Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 156: The New Minister of Industry and the Bear God Followers
When Su Li finished lunch and arrived at Bjorn Bay, the slaves here were also having lunch.

The slaves' lunch was not as sumptuous as that of the nobles. It consisted of a loaf of black bread mixed with sawdust and wheat bran, four wild vegetable meatballs with a little salt, and a bowl of wild vegetable soup. This meal was not rich, but it could fill their stomachs.

What really replenished their energy and ensured their physical strength was a bowl of meat soup mixed with wheat bran, chopped venison and dried fish, and a wooden cup of cheese or kumis.

This meal distribution method shows the current productivity composition of the territory from all aspects. Farming, fishing, hunting, and animal husbandry together constitute the source of food for the territory.

Being able to ensure this level of food supply is only possible with the assistance of Su Li's intelligence system.

Outside of the Hessen Territory, most of the serfs were gray animals. Not only could they not eat meat, they couldn't even tell what the meat tasted like.

In order to mock the Empire, the vampires once made up a joke that went viral.

It is said that one day three skeletons met and talked about their origins.

The first skeleton said, "I come from the desert kingdom of Nehekhara. In life, I was a warrior in the service of a great pharaoh."

The second skull said, "I am from West, and I served a famous vampire lord in my lifetime."

The third skeleton said: "I am from the Empire, and I am not a skeleton, I am an old farmer, and I am not dead yet!"

The peasants of the empire are so miserable, and the slaves of the empire are really like skeletons.

Therefore, the food provided by Hesse Lords is truly generous enough to be called a virtue!

Even many free people were envious. The lives of most free people in Hesse were far inferior to those of these slaves.

When Su Li passed by Heisen Town, he took a special look at the lives of the people in Heisen Town, and found that they were struggling to make ends meet.

There was no way around it. Life in a new territory was not easy, food was scarce, and the food supply routes had not yet been fully developed.

If the people want to obtain food, they can only buy it at a high price.

In this case, the free market has really pushed food prices to extremely high levels.

A pound of millet costs 10 copper coins!

One pound of beef for one silver coin!

Expecting businessmen to talk about social relief and responsibility is a joke!

Disaster relief is something that only SH socialism can do. Our great capitalist society can save itself. The weak deserve to be eliminated, and only the strong can survive.

The merchants are hoping to make money by selling at a higher price. Asking them to sell grain at a lower price is more difficult than killing them.

Minister of the Seals, Lawn, also opposed Su Li's relief policy. Why did he have to sell 3,000 kilograms of vegetables and 1,000 kilograms of grains at low prices every day when he could obviously make money?

This is not in line with the policies of the nobles and the interests of the merchants, and will cause resentment from many people.

All this golden food is distributed to the poor! What a sin!
But Su Li took a tough stance and drove away a large number of business representatives and chamber of commerce executives who tried to lobby him to abandon this policy.

It's not that he is short of food, and it's not that his people are short of wealth, so why should he artificially make their lives so desperate?

It was not in his interest to have a large number of bankrupt freemen.

He hoped that Hessen would become prosperous and attract more immigrants from the north. He wanted to build Hessen into a model holy land for the Sun Goddess on earth, a prosperous and pious territory that everyone yearned for.

The fact that every freeman came and bankrupted a household was not conducive to his grand plan.

Moreover, such high food prices not only lead to inflation, but also cause a large amount of wealth to be harvested by merchants. Apart from causing Hesse to become hungry and poor, there will not be much benefit.

This territory belongs to Master Su Li, not a merchant!
Master Su Li was willing to help the people and show off his virtue, but neither the businessmen nor the officials had any way to stop him.

After looking at the slaves' meals for a while, Su Li asked the Minister of Seals, Lawn, who was accompanying him, "How are the slaves' health?"

Laun replied in detail: "They are being cared for by the nuns of the Dawn Church and are in very good health."

Su Li raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "These nuns are really kind. They not only guide the serfs in farming, but also take care of their illnesses. Without the Dawn Church, the serfs would have lost a lot of their numbers just due to birth, old age, sickness and death."

Laun nodded and said, "Yes. The members of the Knights Hospitaller are only willing to rescue knights, armed squires, and freemen. They are unwilling to even contact merchants and prostitutes, let alone slaves. Without the nuns of the Church of Dawn, every aspect of our farming business will be affected."

Su Li then paid attention to the affairs of the serfs. He snapped his fingers and a middle-aged man with a gray beard walked out behind him.

"Let me introduce you to our territory's future Minister of Industry, Sherif Galovicki."

The middle-aged man in tattered linen clothes politely greeted Laun. He formed a claw with his right hand and grasped his left shoulder. He bent down, ensuring his tall frame was lower than Laun's. "Greetings, Your Excellency, the Keeper of the Seals. May the Bear God bless you with strength and health, protecting you from all cold winds and diseases."

