Rose Empire

Cecilia, who had understood the situation clearly, explained it to Charlotte.

"After Olivier and Lucas Capino, elders of the Ambratu city-state, were captured and hanged by Mr. Jonathan, the Capino family's estate was confiscated, and the trusted servants who once served the Capino family were also dispersed and given land and civilian status, including Bill's father and grandfather. Therefore, Bill's family has always been dissatisfied with Jonathan."

Charlotte suddenly realized: "So they are people who suddenly don't have anyone to serve as slaves, and they are not very adaptable."

It is not difficult to understand why this happened. The slaves in some of the rich families of this era lived much more comfortably than ordinary civilians. They were not ashamed of being slaves, but proud of it. It was impossible for these people to become supporters of the liberators just for the sake of freedom or a few acres of land. On the contrary, they have always been the backbone of resistance to liberation.

Hearing Charlotte's words, Cecilia smiled and continued, "The Bill family has been colluding everywhere to try to bring down Mr. Jonathan. Bill had already written this letter and submitted it to me. I thought it was useless, so I put it away. Mr. Jonathan asked for it and spent two days to get enough signatures."

The original petition was followed by hundreds of copies, each with dozens of signatures. Charlotte glanced through it and felt that the number might be more than 10,000. She couldn't help but admire Jonathan's work enthusiasm and efficiency. She could give him a model employee award.

"Now that we have the petition, let's send someone to call Mr. John Rice over," Charlotte said, putting down the petition.

"Yes." Cecilia took the order and left.

Fairy Lake, canal construction site.

The future Lanwan Grand Canal is advancing rapidly towards the southwest with Fairy Lake as the midpoint. Its advancement speed is fast enough to make merchants passing by here on their way to the Green Plains Principality feel that they have taken the wrong road when they return after completing their business.

Such rapid progress was due to Charlotte's many improvements to construction tools, such as the ink fountain, plumb line, hand saw, pulley block, steel ruler, tape measure, etc. Some improvements were significant, while some were not. Charlotte's improvement of tools was not only to change their appearance, but also to establish a standard system. After taking Ambratu, the steel production in Charlotte's territory increased significantly. According to the standards set by Charlotte, batches of new metal tools were produced.

When they were really put into large-scale river engineering, people gradually began to discover how useful these simple tools that had been improved by generations of engineers and workers in Charlotte's previous life were. Even the small bucket carts that were initially regarded as "prototype vehicles" that looked good but were not practical, became a powerful tool for transporting soil and rocks when iron materials were sufficient. At the strong suggestion of the supervisors, in addition to the one-wheeled version, the two-wheeled version of the small bucket cart designed by Charlotte was also put into production.

On the other hand, the progress of the river project was also fueled by blood and flesh. Nearly 996 former citizens of Ambratu, mountain people, and to slaves worked day and night on the river. ? Even the donkeys in the production team didn't dare to rest like this! The supervisors were able to get a few hours of rest after fainting from exhaustion, which was a pity.

"Yesterday, two more children fainted."

John Rice said as he sat by the river, rubbing his sore knees.

The former citizens of Ambratu who worked on the river construction site were at least fifteen or sixteen years old. However, in John Rice's eyes, fifteen or sixteen years old were really just children.

Mariasis sat next to John Rice, silent.

Mariasis had just received a sword of merit from Charlotte, and he was one of the hottest topics in the Viscount Lanwan's territory recently. It was because of his arrival that John Rice got a moment of respite.

However, Mariasis was feeling conflicted at the moment.

Mariases joined Charlotte because he followed the advice of One-Eyed Logan: "The citizens of Ambratu are waiting for you to save them." In the beginning, Mariases did work hard for the suffering former citizens of Ambratu, but as time went by, Mariases' mentality gradually changed.

In the city-state of Ambratu, Mariasis was just one of the nearly 30,000 citizens, but in the Viscount of Lanwan, he was a knight, a real noble. Although citizens were considered the ruling class in the city-state, their status was obviously not as high as that of the nobles of Oran. The common people of the Oran Empire only dared to crawl at the feet of the knights, which was impossible in the city-state.

