Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest
Chapter 132 - 4: Planting Trees for Ten Years

Chapter 132: Chapter 4: Planting Trees for Ten Years

Applying a thousand pounds of manure per acre had a remarkable effect and roughly increased the soybean yield to 170 pounds per acre, higher than what Roman had expected.

Because they planted more, they also harvested more.

Roman breathed a sigh of relief, regaining confidence in this land once again.

Mainly because the wheat yield last time was truly appalling.

For a long time to come, soybeans, as a type of coarse grain, would dominate the dining tables of Sige Town, whereas wheat would have a place.

But other grains and cereals had little chance of appearing, or rather, minimal opportunities to be grown.

Farmers, during their idle time, scattered across several hundred acres, had planted various types of grains and cereals. They even secretly used heavy plows and peat, whoever they had managed to make connections with—such means of production were strictly managed.

Moor had brought this up with him, and he had turned a blind eye to it.

In terms of climate, this land was better suited for livestock than for cultivation.

However, one couldn’t develop a civilization solely on livestock.

Thus, despite the primitive agricultural technology, it fundamentally remained an agricultural and pastoral civilization.

Even if he ordered them not to farm and to invest all their energy elsewhere, he still couldn’t suppress people’s longing for grain.

Or rather, as long as it was an agricultural civilization, generations living on this land would instinctively farm.

This wasn’t something that could be eradicated by systems and living environments.

Of course, it didn’t matter, as the farmers only exploited their own time and energy; originally, they could sleep for eight hours a day, now they could only sleep for six.

No matter how much they grew, the crops were his; he only had to provide half the money, and that food would end up in the cauldron as their working meal.

But as long as it didn’t interfere with the work he needed done, each task he assigned had specific targets that had to be completed within a set time.

If anyone dared to delay the work, then he would have to make an example of them!

To prevent those fools from overstepping.

The output from those several hundred acres was enough to feed everyone for about ten to fifteen days.

...

After the autumn harvest came the harvest festival.

For the veteran farmers, there was no happier moment each year than the harvest time.

During this period, everyone overflowed with pure joy, their smiling faces uncontrollable.

Roman took all the grains for himself, significantly dampening their joy at harvest.

Therefore, he could only compensate for this shortfall through the festival.

This festival was, as always, meticulously prepared by him in advance.

To cater to the celebration of over four thousand people, he had temporarily assigned three hundred more workers to the food service area.

He also opened up the storerooms of Origin Manor, bringing in dozens upon dozens of barrels of beer and hundreds of pounds of salted meat and dried fish. Numerous sheep and pigs were also slaughtered, following the steps of the previous summer harvest festival.

The venue was still the threshing floor.

Everyone stopped their work and gathered joyously in this cheerful autumn season.

Roman sat at the highest spot, raising his glass with a smile—this soybean harvest had put him in a very good mood.

"To our collective health!" he declared loudly, his voice carrying far.

"Oh!!" The response to Roman was like a tidal wave of cheers and admiration.

Roman, smiling, stepped back two paces and settled into his wide seat, slowly crossing his legs and resting his elbow on the armrest, hand supporting his cheek, watching those jubilant citizens with unexpectedly tender eyes.

Unexpectedly, his thoughts drifted to the Pirate Conference.

That was a revelry belonging to pirates.

But was the atmosphere at the Pirate Conference as pure and intense as this?

Roman wondered.

The wild and fierce feast of that group was likely on a much grander scale than this.

Undoubtedly.

Pirate leaders were lavish; they earned money quickly and spent it just as swiftly.

To host a conference that housed all pirates would likely incur staggering expenses, costing thousands, even tens of thousands of Gold Coins, not to mention numerous exotic treasures.

This was the wealth brought about by war and invasion.

The treasure they plundered was beyond measure.

Those figures in horned helmets, wielding North Ice Battle Axes, fleet as the wind, became the nightmares of terrestrial people.

And currently, he only had six hundred warriors, mostly new recruits requiring rigorous training to be transformed.

But Roman knew, once this unbeatable army was formed, all other forces on this land aside from this one would be mere chickens and dogs...

...

On the day of the festival, it was Roman’s 295th day in Sige Town.

Amidst this bustling and extraordinarily lively scene.

Roman conducted his fifth recruitment.

This time, he had prepared resources for 50 draws, and after using them, he still had over ninety draws left, which Roman planned to save for later.

Fifty streaks of starlight burst out of the recruitment pool in formation.

Then there was... a vast expanse of white.

One Star Level Angel Envoys were the most numerous, Two Star Level Angel Envoys were scarce, and there was still only one Three Stars Angel Envoy.

...

[Two Stars Vic (can be assigned an Angel Envoy codename)

Attack: E+, Defense: E, Speed: E+, Constitution: E+, Energy: E+

Talent: Agility—nimble and skillful hands

First Skill: Practice Makes Perfect—improved work efficiency]

...

[Three Stars Wayne (can be assigned an Angel Envoy codename)

Attack: E-, Defense: E-, Speed: E-, Constitution: E-, Energy: E-

Talent: Perception—enhanced intuition

First Skill: Arithmetic—logical thinking

Second Skill: Literacy—entering a state of meditation, enhanced memory]

...

Roman rubbed his forehead.

He somewhat remembered this child called Wayne.

He had to admit, his awful premonition had come true—the majority of Angel Envoys in Sige Town with potential had already been recruited by him.

Reality was so cruel.

Those Two Stars Angel Envoys were already considered to have potential.

Roman was forced to face a problem—that was the origins of all the citizens of Sige Town.

Most people were scantily clad, suffering from cold and hunger, malnourished in their childhood, faced hurdles while growing up, their thoughts solidified in adulthood, and were oppressed by the nobles for years, now reduced to slaves sent to Sige Town.

In terms of labor, they were qualified, no old, weak women or children, capable of enduring hardship.

Roman provided three meals a day, each meal with salt, occasionally meat, enough mixed grains, never adulterated the bread with sawdust or stones.

What slave could receive such treatment?

Naturally, they would do their utmost to work for him.

Lazy slaves only deserved the noose!

But, returning to the point, how could one expect these people, born into poverty and mercilessly tormented by harsh realities, to possess astonishing potential?

They were a ruined generation!

And before them, countless generations were ruined!

Roman was frustrated with their incompetence.

He knew the saying, "born in Huainan, it’s a tangerine; born in Huai Bei, it’s a trifoliate orange."

Geographical and soil differences lead to different outcomes.

Most of the soil in this land was too barren and dark, unable to provide sufficient fertility; those nutrients were concentrated in what were called nobles, causing the crops to grow stunted, weak, and without sunlight exposure, generation after generation under the dark but magnificent shadow of those trees.

But Roman needed those young saplings to grow into towering trees.

He felt that he must provide a sufficiently abundant and comfortable environment for the growth of the next generation’s saplings.

If the shade of a great tree dared to block the growing space of other saplings, he would cut it down, regardless of whether that tree was called Riptide, Earth, or Era.

Outdated and decayed things should have been eliminated long ago!

To hell with Huainan and Huai Bei!

He would later push the Huai River Line forward!

With that river, let it drown everything!

Then this problem would no longer exist.

Among his eight Three Stars Angel Envoys, two were children.

And the Four Star Level Envoy Kao was still underage, only 15.

He must nurture these little tangerines!

...

Just planting crops is a technical job, requiring precision and care, and it takes a hundred days or even half a year to see results.

Planting trees is an even more difficult technical job.

The growth period is prolonged, requiring three to five years, or even as long as ten years.

To cultivate a towering tree, the best time was ten years ago, the next best time is now.