Chapter 61: Act 2: Chapter 8

Fourteenth day, Tenth Moon, 252 AC (+7 days)

My tea was nice and hot, on this brisk, early morning. Hot drinks had always been a great pick-me-up in the mornings, and though, regretfully, I didn't have any coffee, this pine tea was still delicious and did the trick.

Today was an administrative focused day, where I would spend most of it dealing with payroll. We paid the long-term works on a weekly basis in order to simplify the work, since I didn't have the guards to transport money each day to the varying locations. We had a few random day labourers, mostly villagers looking for extra coin, that would occasionally work, and they would receive daily pay, which made it easier on my logistics. Unfortunately, it meant more work for me, as I had to compile the time reports from each of my supervisors about who worked to ensure that everyone received the correct pay.

I also received word yesterday from Master Glover, saying that he had his first group of 100 new settlers on the way to me. It was exciting to have such a large group coming, and like everything these days, meant work. I had Tylan going back to check that the boundary markers for these farms were in place, and things would be ready for these people to begin farming as soon as possible.

Across the office building, the door opened letting in Koryn. Perfect timing.

I waved him down, and he made his way over to me.

"Good morning, Koryn. How are you?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Not too bad. Yourself?"

"Just making sure everyone's pay is ready for later today."

Koryn laughed. "Important that is."

"Important," I conceded, "But dull. Actually, I have something a bit more interesting for you." At his raised eyebrow, I continued. "I received a letter from Master Glover yesterday, stating that the first group of 100 new farmers is on their way here. They will probably be here in a week or so. Are you able to help them get settled and see what their level of knowledge is? Master Glover promised either farmers or people who have never farmed but would be willing to do so."

"Ah, I wondered when we would see that bear fruit. So, just a greeting and then some questions and the like for each family?"

"To start, yes. For those that have no knowledge, a more intensive training program is probably necessary. Something to help get them up and running."

Koryn scratched his chin in thought. "Hmm, I could manage that. It would have to be staggered a bit, depending on how many need to be taught from scratch. Something t' help them get started, then maybe another lesson a month later t' let the lessons sink in? I'll think on that a bit more."

"I was also want to make sure that every new farmer has at least one experienced neighbor. Someone that they can rely on for quick advice."

"Their houses or their farms?" asked Koryn. "I know you were thinking of having people switch to more village-oriented farming, instead of the homestead."

"Ah, for these people we will stick to the homesteading model since they will be settled right beside Redbridge and our farms. It doesn't make sense to switch it now, but for those who settle further away we can use the village model."

"Aye, that makes sense. 'Was just confused."

"No worries. How goes the teaching program?"

"Good, really good. I got a method down now, so it flows as nicely as I think possible. First, I get them to take me on a tour around their farm and see what they are actually doing. It's been shocking to see how many different ways people do the same thing! From there, I usually give an overview of the main points: crop rotation, equipment, livestock management, and fertilizer. With the crop rotation, I lay out what it is, how to do it, and the benefits. With the equipment, I talk about what it does and how it will help them, though I have to tell them that there will be a wait on getting them the equipment for a while yet."

"Ah," I interrupted, "I have news on that. So far, we have fifteen threshing machines built, fifteen reaping, and forty plows. I've also decided to go with a smaller cooperative model to help distribute the equipment."

"That's good news! I don't think I'll have time to oversee that though," he replied.

"Hmm, who could handle it then?"

"Zane's son, Jeran? He's 19 now, and I know he's been looking for something to do. He was too old to be trained as a warrior alongside the younger boys, and he hasn't liked the training he did get. He's not a martial man. Maybe this might get him going?"

"Aye, that'll work. So, back to the program. What happens after the equipment talk?"

"I go over how to manage best their livestock, which is dependent on what they have so far. Most have chickens, sheep, maybe some goats and pigs, and a few have cattle. Almost no one has any horses, and a few have other types of animals, such as rabbits. I then go over how to integrate the animals together to get them the best feed possible. So, things like having the cows and sheep graze together, in small sections intensively, rather than in wide open pastures. I've gotten a lot of resistance to that, mainly in how to fence all that in, but for the most part that's been well received."

"Oh, and what did you say about the fencing?"

"Mostly that we would be getting more sawmills set up to help with getting planks and posts for them. It'd make it a lot easier than trying to convince these people to make so much fencing by hand."

I snorted, remembering how much work it took me to make my fencing. "Maybe we can come up with a more portable system? Like, just have the posts in the ground, but be able to move the fence boards around?"

Koryn scratched his chin. "By rope, maybe? But I don't know if that would be strong enough to hold anything back?"

