CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 149: MIRACLE (5K)

The townspeople returning from work outside have all returned to the small town.

...

Time was swiftly passing.

In the blink of an eye.

It was already the end of October.

The planting of the cultivated land was nearing completion.

Standing on the limestone road next to the cultivated land, Lynn swept his gaze around.

It was a vast expanse of land already cleared and planted.

The ridges where winter barley seeds had been buried looked like rows of braids on the earth.

Neat, orderly, and awe-inspiringly straight.

At the end of the cultivated land, the townspeople had already started packing up their farming tools, ready to withdraw from the fields.

After a month of intensive land clearing and another month of intensive continuous planting.

The 55,000 acres of farmland were finally planted.

The autumn planting is complete!

Gavin and Wilbur walked over to Lynn’s side.

Gavin said respectfully, "Master, the planting is complete, and next is..."

Wilbur looked at Master Lynn with wide eyes, waiting for his instructions.

Lynn glanced at the two of them and said, "Select 200 people from these townsmen to be responsible for subsequent weeding, irrigation, loosening the soil, and fertilization."

"There’s nothing much left on the farming front after that."

In November, besides winter barley, the Karedi Empire could also plant some cold-resistant root vegetables.

However.

There were no seeds in the territory, so they had to give up for now.

Hearing this, Gavin relaxed slightly, "Okay, Master, I’ll arrange for the personnel."

Lynn acknowledged, heading back to the small town.

As he walked, his mind was racing.

Thinking about the next steps for the territory’s development.

With the autumn planting complete, the labor force allocated to it could finally be released.

Next, it was a matter of reasonably distributing this labor force to various different positions.

First and foremost, the Salt Factory!

The fine salt from the Salt Factory was the territory’s only economic source.

Only with enough fine salt could various goods and slaves be exchanged from merchants.

With two newly-built salt factories nearing completion, a large amount of labor was needed.

Lynn estimated.

Excavating rock salt would require at least another 200 people to meet the daily breaking and crystallization needs of the three salt factories.

The two newly built salt factories would need at least 600 people to meet the labor needs of the salt factories.

Not just the salt factories.

The excavation of the open-pit iron mine and the two controlled Blacksmith Workshops also needed more labor.

With planting over, Lynn should consider next year’s conquest!

His idea was to form an army of at least a thousand within these few months.

men equipped with standard full plate armor, wielding wing-shaped spears, with their warhorses clad in vests, forming heavy cavalry.

men carrying longbows, forming long-range archers.

men wearing full plate armor, helmets on their heads, holding spears, forming heavy infantry.

men in half-plate armor, round shields in their left hands, curved sabers in their right, forming light infantry.

Such a thousand-strong army could break through enemy defensive formations with heavy cavalry.

Could rely on the archers’ range to diminish enemy forces.

Could also rely on heavy infantry to fend off enemy cavalry...

Even if the current population of the territory couldn’t form a thousand-strong army, at least an 800-man army was necessary.

Such an army would require more strong, robust men.

And also needed a large amount of weapons and equipment to arm them!

Thus, a large amount of iron ore was needed for smelting.

Iron smelting required a lot of anthracite, and the excavation of anthracite also needed more labor.

Not only that.

The territory’s school, cafeteria, market district, merchants’ guild hall, shipyard for developing the fishing industry, main castle construction, dormitories for the three mines, soldier dormitories at the city walls, etc...

All needed a lot of labor.

In contemplating and reasoning.

Lynn felt that the 3,000 laborers freed from the fields were not enough.

Lynn sighed, from originally just him, Red, and Kuisi feeling the lack of labor.

To now, with 4,500 townsmen in the territory, he still felt there wasn’t enough labor.

The things that needed to be done in the territory were simply too many!

As Lynn just returned to the small town.

Kuisi, who was waiting in front of a pile of goods, immediately came forward.

Kuisi spoke, "Master, the celebration feast for the completion of the autumn planting you wanted has been arranged."

"Apart from the 500 soldiers under Instructor Ross who are still stationed at the city walls, sent with corresponding food, all other positions have been called back to the small town."

"Three thousand pounds of roast meat, barley bread, forest mushroom stew, and unlimited beer..."

"The cooks are making the last of the mushroom stew, Lex is having people move beer from the warehouse..."

Lynn gave Kuisi an approving look, "Very well done."

Whether it was the 3,000 farmers who had spent two months clearing and planting, or the miners on the minerals.

The consumption of a single feast would naturally be more than the normal food distribution.

For Lynn, who had a salt factory, the consumed food was a mere drop in the bucket.

At worst, buy more from outside the territory.

Provide those merchants with enough profit, and they would come in droves eagerly.

But these townsmen, they all need a celebration feast to be motivated.

To increase their loyalty and boost their enthusiasm for future work.

Kuisi continued speaking.

"Master, all the robes and trousers made have been transported from the weaving workshop."