Chapter 315: Amazing

Inside the grand hall, Simon and Desmond sat facing each other. After a long while, Simon finally closed the notebook.

He now had a general understanding of the current world. Overall, the European countries were still in the same places; they just had different rulers now.

Aside from being slightly more advanced in technology, there weren’t many other differences.

"My Lord, the Dutch have also taken over the Split Islands. This blocks our navy from sailing south. I believe we must reclaim the Split Islands. If we can take it, we’ll be able to cut off the Latin pirates and other countries from their trade routes." Desmond said.

Simon nodded. Desmond had a sharp eye. If they could seize the Split Islands and control the sea routes, then the Latins’ lifeline would be in his hands.

But that would have to wait. Right now, he didn’t have the strength to capture the Split Islands. Just acquiring these three Galleon ships had already cost him heavily.

Still, the risk was worth it. Desmond had brought back corn, peanuts, potatoes, and chili pepper seeds. "Let’s not worry about the Split Islands for now. Your current task is to recruit sailors, train them, and wait for the Ashenford fleet to take shape. That will be your time to command the seas."

Desmond nodded, his face lit with excitement. After landing at Ashenford, he had visited the shipyard. They were building six warships simultaneously.

Two of them were first-class sailing warships. Once they were launched, he believed they’d be able to hold their own against the Dutch at sea.

Seeing Desmond so excited, Simon asked eagerly. "So where are the potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, and corn?"

"My Lord, I’ve already had them delivered to the storage warehouse at the government office. I brought back three full shiploads." Desmond reported.

Simon couldn’t stop smiling. "Good! Let’s go take a look while there’s still time; we can still get them planted this season."

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The two arrived at the warehouse, where Simon saw heaps of potatoes stacked like small hills. Next to them were peanuts, then corn, and beside the corn were chili pepper seeds.

"This is amazing, just amazing," Simon said, rubbing his hands with excitement.

Potatoes, corn, and peanuts were all high-yield crops. Not only that, they were well-suited for dry land. If these crops were introduced in Brambleford, he’d no longer have to worry about his people starving.

"My Lord, these potatoes, peanuts, and corn taste really good. If we hadn’t had them, we might have starved on that island." Desmond added. He had already tasted them.

"Of course. Not only are they tasty, but they also yield far more than wheat or rice." Simon turned to Thomas and said. "Inform the transport team, move these seeds to the slave plantations right away and get them planted."

Thomas acknowledged the order and left.

Since Desmond had just returned from a long journey, Simon wanted him to rest. After exchanging a few more words, he let Desmond go.

Then he returned to the castle and wrote a planting guide for potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, and corn.

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The next day, he brought the manual to the slave plantations on both sides of the Dew River in Brambleford.

Originally, these lands didn’t belong to Simon; they were owned by the Four Great Clans. But after the fall of the Goldwynd family, the Chandlier family, and others, these fertile lands became government-owned farms under his control.

To avoid wasting the land, he had assigned six thousand slaves to manage over a thousand hectares of farmland.

"My Lord, can potatoes really yield four thousand pounds per plot?"

Baldwin had shown great interest in the new crops. He had been waiting outside Simon’s manor early in the morning, and now the two were on their way to the plantation.

As they talked, they arrived at the plantation village.

Ahead of them was a small village, no more than fifty brick houses from south to north.

The houses were neatly arranged, clearly built recently. Many slaves were running between the fields and the village.

Another similar village was visible in the distance. Each village’s slaves were responsible for their own section of land.

"My Lord, Chief Secretary Baldwin."

An honest-looking man ran over. He was the head of the village, in charge of managing the land and the people.

"Leon, did you properly store the goods that arrived yesterday?" Simon asked.

"Yes, my Lord, everything’s safe," Leon replied carefully.

Simon nodded. The slave plantations were still new under his rule, but in the future, they would become a major source of food for Brambleford.

"Good. Now gather everyone in the village. I’m going to teach you how to plant these crops."

Leon nodded and ran to the village center, where he rang a bronze bell. Before long, all the slaves in the fields had gathered.

Baldwin was there to observe and learn. He didn’t interrupt.

Simon’s visit and the planting manual were no spur-of-the-moment decision.

Farming was a serious science. Potatoes, in particular, could degrade with each generation if not managed carefully. He had to set up a proper system for selecting and cultivating high-quality seedlings in advance.

After all, several generations of planting could lead to crop failure due to soil-borne viruses.

Today, Simon was here to teach Leon about seed selection. Whether it was peanuts, corn, chili peppers, or potatoes, they all needed to be cultivated carefully to preserve the best traits.

So this first round of planting wasn’t for food; it was for raising seed stock.

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Once all the slaves had arrived, Simon began explaining how to propagate potatoes using cut sections.

The potatoes Desmond had brought were large and healthy. Perfect seed stock for cutting.

He instructed Leon to cut the potatoes into pieces weighing about 20 grams each, making sure each piece had one or two eyes.

The knife used to cut them had to be sterilized with alcohol before use.

Then, once the potato pieces began sprouting, they could be used for ’eye-cutting propagation.’ That meant removing the sprouts and planting them, after which the potato would grow new ones, similar to how chives regrow after being cut.

While nurturing these young plants, the healthiest sprouts would be selected again.

It was still spring, perfect timing for growing seedlings, since wild potato planting worked best in autumn.

The process wasn’t too hard, and Leon and the others understood it clearly.

Simon then moved on to explain how to raise seedlings for peanuts, corn, and chili peppers. He also ordered the creation of seedling bases in each plantation. With this system, these imported crops could be planted and expanded steadily across his lands.