7: Territory dilemma

The day after returning to the territory, Wren first buried his family members in this world before beginning to govern the territory that belonged to him, the Red River Territory.

As for the funeral, he was the only one left in the Derrick Family, and the only noble left in the Red River Valley. Naturally, the funeral Wren held was very simple, and he did not invite any other nobles to attend; it was over in a single morning.

Only Fornal felt that the funeral was a bit rushed and too simple, but considering the territory's current situation, he didn't say anything more.

"Lord!"

Inside the council hall of Redwood Fort, Fornal stood respectfully before Wren, reporting on the recently completed intake work.

A day had passed, and the three thousand people Wren brought back had all entered Red River Town.

"The population received this time is approximately three thousand people. Adding the five hundred-plus craftsmen you recruited earlier and the 223 warriors, the territory has increased by a total of around 3,800 people."

Fornal found this number hard to believe. It had taken over a hundred years for the population of the Red River Territory to grow to over thirty thousand, yet it had increased by more than 3,800 in just these few short days.

"Around 3,800 people?"

Wren was somewhat dissatisfied with Fornal's rough estimation.

"Including these 3,800 people, how many people does the territory have in total now?"

Fornal sensed Wren's dissatisfaction and carefully stated the number he had calculated in his mind.

"Including the population you brought back, Lord, our Red River Territory now has a total of approximately 8,500 people."

"Only 8,500 people in total?"

"So few?"

This number was far too small, exceeding Wren's expectations.

"The territory's population was originally over thirty thousand. Now, even with these 3,800 people, there are only 8,500. This means that if it weren't for this population supplement, the territory's population would be less than five thousand after the war with the Fel Orcs."

"A single war lost more than half of the territory's population?"

"Yes, Lord. A portion of these lost people was from when the old master took them north to fight the Fel Orcs, and the remaining half was abducted by Blackstone Territory."

"Viscount Black Stone abducted all the Freemen and a portion of the Ordinary subjects, and also seized all the Serfs, making the territory's already small population even worse."

Fornal grew furious at the thought of Viscount Black Stone's shameless actions. If it hadn't been for the Viscount snatching people away, the Red River Territory wouldn't be so sparsely populated now.

The territories of the nobles in the Kingdom of Asriel were generally composed of three types of people: Serfs, Ordinary subjects, and Freemen.

Serfs were Slaves, the personal property of the lord with no status—essentially moving tools. They had no freedom to speak of, and their lives depended on the lord.

Ordinary subjects were dependents of the lord. Their status was much better than that of Serfs, but they essentially belonged to the lord as well. Subjects received the lord's protection and farmed the lord's land.

While enjoying the lord's protection, Ordinary subjects had to fulfill their obligations, the most important of which was to be loyal to their lord and not leave the territory at will.

Of course, this was all relative. If a lord's strength was insufficient, they could not protect their subjects nor restrain them.

Viscount Black Stone had seized the moment when the Derrick Family was at its weakest, taking advantage of the gap when the Red River Territory could not protect or restrain its own subjects to take a massive advantage.

The last group, the Freemen, were different. These people were relatively free and possessed skills to make a living.

This allowed them to survive without depending on a lord. Their movements were not restricted, and it was common for them to choose to leave a territory when facing danger. However, as the price of freedom, Freemen did not receive the lord's protection and could not farm the lord's land.

The vast wilderness of the Noah Continent was full of various crises. All sorts of deadly magical monsters and alien races lived in the wilds, and few could survive there without the protection of a town.

Thus, Freemen were a minority. Only those with no fixed abode, like bards, adventurers, and traveling merchants, would actively choose to be Freemen. Most ordinary people would still become a noble's subject and farm for them for a lifetime.

The Derrick Family had been established for 180 years, managed through several generations, yet more than half of its foundation was lost in a single invasion by the Fel Orcs. If Wren hadn't brought these people to supplement the population, who knows how long it would have taken for the Red River Territory to recover.

In Wren's view, the management of the previous generations of the Derrick Family over nearly two hundred years was a pile of dog shit. In 180 years, the territory had only grown to a population of just over thirty thousand.

Furthermore, after a brief investigation, Wren found that the Red River Territory had no noteworthy local products for trade, nor any complete infrastructure. The only thing worth mentioning was the farmland reclaimed along both banks of the river within the territory.

But the Red River Territory now lacked the manpower to farm it. It could be said they had nothing; the entire territory was impoverished and barren.

"I wonder what they were actually doing for those 180 years?"

Looking at the data in his hands, Wren felt a bit of a headache.

"Fornal!"

"I am here, Lord."

"How much grain do we have left in the territory?" Food was the issue Wren was most concerned about right now.

Fornal thought for a moment and then replied, "Lord, there are approximately one thousand tons of grain left in the family castle."

"How much?"

"Only a thousand tons?"

Wren was shocked to hear Fornal's words and quickly asked.

"How could it be so little? Isn't the regular grain stock in the granary usually at least over three thousand tons?"

