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

Chapter 305 Hoping for a good harvest this year

Trade privileges are special rights granted by the Iron King to certain business groups and caravans.

But very few people can obtain this royal privilege.

Roman now has a large workforce and can develop in many areas.

We must cultivate the land, and we must also pursue other forms of development.

He plans to form a caravan to fully exploit the land's resources.

At this point, trade privileges become crucial.

As long as he can obtain trade privileges from the Black Iron King.

Therefore, he could basically be exempted from commercial taxes, customs duties, tolls, etc., arising from trade activities across the entire Black Iron Land.

Moreover, thanks to his unique status as a conqueror lord, he was able to expand his business to various countries across the land.

For example, the free trade cities and the Hot Summer Islands west of Sinnoh, the Highlands, the Azure Moon, and even Sinnoh and Dust Serpent.

However, Damon dared not agree to this; he had to discuss it with the Iron King.

There are not many groups in this land that possess trade privileges, but there are also quite a few.

Roman stands out as particularly unique.

A lord who maintains the order of the conquerors, an ambitious king of the valley, and a rising power in a period of rapid expansion—you grant them trade privileges… Can others even compete?

Because of his clear understanding of development and productivity, Roman saw the third layer.

But Damon could still think of the first level.

This has too much influence; it needs to be considered carefully.

Damon left Plenty with his delegation, saying as he departed that he would give Roman a reply as soon as possible.

Roman wasn't in a hurry; he knew this matter would involve political wrangling within the Black Iron Court.

He only needs to do business, but the King of Black Iron has many more things to consider.

……

Without external interference, Roman resumed his daily farming routine.

Roman's planting pattern in Origin City is wheat in the first half of the year and beans in the second half, with two crops a year.

The spring wheat planting in Plenty City was delayed by a month, and the harvest wouldn't be until late summer. There wasn't enough time to plant beans, so they could only manage one harvest a year.

But sadly, it doesn't ripen only once a year.

What's truly pitiful is that the land has to be left fallow after each harvest.

Only fertilizer can guarantee soil fertility and enable continuous cultivation year after year.

This is why Roman was willing to go to great lengths to haul 10,000 tons of peat from Origin City.

In Origin City, each acre of land was fertilized with 2,000 catties of fertilizer, a amount that was reduced by nearly 80% in Abundant City.

After all, there wasn't enough time.

Roman can only cultivate the land by furrow application to maximize the effectiveness of peat.

Heavy plowing and deep cultivation can also release the fertility of deep soil.

Therefore, after the spring wheat harvest, Roman can plant another round of vegetables with a short growth cycle.

When the last wheat seed and fertilizer were planted on the last plot of land, it was already March.

Roman has been in charge of overall planning and coordination during this period.

Seeing that spring plowing was over, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He gazed silently at this land.

Hopefully, this year's bountiful city will have a good harvest.

Roman's army also breathed a sigh of relief. After working like oxen and horses for over a month, no one could endure it, and all the soldiers had become somewhat thinner.

Roman waved his hand and gave everyone a five-day holiday, allowing Jet to arrange their rest in shifts.

Immediately afterwards, the thousand soldiers who were given a rest followed Roman back to Origin City.

They came to see their families.

Roman was somewhat worried and needed to personally check on the current state of Origin City to prevent any mistakes from occurring.

……

Seth came to greet him, and Roman said to him, "I will be spending most of this year in Plenty City, so you will be in charge."

“Yes, sir,” Seth replied meticulously.

Roman looked at the old deacon's serious wrinkles and somewhat tired eyes, then took out a blood gem from his pocket. "This is a spoil of war I acquired on the battlefield. Wear it and take care of yourself."

Blood gems are top-grade rubies, possessing attributes such as abundant energy. For a vigorous warrior, this is the icing on the cake, but for an elderly person whose body is beginning to decline, it is like sending charcoal in snowy weather, which can greatly extend working hours and prevent them from becoming exhausted.

Roman personally presented it to him, and Seth's face showed a hint of warmth. "Your safety is the most important thing. When we left Dragon Castle, the Grand Duke instructed me to assist you well and make decisions for you. But you have been able to stand on your own for a very long time, so I dare not say too much. I can only remind you to be more careful, as it is difficult to guard against open and hidden attacks outside."

Roman paused slightly, and when he heard him mention Ulster, he felt a pang of melancholy.

Sais straightened his collar and cuffs, making him look neat and tidy. "Sir, it's time for you to show your face and reassure the people. Some people are very forgetful."

Roman nodded, and then he surveyed the entire Origin City.

After the trip, I found that everything was within the development plan.

If the plan is implemented step by step, problems are communicated immediately, and everyone has something to do, then there will be no major chaos.

Origin City is exceptionally busy this year.

Roman transported a large amount of manpower and resources to the City of Abundance, but that does not mean their production efficiency will decrease.

For example, if 10,000 people can only do so much work within a set time, Roman assigned 2,000 people to be boatmen and porters, while the remaining 8,000 people were still able to finish the same work in the same amount of time.

It's just that with a large number of people, it's impossible to exploit them to the extreme.

The population of Origin City was already overflowing.

As spring warms up, the laborers who used to hide inside brick houses by the stove can now come out and bask in the sun.

Water conservancy projects need to be built, reservoirs need to be dug, drainage trucks need to be constructed, and river embankments need to be built.

Roman put most of his manpower into this area.

From last summer to this year, tens of thousands of people have come back again and again, reclaiming 7,000 mu of paddy fields.

However, the further along the way, the more difficult it becomes to cultivate paddy fields.

Now that all the usable swamp land has been cleared out, it's impossible to reclaim any more land unless we convert dry land into paddy fields, but for now, we'll leave it at that.

The rice they mainly planted came from the Gewier No. 1 rice variety.

Last year, the experimental field of fifty mu yielded about 14,000 jin of rice seeds, which could only meet the seed needs of more than half of the paddy fields. The remaining paddy fields with poor soil quality or poor environment were planted with ordinary rice seeds.

Roman used a wet seedling raising method. The Gevier No. 1 rice seeds first grew in the seedbed, and then the well-developed seedlings were transplanted to the field, which is commonly known as rice transplanting.

This approach is very labor-intensive.

However, Origin City has no shortage of manpower. As long as it can increase food production, Roman will send people to do it, no matter how complicated it is.

Many people are transplanting rice seedlings for the first time and are not very skilled, but they cherish the seedlings in their hands very much. Sometimes, even if they fall, they will subconsciously protect the seedlings. It doesn't matter if they get hurt, but the seedlings must not be harmed.

Last year, they all witnessed the rice harvest and ate rice a few times. Every farmer who grows rice cherishes the seedlings.

Two or three thousand nimble farmers carefully planted rice seedlings in the fields, their movements slow and their attitude cautious.

Healthy rice seedlings are neatly arranged in the paddy field, a pleasing sight to behold.

(End of this chapter)