Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

Fertile Castle.

Roman said to a group of administrative officials: "They've played their hand, now it's our turn."

The defense forces of Lion Territory are now in complete disarray.

Earl Filin has lost control over his territory.

The River Valley Warriors are rapidly expanding their territory. In just two or three days, they've aggressively seized dozens of villages.

They have directly brought more than half of Lion Territory under their control and established strongholds.

Roman's plan to surround the castle with rural support has been initially accomplished.

And this is just the beginning.

Those rural areas are poverty-stricken, with only a handful of able-bodied men.

To be blunt, such villages are already ruined, having no value whatsoever.

However, the more inhumane the feudal lords are, the stronger the effect of restoring order, and the greater the trust in him from new subjects.

The immediate priority is to restore production and establish a new order.

Fertile City was once destitute as well, full of captives and slaves, but isn't it well built now?

It's merely a matter of continuing to deploy manpower and resources to other lands.

Roman glanced at the "Material List" and "Dispatch List" on the table.

After obtaining detailed information about Lion Territory, he formulated an assistance plan.

Roman sat in the chair, tapped the table, and said:

"Now, with the new territories burgeoning in need, it's your turn to act.

"Moor, you will mobilize the first batch of grain, two hundred thousand pounds, no less, and deliver it to Lion Territory for distribution by the think tanks;

"Balrog, take charge of agricultural assistance, quickly prepare the excellent wheat seeds and steel farming tools on the list, and replenish them if needed;

"Yaki, direct two hundred oxen and two hundred draught horses from the livestock shed to serve as transport, and once dispatched, don't bring them back;

"Jimmy, call upon the list of five hundred clerks to follow the transport convoy to manage the new territories..."

Roman gave orders one by one, speaking succinctly and powerfully, without any hesitation.

The crowd, accustomed to his manner of speaking, received their tasks and immediately set out to execute them.

Even if this plan would impose a heavy burden on Origin City and Fertile City.

But since the Lord has spoken, the task must be completed no matter what.

...

Roman placed great importance on this assistance plan.

Back when building Fertile City, he personally handled all affairs, working tirelessly from morning till night, and if not for his strong constitution, he would have long since collapsed.

The Lion Territory is indeed larger in area than Fertile City.

According to the statistics from the front-line warriors, the villages, manors, and baronies occupied by the River Valley Army barely have a population of over ten thousand.

The reason is simple, the deeds of Roman are beyond description.

He was inherently opposed to the Church Court, coupled with his brutal methods, and fearsome reputation.

Under the impending pressure of the River Valley Army, most villagers would rather flee their homes and become refugees than stay in their villages awaiting death.

They hoped, for a sense of security, that Earl Filin would mercifully open a path for survival.

Now the control of public opinion is not in Roman's hands, but with the Church Court. It's no wonder what he's being portrayed as.

Roman doesn't feel he has done anything wrong.

Who made a mistake? I haven't lost yet, dammit!

Argue logic? Argue your damn logic!

In his eyes, this is an uncivilized, barbaric, and ignorant Middle Ages!

Eliminate all opposition, and those who remain alive naturally support him.

Moreover, there weren't many opponents.

The villagers would rather flee than resist.

Roman estimates the direct population of Lion Territory to be about seventy to eighty thousand.

This is already a lot; half of his over two hundred thousand subjects came from the North, acquired through arms trades from pirates.

Even with the sufferings of Lion Territory, such as lack of clothes and food, drought, and severe cold, the population won't decrease too much—at most a reduction of twenty thousand—some died from conscription, forced labor, hunger, etc.

The surviving villagers still wish to seek help from Earl Filin.

But that Earl can't even take care of himself, let alone save them.

Accepting Roman's rule and becoming part of the rebuilding plan is the only choice for the villagers.

Grain, farming tools, draft power, and five hundred junior clerks.

These junior clerks are all graduates from the Nillie era, aged around twenty while the youngest are only fifteen or sixteen.

Having endured long internships, they are now formal clerks, knowing how to organize personnel, promote execution, mediate conflicts, work in collaboration... even how to cultivate, breed, and provide medical care.

There's nothing they don't do.

This group is also Roman's grassroots force for ruling the land.

Frankly speaking, governance of any societal system relies entirely on grassroots!

These clerks, since graduation, have participated in many major projects and from it, learned invaluable management knowledge.

Roman even transformed his management and planning experience since becoming a Lord into booklets, never keeping it a secret.

He restrained himself, stayed cooped up in a mountain ditch for seven years, only now launching an external offensive.

This long experience is condensed into one sentence Roman wishes to express.

"I was waiting for my grassroots system to take form; what are you all waiting for?"

...

"These four are Fried, Hader, Groer, and Vita," Philip said.

Philip, one of the think tanks of the Guard Battalion, brought these four junior clerks to this border village called Wormwood Village.

Here, the highest-ranking officer is Edmund. He saw two men and two women standing behind Philip.

They seemed about seventeen or nineteen, their faces no longer childish; the men had dark skin, the women had freckles all over their faces.

"Sergeant Edmund, His Highness assigned us to Wormwood Village, hoping the military can cooperate with our work," Fried stepped forward and saluted.

Edmund also raised his right fist in salute: "We will! Wormwood Village badly needs managers like you right now."

He felt a sense of relief. The Guard Battalion excels in close combat, using brutal tactics to break through enemy lines swiftly and fight until the end.

However, when dealing with farmers, these blood-soaked warriors were at a loss of what to do.

"I'd like to know the current state of the village," Groer, one of the female clerks, eagerly asked.

Edmund said, "We've distributed some supplies to the villagers... We intended to resume cultivation, but lacking tools and seeds, over the past two days, we've repaired and refurbished their houses with the villagers, and checked their health... They're really weak... Our supplies are limited, if there is no replenishment, everyone will be starving again in two days, now even the looks villagers give us are full of doubt, feeling that we are deceiving them..."

"His Highness sent us here for this," Hade gestured towards the road they came from.

There were three oxen and two draught horses pulling five vehicles loaded with various supplies like provisions, plows, seeds, and iron tools.

At this moment, Philip said, "Edmund, you all can start the work. I have to provide supplies to other squads, so I won't stay.

"Remember, face difficulties, overcome difficulties. If you can't overcome them, send someone to Shuwei Village to find me! Both I and your Squad Leader are stationed there. May you progress smoothly and not disappoint His Highness' expectations."

Edmund solemnly said to Philip: "Yes, Chief of Think Tanks!"