I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 67 Iron Freedom
Rhodes would never let Tassa go back.

He had Tassa choose a reasonably intelligent fellow to return to the mountains so that their prophet could come out for a meeting.

It is worth mentioning that the wild men's knowledge was even more limited than that of the wilderness people; very few of them could even count to ten years old.

They're like goblins in chivalric romance novels, with an average knowledge level of only five digits.

Even now, Tassa still hasn't clarified how many people the White Frost tribe actually has.

Of course, in order to get the savages of the White Frost tribe to come out on their own initiative, Rhodes naturally had to offer some incentives.

Before leaving, Rod instructed Martha to prepare a sumptuous meal for the messenger, ensuring that the savage would never forget it.

Rod knew that words were insufficient to describe the situation, so he simply had the messenger carry two bags of black bread back with him.

Rod originally intended to send them rye, but he was afraid they would waste the grain.

More importantly, black bread could give those savages a taste of sweetness, but it couldn't fill their stomachs.

As for the savages who remained in the town, they were treated the same as slaves and were put to work as well.

Cutting down trees, breaking rocks, and digging trenches do not require any advanced skills.

Rhodes broke the savages apart and assigned them to various construction teams, and selected three slave overseers from among the savages to watch the other savages work.

Tassa's docility doesn't mean all savages are docile.

Therefore, Rhodes specifically ordered the overseers to keep a close eye on these savages.

Us has also found a job temporarily, responsible for teaching all the wildlings the common language.

It doesn't need to be complicated; a few simple words will suffice.

For example, working, eating, sleeping, and getting beaten.

Tassa, naturally, couldn't mingle with these savages, so he was taken in by Raine.

In fact, these savages are not entirely useless except for their strength.

They were able to set hunting traps with simple tools, possessed extensive wilderness survival skills, and were strong-armed, throwing spears with great accuracy.

However, Rhodes cannot use them yet.

After seeing the savage off, Rhodes focused all his attention on the water-powered forging hammer.

Unlike tamping hammers, forging hammers are heavy and require a waterwheel driven by a rapid flow of water to move them quickly.

Therefore, a small dam was built upstream of the irrigation canal to drive the medium-sized waterwheel of the forging hammer through the high drop of the water flow.

A medium-sized waterwheel can drive two 300-kilogram forging hammers, which can be used to forge most equipment, most typically plate armor breastplates.

A skilled blacksmith might need one to three months to forge plate armor by hand, but with a water-powered forging hammer, it can be completed in as little as three weeks, and at the latest, no more than two months.

This is because the later stages of plate armor assembly, adjustment, and polishing are time-consuming; forging longswords or similar items would be much more efficient.

More importantly, the availability of water-powered forging hammers greatly lowered the barrier to entry for blacksmiths.

Young blacksmith apprentices, in particular, can skip the wheel hammer and start forging practice directly.

Blacksmiths are all quite intelligent.

Therefore, when they saw the forging hammer that automatically pounded the felt, their eyes were filled with shock, but their faces also wore a helpless bitter smile.

"With this forging hammer, all we need to do is heat the iron until it's red-hot, find the right spot for the hammer to strike, and it will come down on its own."

Bard sighed deeply and said, "My lord, I've wielded this hammer my whole life, and now it's useless..."

"Of course not, the water-powered forging hammer only improves your work efficiency."

Rod smiled and comforted him, "You still have a wealth of forging knowledge in your mind."

Don't forget this is the North; in winter, you'll still need to bring your own hammers.

Bard nodded; Rhodes' words made him feel a little better.

Yes, there is winter in the North.

Hamo and the other blacksmiths looked a little better.

"You all need to get used to it for a while. We can use the forging hammer to finish forging Gunther's armor," Rhodes instructed.

Hamor stepped forward and reported, "Lord Gunle's plate armor is basically complete, and we need him to help with the adjustments."

"So fast?" Rhodes was somewhat surprised.

“You haven’t assigned us any new tasks lately. Apart from the odd jobs we do, we’ve spent most of our time forging that plate armor.”

Rod nodded. "Okay, I'll have him test it when Gunle gets back."

He had barely finished speaking when a guard rushed over to report, "Lord Gunther's convoy is about to enter the town." Rhodes paused slightly, then turned around with a smile.
"What a coincidence."

……

……

After a week's wait, the muddy roads in the Black Rock Mountains were finally repaired.

The pig iron had already piled up into a mountain, so Gunle hurriedly set off back to Frostleaf Town.

Rod was also very happy to see the iron on the oxcart.

I no longer need to spend gold coins to buy those weapons and equipment!

More importantly, the equipment crafted in Rhodes' own territory has double the strength of the finished product thanks to the bonus from the Fine Forging Furnace attribute!

Simply put, if someone else's sword strikes a sword made by the Frostleaf Town blacksmith shop, that sword will break!
This doesn't even include the enchanted sword that Rhodes forged himself!
"How much iron is there?" Rod asked.

"About 1.5 tons."

Gangle reported helplessly, "There are still many in Blackstone Village, but these two oxcarts can only carry this much."

After thinking for a moment, Gunle added, "There should be at least 800 kilograms of iron and three tons of iron ore."

"It feels better to mine iron ore myself."

The iron that had been choking him was finally released, and Rhodes felt his breathing become easier.

Next, we can focus on forging weapons and replace all the longswords and arrows in the territory.

Weapons discarded from other territories were sold and exchanged for slaves.

“Actually, we could smelt more iron, but we’re just too short of charcoal right now.” Gunle’s face showed some bitterness.

Rhodes nodded; fuel was indeed a major issue affecting development.

But no way.

No coal mines have been found yet, so the only option is to produce coal from charcoal.

"Once this period is over, I will send you another batch of slaves to make charcoal."

Black Pine Ridge has plenty of trees, but there are still too few people who can do the work.

Fortunately, we still need to clear land in the future, so this can be considered as completing the work ahead of schedule.

Then Gunle reported some basic information about the Blackrock Mountains to Rod.

After getting a general idea, Rod waved to Gunle and said, "Alright, leave the rest to others. Go and get some rest."

"Thank you for your generosity."

Gunther grinned happily, bowed, and took his leave.

For a soldier, the most enjoyable moment is when he can let loose and vent his frustrations after a mission.

Taking baths, drinking alcohol, sleeping with women.

However, Gunther did not return to the manor, but instead slipped into the town and disappeared into some corner.

Unlike Durant's focused personality, Gunther is more easygoing.

According to Rod's secret investigation, Gunle had already had inappropriate interactions with two women in town.

Of course, both were widows, and both were there voluntarily.

After all, Frostleaf Town prohibits coercion.

Therefore, Rhodes didn't interfere much.

Everyone has different preferences and lifestyles, and as long as he can have children, nothing else matters to Rhodes.

Gunle stayed in Frostleaf for a day and two nights.

Before leaving, Rhodes asked him to go to the blacksmith's shop to get five axes and a machete, and to try on plate armor.

It fits fairly well, but some minor details on the edges and corners need adjustment.

After Gunther left, Rod also immersed himself in the blacksmith shop and began his own forging life.

The new cast iron is stronger; Rhodes wants a new greatsword.

However, just two days after he started forging, news arrived from Blade's Edge Mountains.

It was a little slower than Rod had imagined.

(End of this chapter)