I'm not a lord

Chapter 94 Longbow Troops
The next morning.

On the way to send his father back to the tribe, little Thorward asked in confusion:
"Father, are you leaving now? Why not stay a few more days? Didn't the Baron say he would take us on a tour of the White Bear Territory?"

"Yes, father, please stay in the castle for a few more days." Mira was also reluctant to leave her father.

Although life in White Bear Territory was comfortable, she never forgot her relatives and playmates in the tribe.

Xiao Mira saw her father again after more than three months, but she didn't expect to be separated from him in one night. She couldn't help but burst into tears.

Old Thorward held the horse with one hand and rubbed his son and daughter's heads with the other:
"There are still many things in the tribe waiting for me to deal with. I can't stay for too long. You must listen to His Excellency the Baron and don't let him worry. Do you understand?"

He jumped on his horse and looked back at his two children who were still waving goodbye, his eyes also welling up.

But the patriarch never shed tears easily, and he eventually held back his tears.

He is already satisfied that his children have received advanced education and will have a brighter future.

On the way back, old Thorward rode his horse, looking at the golden wheat fields on both sides of the road, and his right hand unconsciously stroked the wolf tooth pendant hanging on his chest.

This pendant is said to be made from the tusk of a huge demon wolf and is a token of the chieftain passed down from generation to generation in the lowland tribe.

There are two rows of small tusks on both sides of the tusk. These are the spoils of the tribe leaders of the past, representing the former glory of the lowland tribe.

Touching the pendant, old Thorward could not help but recall the warning given to him by the tribe's wizard during the sacrifice: A wolf kept in captivity will eventually forget to howl at the moon.

That’s right, if a wolf is kept in captivity for long enough, it will become a dog.

But is being a starving wolf really happier than being a well-fed dog?
Old Thorward couldn't tell.

But he knew that his first priority as the tribe's leader was to ensure the continuation of the tribe.

White Bear Territory is the best destination for the lowland tribes.

Some serfs working in the wheat fields noticed the blue-haired savage passing by.

But they just looked up and continued to work.

The lord's public fields have been harvested, and the carnival of the harvest celebration ended yesterday.

Starting today they have to harvest their own plots of land, so they will naturally work harder.

Some serfs were even close to swinging their sickles.

Although the appearance of the savages was strange, they were no longer afraid of them.

There were only a few hundred barbarians living in Manor No. 6, and no one was seen sneaking out at night to eat children.

After living together for a period of time, the serfs found that there was nothing special about the barbarians. They all had two eyes and one nose, but their hair and eye colors were different.

Some serfs have learned that the free salt they eat is dug and refined by the barbarians, and they unconsciously develop a slight liking for them.

Moreover, the women of the wilderness are generally more beautiful in appearance, with the added bonus of mysterious blue hair.

A few young and strong male serfs even became jealous of the escaped slaves from Manor No. 6.

Why are escaped slaves from other places qualified to marry the wives of the barbarians?

Why can't these hardworking locals get married?
Of course, these are just small episodes in the village.

The current main theme of White Bear Territory is still harvest.

The autumn harvest battle began in mid-August and lasted for half a month.

The harvest of the 36,000 acres of strip fields led by White Bear was completed, leaving only neat rows of wheat stubble on the fields.

Harvesting, drying and storing the grain did not mean the serfs' work was over.

On the contrary, what awaits them will be two or three months of non-stop work.

The White Bear Territory implements a two-field system, and the fields sown this year need to be left fallow next year to maintain fertility.

The serfs now had to harvest the above-ground wheat stubble and bring it home to use as livestock feed or winter fuel. They would then drive heavy plows to plow the harvested wheat fields, burying the remaining stubble and turning up the topsoil to expose the underlying soil.

Pests and pathogens in the soil will be exposed to sunlight and air, and heavy snow in winter can also kill insects and bacteria.

While the serfs were working, Lin En received fifty young men from the barbarians as scheduled.

Old Soward really didn't dare to fool people. These young men from the wilderness were all strong and had good skills. They even had their own short bows and animal tooth daggers.

Lin En organized the barbarians into five teams and promoted five team leaders from them. Little Soward served as the squadron leader to lead these barbarians.

He then packed up the squadron of barbarians and handed it to the second brother, and built a military camp outside the forest at the southern end of the territory.

The existence of this military camp can not only train the barbarians, but also serve as the first line of defense in the south to prevent possible invaders.

The second brother has a keen sense of smell and is good at reconnaissance. At the same time, he is the best at using daggers and bows and arrows among the horse bandits, making him a suitable instructor for these barbarians.

As for the language barrier, it is not a big problem.

What cannot be explained with words, can always be explained with a whip.

And there was little Thorward as translator.

Lin En prepared the most cost-effective weapon for these barbarians, which is the longbow.

The production process of the longbow is very simple. Lynn only taught it twice, and Tolima and several carpenters mastered the trick.

In just a few hours, each of them can make a qualified longbow.

There is no shortage of wood in White Bear Territory. Whether it is yew, oak or hazel, traces of them can be found in the forest. A batch of wood was cut down when the road was built before, and the stock in the warehouse cannot be used up.

There is no shortage of materials for bowstrings. Sheep tendons and flax can be used to make bowstrings.

The production of arrows is even simpler. Birch is used as the shaft, wrought iron is used as the tuft, and goose feathers are used as the tail. These are all simple materials that are readily available in the White Bear Territory.

The greatest difficulty in using a bow and arrow is always in training archers.

Since the nobles prohibited serfs from hunting, the Northern Kingdom had no habit of using bows and arrows at all.

At most, only a few nobles would practice shortbow shooting for hunting purposes.

But the nobles preferred to use crossbows rather than bows and arrows.

The crossbow is so easy to use that even a serf who has never used a crossbow before can learn how to use it.

The only drawback of this thing is that it is expensive and the crossbow is easy to break. Lin En only has three of them.

But the barbarians are different. They make a living by hunting and have to practice archery skills from a young age. If they can't shoot accurately, they will starve.

These fifty young men from the wilderness have been immersed in archery for many years and are all good archers.

Although they had never used a longbow, their arm muscles were already accustomed to archery, and their endurance was amazing. With just a little training, they could unleash the power of the longbow.

After settling these barbarian archers, Lin En's next task is still heavy.

He summoned all the stewards in the castle and announced that he would redistribute the fields and carry out a large-scale autumn reclamation campaign.

As he rewarded indentured farmers and recruited soldiers, White Bear no longer had enough cultivated land to share.

According to custom, the serfs in the White Bear Territory originally owned 60 mu of land and had to cultivate 60 mu of public land for the lord.

But starting next year, the serfs' allotments and public land will be reduced to 50 mu, and half of the allotments will include uncultivated wasteland.

The serfs have all had a bumper harvest this year, but Lynn will not let them enjoy the overflowing grain warehouse for nothing.

You're all full, right?

After you’ve eaten, go and reclaim some wasteland!
(End of this chapter)