Chapter 196: Chapter 195: Promotion

With the completion of the census, the population under Ronin’s rule exceeded fourteen thousand, satisfying the five-thousand and ten-thousand population requirements for the second and third tiers of the [Population Prosperity] achievement.

Just as he had previously completed two tiers of the [Financial Fortune] achievement at once, Ronin again received two rewards simultaneously.

As the two lines of notification text vanished from his vision, Ronin’s Attribute Points and Energy Essence increased by 250 and 500 points, respectively.

He did not immediately check his Attribute Panel. Instead, he carefully looked through the sheepskin documents in his hands, reading the compiled statistics.

In terms of population structure, Swamp Town and Mountain Forest Town had similar demographics—less than 5% of the population was over fifty, while nearly 60% was under thirty.

Clearly, Swamp Town’s population was quite healthy and vibrant.

’As long as there’s a sufficient food supply and we encourage childbirth, the population here should be able to grow.’

Furthermore, in terms of the statuses and occupations of the populace, Swamp Town did not have many Peasant Slaves. The vast majority were Free Tenant Farmers, with the remainder being Free People.

But regardless of their status, those living here were dependent on the Lord. This group was a diverse mix of people, including farmers, herders, and hunters.

With a larger population, there were naturally more people skilled in carpentry and masonry.

“Wilson, there are a few things I need you to do.”

Wilson sat bolt upright. “My Lord, please speak. I will do my utmost to accomplish it!”

“First, the carpenters. You need to organize and assign them to the Ironwood Workshop to speed up the production of Ironwood Weapons and armor. The order from Wushan Castle is due in three months, and I don’t want any delays.”

“Second, we also need to put these masons to use. Mountain Forest Town, Grey Soil Village, and Black Earth Village will be key areas for future development. The population there will continue to grow, making it essential to build more housing.”

“Finally, there are those skilled with clay. Transfer some of them to Jim; the Ceramic Workshop is a future development priority. Also, consolidate the blacksmiths. The Wubei Territory has a great deal of farmland waiting for us to cultivate, so we must accelerate the production of Curved Plows and other farming tools.”

With more people, their strength could only be maximized by having them work together in a coordinated fashion.

Wilson noted down each of these tasks. The thought of making these people leave the homes they had lived in for years gave him pause. “My Lord, what if these people are unwilling to go to Mountain Forest Town or the other villages?”

Ronin raised his eyebrows. “I’m not only paying them a salary, but I’m also arranging for their food and lodging. What reason would they have to be unwilling? Tell them that as long as they work for me wholeheartedly, I will reward them with land.”

A Peasant Slave could earn ten mu of land by working diligently for Ronin for ten years. This was an incentive policy established previously, and it was still applicable here.

Moreover, in a place like Swamp Town where arable land was scarce, the importance of land to the populace was self-evident.

Now that the Lord was providing them with a way to obtain land, this was an incredible opportunity for them.

Wilson nodded quickly. “They will surely be grateful for your benevolence, My Lord.”

’Benevolence? Not really. It’s just giving these people a goal to strive toward.’

’After all, even if the land is distributed, the property rights will still belong to me. The only difference will be that the farmers can cultivate the land freely while paying a smaller portion of their harvest as tribute.’

“The spring planting is almost upon us.”

Ronin looked at Wilson and his five assistants and began to lay out the plan for the spring planting.

“First, all sixty-thousand-plus mu of land in Swamp Town must be cultivated. Before sowing, we must ensure peat is extracted to enrich the soil’s fertility.”

Fertilizing tens of thousands of mu of land was a massive undertaking. When the time came, nearly all available labor, aside from those involved in herding and livestock raising, would likely be devoted to the task.

To Ronin, however, whether the Wubei Territory could become self-sufficient in food this year all depended on this spring planting. The investment of manpower, no matter how great, would be worth it.

After the spring planting would come land reclamation. Ronin planned to divide Swamp Town into several villages as well, organizing land reclamation teams on a village-by-village basis.

In the end, villages and individuals who performed exceptionally well would be rewarded based on their land reclamation results, which would further incentivize the populace to develop the territory.

“Wilson, do you remember me mentioning the ’Civil Affairs Chief’ position last time?”

Wilson’s breath hitched, then quickly grew ragged.

He clearly remembered the Lord saying that once the affairs of the northern Wilderness Tribes were settled and a Civil Servant was assigned to them, he would be appointed “Civil Affairs Chief.”

But the situation was different now. The Lord’s territory not only included all the Wilderness Tribes but now Swamp Town as well.

At this thought, Wilson’s gaze became eager.

Ronin smiled and said, “Congratulations, Wilson. From now on, you are the Civil Affairs Chief of the Wubei Territory.”

Since becoming a Civil Servant, while Wilson’s work hadn’t been perfect, he had at least met all of Ronin’s requirements.

Moreover, as he grew more adept at handling administrative affairs, he hadn’t slacked off in the slightest; on the contrary, he had become even more proactive.

Such an attitude was worthy of recognition.

Since his attitude was excellent and his abilities met the requirements, there was no reason not to promote Wilson.

“Thank you, My Lord!”

Overcome with emotion, Wilson wept with joy and quickly dropped to one knee to express his loyalty.

The fivefold increase in salary from his promotion from Civil Servant to Civil Affairs Chief was secondary. What truly mattered was the recognition he had earned, which signaled the potential for even greater advancement in the future.

His promotion immediately drew the envy of the five assistants. Their superior, their mentor, had been promoted. ’When will it be our turn?’ they wondered.

Ronin smiled faintly. A promotion was, of course, meant to be an incentive.

He said to the five assistants, “With Wilson becoming Civil Affairs Chief, the Civil Servant positions for Mountain Forest Town, Swamp Town, and the other villages will open up. This is your opportunity.”

The assistants immediately grew excited. This was truly their chance.

Furthermore, as the Wubei Territory grew larger and stronger and came to possess several towns with populations comparable to Swamp Town’s, Ronin would need to appoint officials for commerce, taxation, finance, and more.

This burgeoning land was filled with opportunities; it was up to this group of young assistants to seize them.

Next, Ronin continued to instruct Wilson and the others on how to coordinate the spring planting and land reclamation efforts.

“Alright, that will be all for today. If anything comes up, feel free to find me.”

Waving his hand to dismiss them, Ronin picked up the sheepskin document at his side. “Also, have this person named ’Pearson’ come see me tomorrow morning.”

Written clearly on the sheepskin document was: Pearson, leader of the Swamp Town caravan.

Ronin could indeed use the Ironhoof Clan’s caravans from Pasture City to sell Ironwood Weapons—and later, silk and Porcelain—to the outside world.

But that didn’t mean he had no need to establish his own trade caravan.

On the contrary, once commerce in the Wubei Territory truly began to flourish, having his own caravan would be essential.

To build a caravan, one naturally had to find someone who understood business. Picking a random farmer who only knew how to till the fields was completely impractical. At best, he would lose his investment; at worst, he would end up helping his competitors.

There were no such candidates in Mountain Forest Town, but Pearson from Swamp Town fit Ronin’s requirements perfectly.

As long as Pearson was capable and willing to work for Ronin, it didn’t matter that the caravan he led had once served Reisen.

’A merchant’s fundamental drive, after all, is the pursuit of profit.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep