Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 300 The Livestock Area of ​​Wheat Wave Territory

After leaving the experimental field, Louis went straight to the next location without stopping for a moment.

The air was filled with the sweet scent of grass, the stench of livestock, and the faint sour aroma of feed, and the distant creaking of windmills could be faintly heard.

"The lord is almost here. This is... the livestock area," Green said in a low voice.

Louis looked up and saw a vast and orderly ranch unfolding before him amidst the rolling hills.

The five major cattle and sheep pastures are arranged like a chessboard, with wooden fences that appear as dark brown and sturdy as city walls from a distance.

Further away is a pond, its blue waves reflecting the sky, where schools of fish leap up and then disappear back into the water.

Under the sunlight, hundreds of cattle and sheep leisurely chewed on pasture inside the enclosure. Occasionally, a trainer would blow a short whistle, and the herd would immediately gather together, as if guided by an invisible hand.

Craftsmen, herdsmen, and apprentices mingled in the passageway without causing any chaos.

Everyone performed their duties in an orderly manner, as if a huge machine was operating silently.

"Better than I expected," Louis thought.

He was fully aware of every policy he formulated, every fund he approved, and every order he signed.

They have also received numerous reports and daily intelligence from the intelligence system, and are almost completely familiar with this place.

But when these cold numbers were transformed into the real scene before his eyes for the first time, it still made his heart warm slightly.

"My lord!" A middle-aged man strode over with a slightly hoarse voice.

That was Andrei, the chief animal trainer of the Mailang Territory's pastoral area.

Andrei was tall and sturdy, with somewhat rough skin, and his craftsman's uniform on his chest was covered in dust from running.

He stopped a few steps away and gave an awkward but respectful bow.

Louis nodded slightly: "No need for formalities, Andrei, you did very well."

With just a few words, Andrei's previously tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and he lowered his head slightly to hide his rapid breathing.

He never imagined he would end up like this.

Andre was once just a foreman on the Calvin family farm. Although he had the strength of a trainee knight and knew some about raising magical beasts, he was ultimately just an unknown person.

At Louis's request, the Calvin family transferred many mid-level ranching talents to support the Red Tide. He thought this was an exile, as everyone knew that the North was a desolate place, a graveyard for those who died in the cold plains.

However, the reality is quite different.

Upon arriving in Mailangling, he not only found a stable place to live, but also received an unexpected and important position.

When they first met, Louis seemed to see right through him in terms of his talent for animal taming, and promoted him to Chief Animal Tamer, giving him the authority to command thousands of people.

He was even able to bring his wife and two children to the North, where they lived in a spacious and luxurious house and ate food they never dared to dream of before.

All of this stems from the person before us, this young lord.

"Thank you... thank you for your trust, my lord." Andrei forced a smile, but still stood ramrod straight, his palms sweating slightly.

Then he led Louis slowly along the stone path deeper into the area, and the pastoral region of Wheatfield gradually unfolded in their view.

Upon closer inspection, the scale here is larger than I imagined, yet it is surprisingly well-organized.

The wooden fences neatly divide the pastures into large and small areas, like sturdy defensive lines.

The craftsmen were squatting by a fence, carefully checking whether the wooden stakes were loose, and occasionally pounding the copper rivets to tighten them.

Not far away, several children were carrying small baskets and tiptoeing to add hay to the feeding trough.

Occasionally, cows would bleat softly, sheep would graze leisurely in the sunlight, and flapping wings and noisy bleating could be heard from the chicken coop and goose pond.

“This is the ordinary livestock pen area,” Andrei said in a steady voice, because they had rehearsed it more than once the night before.

He leaned forward slightly and pointed to a wide sheepfold in the distance.

"The flock has grown from 900 last year to 3,100. They are mainly snow sheep and short-horned goats."

Flocks of snow-white sheep rippled like waves in the sunlight, occasionally glancing up at the visitors.

"Of the 750 head of thick-haired cattle we purchased at the end of last winter, 689 are still alive." Andrei straightened his chest as he said this.

"We piloted a system of selecting superior breeding cows, which brought together the best cows in the village for breeding, and the initial success rate has met expectations."

“You did a great job,” Louis nodded.

Then Andrei pointed to a wooden frame on one side, on which hung neatly arranged bronze signs, each with a number written in ink, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

"These are the systems that you proposed, Lord Louis," Andrei said with a hint of reverence.

Louis's original design was to tag each animal with an ear tag, using brass rivets and ink to number it, in order to record information.

But after Bradley carefully calculated the costs, he realized that it was almost impossible to achieve.

It not only consumes a large amount of metal, but also requires a large team of recorders for maintenance.

Louis then proposed a compromise: each guardrail should have a unique identifier.

All that is needed is to centrally record data on all livestock within this pasture, including birth date, disease history, and details about the owner.

Looking at the wooden frame, Andrei's tone became even more fervent: "Thanks to your strategy, sir... In the past, herders relied solely on experience to manage their flocks, and when epidemics broke out, chaos often ensued."

