Chapter 161: The Pressure is High Everywhere

While constructing Estuary Town, Leo had also been continuously searching for another pioneering location to resettle the surplus population. After several discussions with Ulyan, he decided to head to the Gravel Hills to establish an antler cassava planting base.

Of course, the cleared land near the Riverbend Peninsula could also grow antler cassava. However, that was land the Riverbend commoners had painstakingly reclaimed, and if anything were to be planted there, it should be for the villagers of Riverbend. He could not favor one group over another and let the newly recruited refugees reap undeserved benefits.

For safety reasons, the two had previously considered finding a location near the Riverbend Peninsula. But given the Northern Territory’s backward production methods and barren soil, the per capita land area required was exceptionally large. A knight's fief capable of providing sufficient taxes to support knights and men-at-arms required not only enough arable land for crop rotation and cultivation, but also a certain amount of pastureland for raising livestock. A fief lacking sufficient arable land also needed adequate timberland for foraging and gathering wood, as well as vast forests to serve as hunting grounds for wild game.

In particular, frontier pioneering territories boasted astonishingly large areas. Most new pioneering sites were not located too deep into the wilderness; they typically backed onto older pioneering territories and expanded outward. Therefore, expansion could only proceed in three or two directions, often resulting in an irregular semi-circular or quarter-circular shape.

For a mature pioneering knight's fief, the area within a three-kilometer radius constituted the already-pioneered zone, featuring vast tracts of farmland and pasture. The zone between three and five kilometers away was a semi-pioneered area functioning as timberland for gathering berries or firewood. Beyond that lay a hunting ground of nearly equal size, consisting of territory that had been explored but not yet pioneered.

The pioneering knight's fiefs near Isenpohl were none smaller than fifty square kilometers, and those in the foothills even spanned hundreds of square kilometers. Back in the Southern Territory, many baroncies were not even this large. Yet the reality for the vast majority of pioneering knight's fiefs was much like Solovy's: the truly pioneered core area was less than ten square kilometers, while the vast remainder was still wild mountains and dense forests.

No matter how hard a newly pioneered territory like Riverbend tried, it could not compare to decades or centuries of development by others, and its actual pioneered area was still under ten square kilometers. The farmland reclaimed this year could not even feed the five hundred people residing on the peninsula.

However, Riverbend would not halt its pace of pioneering. Resettling the newly arrived refugees too close would easily lead to land disputes with the established commoners.

After reserving sufficient development space for the Riverbend residents and looking further outward, Leo found only two most suitable locations: the abandoned ogre watchtower and the boar-men lair in the Gravel Hills. This proved that neither the ancients nor alien races were fools; the prime locations Leo had his eyes on were actually coveted by them long ago. Even the former coalition of gnolls had lingered at the boar-men lair in the Gravel Hills, refusing to leave.

The former boar-men lair had now been transformed into Riverbend's hunting camp. The boar-men had excavated numerous caves here, and Riverbend had constructed a small stockade, laying a solid foundation that made it exceptionally well-suited for pioneering.

The vegetation here was sparse and the field of vision wide, surrounded entirely by rolling hilly terrain and a portion of the mountains extending from the midlands. Although lacking flat plots and strewn with gravel, making it unsuitable for large-scale farming, the terrain was remarkably well-suited for animal husbandry and the survival of antler cassava.

Compared to the flat, unobstructed pine plains of the south and north, the terrain of the Gravel Hills was intricate and complex, and the hunting camp in particular occupied a strategically vital position—easy to defend and difficult to attack. When Leo had twice led troops to suppress alien races, he had halted outside the boar-men lair, preferring to lure them out to fight in the open fields. He had no wish to squander his soldiers' lives attempting to breach the natural stone walls and streams guarding the boar-men lair.

Leading a force of fifteen hundred people, he passed through the Riverbend Peninsula and marched straight toward the Gravel Hills along a previously cleared path. The contingent consisted of one hundred Riverbend soldiers, four hundred Riverbend artisans and skilled laborers, and one thousand newly recruited refugees.

Having inspected the construction of Estuary Town several times, Ulyan felt completely reassured regarding Leo, and this time the logistical support was even greater. Vast quantities of ironware, grain, and draft animals were handed over to Leo, practically emptying Riverbend's emergency reserves. After all, the soon-to-be-built Gravel Fortress—a name Ulyan casually assigned while marking the map—would serve as Riverbend's bridgehead facing the wilderness. If at all possible, building it into an impregnable stronghold was ideal. Ulyan did not care about the consumption of manpower and materials; his only worry was that Leo might be too stingy and fail to build thick enough camp walls.

Having been stationed for five years at the Wind God Fortress, whose walls exceeded fifty meters in height, Ulyan was a man of worldly experience. He held no regard for any city walls within Count Freilov's domain. Could earth walls standing three, five, ten, or eight meters tall even be called city walls? Those were merely little dirt mounds!

Leo felt the pressure was immense. He was just going to farm, not build a fortress!

Meanwhile, Ivan, whom he had left behind at Estuary Town, felt even greater pressure.

Young Ivan watched Leo's massive army depart, feeling that the departure was utterly sudden, catching him completely off guard and leaving him unequal to the heavy responsibility. *How did I, a mere little follower training to be a future knight's squire, suddenly become the leader of fifteen hundred people?*

Only when Leo's contingent completely vanished from sight did he turn around, exchanging bewildered glances with the little kobold beside him. The little kobold felt even more aggrieved, its ears drooping as it whimpered, "Woof, woof, woof!"

Because of his outstanding performance, the kobold Rambo Tu had also been left behind by Leo to assist Ivan in managing the cassava flour processing plant.

Thus stood Ivan: Director of the Cassava Flour Processing Plant, Mayor of Estuary Town, Commander of the Garrison, Attendant to the Future Knight's Squire, and Renowned Riverbend Militiamen!

And beside him stood Rambo Tu Dog: Deputy Director of the Cassava Flour Processing Plant, Financial Officer, Accountant, Advisor to the Mayor of Estuary Town, Scribe, Member of the Riverbend Militia Reserve, and Teenage Kobold Beauty!

That was entirely reasonable!

Leo had little choice, as the number of trustworthy talents in Riverbend to whom he could entrust heavy responsibilities was simply too scarce.

The cassava flour processing procedure required silver during the soaking stage. To this end, Leo had collected three thousand silver coins, smelted them into ten thin silver plates, and entrusted them to Ivan for safekeeping. In the soaking vats of the production workshop, two or three thin silver plates were placed every time antler cassava was soaked.

These thin silver plates held substantial value and could easily be stolen if neglected. One should not underestimate human greed; even workshop foremen would feel tempted upon seeing such silver and might replace them with iron plates one day. As for food safety, how could it ever be more important than silver? Corrupt officials never repent until the executioner's blade falls.

In addition, Leo left Ivan with fifty Riverbend soldiers, one hundred Riverbend laborers, and several outstanding refugee leaders such as Bassalov to help him maintain a firm foothold. Of course, Leo would not simply wash his hands of the matter; both he and Ulyan would visit monthly to inspect production and living conditions and handle any troubles Ivan could not resolve.