Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

Chapter 44 - 44 13 Gold Mines and Sowing

?44: Chapter 13: Gold Mines and Sowing 44: Chapter 13: Gold Mines and Sowing According to the large map, the straight line distance from Sige Town to the Salt Mine was only forty kilometers.

If one were to spare no expense in quickly clearing a mining and transportation route, it was not an impossible task.

Importantly, the ore layer of this salt mine was quite shallow; there was no need to dig a hundred meters deep, digging around ten meters would be sufficient.

Essentially, this was an open-air salt mine, which was quite rare.

…

A salt mine had been found, but Roman had not been completely satisfied.

He was a Lord who needed a vast amount of resources to develop his territory.

Lacking capital, he felt no confidence even when going out to rob, he needed continual development, to rear a professional army.

And resources came from labor and production.

If there was no salt, other resources would be sought:
If the ore veins were poor, then hunting beasts for their pelts to accumulate initial funds would be next;
If the fur business wasn’t sustainable, then light industries—textile, breeding, crafts, brewing, shipbuilding, cultivating cash crops—would be developed.

In any case, he had to boost the economy; only then could it be transformed into military power.

With military power, he would dare to go out and rob, smashing them with two fists.

And none of these industries could operate without enough labor participation.

Although farming was fundamental, it didn’t bring in much wealth.

Roman hoped to find a site that was easy to mine for large deposits of gold or silver, even copper or iron would suffice; he really wasn’t picky.

The extraordinary resources of this world mostly came from these veins.

To get rich overnight, mining was the only way!

Nothing was more important than mining, unless it was farming.

Afterward, the three of them continued on their way.

Roman found traces of a coal mine, but it was located in the middle of a mountain, inconvenient for mining and required excessive labor, so he chose to abandon it.

The entire stretch of land here was his.

Roman felt he had the right to be picky and choose the best mining locations.

Traveling in the wilderness was tough, sometimes passing through sparse plains, sometimes rugged ravines, sometimes damp marshes; they rode horses, barely covering seventy to eighty kilometers in a day.

Roman’s aim was clear—to look for steep terrains, highland valleys because these geological structures greatly increased the likelihood of finding ore veins.

Before nightfall, Roman temporarily set up camp by a stream, using a flint to light a campfire and roasted wild boar meat from the day—his technique was still quite horrifying; limited “Cooking Experience” didn’t turn Roman into a great chef.

Green chose to eat dry food.

He silently thought: This isn’t a camping trip, but clearly producing dark culinary arts.

…

Night fell, the campfire still burning.

The bright and warm light from the flame dispersed the darkness and wild beasts.

Roman covered Gwivelle with a wool blanket; he and Green leaned against a tree trunk and slept with their clothes on.

Both were robust physically and wore thick clothes, not concerned about catching a chill.

At dawn the next day, they resumed their journey.

Throughout the day, Roman continuously marked the map and resource chart.

Eventually, he discovered three stone quarries and one gold mine.

Yes, a gold mine!

Roman looked at the gold mine marker on the map.

The output of this gold mine might not be substantial, only qualifying as a small-scale vein, situated in a rugged area, among ridges and valleys, making it difficult to mine…

but it was still a gold mine.

Mining these veins would require a large amount of manpower and resources.

Roman gently exhaled, steadying his mindset.

Taking too large a step could lead to a misstep.

The future is long.

With the anticipated goal achieved, Roman, along with Green and Gwivelle, headed back.

It was only on the afternoon of the third day that they returned to Origin Manor.

The long-awaited maids immediately stepped forward to help them unload various items.

At the dining table, Roman spoke to Seth about the Salt Mine.

This excited the characteristically stoic old deacon.

He thought further ahead than Green had anticipated.

The main produce of Sige Town was selling grain, if they really discovered a Salt Mine, Sige Town would have gained an industry pillar.

It was not just development, but a direct path to wealth.

The coastal area of this land lacked sun intensity, making it difficult for salt evaporation, and inland salt production had always been sparse.

A successful exploitation of a salt producing area was often the result of a power struggles among several influential nobles.

