Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 269 Water Conservancy Construction Achievements
Although agricultural income cannot support 500 elite cavalry, agricultural output is indispensable for elite cavalry!
Whether it is to provide supplies to the knights or to feed the war horses, a large amount of grain is required.

It can be said that the grain consumed by war horses is more than that of an ordinary or even middle-class farming family. Therefore, many slaves in castles and ranches would sneak into the stables at night to steal the grain for the war horses.

In the words of horse breeding officials, nomadic life cannot produce truly top-notch war horses.

One reason for the continuous expansion of the Hessen Territory's griffins is the abundant grain they feed, keeping their warhorses fat and strong even in winter. Strong, skilled knights then ride these powerful steeds to tame the starving half-griffins in the wild, significantly increasing their chances of success.

So after reporting on the first three important economic crops, Fandral reported on the most important and fundamental farming matters in the territory.

"The Lord places great emphasis on farming. Under his guidance and support, our farming business has flourished. This year alone, we've built over 140 pieces of machinery, including heavy plows and harvesters. We've also purchased over 13800 pieces of farm tools from various caravans and built over 18000. This has initially ensured that civilians and slaves in the territory have one hoe, two hoes, and three sickles for farming, allowing three households to share one plowshare."

Hearing this, Su Li nodded. As the saying goes, a master of all crafts must first have the tools.

To develop agriculture, we must first equip farmers with enough agricultural tools.

The territory has always been relatively well-developed in this regard, mainly because there is no shortage of wood and iron ore in the foothills of the Black Forest. The people in the territory can make tools out of wood, and the dwarves have made enough iron tools and farm tools for them.

In this regard, the slaves under Su Li were particularly luxuriously equipped. Each of them had sufficient farm tools and a large number of agricultural machinery and plows.

Therefore, the scale of farmland in Bjorn Bay continues to increase, and the progress is far ahead of other farms and villages.

In this regard, the territories varied greatly. The farms of the great landowners, nobles, and great knight families had already partially utilized the Empire's advanced technology. The Empire, after all, had a history of nearly 5000 years, boasting advanced engineering schools and universities of scholars, and the ability to exchange technology with dwarves and elves. While not as technologically advanced as Earth, it still possessed some crude technology, some even being not much inferior to technological creations when enhanced by magic and psychic powers.

Therefore, in those large farms that are willing to invest, you can always see some amazing technologies and engineering machinery.

When Su Li was flying in the sky on the Death Claw, he even saw a puppet pulling a plow forward on a halfling farm.

The level of advancement of this puppet is a bit beyond imagination. It is said to be a creation of the ancient saints that they dug out from the ground. It should be a part of the Holy Titan.

In the kingdom of Araby south of the desert, among the puppets guarding the pyramid, there is a magical creature that is dozens of meters tall, called the Holy Titan.

This surprised Su Li. The ancient origins of this world were quite bizarre. It was very likely that a technologically advanced individual had landed on this planet. Many of the origins of races and some strange devices were invented by him, proving that technology was likely extremely advanced in the most ancient era.

However, the technology of humans and dwarves has declined today, so both humans and dwarves like technological archaeology, hoping to find some sacred things from ancient ruins.

Of course, progress in this area has almost ceased, and the Empire's technology has remained in this relatively special state.

This is something that countless electors and emperors of the empire cannot push forward, and Su Li is also very sure that he will not have any chance to change it.

After all, the two worlds even have different natural laws, and Su Li’s limited scientific and technological knowledge will not be of any use in this world.

As things stand, the great nobles and capitalists of the empire do have some bourgeois sophistication. Their farms and ranches are all large-scale production, using a large number of machines, and they also have steam engines (which have not yet been used in agricultural production).

Therefore, the output of large farms is very outstanding and can be regarded as a representative of advanced productivity.

However, in order to maintain the empire's dark and corrupt rule, ordinary civilians in the empire were unable to upgrade production due to the oppression of tax rates.

The common people and small farmers, who represented the real common people, still used primitive agricultural tools and operated a small peasant economy that was almost self-sufficient.

Especially in some remote rural areas, even plows are not widely available.

Fortunately, the Provincial Council was relatively open-minded and knew that territory development required investment, so they asked the dwarves to produce a batch of agricultural tools, which were specifically rented to the poor.

Even in such a dark and hopeless world, there is a rare bit of kindness towards ordinary people. If ordinary civilians damage the rented farm tools, farmers can report it to the government officials in writing, and the provincial government will take back the original farm tools without requiring compensation.

This is obviously intended to improve agricultural production efficiency across the territory.

Thanks to various machines and laws, farming in the Hessen Territory has seen impressive results. Vandal reported, "To date, we've developed a total of 1700 hectares of farmland in Bjorn Bay. In addition, you have over 200 hectares of private land that was seized or fined for various reasons. This winter, all of this land will produce approximately 20000 tons of grain. All of this is your private property and can be transported to Bauhinia Palace and Hessen Town."

