You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 36 Cutting Down Trees
Roman had previously cultivated ten acres of vegetable garden on the north side of the estate.

This is normal; nobles usually cultivate a plot of land next to their castles and manors, mainly to supply food and drink to the people living there.

Continue north for about a hundred meters, and you'll reach the edge of this forest.

He glanced at it and found that the mixed forest was mainly composed of pine trees, with the rest being elm trees, ash trees, etc., all of which were tall and sturdy trees.

Moreover, forests contain not only trees, but also a great deal of shrubs and weeds, which are extremely dense and extend out of the woods, making it difficult for humans to pass through.

Roman wielded an axe and hacked around.

He first spent half an hour clearing away the dry shrubs and weeds at the edge of the forest.

It's worth mentioning that clearing bushes can also trigger the "Gathering Experience +1" notification.

Gweil also helped to pile up all the shrubs and weeds that Roman had cut down.

This area, which was originally densely vegetated, suddenly became spacious.

Pine trees have needle-like leaves, and over the years, a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulates on the ground.

Roman glanced at it and saw that the dry pine needles on the ground were basically in a semi-rotten state; they could be crushed with a pinch of his hand.

He then walked more than ten meters into the forest, parted the pine needles to examine the soil underneath, and found that it was all well-rotted pine needle soil.

The pine needles decomposed, forming natural nutrient soil that accumulated to a thickness of about ten centimeters.

This stuff can be used as fertilizer, but it's definitely not enough for farming; it's a drop in the ocean, and it's very difficult to collect.

But it was more than enough for the ten acres of vegetable garden he had just reclaimed, and the distance was very short, so there was no need to worry about transportation.

Simply spreading a layer in the vegetable field can effectively increase vegetable yield.

Roman was delighted by the discovery; with this naturally humus-rich soil, he no longer needed to haul fertilizer from the town of Sig.

Roman returned to the edge of the forest and found his first target—a red pine tree about fifteen meters tall and seventy or eighty centimeters in diameter.

He looked up for a moment, gripped the axe, found a suitable spot, and first gently scraped off the pine bark with the axe blade, revealing a large area of ​​white wood.

Then, Roman raised the axe and chopped downwards at an angle. It didn't take much effort; with the help of weight and speed, he could cut four or five centimeters deep.

Shake the axe handle to pull the axe head out.

Cutting down trees is a skill-based job. He planned to spend an afternoon cutting down trees, but he couldn't keep up with brute force for long, so he had to conserve his energy as much as possible.

Roman cleaved diagonally four or five times, then began cleaving horizontally, quickly creating a notch, and then continued cleaving diagonally to widen the notch.

He didn't use much force each time, but he was good at sustaining it, and the powerful sound of chopping wood echoed continuously here.

In ten minutes, Roman cut a standard V-shaped notch with a depth of thirty centimeters.

Then, Roman made another opening behind the red pine, creating a sandwich effect.

But that still wasn't enough; Roman opened another opening on the side.

He swung his axe, bent over, and chopped at the red pine dozens of times.

During this time, sawdust flew out continuously, and large pieces of wood could also be thrown two or three meters away.

Feeling that it was about time, Roman turned to her and said, "Gervais, stay away."

Gweil was watching Roman chopping down the tree, somewhat mesmerized, finding his movements simple yet captivating.

Upon hearing this, she immediately turned and ran a long way away.

Roman gripped the axe and began to chop heavily. After about four or five strikes, it was effective.

Snap! Finally, the red pine tree fell.

He swayed and fell towards Roman.

This left him speechless. He felt that letting Gweil leave was pointless, as the tree would never have hit this lucky girl.

Roman deliberately cut the gap towards him at a higher position, so that it should have fallen towards the gap with the lower drop, but it ended up the other way around.

If it were a malnourished, slow-witted farmer, he might have been frightened by such a sudden change and suffered as a result.

But Roman simply took a step and dodged it.

Boom!

The red pine tree crashed to the ground, which inevitably filled Roman with a sense of pride.

"Humph."

Roman glanced at the game prompt again and found that the red pine tree had given him two points of [Gathering] experience.

It took him about an hour, which is quite efficient.

Instead of cutting down the second tree, Roman cleared away the branches of the fallen red pine, turning it into a round log.

Roman and Gweil picked up the pine branches and threw them together with the pile of dry bushes.

Just then, Aaron came up to them.

He asked, "Roman, how should I train the guards tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Roman pondered for a moment, then gestured and said, "Your position is that of an instructor. You will lead them from the basics, teaching them how to stand at attention, form ranks, turn around, count off, and march in step. I need an army that obeys orders without question, not a loose militia-like force like guards..."

Aaron nodded: "Okay."

Roman continued, “I have improved their treatment now, and they will not lack either food or meat. So you can be strict with them as much as you want. After spring, I will transfer a considerable number of people from the farmers to join you. Your task now is very important. If necessary, you can have Green assist you.”

Aaron understood what Roman meant: his current guards would become the backbone of the future army of Sig Town, that is, reserve officers.

He left quickly, familiar with the basic training Roman had mentioned. Roman had told him and Green when they were young that he would one day build an invincible army.

But the Grand Duchy did not provide him with any room to maneuver.

Roman turned and continued chopping down the tree, knowing that Aaron wouldn't let him down.

“Mr. Roman, this is for you,” Gweil said, holding her hand high.

Roman glanced at them and realized they were hazelnuts, probably fallen last year. They were in good condition and hadn't been affected by dampness, mold, or pests. He wondered where they had been hidden and how Gweil had found them—had this unlucky girl stumbled upon some squirrel's food burrow?

"I'll try it."

Roman used an axe to crack open the nut shell, threw the fruit into his mouth, and found it to taste excellent, crispy and delicious.

Roman ate several in a row, then asked Gweil, "Do you want some?"

Gweil clutched the hem of her clothes and whispered, "I've eaten a lot before."

Roman said "oh" and didn't ask any further questions. There were many resources in the mountains, but he guessed that Gweil's daily food mainly came from easily picked wild fruits, mushrooms, nuts, etc.

This must have been something she specially brought for him to eat, so Roman didn't stand on ceremony and ate it all in one go.

Gweil smiled with undisguised delight.

(End of this chapter)