Chapter 297 Water Conservancy Program

  A group of well-armed cavalry walked slowly along the field road north of Storm's End.

  They were tall, with serious eyes, two by two, side by side, with a double-headed eagle emblem printed on the refined iron plate armor.

  The white dragon circled and danced in the sky, causing the farmers working in the fields to kneel down and bow down.

  Samwell rode at the front of the team, waving to the farmers while listening to the report from the supervisor Gavin Mander:

   "... In the territory directly under your command in the Stormlands, there are a total of more than 300,000 people, 186 directly subordinate knights, and more than 3,600 standing troops, but most of them are still in Dorne.

  The food in the territory is very abundant. In order to defend Storm’s End, the illegitimate son specially hoarded a large amount of flour, oats and soybeans, so we don’t have to worry about food for the time being.

As for the income of the territory, it mainly comes from animal fur and wood, especially the century-old hardwood unique to the imperial forest, which can be sold at a high price. Coupled with the taxes paid by the vassals, it is estimated that the annual income can reach seven Qianjinlong.

  In addition, I have brought brewing equipment and a group of skilled workers to Storm's End this time, planning to establish a brandy brewing base in Storm's End. There is also enough land to grow grapes here, presumably this will become a new growth point for the territory's income in the future. "

   "Grape planting can be done, but pay attention to the scale." Samwell said, "The more important thing is food. The food production in the storm area should not be high all the time, right?"

   "Yes, Your Majesty. The food in the Stormlands is not yet self-sufficient, and we often need to buy food from the Reach."

   Samwell frowned:

   "The climate here is suitable, and the land is not barren. Don't people in the Stormlands prefer to be hunters and loggers instead of farming?"

"That's not the case, Your Majesty. I learned that there are still many refugees in the Stormlands. Even if they want to farm, they have no land to farm." Gavin explained, "The Stormlands is not short of land, and the climate is suitable. But the problem is water. The only big river, the Wende River, is in the Royal Forest, and the rest of the small rivers and brooks can hardly support large-scale arable land."

  Samwell understood immediately.

The backward agriculture of this era relies heavily on naturally formed rivers for irrigation. The reason why the riverland and the river bay can become the bread basket of Westeros is because the river land has the Trident River, and the river bay is covered by the Mander River. And its tributaries run through the coverage.

  Although the weather in Stormland is suitable and there is no shortage of fertile land, the Wende River, the only big river in the territory, is in the imperial forest.

   This is the biggest problem restricting the development of agriculture in the stormlands.

  And Samwell immediately thought of a solution—

  Water conservancy facilities.

  However, he also realized the enormous difficulties faced by this plan.

Small water conservancy facilities cannot play a big role, while large-scale water conservancy facilities are a long-term and arduous project. Even in ancient China with a high degree of centralization, it is easy to cause public resentment, let alone Weiss under the enfeoffment system. Tello.

   But once a large-scale irrigation system is built, the grain production in the stormy land will increase significantly.

  The importance of food production in the Middle Ages is self-evident, and it can almost be equated with the potential for war.

  The King of Qin was able to sweep the world by relying on the land of Guanzhong. A very important factor was the construction of the Zhengguo Canal.

  It was originally a "strategy of exhausting Qin", but instead helped Qin to lay the foundation for hegemony.

  Samwell knew that if he wanted to compete for hegemony in Westeros, he must also have a solid and stable base.

  The current stormy land is still difficult to take on this important task.

   First of all, the war potential of the Stormlands is not strong enough, not to the point of being superior to others.

  Although the Riverbend Horse Party is now in power, Samwell can use its power, but the previous experience of betrayal told him that this borrowed power may not be reliable.

  He needs power that can truly be controlled by him.

  Although the nobles of the Stormland have embraced him as the Storm King and swore allegiance to him, Samwell knows very well that the loyalty of these people may not be able to stand the real test.

  If everything goes well, it’s okay, but if they encounter setbacks in the future, these stormy nobles may not be willing to risk their lives to serve him.

   In the final analysis, his prestige is not enough.

   And prestige needs time to settle, which is what Samwell lacks the most.

   Regardless of the journey, the stormy people in the field would kneel down and salute when they saw the team, calling His Majesty Caesar, but in their hearts, the word Caesar may not be as important as Baratheon.

  Stormlanders are also more familiar with the crowned stag banner than the double-headed eagle.

