I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 112 Impractical Gifts
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"This idiot!"

Inside Eagle Castle, Earl Falcon cursed angrily.

His face was ashen, and his wide eyes were filled with rage.

On the same day, Earl Falcon not only received Chris's report, but also a letter of reprimand from Viscount Bear.

Chris actually attacked the Bear Family's caravan!
The key point is that it didn't succeed, but they left survivors!

You've given others leverage over you!
Earl Falcon felt as if Chris had been sent by heaven to torment him, specifically to sabotage his plans!

"Now what am I going to do to explain this to Viscount Giant Bear?"

He paced restlessly, the letter in his hand crumpled up.

Earl Falcon was certainly not afraid of Viscount Bear, but he could not afford to make enemies indiscriminately, especially during this delicate period.

"We don't acknowledge it?"

Chief Knight Baron offered his advice cautiously.

"The only thing we can do for now is to stall Viscount Bear like this, say that someone else is impersonating Chris, and ask Viscount Bear to provide evidence."

Earl Falcon's face darkened.

Now all we can do is resort to shamelessness.

Since the robbery was unsuccessful and there was no substantial evidence, the other party wouldn't do anything to me.

But the relationship won't improve much.

"Should we notify Chris to withdraw, or reinforce him and then attack Baron Rhodes's granary?" Baron asked.

"I've already been branded with infamy, how could I possibly give up everything else?!"

Earl Falcon's voice was somber and ruthless.

Since we've already been exposed, let's just go all the way!

He turned to the attendant beside him: “Go and inform Baron Harlan to send 120 soldiers, and I will give him 10 veterans and 50 new recruits to meet up with Chris.”

"Inform the messenger to wait outside White Rock Canyon. Once they meet up, attack the granary."

Earl Falcon's eyes were ruthless.

"Not only the granary, but Baron Rhodes must also pay the price to make up for the damage to my reputation!"
Do it ruthlessly, like a robber's attack, leave no trace!

"My lord, how about I lead the troops myself?"

Knight Baron cautiously advised, "Is that Baron Harlan trustworthy?"

As the chief knight of the Earl of Falcon, he knew Baron Harlan very well.

This baron is a member of the Falcon family, Harlan Falcon, the nephew of Earl Falcon.

But the relationship wasn't good.

On the surface, Baron Harlan is obedient to Earl Falcon, but in secret he harbors hatred for Earl Falcon.

This hatred stems from the entanglement of blood ties and power.

Harlan's father was the elder brother of Earl Falcon and the eldest son of the previous generation of the Falcon family.

However, this eldest son tragically fell off a cliff and died during a hunt with Earl Falcon.

This unexpected turn of events led to Earl Falcon inheriting the title.

Then rumors began to circulate, with many speculating that Earl Falcon had secretly plotted to kill his own brother, Harlan's father.

It is worth noting that Baron Harlan's title was not bestowed by the Earl of Falcon, but rather by the original Earl of Falcon, Harlan's grandfather.

"Whether he is trustworthy or not is irrelevant. Would he be foolish enough to collude with Baron Rhodes?"

Earl Falcon snorted coldly.

Rhodes and Harlan don't know each other, so why would Rhodes trust Harlan, and why would Harlan collude with Rhodes?

Earl Falcon said leisurely, "Even if he harbors resentment, he must carry out my orders. It's also a good opportunity to weaken the baron's power through battle."

Unlike the investiture by the Rhodes Empire.

Titles like Harun, bestowed by fathers or grandfathers, belong to the lower-ranking lords of the family and must obey the commands of the higher-ranking lords and pay taxes on time.

Rhodes may disobey the Tulip Earl's orders, but Harlan must obey the Falcon Earl's commands.

"Yes, Your Excellency,"

Since Earl Falcon already knew the answer, Baron didn't waste any more words.
"I will relay your orders immediately."

……

……

When Rod received Durant's report, he was receiving a caravan.

In fact, Rhodes no longer handles these trivial matters personally; the small caravan is mostly managed by Lawrence.

However, this caravan was carrying a gift from Count Tulip to Rhodes.

The caravan was escorted by three guards of the Earl of Tulip. Rhodes instructed Lawrence to treat the three well, then took out the list given to him by the messenger and checked each item on the list one by one.

The gifts that Count Tulip gave to Rhodes were not very practical, but they were all very exquisite.

Two gleaming silver cups, two sets of exquisitely carved silver cutlery, and a finely crafted oil lamp…

They all looked quite valuable; if they weren't gifts from the Earl, Rhodes would have exchanged them for supplies.

These things exuded luxury and elegance, which clashed with the wildness of Rod's wooden house.

The only practical items were a full set of armor and an elaborately patterned noble sword.

In Rhodes's opinion, this thing was only suitable for showing off on certain aristocratic occasions.

If taken to the battlefield, those exquisite patterns would surely be shattered under the blade after a fierce battle.

Of course, receiving gifts is never unpleasant, and Rhodes gladly accepted the Earl of Tulip's gift.

The messenger stayed in the territory long enough for the caravan to unload its goods, and then set off back to Earl Tulip's territory with the fine animal hides that Rhodes had given him in return.

Then Rodden took a look at Earl Falcon's reply.

"You're in charge of making the arrangements, Durant."

Rhodes handed the letter to Durant, who was standing nearby.
"You don't need me to tell you what to do next, right?"

"Understood, I will make the necessary arrangements at the agreed location in advance."

Durant bowed slightly and assured him, "Don't worry, I will definitely give him a big gift."

The location was chosen in advance, and Rhode knew the enemy's strength perfectly well. The only one he needed to be wary of was Harun.

