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

Roman improved farm tools, screened seeds and applied fertilizers, freeing a large number of laborers from the land.

But these laborers were still not enough!

He needed people!

Slave ships were far from meeting Roman's demand for labor.

So he set his sights on Kant Territory, a hundred kilometers away from Sige Town.

The land ruled by Count Kant.

Located on the edge of the Black Iron Kingdom, the land is vast, half of which is barren mountains and wilderness, and the territory is relatively fragmented and incomplete.

Its population is between 30,000 and 50,000.

Kant Territory has no special products, and its main output is grain, a formal agricultural territory.

Some time ago, merchants in Sige Town exchanged salt for a large amount of grain in Kant Territory.

The grain in Kant Territory was transported to the upper reaches of the Bro River, and the grain transport ship passed through the Silver Dragon Canyon and arrived at Sige Town.

In the past, Kant Territory and Sige Town also conducted sporadic trade, and each other did not interfere with the other.

Now, Count Kant must know that Sige Town is a salt-producing area.

Roman didn't believe that the count had no idea about him.

Coincidentally, he also had some ideas.

Roman was going to launch a surprise attack on Kant Territory next year to plunder the population there.

The conditions in Sger Town were not mature at the moment, and it needed patient planning.

Roman named this plan "Spring Plan".

He was eager to implement this plan before the end of next spring.

To do this, he needed a well-trained and brave army.

When the Spring Plan was carried out next year, this army would have at least 400 qualified soldiers, including 200 heavy units.

They did not engage in any production, but were born for war and conquest.

Roman would provide them with the best equipment and logistics.

Plunder must be done!

As long as the population increases, everything will be fine.

In order to ensure the progress of the "Spring Plan", all the laborers in Sger Town will have an extremely hard time in the second half of this year.

But it doesn't matter, someone will come to suffer with them next year.

Only war!

Only plunder!

Roman clenched his fists lightly, his heart surging.

Seth didn't know Roman's plan, but he was very surprised when he heard that 400 sets of armor would be forged before the end of winter.

Having iron ore does not mean that iron can be smelted.

According to the current iron smelting method, it will take a long time to smelt.

Now it is impossible to support a project of this size.

The steps are trivial and require a large number of people.

But Roman has made up his mind and has always been decisive in doing things.

He had just returned from the wilderness and had not rested for a moment. He immediately got up and left the Origin Manor and soon came to the blacksmith shed.

The temperature of the blacksmith shed in the hot summer can be imagined.

As soon as Roman entered, he felt a heat wave blowing.

It is much hotter here than outside, and the sound of ding-dong keeps ringing.

Several barrels of beer and herbal tea are soaked in the river water next to the waterwheel, keeping the temperature cool and supplying their water needs.

The tall, muscular blacksmiths stood in front of the hammers with full concentration, half naked, sweating, and constantly turning the red-hot iron ingots with tongs, using the weight of the hammers to forge.

"Lax, you have a new task, are you happy?"

As soon as Roman came in, Lax came to greet him.

He didn't quite understand the humor in Roman's words, but he understood the excitement in his words, and knew that there was work again, so he said, "Just give me your orders."

In this hot blacksmithing shed, he seemed to have found his life goal and destination.

Originally, he forged iron to support his family, but now looking at the rise and fall of the forging hammers, sparks flying, and forging into shape, there is a unique beauty, and I vaguely know what the professional spirit of blacksmiths is.

Roman first asked: "How many pounds of iron are there now?"

"One thousand pounds." Lax estimated.

These days, they used hammers day and night to forge countless farm tools, especially shovels, and everyone in Sger Town had one.

But the problem is that women and children can't use these farm tools.

Now most of the farm tools are idle, waiting for people to use them.

Roman clenched his fist. "One thousand pounds... OK! Forge all of them into weapons for me, I want 400 copies, and 200 iron-inlaid shields!"

When he said the second half of the sentence, he made a victory V with his fingers.

Lax was not surprised by Roman's order.

In fact, he had long guessed in his heart when Roman would let him forge weapons.

In this era, forging weapons for nobles is also the ultimate destiny of blacksmiths.

Roman is the most alternative among all nobles. He is willing to use a large amount of steel to forge farm tools instead of weapons.

These days, he has only forged two steel swords, which is far from large-scale forging.

"I'm afraid these iron ingots are not enough." Lux was a little embarrassed after hearing Roman's detailed requirements.

Roman's requirements for the shield are extremely high.

The main structure of the shield is made of wood. It is U-shaped when standing up, with both sides slightly tilted back. It is 1.6 meters high, 1 meter wide, and 5 centimeters thick. A 20-jin iron sheet is completely inlaid on the surface of the wooden shield, and the overall weight is likely to be as high as 40 to 50 jin.

The fantasy human race has a high potential. Such a heavy and huge shield can definitely be used. The way to use it is not to lift it up, but to put it on the ground.

But it is definitely inconvenient to move. They belong to the heavy infantry unit. Roman needs them to carry 70 to 80 kilograms per person and use this special shield to deal with the knights in battle - the light troops also have light shields.

The hydraulic forging hammer cannot forge plate armor, but it is easy to forge a piece of iron.

But the consumption of 200 shields is very large. Each shield consumes 20 kilograms of iron, which will cost 4,000 kilograms.

Not to mention weapons, those steel spearheads, scimitars, daggers, etc., will consume steel, some are one or two kilograms, and some are two or three kilograms.

And these commonly used weapons have to be replaced after a year or two at most, and natural wear and tear and combat consumption are a big problem.

It has always been expensive to train a fully armed warrior.

Roman knows this truth.

So he promised: "Lax, let it go, we will soon no longer lack iron, and we will never lack iron."

When Lax heard this, he was shocked. The meaning of this sentence is not ordinary.

"Really?"

Lax swore that he had never been so excited when Roman said he had found a salt mine.

He could afford salt, but he really couldn't afford iron.

Roman said briskly: "Of course, we still need to buy other people's iron ingots first."

"You forge armor first, and don't worry about the heavy shield for the time being. I want Vicky to arm my warriors with the best wood!"

He left the blacksmith shed with great interest and came to the woodworking factory, explaining his needs to Vicky.

Roman seemed to have endless energy.

After arranging future plans, he drove hundreds of laborers to the road construction location he had planned that afternoon, like driving livestock.

They waved their sharp axes and hatchets to cut down the bushes and trees, and used shovels to level the land.

Herbal tea and beer were delivered here continuously, and he sent someone to ask Garin for a herbal formula for insect repellent.

Roman planned the progress of today's tasks for them, asking them to advance 1 kilometer before the end of today.

However, the work lasted only two days.

Roman's high spirits were dampened by a rainstorm.