If I let you farm, will you become the emperor of the empire?

338 days after Roman came to Sige Town.

This land welcomed a heavy snowfall this year.

The heavy snow fluttered, and the whole world was covered in white. The withered grass turned into snow, like a white velvet carpet, with a strange sense of purity.

Roman was very happy to see it.

Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest.

The thicker the snow layer, the less susceptible the land and wheat seedlings are to freezing, and the more abundant the harvest will be next year.

But it is also true that the heavy snow affected development.

The infrastructure construction and iron smelting in Sige Town stopped.

Fortunately, the houses on the coal and iron factory side were built, and the iron smelters and miners did not have to brave the heavy snow to return to Sige Town.

They settled down there, and their families moved there too. They built another large kitchen and stored a lot of food in it.

Of course, the workers in the iron shed and the woodworking factory were busy.

The dining camp and classroom were also in operation.

The winding river flowed quietly, and only eating and studying were the top priorities and could not be delayed.

The soldiers in the barracks were also trudging through the snow. They had to adapt to all kinds of extreme environments. Hard training would temper them into the toughest steel, so that they would not panic when they encountered difficulties in the future.

…

In such a snowy season, the atmosphere in the manor hall was quite pleasant.

The walls were hung with the ferocious heads of many wild animals, and the fireplace was burning brightly, dispelling the cold brought by the heavy snow.

The dining table was filled with stewed partridge with hazelnuts, roe deer with dried mushrooms, garlic roasted spareribs, and thick cream stew. Those hot delicacies were quite appetizing.

There was no shortage of delicacies in the town of Sger, and there were many game dishes, but the manor was not so rich every time.

Because the preparation time was too long, Roman would rather eat some simple dishes to reduce the chef's energy.

He didn't have this habit before. Since he came to the town of Sger, he had been short of labor for a long time, and his mind was full of thoughts on how to split a person up and use him.

This sumptuous lunch was used to reward Daken.

Roman asked him to sit by the fireplace and scooped a bowl of cream soup to Daken.

He asked, "Have you found out the situation?"

Daken had just returned from the dock, and there was still snow on his blouse. His face was red from the cold, especially his nose, which began to swell.

The small merchant ship in Sger Town had no cabin. The cold air rushed into the Silver Dragon Canyon and suddenly accelerated, blowing a strong wind, like a steel knife slashing the face. No matter how thick the clothes were, they could not stop it. You can imagine how it felt.

His hands and feet were cold, he was tired, hungry, and exhausted.

After Daken drank a mouthful of hot cream soup, his empty stomach felt comfortable and warm, and the heat spread to his limbs and bones. He felt much better.

"Yes, sir, I have traveled to all the villages and towns in that land. I am sure that my information will not be wrong."

Roman asked the maid to bring a pencil and white paper and put them next to Daken.

"Draw the map for me to see."

Dakken picked up a piece of fragrant and soft roe deer meat with chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He chewed it and picked up a pencil to draw lines and attached corresponding information.

...

There are 17 villages under the rule of Earl Kant, each of which has a population ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 people, with a total of 30,000 to 50,000 people.

Five feudal barons are stationed in various places, and all the baronies have a total population of more than 10,000. Each one is comparable to Roman who just came to Sige Town.

There are more than 20 knight territories.

Not all knights can get knight territories.

Either rely on relationships or force.

And with relationships, there is generally no shortage of force.

Earl Kant has 20 to 30 knights who can be shown off. Together with the feudal barons and the knights under the earl, it is not a problem to piece together 50 to 60 knights.

There is no standing army, but there is definitely no shortage of conscripts, and it is easy to raise a team of 1,000 people.

If they were to recruit with all their strength, there would be two thousand potential soldiers. If they were determined and given some time, it would not be impossible to have an army of three, four or five thousand - a farmer could go to the battlefield with a pitchfork.

But this level would be considered a full-scale war, and the quality of the army could not be guaranteed.

Even so, in this wild land, the earl could be regarded as a famous noble.

However, although the territory was quite vast, it was also fragmented, mostly barren mountains and wilderness, with low military potential and inconvenient military dispatch.

Roman glanced at the information given by Daken.

It can only be said that it was very poor, with few resources, and it was entirely supported by agriculture.

But what he valued was the population of Kant Territory.

Kant Territory was in the upper reaches of the Bro River, and the town of Sger was in the lower reaches of the Bro River.

Roman planned to let his army land in the lower reaches, cross mountains and ridges, and surprise attack Kant Territory. For this purpose, he had to plan a plundering route.

Avoid risks as much as possible and ensure maximum benefits.

This requires a lot of intelligence to piece together the full picture of Kant Territory.

Daken and the merchants had been traveling back and forth between Kant Territory these days as individual traders, carrying salt and using the excuse of doing business to survey the terrain.

Even if the village was remote and underdeveloped, he would go to see it and then convey it to Roman. What he saw with his own eyes would definitely not be distorted.

Knowing that they were from the town of Sger, the barons and knights were quite polite to them and entertained them warmly. They asked about the salt production in Sger Town and inquired about the specific situation here.

And Daken said some half-truths, saying that he didn't know much as a merchant.

In comparison, Roman's inquiries were much more direct.

He kept asking him about the details of those villages, such as population, stewards, lords, etc., and got very comprehensive answers.

Roman pondered for a long time,

Finally, he held a pencil and drew a marching route on the white paper, covering the map drawn by Daken.

Daken was shocked.

Because the strong and powerful line, penetrating the back of the paper, actually twisted through two baronial castles and five villages, like a sharp scalpel, scraping off a piece of Count Kant's flesh alive.

"Master, is this action too big?"

Roman looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.

He said, "Is it."

Looking at the confident attitude of the lord, Daken knew that there was no way to persuade him, so he could only pray silently that Roman's plan would come true, otherwise he would not be able to escape the bad luck.

After all, he bet his entire future here.

"Don't be afraid, even if the plunder fails, my warriors can return safely." Roman said.

For him, all-in is too stupid.

Roman thinks he has a bright future and will be able to gain momentum after a few years of development.

It's just that robbing is more efficient, so he takes a different approach.

But there is no need to play a gambling agreement with others.

If the plunder fails, retreat. Losing at most one-fifth of the troops is still acceptable to him. It can only be regarded as a serious injury. It will take half a year to recover.

But if the plunder succeeds, it will definitely be a night of wealth and a windfall.

As for the consequences of plunder, Roman did not consider it at all.

What's wrong with me punching you?

You are such a disgrace. If you have the guts, call the King of Black Iron to give you justice!

In the Black Iron Land, the title system is very chaotic, and there is no clear aristocratic system at all.

It can only be divided into four levels in general.

The King of Black Iron is the biggest.

The three Dukes of Black Iron are also unique.

The middle level is the Earl.

The bottom level is the Baron and the Knight of War.

There is nothing to say about the top of the pyramid. The confusion is the middle-level nobles and the bottom-level nobles, who can be confused with each other.

They all have the status of lords. Unless someone is a vassal of someone else, there is no distinction between superiors and subordinates.

Roman, who was personally conferred the title by the Grand Duke of Split Armor, is naturally not a true lower-class noble.

But the problem is that Roman was at the level of a baron from the beginning, belonging to the bottom of the nobility.

So he is neither a baron nor an earl, but simply the lord of a territory.

This kind of noble has no clear title, the upper limit is the earl, the lower limit is the baron, and power is linked to strength.

Roman's confident and arrogant attitude, and his consideration of the consequences of failure, made Daken feel a little relieved.

He also counted on Roman to give him enough funds to buy large ships in the future, and provide a loyal and reliable merchant ship escort.