Martin pursed his lips painfully: "How much do you want to buy?"

"Isn't it the spring famine now?" Horn chuckled, "We're allies, right? My gain is roughly equal to your gain, so I want to offer 20,000 gold pounds to purchase 1.2 million gallons of grain."

"1.2 million gallons?!" Martin's eyes widened, "That's too much?"

"Too much? Kasha County is a major grain-producing region, 1.2 million gallons is about just over 5,000 tons, not really a lot, is it?"

"The monastery doesn't have surplus grain either..." Martin pulled out a small booklet from his pocket and flipped through a couple of pages before speaking.

"Everyone knows Kasha County wasn't really affected by the disaster, so there's a lot of grain, but the annual yield has been affected somewhat.

Moreover, after the flood, grain prices soared everywhere, farmers in Kasha County made a windfall, and there's not much grain left in their hands.

Near the monastery it's still okay, but further afield, we're not the actual lords of Kasha County, so we can't force them..."

As Martin explained, Horn gradually gained a rough understanding of Kasha County.

The situation in Kasha County can be basically summarized as: local Kush Knights + immigrant armed farmers + local citizens + monastery monks resisting Thousand River Valley Church + immigrant knights.

The Church forcibly pushed the immigrant armed farmers into an alliance with the local Kush Knights.

So the Juanist Faction alliance is actually a loose political coalition with regional characteristics.

They exist because of their enemies, not because of shared interests.

Back when Juanuo was still around, he could rely on his exceptional prestige to enforce the alliance forward.

But after Juanuo was burned to death, the farmers and citizen class were truly angry, completely losing faith in the Church.

The nobility and some monks still clung to illusions, trying to reconcile with the Church, maintaining nominal subservience, and then becoming local tyrants behind closed doors.

"So there are many voices within the monastery, either advocating non-bloodshed reform, managing their own affairs, or sitting by to watch both sides suffer before stepping in..."

As Martin spoke, his face grew increasingly frustrated, and eventually, he clicked his tongue repeatedly: "If only Dean Juanuo were still here."

"Is that so... How much can you at most come up with then?"

"At most? Maybe 10,000 gold pounds for 500,000 or 450,000 gallons of grain could be negotiated?"

Pressing his lips together, Horn didn't immediately respond, but silently calculated in his mind.

Horn needed more than just grain.

If he bought grain to distribute free to the farmers for relief, although money would be spent, manpower would be wasted for nothing.

Absorbing some able young farmers into the army is certainly one strategy, but he can't have everyone become soldiers.

Excluding the part for War Monks, Horn planned to use the remaining grain for two purposes.

The first is to recruit laborers for infrastructure construction, and these laborers would be used to dredge the river channel at Daze Village.

According to the sole hydrology scholar at Joan of Arc Castle, as long as a small opening is made, the directed water flow can wash away some silt.

In this way, the water level of Nanze Lake would lower, and Daze Village could gain large tracts of wet land.

While other crops might be difficult to plant in this land, flax, which loves wet and acidic conditions, grows there just fine.

With the rotating holy machines, the textile industry, which is the easiest category of light industry to start, could quickly be established.

The second is to develop rural ancillary workshops and proto-industrialization, cultivating enough labor force.

Horn had no foreign capital, no industrial transfer, nor a colony to exploit.

He only had productivity, but turning productivity into economic development is either a bloody or a long process.

Relying on startup capital accumulated from fighting the Church, internally through long-term urban and rural goods exchange, externally through dumping in the Empire market for primitive accumulation.

No matter which, Horn needed a batch of skilled laborers.

Only when money circulates is it truly money; after the work-for-relief ends, at least the villagers would have some consuming power, thus stimulating domestic demand.

Such an economy is a prosperous positive economy.

If not exporting to external markets and not exchanging industrial goods for grain, not only won't military grain be accumulated, famine is predicted by May.

Horn came to Martin for solving this problem.

"We have risen, Rapids City has risen, and Duke Hemashi has also risen."

After steadying himself, Horn did not continue with the grain issue but instead talked about current affairs:

"Things started because of Dean Juanuo, and everyone more or less waved Juanuo's banner.

You cannot remain neutral, the Church is bound to act against you, and I really want to ask about your plans."