But now, Sige Town had discovered a Salt Mine…

the profits were immeasurable.

Yet Roman said, “There’s no rush with the Salt Mine matter, shall we prepare for planting tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Seth was somewhat distracted, still contemplating the role of the Salt Mine and the consequent implications it brought.

There might be no issues in the short term, but in the long term…
Whether Riptide Grand Duke’s intervention would be necessary when the time came.

Roman did not know what Seth was thinking about; he just nodded.

…

It was his 19th day in Sige Town.

Before the sun had fully risen, Roman had gathered all the mobile laborers, Stewards, and Guards of Sige Town.

He also had good seeds and fermented fertilizers transported to the fields via ox carts and horse carts.

In full view, Roman personally demonstrated the detailed techniques and steps of planting.

Manure was nutrient-rich organic fertilizer, improving soil structure to make it loose, soft, and breathable, which not only facilitated the root growth of crops but also improved soil moisture and nutrient retention capabilities.

Roman used strip fertilization, fertilizer support planting—burying fertilizer 9 centimeters deep in the soil, then sowing the seeds 3 centimeters deep, using the fertilizer to support the wheat seeds.

The underlying fertilizer would be responsible for some of the nutrients needed during the germination and rooting process of these wheat seeds.

Roman demonstrated the approximate quantities of seeds and fertilizer to use.

100 tons of fertilizer might seem a lot, but spread over, it’s just a hundred pounds per acre, which wasn’t really sufficient.

Good steel should be used on the cutting edge; strip planting and strip application maximized the utilization of humus, avoiding waste.

To Roman, five pounds of fertilizer supporting a pound and a half of wheat seeds was extremely insufficient.

According to modern planting ratios, it would take dozens of pounds of humus to sufficiently nourish a pound of wheat seeds, but he didn’t have time for composting anymore, and could only hope that this fertile soil could sustain the wheat seeds.

Of course, during the wheat growing period, Roman would do additional fertilization according to the growth progress, about fifty to eighty pounds, ensuring that the wheat would not starve during the later growth stages.

This matter was not urgent.

After giving out the standard steps for planting, Roman let Moor and the Stewards supervise this—it wasn’t really difficult, it all depended on whether you were diligent or not.

Each acre was to use 30 pounds of wheat seeds and at least 100 pounds of fertilizer.

It took nearly half a day to notify everyone.

First, tasks were assigned: those moving fertilizer did so, and those transporting wheat did that, preplacing them on each acre, and how many acres each person was responsible for wasn’t complicated.

Similar to previous deep tilling, everyone was a part of the collective labor process.

Just ensuring basic execution could greatly improve efficiency.

Under the orders of Seth, the Stewards, Aaron, and Green among others.

These seven to eight hundred individuals began to operate in an orderly manner.

This production mode was something farmworkers of this era had never experienced.

And Roman himself had gathered the eighty farm women responsible for lunch, personally leading them in preparing lunch at the fields.

He also gathered previously smoked, air-dried, cured reserved wild boar, wolf, deer, and bear meats, chopping over two hundred pounds, all cut into large chunks, and threw them all into large iron pots.

Those large iron pots had been forged by the Blacksmith Lax using leftover iron ingots over several days.

Moor had slaves bring over a hundred pounds of salt from home.

Ever since learning that Roman had found a Salt Mine in land thirty to forty kilometers away, the Agricultural Officer had willingly contributed all the salt stored at home.

Roman was in charge of chopping meat and vegetables, generously sprinkling on handfuls of salt.

The flames under the pot blazed intensely, gradually releasing a rich meaty aroma, drifting far away, making the hardworking farmers bending to sow seeds and fertilize salivate, and speeding up their movements.

After these days of adaptation, they knew for whom the lunches were prepared.

Until around one o’clock in the afternoon, Roman declared the morning’s labor was over.

Everyone lined up to get their meals.

By then, the second batch of meat was also ready, steaming enticingly.

Everyone’s wooden bowls could get a large chunk of meat and a big spoonful of salty meat juice, along with plenty of whole wheat bread.