Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest
Chapter 116 - 20: Breeding Farm

Chapter 116: Chapter 20: Breeding Farm

Roman had spent seven days in the livestock shed.

Sometimes he would chat with Yaki, listening to Yaki talk about the Eastern Plateau.

The Barbarians were at the gates, and the residents of the plateau suffered immensely as their armies were repeatedly defeated and forced to retreat to the rocky highlands, where they could only defend their positions by taking advantage of the terrain.

Vast territories were lost, landscapes shattered, and countless villages and towns blazed under the iron hooves of the Barbarians.

The people of the plateau hoped that their King would stand up at this moment and lead them to fight against the brutal Barbarians.

But the King only sought help, issuing a decree that called for the nobles from all territories to assemble and fight the Barbarians voluntarily.

He dared not lead the fight himself, spending his days in Eagle City indulging in fine wines, fraternizing with women, and watching performers, as if urine of horses, white flesh, and clowns were of greater importance than his subjects and his land.

Roman could hear the suppressed indignation in Yaki’s voice.

He gave no other response but listened silently.

Besides that, the work Roman did was no different from that of any other servant here.

He shoveled dung daily, fed the animals, and harvested hay.

But he did everything more professionally and seriously than anyone else; because of his better physical condition, Roman alone could do the work of three men, significantly easing their burden.

Until "Breathing Story" sent a notification.

...

[Level 2 Breeding: 1/380]

[Milestone Unlock: Postnatal Care for Sows]

[Postnatal Care for Sows: Receive 500 original stones]

...

That day, Roman summoned all the construction workers of Sige Town.

Roman said to them, "I need you to build chicken coops, pigsties, and sheepfolds for me."

"Don’t we already have a livestock shed?" asked a seasoned mason.

This man had played a significant role in the construction of the livestock shed and residential areas and had communicated with Roman more than any other worker, not keeping a respectful distance from Roman like the other workers, but rather being quite close to him.

Roman glanced at him, "The livestock shed is not meant for them to live in."

The original intention behind building the livestock shed was to house oxen and draft horses, so the spaces reserved were exceptionally high and well-lit.

Later, the poultry and livestock disrupted his plans. Without anyone to take care of them, and because it was too much trouble, he had all the chickens, ducks, and geese slaughtered, while the pigs and sheep were kept in the livestock shed.

But that was a temporary measure, now everything needed to be put on the right track.

Roman needed large amounts of pork, mutton, eggs, and milk to sustain his invincible army.

Relying solely on hunting was merely a drop in the bucket.

Based on a consumption of 1 pound of meat per person per day, 150 soldiers would consume four to five thousand pounds of meat a month. With eventual expansions of the army, the demand would be even greater.

Only large-scale breeding could support such massive consumption.

Designing specialized breeding grounds and enclosures according to the size and growing environment of each type of poultry and livestock was essential for Roman.

He would also have to engage in breeding, crossbreeding, survival of the fittest, and castration to cultivate the best breeds.

Without improving breeds, one couldn’t truly say they were engaged in breeding!

In this era, domestic pigs would grow to a maximum of just over a hundred pounds while pigs from the Northern Land could only reach a measly thirty to fifty pounds to be considered adults, nearly akin to pet pigs.

He must improve them drastically!

For this, Roman had designed specialized architectural blueprints for chicken coops, sheepfolds, and pigsties.

The group of construction workers quickly realized that the areas of these breeding grounds were all larger than even the most spacious livestock shed. They were extremely shocked!

Although shocked, they harbored no resistance to Roman’s orders.

After all, Roman was going to pay them.

They were craftsmen, different from those lowly farmers, and would not work for Roman without compensation; they had received two commissions during the previous construction of the livestock shed and brick houses.

Roman didn’t like to calculate their pay by the day, preferring a lump sum payment instead.

Three livestock farms were completed in two months.

These 30 plus construction workers in total would be paid 10 gold coins.

The reason the construction period was so short was that Roman discovered he could reclaim labor from the paving team in just ten more days.

In fact, he was stunned by the performance of the paving team when he was gaining experience at the livestock sheds.

