You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 132 The Mandate of Heaven is Clear
“Morey hasn’t been here for a long time,” Roman said to Seth.

To be precise, more than a hundred days have passed.

The merchant never appeared in Sig Town again after he left in the fall.

Seth replied, "Perhaps something has delayed me."

For businessmen, a delay of one or two months is not a big deal.

However, it has not been seen even though winter is almost over.

They've probably run into even bigger trouble, leaving them with no way out.

The mountains are high and the roads are long, and transportation is difficult. No one knows whether Morey is alive or dead.

Roman could only wait for news.

Now his reach cannot extend to lands thousands of miles away; he can only barely touch Kant's territory a hundred miles away.

During this period of time.

Roman embarked on a massive construction project, building over five hundred empty brick houses for slaves to move into.

The roads for salt production, railways, and coal mining have been completed.

They also renovated the blacksmith's shed and the woodworking shop.

The infrastructure of Sig has been greatly improved, plugging the loopholes caused by the previous rapid development of Roman.

……

On the 360th day since Roman arrived in Sig.

At the end of this winter, Roman issued a call to action, gathering all the forces of Sig Town.

"Dakken, have you done what I asked you to do?"

Daken stepped forward and said respectfully, "Sir, I have contacted all the merchants I could find and rented more than forty merchant ships in total."

As for whether the transport capacity was sufficient, Roman had no idea.

Just prepare as much as possible; it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Winter is the off-season for trade. The environment is harsh, roads are inconvenient, some rivers freeze over, and overall social demand for goods is very low. As a result, merchant ships are either repaired or left idle.

During this lean season, it is extremely easy to rent a boat.

They had established a trust relationship with Sig Town during the summer and autumn, and had no intention of refusing this rental arrangement.

Since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well earn some extra money.

Small boats can carry seven or eight people, while larger merchant ships can carry a dozen or more.

The former only requires a few silver coins for rent, while the largest merchant ships require payment in gold coins.

Moreover, the longer you use it, the more rent you pay.

"Jet, are my warriors ready?"

Jet's expression remained indifferent as he bowed slightly: "I will obey your orders."

Behind him stood six hundred soldiers in full uniform, all with solemn military postures, like a forest of steel.

Their full set of equipment consisted of linen linings, soft armor coats, and leather breastplates.

Coarse linen gloves, arm guards, and leg guards.

Leather walking boots.

They were dressed in the same uniform and looked like a single entity.

They all wore round steel helmets, and carried scimitars and short swords at their waists. Their main weapons were spears, longbows, and long-handled axes.

The most eye-catching force was the heavily armored troops, two hundred soldiers, each with only a short sword at their waist, wearing half-body plate armor, and carrying large shields, as solid as a mountain.

"Seth?"

The old deacon nodded and said, "The four hundred accompanying servants are also ready."

This is a conscripted force from the common people. They are not required to fight on the front lines; their role is solely to assist in transporting supplies and providing logistical support.

Even so, these menial servants were selected from over three thousand people.

Most of them were blacksmith apprentices in the blacksmith's workshop or laborers in the livestock shed. They were strong and agile enough not to hold anyone back.

The entire town of Sig stopped all work that could be stopped, and everyone had to cooperate with Roman's plundering plan.

"good very good!"

During this winter, he either taught in the classroom, visited military camps to offer his regards, or selected qualified military servants, so he naturally knew that preparations were in place.

They repeatedly confirmed the marching route with Daken and had the soldiers conduct continuous training simulations in similar environments to ensure everything went smoothly.

In order to enhance the combat capabilities of the apostles.

Roman smelted dozens of gold coins, hundreds of silver coins, and thousands of kilograms of enchanted steel, greatly enhancing the combat capabilities of some individual soldiers.

They squandered all their metal currency and extraordinary resources.

The trip was well-prepared, and there was absolutely no indication of the possibility of failure.

……

Roman's definition of the "Spring Project" is very flexible.

It is basically based on the development of Sig Town. It can begin before spring arrives to provide nutrients for the following spring.

It could also begin next spring, truly living up to its name.

It can also be carried out after the end of next spring.

Now, it is undoubtedly the first type, plundering a large population before the end of winter to contribute to next year's construction work.

Pirate tournament, the destruction of the Guardian family...

Upon learning these two pieces of news, Roman knew he needed to hurry up and develop.

Therefore, he needs to launch the Spring Plan ahead of schedule.

He had been actively preparing for this raid all winter.

All soldiers underwent at least three months of intensive military training.

They were in very poor condition, but during this period they ate fish and meat every day and trained at an extremely high intensity.

Although they can't be called an iron-willed army, they have undergone an initial transformation and become qualified soldiers.

He rode a pure white horse and delivered his pre-battle speech.

"You know what we're here to do!"

"Bearing the will of Heaven, you are about to save those who suffer. Heed my command, do not waver! This is an act of justice, an act of honor!"

Roman raised his right fist high, forming a semi-circle.

Brush brush!
All the soldiers raised their right fists, their strong arms forming a semi-circle, echoing Roman's right arm.

Roman's military salute, when exchanged, forms a circle, like a divine halo.

"set off!"

Roman shouted.

"Set off!!"

The responses were deafening.

Everyone quickly got to work.

Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!
The carpenters pushed a hundred rafts into the water, each carrying twelve warriors, and sailed down the Bro River, leaving the basin.

This is the first match for Sig Town, and Roman is among them.

The sheer number of Apostles involved triggered the War Mode in Noah's Ark.

……

Main quest unlocked

[In order to obtain a large labor force, you orchestrated this rescue plan... with the ultimate goal of liberating the people from their oppressive suffering.]

[Mode: Integrated Operations]

Current level: 0-1

[Level Name: Destiny Begins Today]

[Level Introduction: Manifest Destiny, Boundless and Limitless]

[Recommendation Level: ——]

[Battlefield Log: —]

……

The raft reached the shore, and the soldiers stepped onto land.

These rafts are not disposable; their manufacturing cost is extremely high.

Even so, the transport capacity was still insufficient, so the supplies and livestock were transported in advance, a process that took a whole day.

The people in Sige Town have to bring the rafts back; these are valuable assets and cannot be discarded carelessly.

Roman arrived downstream and needed to travel from there to Kandeling. The journey would then involve traversing mountains and valleys for a total of seventy kilometers, with undulating mountain roads.

Even highly trained soldiers could not arrive in a day.

Roman was well aware of the situation and had made the necessary mental preparations for this arduous journey.

When marching, one cannot be fully armed.

Everyone had to place their armor and weapons on heavily armored wagons pulled by horses, especially the heavily armored troops.

Roman rode a white horse, leading the way, and led the caravan and army through the mountains.

A series of clear chirps, like those of a sparrow, came from ahead.

Birds and animals hibernate in winter, making any movement or sound exceptionally noticeable.

Roman knew that it was the whistle from Dota's scout team that was exploring ahead.

If a problem is detected, it will emit a different kind of whistle, similar to that of birds.

There are different interpretations based on the rhythm of the whistle, such as long-short-long, long-long-short, short-long-short, which can convey more than ten different messages.

(End of this chapter)