Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest-Chapter 286 - 22: Gwivelle, It’s Decided to be You!

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Chapter 286: Chapter 22: Gwivelle, It’s Decided to be You!

The personality of rulers varies greatly, and their methods of governance are all sorts of strange.

The rule Roman follows is that of a domineering governance.

He does not practice benevolent governance.

He single-handedly destroys the old production structures; this kind of rebellious act always draws criticism.

It’s impossible to boast a good reputation of magnanimity and benevolence.

But Roman doesn’t care about their assessments or how many people curse him in secret.

They can curse all they want, just don’t let Roman find out, or they’ll suffer the consequences.

Of course, such people, less than flies and cockroaches, are ultimately in the minority.

Roman enforces a domineering rule, but not a brainless one.

For example, living in an environment where someone did something out of the ordinary.

Like someone saved a drowning child, maintained public hygiene, worked hard or got injured, or was skilled and did things beautifully... those things.

Roman would seize the opportunity, reward them, and publicize it greatly, telling the masses what actions are rewarded.

If someone beats their wife, curses their master, steals, or works lazily and gets reported... those bad deeds.

They’ll be sent to the mines! Equal status with war prisoners!

This is done to gain prestige.

To express clearly the direction of the ruler’s governance, it’s best not to have any misunderstanding, and it should be publicized over and over until it becomes a habitual mindset.

For human society, a good social atmosphere leads to higher production efficiency.

Because they know there’s a strong ruler covering their back.

Ruling is not about hiding things, but presenting them openly.

Those pirates are a group of barbarians with no political acumen.

Vesette, sent by the Pirate King, ended up having to kneel and apologize to the River Valley King.

Vesette’s anger is surely not because he feels the Pirate King’s face is disgraced, but because his own dignity has been tarnished.

This is being politically insensitive.

Roman, however, can use this opportunity to strengthen the foundation of his rule.

Pirates are fierce, but your ruler is stronger.

This is especially unbelievable to those slaves who just got off the pirate ships.

The slaves are displaced; giving them a sense of security is not easy.

...

In June.

Nillie left Origin City with a thousand troops; afterward, they would communicate through the Beast Witch’s birds.

And facing the shortage of troops, Roman had to expand the army once again.

This time, he wanted to increase the army size of Origin City to five thousand people.

Which means absorbing three thousand five hundred new soldiers.

These new soldiers are sourced from the prisoners of the Spring Rain Battle and the last batch of three thousand high-quality slaves.

In the past, they were burdened with heavy labor tasks.

Even the most hardened faithful soldiers and mercenaries fell silent before the vast swamp.

When humans are overworked, their will can be invaded and shattered!

In the previous time, Roman selected a batch of outstanding new soldiers.

The specific selection method is to have the admin officials ask some questions.

Do you have relatives?

Are you willing to become a soldier for Master Roman?

Do you want a steady salary?

Can you follow orders and endure tough training?

This is the initial selection, the subsequent military training is even harsher.

Once they persist, no one can enter the army and maintain their original thoughts.

Their pioneering tasks are handed over to a new batch of slaves.

This batch significantly supplements the labor force of Origin City, and more slaves are coming.

Each army expansion is a torment for the veterans.

On average, a veteran has to lead two or three new soldiers in training.

And the captains are even busier than busy.

The training process is complete, but the disciplining process is hard; grit your teeth, and you’ll overcome it.

Anyway, Roman is unlikely to start a war in the short term.

Roman also talked to Finn.

Not only young workers, he wants women and children too; even those elders in their forties and fifties, they have lower value but are somewhat useful.

You all can bicker like fools in the north.

But don’t kill civilians, for heaven’s sake, don’t!

If you kill any more, there’ll be no one left to do the work!

These dumbasses are purely wasting resources—if you dare kill civilians again, I’ll kill you all! (angry)

Farming.

Still need to farm.

But this time, Roman’s farming is special.

He’s planting experimental fields.

Need to increase the cultivation area, and improve crop varieties.

Hold both hands firm and strong!

...

In the scorching summer.

Roman brought Gwivelle to the rice field.

The paddy field paths crisscross, dividing the fields into enclosed sections, appearing very orderly.

The mud of the original swamp is very fertile, but the primitive soil varies in quality, and the rice needs time to adapt.

Currently, Roman has reclaimed about seven hundred acres of rice fields; they have all been sown.

Most of the rice is in the tillering stage, a small part still in seedling transplantation, as some fields were newly prepared not long ago.

Rice is a seasonal crop; three crops a year is hopeless, but two crops a year is feasible here with ample sunlight and appropriate latitude.

Roman plans to employ five thousand laborers to reclaim two thousand acres of rice fields in preparation for next year’s harvest.

This year won’t make it.

The environment changed abruptly, re-adapting to the climate, the primordial mud not yet improved...

From just a glance at the rice in the tillering stage, Roman knows expecting its yield is futile.

If this year achieves a yield of a hundred pounds per acre, it’s a win.

In Roman’s eyes, this is an extremely crucial crop, potentially becoming a major staple alongside wheat.

Therefore, Roman values rice more than wheat.

However, using traditional breeding methods, it would take at least seventy, eighty to ninety generations of rice planting and succession to barely pick out quality traits,

The whole process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly.

According to the two-harvest-a-year method, this seventy, eighty to ninety generations of wheat would take at least four to five years.

Roman can’t wait that long.

By next year at the latest, he must see the results of the costs invested in clearing and cultivation.

...

Gwivelle!

Go ahead!

You’re the one!

...

Gwivelle’s Destiny talent can influence all things.

To what extent it can achieve...

Roman doesn’t know.

But Gwivelle surely can’t change the macro world.

For instance, the anti-rebellion army of the Spring Rain Battle, even if Gwivelle sticks needles in voodoo dolls, chants, casts spells, witchcraft, yansheng, prays... anyhow, whatever sinister methods used.

But she cries day and night, exhausting herself; if luck is good, maybe she could cry a Judgement Knight to death.

Just as if the Judgement Knight didn’t wear Mountain Copper Plate Armor, wore no gemstones, had a weak constitution, and died of a cold, fell, or suffered a sudden heart attack, just died coincidentally.

But what about the other twenty-nine?

Even if she becomes a High-level Witch, cursing thirty Judgement Knights altogether.

But what about the Shattered Archers?

What about those tens of thousands of anti-rebellion troops?

Moreover, the nuns of the choir can counter that unpredictable Destiny Power.

That is to say, Gwivelle’s Destiny Magic, in the macro world, actually can’t play a decisive role, even if it can exert some influence, at most it’s only helping along with the flow.

The macro world doesn’t work, but the micro world can.