Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

Roman had earlier cleared ten acres of vegetable land to the north of the manor.

This was quite normal, as nobles usually established some self-operated farmland next to their castle estates, primarily for the purpose of supplying food and drink to the people in the manor.

Continuing north for about a hundred meters, he reached the edge of the forest.

He first took a look and found that this mixed forest was mainly composed of pine trees, and the rest were elm trees, white wax trees, and generally tall arboreal trees, towering and stout.

Moreover, the forest contained not only trees but also more shrubs and weeds, which were extremely dense and had spread out from the forest, making it difficult for humans to pass through.

Roman held an axe and started chopping around.

He first spent half an hour clearing the dried shrubs and weeds at the edge of the forest.

It's worth mentioning that clearing the shrubs could also trigger the notice "Collection Experience +1."

Gwivelle also helped to pile up the shrubs and weeds cut by Roman.

The area, which originally appeared densely vegetated, suddenly became spacious.

The pine trees had needle leaves, which had accumulated a thick layer on the ground over the years.

Roman glanced at it, the dry pine needles on the ground were mostly in a semi-decomposed state, easily crushed with a hand.

He then moved about ten meters further into the forest, pulled apart the pine needles, and checked the soil beneath, finding it to be well-decomposed pine needle soil.

The decomposed pine needles formed natural nutrient-rich soil, approximately ten centimeters thick.

This substance itself could be used as fertilizer, which, while not enough for large-scale farming due to the difficulty in collection, was more than sufficient for the ten acres of vegetable land he had just cultivated, especially considering the proximity which negated transportation concerns.

Just spreading a layer in the vegetable fields would effectively enhance the yield of the vegetables.

This discovery delighted Roman, as with this natural decomposed soil, he no longer needed to haul fertilizer over from Sige Town.

Roman returned to the edge of the forest and found his first target—a fifteen-meter-high red pine with a diameter of seventy to eighty centimeters.

He looked up for a moment, gripped the axe, and found an appropriate spot to start by lightly scraping off the pine bark with the blade, revealing large patches of white wood.

Then, Roman lifted the axe, chopped at a downward angle, and without much effort, the weight and speed helped him to penetrate four to five centimeters deep.

He wiggled the handle and pulled the axe out.

Cutting trees was a skillful task, he planned to chop all afternoon; relying solely on brute force wouldn't last long, energy should be conserved where possible.

Roman chopped diagonally four or five times, then started chopping horizontally, quickly cutting a notch, and then continued to expand the range of the notch by chopping diagonally again.

He didn't use much strength each time, but the enduring, powerful sound of chopping continued to resonate in the area.

In ten minutes, Roman had chopped a standard thirty-centimeter-deep V-shaped notch.

Then, he cut another notch on the back side of the red pine, creating a pincer movement.

But that still wasn't enough; Roman also started another notch on the side.

Swinging the axe and bending over, he chopped at this red pine dozens of times.

During this period, wood chips continuously splattered out, and the large chunks of wood could break away several meters.

Feeling it was about right, Roman turned his head and said, "Gwivelle, step back."

Gwivelle had been watching Roman chop the tree, somewhat spellbound by his succinct but captivating movements.

Upon hearing his words, she immediately turned and ran far away.

Roman gripped the axe and began to swing heavily. After about four or five chops, it took effect.

Crack!

Finally, the red pine tree fell down.

Wobbling towards Roman's side as it fell.

This left him speechless; he thought having Gwivelle step away was unnecessary—the tree wouldn't have hit this lucky person.

Roman deliberately chopped higher on the side facing him, intending for it to fall in the direction of the lower gap. Yet, it still fell the other way.

If it had been a malnourished, slow-reacting farmer, such an unexpected change might have frightened them and brought disaster.

But Roman simply took one step aside and dodged the tree.

Boom!

The red pine crashed to the ground, inevitably bringing Roman a feeling of pride.

"Hmph, hmph."

Roman glanced at the game prompt and discovered that the red pine had provided him with two "collection" experience points.

It took him about an hour, which was quite a fast pace.

Roman did not hurry to chop down the second tree. Instead, he cleared the branches from the fallen red pine, turning it into a round log.

Roman and Gwivelle picked up the pine branches and threw them together with a pile of dried bushes.

That was when Aaron came over.

He asked, "Roman, how should I train the guards tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Roman thought momentarily and then with hand gestures said, "Your position is an instructor. Start with the basics—teach them how to stand at attention, line up, turn around, call the numbers, and march. I need an army that follows orders, not a loose group of militiamen like the guards."

Aaron nodded, "Okay."

Roman continued, "I have now improved their treatment; neither grain nor meat will be lacking. So, you can demand strictness from them. Once spring is over, I will draw a substantial number of hands from the farmers to join you. Your task is significant now. If necessary, you can have Green assist you."

Aaron understood Roman's intention—his current batch of guards would become the backbone of Sige Town's future military, essentially reserve officers.

He left quickly, already familiar with the basic training Roman had mentioned when they were young, and Roman previously declared he would one day build an invincible army.

But Grand Duke Domain did not offer him room to fully realize his vision.

Roman turned back to chopping trees, knowing Aaron would not let him down.

"Master Roman, this is for you," Gwivelle said, holding it high.

Roman looked over and saw that it was hazelnuts, likely from last year's fall, still in fine condition, unaffected by damp, mold, and pests. He wondered where in some hidden nook Gwivelle had found them—perhaps she stumbled upon a squirrel's hoard.

"Let me taste."

Roman cracked the nutshells with his axe and threw the nuts into his mouth, finding them extremely tasty and crisp.

Roman ate several more, then asked Gwivelle, "Do you want some?"

Gwivelle, tugging at the corner of her dress, lowly said, "I've eaten a lot before."

Roman just responded, "Oh," and did not continue the conversation. The mountains had many resources, but he guessed Gwivelle's daily food mainly came from easily collected wild fruits, mushrooms, nuts, etc.

These were likely brought specially for him to eat, so Roman did not hold back and ate them all in one go.

Gwivelle burst into an uncontrollable smile.