Not to mention the generous material treatment Charlotte gave to the knights, the feeling of being superior to most people and dominating them was already corroding Mariasis' heart like a drug.

Not only himself, Mariasis also noticed that the more than 190 extraordinary citizen soldiers who surrendered with him were gradually losing their enthusiasm for rescuing the former citizens of Ambratu. Obviously, these people also enjoyed the life of the current knights more.

Before the Battle of Dorukocha, those people would still try to cover up in front of Mariases, but after the Battle of Dorukocha, some people simply came to Mariases to persuade him in person: "Don't do anything that will anger the Viscount anymore. Anyway, the three-month labor service will soon be over."

Obviously, Charlotte's outstanding command ability and the powerful fighting power of the Orlan Knights completely conquered these already shaken surrenderers.

"Elder John, what's the point of you telling him all this? He has a broken sword, and he is so successful now. How can he remember us?"

A young citizen said sarcastically.

"you!"

Mariasis was immediately furious. In fact, he himself could not tell whether he was angry because he was accused of forgetting those former citizens of Ambratu, or because his sword of merit was said to be a broken sword.

What the young citizen said was not entirely wrong. Mariasis had indeed been very glorious recently. Charlotte's awarding ceremony had made him truly feel the glory of a knight. Even when he was sleeping, he could not forget the yearning and envy in the eyes of his comrades in the audience and the people around him, so he naturally cared a lot about the sword of merit that he had obtained.

"How dare you talk to General Mariasis! Apologize to General Mariasis now!" John Rice scolded.

Under John Rice's steady gaze, the young citizen reluctantly apologized to Mariasis.

Although he was still angry, Mariasis reluctantly accepted the other party's apology.

"Please don't mind," John Rice seemed to see that Mariasis was still angry, so he explained, "Three months are almost up, and the citizens don't know whether Viscount Lanwan will release us as agreed, and they don't know whether we will continue to be persecuted by the devil Jonathan Hackman after we are released, so everyone is very uneasy."

"Yes, General Mariasis, you must go find Viscount Lanwan as soon as possible and tell her to fulfill her promise!"

"No, no, the key is to get rid of Jonathan Hackman. If he continues to serve as the county magistrate, we won't dare go home even if we are released!"

“Both things must be done!”

……

These former citizens of Ambratu talked at once, directing Mariasis' actions just as they had done at the Citizens' Assembly.

Suddenly, Mariasis felt an indescribable irritation in his heart, which made him unable to help but scold these guys.

Fortunately, just when Mariasis' emotions were about to reach a critical point, the sound of hurried horse hooves interrupted the chatter here.

A tall warhorse stopped by the river, and the young knight dismounted. When he saw Mariases, he smiled and greeted him, "Hey, Knight Mariases, you are here too?"

"Knight Adams." For some reason, Mariasis felt a little embarrassed when Adams saw him sitting here.

However, Mariasis didn't have to rack his brains to think about how to explain why he was on the construction site, Adams said, "Who is John Rice? Come with me!"

The crowd in front of me suddenly became as silent as death.

"I am..." John Rice stood up slowly.

"Elder John, you can't go with him!" The young citizen who had just been sarcastic to Mariasis stood in front of John Rice.

"That's right, Elder John can't leave!"

"If you dare to take Elder John away, we will fight you!"

"Get lost! Let that devil Jonathan die!"

"..."

The former citizens of Ambratu were outraged.

"Do you want to die?"

Adams put his hand on the hilt of the sword, shouted in a deep voice, with a fierce look in his eyes.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Mariasis stepped forward and stood between Adams and these former citizens.

These citizens obviously thought that Adams was sent by Jonathan Hackman to take John Rice away. One third of the citizens who were taken away by Jonathan before could not come back alive, and the other two thirds were also severely tortured. However, Mariasis knew that Jonathan had no right to mobilize the knights of the Viscount of Lanwan.

So Mariasis asked, "Knight Adams, is it anyone who wants to see Mr. John?"

Sure enough, Adams nodded and replied: "His Excellency the Viscount wants to summon John Rice."

"Why does Viscount Lanwan want to see Elder John!" a citizen asked loudly.

Adams frowned.

