CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: JADE KNIGHT CORPS

Ding!

Ding ding!

Ding ding ding!

Lynn grasped the handle of the Cross Pickaxe with both hands, lifted it high, and then, using the weight of the Cross Pickaxe and the power of his body driving his arms, slammed it down hard.

The sharp pickaxe tip sank into a piece of gray-white stone.

[Limestone]: Moderate hardness, can be used to burn lime cement, building stone, soil improvement, and more.

Crack.

With a crisp sound, the limestone instantly shattered into small rubble.

[Collection Experience +1]

[Collection Experience +1]

...

Lynn expertly swung the Cross Pickaxe sideways, a pile of rubble sliding backward.

Several slaves gathered the rubble into baskets and poured them into the cart.

Lynn stood straight, wiping the sweat off his cheek with his sleeve.

He glanced around, dozens of slaves, like him, were diligently excavating.

To be precise.

Even Master Lynn, as a Lord, was working so hard, how could they, as slaves, dare to slack off?

After half a day of digging, seeing the experience increase by a dozen points, Lynn exhaled a hot breath.

It was truly exhausting!

Before explosive mining the stone, manual digging was always high-intensity labor.

Fortunately, Lynn only planned to pave the road from the Salt Factory to the village, along with some main roads.

Otherwise, relying on the manpower of forty slaves would indeed be insufficient!

After instructing a few guards to keep watching the slaves continue mining, Lynn rode his horse along the road back to the village.

As far as the eye could see.

Several Wheel Plows were plowing the open land, pulled by oxen.

Smoke from the kitchen chimneys wafting, that was the chef cooking lunch.

Draft horse carts carrying fine salt were driven back to the village, storing the fine salt in the warehouse.

In the wheat fields, a few villagers were removing weeds that stole nutrients from the wheat.

After more than two months of growth, the wheat had already reached flowering stage.

After pollination, when the pollen grains from the wheat flowers combine with the pistil, the wheat enters the grain filling stage.

The days to maturity and harvest were not far off.

On the open space in front of the village.

A row of sturdy figures standing in formation caught Lynn’s attention.

Rose was solemnly instructing them.

"Since Master Lynn asked me to train you in military skills, then I am your instructor!"

"Orders must be obeyed without question, this is the basic rule you must adhere to as soldiers!"

"We will start with physical training, beginning with the strength and endurance of your upper and lower limbs..."

The words were powerful and commanding, the tone as strong as steel.

Rose was indeed deserving of being the former Deputy Leader of the 6th Cavalry Brigade of the Kruma Tribe in the Shar Khanate.

Lynn didn’t know why Rose became a prisoner of war, but he certainly had great strength.

Lynn was somewhat surprised to see that Red, the Guard Captain, was also among those being trained!

This guy really wanted to improve.

After joining Lynn’s Guard Team, these guards no longer had to engage in any labor.

Full-time commitment.

Lynn provided for their meals and accommodation, even caring for their families together.

They had no worries.

Their only responsibility was to complete their training and protect the village’s interests.

Before Rose arrived, perhaps they were still quite relaxed.

But now, their physical training and strength training were no less intense than the labor of the slaves.

Carrying logs individually, running weighted cross-country, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and so on.

Rose even deliberately assigned some of the heavier tasks, normally handled by villagers, to the guards.

That was to improve their physical fitness.

Of course.

Lynn had the chef specially cook meals for the Guard Team.

Each meal included a pound of meat, chicken or pork, a pound of barley porridge, barley buns, and vegetables.

This standard was almost similar to that of a knight’s meal.

To forge a mighty army, it’s impossible without sufficient Gold Pounds!

Turning his gaze a little further, Lynn looked into the distance.

There, a thin boy with a sallow complexion was leaning against the doorframe, watching Rose train the Guard Team.

His eyes were full of yearning and hope.

Perhaps sensing Lynn’s gaze, Charles looked over in curiosity.

When he saw it was Lynn, his face showed a startle.

But thinking of the wooden house he now lived in and the food he used, Charles sensibly walked towards Lynn.