"Lord, there were indeed over three thousand tons of grain in the granary before, but Lord Bord transported more than half of the stored grain to Redwood Fort to resist the Fel Orcs. The old master originally planned to hold Redwood Fort for a long time."

Fornal said timidly, "I didn't expect Redwood Fort to be breached and the old master to fall in battle."

Hearing this, Wren shook his head helplessly and then sat in his chair, remaining silent for a moment.

"Fornal, go back now and immediately organize all the able-bodied labor in the territory to go to the fields and restore production."

"It is now late June, a critical period for crop growth. The fields have been neglected for a month with no one to tend them. If we don't organize manpower to resume production as soon as possible, there will inevitably be a decrease in yield. If this year's output is insufficient, everyone will go hungry come winter."

"The taste of hunger is not pleasant; people will die. Our territory has so few people left that we can't afford any more deaths."

The fact that the grain stores were insufficient could not be changed, so Wren could only think of other ways. Restoring agricultural production became the top priority. When he first inspected the Red River Territory a few days ago, he had noticed that the crops in the fields were all neglected.

When the Fel Orcs invaded, the territory lost its able-bodied men, and the remaining people hid in their homes, afraid to go out. This led to the crops in the fields being untended for over a month, and the weeds were growing taller than the crops.

Due to the geography and climate of the Northern Border, farming only yielded one harvest per year. It was now late June, and it was too late to replant grain. Wren could only hope that the reduction in yield wouldn't be too severe.

Wren had thought that since the Red River Territory hadn't been breached by the Fel Orcs, the family's grain stores would still be there, but reality had given him a resounding slap in the face.

Now that more than half of the grain in Redwood Fort was gone, this unexpected situation caught Wren somewhat off guard.

Wren estimated that even with the current grain stores and the food he had requested from Count Sena, even if they were frugal, it wouldn't be enough for the 8,500 people in the territory to survive this year's cold winter and make it to next September's harvest season.

If there was no harvest from the fields before winter, people would certainly starve to death this winter. This was something Wren absolutely could not accept; the population of the Red River Territory could not withstand any more losses.

"I didn't expect the Red River Territory's grain and warriors to be buried together in Redwood Fort to the north."

Wren couldn't help but recall the tragic state of Redwood Fort after the battle.

When receiving the refugees, Wren had explored the ruins of Redwood Fort, hoping to scavenge something useful.

Unfortunately, by then, everything of value in Redwood Fort had already been swept clean by the Border Defense Army and the reinforcements led by Blackstone Territory. His idea of finding leftovers was not realized.

Although the Fel Orcs were uninterested in most human possessions—they only needed grain and flesh—the Border Defense Army was different. The ordinary soldiers of the Border Defense Army had very low regular income and relied on the spoils after each battle to make their fortune.

Several baronies recovered by the Border Defense Army had been swept through, especially the baronial castles.

The bulk of the items in the baronial castles had to be given to the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear. Count Sena and all the officers of the Border Defense Army would then divide the remaining portion, and only the scraps left at the end belonged to the low-level soldiers.

Furthermore, there were the irregular troops from Blackstone Territory constantly scavenging the ruins. Anything even slightly useful was taken clean; even pots and pans for daily life were picked up by the low-level soldiers as long as they were intact.

When Wren went to scavenge, he didn't even find a single hair. Nothing was found in Redwood Fort, leaving only a landscape of broken walls and devastation.

Upon receiving Wren's order, Fornal immediately organized people to restore agricultural production.

Wren watched Fornal's hurrying back and pondered. Although this veteran of the Red River Territory seemed to have average ability, his loyalty to Wren and the Derrick Family was beyond doubt.

The Fornal family had followed the founder of the Derrick Family, the first Derrick, as early as 180 years ago. Back then, the ancestors of the Fornal family had followed Derrick for decades without leaving. It could be said that the growth history of the Derrick Family was also the growth history of the Fornal family.

After spending the past few days together, Wren found that Fornal was mature and experienced in his dealings, and he managed various territorial affairs in an orderly manner.

Although Wren was young and had just taken over the territory, Fornal's attitude toward him remained very humble, identical to how he had treated his father, Baron Bode, with no negligence whatsoever. This made Wren very satisfied; he would certainly use someone who was both loyal and obedient.

Therefore, Wren had no intention of replacing him and continued to let him serve as the mayor of Red River Town and the Administrator of the Red River Territory.

However, Wren didn't expect Fornal to come up with a way to solve the food problem; he would have to find a solution to this difficult problem himself.

"A population of 8,500, less than five thousand gold coins left, and insufficient grain. Most of the able-bodied men in the territory are outsiders, while the old, weak, women, and children are locals. Plus, those two hundred-plus warriors weren't trained by the Derrick Family. The foundation is unstable!"

Wren calculated the current assets of the Red River Territory in his mind.

"The scattered Fel Orcs might still be wandering in the Black Forest near the territory. These low-level Fel Orcs aren't very bright and might charge out to attack the territory at any time."

