The Dawn of the Territory (2)
It was the crane that Master Kang had spent all of yesterday working on.
As soon as Master Kang had arrived in the territory, he had begun dismantling the old blacksmith shop and refining the crane.
Two additional wire ropes had been added to the crane, making it look slightly more complex than it had the day before.
The application of a triple pulley system meant that the force required to pull an object was reduced to one-third.
Thanks to this, a load that had previously required six men straining at the ropes was now easily hoisted by just three workers.
The speed of the work had multiplied.
Behind the wall, massive boulders were brought in one after another, and stonemasons set to work splitting and shaping them.
On the front of the wall, a sturdy single-faced stone masonry technique was being employed.
The boulders were trimmed into neat rectangular blocks, much like bricks, and then stacked upward.
Mortar was spread between the layers to add strength.
The wall was designed with a triple-layered structure.
The first layer was the single-faced stone masonry. The second layer consisted of stones packed inside rectangular wire mesh cages.
The third layer involved wrapping the exterior with timber and supporting it with pillars to prevent the wall from being pushed back by siege engines.
It was a masterpiece that integrated the magic-infused techniques of the Karen Continent, the engineering of Roman-era Earth, and ancient construction methods.
To fully implement the Roman-style wall-building technique, steel wire was required, which Master Kang planned to produce once the new blacksmith shop was completed. For now, everyone was focusing on achieving their primary objectives.
Even without the overseers urging them on, the workers dripped with sweat.
They were all learning the true value of labor.
It was clear that the wall construction site was running smoothly.
Jeron stepped down from the wall.
"Overseer, let's head to the road construction site."
"Yes, my Lord."
The road construction site was not far.
This was because the road was being laid from the front of the wall, cutting straight through the territory.
Unlike the wall construction site, which served as a training ground for mass-producing skilled technicians, the road construction site was run under a very strict atmosphere.
Here, soldiers watched with sharp, cold eyes.
Every single one of them was armed with spears and swords, and they held whips in their hands.
Among the laborers mobilized for the road construction, some were common residents, but most of those were middle managers. The ones actually performing the physical labor were war slaves.
Crack!
"Argh!"
"Don't slack off! You are slaves, worth less than beasts. If you want to be reassigned to the farmland, get a perfect score on your evaluations!"
It was a brutal sight indeed.
Yet, the overseers, the common residents, and even the working slaves took it for granted.
While it might seem unreasonable to modern eyes, to these slaves, this place was paradise.
They were fed regular meals, and executions were extremely rare.
Though the labor seemed harsh, they were not worked to death, and they were guaranteed proper rest periods.
If they survived five years of labor, they could be promoted to the status of semi-citizens through evaluations, so the slaves gritted their teeth and endured.
The chief manager of Sector 1 rushed over after receiving a quiet summons.
"I greet the Lord."
"How is the progress?"
"We expect to connect the road to the central plaza by the end of today, my Lord."
"That is fast."
"Is it not the result of all the residents working together as one?"
The manager looked remarkably clean.
Since he was paid twice the wage of a regular laborer, his living conditions had improved significantly, and it showed.
He wore high-quality clothes for this era, his face was reasonably plump, and his skin practically glowed from daily baths.
Just not smelling like sour sweat made a person seem civilized.
Leaving the active site, Jeron walked along the completed paved road.
Roads, which could be considered the greatest legacy and measure of progress of the Roman Empire, were an indispensable foundation for the development of the territory.
If there had been a volcano nearby, finishing the road with volcanic ash concrete would have been ideal, but unfortunately, there were no volcanoes in the vicinity.
Even so, the road was incredibly solid and would not turn into a muddy swamp when it rained.
The variance in the paving stones was minimal, ensuring a smooth ride even for carriages.
I wonder if cars could drive on this?
For a moment, Jeron indulged in a whimsical thought.
If roads like this were laid throughout the entire territory, they could travel comfortably in cars instead of carriages.
Of course, bringing a car over was currently impossible due to the weight limit of the portal.
To bring a car, he would have to disassemble it, transport it piece by piece, and reassemble it, but there were too many other essential items the territory needed right now.
Driving around the territory in a car would have to remain a pleasure for the future.
For now, just bringing over tires and suspension systems would spark a revolution in carriage design.
Every time he rode a carriage, his rear end ached so badly that he dreaded long-distance travel.
Once modified carriages were introduced in the future, things would be much better.
Sidewalks were being laid alongside the road, and drainage channels were also being constructed.
For now, the waterways were only being built along the main roads, but within a year, the drainage system would be completed across the entire territory.
When that happened, the quality of life would rise significantly.
