Chapter 269: Another Opportunity
Outside the tower, the snow was falling harder.
Footprints and wagon tracks on the roads disappeared quickly beneath the thick, white layer.
A cold wind swept through, and Simon pulled his tiger-skin cloak tighter around himself.
This cloak had once been Lancelot’s family treasure, but after losing a bet, Lancelot handed it over to Simon.
To be fair, Simon had given him some silver in return, enough to keep Lancelot happy for a while.
After all, the man had been planning to sell it anyway.
"My Lord, with snow like this, I fear the reavers will have another rough year," Baldwin said, looking out at the snow-covered city of Brambleford, concern written on his face.
Earlier, a comment from Joan had reminded Simon of the Little Ice Age, and now, with each winter growing colder, he was more certain of it.
"Richard sent word, just like last year,that a lot of the reavers’ cattle and sheep have frozen to death."
"Last winter, when we needed animal fat for soap, I had the Goldwynd family trade food for the dead livestock. But now that the Goldwynd clan is gone, the reavers are in trouble."
"Absolutely." Said James, who had once lived as a slave among the reavers.
"Those frozen animals will last them through the winter, but once spring comes, they’ll be starving. I’ve seen it before: whenever their food runs out, they raid the Eldorian Empire."
James had been bought by Edger during one such winter, when livestock froze, and tribes were desperate.
Thinking of this, Simon said. "The Goldwynd family may be gone, but trade with the steppe must continue. This is our chance to bring back more slaves. The fewer slave soldiers the reavers have, the more laborers we’ll have in Brambleford."
Baldwin nodded.
"My Lord, the population issue is serious. This latest household audit gave us a scare."
Last year, Baldwin had given Simon an estimate based on old Brambleford census data.
But after the New Year, Simon had ordered a full re-survey, and the real number was only about 600,000 households.
Baldwin’s earlier numbers had been based on outdated records.
After West Ham was lost and the reaver invasions began, many civilians had been slaughtered orhad fled the region.
Only now did Simon understand why no one had objected when the emperor granted him the Brambleford domain.
On paper, it was supposed to be home to over one million households.
But clearly, the officials had known all along that the land was nearly empty.
When Baldwin first handed him the updated numbers, Simon had nearly lost it.
Six hundred thousand households meant between 1.2 and 2.5 million people total, nowhere near enough for a vibrant territory.
Now it all made sense: why Brambleford, and all the other areas he visited, felt so desolate.
That’s why Simon had launched his resettlement policy, actively inviting wandering refugees to settle in his domain.
Sure, some were unruly, but he couldn’t afford to be picky.
Population loss on this scale was more dangerous than a reaver army.
No labor force meant no industry.
And so, Simon didn’t mind trading with the reavers, so long as it helped him grow stronger.
Besides, the new Dunmere city wall was nearly finished.
Once complete, it would become an impregnable fortress.
The only real risk was if the reavers bypassed it and attacked Preston instead.
If Preston fell, his domain’s entire flank would be exposed, and no infantry could survive a cavalry onslaught.
Even if he had musket units by then, if they broke under pressure, it would lead to a total massacre and a rout.
But Preston was currently Prince Elliot’s territory; Simon had no authority there.
He could only hope Elliot wouldn’t turn out to be an incompetent ally.
"Send Edger and Percival back to the steppe. Trade grain for slaves."
The thought made Simon even more certain of his plan.
Food-for-slave trade would stabilize the raiders for a few years, delaying any large-scale invasions. Also weaken them long-term by continuously draining their supply of manpower.
Food gets eaten and disappears.
But once you lose slaves, you can’t replace them quickly.
Baldwin nodded.
"I’ll have Percival and Edger prepare the caravans right away."
As they stepped downstairs, they saw James arriving with crates of fireworks.
"My Lord, we’re still using bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder, copper, and iron powder. I tested them, and they burst into beautiful colors!
James beamed. He’d never seen such pretty fireworks before.
Simon smiled and nodded.
Each bamboo tube had a small hole drilled into it with a fuse.
Once lit, it would shoot fire and colored sparks from the end.
Of course, these were not like modern aerial fireworks,;they didn’t launch into the sky and explode overhead.
That would require knowledge of bursting shells and trajectory dynamics.
But still, these ground-based fireworks were more than enough for personal entertainment, especially in a world like the Eldorian Empire, where fun was hard to come by.
This New Year, he was going to enjoy himself properly.
Simon had the fireworks sent to the main hall.
Then James and Baldwin took their leave.
During New Year, all but the essential officials got a seven-day break, part of the Eldorian Empire’s civil service rules.
After they left, Ysabeau and Joan approached.
"My Lord, what should we do with all the winter coats from the textile workshop? It’s already New Year’s, and we’ve got stacks of unsold coats. This might be our worst business loss yet."
"Don’t worry." Simon grinned from ear to ear. "I’ve already taken care of it."
This time of year always put him in a relaxed mood, probably a leftover habit from his modern life.
"Taken care of? How?" Ysabeau asked, puzzled.
Simon gazed at the swirling snow and smiled:
"Let me have a bite of your lipstick, and I’ll tell you."
Both girls instantly blushed.
In the Eldorian Empire, there was no word for ’kiss.’
Instead, they used phrases like ’taste your rouge,’ a poetic way to say the same thing.