Now, by simply opening the files, everything is clear at a glance; not only is disease prevention fast, but livestock growth records are also crystal clear.

He slightly raised his eyes to look at Louis, his eyes filled with sincere admiration: "To be honest, sir, this one system alone makes the management of Wheat Waves' livestock much easier."

Louis didn't say much, but a barely perceptible smile flickered across his lips.

A few steps further ahead are six newly built large chicken coops.

Small windows opened in the thin wooden wall, and sunlight streamed in, illuminating the white and yellow feathers fluttering about the entire enclosure.

"The first batch of 8,000 chickens will be put into the farm this year, and 6,000 are expected to be ready for market by the end of summer."

Andrei added, "The geese and ducks are currently being raised on a small scale as a supplementary food."

He said so much in one breath, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his body remained tense.

Louis walked and observed along the way.

He scrutinized every detail with a slightly critical eye, from the zoning of pastures and the direction of the water channels to the ventilation openings in the chicken coop.

He was satisfied with everything he saw, except for a slightly messy slaughter area where he stopped.

There were still several bloodstains on the ground that had not been washed away, and the air still smelled of blood.

Louis frowned slightly, but didn't get angry. He just looked up at Andrei and said, "The slaughtering... isn't standardized enough."

His voice was gentle, yet it made Andrei immediately sit up straight.

Louis explained lightly, "It's not that we don't allow you to kill cattle and sheep, but traditional slaughtering takes a long time for the blood to dissipate, which can easily attract monsters."

If not handled properly, the meat can easily carry bacteria. Once the disease spreads, it's not just a problem for one cow or one sheep; the entire pastoral area will be affected.

He paused, then looked at the livestock officials and craftsmen who had gathered around: "Centralized slaughter and unified inspection. If any animal has a problem, we can detect and control it immediately."

Andrei then realized and quickly nodded, "I see... I'll arrange it immediately! Build a centralized slaughterhouse!"

Louis patted him on the shoulder: "Take it easy, don't be too nervous."

Seeing that he still looked a little tense, Louis gently comforted him, "Andrei, there's no need to rush. If the other fiefdoms in the North were half the size of yours, they'd be ecstatic."

Take it one step at a time, there's no need to rush. I'll allocate another two thousand gold coins to you; through the Calvin Merchant Guild, bring over more superior breeding livestock from the south to solidify our foundation.”

Andrei's breath hitched, and he knelt heavily on one knee: "Your subordinate... will certainly not fail in your trust!"

Louis took a walk around and found that there was really nothing to suggest; everything was perfectly organized.

So he said, "Take me to the Warcraft section." "Yes, sir."

The monster breeding area is located deep within the gentle slopes of the hills, with high fences and many knights patrolling here.

Before entering the inner area, they passed a training ground. A dozen or so teenagers were forming a semi-circle, maintaining a cautious distance from two two-horned rock bulls.

The long poles twirled nimbly in their hands, the tips coated with the scent of grass and soothing powder, guiding the monsters' movements in sync with short, sharp commands.

"Stand firm, don't rush to retreat!" an older instructor reminded him from the side.

When the boys and girls noticed Louis approaching, the scene immediately became unusually quiet.

Several people instinctively wanted to bow, but hesitated and raised their heads, unsure whether to continue training or wait for instructions.

"Relax." Louis's lips curled into a slight smile, breaking the tense silence. "Continue training, don't mind me."

"Yes, yes, sir!"

The boys seemed to be set ablaze, their cheeks flushed with nervousness, but their movements became even more cautious.

These children were personally selected by him using the Bloodstone. They all possessed certain knightly talents, but their potential was limited, and they would likely remain apprentice knights for their entire lives.

Rather than letting them be eliminated in the fierce knight competition, it would be better to let them become beast tamers.

As Louis approached the sidelines, a girl with short braids was clearly too nervous to speak, and she almost dropped the long pole several times.

"Name?" Louis asked in a low voice.

"Leina, Lord!" The girl straightened her back forcefully, her eyes red.

"Don't panic." Louis said gently, "Study hard, don't try to outrun others. The most important thing in animal taming is to stay calm."

"Yes! I will definitely try my best!" Lena's face turned bright red.

Other boys and girls secretly glanced at this scene, their eyes filled with envy.

Then Andrei led Louis toward the core area of ​​the monster breeding zone.

Louis looked over and saw a two-horned rock bull slowly pacing, its horns glowing with a faint blue light, like two sapphires embedded in its forehead.

"This is the Twin Horned Rock Cattle Ranch, which currently has around 500 head of cattle, mainly concentrated in the river valley pastoral area."

As Andrei spoke, he flipped through the wooden booklet in his hand, “Three new pastures have been opened in the south area, mainly for rotation grazing. The north area is a calf rearing area, and there is a special feed ratio formula.”

These enormous demonic bulls are called Two-Horned Rock Bulls. They have curved horns on their foreheads that glow slightly blue, and they possess immense strength.