Martin's previous anxiety slowly faded, transforming into another form of anxiety: "I don't know either, the monastery is noisy every day, the teacher's personality is soft, unable to make decisions for half a day."

After a long silence in the dust-filled room, Horn finally patted Martin's hand:

"In my opinion, since you're hesitant to take action against the Church and can't directly rise up, you should focus on defense and counterattack, waiting for reinforcements."

"Yes, I think so too. At least we won't be completely lacking in resistance." Martin painfully closed his eyes. "But Kasha is Pingyuan County, mostly hills, there's really no strategic point to defend."

Horn was curious: "Isn't Kasha County the former base of the Kush Knights? What about the castles?"

"The Thousand River Valley Church issued the 'One Territory One Castle Decree', using the excuse of demolishing old castles to build new ones, dismantled most of the castles in Kasha County."

Horn asked, "Can't they be rebuilt?"

"Yes, but it takes a long time, there's simply not enough time." Martin laughed bitterly.

"Why can't it be done quickly? Is there a problem with materials? You don't seem to lack stones or manpower, do you?" Horn furrowed his brow.

Martin slowly shook his head: "Of course stones and manpower aren't lacking, the shortage is volcanic ash or mortar.

This adhesive for stones is what we're most lacking.

Ever since the previous Emperor granted the Church the special right to volcanic ash, the current volcanic ash trade is basically monopolized by the Church."

Horn shrugged helplessly: "Actually, I'd really like to help you, but sadly, I don't have volcanic ash."

"Yes, you..." Martin suddenly opened his eyes, "Wait, don't you have mortar?"

Look, he finds the solution himself.

If it weren't for Horn's deep knowledge, he almost couldn't suppress the upward curve of his mouth.

Before Horn could reply, Martin self-rejected, muttering to himself: "Still won't work, your mortar production is sufficient, but time is insufficient, mortar takes at least two or three months to dry."

"Why? ours dries in one month."

"That's because you have so many, um..." Martin pondered his words, "have a lot of Natural Priests, while we're lucky to secretly shelter two or three.

Too many Alchemists would stir discontent among the villagers and monks."

Horn smiled as he stood up, personally poured Martin a cup of water, and then sat back down: "How's the matter I mentioned last time, the exchange between the Saint Father's Association and Juanuo?"

Martin slightly opened his mouth, feeling mismatched with Horn's train of thought, why was this topic suddenly being discussed?

"A message from yesterday evening's pigeon post, the Dean agreed and even issued an introduction letter." Despite not understanding Horn's intentions, Martin followed with an answer.

Horn pushed a stack of documents on the table toward Martin: "This is the list of monks going to the monastery for study this time."

Martin began to flip through it, but after two pages he froze, then flipped faster and faster.

"These, these people are all Natural Priests..."

"I'm a Natural Theology faction, of course it's Natural Priests going, the exchange would definitely be Natural Divine Art."

Martin's eyes immediately lit up, because monks actually aren't opposed to Alchemists.

Otherwise, they wouldn't even use mortar, let alone secretly shelter some Alchemists.

Their opposition is to Warlocks, not necessarily in defense of their own orthodoxy as a means, not the purpose.

As for the villagers, aside from the Church's long-standing propaganda,

The most important reason is actually because the Black Snake Bay People have always been emotionally unstable, frequently causing trouble.

Now the image of the Thousand River Valley Church has collapsed, and Horn defeated the decree, seizing Juanuo's position.

With his reputation as a guarantee, it might actually be possible.

"Those knights and monks must want to renovate the castles, but even with money, they can't buy mortar." Horn tapped the list with his finger, leaning forward, "We can provide mortar and even let Natural Priests help them quickly reinforce the castles.

Do you think 10,000 pounds of gold plus an equivalent worth of textiles, mortar, and peat can exchange for 100,000 gallons of grain?"

Horn's face bore the same smile as at the beginning.

Walking out of the study, Martin frowned and looked back, feeling something wasn't quite right.

Oh well, whatever!

Martin, born optimistic, couldn't see any flaws in the plan.

The thick documents in hand provided a troublesome solution to the teacher.

Isn't this a merit in any calculation? It just depends on whether the teacher is willing to accept it.

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