He underestimated those foolish... guys’ efficiency!

Upon his command, their progress was incredibly fast, averaging ten kilometers of road per day, and during their fastest, they paved twenty kilometers—the whole team just walked over it.

Because the twenty kilometers width of the terrain was plain, mostly sparse grassland or wasteland.

As long as a carriage could pass through the natural terrain, no paving was necessary.

They were like a greedy snake, completely devouring all the shrubs and trees along the way.

Today, they were progressing toward the direction of the coal mines.

That stretch of twenty to thirty kilometers was nothing for them, expected to end the day after tomorrow.

Now, the biggest problem was actually the food supply.

Roman had them camp in the wilderness, telling them not to return until it was done.

Recently, he dispatched three specially built carts daily, each carrying a thousand catties of food, accompanied by cooks from the large kitchen, digging pits and cooking on site.

After all, towards the latter part of their journey, a round trip would take seven to eight hours.

He originally planned it would take 20 days, but now it was nearly done in half a month.

By that time, Roman’s manpower would be ample again. After all, paving recruited everyone, but mining didn’t need too many hands.

This gave Roman the confidence to build three livestock farms within two months.

Roman gestured with his hands, telling them, "Take a good look at these construction blueprints, understand their structure, I don’t want you to be clueless about how to proceed when construction begins."

"We understand, Lord Roman."

The group of construction workers took the thick stack of parchment, bowed slightly, then bid farewell.

Even though the pay was less, they wouldn’t refuse a task from Roman.

Mainly because they could enhance their professional skills in the process.

This was a craft that could be taught to future generations.

After they left, Roman turned to Yaki and said, "You’re doing well, keep at it here for now, I will put you in charge of all the livestock farms soon, be prepared."

After observing him for several days, Roman thought this patient and meticulous young man could help him manage his future livestock farms.

Yaki, upon hearing this, felt overwhelmed.

Wasn’t this too much of a presumption?

Back in the Eastern Plateau, he was just a common herder’s child, and a cripple at that, underestimated by everyone. His brother even had a woman, but he remained utterly alone.

When the Barbarians invaded, his family fled and didn’t manage to take him along; he felt they saw him as a burden.

Now he was about to manage all the livestock farms?

Even though he didn’t know exactly how large those farms were, he clearly understood how much Roman valued them, probably even more than the position of a steward.

Yaki wanted to suggest someone else take his place, but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth.

He hung his head, sorrowful in expression, feeling both sad and inferior. "Lord Roman, I’m just a cripple."

"Lift up your head!" Yaki, hearing the words, instinctively looked at Roman, only to see those intensely captivating crimson eyes, like two burning rubies, radiating a dazzling brilliance!

Beautiful. This thought crossed Yaki’s mind. His image was nothing to boast of, his unkempt black hair, and his face splotched with crimson marks like poor-quality rouge.

Looking at him, his expression solemn as if he were conferring a knighthood upon someone else, Yaki felt a sense called shame, believing he wasn’t worthy of any medals, and instinctively began to lower his head again.

"Why undervalue yourself! What’s wrong with being a cripple, is that your fate? I don’t think so! Even if it were, you should rise up like a man and kick it aside! Anyone who dares to look down on you, I will teach them what it means to respect!

"Don’t be timid! Look at me! Inferiority and timidity don’t belong to you! My Angel Envoy, wait, I will find a way to mend your broken bones in the future, so you can stand like the rest of the highlanders, and then you better not embarrass me!"

Resolute words, like sharp swords, pierced through the years of gloom accumulated in Yaki’s heart. Suddenly, he burst into tears, like a lost lamb finding its way home, unable to suppress the fierce emotions surging inside him, one wave after another crashing into the depths of his mind and followed by tears rolling down.

Roman opened his arms and embraced him, the movement gentle. He didn’t mind Yaki’s limp or hunchback, his humble origins, his ragged hair like a beggar’s, nor the stench he carried from staying in the livestock sheds for too long.

He simply tenderly embraced his Angel Envoy, patting his back lightly, soothing the wounds in his heart.