Chapter 106 - 101: Autumn Planning

Lawrence truly didn’t disappoint Luo De.

In just seven days, he led his men tirelessly to deliver all the grain to the granary.

Of course, this wasn’t done through kindness.

During these seven days, Lawrence whipped more than thirty slaves.

The slaves privately awarded him the title of Frost Leaf Town’s top overseer.

But precisely because of this, on the evening of the seventh day, Frost Leaf Town was able to smoothly hold its first autumn harvest summary meeting.

For the first time, the manor hall was filled with people.

On the left side were Lawrence, Otto, and the father-daughter duo of Rein.

On the right side were Durant, Gang Le, Us, and Prophet Bai Shuang.

Luo De sat in the main seat, with Avril sitting opposite him.

Milly sat behind Luo De, cracking pine nuts.

All those who had a say in the territory and had free time were seated at this long table.

The maid Leia brought dried fruits to the table, pouring each person a cup of flower tea before respectfully stepping back.

Luo De’s gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Lawrence,

"We can begin."

"Yes, my lord."

Lawrence stood up and cleared his throat, "This year’s harvest in Frost Leaf Town: 998 tons of rye and 367 tons of wheat!"

"Totaling 1,365 tons!"

His voice was loud, with a slight quiver in the end, "The highest yield was from a thousand acres of prime farmland, two hundred and eighty-nine tons!"

"Fantastic!"

Gang Le suddenly slapped the table and exclaimed, startling everyone into looking over.

Realizing the inappropriate setting, he quickly covered his mouth.

He leaned over the table, pretending to be dead, not daring to make a sound.

The others were also full of excitement but didn’t dare to speak out.

Luo De observed the group’s reservedness, waved his hand, and laughed casually, "Don’t hold back, feel free to shout out!"

"Thirteen hundred tons, that’s beyond what we ever dared to imagine!" Gang Le was the first to shout out.

Alya looked at Rein, "We’ll no longer have to worry about food!"

"I’ve never seen so much grain, even the ox cart couldn’t finish hauling it!" Otto was full of excitement.

...

A burst of noise erupted among the few, even Avril couldn’t help but tightly clutch her hands in excitement.

Although, upon careful consideration, it didn’t have much to do with her.

The hall’s quietest were Milly and Prophet Bai Shuang.

Milly was too young to comprehend, focusing instead on battling with pine nuts and barely hearing anything Lawrence said.

Prophet Bai Shuang seemed somewhat puzzled.

He leaned over to Us’s ear and whispered, "How much grain is that?"

Us scratched his head, pondering how to explain.

After a brief thought, he made a comparison, "It’s more than two thousand people can consume in a year, roughly equivalent to the annual rations of six or seven White Frost Tribes!"

"Saint Master above!"

Prophet Bai Shuang’s eyes widened in shock.

In truth, just the sheer 1,300 tons of grain alone wasn’t shocking.

The crucial part was that it came from just five thousand acres of land.

This yield was simply outrageous.

Forget ten thousand acres, even fifteen thousand acres of farmland might not have such a yield!

Everyone tacitly assumed that Luo De might be the reincarnation of the Saint Master.

Or perhaps some legendary extraordinary figure, like a Wizard or a Warlock.

In any case, ordinary people couldn’t achieve such a feat.

But no one delved into such matters.

People tend to like this, quietly accepting the benefits.

When good fortune comes, it’s taken for granted.

It’s only in misfortune that they cry, "Why am I so miserable?"

Luo De allowed them to revel for a while before gesturing for silence.

He turned to Lawrence and said, "I’ve checked the granary, your arrangements are excellent, I’ll reward you."

"Thank you for your generosity." Lawrence bowed in salute.

Luo De then asked, "How much straw is there?"

"Over two thousand six hundred tons."

Lawrence reported.

Luo De nodded slightly, "Make sure those are dried and stored properly too."

The grains are a valuable resource, and the straw is equally precious.

With so much straw, chopped fine, it’s enough to feed thousands of livestock.

They can also be composted into fertilizer to nourish the land.

Building houses, making fires for warmth, are the most common uses of this era.

However, Luo De couldn’t bear to use them for fires when pine needles from the mountains are abundant for fueling stoves.

"And the bran."

Luo De reminded, "Bran can also be used as animal feed, don’t waste it."

At this point, Otto, sitting in the corner, cautiously interjected,

"Lord, people can eat bran too."

"Mix it in bread; it’s especially filling."

As soon as he spoke, everyone turned to stare at him in unison.

"Alright, save some for you to eat."

Luo De raised an eyebrow, smiling wryly, "Whether anyone else eats it, I don’t care."

"Hahaha!" The hall erupted into laughter.

"With so much grain, you’re still thinking about bran?"

Rein patted Otto’s shoulder, and Otto immediately realized.

He had forgotten, with rye plentiful this year, why eat bran at all.

As the laughter subsided, Luo De spoke more seriously, "Follow my instructions, burn all the fields, and when setting fires, be careful not to trigger a wildfire."

The ashes from burnt fields would serve as next year’s fertilizer, also killing pest eggs.

Once the northern snow melts, nutrients would seep into the soil with the water.

"Furthermore, some plots of land won’t be planted next year."

"I will designate new areas to clear."

"Record everyone’s work points well; next year the land leasing will adjust prices based on points."

Luo De gave instructions on each matter, all of which Lawrence noted down one by one.

The statistics on work points were crucial as Luo De needed to ensure the townsfolk neither starved nor hoarded excessively, which could cause inflation.

Luo De also planned to slowly introduce currency.

With money, the townsfolk could trade freely, stimulating the economy.

However, this wasn’t urgent.

"With winter approaching, organize everyone to chop wood."

Northern winters required not only food but also warmth.

The trees on the nearby slopes were nearly gone, so they’d have to go further up the mountain.