I'm not a lord

Chapter 80 Visitors from the South
Old Albert was busy in White Bear Town for quite some time. He first discussed the waterwheel with the chief carpenter Tolima, and then discussed the manufacture of a heavy hammer with the chief blacksmith Qihe.

After arranging the tasks, he had to rush to the dam construction site without stopping.

Once the heavy rain stops, the project will naturally continue.

As the saying goes, when it rains heavily, we work hard; when there is no rain, we work hard.

After working on the construction site for an entire afternoon, old Albert just returned home tired and immediately received news that the lord would provide free stones for the serfs to build houses.

He jumped up from his chair with a start, ran into the castle, and was summoned by the master in the living room on the first floor.

"Master, it's not quite right to let serfs live in stone houses."

Old Albert didn't hide anything.

He believed that with the master's wisdom, he must be aware of the risks of allowing serfs to live in stone houses for free.

The hierarchy of the feudal manor was based on inequality of status.

This inequality is reflected in all aspects of life, including food, clothing, housing and transportation.

People of high status should wear more expensive clothes, eat more, and live better than those of low status.

Otherwise, how can we maintain the strict hierarchy?
Relying on this hierarchical system and military advantage, the lords and stewards were able to order and exploit the serfs at will.

As the saying goes, when you are full and warm, you think about lust.

For the serfs, since even warm and sturdy stone houses were free, could the firewood in the forest also be free?

The firewood is free, so it should be okay for me to hunt a few prey, right?

Since we can hunt, it should be okay if I don’t cultivate the lord’s public land, right?
Letting serfs live in stone houses may not seem serious on the surface, but it can actually shake the foundation of White Bear Territory's rule.

Of course, this fluctuation is very slight and its impact will not be obvious in the short term.

But old Albert was still worried about it.

Lin En looked at the territory steward whom he respected, raised his index finger and tapped the oak dining table lightly:

"Albert, I know what you want to say, but I don't care. You just need to follow my orders. There's no need to doubt or question. I will bear the risks behind it.

Always remember, I am the lord."

In Lynn's opinion, it was too stupid to let serfs live in mud houses.

These shoddy farmhouses have to be renovated from scratch every two or three years, which is a shameful waste of labor!
Now the serfs spend more than half a month repairing the stone houses themselves, and in the future they can save a week or even more time every year.

Lin En has no time to play in the mud in the White Bear Territory. He will annex the Shoal Territory by the beginning of next year at the latest, and the year after that he may go to war with the Duke of the Swamp.

How to fight?

By those poor serfs living in flimsy mud huts?

Lynn needed them to take up arms and fight, or provide him with a steady supply of food and supplies.

Instead of letting these poor people spend half a month every year repairing mud houses.

This half month's precious working time must be managed by Lin En.

Not a single hour a day can be lost.

As for the risks involved, as Lin En said, he doesn't care.

The territory he will rule in the future will not be limited to the White Bear Territory.

The gradual disintegration of feudal manors and serfdom was exactly what he expected.

If he still needs to rely on enfeoffment of nobles to rule the land, that would be a complete failure.

What else could old Albert say?

He could only leave reluctantly.

He had gradually come to realize that the Lord's goals were far-reaching and vast. White Bear Territory was only a small part of his ambitions, and by no means his final destination.

After enjoying dinner, Lynn went into the bathroom on the second floor as usual.

The maids had already prepared a large tub for him to bathe in.

He stepped into the bathtub, leaned against the edge, closed his eyes, and the slightly cool water temperature just dispelled the stuffiness of the rainy season.

A moment later, an extremely subtle "creaking" sound was heard, breaking the silence of the bathroom.

Then, there was the faint sound of light footsteps, but it seemed to carry a hint of urgency that was difficult to conceal.

Lynn didn't open his eyes.

Just as he was thinking, a pair of soft hands rested on his shoulders without warning.

Her fingers were slender and long, and her fingertips pressed gently on his back with very light pressure.

As the hands approached, a warm breath quietly spread to his ears.

Although the visitor tried his best to suppress his breathing, it was still a little rapid due to nervousness and excitement.

"Liya, there's no need to be so careful." Lin En suddenly spoke, his voice low but with a hint of joy.

The hand that was originally massaging gently suddenly stopped. After a brief silence, Leah's soft voice with a hint of surprise and shyness reached Lin En's ears: "Master, how did you know it was me?"

"I am very familiar with the touch of your fingers. Besides you and Yagna, who else dares to enter the bathroom when I am taking a bath? Tell me, why are you suddenly trying to please me?" Lin En still squinted his eyes, obviously enjoying Leah's massage service.

"Master, I..." Leah bit her lower lip gently, "I also want to bear children for you like Yagna did."

Ever since Yagena became pregnant, Lynn had spent most of the night with her, so he naturally seemed a little indifferent to Leah.

Leah was burning with jealousy, and today she finally saw the opportunity to sneak into the bathroom early and ask for sex with the master.

Lin En slowly opened his eyes and turned his head, only to see the girl's cheeks flushed, her eyes full of nervousness and anticipation, and even a hint of pity in her cute look.

Just as he reached out his hand and gently stroked the girl's tender cheek, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

"Master, master!"

The middle-aged maid just pushed open the door and caught the two people in the act.

"Feel sorry."

She quickly closed the door, but immediately opened it again, "Master, there is something important."

Lynn put on his coat and sped through the night, the bath water remaining in his hair drifting away under the night sky.

As the situation became urgent, he had to put aside his affection for Leah and go to meet up with the second brother overnight.

Long before the road construction project started, he arranged for the second brother to take five horse bandit brothers to take turns guarding the southern exit of the White Bear Territory.

The terrain of White Bear Territory is closed, and there is only a narrow forest trail connecting it to Shoal Territory to the south.

The second brother was stationed at the only exit of the trail, which could not only prevent the serfs in the territory from leaking information about the territory to the outside world, but also guard against possible infiltration and invasion by the Shallows Territory.

The white horse under his crotch broke the silence, and the outline of the watchtower gradually became clear.

There was already an abandoned watchtower at the exit. Lin En sent serfs to repair it and built three more wooden houses to serve as a temporary residence for Lao Er and others.

The second brother, holding a torch, waited by the roadside, and when he heard the clatter of horse hooves, he shouted, "Sir!"

Lin Enlema: "Have they all been caught?"

"We caught them all, three of them, and didn't let any of them escape!"

The three people captured by the second brother were the envoys from the Shoal Territory.

That’s right, the Shoal Territory actually sent an envoy to the White Bear Territory in July, not in March when the Baron took office.

(End of this chapter)