Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

Sanna rode her pony past the transport convoy beside her, heading to the Lion Territory.

This horse, only three years old, had dense, smooth black fur with white hooves, originated from the meadow ranch, and was a gift to her from Gwivelle.

She immediately adored it and named it Early Summer to commemorate their first friendship.

The horse, blessed by Gwivelle from a young age, was of excellent breed, with strong endurance, steady and agile like its owner, and had great potential for growth.

The war had ended, and the external crisis was resolved, but it didn't mean everyone relaxed.

On the contrary, the annexation of the Lion Territory left many officials at their wits' end.

Because Roman drew five hundred clerks from the original administrative system to govern the Lion Territory.

The vacancy of five hundred people needed new recruits to fill.

The vast amount of aid materials needed to be prepared.

Transport convoys also needed organizing.

And the most crucial spring plowing in Fertile City needed to be completed promptly.

They were busy as bees in Fertile City, while Sanna withdrew and headed to the Lion Territory.

She galloped swiftly along the main road, resting by a stream to drink water when tired, taking dry food from the grain sack to feed her pony,

and by dusk, successfully arrived at Lion Castle.

The tower bore the banner of the Black Iron Throne, yet the city walls appeared charred and ugly.

Recently, the castle had been engulfed in flames, later cleared and repaired, but the hall suddenly felt much emptier.

Those loyal to Tashina, upon learning she owned a fief, hurried from Oak Territory to assist her governance.

Inner court noble Damian and court administrator Tusos collaborated to craft a crown and throne for her.

The crown was embedded with amber, agate, ice jade, cat's eye stone, and other rare gemstones, noble and resplendent.

The throne was forged from black iron, dark and solid, cold and heavy, making all worldly splendor seem dimmed.

Before the Black Iron Throne, all spells were futile.

Iota Hina sat on the throne, truly exuding a king's demeanor, with the ministers' council table below.

"Your, Your Highness." Sanna entered the hall, exceptionally surprised by the scene.

"This emissary, you should address her as Your Majesty, and you should also bow to her." Scholar Royce corrected, as one of the few who followed Tashina after Black Castle's collapse. Now, with Tashina's ascendency, his status had risen accordingly.

Sanna suddenly realized the fearless princess she admired had transformed into the cold Black Iron King, completing her metamorphosis.

Tashina, with a mix of majesty and gentleness, said, "Roman didn't come."

"Your Highness couldn't pull away, you know that." Sanna explained, feeling unusually nervous under the gaze of those court ministers.

"He'll depart when the next batch of supplies is ready; this time, he sent me to tell you... no survivors, uproot them."

For some reason, her lips were a bit dry,

those gazes suddenly intensified, as if reminding her not to tell the Black Iron King how to do things.

"We are discussing this matter. In my opinion, this is simply inappropriate; Sir Joel should never die by the King's hand; in principle, you should preserve his life and honor, and most importantly, his fief." Eunuch Tusos said.

"You should rescind your order." Palace Chancellor Damian also concurred.

Sir Joel was a vassal of Earl Filin, and after the earl's death, he pledged allegiance to Tashina, but Tashina's answer left him trembling with fear.

Everyone assumed Earl Filin had gone mad, slaughtering over a thousand fief residents outside the castle that night.

Now it seems the one who's lost their mind might not be the earl himself.

Tashina said, "I want to kill them... all of them."

"Your approach goes against the ancestral teachings!" Scholar Royce exclaimed, nearly groaning.

"I have my own rules."

"Are they yours, or Lord Roman's? I never thought that gentleman had the means to enchant people, but now your changes make me reconsider."

"You are about to give half the kingdom's wealth to that lord." Damian added.

That was all the wealth from the Black Castle Treasure Vault.

Only the White Knight and Black Iron maintained silence, these diehard loyalists were indifferent to any policy.

"You may leave now." Tashina was somewhat tired.

The ministers also sighed and rose, leaving the council table.

The hall was left with just Tashina and Sanna.

She said, "What do you think?"

Sanna immediately responded, "I don't understand these matters."

Affairs of state had always been unrelated to a fisherwoman, even though she was now a qualified Battle Witch, equivalent in status in the camp to a Reconnoitre Captain.

"I said it, then you'd understand—although Earl Filin is dead, his vassals are still there. I ordered their execution, yet met unanimous opposition from them, believing it's inconsistent with the Conqueror bloodline's behavior."

Tashina rested her cheek on her hand, somewhat helpless.

Sanna inexplicably caught a hint of Roman's shadow from this gesture.

The fiefs of many vassals were not a small number, the population might even surpass the entire Lion Territory.

"So what do you think?" Tashina asked this young witch who secretly admired her, noticing how she had grown from a little girl to a graceful woman, able to discern when Roman had taken her virginity during her stay at Fertile Castle.

"Me?" Sanna blinked.

She realized the princess indeed consulted her opinion, so she lowered her head to ponder, then provided her insight after a moment.

"I share Roman's view." Her attitude was earnest and resolute.

Tashina gestured her to continue with interest.

"If you want to harvest a hundred pounds of grain, you have to use ten pounds to feed the farmers, but those lords wouldn't agree, as feeding the farmers would incite their opposition; they'd only use grain to raise Conquest Knights, to suppress the peasants from cooking—for even if openly agreeing, they'd secretly obstruct you."

The grain in the castle, even if moldy and rotten, wouldn't be given to the peasants.

Firstly, due to the peasant's lowly status, the polite term is peasant, the less flattering term is serf, greatly attached to the land.

Secondly, after the peasants are full, it significantly reduces the physical disparity with Conquest Knights.

Moreover, development requires the rational use of surplus.

Roman desperately distributes money, with substantial fiscal expenditure every month, but even if he recovers less than one-tenth, he's willing.

Because if the lower class possesses wealth, it would only make Origin City prosperous.

Nobles don't think so, considering it reasonable to levy taxes thirty years into the future.

Tashina listened, deep in thought.

She asked, "How did you think of these things?"

Sanna thought for a bit, then pointed to her head, "Sometimes it comes out from here, continuously... we call it a blessing or revelation."

Tashina's eyes flickered.

She knew Roman could enhance his warriors' strength through special means, far more secretive than magic, akin to gods.

And she never questioned, just as Roman never asked about the smelting techniques of white steel and black iron.

Only now did she first learn of such a thing.

"Does he control your thoughts?"

"No!" Sanna instinctively rebuffed, she pursed her lips and said softly, "This is truth, truth cannot be controlled... we will judge all of it."

Following instinct, as long as the instinct feels it's improving, it doesn't matter. As long as it's improving, it's fine.

There must be no return to the past, the era of noble rule, which she disliked, as nobody liked it except the nobles themselves.

Sanna silently chanted to herself, Determined never to go back,

back to the era of noble rule, she disliked it.

"Is there anything besides the truth?"

Sanna thought for a moment and said, "We will understand in private, or divine insight in our hearts: Roman above, or Your Highness above."

'He's using his name to win over the gods?' Tashina wondered secretly.

She waved her hand, and after Sanna also left.

Leaving the hall, Tashina alone.

She thought a lot, and finally, with a questioning and probing tone, she whispered to herself: Roman above…

Nothing responded...

It should have been like that.

"""