Jeron walked along the road for a long time until he reached the farmland.
It was an area close to Lake Baitan.
The waterways had already been connected all the way here.
The reservoir they used to use had been expanded. Waterways branched out from it, allowing the nearby fields to draw water without difficulty.
Thanks to this, wheat was ripening across the vast fields of the territory.
However, most of the soil in the territory was grayish-white acidic soil, so some countermeasures were needed.
If we spread alkaline fertilizer on the acidic soil, it will get much better.
Fertilizer made from fermented night soil was alkaline.
While night soil fertilizer would be effective even on loess soil, it would likely bring about a remarkable transformation in this acidic soil.
Indeed, the wheat grains in the areas where fertilizer had been applied were visibly different from those in the untreated acidic soil.
It proved that they could harvest a much larger yield.
Jeron left the vicinity of the city and headed straight south.
Gradually, the quality of the soil transitioned to a yellowish hue.
This was where the villages of the serfs were located.
It seemed the New Territory Movement had spread to the serf villages as well.
Just because they were serfs did not mean they did not want to improve their quality of life.
Unlike the war slaves, the serfs in these villages were practically treated as semi-citizens.
Their freedom was not severely restricted, and though they could not leave the village permanently, their daily actions were not forced. They could even travel to the city if they had a permit to purchase necessary goods.
The serfs were paid about 20% of the wages of the common residents, but even this made them deeply grateful.
If they showed good results in cultivating the land, their wages would increase further.
So, for the sake of those results, the serfs worked even harder.
Here and there, flowers planted in pots were being prepared for shipment.
And the potatoes?
They were growing well in one section of the fields and would be ready for harvest soon.
Once harvested, they would immediately plant another batch in a different plot to harvest once more before winter arrived.
Garlic and ginger were also growing steadily.
Although Jeron was disguised as a commoner, he had walked around like this so often that the serfs recognized his face.
"I greet the Lord!"
"Oh, my Lord! What brings you all the way here?"
The serfs working in the fields prostrated themselves all at once.
Jeron checked their condition.
Not bad. Just the fact that they wash themselves greatly reduces the occurrence of infectious diseases.
In a world where being dirty was the norm, everyone lived that way, but once a person experienced cleanliness, they could never go back to their filthy days.
This was especially true for the serfs, who sweated all day; sleeping without washing would naturally be unbearable once they knew the alternative.
"Billion, you are doing very well."
"I-I am deeply honored, my Lord."
Step, step.
Jeron walked through the vast wheat fields.
The further south he went, the higher the crop yield became.
Because fertilizer had been properly spread on the serfs' fields, the yield was spectacular.
Despite the drought this year, the territory was on the verge of becoming completely self-sufficient on its own harvest alone.
It was a long road to get here.
Being self-sufficient during a drought was a massive advantage.
It was all thanks to the proximity of Lake Baitan.
With the agricultural waterways in place, watering the crops was simple.
Inhaling the rich scent of the wheat grains, Jeron pulled a handful of Offrin seeds from his pocket.
He had divided the one kilogram of seeds into ten bags.
He intended to plant half of them this year.
Since he had to account for the possibility of crop failure, he would start with five bags first.
Jeron carefully handed over the seeds.
"These seeds are worth more than your lives. Germinate them and plant them. If you succeed in multiplying these, I will adjust your wages to 30% of the common residents' rate."
"...!"
A 10% wage increase.
The serfs' faces lit up.
In truth, they already felt their lives were not bad.
At the very least, no one was starving anymore, and they even had surplus food to sell, allowing them to buy things they needed from the city.
They were serfs in name, but their livelihood was actually better than that of common residents in other territories.
Yet, to hear that their wages would be increased even further, they could not help but be shocked.
The village chief pressed his forehead against the dirt.
"We will accomplish this even if it costs us our lives!"
This was enough.
The Offrin wheat seeds would be distributed to five different fields for pilot production.
This year's goal was not to sell the harvest, but to produce a large quantity of seeds to plant next year.
Eventually, the Offrin wheat would replace all the wheat farming in the territory.
Jeron was happily imagining the changes that would occur once the Offrin wheat was mass-produced.
His daydream was shattered by a messenger galloping from the distance.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
A lone rider.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
It seemed the messenger had spent quite some time searching for Jeron's whereabouts.
Neigh!
Bringing his horse to a sudden halt, the messenger immediately dropped to one knee before Jeron.
"My Lord! I bring word that the barbarian chieftains wish to hold a summit!"
"This quickly?"
"Yes, my Lord! They have already arrived near the territory and set up camp."
It seemed the barbarians had grown impatient, considering how little time had passed since he threw out the bait.