Chapter 327 Moncruz Manor
Next to the Moncruz estate is the knight's former castle.

However, when Jourdan, Coleman and others arrived, it had already been transformed into a larger ruin by wind and sun eclipse.

The sunlight shines through the clouds, dappled onto the ancient stones, each of which bears witness to countless histories.

It’s just that such stones are too cold and no one wants to live in such an environment.

These knights had long lost the awareness of their ancestors who worked day and night, and it was really uncomfortable to live in such a gloomy fortress.

Besides, money should be spent wisely. Wouldn’t it be nice to use the money to buy gorgeous clothes and hold parties?
What era is this? I guess only those Norn barbarians and the Knights would think about fighting and killing.

Laurent crawled in through the hole beside the gate in the outer wall, lowered his head, and then raised it again, only to see a few lonely stone pillars pointing to the sky.

Standing next to the pillar, Jourdain stomped the ground hard, but left no trace.

"Not bad." He touched the rough stone floor and shook off the dust on his hands. "The foundation is very solid. There is no need to rebuild it."

Laurent looked up at the family crest engraved on the broken wall and felt a little emotional for a moment.

In the 23rd year of the Imperial Calendar, after gaining a firm foothold in the Eastern Continent, the Empire's El elders and bishops issued the famous "Pioneering Order".

As long as you are willing to develop and pay taxes, all the land you develop is yours.

As a result, a large number of imperial immigrants began to expand eastward, which naturally led to the pioneer villages being exposed to the sight of local barbarians.

In order to resist the invasion of barbarians and monsters, each village will take in deserters, retired legion warriors, or simply elect a sheriff from among their own people.

This sheriff was the predecessor of the knight.

This is a counterintuitive common sense in imperial history: the nobility at that time was appointed, the knights at that time were elected, and the bishops at that time were hereditary.

The castles of that era were built on a hill with an arrow tower and a trench dug around it, where bandits and barbarians would hide when they came.

Using these earthen villages as strongholds and outposts, the empire's legions began to advance deep into the continent.

They would plunder the wealth of the local indigenous people and capture them as slaves.

These actions were, in essence, colonial wars of conquest in which the empire expelled the indigenous people.

The indigenous people who lived nearby became the ancestors of today's public farmers and serfs, while those who lived far away were blessed by the mountains and forests and formed the current Norn Kingdom.

To this day, some Layans still call the Norns barbarians.

During the War of Reclamation, a large number of sheriffs served as cavalrymen and made outstanding contributions.

At that time, the "Aier" nobles of the old empire's Zhengxi flag were unwilling to grant noble titles to these peasants, and gave them the untitled title of "Knight".

Knights officially stepped onto the historical stage of the empire.

The good times did not last long. During the "Great Slave Revolt", the predecessor of the Holy See City, the Snail Palace City, was burned down by the rebels.

At this point, the empire's central authority was exhausted, the entire empire was out of control, and it entered a dark age of warlords fighting each other.

It was during this period that knights began to appear on the historical stage. They skillfully used breathing techniques and the combination of heavy armor, becoming an essential military group for warlords and quickly eliminating the infantry legion model.

At this time, with the advancement of construction technology and the wealth gained from war and plunder, the knights finally completed a gorgeous transformation from peasants to hereditary untitled nobles.

At the same time as the change of clothing and identity, the knights replaced the wooden walls with stone walls and changed the main castle from a pure wooden structure to an earthen structure.

"…When the Dark Ages ended, during the fierce wars, the castles gradually changed from civil structures to brick and stone structures. The construction of a castle could even last for hundreds of years, and it has reached its current size."

While introducing it to Jourdain, Laurent gently stroked the broken brick and stone walls, feeling the rustling sensation at his fingertips.

But now, this castle, which was built for hundreds of years, has been abandoned and ignored by its owner, and has been exposed in the wilderness for hundreds of years.

The bricks and stones were covered with moss, and on the half-turned staircase inside the tower, rotten wooden boards hung above the dead bones of animals. The door of the tower could not be opened from Laurent's side, and on the porch was engraved a gibberish message left by someone unknown: "You are not qualified, you are not qualified."

"According to the instructions of our superiors, we have to build a line of defense here." Jourdan stood on the mound and looked around.

The mound is more than three meters high. The castle has three floors, and the two corner towers at the highest point are just enough to see the enemies from all directions.

Even if you stand on the broken wall of the castle, you can have a clear view of the scenery below.

Hundreds of engineers worked hard, sweating profusely, digging trenches on the ground, and carrying baskets of stones and bricks into the trenches.

Laurent asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time, "I still don't understand what the point of building a defense line here is."

Jourdain found a place to sit on a low wall, but Laurent was a step slower and didn't tell him that there was dog shit on it.

Zhu Erdan himself was not aware of it at all: "In the meeting of the legion commanders before the war, His Majesty has clearly pointed out that this line of defense is not just for defense, but to allow them to actively attack us."

"They would attack if there was no castle, right? Why would they attack if there was a castle?"

Coleman and Jourdan looked at each other, and Coleman said openly: "Tell him, this is an open conspiracy, there is no solution."

"It's very simple. The enemy's intention is easy to understand." Zhu Erdan grinned, "They just want to lure us into a wild battle with them, and then use our numerical advantage and mobility to gain the upper hand.

Marshal Deshka once said a simple military principle: Never do what the enemy wants you to do.

So Your Majesty asked us to use the fortress advancement tactic. With the assistance of fortifications, their numerical advantage and cavalry advantage will not be effective. "

Laurent thought for a moment and asked back, "But this is based on a premise that they will take the initiative to attack us instead of just sitting there. We don't have enough time."

"That's right." Coleman leaned against the wall appreciatively. His right foot was a prosthesis, and although he could stand, it was not comfortable to stand for a long time. "That's what I asked at the time."

"Your Majesty said, the land distribution team has started." Zhu Erdan imitated Horn's tone at the time, "Now that we have Monkrusburg, we will distribute the land near Heitao Town. We have completed the distribution.

The fortress will continue to advance, and then to the next castle, and then divide the land near Fort Moncrux, and you can see whether the knights are impatient or not. "

Laurent immediately understood that His Holiness the Pope was cutting off the source of the problem. If you dare to give up the land, the Salvation Army will dare to divide the land.

It's just a matter of catching rabbits while hunting haystacks. It would be better if Knight Ibe took the initiative to attack. The Saviors can rely on the fortress to fight them head-on.

If they don't come, the fortress we build will be just the right place to stop the knights, weakening their economy while consolidating the border. The fortress defense line will be completed in two months.

With the support of local farmers, logistical problems can be greatly alleviated.

Even if Horn went to rescue Rapid City, it would be difficult for the knights to break through the layers of fortresses guarded by clockwork guns.

Laurent suddenly realized, but still a little worried: "But we only have 2,500 people, and many of them are engineers. Can this ruin withstand it?"

"Do you know how many days it takes for mortar to solidify without the blessing of natural magic?"

“Seven days wet, five days dry.”

"What if there is alchemy... I mean natural magic?"

"Three days."

Zhu Erdan laughed: "Then do you know how many days it takes for the mortar to dry on the hot land of Ibe Plain with the help of natural magic?"

Laurent blinked and asked tentatively, "Two days?"

Jourdan held up a finger: "Less than a day."

(End of this chapter)