I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 149: Forest protection and fire prevention are everyone’s responsibility
"Is this the fern you're talking about?"

Frost has fallen, and winter has once again accelerated its pace of advancement.

Fishing was no longer allowed in the manor, and the people who picked wild fruits had also been withdrawn. Mary, who had been prepared, cut a large bundle of grass in advance and piled it up in the entire yard. In order to protect the yard from the cold, she also laid thatched mats on the ground, and then asked Miller to weave a straw mat overnight to cover it to increase the temperature.

Miller is twelve years old this year. The boy who was as thin as Robert has disappeared. With daily meals and hard work, he has been replaced by a boy who has grown a lot taller. He inherited his mother's physique and has very broad shoulders. From a distance, he looks very burly. If you don't say it, you would think he is an adult.

Because of this, Miller began to beg Luc repeatedly half a month ago. He didn't want to guard the watchtower with a bunch of eight or nine-year-old children anymore. He wanted to join Luc's guard.

"Are you crazy, Miller? Why don't you just stay in the watchtower and become a tiler when you grow up? Why do you want to join the Guard? Don't you know who the Guards are? Ryan is the master's retainer and will become a noble sooner or later. And Hans, he's a fool! Only they would want to fight. Look at Jill and Paul, one is blind and the other is lame. Everyone is afraid of joining the Guards, but why do you want to join? Isn't it good to live a good life?!"

When Luc heard Miller's request, Robert became angry before he could react. He yelled at Miller more than once at night, but Miller always turned a deaf ear to his father's scolding.

He curled his lips. Jill was blind before coming to the valley. It had nothing to do with the master. As for Paul, he was simply a coward. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had his leg broken instead of being killed! He knew his father was just fooling him.

Ignoring Mary who also disagreed, Miller quietly recalled his memories. Unlike all the other children in the valley, Miller knew very early on that he was excited and curious about all bloody things. The bandit's head impaled on the stake a few months ago made many children unable to sleep well. Miller couldn't sleep either, but he was not because of fear, but because he was too excited!
Every time before going up the mountain, he would stop on the wooden stake to observe the hideous and terrifying faces of the heads that were distorted by pain. The marks on the necks chopped by the axes fascinated him. If it weren't for the stench, he really wanted to take it down and touch it carefully with his own hands.

He had no desire to be a potter and live a peaceful life. Every time he saw Lord Luc donning his armor and heading off to war, he longed to follow him. Besides, how could there be peace? Hadn't his father also obeyed the call to participate in the suppression of bandits? Since he couldn't avoid it, he might as well join in and hone his swordsmanship.

Miller got up early in the morning, drank the vegetable soup in a hurry, picked up the wooden sword he had begged little Maiman to carve for him, and walked out slowly. Their family was very wealthy and could afford breakfast. After walking a few steps, he stood aside and prepared to beg Lord Luke again. In his sight, the Luke he admired was leading a bald, scarred man walking slowly on the grass.

"Yes, it's this kind of fern. I don't know what it's called, but I know that if you burn it to ashes, mix it with salt water, boil it, and apply it to trees, it will block some of the flames."

Looking down at Jean's arm, although the frost had covered it, the plant in front of him had not withered yet. Luc squatted down and pulled it up by the roots. Hearing Jean's words, he couldn't help but nodded.

"Is this the secret method of Knight Baldwin?"

"Yes, it is my family's secret method that is Knight Baldwin's."

Luc didn't care about Jean's slip of the tongue. He was just curious about what kind of fern this was. Such an inconspicuous plant actually had such an effect.

"However, simply applying it isn't enough. You also need to cover it with hot fish glue and charcoal. Once it cools, polish it with rosin. This way, it can better resist the flames."

After thinking about it, he told all of old Baldwin's secret techniques. Since he had chosen to tell them, there was nothing to hide.

Jean was not called by Luc, but came on horseback on his own. As for George, he saved some money and went to Cooper's Castle to find a prostitute.

The purpose of his return was very simple, to bring back the news of Baron Berry's return.

If Luc was just wary of Baron Berry, then Jean was filled with deep hatred and hostility!

"That's right, Ryan, you go ahead and do this. Try to finish coating all the wood before the snow and moon." "Understood!"

Ryan glanced at Rang and ran away quickly. The master did not intend to make a mistake in his words just now, but Ryan remembered it. This guy's mind was still full of the dead old Baldwin!

"So Lord Berry is checking my income?"

"Well, George told me these past few days that he's noticed someone sneaking around Telf Bridge quite often. You know what George used to do, so his observations can't be wrong."

"Yeah." Luc nodded solemnly. He didn't doubt George's ability. "Did anyone follow you to the valley?"

"Don't worry, sir. No one noticed me when I came, and no one dared to follow me into the mountains."

".It seems that the progress of the wall needs to be accelerated."

Baron Berry's suspicion undoubtedly made Luc alarmed. He would be fine for the winter, but he would have to find a way to get away with it after the spring.

The two chatted for a while, and Luc waved his hand and asked him to go and meet Du Si. After all, in reality, Du Si was Jean's real master.

Just as he was about to check the progress of the wooden wall, he caught a glimpse of Miller out of the corner of his eye, which immediately gave Luc a headache. Why is this kid so persistent?

"Okay, let's not talk about the guards for now. Since you don't want to go to the watchtower, the other kids are enough. Go find Ryan and follow him to do some odd jobs."

"Thank you, sir!" Miller, who was about to move forward, suddenly had his eyes light up, bowed suddenly, and ran towards the lumberyard happily.
"Maybe I can let him be an executioner in the future?" Luke thought secretly while rubbing his chin.

Rang's method was indeed a secret fire prevention technique. That night, Ryan ordered people to dig up a piece of fern and burn it into ashes. He also asked people to find fish glue. They had eaten fish every day in the past few months, and there was a lot of fish glue. There was no need for Xueyue at all. Ryan completed everything in three days.

Before the weather cooled down completely, Luke and his men finally erected rows of wooden piles in the foundation through pulleys, buried them with soil and sand, and the sound of "hehehe" (hehehe) could be heard incessantly.

Ryan took the lead, climbed up the ladder in no time, took over the beam lifted by the extremely strong Hansto, and embedded the main wood together. In order to make it more firm, Luke found some rattan ropes and wrapped them around, stuffed the collected wood chips and clay into the gaps, and erected wooden walls one by one, eventually evolving into a ten-meter-long city wall!
Looking at the reserved position for the city gate, if the city gate is included, the length will reach twelve meters.

"We'll build the aisles and battlements later, let's build the isolation belt first!"

Forest fire prevention cannot rely solely on secret techniques; the external environment is equally important.

With experience in setting fire to mountains, everyone easily created isolation zones on both sides of the wooden wall.

(End of this chapter)