Three-Year Development Plan (1)
Speculation ran wild in the subdued atmosphere of the room.
No one understood Jeron's plan.
Or rather, they did not understand why they even needed to do such a thing.
Jeron's stomach churned with frustration, but it was an unavoidable issue.
Had the Guardian Dragon not granted him the power to open dimensional gates, Jeron would have lived out his days content with the status quo.
No matter how hard one tried, this wretched poverty was impossible to escape. In that case, he would have thought it best to maintain the status quo and simply keep things from getting worse.
Not to mention the nobility, all high-ranking members of society detested change.
While no one could fathom Jeron's true intentions, surprisingly, the fief's sole female knight, Dame Leila, was staring intently at the A4 paper, lost in thought.
She had dreamed of becoming a knight since childhood and still strove to be the best.
She was a distinctive knight who utilized her small frame and lean, flexible muscles to execute rapid swordsmanship.
However, her pretty face had been a complex since childhood, leading her to adopt an icy demeanor to keep men at bay.
Spitting sharp remarks was second nature to her.
As if to prove this, the seats to her left and right were left empty.
“Dame Leila, do you understand what this means?”
Everyone's eyes turned to Leila, but amusingly, not a single person tried to meet her gaze.
This was true even for Sir Garcia, who was notorious as the greatest womanizer in the territory.
She swept her red hair back and spoke in a clear, resonant voice.
“It is an excellent plan. Some may look down on commerce, but there is no faster way to amass wealth than the movement of goods.”
“Did you learn that from your late father, Dame?”
“Yes. My family has been engaged in trade for generations.”
Because she came from a merchant family, she recognized the true value of the proposal Jeron had presented.
Dame Leila was born with a sort of mutant gene in her family. From the moment she first saw a sword, she had been captivated by it and had trained like possessed ever since.
Even so, she did not look down on commerce.
She had spent a long time receiving merchant training at her father's side, and in her youth, she had traveled with the merchant caravans to inherit the family business.
In the end, her passion for the sword could not be broken, but her eye for business had matured splendidly.
Aside from her, only Cain, the treasurer, understood Jeron's plan.
“These are excellent goals and detailed settings. However, to achieve this, we need...”
“Trade rights.”
“Exactly. Our fief currently relies on the Count's family for trade rights. No matter how good the products we make are, the taxes will be exorbitant, meaning this plan could result in heavy losses.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Jeron clapped his hands.
It was an insight so brilliant it almost brought tears to his eyes.
To think that in this rigid society, two people could recognize the true value of a fief development plan.
Jeron looked at the rest of his vassals. But they only blinked.
Their expressions asked, What on earth are they talking about?
“Sir Jenald, what do you think?”
“We knights have no need to question the Lord's orders. If you command, we shall execute.”
“And the rest of the knights?”
“Could you at least explain it to us?”
Sir Jenald, the veteran knight who lived by the book, did not question the plan itself.
He simply meant he would follow orders.
Sir Garcia, who as adjutant was supposed to offer proper counsel, was asking for an explanation with a black eye.
In truth, the other vassals felt the same.
Jeron was trying to transplant the 'Five-Year Economic Development Plan' that had driven Korea's rapid modernization, adapting it to the fief's situation. However, such a system was not just radical; it was entirely beyond the comprehension of the people of this era.
Jeron picked up the A4 paper.
1. Complete self-sufficiency through agricultural promotion.
2. Achieve 300,000 gold in exports by fostering commerce and industry.
3. Repair residential housing for each household.
4. Construct roads inside and outside the fief.
5. Promote technology and expand infrastructure industries.
6. Implement water supply and waste management plans.
7. Train and elite-train a force of 1,000 soldiers.
Just looking at the contents, one could tell it was a project of immense difficulty.
“The kingdom's nobles tend to look down on commerce, but a fief can only develop by drawing in external capital. While attracting investment is impossible under current circumstances, if we can develop our own local specialties and export them, we can easily achieve 300,000 gold.”
“Three hundred thousand gold! Isn't that our fief's entire annual budget?”
“It's possible if we run a merchant group. The reason this is possible is because I negotiated with Duke Langton this time to secure trade rights.”
“...!”
A wave of murmurs swept through the room.
Trade rights?
Trade rights passed down through noble families were not something to be handed out lightly.
Without a valid reason and justification, securing trade rights was utterly impossible.
