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

Chapter 288 The General with Two Chariots (Bonus Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

This year, Origin City experienced a light snowfall in October, followed by two heavy snowfalls in early and late November.

Even so, Origin City maintained a fairly rapid pace of development.

Even during the light snowfall in October, no one stopped working despite the snow.

They worked tirelessly to cut down trees, cultivate land, build houses, pave roads, repair water conservancy projects, transform pastures, and sow seeds for next year's pasture.

But it won't work when there's heavy snow in November.

Development has encountered obstacles.

For example, slaves who were sent out to clear land and were lightly dressed should be brought back to prevent them from freezing in the snow.

For example, heavy snow can block roads, making the transportation of supplies very difficult.

Although winter supplies had been stockpiled long ago, it was still necessary to ensure rapid communication.

Roman had to arrange for people to clear the snow to keep the roads clear.

……

December.

The snow-covered earth showed no signs of melting.

Roman rallied the residents of Origin City who had received winter clothing the previous year to begin clearing land.

The slaves, dressed only in thin clothes, stayed in the brick house, warming themselves by the iron stove.

Fearing that the workers would freeze to death, Roman increased their supply of honeycomb briquettes to eight, otherwise it wouldn't be enough to burn.

As for the residents of the city that originated from the land reclamation?
Who gave you clothes to wear? If you have clothes to wear, you can work.

They can't bring themselves to resent it; why would they resent the high standard of living?

Moreover, the officials from the Ministry of Residents and the Ministry of Agriculture have been repeatedly emphasizing that their workload this year will determine their treatment next year.

If next year's harvest is good, then the rationing system will be abolished.

If next year's harvest is poor, the rationing system will continue.

Since it was a matter of life and death, the residents who were able to get brick houses were generally not the type to slack off or cheat, so they had no choice but to work hard in the snow.

In agricultural technology, there is a concept called winter plowing.

Winter plowing has many benefits, including accelerating soil maturation.

Wasteland reclaimed in winter is often easy to cultivate.

Although the snowfall was extremely heavy, it was not a snow disaster.

The cold air from the north doesn't reach here, so the temperature in the basin is still within an acceptable range.

In this situation, the thicker the snow layer, the bountiful the harvest the following year.

Gweil would also take Roman, who was alright, to the wheat field to offer blessings.

Winter wheat has an extremely long dormancy period, 2.2 times longer than spring wheat – spring wheat can be harvested in 100 days, but winter wheat takes 220 days. This long dormancy period is to accumulate nutrients for the following year – just like the current Origin City.

The Jihadist army's blockade remains in place, like a layer of snow that cannot freeze the wheat seedlings beneath the heavy snow.

……

At this time, a fleet broke through the Holy War Army's blockade and arrived at Origin City.

The visitor was Ser Damon, Chancellor of the Iron King.

Roman received him in the conference room.

"Lord, we meet again." Damon said with a smile.

His cloak was even more magnificent than Roman's, its colors as vibrant as a peacock's. He wore a fine red agate on his chest, the gem's power maintaining his body temperature even in the dead of winter.

Roman also had agate, but he never wore it.

He believed that thing would erode his will.

Roman sneered, "I thought the king had abandoned this place long ago."

“You’ve made such a huge mess that His Majesty the King is in a difficult position…” Damon said. “Lord, you should know why I’m here.”

Roman snapped his fingers, and five knights carrying in a wooden crate entered.

Damon opened the wooden box, and a golden, alluring light shone into his eyes. "You are a man of your word!" Damon said.

This is a full thousand catties of gold.

Roman said, "Lord Damon, if I offer more gold, will His Majesty the King send troops to my aid?"

Send troops? Send troops against whom?
Damon asked Roman, "Isn't the Holy See's holy war army after witches? What does it have to do with you?"

Throughout history—at least up to now—human beings have not had very complex political struggles.

Roman won the Battle of Spring Rains against the Papacy and Gael.