Su Li frowned slightly and said, "Why is it so little? Only 20000 tons? I estimated the scale to be around 30000 tons."

Fandral immediately replied, "It's actually quite a bit, with an average yield of nearly 230 kilograms of wheat per mu. Not every piece of land can be as productive as the Blood Sacrifice farmland. Furthermore, the green dragon's rampage has forced us to replant some of our crops."

"In addition, a considerable portion of farmland is planted with cash crops, such as soybeans, sugar beets, rapeseed, flax, hemp, cotton, etc."

After hearing this explanation, Su Li was relieved. He said that his previous estimate was a bit too optimistic. The output of the territory could not even be eaten by humans, and there would be a certain amount of surplus to feed livestock.

But from his observation, most of the civilians in the territory were too poor to afford to raise livestock such as chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep.

The main reason was that he counted all the farmlands in Bjorn Bay as wheat fields, but a considerable portion of the farmlands here were used to grow cash crops.

After all, among food, clothing, housing and transportation, clothing comes before food, and the scale of cultivation of flax, cotton, etc. is very large.

Moreover, the territory cannot be without edible oil and sugar, and the scale of sugar beets and rapeseed must also be increased.

Once these types are reduced, perhaps one-third of the farmland size will be eliminated.

More importantly, there are a large number of knights and griffins in the territory, and they are in urgent need of large amounts of meat.

Then the territory must set aside enough farmland to grow soybeans. After all, this is an important feed for raising livestock. Pigs cannot be allowed to eat grass or wheat, right?
After briefly understanding the situation, Su Li smiled and said, "The farming in Bjorn Shallow Bay has been very fruitful. This is the result of the efforts of your Dawn Church. I will donate 200 gold crowns from my personal treasury to your church as a reward for your achievements this year."

200 gold crowns is already a considerable fortune.

After all, if all 20000 tons of grain were sold, they would only be worth 4000 gold crowns.

But it is impossible that the serfs under Su Li are really like the joke in which the vampire mocked the empire, that the serfs are all as good as skeletons.

These serfs, civilians and soldiers all consume a large amount of food. Even considering the feeding of war horses, these 20000 tons of food may not be enough.

Even if Su Li sold grain to the town for the reputation of the border granary, he could only earn 1000 gold crowns at most.

So, the annual output of grain might be worth more than 12000 gold crowns, but the profit earned from export is estimated to be around 3000 gold crowns.

The speed and scale of agricultural wealth creation will never be comparable to that of industry and the supernatural world. Su Li's donation of 200 gold crowns to the Dawn Church was already quite substantial.

Although Su Li spends money lavishly, most of his wealth is used in investment and military development.

He had never bought anything for himself worth more than 200 gold crowns. Only recently, because Alyria had fascinated him, he gave her 3000 gold crowns.

After hearing Su Li's promise, Fandral was indeed greatly encouraged. He immediately continued to report excitedly: "My Lord, you can harvest much more agricultural output than this. These 1900 hectares of land are your private land. However, the territory has also sold and rented out a total of more than 2000 hectares of land. We do not charge rent for these lands, but we will collect % tax!"

"Based on their output and the taxation plan adjusted by the provincial government, we will be able to obtain more than 6000 tons of grain."

Hearing this, Su Li couldn't help but smile.

With the development of the territory, taxation finally began to take shape.

Unlike when the land was first opened up, the Hessen Territory was almost entirely supported by the harvest from Bjorn's Bay, and tax revenue was almost non-existent.

It is impossible for the Hesse Territory to collect nine-tenths of the nineteen taxes. Under the adjustment of the Provincial Council, it is probably collected at six-tenths. The tax in the Blood Pine Forest Development Zone is even lower, at five-tenths.

But no matter whether they harvested six-tenths or five-tenths, they only harvested 6000 tons of grain from their two thousand hectares of land. It can be seen that the water conservancy facilities in the territory are very underdeveloped except for Bjorn Bay, so the per-acre yield is far lower than that of Bjorn Bay.

So Su Li asked, "How is the progress of the water conservancy facilities supporting the farmland?"

Fandral bowed slightly and said, "I'll let the dwarves report to you on this matter, my lord. They are responsible for all the projects in the territory."

"Yes, Master Engineer, please give us a detailed introduction to the engineering work in the territory."

As soon as Su Li finished speaking, the dwarf engineering master Kurgan stood up immediately. He had tied his beard into a pigtail, and his small eyes were as big as a pair of mung beans.

As a dwarven master engineer, he is the most orthodox type of person in dwarven society, with a bad temper, stubborn personality, keeping his promises and attaching importance to honor.

Those who can become dwarven engineers are generally highly educated members of the distinguished Engineers Guild, and their achievements in science, gadgets, and technology are unparalleled in the world.

This is no easy feat. In dwarven society, if a dwarf shows a particular aptitude for mechanics, they might be granted apprenticeship to the Engineers' Guild, whose mission is to provide the dwarves with the latest technological advancements. Most Engineers spend their time repairing broken creations and cursing the shoddy work of the first engineer who built them.