Charles bent his body and spoke respectfully, "My master."

Rose had pledged allegiance to Lynn, so as his biological brother, he naturally was also Master Lynn’s servant.

Lynn was not surprised, nodded, and said, "Is your health better?"

Upon hearing Master Lynn’s inquiry, Charles was startled and quickly responded.

"Master, I am better, I can work now."

Lynn ignored his words, "I want to know what happened to your tribe."

Fifteen years old can be considered an adult age, so ten-year-old Charles certainly wasn’t entirely oblivious.

Charles hesitated slightly but still began to speak.

"My master... in the face of the Jade Knight Corps’ charge from the Tetlan Empire, the Kruma Tribe fled without a fight..."

Lynn raised an eyebrow.

The Jade Knight Corps.

That name was well-known.

The fully armored elite cavalry of the Tetlan Empire!

The knights wore full-body armor as green as jade, including helmets, chest armor, arm armor, and leg armor, and their warhorses were draped in complete horse armor.

Almost immune to arrows and swords.

Never mind tens of thousands of fully armored elite cavalry, thousands would terrify countless light cavalry.

Seeing the fear in Charles’s expression, Lynn spoke calmly.

"Your brother Rose, is he a deserter?"

Hearing that harsh term from Lynn’s mouth, Charles’s entire demeanor changed instantly.

His immature face was full of boundless anger, and he shouted furiously.

"Rose is not a deserter!"

At this moment, Charles was very much like a cat that had its fur standing on end.

Lynn said calmly, "If not a deserter, why was he captured?"

"A true warrior would only die on the battlefield, never be captured!"

Charles was taken aback, his momentum immediately weakened and disappeared.

His words were somewhat reminiscent, "The 6th Brigade led by Rose, not a single person wanted to flee!"

"They faced the charge of the Tetlan Empire’s Jade Knights head-on, and in the end, the 6th Brigade was either dead or captured..."

Lynn was silent.

Knowing full well that facing such a large-scale fully armored elite cavalry like the Jade Knight Corps, there was no chance of victory.

Yet Rose still didn’t allow his 6th Brigade to flee?

For the so-called Empire in his heart, for the so-called honor...

He gave up his own life and freedom.

Is such behavior worth it?

Lynn couldn’t make a judgment!

But, he knew.

A country, precisely because there are such soldiers, can forge ahead!

Whether in defense or invasion!

...

Forty slaves worked in the stone mine for three days.

The pile of limestone fragments was as high as a small mountain.

Lynn stopped these slaves and divided them into three groups, assigning different tasks.

A dozen or so went to the Acadia River to dig clay for building a kiln to burn lime.

A dozen or so dug pits for the kiln to burn lime.

The remaining dozen went to the edge of the forest to transport the dried branches left from previous logging.

The kiln for burning lime was broadly similar to the kiln for charcoal.

It consisted of a kiln chamber, a flue, a fire mouth, etc.

When a day had passed.

Hundreds of pounds of clay were dug up and piled near the limestone heap.

A number of medium-sized pits, five to six meters wide, were completed.

Watching them mixing the clay, mud, and straw with their feet, Lynn looked at Colin.

"Before building the kiln, the ground inside the kiln chamber must be compacted to ensure the kiln’s stability."

Colin glanced at the uneven mud in the pit and nodded in understanding.

Lynn continued, "The kiln wall should be twenty centimeters thick, directly shaped into brick forms from the mixed clay, mud, and straw, then stacked, with mud to fill the gaps."

"A firebox, about a meter in size, must be left at the kiln’s base for burning wood; the firebox should be slightly lower than the kiln chamber to ensure flames enter the kiln."

"The surroundings of the kiln must have ventilation openings..."

"Lastly, the kiln roof: once the limestone and wood are staggered and piled up, a dome structure can be used to seal the top..."

Hearing Master Lynn’s detailed explanation, Colin nodded in understanding.

He had heard of such traditional methods for burning limestone.

However, what Colin was curious about was...

How did Master Lynn know everything?