I'm not a lord

Chapter 160: Entering the Forest to Search for Minerals
According to the data provided by Oleg, the average household in Heron Territory currently raises about five geese.

The number is actually not small, at least it is more than the White Bear Territory.

In the White Bear Territory, each household can only raise three geese, which is completely unable to meet the longbowmen's demand for arrows.

The habits of geese are actually a bit like those of horses.

They are all social animals, require large pastures for grazing, and are very protective of their calves.

Of course, it would be best if the geese had a wide area of ​​water where they could move freely.

The geese raised in this way are healthier and their feathers are tougher and more lustrous.

Heron Collar meets these conditions.

However, it is unrealistic to engage in collective farming these days. A single epidemic can cost one's life.

Lin En's plan is to encourage the people of Heron Territory to make full use of local resources and increase the average number of geese raised per household.

After inspecting a serf village by the stream, Lin En said to Oleg, "Starting this year, I hope that the number of geese raised by each household can be increased to ten or even twenty."

To allay Oleg's concerns, Lin En added, "Next year, I will replace part of Heron Territory's land tax with five adult geese. You don't have to worry about selling them. I'll take whatever you raise, especially goose feathers and down."

Goose feathers, Lynn's army can digest them on the spot.

Goose down is an important foreign exchange earning product.

Lin En may also develop the textile industry in the future. Goose down can be made into various high-end luxury goods to meet the needs of a small number of wealthy people.

Oleg was a smart man and immediately realized that the master wanted to make arrows with goose feathers.

He had experienced the power of the longbow in Green Lake.

Just because of the advantage of range, the master's longbowmen can suppress these crossbowmen and make them unable to raise their heads.

"Please rest assured, sir. I will definitely increase the number of geese!"

What else could Oleg say? Just keep working on it.

Raising geese doesn't require any technical skills.

It was simply that the serfs didn’t want to raise them in the past, the economic benefits were relatively poor, and the territory provided less support.

Now, with the master's order, goose breeding will become the top priority of Heron County.

All we have to do is clear some of the pasture for the sheep to graze on, and it will also provide some work for the little serfs running around.

Lynn was quite satisfied with Oleg's attitude.

The governor of the territory was forced to surrender and pledge allegiance to him, but his mentality changed very quickly. On the day of surrender, his loyalty exceeded 50 points.

When Lynn pardoned Oleg and his family and promised him that he could continue to serve as the governor of the territory, his loyalty soared to 80+.

The steward of the territory held a high position of power in the territory, and had judicial and administrative power second only to that of the lord. He could try criminals, manage serfs, and collect taxes on behalf of the lord.

In special circumstances, they can even negotiate with city merchants or foreign envoys on behalf of the lord.

However, the people who hold this position are often of humble origins.

Compared to traditional feudal nobles, the governor of the territory is more like a professional "bureaucrat".

This position values ​​ability more than bloodline.

The lord can be a hungry child or a mentally retarded or mentally ill person, but as long as he has a good bloodline, there will always be people who will defend him.

However, the chief stewards of the territory are promoted according to their abilities and demoted according to their abilities, and there is almost no family inheritance.

This is also why old Albert of the White Bear Territory is so devoted to his master Lin En, simply because Lin En let his eldest son Xiao Ai inherit the position of the chief steward of the White Bear Territory.

Since he is a professional bureaucrat, he will naturally follow whoever feeds him.

It is always right to pledge allegiance to whoever occupies the territory.

Lin En had no qualms about this. It was impossible to expect all talented people to remain loyal to him.

This is completely unrealistic.

He could see the loyalty, but he couldn't build a mind control tower to completely brainwash these people.

But as long as he can ensure that his power continues to expand and provide certain channels for advancement, these talents will continue to be of use to him.

After spending two days inspecting the Heron Territory, Lin En selected a main development direction for the territory and also made a more detailed plan.

These include livestock breeding, agricultural planting, land reclamation, house renovation, road planning, military recruitment, etc.

Now that the territory to be managed is larger, Lynn cannot monitor the development of one of the territories around the clock.

He could only hand over the territory to trusted professionals and provide them with high-level guidance.

Oleg is more capable than old Albert. Together with the professionals brought from White Bear, he will surely be able to build Heron into what Lynn expects.

Of course, Lynn will not relax his supervision of these territories.

The increasingly improved post station system will provide him with real-time construction information of the territory.

He also planned to set up an "inspector" to conduct surprise inspections of the accounts and infrastructure of the territories to ensure that the person in charge of each territory could do his job conscientiously.

In the future, if Oleg and other territory governors perform their duties effectively, Lin En would not mind bringing them to a bigger stage.

After inspecting Canglu Territory, Lin En prepared to continue north to Chixi Territory as planned.

However, a fast horse from Henumu Territory brought an urgent letter.

"The Three Rivers City Council has sent another representative? These people are really impatient."

Lin En calculated the days and realized that the city council had not stopped for a moment. Almost as soon as they received the conditions he proposed, they discussed the countermeasures and sent representatives to communicate.

Although the city council was diligent, Lynn still refused decisively.

He wrote a reply on the spot and instructed the messenger, "Tell the city council representative for me that tariff rights alone are not enough. The pricing power of the territory's goods must belong to me. Otherwise, there is no discussion!"

Lin En is now playing the tactic of procrastination. As long as he delays for another week until the Hengjiang Iron Chain is completed, he will no longer have to play along with the city council.

However, if the Three Rivers City Council is really willing to give up the pricing power, then it is not impossible for Lin En to do business with them.

In the past, the purchase price of rye at the source was 8 silver coins per 300 kilograms.

Lin En's requirements are not high. It's wartime now, so a small five-fold increase will be enough.

Look at where the food is these days! You think it's too expensive, and I think it's too expensive too. It's up to you to buy it or not!
After sending the messenger away, Lin En continued to head north and arrived at Chixi Territory a day later.

If you only look at the terrain structure of the territory, Chixi Territory and Baixiong Territory are very similar and unremarkable.

The castles were all built on the banks of the White River. The entire territory was bordered by water on the east side and surrounded by dense forests on the other three sides.

As usual, Lin En inspected the territory first and arranged territory construction tasks for the local manager.

The steward of Chixi Territory has a rating of only two stars, and his attributes are comparable to those of Old Albert, making him a qualified territory manager.

The squadron stationed in Chixi Territory was led by Lucas.

Lin En had no intention of letting this brave refugee general stay in the rear permanently. The main reason was that there was a shortage of manpower and too few loyal and reliable generals, so he could only be incompetent for a while.

After the spring plowing is over, he will recruit a large number of new soldiers, and the maintenance of public security in the rear will also be taken over by these new recruits.

After inspecting the territory, Lin En naturally had to go to the forest west of Chixi Territory to see if he could find any clues about the iron ore.

When Lucas heard that the master was going into the forest, he volunteered: "Sir, please take me with you. I have been patrolling the forest frequently these days and have killed several newly awakened brown bears. Please let me protect you!"

Even though Lucas's body has not fully developed, he is already one of the best generals in the army. His panel rating has reached two stars, and his attributes such as command, strength and physique have increased.

Lynn did not refuse his kindness, and took Lucas and a small group of soldiers, plus two local servants who were familiar with the terrain, and headed towards the forest west of the territory.

(End of this chapter)