Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

Chapter 52 - 52 21 Emperor Yang of Sui, the Second Generation

?52: Chapter 21: Emperor Yang of Sui, the Second Generation 52: Chapter 21: Emperor Yang of Sui, the Second Generation Sige Town undoubtedly possessed this kind of stability.

Although it was isolated from the rest of the world and remote, it was also consequently far removed from the whirlpool of war and had the convenience of inland waterway transportation.

Merchant ships could reach this basin among the towering mountains by passing through the Bro River and through Silver Dragon Canyon, then following the current downstream, passing through the territories of many nobles, meeting other tributaries, skimming past the Northern Land, and finally flowing effortlessly into the North Ice Sea.

According to Morry’s view of Roman, this young lord would surely not skimp on the production of the salt mine.

While it was a long-term trade, with 200,000 catties of salt not something that could be sold instantly and likely to continue into the following year, he needed to gather more hands to make continuous trips along this tributary of the Bro River, to bring more goods here and transport the salt out.

But merchants only fear no profit, not the hardships and toils within.

Not to mention the newly emerged maltose.

The small nobles might occasionally try it, but if the maltose caught the attention of the larger nobles, substantial purchases of sugar would certainly follow, ensuring no worries about sales channels afterward.

After leaving the draft horses and oxen in Sige Town, Morry paid 20 Gold Coins and left with twenty barrels of maltose.

The salt mining had just begun, and production could not be seen yet, so he had to sell the maltose to prevent Morry from returning empty-handed.

Next time he came, he would bring more oxen and draft horses, up to 50 oxen and 100 horses, to compensate for the shortfall of 200,000 catties of inexpensive salt—Roman didn’t bother with a detailed account, but simply calculated a rough estimate.

And the benefits of this rough estimate were obvious.

Once he distributed that 200,000 catties of salt across the entire land, the low cost would ensure he earned a fortune.

This huge discount was equivalent to a direct payment of 200 Gold Coins.

A rough estimate showed that just in profits, he could earn over 500 Gold Coins,
which was a considerable income even among nobles, most of whom only had an annual income in the triple digits, and here he was, merely one of the sons of a major merchant.

After Morry’s caravan had left, Roman looked at the group of oxen and draft horses, feeling quite pleased.

This was a vast wealth, vitally important for the development of Sige Town.

Due to transportation, these animals appeared somewhat listless.

He needed to ensure they were comfortably settled.

Breathlessly, Agricultural Officer Moor ran up, his chest fat jiggling, and upon reaching Roman, he wiped off his sweat before saying,
“Master Roman, the things you instructed are prepared…”
As Moor spoke, he looked toward the large number of oxen and draft horses behind Roman.

There were just over eighty oxen in Sige Town, not that he couldn’t afford to buy more.

It was mainly a matter of status.

Moor thought back to his father who died of illness years ago and at the time, he was puzzled by his father’s various decisions, but once Moor found himself in that position, he understood his father’s difficulties.

Should Sige Town be developed?

Whether building bridges or paving roads, it required the assembly of a significant labor force.

Without permission, the Basi family could not overstep their authority, as their position remained that of steward, not a decision-maker.

Even if they developed Sige Town and gained substantial benefits, would the Riptide Family commend their actions?

Consider the Pioneer Lords more than a hundred years ago.

They reclaimed vast tracts of wasteland into fertile fields, but after the fleet of the Conqueror Emperor was lost in the Nether Sea, the Pioneer Lords died from various sudden incidents due to insufficient power, and the nobles seized all the fruits of their labor spanning over a decade.

Joint development?

Mutual benefit?

What is your status and power?

Can you ensure peace by surrendering all your possessions?

Fool!

Even if you were beaten to death, all this would still be mine!

If the Riptide Grand Duke were to hear how bustling Sige Town had become…

Ultimately, Moor chose to lie down and play dumb, sleeping soundly without a care in the world.

…

Roman wasn’t the slightest bit interested in the past of Sige Town.

He thought everyone in this era was an idiot, not worth a moment’s concern.

The land certainly possessed abundant resources, astonishing potential, and a variety of tremendous advantages.

But Roman felt that, with his abilities, he could develop anywhere.

Even if he were thrown into barren deserts and grasslands, as long as he survived and had the ability to act, he could lead a group of people to carve out territory like the barbarians, occupying a land rich and well-endowed.

Rapid development, war feeds war, whoever comes dies!

Roman always believed that initial resources would only limit the time for his growth and not his ultimate achievements.

Of course, it goes without saying that the more initial resources, the better.

He took Moor and left the docks.

These large animals had their pros and cons – the benefit was that they could greatly improve work efficiency, and during summer and autumn, they could till more land.

The downside was that more manpower was needed to take care of the additional oxen and draft horses.

Previously, over forty farmers worked at the livestock sheds.

Their day-to-day work involved taking care of the numerous large animals, with an average of two cows per person under the care of a steward, responsible for herding, cleaning manure, harvesting hay, and looking after the calves.

The labor of these people was indispensable, even during the busy season of deep plowing and sowing, Roman didn’t call them out.

In fact, he now had to temporarily reassign 30 workers from road construction to take care of the animals – not too many, or it would delay that work.

And as Morry continued to bring in livestock in the future, there would be even more workers needed for animal care.

This was also the reason why Sige Town, with over a thousand laborers, could only mobilize around seven hundred.

Neither the livestock, the mill, nor any sort of craftsman could be pulled away.

Otherwise, Sige Town would grind to a significant halt.

Roman felt strong discontent with the state of the previous livestock sheds – filthy, sloppy, damp, chilly, fragile as a house of cards, with rotting thatch sinking into the mud, and a major infestation of insects, unpleasant to behold in every way.

Once Roman’s “Construction” skill reached level 2, he started thinking of building new livestock sheds.

Just because of tight schedules, it had been put on hold.

Now that Morry had brought the livestock to Sige Town, Roman knew this matter could not be delayed any further.

He was going to construct a new, more scientific, and sanitary livestock shed.

Going forward, the process of raising animals would also be under unified management and planning.

During this period, he had been making Moor prepare large amounts of building timber and stone.

The timber came from the vast wood fell during road construction, and the stone came from the stone mines.

Once again, Roman felt the shortage of manpower.

Of course, Roman knew what the issue was.

There was too much to be done.

And it all had to be addressed with an urgent, non-negotiable attituded, forcibly spurring and pulling along everyone in Sige Town to accelerate progress ceaselessly.

If Roman were to die suddenly at this moment, in the lore passed down by later generations of Sige Town, he would unavoidably be compared to the second coming of Emperor Yang of Sui.