John Rice quickly pushed aside the citizens around him and said, "I am John Rice. Please take me to see His Excellency the Viscount. Don't keep him waiting for too long."

On the other side, Viscount Lanwan Castle.

After entrusting the knight in charge of guarding the castle today to deliver Charlotte's order, Cecilia returned to Charlotte's study, and then saw Charlotte frowning and thinking about something.

Before Cecilia could ask, Charlotte took the initiative to say, "Speaking of which, after these former Ambratu citizens are released, how are we going to fill the labor gap?"

Cecilia thought for a moment and said, "If we postpone the construction of the infrastructure of Sailfish Island and the port of Herring Village and transfer all the manpower back, there will still be 10,000 workers on the canal. According to your construction plan, these people are enough."

"No," Charlotte shook her head. "The construction of facilities on Sailfish Island cannot be stopped, otherwise the fleet there will rebel. The port of Herring Village cannot be stopped either. The Viscount of Lanwan cannot be without a decent port in Lanwan."

Cecilia frowned and fell into deep thought again. After a long while, her eyes lit up and she said, "After a while, Black Wolf may be able to add a group of manpower to the canal."

"Black Wolf?" Charlotte said curiously, "What happened to him? I haven't seen Black Wolf since I came back."

Because of his old age and serious decline in combat effectiveness, Charlotte did not bring Black Wolf with her on this surprise attack on Dorukocha.

"Black Wolf felt that he was also responsible for the collective disobedience of your military orders by the Fierce Wolf Warriors when they were stationed in Ambratu," Cecilia said. "After your triumphant return, he punished himself by kneeling outside the castle for two days, and then went to the Campe Mountains again, saying that he wanted to recruit another 100 Fierce Wolf Warriors for you. Every time he came back from the Campe Mountains, he would bring a lot of mountain people with him. This time should be no exception, right?"

"Hiss, this is subjective initiative. I have decided to give the Model Employee Award to Black Wolf!" Charlotte said, clapping her hands.

"Hmm?" Cecilia didn't quite understand what Charlotte was saying to herself.

PS: Thank you all for your monthly tickets and blade recommendation tickets! Thank you very much.

PS2: Thank you Yukinoshita Saki for your correction. The errors in the previous article have been corrected.

PS3: I recommend a book "Will the Out-of-Control Robot Servant Meet the Cosmic Cat?", written by the Stars Orange. The out-of-control robot servant raises a cat girl in the stars. It has 1 words and is fat enough to be slaughtered.

Volume 130: Chapter 118 Chapter County Governor, Cement and Population Trade

John Rice met the owner of this land, Viscount Lanwan, Charlotte Mellorfield, again after a long absence.

To John Rice's surprise, the impression Charlotte gave him during this meeting was almost the same as the last time they negotiated at the Isthmus of Lanwan.

Before coming, John Rice thought that a young lord would be somewhat complacent and arrogant after he had crushed seven city-states in northern Sokya, including Ambratu, in one go. But the Viscount Lanwan in front of him was still humble, elegant and polite.

"Please sit down, Mr. John. It's been a while since we last met. You look much thinner. How are you?"

Charlotte asked with an inviting gesture and a smile.

Charlotte didn't know whether he had lost weight or not, because she didn't remember him at all. However, Charlotte felt that 007's working mode on the river should have some weight loss effect.

"Thanks to your care, I am still in good health." John Rice said as he sat down opposite Charlotte.

Charlotte didn't care whether the other party meant to ridicule her or not. She nodded slightly and said, "As long as you are healthy, I have something important that I need your help with."

Hearing this, John Rice couldn't help but sit up straighter.

Charlotte pushed that petition in front of John Rice.

John Rice opened the petition with confusion and began to read it. As he read, his lips began to turn white visibly and his fingers began to tremble.

To Charlotte, Bill's petition was just a little grumble from an old party remnant who longed for the city-state days.

However, for John Rice, what is depicted here is simply the flesh and blood of his former compatriots.

"Devil, devil..."

John Rice muttered to himself as he read.