Among the three noteworthy knights under Earl Falcon, Earl Falcon is a high-ranking knight, Chief Knight Baron is a high-ranking knight, and the other is Harun, who is about to become a high-ranking knight.

Of course, what Rhodes meant by being wary was not to give him a chance to fight back, but to let Rein cripple him from a distance.

Even a high-ranking knight is still human; he can't withstand a sharp blade with his bare body. Durant pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go myself this time."

If Durant can't win a battle like this, he should really resign from the Cavaliers as soon as possible.

"No, I'll go with you once you've made the arrangements."

Rod said firmly.

The key issue is that Rhodes doesn't know whether the affix will take effect since he's not commanding on the battlefield.

Rhodes didn't want to test it; only with extra morale and strength boosts could he achieve fewer casualties, or even zero casualties.

"It's okay, I'll stand behind."

Rhodes smiled slightly, "Go and make the arrangements."

"Very well, Your Excellency."

Durant, feeling helpless, bowed and turned to leave.

Rod then began to build his first heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed).

The manor houses are spacious, and to ensure that the entire room remains warm and cozy in winter, more than just a heated kang bed is needed.

Rod also plans to build chimneys about one meter wide along three walls inside the house, similar to the heating pipes in his previous life.

At the end of the flue, a chimney was built.

Rod originally planned to turn the floor of the house into a heated kang bed, just like geothermal heating.

However, the cabin was too large, the workload was too heavy, and it was still Rhodes's idea, so it was likely to fail. Therefore, Rhodes temporarily abandoned the idea.

Now that brick-making has begun, Rhodes plans to rebuild the manor next year so that he and Avril can live in a better place.

It will be more appropriate to implement the idea then.

Building a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) still requires some experience and skill.

Apart from the flue, the cross-section of the kang (heated brick bed) itself is rectangular.

To ensure even heating of the kang (heated brick bed), the internal flue is usually designed in an "S" shape.

This also allows the heat to travel a longer distance under the kang (heated brick bed), thus releasing the heat more fully.

After the flue was completed, the surface of the kang (heated brick bed) was covered with a thick stone slab, and then carefully smoothed with yellow mud to ensure that the surface was flat and without bumps.

The flue is much simpler, with a hole in the middle forming the fire channel.

Similarly, it must be filled and sealed with yellow mud to ensure that the flue gas does not leak.

Newly built kang (heated brick bed) must go through a "warming" process, which usually requires burning continuously for three to five days.

Gradually increase the fire from a small flame to ensure the entire kang (heated brick bed) is thoroughly dried and stabilized.

During this period, it is important to carefully observe the direction of the flue gas flow and check for any leaks of flue gas from cracks in the kang (heated brick bed).

If any leaks are found, they should be immediately resealed with yellow mud.

After the fire is completely extinguished, you should use your palm to feel the temperature of the kang surface.

There are no particularly hot or cold areas, which indicates that the flue layout is reasonable.

The inspection process was handed over to Avril, who had been observing him with a curious expression.

She carefully climbed onto the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), squatted down, and stroked it with her hands, one part at a time.

"It's so hot!"

Avril's eyes sparkled with surprise. "It feels so warm, I really want to lie down on it!"

Others couldn't contain their curiosity and reached out to touch it.

"It really is! It's warm and comfortable, not hot at all!" Otto exclaimed in surprise.

As a native of the northern wastelands, he was the most shocked.

If I sleep on this at night, how come I still get chilblains on my feet?

"It's hot here!"

Avril, who had already touched the head of the bed, carefully and quickly withdrew her hand.

"This is the closest place to the fireplace, so of course it'll be hot to the touch."

Rod was still testing whether the yellow mud layer on the kang (a heated brick bed) would crack, so he burned a larger amount of mud on the last day.

“If the fire is burning brightly, it can get scorching hot here, but it will be much better if you put wooden planks on it.”

“On top of this, another layer of dry grass and straw mats should be laid, and on the top layer, an animal hide can be laid.”

Even if an ordinary family doesn't have such a large piece of animal hide, they can still use bedding to make a bed.

Although it may be a little stiff, it is definitely a great tool for keeping warm in the cold winter.

"The kang (heated brick bed) is fine, it's usually not too hot, but don't touch the flue near the fireplace with your hands, it will get very hot."

The principle is the same as not touching a stove with your hands.

Rhodes glanced at the others and instructed, "Add some charcoal or coarse firewood before going to bed at night, and let them burn slowly. The residual heat will keep you warm all night."

He concluded by saying, "It's still autumn, and the temperature is still manageable, so please don't set the fires too high."

"Yes, my lord!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Ou Tuo cautiously stepped forward, his face beaming, "Sir, could you please build my family's heated kang bed next?"

"fart!"

Before Otto could speak, Lawrence pushed Otto aside, saying, "Of course, we need to build the heated kang bed in the hotel first!"

Rhodes waved his hand and said with a smile, "You've all seen it once, and I've given you the blueprints. Now, each of you should form a team and help other people build."

"However, everyone who builds the heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) has to pay work points."

Lawrence just gave Rhodes the territory work points data a couple of days ago.

When Rod looked at it, he was amazed to find that most women had six thousand work points, and some even had tens of thousands.

After the autumn harvest, Rod gave each family 500 catties of rye, so they had no shortage of food.

They thought the villagers would use their work points to exchange for meat and wheat to improve their lives, but the villagers didn't spend any of it; they just saved it up.

Rod can't keep spending his work points on charity all the time; they have to contribute some too.

After all, you have to pay work points when you hire people to do the work!
"Not too many work points are needed, 150 work points will suffice."

"No problem, my lord!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Making a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) requires two or three people to work all day, so 150 work points are definitely worth it.

(End of this chapter)