They are also responsible for creating blueprints or schematics for potential new technologies. If the guild deems a concept valuable enough, the guild will provide the responsible dwarven engineer with all the tools, materials, and other assistance they need. Most inventions never come to fruition, but others, like the legendary gyrocopter, do.

Because all dwarves cherish exquisite craftsmanship, their war machines are among the finest and best-cared for in the world, treated like esteemed family members by their crews. Yet even this level of care falls far short of the desires of the notoriously ill-tempered Master Engineers.

After a battle, the Master Engineer personally oversees repairs, but during combat, they are often unrefined in their guidance of their crews on how to best aim and fire their war machines. Their skill stems from their intimate knowledge of the workings of each device. With just a glance, a Master Engineer can tell when a ballista's torque is too high or when conditions warrant adding extra black powder to an organ cannon.

They are consummate craftsmen, able to judge the intricacies of firing the deadliest cannonball, or advise a hate trebuchet on how best to carve stone into the most precise ammunition.

The Master Engineer can also direct the rapid construction of effective trenches—such as stacked stone walls or dug gun pits—to protect war machines and combatants from enemy long-range fire.

Master Engineers are brave warriors, and while they may be more interested in drafting fortification plans or designing new mines, they are more than capable of fighting on the front lines. To protect their precious war machines, they fight with the determination and courage that is unique to their race.

Obviously, Kurgan was very satisfied with his work in Hesse. He almost didn't have to participate in boring battles and could focus on construction projects and design research and development.

The huge projects of Hesse Castle and Bauhinia Palace and various sophisticated equipment were all created by him.

At the same time, he is fully responsible for the construction of water conservancy projects in the territory.

After hearing Su Li's question, he said decisively: "Oh, Lord, you can always trust the ability of the dwarves! With the concerted efforts of our Granni bloodline, all your property has been protected to the greatest extent."

"Our progress is no less rapid than the humans' progress in reclaiming farmland. All 1700 hectares of land below Bjorn Bay are now irrigated. We've even installed water diversion channels and waterwheels on some of the higher foothills, ensuring that every acre of fertile land receives water from Lake Ravelin, ensuring a bountiful harvest during harvest season."

Su Li nodded and said approvingly, "Of course I believe in the abilities of you dwarves. The prosperity of Bjorn's Bay is closely related to the water conservancy you dwarves built. Even the entire Bjorn's Bay project relies on the territory's sacred site, Lake Rafflin."

It was the dwarves who commanded a large number of armed servants, slaves and ogre construction teams to work hard day and night to build Lake Ravelin and build a dam above Bjorn Bay, providing the necessary foundation for the development below.

It can be said that the dwarves participated in the development and promotion of the entire engineering project from beginning to end.

Su Li witnessed their contributions with his own eyes, so they also have the status of second citizens in the territory.

However, compared to the size of humans, their numbers are still smaller.

Kurgan said frankly, "But outside of this key project, we dwarves simply can't keep up with the giant humans. They're expanding too quickly. We have to fight wars, build fortifications, and construct castles, monasteries, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. We simply can't guarantee the water conservancy projects for every farm and farmstead."

"So far, we have built water conservancy and irrigation projects for 17 farms, and have also built a total of three reservoirs, 3 ponds and 12 storage tanks."

"They also built 64 water wheels and more than 130 aqueducts and drainage ditches, totaling more than 240 imperial miles."

"In some areas where flooding may occur, we have built seven flood control projects as well as dams, flood discharge gates, etc."

"In addition, to conform to the ethos of the Empire, we also built the Basic Knight Fountain, the Holy Light Reservoir, canals, mills, and so on in the city. There are too many small projects like these, so I won't go into detail one by one."

The fountain square is indeed more in line with the needs of the imperial knights. For the knights, they may not care whether there are irrigation canals on the farm, but the fountain square must be set up.

It can be seen that these mountain dwarves are gradually adapting to the identity of imperial dwarves.

The projects reported by Kurgan amount to nearly a hundred in total, large and small. It can be said that the results of water conservancy project construction this year are very outstanding.

But this still couldn't keep up with the territory's expansion. Kurgan continued, "These projects are mainly located near the central plains around Heisen Town. As for the distant Crimson Highlands and Blood Pine Forest development areas, we dwarves are really powerless."

"In general, our current water conservancy facilities can completely cover your private land. They cover 4% to 5% of the territory's farmland."

This is not because the dwarves are flattering and want to please Su Li first, but because 80% to 90% of all the water conservancy facilities were funded and built by Su Li, and only 10% to 20% were built by the big landowners, farmers or farmers in the village who raised funds and asked the dwarves to build them.

The dwarves would naturally build water conservancy projects for whoever paid first! After all, these water conservancy projects were very expensive and required a lot of money and materials.

(End of this chapter)