Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 587 - 350: Intelligence and Autumn Harvest (Part 2)
Chapter 587: Chapter 350: Intelligence and Autumn Harvest (Part 2)
The Primordial Meditation Technique automatically unfolded in his mind, creating a void world shaped by consciousness. Louis slowly engaged his mind, guiding the points of light; the flow of magic power was smooth and pure.
Another hour passed, and the forces of Fighting Energy and magic power intertwined within his body, responding to each other.
His Fighting Energy had now stabilized at the level of a High-tier Elite Knight, just one step away from becoming an Extraordinary Knight;
The magic power had long surpassed the limits of an ordinary Mage, stepping into the realm of the Grand Mage.
In terms of casting purity, most Grand Mages from the Mage Forest may not necessarily match him.
Coupled with the blessings of the Burning Pain Vine Court and the Power of the Nest, his overall combat power was no less than that of a junior Peak Knight.
Across the entire Red Tide Territory, and even the Northern Territory, he was indisputably the top battle strength.
Of course, to conceal his strength, outwardly, Louis still appeared to be just an Elite Knight and rookie Mage.
Louis smiled contentedly. From a talentless nobility Knight to his current strength, the journey would have been impossible without the Daily Intelligence System and his relentless determination.
After finishing his cultivation, the room gradually brightened.
Emily and Sif were already awake, with the child babbling on the bedding, learning to speak.
The three of them ate breakfast together, enjoying a peaceful atmosphere.
Louis tidied the child’s clothes, whispered a few instructions, and then put on his coat and went out.
The outside wind carried the scent of snow as he boarded the carriage and headed for the Red Tide administrative area.
Along the way, he passed by a construction site of a new fortress.
It was still in the early stages, with massive stone foundations already erected, bustling artisans, hoists moving up and down, with the roaring steam engines and the sound of hammers intertwining.
Although the building was not yet fully shaped, the future grandeur was evident in its structure.
The carriage continued forward, crossing the stone arch bridge of the main street, and stopped in front of the administrative hall.
Bradley was already waiting at the door.
His expression was as serious as ever, but upon seeing Louis, his face showed rare signs of a smile.
“Long time no see, Lord Louis,” he greeted with a bow.
“Long time indeed, Bradley,” Louis responded with a smile, patting his shoulder, “You’ve worked hard.”
The two entered the office together, the warmth greeting them.
The files were neatly stacked, the air filled with the scent of ink and paper.
Bradley looked through the thick ledgers, the light from the furnace highlighting the deeper wrinkles left by time on his face.
Then he opened the ledger report on this year’s harvest results: “The data for this year’s autumn harvest has been compiled.
Due to the combined efforts of farmland expansion, greenhouse investment, and tool innovation, this year’s total autumn harvest reached three hundred ten thousand and fifty tons, an increase of half over last year.
One hundred thousand tons of green wheat, five tons of rice, fourteen thousand tons of assorted legumes and root crops.
Additionally, newly categorized greenhouse crops have been included, totaling fifteen thousand tons, used for town supply and medicinal feed reserves.”
Louis did not respond immediately, just tapping his fingers on the desk, steady and leisurely. His gaze was calm, as if calculating, or weighing.
On the surface, tranquil, but inside, a subtle satisfaction arose.
The harvests from Mai Lang Ridge and various camps steadily increased, exceeding even his own expectations.
This was the result he valued most—the grain, which was both the root of Red Tide’s survival and the weapon for future expansion.
Louis silently calculated the growth rates across different areas, images of once barren hills now covered in golden wheat flashed in his mind, a prosperity earned through order and planning.
“Very good,” Louis praised, “Food is our foundation. It’s the root of Red Tide.”
Bradley nodded and continued, “According to your instructions, the remaining internal reserve will maintain sixty thousand tons in official storage. The remaining one hundred fifty thousand tons will be assigned as external allocation quotas.”
“Sell one hundred thousand tons,”
Bradley was slightly startled, and Louis immediately continued:
“Previously it was relief, free distribution. But now the Northern Territory’s disasters have eased, they also have their own output and production resources, so starting today, no more handouts.
