26: Repair farmland

"You want all those children to learn and gain knowledge?" Fornal asked again, somewhat in disbelief.

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"My Lord, could it be that there isn't a problem?" Fornal stared wide-eyed at Wren.

"They are not nobles, nor knights, nor even your retainers. They are just the children of ordinary commoners. How could they be qualified to learn noble knowledge?"

"My Lord, if you wish to train trustworthy retainers, you only need to pick a few clever ones from among them and have Scholar Ravenk teach them some things. There is no need for all the children to learn."

Wren knew his decision to have all the children study would cause a reaction, but he hadn't expected the most intense response to come from his own Administrator, Fornal.

"No, Fornal. What I need is not as simple as a few retainers. I need every inhabitant of the Red River Territory to be literate in the future. Farmers must master the knowledge of planting, warriors must master the knowledge of warfare, and Administrators must master the knowledge of governance."

"There are also doctors, craftsmen, and so on. I need them all to learn and work for me. This is not just about a few people, Fornal."

"But... do farmers really need to study to farm? They don't need to be literate to plant crops."

"No, things will be different in the future, Fornal. In the future, farming the territory will be a great science. You will see."

"For now, you need to organize some craftsmen to build a School. As for the matter of learning, you don't need to worry about it. Just follow my orders."

Wren had explained enough. He didn't need Fornal to understand the significance right now; time would prove everything.

"Very well, as you command, My Lord!"

Fornal left to organize the craftsmen, and Wren began to draft the blueprints for the School.

Drawing blueprints was relatively simple. The craftsmen he had recruited knew how to build houses; Wren only needed to draw the layout and size of the building and reserve enough land for the School.

He had been too busy before and had indeed neglected the management of the children in the territory. Building a School this time would solve the issues of their growth and education once and for all.

"Centralized management can also free up manpower for other work. There won't be a need for every household to leave someone behind to watch the children."

The Red River Territory didn't have a large population yet; every extra laborer freed up was a good thing.

"And toilets—build those as well."

When Wren first arrived at Red River Town, he noticed the hygiene was terrible. Human and animal waste could be seen everywhere. In the past, the territory didn't care where the Serfs relieved themselves.

Only the hygiene within Red River Fortress was slightly better, as there were specific toilets for convenience.

Wren had already taught the composting technique to the territory's farmers. He believed it wouldn't be long before they mastered it, and then the waste would have its use.

Wren already knew the situation in Red River Town like the back of his hand. He finished the blueprints in a single morning.

After marking the School and several toilets on the blueprints, Wren had someone deliver them to Fornal.

"Let's go, Little White. Let's take a walk."

The Little White wolf crouching next to Wren immediately perked up, standing and ready to go.

Rubbing Little White's smooth fur, Wren prepared to take him to the fields for another look... The weather was clear, the sky cloudless, and beneath the blue expanse, stretches of Northern Rye swayed in the wind.

Watching the waves of grain stretching with the breeze, Wren's mood lightened considerably.

"My Lord, the weeding of these forty thousand mu of farmland is basically complete, and they have been irrigated once. We will continue weeding and irrigating until the harvest season arrives."

Bar stood before Wren, looking somewhat nervous.

The former mayor of Redwood Town was now the temporary head of agricultural production for the Red River Territory. When Fornal was busy with other matters, Bar would step in to oversee the farming.

As the son of the former Redwood Territory Administrator, Bar had received training in relevant skills and knowledge since childhood. Leading farmers in planting was not difficult for him.

"Good job, Bar."

Seeing the well-growing rye, Wren offered a word of praise, which made the young man incredibly happy.

Plucking a stalk of rye, Wren felt a sense of wonder at the magical land of the Noah Continent. Without fertilizer or intensive cultivation, the growth of the grain before him was already extremely pleasing just from weeding and watering.

"If we applied fertilizer and combined it with intensive cultivation and proper care, the yield would be astronomical."

Bar followed Wren closely. Having received Wren's approval, he wasn't as nervous anymore. He was now curious why the Lord would pluck a stalk of rye and examine it for ages, or grab a handful of soil to look at and even smell.

"What is the Lord doing?"

Bar was completely bewildered, assuming it was some peculiar knowledge possessed by nobles.

"Bar!"

"I am here, My Lord!"

"How many people are working in the fields every day right now?"

"There are five thousand today, but Lord Fornal just informed me that another thousand will be pulled back to the town for work tomorrow. So, starting tomorrow, there will only be four thousand in the fields."

"Four thousand. Is that enough?"

"It's enough, My Lord. The subsequent watering and weeding aren't heavy work; four thousand is plenty. If the town needs more hands, it's fine to take more."

"Based on the current situation, the restoration work in the fields will be completely finished in about ten days. Afterward, it won't even need much manpower to look after. I think a thousand people would be enough."

Bar did a quick calculation and gave Wren a number, but Wren didn't see it that way.

"No. Work in the fields isn't just weeding and watering. Loosening the soil, pest control, and preventing large animals or other races from damaging or stealing crops all require manpower. It cannot be managed so simply."

"Also, the farming skills I taught those veteran farmers require labor. It might not meet my requirements at first, but we'll get there through constant trial and error."

"From now on, keep the number of people in the fields at four thousand; do not reduce it further. I will find ways to solve the manpower needs in other parts of the territory."

"Yes, My Lord, I understand." Bar firmly etched Wren's words into his mind.

As an outsider, Bar felt insecure. He was now desperate to prove his value and secure a place for himself in the Red River Territory.

"And these irrigation channels—once the work in the fields decreases, arrange manpower to reconstruct them. These ditches are too simple and the efficiency is too low."

Because the fields were along the river, the irrigation water was brought in directly from the Red River through small ditches dug by the farmers.

After inspecting them, Wren found that these channels were dug haphazardly by the farmers for convenience. Once opened, there was no control over the volume of water; if the flow became too strong, it couldn't be stopped.

Such irrigation either flooded the crops or left them dry, yet the farmers were indifferent and felt nothing was wrong.

Wren showed Bar on the spot how to build the channels and to what standard, then called over several craftsmen to memorize the specifications he described.

The farmland was right by the river, so the irrigation project wasn't massive. Wren estimated all the channels could be rebuilt before winter.

"My Lord, if it's truly as you say, then irrigating the fields will be much more convenient and will reduce a lot of losses."

"Of course!"

Through Wren's explanation, Bar immediately understood the role the rebuilt channels would play, and he found a place where he could demonstrate his value.

"If I can complete this task assigned by the Lord, then I can truly gain his recognition."

Full of drive, Bar was already planning in his head how to make the farmers work harder.

Bar patted his chest and guaranteed, "Rest assured, My Lord. I will personally oversee the fields and ensure these channels are built exactly as you described."

"Very good. But don't forget the other matters in the fields; you also need to keep an eye on those farmers' experiments."

"I have high hopes for you, young man. Fornal is getting old. As a young person, you should take on more pressure, understand?"

"I understand, My Lord."

Hearing Wren's encouragement, Bar was so excited his voice trembled slightly.