I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 193 Population Surge
……

……

Inside the manor hall.

"My lord, the White Frost Prophet sent a message back, asking you to prepare more houses and food."

Us respectfully reported, "He found quite a lot of people this time."

"Oh? How many?"

Rhodes looked at Us expectantly, "Three hundred men or five hundred men?"

Us shook his head slightly and replied seriously, "The White Frost Prophet said there are more than a thousand people."

"A thousand people?"

Rhodes paused, staring at Us in surprise.

"Are there that many people in Blade's Edge Mountains?"

"I don't know either..."

Us hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "But the White Frost Prophet wouldn't lie, would he?"

"These kinds of things can't be faked..."

"Ah."

Rhodes nodded in agreement.

The White Frost Prophet hasn't sent any messages back in a long time.

Of course, before this, the White Frost Prophet had consulted with Rhodes and asked not to send out the other wildlings for the time being.

Because apart from the Eagle Feather Tribe, the other savages are just ordinary savages, and many tribes are located deep in the Blade's Edge Mountains, far from Black Pine Ridge.

The journey is long and the travel is inconvenient.

The White Frost Prophet decided not to send the savages out yet, allowing them to consume the stored food.

At the same time, not all savage tribes knelt down immediately upon hearing the name of the Holy Lord. Those savages who submitted were left to deal with the savage tribes that did not submit.

Because of this, Rhodes also sent two additional squads to the White Frost Prophet.

For over a month now, Rhodes has been quite curious.

Now that news has suddenly arrived saying there are over a thousand people, it's Rhodes' turn to be surprised.

It's important to understand that there's no proper arable land in the Blade's Edge Mountains, so it's truly remarkable that they can support over a thousand people.

"If that's the case, then we really need to prepare in advance," Rhodes remarked.

"Yes, sir,"

Us chimed in, "Otherwise, if a thousand people suddenly flooded in, the whole Frostleaf Town would be in chaos..."

"Well, Lawrence's got a lot to do."

Rhodes immediately ordered his guards to summon Lawrence.

Lawrence ran over breathlessly, and when he learned that more than a thousand savages were about to join the town, he almost choked.

"A thousand people?"

Lawrence's face turned pale. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly, "Sir, our food... I'm afraid it's not enough!"

"How could that be? With your abilities, you definitely have enough food."

Rhodes looked at Lawrence and said, "Thirteen hundred tons of grain, and Renn is still hunting in Razor Plains. The meat is being transported back."

"There's only a thousand tons of rye, sir. The other three hundred tons are wheat, your rations!"

Lawrence gripped the ledger and shook his head vigorously. "The wheat can't be wasted by those slaves!"

"And do you know how many people we have now?"

“Two thousand nine hundred and eighty people!” Lawrence said solemnly.

"Oh, is that all? But that's enough."

Rhodes couldn't help but laugh when he saw Lawrence's serious expression.

When discussing the issue of food, Lawrence seemed to forget his fear and dared to speak loudly and argue with Rhodes every time.

But Rod wasn't angry.

Logistics management should be more stringent to prevent waste.

"That's enough..."

Lawrence sighed, "But we can't live with the risk of our warehouse going empty every year..."

"Don't panic."

Rod waved his hand, signaling him to calm down: "I'll allow you to reduce your rye consumption a little. Didn't we eat dumpling soup for a long time last year?"

I will also write to the Dawn Society and Manshu, asking them to send some food.

Lawrence grimaced and muttered, "There's a war going on in the West, so food is easy to buy..."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips: "Trade jerky for rye. In war, jerky is more practical than rye, so they won't refuse."

Without cold chain technology, fresh meat cannot be preserved.

The South is not as cold as the northern wilderness.

Meat needs to be smoked, dried, or cured for preservation.

Moreover, dried meat is high in calories and easy to carry, and is often regarded by the military as a strategic reserve material, that is, military rations.

Rod happened to have a lot of dried meat left over.

"That's true……"

Lawrence nodded, but his eyes still held a worry as he looked at Rhodes: "Then, sir, you'll have to send more people to hunt... I was thinking of exchanging for other supplies..."

"Okay, okay, I promise you, I'll send more people to the hunting team right away."

Rod made a loud promise to Lawrence.

"Then I'll make the arrangements, sir."

Lawrence bowed, turned, and walked out of the hall, still muttering to himself.

"How much food would that take...?"

……

……

A week later.

The sun had set, but the wind was still a bit chilly.

Rod, along with Lawrence Durant and the others, stood on the hillside at the town gate, their backs to the sun.