Of course, we offer a preferential price; Northern Territory territories can use money or materials to exchange for grain. Since the distance is short, Red Tide’s grain price can be half that of South’s shipped grain.
Priority supplies to Duke Edmund’s allied territories and early allies of Red Tide, the rest limited purchase. Anyone who wants to stockpile or resell must pay the price.”
Bradley looked at the young man before him, unwittingly feeling a complex reverence.
The once invisible boy within the family now comprehended how to govern the entire Northern Territory through rules, merging power, public sentiment, food, and fate into an invisible hand controlling the whole region.
Louis continued, “Divide into three tiers: ally price, regular price, high price.
Ally territories at cost with slight taxes, as a symbol of trust and mutual aid, neutral territories at normal trade prices, they owe us nothing, nor are they sheltered by us.
As for the rebels and hesitaters, if they want grain, they must pay triple the price. Red Tide will not nourish enemies.”
Louis paused, seemingly mentioning casually, “Count Holmes, list at the highest price.”
Although Bradley did not fully understand, he quickly recorded it in the ledger: “Yes, Lord, Count Holmes at highest price, I’ll publish the specific ratios to make them clear.”
Louis’s gaze remained on the snowy scene outside the window, the purity of the snow reflecting:
“Red Tide must first stabilize itself. It is no longer a philanthropist but the manager of the Northern Territory. Anyone who wants to survive must follow my rules.”
Bradley nodded quietly, inside a surge of realization that the young Lord before him was not just the master of Red Tide, but the stabilizing pillar of the entire Northern Territory.
Louis’s tone then softened, “Bradley, how is the recovery in the north-east of the Northern Territory?”
Bradley composedly replied, “Reporting to you, Lord, the overall situation is good. Post-war ruins have been almost entirely repaired, transportation lines restored smoothly.
The population is steadily returning, with some areas restored to two-thirds of pre-war levels. Like the area around Red Tide Territory, now even more prosperous than before the war.”
Louis nodded gently, as if measuring something, “Very good, it seems we can maintain it, and it’s time to move forward.”
He paused, his tone deepening, “It’s time to extend our reach beyond the Southeast Province, to control the entire Northern Territory.”
Bradley looked up, his face showing delight, “It’s about time, Lord.
You’ve been too steady these past two years, using food to maintain the Northern Territory’s support for your policies. But if you want to truly grasp power, relying solely on food is not enough. Once you take this step, no one in the Northern Territory will stand shoulder to shoulder with you.”
“Then let’s begin.” Louis turned, “With order and benefits, we’ll make the entire Northern Territory’s direction follow Red Tide.”
Bradley straightened his posture, his expression solemn, “Yes, Lord.”
Louis smiled, his tone relaxed, “Don’t need to be so serious, Bradley. Tell me, do you have any suggestions? If it were my father, Duke Calvin, what would he do?”
Bradley thought briefly, then replied, “The Duke is… He was always good at using marriage alliances to win people’s hearts, especially in the Southeast Province, where nearly all nobility are relatives or in-laws of the Calvin Clan.”
Louis’s smile froze slightly, as images of the old Duke, with dozens of children, a man whose childbearing was as prolific as laying eggs, flashed in his mind.
He instinctively thought of his one-year-old son, how to form alliances?
Although he worked diligently every day, it was possible he might never have a second child in his lifetime.
After all, the Bloodline Power makes Knights strong, but also renders their reproduction nearly extravagant. Among the Empire’s nobility, many have only three or four offspring in a lifetime.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. His father, Duke Calvin, had thirty-odd children, leaving the entire Empire guessing what tonic he took.
Bradley also sensed something, the atmosphere turning awkward for a moment.
He coughed lightly, continuing, “Of course, Lord, you don’t need to emulate him. Red Tide has its own path.”
“Actually, I already have plans.”
Louis smiled slightly, gently pulling out several sheets of paper filled with notes and annotations from the desk.