I shrugged. "Maybe some kind of notch system that would hold the boards? I mean, if something like a cow is determined to get out, it's gonna get out somehow, somewhere." I made a note on the blackboard in my office and said, "I'll add it to the to-do list and see if I can't come up with something."

"You could see if Jeran will do it."

I nodded. "Good idea. Now, what do you talk about after the fencing?"

"I usually talk about the chickens, and how to expand their flocks. Using your mobile broiler idea, I show them the basic format for a mobile chicken pen that will then follow behind the cattle and sheep grazing. I tell them how they will eat the bugs and flys that appear in the animal dung, and how that means they have to feed the chickens less. A lot of the talks I have is telling people how to do something, and why it's better to do it. Finally, I talk about fertilizer and health. I teach 'em stuff like how to make bone meal and blood meal, and how to recognize a crop needs fertilizer. I also tell 'em about things to improve the health of their livestock, with things like feeding ground up oyster shells to their chickens. After I'm done that, Alessa will talk to them about being clean and a few other things for the wives, like soap."

"Good, good. It sounds like you have it down. There hasn't been any trouble?"

"Nah, they recognize your banner from the tax collectors. Of course, there have been people resistant to changing their ways, but most get over it. I tell them that they don't have to do the new farming methods, but they ought to listen to my wife, for the sake of their families."

"Excellent! And progress-wise? How many people have you reached?"

"Well, it's been a bit over a year now, and I've got most of the people to the north of Redbridge, and everyone that's within three days south of it. I think I might have missed a few trapping families or more mobile fishing families, but not enough to continue going around the area. I plan to move along the coast to the south of us now."

"Wonderful! Were there any prime villages you noticed that would be good for future expansion?"

"There was a few, and I know that you wanted a certain amount of spacing in between each village, but honestly? They are already really far apart. Not something t' worry about."

I sighed. "I figured, but I wanted to try and get everything perfect from the start."

Koryn chuckled. "Not gonna happen. There were maybe six 'prime' villages, that had good water access, good farmland, and were in a good position for travel. They were all fairly near to the coast, but there was one that was pretty inland, but had a nice enough river that could transport goods."

"Ah, well. Any other issues?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Most people weren't believing of the benefits of the more complicated equipment, but easily saw the benefit in the plow. Again, most were concerned about winter feed for the expanded herds and weren't convinced by the equipment. I would say that it will still be another summer or two before people actually start to keep larger herds, at least through the winter."

"I figured. The sooner we get the equipment rolled out, the sooner they can be convinced. Were there any easy fixes that some people had?"

Koryn shrugged. "Sort of? A few people reallycouldn't make hay. Some never did any pollarding. Others had weird ways of doing things that were just dumb. Nothing major."

"Not too bad then. Now we must wait, I suppose. Time. It all comes down to time."

"True. Before I forget, Zane said he was making some good work on a new breed of livestock guardian dog."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Aye, he's cross-bred and selectively-bred the dogs for a long time now-"

"16 years, or thereabouts," I said, interrupting him.

Koryn let out a whistle. "Wow, it's been a while. Anyways, it's not exactly where he wants it, but I think it's pretty damn good. I think he wants t' work on getting the coat better, and I think he's a bit concerned about the personalities of the dogs. I think he was hoping for something a bit friendlier towards their owners."

"Still! That's quite the accomplishment in just 16 years! I thought it would take a lot longer!"

"Aye, it's been a big help lately to be able to get dogs from farther away to breed into the lines. I don't really know how long it'll take to get a friendlier dog, not really my area."

I shrugged. "No clue. Still, it's good progress."

"Aye, that it is. Well, I better be off. Bunch of things I need to do 'round the farm before we take off again for the training program."

"Well, have a good trip, and thanks for all the help," I said, as we stood and clasped hands.

I watched as he walked away and settled back into my seat. All told, there was a lot of good progress. It wasn't that we didn't have any livestock guardians, but they could always be better. Just in time too, hopefully, I could convince Zane to start to sell them to the new farmers. Maybe frame it as creating new breeding lines or something?

I crossed out 'meeting with Koryn' from the day's to-do list and noted that it was still depressingly long. Still, it had been good to work on farming matters, rather than other administrative ones.

No matter what, farming had always been the job that I could put my whole heart into.

A/N: I know this chapter was a bit heavy on certain technical farming terms, though I did my best to simplify it. Also, the guardian dog will end up being a Tibetan Mastiff. Originally, I wanted to do a Komondor, since I like the breed, but realized it was pretty impractical from a believability standpoint. Since the Tibetan Mastiff was the forefather of many modern mastiff breeds, I figure Zane is just going to end up rediscovering the original breed, which in my headcanon has been mostly bred out.