Rhodes crossed his arms and stared ahead.

On the road in the distance, a large procession moved slowly forward.

Lawrence, standing beside him, wiped the sweat from his brow and exclaimed in a low voice, "There really are a thousand people."

The densely packed crowd surged like a tide, creating a truly impressive and moving sight.

Only Rod and Durant calmly observed everything.

The savages, dressed in rags and carrying rough bundles on their shoulders, looked at Frostleaf Town on the hillside with weariness and curiosity on their faces.

For these savages who had never seen an imperial town before, the tall fences and wooden houses were novel structures.

Rhodes' gaze swept across the savages' ranks, and he saw the White Frost Prophet at the very front.

The White Frost Prophet sat in a palanquin made of wooden frames and animal hides, carried by four burly savages.

— It was a very popular sedan chair among the nobility.

At this moment, the White Frost Prophet leaned against the animal skin, holding a wooden staff carved with strange patterns in his hand, squinting his eyes leisurely.

He looked like he was really enjoying himself.

Perhaps prompted by the wolf's hooves beside him, the White Frost Prophet opened his eyes.

At that very moment, the White Frost Prophet noticed that Rhodes' gaze was fixed on them.

He hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly to stop the sedan chair and jumped down from it.

My movements were a bit flustered, and my legs gave way, almost causing me to trip and fall.

He ran swiftly to Rhodes, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head, saying, "Great Holy Lord, your humble servant has completed the mission and brought out the savages of Blade's Edge Mountains!"

Rhodes didn't speak, but just kept staring at the White Frost Prophet, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Realizing something, the White Frost Prophet hurriedly explained, "That chair wasn't prepared by me; it was prepared for me by those savages!"

"Yes, I see it. It's very impressive," Rhodes commented calmly.

"My Lord, these savages are ignorant, and I have no choice but to use your prestige to intimidate them!"

The White Frost Prophet broke out in a sweat and hurriedly waved his hand to explain, "Only by adopting a superior attitude will they obediently submit!"

He looked up, a hint of ingratiation in his eyes.

"All of this is to fulfill your will! I have no selfish motives!"

"Don't be nervous, Bai Shuang."

Rhodes raised his hand to gesture for him to get up: "Get up, I'm not blaming you."

“You have brought me so many workers, your contribution is great, you deserve reward rather than punishment, so you don’t need to worry.”

The White Frost Prophet breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied, "Thank you for your generosity!"

Rhodes stepped forward, patted the White Frost Prophet on the shoulder, and casually said:
“I know you’re smart. You know very well that only by relying on the Holy Lord can one have such power, right?”

"Yes, yes, great Lord! Your servant is utterly loyal to you!"

The White Frost Prophet nodded repeatedly.

Rhodes's gaze swept past Bai Shuang and landed on the dark mass of people behind him.

"They will all be my subjects from now on, won't they?"

"Yes, they willingly submit to you."

Do they recognize me?

Rod asked casually.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it was my oversight. Please forgive me!"

The White Frost Prophet immediately turned around and shouted two sentences.

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark mass of people knelt down in unison, collapsing like a wheat field blown by the wind.

At the same time, the sound of people kneeling down was as loud as thunder, causing the busy crowd at the town gate to stop what they were doing and turn to look.

"The Holy Lord is eternal!"

Everyone shouted in unison, the deafening sound making hearts race.

The world seemed to fall silent, and many people couldn't help but swallow.

Rhodes couldn't help but glance at the White Frost Prophet.

—These savages speak the language of the Empire.

This guy really put his heart into this.

"Are they all willing to submit to me?" Rhodes asked the White Frost Prophet.

"Most people willingly submit and follow you, but there are two tribes...who question your existence,"

The White Frost Prophet hurriedly said, "But don't worry, their tribe has already been conquered by us."

The White Frost Prophet turned and gave two instructions, then the wildlings brought two men to Rhodes.

The two men were strong, but covered in wounds.

"Those two are the leaders of the Reef Tribe and the Tender Grass Tribe. They questioned you and disobeyed your summons, and they should be punished."

Rhodes nodded and gave the two savages a quick look.

They were both looking at Rhodes, and they called out to him twice.

Us, who was standing nearby, volunteered to translate: "They said..."

"No need for translation, I don't care about these things."

Rhodes didn't want to talk to those two savages right now.

Rhodes had no divine abilities to demonstrate to the two savage leaders, so any further explanation would be pointless.

Once they live here for a while and experience it firsthand, they will understand everything. Rhodes looked at the White Frost Prophet and asked directly:
"Where are their people?"

