Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest

On that day, Roman had chopped down a total of five trees.

This added 10 Collection Experience Points to his tally.

Because of the long-term exertion of his arms, by the time the fifth pine tree fell, Roman felt his arms were extremely tired yet capable of more, but he saw no need to force himself.

Moreover, as evening approached, Roman took Gwivelle back to Origin Manor.

The following cook, Bob, had prepared dinner.

Buttered bread, char-grilled lamb chops, fried ham, vegetable soup with carrots, and a large jug of milk.

Once Roman took his seat, he poured himself and Gwivelle a cup of hot milk.

Seth suddenly said, "Lord, today a farmer came to me, hoping you would allocate the land to them as soon as possible. Even if the tax is higher, changing from fifty percent to sixty percent, they would accept it."

Roman picked up a fragrant lamb chop and took his time chewing the meat.

He said, "Why should I distribute the land to them?"

Seth replied, "Those farmers said you've broken the land lease contract."

Roman didn't deny it, "Yes, I've broken it, so what? He can go find the Black Iron King to punish me."

He had now integrated all the resources of Sige Town.

If he were to distribute the lands, it would mean dispersing the workforce.

All those farmers would go and cultivate their allocated land in the old, traditional way.

That was a vast stretch of land calculated in tens of thousands of acres, on which all the people of Sige Town could scatter without casting a shadow.

Who would then cultivate his land?

Seth thought this was inappropriate; as Roman's retainer and knowing that Roman was not a man to disregard the life of another.

As the standout among the Grand Duke's illegitimate children, Roman had come to Sige Town with all his wits, not to destroy it but to build it.

After all, he was its lord.

There was certainly a great hidden danger in this affair.

He felt that Roman should start in an orderly fashion, using the methods of other nobles to govern first, to give the vassals a sense of security, and then progressively change the old traditions.

For example, to start by deep plowing and fertilizing a hundred acres. If effective, they could expand the area next year.

This would be the most prudent approach.

But what Seth didn't expect was for Roman to flip the table right from the start.

Without any precedent, he went all-in, a move that was difficult for anyone to understand.

Roman was determined on this matter, not heeding anyone's advice.

After dinner, Roman went back to his room to rest.

The night passed without incident.

When dawn broke, Roman awoke.

He bit into a few slices of white bread, had a quick breakfast, then went to the storeroom, slung the axe over his shoulder, and continued to the northern forest to chop trees.

The fatigue from the previous day hadn't fully subsided.

Therefore, this morning Roman only managed to chop down three large trees and two smaller ones.

Gwivelle watched Roman chopping wood, stroke after stroke, with rapt attention. She sat on a log, chin in hand, thoroughly engrossed, not bored in the slightest.

...

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[Collection Experience +1]

Roman glanced at the experience points for [Collection], which had accumulated 20 points—it was now 80 points shy of leveling up.

If he chopped trees for another four or five days, he would be able to upgrade his [Collection] to Level 2.

Roman valued the [Collection] skill highly as it related to both quarrying and mining.

The difficulty of upgrading from Level 1 to Level 2 was low, but reaching Level 3 required 380 experience points. As expected, the amount of experience necessary grew with each level. It would take Roman several tens of days to reach Level 3, and even longer to advance to Level 4.

Thus, he planned to first improve various Level 1 life skills.

His Level 2 [Planting] skill was sufficient for now.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

Another tall tree fell.

Roman took a deep breath, and Gwivelle immediately brought over a handkerchief.

Just as he was preparing to rest for a moment before continuing to chop, there was a faint commotion coming from the Origin Manor.

A male slave dashed anxiously from the manor towards them.

"Lord, something's happened; you'd better go look," he said.

Roman returned to the manor and from a distance saw hundreds of farmers gathered at the foot of the slope.

Guards armed with long spears formed a blockade. Aaron and Green stood in front of the guards, both Conquest Knights fully armed, standing on either side like door gods. There were traces of blood on the ground, a clear indication that a bloody event had occurred.

Moor and several stewards hid in a safe spot, not daring to step forward to speak.

Yet Seth stood upright in front of the two, facing a crowd far larger in number. The Deacon was unafraid; instead, he sternly reprimanded the crowds for their offensive behavior.

Because it was too distant, Roman couldn't hear what they were saying.

When he showed up, the already agitated crowd surged forward with even more unrest.

Aaron stepped forward, shielding Seth behind him. His raised Round Shield was like a steadfast rock resisting the crowd's advance.

Roman rebuked them, "What are you doing!"

The crowd immediately quieted down, all eyes fixated on the esteemed Lord.

He stood on higher ground, his dark brown hair draped over his shoulders, looking like a young male lion that had just reached adulthood. His shoulders weren't particularly broad, but his figure was robust, upholding his majesty. His expression was calm, and when his crimson eyes focused, they were as sharp as an eagle's, commanding a powerful force that made it difficult for onlookers to meet his gaze directly.

When he approached, at the forefront of the crowd stood over a dozen elderly farmers who hesitantly said, "Lord, we wish to divide the land."

Roman lifted his chin and declared, "I will not allow it!"

The crowd behind the old farmers began to stir once more.

The old farmer said, "The land you've allowed us to cultivate is too little; we need more land."

They were acutely aware of the exact boundaries of the land demarcated by Roman, and Roman's prohibition on cultivating land beyond that demarcation was a clear message.

Farmers who had participated in yesterday's cultivation also sobered up from the joy they had felt upon seeing the heavy plow.

With years of cultivation experience, they knew that this piece of land was not enough to sustain everyone.

After brewing for a day, the farmers, unable to bear it any longer, had gathered to initiate this large-scale disturbance.

The elderly farmer's voice was faint and humble but carried an unwavering determination. "We need to divide the land; only then can we avoid starving to death. Even if you increase the taxes, we are willing to agree."

Roman feigned deafness, "Have you done what you were supposed to do today? How much manure have you piled today? How much land have you cultivated? The new heavy plow forged by Lax—have you taken it out for use?"

The old farmer shook his head, "Lord, please be merciful; we see no hope for survival."

Roman impatiently demanded, "Tell me! How can I make you obey me?"

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