Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 136 The Promised Land
The Golden Plains have been fertile land since ancient times, once supporting hundreds of thousands of people, but they were destroyed by dragonfire during the Valyrian Empire and have been abandoned for over a thousand years.

With the fall of the Valyrian Empire and the rise of the Dothraki, this land became pastureland.

In this world, agriculture is still in the three-field system: one field is planted with autumn crops, such as wheat and rye; another field is planted with early spring crops, such as oats and peas; and the third field is left fallow, where sheep graze and their manure is used as fertilizer. The three fields are rotated the following year.

This farming method resulted in one-third of the land being left idle. The wheeled plow could only till shallowly, sheep manure was not fully fermented, fertilizer utilization was low, and the irrigation system was very primitive.

Since he was going to cultivate farmland, he planned to directly introduce agricultural techniques that were already mature during the Ming Dynasty, which were far superior to the Three-Field System.

After all, the more a farmer harvests, the more taxes he has to pay.

After a brief stay in Karasa, Lahalo rushed here to welcome the Lazarin people.

Under the scorching sun, thousands of slaves were scattered among the riverbeds and canals, working.

They not only dredged the silt, but also transported the silt to future farmland as base fertilizer. At the same time, they dug out stones to repair the damaged irrigation canals.

These aqueducts are a legacy of the Valyrian Empire. Despite enduring a thousand years of wind and rain, their main structure remains intact, much like the Valyrian avenues. Their construction techniques are truly breathtaking.

The main canal is three meters wide and connects to dozens of branch canals like an artery, eventually dispersing into countless small waterways to deliver river water to every piece of farmland. Moreover, there is a sluice gate every hundred meters to precisely control the direction and speed of the water flow.

However, simply repairing the canals is not enough. The current drought has caused the Ron River's water level to drop by more than a meter compared to previous years. Even if the canals are repaired, they cannot naturally draw water for irrigation.

Therefore, Lajalo introduced waterwheel technology, which was not yet widespread in the world.

Under his guidance, the craftsmen built several huge wooden waterwheels, each capable of driving dozens of buckets to continuously draw water from the Ron River and transport it to the irrigation canal head at a higher elevation.

Water conservancy renovation is only the first step in the plan.

Months earlier, Lajalo had sent captured Reach craftsmen to test windmills near the Velvet Mountains.

These craftsmen built a tall tower with a huge sail on top and a gear-driven structure inside. The bearings and gears inside were made of fine iron parts ordered from Mil. Now that it has been installed, the craftsmen are gathered together to do the final adjustments.

Once the mill is built, it can grind flour, press oil, and saw wood, serving a variety of functions.

If further developed, wind power could be converted into water power, which could drive more machinery. For example, water-powered forging hammers could be used to forge armor, water-powered blowers could be used to smelt steel, and there would also be boring machines and milling machines, ushering in a pre-industrial era with unlimited prospects.

The slaves who were building the canals were captured during the time of Drogo. Lahalo promised them that once they completed the work, they would regain their free status and be able to settle here, with each adult male receiving two acres of land.

The slaves knew that Lord Khao meant what he said, and this promise both surprised and delighted them, filling them with enthusiasm. This wasn't working for Khao, but for themselves!

The sooner it's finished, the sooner we'll be free. And no one will cut corners. We'll build the irrigation canal for our own use. Why would we harm ourselves?
The warriors who once owned these slaves were also very satisfied with this.

They never really needed so many people; having a large number of slaves was just a display of their power. Now, by following Laharo, everyone is rolling in money; all they need to do is forge weapons and armor, hone their martial skills, and wait to go into battle.

Therefore, slaves became a burden. By sending them to Laharo, not only did they no longer have to be fed, but Laharo could also collect tithes from the slaves, as well as hay, oats, and beans to feed the horses.

No one would refuse unless they were stupid.

At the same time, Lajalo also introduced composting technology. What does Karasa have the most of? Of course, it has the most manure.

He had slaves, the elderly, and children collect organic matter such as animal dung, straw, and fallen leaves, and pile them up in dozens of large composting sites on the plains across the river. He also hired people to turn and mix the compost, which was an unprecedented innovation in the world.

Fertilizer nourishes crops, and crops are used to feed horses, creating a positive cycle.

Now everything is ready, except for the Lazarin people.

… Rahalo, riding on horseback with Lazar and two Kas behind him, stood on the hilltop, gazing at the eastern horizon of the Golden Plain.

The morning light bathed the grass sea in gold, and the waves of grass rippled in the wind like a golden ocean, but Lahalo had no heart to appreciate this beautiful scene.

It's been five days, and the Lazarin people still haven't arrived, two days later than Mili had told them.

"Still no movement?" Nana came running over excitedly, stood on tiptoe, and handed him a bag of water.

Rahalo took the water bag and shook his head. "Five days. They should have arrived by now, as agreed."

“Maybe the road is difficult to travel. When a tribe migrates, they always have to take the elderly and children with them, right?” Nana tried to comfort him.

Rahalo shook his head again and handed the empty water bag to Nana. "They are all natives of the Grass Sea, skilled at long journeys. I'm worried they might change their minds at the last minute, or run into some trouble."

"You care a lot about these Lazarin people?"

“After all, I have Lazarin blood in me, and Miri entrusted me to take good care of them before she died. I can’t let her down.”

Nana had already heard about the feud between the Dothraki and the Lazarin, and continued to comfort her, "You've accomplished something that others couldn't, by enabling the Karasa and the Goat People to coexist peacefully."

“It wasn’t me, it was Miri,” he said.

And indeed, Miri sacrificed her life to save him, and all the warriors of Karasa were proud of her. They all swore that they would never harm Miri's people again in their lives.

The sun was high in the sky, the heat was intense, and the golden plain had become a giant oven. But Laharo still refused to dismount. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"There's smoke and dust ahead!"

"Where is it? Where is it?"

Nana was too short to see, and she was so anxious that she kept jumping up and down. In the end, she was grabbed by the collar and lifted onto the horse's back, looking utterly hopeless.

"It looks like a large group, but it seems to be a caravan. It's Norfolk's giant bell banner!"

"Depend on!"

Lahalo cursed and swore, "Why does it have to be the Bell Flag? What bad luck! I really want to draw my sword and chop these stupid dogs down!"

“Maybe they’ve met the Lazarin people? I can go ask them,” Nana said excitedly.

She just wanted to find an opportunity to ride a horse, but Lahalo didn't say it outright. Before she could even mount her horse, the warriors accompanying her had already stopped everyone on the other side.

The caravan leader did bring news, but it wasn't good news.

“Lord Kao! Three days ago, we saw a large group of people west of the Painted Mountains. They seemed to be Lazarin people, but they were being targeted by a Dothraki cavalry. We didn’t dare to get close, but from a distance, it looked like there was a fight going on.”

Rahalo's face instantly darkened. "How many of them are there? Which khalasar do they belong to?"

“About four or five hundred,” the leader said, rubbing his hands together with a look of fear. “The flags are made of horsehair.”

"The five tribes of Kadoc! I haven't even sought them out, and they've delivered themselves to my doorstep!" Rahalo shouted, "Prepare the horses! A thousand-man squad, follow me immediately!"

(End of this chapter)