279 – Side Story – The Best Reign (2): Burning Stone
Green River Village, former United Kingdom of Britannia, current Imperial Territory of Kreutel Empire, Kingdom of Britanya.
Gradually, as in the mainland of the Kreutel Empire, we must open the way for capable people, regardless of status, to enter the academy and become administrators or officers.
‘What is more important than providing equal opportunities for education and implementing various welfare policies is to prevent people from starving. ‘Because hungry people cause rebellion and riots.’
Because Ciel von Kreutel gave the order, it is a place that focuses only on food supply and economic growth rather than education and welfare, which require a lot of manpower and time to establish the system.
Currently, 99% of the administrators working in Britanya are made up of people from the mainland of the Kreutel Empire.
However, about 1% of the administrators were made up of former Britannic nobles or highly capable commoners who had been rigorously tested by King William of Britannia.
Nobility wrote a letter of conversion and was verified, but how were commoners selected?
“Now that I can make a living, why did an officer from the empire come again?”
“Did you come to announce that taxes would be raised?”
“Just shut up. “It’s already hard to make ends meet.”
“You sat there saying damn things. “During Edward’s time, even in good harvests, we had wheat porridge.”
Lieutenant Chelsea, a soldier of the Kreutel Empire, ignored what they said they were whispering to, and wrote a notice and posted it in the village hall.
[Order of His Highness King William von Kreutel:
For the development of Britanya, we plan to hire talented people regardless of status, so those who meet the following conditions must bring a means to prove their abilities to a nearby city.
1. A person with outstanding capabilities in law, accounting, surveying, and medicine.
2. A person with an exceptional level of ability among those with skills such as blacksmith or weaver.
3. A former noble or soldier with excellent leadership skills and practical combat experience with excellent character.
4. A person who possesses ideas that may be particularly helpful to the empire.
If you believe that any of the above conditions apply to you, please take on the challenge boldly.
We will adopt after testing through the following steps.
Inspector belonging to the city -＞ Supervisor of the base city -＞ Final inspection of baronet or higher belonging to the royal family – King Seon- ]
During the time of the United Kingdom of Britannia, there was no recruiting talent in this way, so people in the countryside tilted their heads, wondering what this meant.
At that time, there was a merchant who came and went from Maunpul Castle, where as many as 30,000 people lived, so he read the notice and muttered.
“I heard that in the Maunpul fortress, people who were noblemen and wealthy merchants who were proud of themselves as being smart during the former kingdom supported it, so I was thinking about possibly implementing it here as well. “I really didn’t even think that this notice was posted in this town…”
As he muttered like that, the serfs, hungry for entertainment and rumors, rushed to him and asked:
“What does that mean?”
“It’s literally a story about recruiting talent. I heard in Maunpul that even a serf like you can become a magistrate if you pass that exam. “The magistrate that even the noble Lord Bayleaf can control with just one finger.”
“Don’t say nonsense. If you’re an administrator, aren’t you a noble person?”
Even though he said that, merchant Marco sighed and said.
“But it seems like it’s usually a difficult test. Our leader’s son also applied for that job, but it was completely defeated at the first stage, the inspector stage. “If you know, other former nobles also said they were preparing for it.”
If they were aristocrats with practical experience and a high level of education, craftsmen or experts with specialized skills, this story would have been very appealing.
For the serfs who have no skills or knowledge, it is the same story as the fire across the river.
“Wow, the world changes so quickly. “No matter what, serfs like us can become magistrates.”
“Well, there is only one way. “Isn’t it obvious that we should sell it anyway?”
“That’s right, but isn’t it better than before? If I do well, I might be able to eat rye bread every day by this time next year, right? Look at the wheat fields. It seems like there will be a lot left over after paying taxes. “hehehe.”
When everyone was buzzing around the notice, sharing all kinds of opinions about the hopeful future and the newly changing system.
The blonde-haired girl named Lily stared at the notice in silence for a long time.
She was truly desperate.
This is because her father passed away due to illness a few months ago, leaving only her mother and her younger siblings, including herself, so when her rations were cut off and she had to live off her own produce, she had no way to make a living.
So, I really wanted to hold on to anything if there was even a small hope.
“Can women also become officials in the empire?”
Marco laughed when he heard that, but Lieutenant Chelsea, who had not yet left the place, answered.
