Game of Thrones: Holy Flame King

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

They were tall, with serious eyes, and they drove side by side in groups of two. The double-headed eagle coat of arms was printed on the fine iron plate armor.

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

Samwell rode at the forefront 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 knights directly under your command, 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 we must 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 river land 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 all the way.

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

And Samwell immediately thought of a solution——

water conservancy facilities.

But he is also aware of 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 war potential.

One of the most important factors for King Qin to sweep the world by relying on the land of Guanzhong 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 storm 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 rely on its power, but the previous experience of being betrayed 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 Stormlands 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.

It would be fine if everything went well, but if he encountered setbacks in the future, these stormy nobles might 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.

Don't look at this road, the people in the storm in the field will kneel down and salute when they see the team, and call His Majesty Caesar, but in their hearts, the weight of the word Caesar may not be as important as Baratheon.

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

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

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

The stormlanders who have been favored by him will also 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 thinking, 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. There is no shortage of water in the stormy area. The storm from the narrow sea blows moist air, which is blocked by the crimson mountains and falls into rain. The rainwater turns into streams and groundwater, but it cannot irrigate the farmland.

Therefore, 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.

Small reservoirs can continue to be built at suitable locations along the way, and branch ditches can be built using this as a hub.

After this water conservancy project is completed, 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 does it cost to complete?"

"It's man-made." Samwell 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's a miracle!"

"Yes, a miracle. Gavin, it's 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 Fengjun's attitude, and finally stopped objecting:

"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's also more expensive than a leather whip," Gavin reminded.

Indeed.

Previously on 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 we continue to use the work point system to build such a huge water conservancy project in the storm this time, we can imagine how terrible the number of work points the Caesar family will pay will be.

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

"This is the price that must be paid." Samwell wasn't 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 moderate 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, he has no mental burden as a businessman in his previous life.

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 through the northern part of the Stormlands, you may need to negotiate with the lords..."

"I'll let them agree." Samwell said.

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

Samwell took a quick glance and said to Gavin:

"The Martell family has sent the Stormland army to the Bone Road. I'm going to preside over the prisoner exchange. First, help me find some bachelors and craftsmen who know water conservancy."

"Yes, Your Majesty."