I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 166 Quasi-Knight

At the end of March 1043, Luc looked at the rows of wooden walls surrounding the entire Knights Castle, and an indescribable sense of pride and excitement filled his heart.

After two and a half years, Luc finally successfully built a fortress on this land that had been ignored by everyone!
That’s right, it’s a fortress.

At a time when stone castles were extremely scarce, with the city walls, this wooden fortress with strong defense was worthy of being called a solid military fortress!

Luc, who had returned to the valley a month ago, excitedly inspected the city wall. The entire wooden wall was centered on the Knight's Castle, with a length of one hundred yards to the south and fifty yards to the east and west, which means it covers a full 20,000 square meters.

Looking up, the ten-foot-high city wall was covered with battlements and spikes. Rows of chevaux-de-frise stakes were erected at the isolation zone. The entrance to the city gate was supported by a scaffold, and there was an aisle wide enough for two people to stand side by side behind the city wall.

A stag flag was planted on the city gate, rustling in the mountain breeze.

The huge and ferocious deer antlers were hung in the center of the door.

Looking at this military fortress, Old Eck sincerely praised God, and then said to Luc:

"Master, please give me a name."

With the city walls, the name of the Knight's Castle does not need to be changed, but the three-story wooden castle must be given a new name to avoid confusion.

Luc looked carefully at the first pair of antlers, which already showed signs of age, and thought for a moment.

"Deer Hall, from now on this fortress will be called Knight's Castle, and the three-story wooden fortress will be renamed Deer Hall!"

"As you wish, sir~"

Touching the rough wooden wall, Luc felt an inexplicable voice in his heart: This will definitely not be his last castle.

Maybe it's a change of luck, and good things are coming one after another.

When the Knight's Castle was officially completed, the farmers, with their enthusiasm for dividing the land, did not feel tired at all and opened up a new piece of land with ease.

The flames burned fiercely, igniting the desire for a new life in everyone's hearts. After traveling thousands of miles and working hard for half a year, they were finally going to live a stable life!
Luc was also very happy. He waited for a few days, and after the smoke cleared, he directed everyone to start building a reservoir on the hillside.

If all the fields were divided into different grades, the first batch of fields lying near the Agate River would undoubtedly be the most fertile.

Not only is it close to a water source, it has also been fertilized for years, and has a comprehensive irrigation system - the damage caused by the snow has been cleared by Luc, and the dam will not burst in the short term.

The second is the land that was reclaimed on the hillside last year. Luc looked around and saw that the crops there were growing well. Although some of them were damaged by the wind and snow, the harvest was still estimated to be considerable.

What made Luc most happy was the wheat fields in Jiutian!

"Master, intercropping really works! Look at the peas and wheat, they're growing better than last year! This time you can eat as much white bread as you want~"

Ryan caressed the wheat seedlings like he was caressing a woman. This batch of crops, which originally had only one pound of seeds, has now become hundreds of pounds. In a few months, it will double in value. How can he not be happy? After all, he is the master's most loyal follower. If the master can eat every meal, he must be able to eat every few days as well!
"Hehe, then I can have a meal here occasionally thanks to the master~"

Ryan is one of us, so there is no need to hide anything when speaking. Just scratch your head and say what is on your mind openly.

"Haha, maybe you can't get on."

"Huh?" Ryan was stunned.

Luke said with a straight face: "Hey Ryan, are you still planning to eat from my farm?"

"Don't you want to have a piece of land of your own?"

"Master, you mean..."

Ryan's expression changed from bewilderment to surprise, and finally to excitement. His face flushed red, and he looked at Luke with shining eyes. He thought he had heard it wrong!

Seeing Ryan like this, Luc finally couldn't help but smile and said, "That's right, I'm going to reward you with a piece of land that belongs to you!"

……

Prospective knight!
This is one of the new systems that Luc has been thinking about for two months!
Since the city walls were built, the land was opened up, and food became self-sufficient
When all this becomes a reality, Luc's estate will become a real estate.

As the owner of the manor, he not only owns a sturdy castle and vast fields, but also the logging camps and other places independent of the castle are his fiefdoms.

Of course, there is no legal basis yet.

Luc had calculated that if the population was further absorbed, as expected, as Little Maiman took root, the sawmill would gradually evolve into a new small village, about the same size as Ward Village, specifically responsible for providing wood for the knights.

The same applies to the saltworks in the north. After all, Paul and Gerrer's house has already been built there, and their families will move there after the spring. They have proven their loyalty and hard work. Consequently, their families will not participate in the division of the land. Instead, they will be given a small plot of land, perhaps an acre, near the salt mountain to cultivate. The family's true focus will be on salt production, and Luc will provide them with food and clothing.

But doing so will inevitably lead to a new problem
——The manor will be divided into different areas.

The sawmill is fine now, but if it expands into a village in the future, will it need a loyal helper to look after it?
Yes, Luc now has a very strong control over the entire Knight Castle, but he does not think that he is strong enough to reach every corner.

Hans used to be a wood thief, let alone others?

Luc will not be so harsh as to not allow farmers to cut down trees, but new disputes are bound to arise.

So someone must be sent to look after them.

And these people must be Luc's followers.
"With the division, there are the prototypes of different villages, and with the prototypes, there is the inevitable trend towards enfeoffment."

Luc pounded the table. He was a knight and had no titles that could be divided among the knights. Besides, he did not like the feudal system.

Why could Viscount More compete with Count Auvergne? Wasn't it because he had independent authority?
Luc didn't want this kind of thing to happen in the future development of the manor, not even a spark of it.

But this is the main theme of this era.

Therefore, the prototype of a system that only has land taxation and no right to establish an army was slowly constructed in Luc's mind.
"A would-be knight?"

Ryan blinked; he was unfamiliar with this word.

"Master, you will make me a knight? And give me three acres of land?"

Ryan swallowed his saliva, and asked with both joy and worry: "Will this work?"

"Why not? Quasi-knighthood isn't a real noble title. It's just a reward of a piece of land. What's wrong with that?"

"Tomorrow, go and choose a piece of newly reclaimed land as your fief. From now on, all the food from that land will belong to you. This is the treatment you deserve as a knight-to-be. However, you must also assume the obligation to go to war for me and provide your own weapons."

Luke has already rewarded Ryan with a dagger, a round shield and leather armor, and will not ask for them back. However, the system is the system, and the rules must be established first.

There is only one word difference between a quasi-knight and a knight, but the difference is huge.

Not just aristocratic status, but also military status.

Luke's move may seem small, but it actually contains major reform measures.

Like the castle, he had a premonition that he would definitely spend countless efforts on this system in the future.
A week later, looking at the burned land, Luc stood on the high slope with his sword in hand and shouted to the serfs who were eagerly waiting for his turn:

"Start dividing the land!"

A burst of intense and loud cheers suddenly resounded in the valley.

(End of this chapter)