Chapter 18 The Threat of the Savages
Castle is the core building for humans to control the land, and it is also a prerequisite for lords to swear their sovereignty to the outside world.
In the continent of Westeros, the kingdom development decree also follows this principle. Only when a qualified castle is built on the land, the kingdom will recognize the lord's legal ownership of the land.
So, after coming to the frontier, Samwell's first core task is to build a castle of his own.
Only in this way can he become a real lord.
So, just after lunch, Samwell called the craftsmen of Highland City to discuss the construction of the castle.
"Master Caesar, we have just briefly inspected the environment here, and we have a rough plan in mind, and we are going to report it to you."
The person who spoke was a craftsman named Vido, who was over fifty years old with gray beard and hair, but he was very prestigious among the craftsmen from Highland City. Back then, Viscount Martin took Samwell’s hand and told him to be sure. We must protect this old man.
"Mr. Vido, please tell me." Samwell has always respected capable people.
Vido bowed slightly and talked eloquently:
"My lord, we think that to build a castle that suits your identity, the best location is in the northeast corner of this valley. The terrain is higher there, even if the tide rises, it will not be affected, and the two sides are surrounded by mountains, so you can save two sections of the wall .
The currently planned castle covers an area of about five acres. The main castle has six floors, 38 rooms, and two basements. In addition, there are three auxiliary castles, a stable, a warehouse, three barracks, and four are ninety feet high. The tower on which heavy bed crossbows and small trebuchets can be placed.
The city wall is about eighty feet high and twelve feet thick. It is divided into three layers, inner and outer.
Outside the city walls, sea water can be used to surround the city with a moat..."
Samwell listened silently, and waited for the other party to finish speaking before asking:
"So, how much does it cost to build such a castle?"
Vido stroked his long beard and thought for a moment, then said:
"About 70,000 golden dragons are needed."
Samwell twitched the corner of his mouth, and asked again: "How long will it take to build?"
"With the current staff, it will take about five years."
The corners of Samwell's mouth twitched even more, and he asked again: "If I find enough people, how long will it take?"
"It will take at least half a year. However, in this case, the cost must be more than 70,000 gold dragons, and I am afraid it will cost several times."
"I see." Samwell nodded, feeling a little better.
He definitely can't wait five years, when the White Walkers will come and play a fart.
You must get the admission ticket before the game of power officially starts.
So, the question now is, how to raise such a huge sum of money in a short period of time?
It is definitely impossible to continue to attract investment. No matter how many wrongs there are in Westeros, it is impossible for him to fool him into such a huge sum of money.
However, Samwell did not panic. Since he dared to come out and explore, he must be prepared.
Before he told Todd that he could earn income from the territory through serious business, he was not bragging.
"Mr. Vido, since the castle can't be rushed, let's build a stable and safe camp first. Do you have any suggestions for this?"
"My lord, then I suggest that you build a simple wooden fortress.
First, build a small hill with soil and rocks near the entrance and exit of the valley, build a wooden tower on it, set up a beacon tower on it, build three or four shorter arrow towers on each side, and surround it with a solid fence for protection.
Ditches can be dug outside the fence to enhance protection. Houses, stables, blacksmith shops and other buildings can be arranged behind the tower, which are also built of wood.
This simple wooden fortress is cheap, easy to obtain materials, and has a short construction period. It can quickly form an effective defense. Of course, its shortcomings are also obvious. It is not strong enough, afraid of fire, and cannot be recognized by the kingdom as the core of the territory.
However, there must be more than enough camps for transitional use. "
Samwell smiled and nodded, saying:
"Okay, Mr. Vido, you will be fully responsible for this matter."
"Yes, my lord." Vido bowed and then asked again, "My lord, I also have a preliminary plan for the construction of the pier..."
"Don't worry about the pier." Samwell shook his head and interrupted. "First concentrate on building the wooden fortress. Remember to build more wooden houses. I'm afraid we will have new companions coming soon."
"Yes, my lord."
After arranging the artisans, Samwell turned his gaze to Todd Flowers aside:
"Knight Todd, what advice do you have for the security of the camp?"
Although there was some gap between the two of them because of Carter's death, they didn't tear each other apart, and Todd has been doing his best along the way.
Especially after going deep into the Crimson Mountains, without this experienced knight, even without the harassment of wildlings, the pioneering team might not have reached the northern shore of the Summer Sea so smoothly.
So, Samwell still respects Todd's opinion in terms of security.
Todd didn't hold back either, and immediately replied:
"My lord, I suggest that all the trees near the entrance and exit of the valley be cleared to prevent enemies or wild beasts from taking cover. In addition, although the savages did not attack us all the way before, they have been following us, so we must Raise your vigilance, arrange people to go out of the valley every day to watch the sentry, and check the surrounding situation by the way."
"Okay." Samwell nodded, and after thinking for a moment, he added, "However, as long as the savages around us don't show malice first, we don't want to attack them. If possible, I hope we can Find out the distribution of the wildling tribes around, and it would be best if I could meet the leaders of those tribes."
"My lord, the savages in the Crimson Mountains don't have any kindness towards us. The reason why they didn't attack us before is because we have enough soldiers. Don't take them lightly."
"Don't worry, I understand their danger. But as pioneer lords, if we can accept some savages as subjects, our territory construction will definitely be smoother."
Todd didn't persuade much, and then started to act according to Samwell's instructions.
The originally quiet valley suddenly became lively again.
Samwell led his recruits to catch fish and shrimp by the sea, because Yingzui Island is located deep in the Red Mountains, and the transportation is inconvenient. Although they bought some livestock and prepared some bacon, they must save some eat.
Fortunately, the recruits were originally dock laborers. Most of them grew up on the banks of the Mande River, so they naturally knew how to catch food from the water.
In one afternoon, the recruits had a great harvest, and the seafood they caught piled up into a hill half the height of a person.
But just when Samwell was delighted to have a seafood barbecue dinner tonight, Todd came back worried and reported:
"My lord, it's not good. Our soldiers who were cutting down trees outside were attacked by savages, and three people were injured. Moreover, only two groups of the three groups of sentinels came back."
(end of this chapter)