"They were all caught by us and are being held in custody."

Rhodes looked in the direction the White Frost Prophet was pointing and vaguely saw hundreds of savages bound together with ropes, tied one after another.

"very good."

Rhodes nodded, patted the Frost Prophet on the shoulder in approval, and then turned to Durant and gave him instructions:

"Hang these two leaders at the main gate so everyone knows what happens if they question me."

"Yes, Lord Lord."

Durant turned around and called over four soldiers, who took the two savage leaders and dragged them to the gate to hang them up.

Coincidentally, the two of them hung on the door frame of Frostleaf Town, one on each side.

"As for their people, they were all reduced to the lowest class of slaves,"

Rhodes looked at Lawrence and said, "You can arrange the food for the lowest-ranking slaves as you see fit, as long as they don't starve to death."

The slaves in Frostleaf Town were not suffering; Rhodes had to define a lower class in order for punishment to be effective.

Lawrence seemed to have heard good news, and his face lit up with joy. "Don't worry, sir, I will arrange everything perfectly!"

“Your Majesty is truly merciful; you even provide food for such a person,” the White Frost Prophet flattered.

Rhodes turned around, squinted at the dark mass of people kneeling, and slowly walked to the front of the line.

"My people."

The sound was loud and powerful, carrying clearly across the road outside the town:

"I promise you warm homes and plenty of food."

"So that your children will no longer cry from hunger, and your elderly will no longer shiver from the cold."

"But in return, you must be loyal to me and obey all my commands."

"Work hard to build this land."

As Rhodes's voice faded, Us and the White Frost Prophet hurriedly continued translating.

After a brief whisper, the savages answered in unison again, "Thank you for your protection, Holy Lord."

Rhodes waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"All questioning and offense will be the same as those two."

With a serious expression, Rhodes solemnly announced in a loud voice:

“The loyal will enjoy my protection and blessings.”

"I will make this land your home, and let your descendants thrive."

"We are willing to give everything for the Holy Lord!"

Thousands of people shouted in unison again, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

Rhodes nodded in satisfaction and waved.

“Very well, rise up, my people.”

"From today onwards, this is your home."

……

……

Even with prior preparations, the sudden influx of people still threw Frostleaf Town into disarray.

These people can't stay together forever, so Rhodes naturally has to separate them.

The one who complained the most was Lawrence, who constantly talked about how much food these savages had eaten.

Lawrence didn't dare to mention it to Rhodes.

The women in the slave canteens, however, suffered the most, enduring Lawrence's daily spittle-filled judgments.

The porridge shouldn't be too thick; it's a waste of food.

Making it too runny is also not good, as it will lower the prestige of the Holy Lord.

This led to women being scolded every day, and they secretly speculated whether Lawrence was venting his frustrations because his assistant was pregnant.

Lawrence, however, had no time to listen to any of this. He kept an eye on the wagons transporting the prey every day and also started collecting grain from the townspeople.

Of course, Rhodes wouldn't support these thousand people for nothing.

While Lawrence was settling the savages, Rhodes called a meeting of all the department heads.

"Everyone knows that our town's population has increased, and now all departments can add manpower."

Rod turned his gaze directly to Otto: "Spring planting is the most urgent thing for the future. Tell me, how many people do you want?"

Otto thought for a moment, then whispered, "Fifty?"

“There is a lot of new farmland that needs to be reclaimed for spring planting, and it’s not like the land that was all dirt last year. Are fifty people enough?”

Rod looked at Otto: "I'll give you 150 men, but you have to cultivate another 2,000 acres."

"no problem!"

Otto grinned and readily agreed.

Then he asked in a low voice, "But didn't you say that our farmland is now too far from the town? Those two thousand acres..."

Rod reached out to interrupt Otto, "Don't rush, we'll arrange that later."

"Okay, okay." Otto quickly lowered his head and shut his mouth.

Rhodes' gaze fell upon the White Frost Prophet.
"Have you figured out the environment of the Blade's Edge Mountains by now?"

Rhodes asked, "At least there shouldn't be any other tribes on the outskirts, right?"

"Yes, Holy Lord, it's gone!"

The White Frost Prophet solemnly replied, "We're almost at the eastern shore, and we haven't found any other tribes!"

“Very good, then the Blade's Edge Mountains will be my territory from now on.”

Rhodes ordered, "I'll give you fifty men to go in with the hunting party and hunt for me. I'm going to plunder all the resources inside."