“Two or three years ago, His Majesty Emperor Kreutel changed the system to allow women to enter the academy that produces imperial officials. So, even if she is a woman, anyone can become a manager as long as they have the ability.”
“Are you sure?”
From Noble mtl dot com
Lieutenant Chelsea was concerned that the girl seemed to be in a similar situation to hers when she applied to the academy’s military department.
“Although I am currently serving as an imperial officer, I was actually born into a family of serfs. However, she was able to come this far because the Empire opened the way for her to become an officer if she had the will and ability. So I don’t know if it’s possible for you too.”
Although the lieutenant said so, she believed that there was no chance of this girl passing the exam.
Because, according to what I heard from respected Lieutenant Colonel Lincoln, in order to pass the exam according to the standards, it would be easier to ‘admission to the Imperial Academy at the top’.
After hearing what I said, the gathered villagers began to whisper about whether it was really possible for a woman from a peasant background to become a nobleman in the empire.
Her little girl, named Lily, decided to test the idea that she had always thought she was okay, for the sake of her younger brother and her single mother.
Also, a few days later, the village will go to the city where the inspector is located to do business, so all you have to do is go together and go to the inspector while the villagers are staying in the city.
**
A few days after Lieutenant Chelsea’s visit, some of the Green River villagers left to sell goods at the nearest White River Castle.
What they were carrying was 500 kg of flour, 500 kg of barley flour, and fruits such as raspberries, and they were being carried on a cart rented by the empire.
“I really like the Empire. “They lend us two carts so that serfs like us can travel comfortably when we go to sell goods.”
“We have to pay for the hay, but I really feel like I can live with it because I don’t have to carry it on my back like I used to.”
“Since I have made some money this year, I will have to buy more plows and iron farming tools when I return.”
Everyone was smiling and walking comfortably, but Lily was carrying a black stone that seemed to weigh about 10 kg on her back.
When the villagers saw that, they thought about putting her in the wagon, but the village cart already contained the amount of grain and fruit allocated to her family.
She couldn’t break the village’s rules, so she didn’t help in the end.
It may seem heartless, but if you accommodate one person in this way, even if it is okay among you, the villagers will have to put a little more of their family’s luggage on the cart.
She only allows Lily to complain when she returns.
If that were to happen, wouldn’t it be even more difficult for the girl named Lily and her family, who had already lost her father and needed help from her village?
However, it seemed very difficult for a girl who had just entered her mid-teens to walk while carrying a 10kg load, so Hans, the representative of the commercial company sent by the village, asked with concern.
“The stones you are carrying are certainly useful as firewood instead of firewood. Do I really need to carry it all the way to Green River? “It wouldn’t sell.”
To be precise, the land in all of Britanya is large compared to the population and the forests are dense, so it is not that difficult to find firewood, so there is no way anyone can buy burning stones, so they do not take them.
“But using this stone is more convenient than burning firewood. So in our village, instead of going for firewood, we dig it up from the ground and use it. So I think it will sell.”
When Hans heard that, he thought it wasn’t entirely wrong, so he kept his mouth shut.
Instead, he handed her a small piece of cloth with a little bit of cotton in it and said,
“I feel like putting it on a carriage. You can’t do that, so use this instead. “It will hurt less if you hold it on your shoulder.”
“Thank you, uncle.”
“No. Because I am indebted to your father in many ways. So go to the city and tell me if you need anything. “I will at least take a little from my share and add it to you.”
Lily felt truly grateful at those words.
Because, no matter how easy it is to go uphill because of the carriages, and because the imperial army caught and killed all the bandits, the roads became safer.
Because it is difficult to walk uphill for several days, there is a custom of selling items entrusted to you by the villagers, buying the requested items, and giving the remaining money to the people who went on the uphill journey as expenses for their trouble.
Although it is not much, she is very grateful that she will give some of her trouble money to Lily who is in a difficult situation.
“Thank you, Uncle Hans.”
After walking for several days, the people of Green River Village arrived at their destination safely.
We succeeded in selling all the items over three days.
And usually, at this time, we take a day off and eat good food at an inn to relieve the fatigue accumulated from coming here.
Lily excused herself to look around the city a bit more instead of resting, and then, as written in the notice, she went to the castle’s town hall, where the overseer was, carrying a black, burning stone.
“My name is Lily and I live in Green River Village. She came after seeing a notice posted in town. “I want to prove my abilities.”