It was not for nothing that regional lords set up massive checkpoints and levied exorbitant taxes.
Currently, there were only five noble families in the kingdom that held trade rights. If one more was added, the repercussions would be immense.
Because regional lords would inevitably protest, it was practically impossible for the Farrow family, situated in a remote mountainous region, to obtain them.
Yet, would their lord, Jeron, speak nonsense?
Cain, the treasurer, stood up in excitement.
“Tr-trade rights, did you say?! I didn't mishear you, did I?”
“That is how the negotiation went.”
“But it must have come at an immense cost.”
“It's not finalized yet, but Duke Langton has agreed to throw his full weight behind us.”
“For such an absurd miracle to happen...”
Not only the treasurer but even the knights, who were the epitome of simple-mindedness, gasped in astonishment.
They, too, understood the value of trade rights.
Of course, the knights were more shocked by the fact that he had established such a close relationship with Duke Langton than by the trade rights themselves.
Sir James, the knight commander, asked in a cautious voice.
“Could it be that Duke Langton is becoming our patron?”
“It wasn't explicitly stated as such, but a contract was established where we aid each other. To other nobles, I will likely appear to belong to Duke Langton's faction.”
“Incredible!”
The knights knew the value of connections.
In fact, they placed more weight on that connection than on the trade rights.
Leila, who had been quietly listening, spoke in her clear voice.
“Money must circulate for a land to grow strong. If we successfully develop local specialties, we can run a merchant group to draw in external funds and gradually scale up. Ultimately, that will lead to the prosperity of the fief itself.”
Such flexibility of thought, completely free of rigidity.
Jeron saw Dame Leila in a new light.
Cain was to be expected since he had always dealt with money, but Dame Leila also possessed formidable insight.
It was a good thing to have such talent by his side.
Cain spoke of the advantages of the development plan.
“Since our fief was once a county, we possess a vast territory and land incomparable to other baronies. In fact, it is better than most viscounties. Although the fief itself is poor and the situation is not great, a large population means we can secure a lot of cheap labor.”
Dame Leila followed up.
“And if we utilize that labor, we can certainly accomplish many things. The issue is whether the products will hold enough value. Once that is solved, we will be sitting on a mountain of gold.”
Clap, clap, clap!
Jeron clapped as he looked at the Cain-Leila duo.
Although it was lacking from a modern perspective, possessing such insight in this primitive society was a miracle.
The fief was poor, but the Farrow Territory had its share of talented individuals.
However, Cain expressed confusion as he reviewed Jeron's plan.
“It all sounds wonderful. Repairing houses and paving roads will serve as the axis to quickly circulate the fief's goods. But why on earth are we systematically managing the waste of the commoners?”
“Sir Cain is right. Why of all things, waste?”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Jeron clicked his tongue.
After reincarnating, the most uncomfortable thing for him was the excrement scattered all over the streets.
“The reason we are building separate latrines to collect waste is because it serves as fertilizer.”
“Fer... tilizer?”
How do I explain this?
The concept of fertilizer did not exist in this primitive society.
The natural starting point for a fief's development tech tree was agriculture, a staple of countless novels.
Even if it was a cliché, it could not be neglected.
“Land that has grown crops once loses its nutrients, requiring a year of fallow. However, if we make and spread fertilizer there, we do not need to let the land rest.”
“What is the principle behind that?”
Though they had no interest in farming, it was a topic that piqued their curiosity.
Only when farming went well would taxes flow into the fief.
“We get food from the earth. Some of it is used as energy to move our bodies, and the rest is excreted. Returning this to the earth replenishes its nutrients. That is the principle.”
“Ah!”
“My Lord, you seem to have mastered the laws of nature!”
It's exhausting making up explanations.
Jeron persuaded them with a simplified explanation.
Surprisingly, it worked well.
No one doubted Jeron's words.
Once the biggest hurdle in the development plan was resolved, everything proceeded smoothly.
Jeron ordered the establishment of the Territory Development Office on the spot, appointing Cain as the head and Dame Leila as the deputy head.
Although Jeron would manage the office himself, he desperately needed administrative support.
Appointing Cain and Leila, who possessed decent insight, was a highly rational decision.
Jeron had all his vassals stand and join hands.
“Deliver the following slogan to the entire fief.”
“A slogan...?”
“Shout it on three. Let's live well!”
“That is a fine slogan!”
“One, two, three!”
“Let's live well!”