Swiss Arms

Swiss Arms

Chapter 156

-VB-

John von Toggenburg

May 1309

In the few weeks that he's been here so far, John was learning a lot, again, from Hans.

And this time, it was about "terraces."

The two of them, along with a few select members of their retinues, observed the harvest in front of them on these "cauldron" terraces.

Terraces, he'd learned, were sloped farms to allow for more efficient farming. The way they were built also allowed for water to naturally flow downward, which then allowed for more water hungry crops to be planted at the base of the terrace. "You're having a mid-summer harvest?" he asked the count.

"Yes," Hans hummed as they watched the harvest happen at the second highest layer of this cauldron terrace. "It will mostly be vegetables and whatnot, so it isn't a big or important harvest, but vegetables keep people healthy and we can pickle them for long term storage."

Instead of being in the Fluelaberg proper, Davos, or the lands surrounding the two places, they were further south where giant circles had been carved in layers. Each of these rings of the terrace grew different crops. None of them grew wheat, though.

"Why aren't you growing wheat, though?" he asked.

Hans glanced at him and shrugged. "It's not worth it."

John blinked. "How is wheat not worth it? It's one of the most valuable crops."

"It is," Hans agreed. "But my problem is that wheat fails often, requires more specific conditions, and care than most other crops. I also can't grow enough of it to offset the opportunity cost of other crops."

"What other crops would be worth as much as wheat?"

"Vegetables."

"... Vegetables," John repeated with incomprehension.

"Barley, oats, spelt, millet, and rye can be used to make bread. Sure, they don't taste as good as wheat, but I can import wheat because I make money by other means. No, I'm more interested in growing vegetables and other grains because I'm very interested in food cultivation, long term storage, and health. I tested this out with people, too. People who ate a variety of vegetables tended to be healthier and get less sick. Flax seed, cabbage, barley, peas, salted fish, and some chicken meat kept them very healthy. For the same cost, most of my commoners would have less food if they bought wheat. So by having a lot of food available to them, I hope to keep them as healthy as possible and give me more surplus to store for later."

John nodded. He didn't think about how variety might keep people healthier. He didn't know about it at all, actually. If Hans said so, then it must be true for the most part. Of course, Hans also told him back when he was Hans' ward that he needed to "trust but verify" so he'll be doing that when he returned home, but he at least understood that using money to buy something other than wheat would result in more food for the average commoner.

"Speaking of which, how much does wheat go for in your markets?" he asked.

"Wheat? Bushel of wheat generally tends to sell for 30 silver pfennigs."

John almost stumbled forward.

That was expensive! A bushel of wheat was only 20 silver pfennigs back at Toggenburg! That was an almost 50% increase in price.

"Why is it so expensive?" he asked, almost hoarsely.

"Well, for one, none of the villages under my rule produce wheat, so we have to import it from other Compact members or from beyond the mountains."

That made sense.

"I'm also purchasing enough of them to feed myself, my family, all of the staff at my forts, and the rangers. Usually, that's around seven bushels of wheat each day." Hans paused. "Well, I tend to encourage my staff and rangers to eat a mix of barley and wheat breads, so those seven bushels are really just a fourth of their daily diet.

"Anyways, most of our wheat comes from Duke Henry, specifically his County of Tyrol. From what I understand, his people have begun to grow more wheat once the duke saw that I was willing to buy wheat at a higher price than anyone else."

"... You must really make a lot of money," John muttered.

Hans hummed. "I think a third of the money I make from porcelain sales are going specifically into wheat purchases. A tenth of it goes into importing salted fish. And a third of it goes into creating the new White Cross."

John let out a sigh. "Am I ever going to be able to do a third of what you do, Hans?" he asked plainly. Because looking at these terraces filled to the brim with crops, all of the money Hans made, and the safety and prosperity he saw in Fluelaberg… he was never going to be able to do even a tenth of that, wasn't he? He kept telling himself that he shouldn't compare himself to Hans, but it was hard not to when the difference was so clear and apparent.

"... do you want me to be honest?"

"Yes."

"No, you won't."

John winced, and didn't look up.

"Instead of trying to catch up to me, you're better off trying to find what you can do for your home," Hans hummed. "If that means you copy what I do, then do it. If that means you ask me for help, then do that. Pride and ego does not belong in places where you know you are not at the top. I have made books available for anyone in the Compact to peruse, so you can read those to see where you can improve as well. If you must compare yourself, then look at the other lords and ladies whose lands are not improving as fast as yours despite being in the same Compact as you. They also have the means to improve, and you know I won't deny them anything reasonable."

John looked up and saw Hans looking at him without any judgement.

And felt another sigh escaping him.

"How do you always have advice for any situation?" he asked.

Hans snorted. "I'll have you know that I have my own moments of stupidity. Like when I made my dung bombs underneath my fort."

John's jaws dropped. "No way. I saw those. I saw how powerful they are. Isabella let you build them underneath the fort?!"

"Of course not." He sniffed. "I ended up sleeping in my office when she found out."

He stared incredulously at Hans before a laughter slipped out of his lips.

Hans just groaned.

-VB-

Jacob, a Fluelaberg Ranger

June 1309

"Is it true?" he asked.

After coming back from helping the Duke of Carinthia back when the emperor's election was taking place, he spent the last four years continuing to be a ranger of the Count's Rangers. He did all sorts of things. Rooting out traitors and spies, going out on simple hunts, and worked to maintain the peace and prosperity his lord made.

But now… something threatened to end it.

"We found the origin of the pox. They didn't burn it thoroughly enough," his companion and another ranger Harold sighed. "Found them at shore of Walensee. It came from the other side of the lake. The western end."

Jacob… did not want to consider that possibility. The direct connotation of that statement.

Why?

Because the other side of that lake was Habsburg land.

He knew enough about the current Habsburg-Fluelaberg relationship to know that the Habsburgs did not like his lord. Aside from the former empress, that was. It was his lord's alliance with the former empress and the Duke of Carinthia that kept the current generation of Habsburgs from attacking his lord.

And if the pox was their doing?

That was a declaration of war wrapped up in disease and filth.

It wasn't even a dignified declaration of war but of hidden knives and poisons.

It told him that the current generation of Habsburgs did not respect his lord.

And that thought actually made him angry.

They, who were born with a silver spoon, dared to disrespect his lord who clawed his way up from nothing?

"Then we prepare ourselves accordingly," he replied as he looked around the table at the other ranger captains.

They all nodded.

"If the rest of the empire wants to kill our lord, then the very least we can do is slow them down… before our lord picks up his sword," he said as he brought out his stack of paper notes and map of the empire that he and his rangers drew and collected. He separated a single paper and pulled it out, which showed a map of the Habsburg territory, which stretched from western corners of Landgrave of Burgundy to the eastern corners of the Duchy of Austria. "If the Habsburgs want a fight, then we'll give them a fight."

"But do we do so without the count's explicit permission?" another ranger captain asked. "Our lord is technically allied to them right now."

"... I'll inform our lord and get permission," Jacob replied. "And I doubt the Habsburgs will even notice their foundation rotting underneath them."

And then he remembered something.

Count John of Toggenburg.

He had Habsburg blood in him.

Jacob narrowed his eyes.

"Toggenburg is touring the count's land," he noted out loud and everyone froze. "He has a Habsburg mother."

The room's temperature dropped.

"Are we sure he's not here to scout out the land for a Habsburg invasion?"

They looked at each other.

"Someone will need to … survey his lands," Jacob hummed. "See if there aren't any unwanted messengers sending irritating letters to our lord's former ward."

"And what if he's in on it?"

Jacob chuckled. "Then he will die like his dad did. What else is there to say?"