff, Mars, is embezzling taxes.
To dig up vivid information, I need to do at least this much.”
Varso looked at me, sighed as if dumbfounded, and said,
“It’s good to actively work for the people of the territory, but you’re being too proactive, young master.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
