Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest
Chapter 156 - 28: How to Get Rich Quickly? Only by Robbery!

Chapter 156: Chapter 28: How to Get Rich Quickly? Only by Robbery!

Sige Town greeted the last heavy snowfall of late winter.

The Bro River in winter did not freeze, but its waters were bone-chilling cold.

The military servants waded into the frigid water up to their waists, stepping along the towpath, pulling the ropes.

Relying only on manpower, they hauled the boats against the current.

The trackmen were an ancient profession, an indispensable link in ancient transportation systems.

But the winter conditions were treacherous, incomparable to any other season.

Roman’s need for trackmen was immense, drafting four hundred military servants and an additional three hundred farmers.

Having been well-fed and warmly dressed over the past few months, they were capable of taking on such grueling tasks.

A small boat that could carry ten people only needed four or five trackmen to pull it.

But a medium-sized merchant ship required over a dozen trackmen.

Fortunately, Silver Dragon Canyon was not long, merely twenty li.

Additionally, the water level had dropped substantially in winter, making it easier for the trackmen to maneuver.

Some towpaths were submerged, some lay alongside piles of stones, and others wound up on rock faces; where there was no foothold, they were forced to hook onto the rock wall in the icy water and swim to where there was a towpath before straightening the tow rope.

In the afternoon, the trackmen had hauled the merchant ships back and forth once, and the number of slaves dwindled until even Roman began to lead his troops in retreat.

Throughout the whole time, the Knights of Kant Territory could only watch helplessly.

They had been intimidated by Nathan’s battle cry and now lacked the courage to launch an attack.

The Earl of Kant had cooled off as well.

This battle could not be fought!

So be it if his prestige was lost.

Because once a battle broke out, there would be no fewer than a few hundred casualties, and at that point, the militia would collapse entirely.

If they won, it might still be arguable.

But what if they lost?

Just for those lowly farmers, he would have to sacrifice half of his active forces on his side, and the Conquest Knights would be utterly annihilated!

Those were the most valuable military resources!

How could he let them all die here!

The Conquest Knights feared death as well.

It was not a matter of honor but of meaningless casualties.

They could not break through the Heavy Equipment formations, and once the plate-armored Conquest Knights charged into the range of death, they could only be picked off one by one by Riptide.

A hundred farmers were not worth one Conquest Knight.

The casualties had already been severe enough.

The outcome of the battle could not make up for the losses, so why the hell fight it!

...

...

The ship bobbed gently, and those aboard saw the docks of Sige Town.

In just a few days, many soldiers felt as though they had lived through an era apart.

Over the past several months, Instructor Jet had continuously told them about the terror of the Conquest Knights, the cruelty of the battlefield, the ferocity of the enemy, and he had strictly ordered them to face whatever they encountered without fleeing.

It was only upon returning to their familiar land that their tightly wound spirits suddenly felt unburdened.

So this was what war was all about!

They truly had bathed in blood and engaged in fierce combat.

They had truly been on the battlefield.

But... the enemy was nothing but chickens and dogs!

They had gone with the resolution to suffer heavy casualties.

Two soldiers, either you died or I died; otherwise, the fight would go on to the very end.

Their expectation of battle losses was so high.

Yet only a hundred lay returning.

That was entirely within the acceptable range.

Of course, these casualties were actually quite substantial.

Especially the Archer Team, reduced by half, who suffered heavy casualties and could truly be called brave and fearless!

It was they who had also hurt the enemy badly, wounding them to the bone.

They had reduced the chances of further combat, forcing the Conquest Knights of Kant Territory not to dare launch another attack.

In comparison, it was the experience of the march that left a deeper impression on them.

After returning to Sige Town, their mission was complete.

Wounded soldiers received proper treatment, and the fallen were buried in the cemetery with honor.

Rest for two days, and they could return to their usual training routine.

In time, they would receive Roman’s awards and rewards.

But not now.

Roman didn’t have the time to spare; he had too much to do.

The docks were now filled with slaves.

Jimmy and Seth took charge of counting and calculating, quickly tallying the number of slaves Roman had plundered.

A total of 5,234!

That was more than the entire population of Sige Town. Compared to the plundered warhorses and wealth, this was secondary.

This tremendous surprise left Roman somewhat dazed.

He knew he had benefitted tremendously from his expedition, but he couldn’t help feeling extremely thrilled when he knew the exact details.

"From now on, what can stop me? Tell me! Who in this land can stand against me!!"

Roman’s heart swelled with emotions!

He almost wanted to roar out loud, proclaiming to the land that he was about to rise!!

Buy slaves? My ass!

Plundering them was way more satisfying!

I’m directly breaking past a population of ten thousand!

Accelerate!

Mad acceleration!

Every person was a piece of kindling!

And when the masses assemble, the flame burns high!

Now, this flame was burning far too high!

He vowed silently, "Right here! I’ll ignite the flame! I’ll burn toward all the people of this land! Let all become my kindling! From the land to the sky! From the sky to the stars!!"

Roman’s ambition and desires blazed fiercely.

He immediately said to the old deacon, "Seth, make sure to settle all of them properly! I won’t allow anyone to escape!"

"Forget it! I’ll arrange it myself!"

Feeling a rush of energy dispelling the fatigue from days of marching, Roman resolved to take on the task himself.

Sige Town, after the winter marriage boom, now had over fifteen hundred households.

There was also a new emerging town near the Coal Iron Mine, specifically responsible for mining and metallurgy, accommodating a portion of the population.

In Sige Town, a three-bedroom house with a living room was the standard for a complete family.

The actual number of brick houses was over two thousand.

There were more than five hundred vacant houses, built specifically for the plundered slaves.

Roman had thought it would suffice; his initial spring plan was to capture about two or three thousand slaves at most.

Now it appeared to be inadequate.

He had bitten off more than he could chew this time, becoming a big fatso who needed proper digestion.

The only solution was to jam ten people into each brick house.

The living room could be converted into a bedroom. After all, it was about eighty square meters; it would be somewhat cramped, but doable.

Later expansions were definitely in order.

The solution was tough and aggressive infrastructure building!

Brick-making, wall-building, roof-laying.

Simple standard brick houses became easier with practice.

Now with so many people!

Forget a few brick houses!

If Roman decided to focus on construction, in the future, he might be able to create some wonders!

As for the increase in management costs, that was a separate issue.

Take it slow.

Roman wasn’t worried about these slaves rebelling or rioting.

Because once they arrived in Sige Town, he wasn’t just relying on his army anymore.

There were also the ruled ones.

Those who took root on this land would ultimately become part of Roman’s power.

That was the force of a ruler and a system.

When brought to a strange land, the slaves could only comply with the rule, become part of the environment, part of the system.