Legend had it that the Fel Orcs were a new species born after an Extraterritorial Evil God corrupted the native orcs of the Noah Continent.

Wren didn't know if the legends were true, but he had fought Fel Orcs more than once and understood them quite well. Low-level Fel Orcs had no intelligence and only knew how to kill living beings and devour flesh; they were extremely dangerous existences.

The worst part was that even the lowest-level Evil Beastman War Slaves had significant combat power. Their individual strength was much higher than that of ordinary human warriors. Combined with the bloodthirsty nature of the Evil Beastman War Slaves, who knew no fear and fought to the death, these mindless creatures posed a massive threat to ordinary people. Only elite regular human armies could face their charge head-on.

Thinking of the information about the Fel Orcs in his mind, Wren's head began to ache. Although these scattered Fel Orcs were not enough to destroy the Red River Territory, they were each like time bombs that could go off at any moment.

"What a mess!"

Wren briefly sorted through his assets; the situation was very grim.

He had previously wanted to conduct some trade activities through Rex.

Rex was not just the quartermaster of the Border Defense Army; as a baron, he also controlled a sizable private merchant caravan. This was what Wren valued.

But Wren currently had no noteworthy products to trade for profit, and Rex's side could not organize a merchant caravan for trade due to the war with the Fel Orcs. Wren's idea could only be temporarily shelved.

"The path of doing business is also temporarily blocked."

Thinking of the territory's actual situation, feelings of irritability suddenly surged in Wren's heart.

At that moment, Ross, Eric, and a few others walked in.

"Lord!"

Wren immediately put away his irritability and greeted them.

"You're all here. Sit down!"

Ross and the others had all been called by Wren.

"Are the warriors all settled?"

"Yes, Lord. The barracks were already there and have been tidied up. The warriors have all moved in."

The 223 warriors Wren had recruited from the Border Defense Army had become the core force for defending the territory.

The 10 remaining militia members of the Red River Territory were also incorporated into the team by Wren. Additionally, he had Ross select 17 strong young men from the refugees to supplement the ranks, bringing the Red River Territory Guard Army to a total of 250 men.

The barracks were already built; previously, the regular Guard Army of the Red River Territory had reached a scale of a thousand men. Naturally, the barracks they were stationed in were quite large, and with only 250 men now, it felt a bit empty.

Wren explained the plan he had already thought of to Ross and the others.

"These 250 men are the foundation for defending the territory. I will command them directly, and you, Ross, will serve as the Vice Commander, specifically responsible for daily training and management."

"The 250 men will be divided into two infantry companies of a hundred men each and one Cavalry Squad. Eric, you will be the captain of the Cavalry Squad; Alger and Wayne, you two will serve as the captains of the infantry companies."

Among the supplies Count Sena gave Wren were a hundred warhorses, which was the source of Wren's confidence in forming a Cavalry Squad.

Wren's Cavalry Squad consisted of only 50 men, so with a hundred warhorses, they could achieve a ratio of two horses per person.

The Northern Border did not lack warhorses. In the eyes of nobles, ordinary warhorses were of average value; only magical beast mounts were rare commodities. Every knight Professional longed to have a magical beast mount.

However, those who looked down on ordinary warhorses were all great nobles. Right now, Wren lacked everything, and these hundred warhorses were extremely precious resources in his eyes. It had to be said that Count Sena's support for him was truly remarkable.

"Yes, Lord!"

Ross accepted the command in a low voice with not much expression on his face, while Eric and the other two were overjoyed upon receiving their appointments, smiles appearing on their faces.

Whether it was Ross or the other three, they all had a life-and-death friendship with Wren from the battlefield. So when Wren needed them, they all followed him to the Red River Territory without hesitation.

Looking at their reactions, Wren said with a smile:

"Compared to when we were in the Border Defense Army, the number of soldiers you're leading has decreased quite a bit, and your positions have also lowered. However, I promise that it won't be long before the Red River Territory grows strong, the number of warriors under you will increase, and your positions will continue to rise."

"Since you brothers are willing to believe in me and follow me, I will not let you down."

Ross replied, "The Lord will surely lead us to glory. I am deeply convinced of this."

"Yes, the Lord will definitely become a great lord in the future. The Lord will surely succeed." Eric looked at Wren with a face full of admiration; in his eyes, Wren was his idol.

"Of course. Now that the Lord can even slay an Evil Beastman Warlord, perhaps in a few years he can break through to Gold Rank. By then, his noble rank will surely advance further."

Compared to Ross and Eric, Alger and Wayne were much older, both in their thirties, and they looked further ahead.

"Gold Rank, that truly is a big figure!"

The few of them thought of Count Sena, the commander of the Border Defense Army. That man was a Gold Rank powerhouse. Gold-rank Professionals in the Northern Border were few and far between, each one a major figure far beyond their reach.

"Hahahaha!"

Hearing their flattery, Wren immediately burst into laughter.

"It's still too early to talk about Gold Rank. What we need to do now is handle the tasks at hand."

"Overcoming the current difficulties is what's most important."