After flipping through the copy and seeing the familiar signatures on the pages, John Rice finally couldn't help it. He lowered his head and pleaded with Charlotte, "Your Excellency, please forgive the citizens of Ambratu. We have no intention of going against you."

"Why do you have to say that, Mr. John?" Charlotte shook her head and laughed. "I had no intention of doing anything to the citizens of Ambratu. After the labor service is over, I will naturally let them go home. I called you here today to discuss the issue of the governor of Ambratu County."

"A question about the county magistrate?" John Rice was a little confused.

"Yes, Jonathan Hackman, as the county magistrate, has been disregarding human lives and committing crimes, causing unrest and public resentment in Umbratu County."

Charlotte's tone became increasingly severe, and she seemed really angry, even slamming the table.

"There is no doubt that Jonathan Hackman is no longer fit to remain in the position of Sheriff of Ambratu County. I have already issued an order to remove him from his position."

"Really? Thank you, Lord Viscount, for seeking justice for the Ambratu people!"

John Rice was surprised and delighted when he heard this. Jonathan Hackman's dismissal was undoubtedly great news for the former citizens of Ambratu. Regardless of how true or false Charlotte's words were, she took back Jonathan, a lackey who had great malice towards the citizens of Ambratu. This could prove to some extent that the Viscount Lanwan did not want to kill all the former citizens of Ambratu.

"Don't thank me. It was my fault to appoint such an incompetent person to govern Ambratu. Please allow me to apologize to you and the people of Ambratu like you."

Charlotte bowed slightly.

“No, no, no, you don’t have to apologize. This is all Jonathan’s fault. It has nothing to do with you.”

I am the fish on the chopping board. John Rice dare not accept Charlotte's apology.

Charlotte didn't care much about John Rice's panic and continued, "After Jonathan was dismissed, Ambratu County lacked a county governor who could appease the people, bridge conflicts, and restore people's livelihood. I asked some Ambratu people for their opinions, and they unanimously recommended you to me. Are you willing to accept this appointment?"

"Me? The sheriff?"

John Rice was shocked.

"Yes, are you willing to take this position?" Charlotte asked again.

John Rice hesitated: "This... I'm worried that I don't have the talent to do it."

"Don't be so modest," Charlotte said with a smile. "Everyone I've asked has said that you are dedicated to your work, talented, capable, and experienced in government. I'm sure you can govern Ambrato well."

Hearing this, John Rice was suddenly moved.

Although John Rice didn't know who recommended him, he thought they were all Ambratu people who were oppressed by Jonathan. How desperate those compatriots must be to pin their hopes on a mediocre person like him!

With his compatriots placing such high hopes on him, John Rice felt he could no longer shrink back.

Finally, John Rice said, "Thank you for your trust. I am willing to serve as the sheriff of Ambratu."

After issuing the commission to John Rice and sending a knight to escort him back to Ambrato, Charlotte began to continue with the work at hand.

Charlotte is drawing a picture. She is using the knowledge in her memory to design a vertical kiln for producing cement. Of course, vertical kilns are not as good as rotary kilns in terms of production efficiency and raw material utilization efficiency. In Charlotte's previous life, vertical cement kilns were already outdated production capacity that needed to be eliminated. But who made Charlotte unable to build a rotary kiln? In this world, vertical cement kilns are already advanced technology.

Cement is a recognized artifact for time travelers. However, Charlotte dragged her feet and only thought of making cement today. The reason why she lacked enthusiasm was actually very simple - she couldn't afford it.

Some people may wonder, aren't cement made of limestone and clay? How can it be so unaffordable? In fact, it's just a simple math problem.

Take the simplest cement road for example. The concrete used to build the cement road has different compression resistance standards, and the ratio of cement added per cubic meter is generally between 300 and 470 kilograms. Considering the needs of this era, Charlotte can build the main road in her territory according to the minimum standard, that is, adding 300 kilograms of cement per cubic meter of concrete. Then a 1.5-meter-wide cement main road will also require 22.5 tons of cement.

Take the earthen kilns that were popular in rural China in the late 20s as an example. These were the easiest cement kilns to build for time travelers like Charlotte, but these earthen kilns often only had a daily output of a few hundred kilograms, or even just a dozen kilograms.