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

Chapter 270: Can't Afford to Gamble

Every summer, this place experiences torrential rains.

But that's a good thing.

If there is no rain in summer and plenty of rain in winter, with rain and heat not occurring at the same time, then Roman will have a real headache, and no matter what he plants, the yield will not be high.

According to Moore, the heavy rains in previous years only lasted intermittently for one or two days.

Last year, there were only two heavy rainstorms.

This is even better.

It provides enough moisture without ruining the crops.

Roman stood in front of the manor hall, gazing at the dark clouds and storm in the sky, as large raindrops pattered down.

Torrential rain!

Roman felt inexplicably uneasy.

Because tomorrow will also be a rainstorm.

He spent months developing the swamp, but only managed to reclaim a few hundred acres. Most of the labor was spent on building a good drainage system to cope with torrential rains.

should be no problem!
Roman thought to himself.

He was different from before; in the past, he would pace back and forth because of the heavy rain, feeling somewhat anxious and uncertain.

But now that Origin City has a solid foundation, a rainstorm shouldn't be a concern for him; it can't shake his foundation.

Just to be on the safe side.

Roman, wearing a straw raincoat, went to the paddy field to check the situation.

Countless raindrops pounded into the puddles, stirring up thick water vapor that severely reduced visibility.

Roman saw the Ministry of Agriculture leading people to drain water in the rain from a great distance.

He had patiently taught rice cultivation methods to the officials in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, using the power of the sapphire to instill the relevant knowledge, so he grasped it immediately.

But the rest of the people were planting rice for the first time.

We had never heard of this before, so we had no idea how to grow it. We could only follow the instructions of the supervisors.

The old man put a lot of effort into planting rice, saying that the future yield of rice would be higher than that of wheat.

So no one raised any questions; everyone was secretly looking forward to it.

The boss is always right.

"My lord, what brings you here?" The agricultural official, Mohr, wearing a straw raincoat, came to greet Roman.

"Check the situation."

"Don't worry, we'll stay here until this rainstorm stops, and the crops in the fields won't suffer any damage..." Moore said obsequiously, rubbing his hands together.

"The drainage work must be done well," Roman instructed.

Moore always took his words seriously. He wiped the rain from his forehead and followed him on the inspection for a long time.

Roman only returned home after confirming that everything was in order.

He got a day off today.

The rain stopped in the afternoon.

It started raining again in the evening.

Roman doesn't hate the rain, but he hates being unable to do anything about it.

He fell asleep listening to the rain outside the window, hoping the heavy rain would pass quickly.

……

I don't know how much time had passed, but the rain outside was still pattering.

Roman woke up from his dream.

His biological clock is very regular; he usually gets up at five o'clock.

The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is check the weather forecast for tomorrow, so I can plan my work in Origin City.

Then, Roman's pupils contracted sharply, and the last trace of sleepiness vanished in an instant.

He jumped out of bed.

Grabbing his clothes from the dimly lit room, he rushed out and put them on as he walked.

"Seth!!"

Roman's voice startled half the manor.

Soon, many maids and servants woke up.

The old deacon, Seth, appeared before Roman with surprising speed, his gray hair unusually disheveled and uncombed.

He was clearly awakened.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"There might be a major flood! Come with me to find people to help with flood relief!" Roman said.

……

Twenty minutes later.

Several horses galloped out of the manor and ran off in all directions, issuing a call to arms throughout the entire Origin City.

It should have been dawn long ago, but the sky was still shrouded in darkness.

The drizzle gradually intensified. For the various settlements in Origin City, this was the most leisurely time of the year.

Since they haven't received a notice to resume work, they don't have to worry about anything.

But when the rapid sound of hooves came from the stone road, the heavy rain could not conceal the swift figure that swept past.

Like some kind of signal, it quickly awakened one settlement after another.

Then one by one, people walked out of the settlement.

……

Two hours later.

Hundreds and thousands of workers were mobilized.

Even more people arrived later.

Most people looked bewildered, not understanding what was happening, and there was a lot of noise all around.

Each residential area is a small village with a representative similar to a village chief. This representative has no real power but receives a salary. Their main role is to assist in public management, and they are usually strong or respected individuals.

Roman summoned the administrative officials and explained the current situation, which was not complicated and was very easy to understand.

The administrative staff then briefed the village chiefs of each residential area on the situation.

The district chiefs of those residential areas then began to explain the situation to the farmers.

The message was relayed down layer by layer, and soon everyone was notified.

The farmers, braving the rain, heard the unsettling news, their expressions varied: bewilderment, surprise, doubt, fear, anxiety, and lamentation...

But they didn't have time to think about that anymore.

……

It’s different in the past.

Sige Town once had fewer than two thousand people, guarding tens of thousands of acres of farmland. If a heavy rainstorm hit, those farmlands would simply be flooded.

Moreover, the production cuts won't be too severe.

The floodwaters will recede soon.

They gritted their teeth, tightened their stomachs, and knew they would get through it.

In the previous two years, Roman didn't pay much attention to the rainstorm.

Although he wanted to build water conservancy projects, he knew that everything had to be done step by step.

Moreover, the cultivated area was relatively small in the past, only 10,000 to 20,000 mu. Based on past experience, heavy rain should not pose a great threat to it.

This year, the effective arable land area in Qiyuan City has doubled.

Although the total area is only about 30,000 to 40,000 mu, the rainstorm came much more rapidly.

Roman was like a cat with its fur standing on end.

In the face of natural disasters, poor organization, inadequate tools, and a lack of flood control methods are tantamount to having no response measures at all.

Even if a torrential downpour strengthens you, you still have to endure it in such a backward social organization.

But could Roman tolerate this?

To manage local disasters, a strong government, sufficient organizational capacity, and a ruler whom everyone can trust are all required.

We must avert this disaster!

……

morning.

The rain has weakened somewhat, but it still continues.

The seven thousand idle laborers each received a portion of bread and hot porridge at the large kitchen.

No one saved any of it; they swallowed it directly in the rain to avoid the whole wheat bread turning into mush.

After eating.

They carried shovels and hoes, forming a long and impressive procession.

They are going to dig a canal to release the floodwaters.

Despite the heavy rains of yesterday and last night causing a significant rise in water levels downstream, they haven't seen a single sign of flooding.

But the master said so.

They could only proceed with it, albeit with some skepticism.

The boss is always right.

More importantly, there is no room for jokes in agricultural production.

Even if it's fake, you have to treat it as real.

Roman wasn't sure if there really was a flood.

But it's always good to be prepared.

Food security is now extremely important for Origin City.

If a major flood really occurs, even if not all farmland is submerged, just a quarter of the farmland will be flooded, and the consequences will be unbearable.

He couldn't afford to gamble.

……

(End of this chapter)