"Bai Shuang, you stay there for now and take charge of this matter. Come back when everything is stable."

Rhodes' words startled the White Frost Prophet, but he quickly recovered.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the White Frost Prophet replied.

"I'll come back to see you when I have time. The Blade's Edge Mountains need to be properly developed."

Rhodes felt he also needed to find time to enter the Blade's Edge Mountains and search for mineral resources.

"Also, it's close to the salt mine; build me a stronghold around the salt mine,"

“I want to expand outwards from the salt mine village and cultivate new farmland there.”

The land below the Blade's Edge Mountains is close to rivers, with many streams and ponds, and the soil is very fertile.

Previously, the town had not become a gathering place for people because of frequent harassment by savages. Now that the savages have become part of Frostleaf Town, this fertile land should not be wasted.

Rod looked at Otto, "This is the location of the new farmland I was talking about. You make the arrangements."

"I will go with you to arrange the location of the farmland."

“Yes, my lord!” Otto replied quickly.

After arranging things at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rod looked at Sherry.

Do you need manpower?

"Digging the foundation is not necessary for now. Too many people will make things chaotic, my lord."

Sherry replied, “You can arrange for teams to quarry stones and dig yellow clay to prepare all the materials we will need in the future.”

"Okay, that's the arrangement."

Rhodes nodded and instructed, "Bai Shuang and Wu Si, you are responsible for selecting savages and assigning them suitable jobs."

As he spoke, Rhodes looked at Till, Hammer, Waller, and the others.
“You can take your own savages and select suitable apprentices from among the newly arrived savages.”

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, Holy Lord."

Everyone responded in unison.

"Alright, Durant, Lawrence, and Uss, stay behind for now."

Rhodes instructed, "The rest of you may leave."

"Yes."

Everyone rose and bowed to Rhodes, then withdrew.

After the others left, Rhodes looked at the remaining four and said, "There is one last and most important thing: I want to mine silver."

"Silver mine?"

Laurence, who had been listless, suddenly widened her eyes.
"You mean, there's a silver mine at Black Pine Ridge?"

Although it cannot create currency, silver coins can circulate like currency.

Mining silver and smelting silver is almost like directly creating money; it's a very direct source of wealth.

"Yes, with silver, we can directly import resources from outside."

With the population now exploding, Rhodes is no longer afraid and needs to plan for the future.

Durant knew about the silver mine, so he wasn't surprised at all.

“Your Excellency, before we begin mining silver, I think we should first expand our army.”

Durant said, "Among so many wild men, there must be some with good potential."

"Among those savages, I see many strong and robust men who could become excellent warriors even if they didn't become knights."

"Of course, the savage armies will be chosen first."

Rod smiled at Durant, "Silver mining won't start immediately; we need to prepare in advance."

"First, notify Jess to bring back some of the experienced miners from Blackrock Mountain and replenish him with double the number of savages."

"Find other porters and laborers first, preferably families that can all come together."

Rhodes instructed, "Us and Lawrence, you two are in charge of this."

"Yes, sir!"

The two responded in unison.

Rod looked at Durant, "You'll need to arrange the security detail."

"of course."

Durant smiled and said, "You've already let me pick anyone, the guard team certainly won't let you down."

"You're starting to go astray too, my great knight."

Rod patted Durant on the shoulder and made a joke.

"Alright, everyone go ahead and get busy. We won't keep you for dinner."

Rhodes dismissed everyone, got up, and took Vivian straight to the blacksmith's shop.

Rod instructed Hammer to have people forge some mining tools such as picks, chisels, and crowbars, and then returned to his own forge to create new Wyrmite steel.

This time, the forging was specially made for Vivian, and the energy was naturally injected by Vivian.

The sea-patterned magic steel infused with shadow energy is different; the patterns on it are very blurry, and if you don't look closely, it just looks like a piece of black iron.

Moreover, it's matte black, without any metallic sheen.

It looks more like a piece of charcoal.

But it still has a metallic feel when hammered, and is very hard.

Because she was forging for herself, Vivian didn't doze off again, and Rhodes kept a close eye on her the whole time he was forging.

Rod was afraid that his hammer might not be accurate and could accidentally smash her brains, so he had to remind her to stay away from time to time.

The "embroidery needle" requires very little enchanted steel, so Rhodes also plans to forge a dagger and some throwing knives for Vivian.

"Perhaps I could design a hand crossbow?"

When Rod thought of darts, he also thought of crossbows, a simple mechanical weapon.

Before Rod could think further, Hammer and Waller had already assembled the press.

(End of this chapter)