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

Chapter 273 Medieval Features You Must Try
One pound of soybean oil can make one pound of soap, and one pound of soap can be cut into five bars of soap.

To produce a total of 10,000 jin of oil, more than 100,000 jin of soybeans need to be pressed.

Soybean meal after oil extraction is a higher quality feed than soybeans, and cattle and horses that do heavy work need to be fed concentrated feed.

Therefore, oil extraction is a sure-fire way to make money, and it's just a way to supplement the nutrition of those cattle and horses.

Jimmy just couldn't understand Roman's intentions.

Flood control is a matter of life and death for everyone in Origin City. It is something they should do, so why should they be given a favor?

"I'm here to report on the epidemic situation. Your lord, you bestowed the miraculous garlic medicine upon them, and most of them are out of danger, but we probably won't be able to start work for the next few days."

Jimmy handed the report to Roman.

Roman glanced at it; he wasn't planning on making any big moves in the next few days anyway.

Training at the military camp was also suspended for two days to allow them to rest and recuperate for a while.

"Okay, I understand. You take care of the soap first."

Upon hearing this, Jimmy bowed and left.

Roman also needs to start making further arrangements.

The whereabouts of the four hundred children who passed the exams are still unknown.

In an era where everyone skips prenatal education, in Origin City, literacy is graduation.

Roman couldn't teach them anything more advanced either; it would take too long to train them.

Once the secondary school textbooks are printed, each student will receive a copy so they can study on their own.

Those with good grades are promoted, while those with poor grades remain at the grassroots level.

The only problem is that some of these students are older children over ten years old, while others are younger children under ten.

Jimmy, a three-star apostle, is exceptionally talented. With Seth constantly looking after him, he manages a residents' department at the age of ten, which is actually quite good.

Other students won't do. Sais only needs to take on one apprentice; how could he possibly cram dozens or hundreds into his class?

Let these kids hang out with the various departments for now.

It's impossible for him to directly become a manager.

Letting immature kids manage people will diminish their authority if something goes wrong.

Simply put, appointments cannot be made arbitrarily.

Let them do some simple reading and writing tasks first, like messengers or clerks.

In the past, administration relied entirely on shouting—for example, once Roman notified the town of Coal and Iron to produce farm tools, he would have to send someone on horseback to deliver the instructions verbally to the blacksmiths.

This is what the average illiteracy rate is.

Of course, this is just an example. Given the importance of the coal and iron town, it wouldn't be difficult for Roman to arrange for a few literate people.

But what about other positions?

Heed the order today, but forgot it tomorrow.

Or perhaps you misheard, which is also a problem.

You talk about the city gate tower, he listens to the hip joint.

That won't do; administrative management needs to be elevated to the document level.

Important orders, including policy directives, personnel deployments, legal and military matters, were all put in writing.

All the children had to do was read the edict aloud and follow the procedures.

Once they have gained work experience, they will be promoted one by one to become junior managers, responsible for a specific production process.

Another thing is that Roman brought in Seth.

"I want to open several department stores in Origin City."

Seth was taken aback. "What's this for?"

"Selling things."

What's the purpose of opening this?

Roman said matter-of-factly, "I want to get my money back."

Seth was taken aback again; it seemed to make a lot of sense.

Roman has hardly ever collected taxes and is very generous with his money.

He employs more than 4,000 skilled workers alone.

Miners, blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, tailors, leather craftsmen, dyers, textile workers, etc.

Their wages varied: miners received five copper coins per month, carpenters and blacksmiths received four, stonemasons received three, and tailors and textile workers received two.

In return, Roman stopped providing them with benefits such as winter and summer clothing, and at most provided them with work meals while they were working.

Even so, the monthly hiring fees alone could bankrupt a minor nobleman.

This wealth has truly flowed into society. Because it doesn't just represent them personally, but involves an entire family.

Most farmers dream of becoming artisans because they earn wages.

Therefore, the farmers treated the newly arrived slaves with great enthusiasm, teaching them various farming techniques so that they could finish their work as quickly as possible and secretly learn some skills so that they could become craftsmen when Roman recruited more workers next time.

Who would farm if they could get a salary?

Roman is now rich, especially after receiving the ransom from the Battle of Spring Rain; he could practically open a bank.

But he still couldn't pay everyone's salary; it was a bottomless pit.

He now needs a large workforce to work for him without pay.

Farmers may receive the money in the future, but certainly not now.

The department stores were not targeting farmers, but rather artisans.

A society that cannot consume is a society without potential.

It's not that they don't consume.

Rather, Roman never gave them the opportunity to spend money.

Therefore, the residents always treated the merchant ships as if they were seeing their own relatives.

But those were all small, scattered goods, which couldn't possibly support the needs of the entire Origin City—because Roman took the bulk of the cargo from the merchant ships, leaving only the less desirable goods for others.

This is not a trading hub, and despite its rapid development, it still attracts a limited number of merchants.

The inability to spend money is a potential contradiction faced by the wealthy in Origin City.

Of course, because Origin City is developing rapidly, this conflict will be hidden.

But Roman now wants to provide a channel for consumption.

Department stores are a better choice.

Seth asked, "So what do you want to sell?"

"Soap, beer, maltose, meat, cheese, cake, clothing, furniture..." Roman rattled off a long list.

Seth realized the key point.

These things are not things that ordinary people can access.

For example, maltose and craft beer.

Both will be available in unlimited quantities only during celebrations.

The price of maltose offered to nobles was 1.5 jin of maltose for 1 silver coin, while Romans sold it for a lower price, 10 jin for 1 silver coin.

It can be sold in small quantities; half a copper coin will get you a large ball, and you'll taste a sweetness almost indistinguishable from honey.

As for beer?

A medieval specialty you absolutely must try.

If the residents of Origin City want to drink beer, they can only buy beer from merchants, but the amount is far from enough, and the taste is far inferior to the beer brewed by Roman with malt and hops.

Due to the limitations of the era, although craft beer is called craft beer, its purity and concentration certainly cannot compare with modern beer.

One pound of wheat yields 1.3 pounds of malt, which can be used to brew 5 pounds of craft beer.

One copper coin can buy about ten kilograms of wheat or ten kilograms of beer. That's not expensive, is it?

Meat is quite special.

Roman had never seen a vegetarian in this era.

He raised a large number of livestock, with pigs and sheep being sold almost every day.

However, for regular work meals, each person is lucky to get half an ounce of meat per day, and at most they drink some meat broth.

The same applies to cheese and cakes; how could such delicate foods be made in a large kitchen without the necessary resources?

The clothing includes fur coats, shoes, hats, and more.

Although Roman furnished the brick house with a set of furniture, it was only basic furniture, and he still needed to add more things.

And soap...

Seth had just heard that Roman was going to distribute 60,000 bars of soap.

Five yuan per person sounds like a lot, but this stuff is gone once it's used up.

They cannot expect Roman to make a second soap, much less expect a flood next time.

No, if I want to use it, I'll have to buy it.

Soap isn't expensive.

A quarter of a copper coin will sell to you for two bars, and one copper coin is worth eight bars of soap.

(End of this chapter)