I'm not a lord

Chapter 159 Big Goose Lord
The reason why Heron Territory got its name is, of course, because there are really a lot of herons living in this land.

As a migratory bird, the heron usually leaves the White River Basin in October and flies south to spend the winter.

In March or April of the following year, these large gray water birds will fly back to Baihe River and build nests and reproduce here.

Now is the season when migratory birds return.

On the forest path leading to the Heron Territory, Lin En could always hear the deep "ga ga ga" calls of herons coming from the sky.

The population size of Heron Territory is slightly smaller than that of River and Swamp Territory, with a total population of approximately seven thousand.

There are large tracts of marsh wetlands along the river banks in the east of the territory and along the forest edges in the west and north, which are natural paradises for various migratory water birds.

Thanks to its abundant poultry resources, Heron Territory has developed a unique bird feather industry.

Large water birds such as herons and swans are full of treasures.

Local skilled hunters set traps in waters where waterfowl live.

After catching the waterfowl, hunters pluck their feathers, clean them, and sort them.

Feathers of different grades vary greatly in price and have different uses.

The highest-grade tail feathers and wing feathers are tough and can be up to 50 centimeters long. They are often used to make ornaments for nobles and wealthy merchants, decorating their helmets, hats and shawls.

In the North, almost every feudal knight's helmet will be inserted with dyed heron feathers. The more number and colors, the more it can show his wealth.

It is said that in the Three Saints Church in the southern border, heron feathers and swan feathers are still essential items in religious ceremonies. Some senior priests will even pin pure white heron feathers on their chests to symbolize the purity of the soul.

The second-rate feathers are slightly shorter, softer and more fluffy, and are often used to fill pillows and bedding. They are also a luxury item commonly used by nobles and wealthy businessmen.

The remaining fluff is highly warm and is often used to make the lining of winter clothes, and is also expensive.

Of course, the stripped waterfowl cannot be wasted. They can be coated with salt and roasted to produce high-quality protein, which is also the main reward for hunters.

In principle, the water birds in Heron Territory belong to the lord. Hunters must hand over all the feathers they catch, but they can keep the bird meat for their own use.

Of course, the lord could only make a small profit from the Toba trade.

These bird feathers will be sold to the port cities in the south through the merchants of Sanhe City.

There, professional craftsmen will carry out further processing on them, including drying, dyeing, pruning, packaging and other processes, and then they will be sold to various parts of the mainland.

By transferring the business a few times, all the businessmen in the interest chain can make a fortune.

Lin En looked through the account books of the Heron Territory over the years and found that the previous barons were quite frugal and knew how to take the path of sustainable development. They only earned thirty or forty gold shields every year from Bird Feather.

After all, if you catch too many, migratory birds will not come to you in a few years.

Moreover, oversupply will only lead to a drop in the price of Toba, which will damage its status as a luxury product and will be counterproductive.

Lynn checked a bag of bird feathers that had been left out of the castle warehouse and discovered that heron tail feathers made excellent arrow feather material.

This type of feather is extremely tough, and the feather shaft is hollow and light.

Moreover, it is long enough to present a natural streamlined curvature, which can produce arrows with higher shooting accuracy.

Lin En's army has a very high demand for arrows.

There is no shortage of materials for arrowheads and arrow shafts, but the only thing missing is the bird feathers for making arrow feathers.

In order to equip the two hundred barbarian archers with enough arrows, the big geese in the White Bear Territory were almost all plucked bare.

Once the Gaoya tribe surrenders, Lin En will inevitably expand the size of his archers, which naturally requires more arrows.

Of course, we cannot rely solely on wild water birds such as herons to fill the gaps in arrow feathers.

This kind of high-end goods can only be supplied to a few elite archers, and the arrow needs of ordinary archers still have to be met by goose feathers.

After inspecting Cang Lu Territory, Lin En decided to expand the goose farming there. The territory was overpopulated with swamps and wetlands, and draining them to create farmland would be a waste of manpower and resources, and would be too time-consuming. Large-scale poultry farming would be preferable.

Domestic geese are also valuable, except that the quality of their feathers and down is slightly inferior to that of wild waterfowl.

As long as we can carry out large-scale breeding, we can definitely win by quantity.

In Lin En's vision, each territory should develop characteristic industries according to local conditions, and should not simply produce food.

He vigorously increased per-acre yield of farmland, of course, in order to liberate productivity and promote the diversification of the territory's industries.

The White Bear Territory already has salt mines and papermaking, and the Red Creek Territory is likely to develop iron smelting and forging.

Cangluling has unique geographical advantages, so it should engage in domestic goose farming.

Moreover, raising geese is a quick-acting business. As long as the policies are strong and the operations are proper, results can be seen within one or two years.

With an ample supply of goose feathers, the longbow troops under Lynn's command could have "plenty of arrows to use as they please."

In addition to the unique bird feather industry, the agricultural production in Heron Territory is also remarkable.

The territory is crisscrossed with rivers and streams, and water conservancy facilities are well built. Most of the arable land can be adequately irrigated. Last year's average per-acre yield was higher than that of the River and Swamp Territory, and higher than that of the White Bear Territory the year before.

After spending two days inspecting the Heron Territory, Lin En gave the Territory Governor a high evaluation:

"Oleg, you've done a great job in Heron Territory. I'm very confident in leaving this territory to you."

The panel also gave Oleg a very high score.

【Oleg★★★】

[Commander E+] [Strength E+] [Constitution E] [Intelligence C] [Internal Affairs C+] [Charm D]

[Loyalty: 90 (already accepted as a follower)]

[Feature 1: Agricultural Policy - Grain production tends to increase under rule]

[Special 2: Revitalization - Development speed under rule is easily improved]

[Characteristic 3: Law - Public security is unlikely to decline under rule]

Oleg not only has high attributes and good characteristics, but he is also young, not even thirty years old this year.

Being young means having high potential. As long as you cultivate them with care, they may grow into pillar talents in the future.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir. I just did my job."

Oleg is quite humble, but his appearance is very rough.

He is over 1.8 meters tall, has short light brown hair, and a sturdy build, a typical image of a northern man.

The title of the position 'Territory Governor' is actually somewhat deceptive.

It sounds like he is more of a civil servant, but the territorial governors Lin En has seen are basically strong and powerful with great martial virtues.

Even old Albert from the White Bear Territory could gallop and draw his sword to chop people when he was young.

The steward of the territory not only assists the lord in managing the territory and serfs, but also leads the conscripted soldiers to fight for the lord in the event of war.

Can you be the one without some martial virtue?

In the previous Battle of Green Lake Territory, Oleg was also ordered to join the army, and he took several stewards from the territory to shoot crossbows at Lynn's army.

Later, Baron Chixi died in battle, and Oleg ran away when he saw that the situation was not good.

If the fourth brother had not led his troops to pursue and intercept in time, Lin En would have lost a talent in internal affairs.

(End of this chapter)