The Iron King bestowed upon him a series of titles, including Guardian of the Valley, Lord, and Hand of War.

In this game of thrones, the opposing forces of the master of the Black Iron Throne and the Grand Duke of Dragonhold are obvious.

"My Lord, the situation is tense enough right now. You may not know because you are far away, but His Majesty the King and Lord Payne have argued about this matter many times in Blackburg, but neither of them has convinced the other, and we are all terrified."

If the Lord of Black Iron and the most powerful duke were to fight, who wouldn't be afraid?

Roman asked, "What are you arguing about?"

Damon stared at the instigator with a look of utter disbelief: "Do you know how much trouble your act of protecting witches has caused us?"

"Oh?" Roman asked expectantly.

"No... Lord, do you really not have any spies in Blackburg? That's the conquerors' capital."

Roman said calmly, "I rarely pay attention to developments on Earth."

Oh dear! What a mess! Damon stroked his cat's eye ring.

The young king wore amber, the gemstone of wisdom that could conceal his thoughts.

He didn't know if the young man was telling the truth, so he just assumed it was true.

Such people, such an armed separatist force, have stirred up the entire situation of the Black Iron Land, yet they don't care about anyone else...

What can we do about him? There's absolutely nothing we can do.

When he arrived, he witnessed 20,000 jihadists blocking the entrance, but they couldn't do anything to him.

Let alone 20,000, even if 40,000 came, we would still be helpless.

Oh, Ulster, what a mess you've made.

Damon sighed, “Lord Gale has allowed the Papacy to run rampant in our territory, and His Majesty the King is very dissatisfied. Now, you have given the Papacy a direct excuse to send troops, and our King cannot stop it even if he wants to.”

"Even the Grand Duke of Fury can't stop the tide?"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer looked at Roman for a long time and said, "Lord Payne is a supporter—he is a supporter of the Papacy. Not many people know this news, otherwise it would scare people to death. The Papacy originally wanted to send more Holy War troops, but His Majesty the King got anxious and vowed that if Payne dared to let so many people leave the country, he would take back the inheritance of the Rage Tide family. So they are still arguing."

That's not the Sinnoh Army, it's the Papacy Army.

The Sinnoh Army and the Crescent Moon forces fought fiercely in Crescent Moon, while the power of the Holy See has only revealed the tip of the iceberg so far.

This news is truly frightening; Roman had suspected it all along.

The struggle for power has always been like this; it is not a hidden arrow behind a curtain, but a sword and spear on the stage.

Roman envisioned the development of the relationship between the Iron King and the Iron Dukes.

Ulster and the Dark Iron King are on the same side, and Payne has no objection to blocking Sinnoh and the Holy See. Even if he has objections, he can't, so he has to keep quiet.

Then, the Guardian family was destroyed, and Ulster died after losing his Guardian.

Since Gale and Payne, who inherited the throne, were on the same side, the situation suddenly reversed, giving the feeling of being double-crossed.

What's frightening is that these two vehicles originally belonged to our own team.

The Dark Iron King was pinned down, facing four forces: the Holy See, Sinnoh, Rift Armor, and Rage Tide. He couldn't suppress them; he simply couldn't.

"Why would the Fury Tide family do this?" Roman crossed his arms and placed them on his abdomen.

"His Majesty the Conqueror believes the Papacy is the enemy of mankind, as do Lord Ulster, His Majesty the King, and many ministers including myself. That's why the Raging Tide sealed off Sinnoh for a hundred years. Until now, Lord Payne no longer thinks so. He believes the Papacy is an ally and wants to release them..."

"However, Lord, the Papacy now wields far greater influence than it once did. The Rage Tide has been in a standoff with them for a century. We do not know what happened during that time, but they should have been our great enemy. I would not be surprised if Lord Payne uttered the phrase 'Gods above' now. He is the most powerful duke in the Black Iron Lands, the front line against the Papacy."

……

……

PS: Requesting monthly votes at the end of the month.
(End of this chapter)