Their milk contains high-energy nutrients, making it an excellent choice for knights to replenish their strength and energy.

Further on, herds of frost-maned sheep on the grassy slopes resembled a rolling snow tide.

Their bodies are covered in snow-white, curly fur that is as soft as silk, and their manes even have a faint blue sheen.

Several young apprentices were bending over to shear the wool and carefully gathering it into burlap sacks.

Andrei continued, "The sheep flock is currently expanding the fastest. Last year there were only nine hundred sheep, but now there are over three thousand one hundred."

We also implemented a 'maternal selection system' for this type of animal, concentrating the best breeding ewes for unified breeding.

Louis nodded.

These are Frosty-maned sheep unique to the North, with snow-white curly wool that gleams with a light blue sheen. Their milk contains a slight natural cooling energy and is considered a superior tonic for enhancing physical fitness.

Their high-density wool also allows for a significant improvement in the production of winter clothing and blankets.

Continuing along the stream, a tall greenhouse comes into view, housing a type of bird with an exaggerated size.

Their chest feathers are a dark red, as if scorched by fire, and wisps of hot air constantly rise from their throats; these are Red-throated Cassowaries.

Fifty birds have been raised in the hot poultry shed, and their feathers are even being used by the workshop as auxiliary materials for heating in alchemy.

Andrei led the way into a deeper mountain valley, where faint, heavy breathing could be heard from within the fence in the distance, accompanied by a chill in the air.

Ice hogs are kept there in captivity.

Their fangs are covered with white frost year-round, their back muscles bulge like rocks, and they occasionally let out a low growl that makes the surrounding air tremble slightly.

“Compared to ordinary domestic pigs, Ice-Foal Boars are more like wild beasts,” Andrei reminded in a low voice. “However, their meat is firm and rich in ‘cold energy essence,’ making them the first choice for knights to replenish their battle aura.”

There are now 370 of these pigs, mostly kept in penned up on gentle hillsides. They are cared for by specialized trainers and occasionally need to be soothed with a double-vine leaf spray.

Finally, Louis noticed a small, secluded ranch.

The fence is higher and the security is tighter. Here, several professional animal trainers are looking after the silver-tailed abyss foxes inside an enclosure.

Under the moonlight, the fur of these abyssal foxes shimmers slightly, as elegant as spirits in a snowy night.

Most of them were sourced from high-end furs for the nobility. Although they had little practical use, they were expensive, and Louis planned to sell them as luxury items.

Unfortunately, they are few in number; there are only ninety-three in the entire Wheat Wave Territory.

……

As Andrei introduced everything, Louis's gaze swept across the entire monster breeding area, and he made his own assessment.

The grazing system in Mailangling is quietly being improved.

Common cattle, sheep, and poultry ensure the supply of essential goods for people's livelihoods.

Special monster service knight orders and elite troops provide high-energy resources.

High-level war beasts serve as a crucial supply wand, determining the course of the battlefield.

Some of these magical beasts were purchased from the south at great expense, but most were precisely located by Louis through the intelligence system, and then captured and tamed by special expeditions sent by Louis.

As its scale expands, Mailangling has gradually formed a complete chain from breeding to domestication, from processing to derivative industries.

Moreover, even fishponds are conducting trial breeding of monster fish.

For example, the Red-bristled Catfish can nourish blood and enhance fighting spirit.

There is also the Three-Eyed Moon-Scaled Mandarin Fish, which improves the quality of the meridians and is regarded by the Knights as a top-quality tonic.

Louis let out a soft breath, looking at the gradually improving industrial landscape before him, and nodded to himself in approval.

If everything proceeds as planned, Wheatfield Territory will not only be the granary of the North, but will also become a key piece in the future Red Tide Territory's influence on the empire's northern landscape.

After inspecting the last monster enclosure, Louis stopped and lingered on Andrei for a moment longer.

The head of animal husbandry had a noticeable dark circle under his eye, clearly a mark left by his days of hard work and toil in the livestock area.

Yet his words were clear, and every piece of data he reported was presented in a logical and organized manner, with almost no errors.

Louis sighed inwardly; as expected, the talent recommended by the intelligence system was not wrong.

“Andrei,” he suddenly spoke, his tone approving. “To have developed the livestock industry in Wheatfield Territory to this scale in just one year requires not only vision and talent, but also diligence. You have done a great job.”

Andrei was startled, almost unable to believe that such an evaluation came from the lord's mouth.

He bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly, "It is my honor to serve you, my lord."

Louis smiled, took a heavy bag of gold coins from the knight beside him, and handed it over: "Consider this my personal reward. Take it."

When Kim Andrei took it, his hand trembled slightly. His eyes did not reflect greedy joy, but rather an almost fanatical excitement.

"Thank you... thank you, sir!" He looked up, his eyes shining.

What truly thrilled him was not the bag of gold coins, but the young lord's personal approval.

For Andrei, this was more precious than any wealth.

(End of this chapter)