  So, Samwell needs a political achievement, a political achievement that benefits millions of people in the stormlands.

   And a large-scale water irrigation project is an excellent opportunity, allowing the name of Caesar to quickly penetrate into the hearts of every Stormlander.

  The Stormlanders who have received his favor will be more willing to fight under the banner of the double-headed eagle.

   This is the fastest way for him to gain prestige.

  After some thought, Samwell finally made up his mind.

   "Gavin, when you go back, bring me all the bachelors and craftsmen who know how to build water conservancy projects in the Stormlands."

   "Yes, Your Majesty." Gavin replied habitually, but then frowned again, "How large a water conservancy project do you want to build?"

  Samwell pointed to the crimson mountains that were faintly visible in the distance, then turned to the northern horizon, and said proudly:

   "I'm going to build an artificial irrigation ditch through the north-central part of the stormlands."

   "Through the north-central part of the storm?" Gavin's eyes widened.

   "Yes. The stormy land is not short of water. The storm from the narrow sea blows humid air over, and after being blocked by the red mountains, it falls into rain. The rain turns into streams and groundwater, but it cannot irrigate the farmland.

  So, we can build a large reservoir at the foot of the mountain, which can be quickly filled by mountain streams and rainwater, and continue to build ditches behind the reservoir, extending north until it meets the Wende River.

  Continue to build small reservoirs at suitable locations along the way, and use them as hubs to build branch ditches.

  After the completion of this water conservancy project, we will get tens of millions of acres of fertile land!

  Gavin, tens of millions of acres of fertile land!

   Do you know what that means? "

   Gavin was also shocked by this grand plan, but he quickly recovered and said in a complicated tone:

   "Your Majesty, your idea is brilliant, but such a huge project...how much will it cost to complete?"

   "It's man-made." Sam Will said, "Three years ago, would you dare to believe that we could open up a territory like Yingzui Island in the Red Mountains?"

   Gavin shook his head and said with emotion: "That is a miracle!"

   "Yes, a miracle. Gavin, it is a miracle we created together." Samwell looked at the young manager who was the first to follow him, "and in the future, we will create more miracles."

   Gavin was infected by the attitude of being a monarch, and finally no longer objected:

   "Then we have to solve the manpower problem first."

"It's not difficult," Samwell said. "We'll soon have a group of able-bodied laborers. And, don't forget the work point system, which has been proven to be more effective than the whip in driving people to work." efficient."

   "But it is also more expensive than a leather whip." Gavin reminded.

   Indeed.

  Before in Yingzui Island, in order to cash in the huge amount of work points, although Samwell used the "real estate plan" as a weapon to harvest wealth, many people still insisted on asking for copper coins instead of houses.

   For this reason, Samwell almost lost his trust with the people. Fortunately, he succeeded in getting engaged to Margaery, and with the help of the Tyrell family, he was able to pay off the previous work-point debt.

  If the work point system continues to be used to build such a huge water conservancy project in the storm this time, one can imagine how terrible the work points the Caesar family will pay will be.

  Even if the "real estate plan" is used to reap part of the harvest, the remaining debts may still be difficult to repay.

   "This is the price that must be paid." Samwell was not too worried.

  Although he could be forced to conscript labor, it would be a great damage to his reputation. Samwell didn't want to be the next "black heart" Heron.

  In contrast, the work point system appears to be more modest and more able to stimulate the enthusiasm of workers.

  He knows that the work point system is actually an act of overdrafting the future, and for this, as a businessman in his previous life, he has no mental burden.

  Reasonable debt is actually the best way to develop.

"In addition, we can also transport young adults from Eagle's Mouth Island to Storm's End." Samwell had already planned to carry out large-scale emigration, "You can contact Earl Tars and ask him to coordinate some ships for you. "

   "Yes, Your Majesty." Gavin agreed, but his face was still full of worry, "If you want to build an artificial canal that runs through the northern part of the Stormlands, you may need to negotiate with the lords..."

   "I'll let them agree." Sam Will said.

  At this time, a cavalryman rushed over and handed a letter to Samwell.

  Samwell glanced quickly, and said to Gavin:

   "The Martell family has sent the Stormlands army to the Boneroad, and I'm going to preside over the prisoner exchange. Please help me find some bachelors and craftsmen who understand water conservancy."

   "Yes, Your Majesty."

  (end of this chapter)