Laun frowned. He was well-educated and recognized this etiquette at a glance. This was Lady Kislev!
Their etiquette required that they never turn their backs to the Tsar and never speak above the Tsar.

This bear claw ceremony represents the bear god's powerful claws resting on their shoulders, giving them a strong physique and great protection. Bear god believers believe that this ritual can protect them from the cold and keep them healthy.

"My Lord, where did you find such a woman like Kislev? Can you trust a slave as Minister of Industry?"

Su Li smiled confidently and said, "My minister, don't forget that I raised you from slaves. Who can say that you are unreliable?"

Su Li's authority is enough to ensure that no one dares to question his appointment.

There is no electoral system in this world.

If the lord wants, he can let a businessman who has never had any political experience be the finance minister, let a wine-making servant who has never managed a city be the finance minister of the entire territory, or even let a prostitute or mistress he likes be the keeper of the territory's seal!

Many times, Su Li seemed out of tune with this world because he was too normal.

So after hearing what Su Li said, Lao En shut up tactfully. The lord's appointments have always been perfect and no one can question them.

Then Su Li continued, "Another group of slave traders has arrived in Heisen Town. My Lord Seal Keeper, didn't you go and take a look?"

Laun immediately replied, "I've been there, and I loaned over 50 gold coins to the Dawn Church. They bought two nuns."

"At the same time, farmers from other farms and autonomous territories are also buying slaves there, and business is booming. With the addition of these slaves, our farms throughout the Hesse Territory will develop very well."

Now that the territory's development was gradually getting back on track, Su Li no longer had to personally meet with every visiting caravan. Just like this slave-hunting group, the slaves they sent over could be purchased by various territories, knights, and farms without Su Li having to make any moves.

Su Li pointed at Sharif and said, "Shariff is an expert in managing slaves. From now on, how to motivate the serfs will be left to him."

Kislev is a vassal state in the northeast of the Empire, covered in ice and snow. The territory worships the northern bear god and the southern winter god Yurik.

Most famous for their grey animals, their serfs were known throughout the continent for their hard work and perseverance.

Letting Sharif handle this matter may further enhance the effectiveness of the "Land Labor Law".

Sharif quickly replied, "It is my honor to serve the Lord. I hope that my abilities can help the farming industry in the territory develop."

Su Li took him to the embankment of Bjorn Bay and looked at the vast farmland that stretched as far as the eye could see below.

The ochre-colored farmland has neat ridges and is divided into fertile farms by paths, ditches and woodlands.

Some active slaves have returned to the fields after dinner to start farming. Under the guidance of the nuns of the Dawn Church, they work hard and meticulously.

This amazed Sherif, who said, "My Lord, the work enthusiasm of these serfs in your territory is simply amazing. I believe this must be due to more than just good food."

Su Li smiled and said, "You can learn the specific reasons in detail later. My Minister of Seals, please introduce him to the farming situation in our territory. Since the Minister of Agriculture is not here, you two must work together to develop the farming industry in the territory."

Laun stepped forward and pointed at the slaves working below. "Look, my lord," he said, "the serfs are now cultivating wheat for the autumn harvest. The Border Prince's territory is located at the southernmost tip of the empire. With a proper layout, we can achieve three harvests a year."

"The problem now is that we lack specialized sowing equipment, so we've only sown two thousand acres of farmland this morning. If the Minister of Industry can unite the engineers and halflings in the territory, it would be best if they could prioritize developing a batch of specialized sowing equipment."

Su Li asked, "Do we only grow this one crop?"

Laun shook his head and explained in detail, "Agriculture Minister Fandral once presented me with a detailed plan. The Church of Dawn intends to sow seeds from west to east, starting with wheat and soybeans. Then, as time passes and the planting season passes, they'll gradually sow sugar beets, pumpkins, barley, rapeseed, and so on eastward."

"If everything goes well, we can ensure that the various plants mature at different times, so that there won't be so much food that rots before we can eat it."

"And we can fully utilize these 40,000 acres of arable land."

Su Li's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, "This is a good plan. The most important thing about farming is stability, without too much fluctuation. A constant income is the only way to ensure the stability of the territory."

"But we also need to ensure wheat production. After all, wheat is a grain that can be stored for several years. Are there any measures in this regard?"

Laun nodded and said with a smile, "Of course. We always have some magical means to ensure the output of the wheat fields."

Then, pointing to a well-cultivated field, Lawn said, "A new Father of Grain, Polevik, has settled there. As a new nature spirit, he can perform a blood sacrifice. The territory is preparing a large amount of flesh and blood for him to ensure the scale of the blood sacrifice farmland is as large as possible, at least over two hundred acres!"

"Would you like to go and see a new nature spirit?"

(End of this chapter)