FL - Chapter 95: Preparing on Multiple Fronts

The grain procurement through the Calvin Trading Company was going smoothly. In a matter of days, convoys of wagons would roll in from the south, delivering heavy sacks of grain into Crimson Tide Territory.

But Louis knew that buying grain alone was nowhere near enough.

It was only a stopgap.

The Northlands winter showed no mercy. Early snow, blocked roads, or an enemy raid could sever outside support. Louis refused to stake every life on so uncertain a supply line.

"We have to plan ahead. Prepare on multiple fronts."

A few days later, he launched two emergency projects to increase Crimson Tide Territory's own food supply.

The first was to use the geothermal hot-spring zones to build a system of small hot-spring greenhouses.

Crimson Tide Territory possessed several rare hot-spring sites where steam rose year-round, winter snow melted on contact, and the soil remained above freezing. Others saw peculiar pools of warm water. Louis saw the territory's most valuable agricultural resource.

He stood before a map covered in dense annotations. He drew a few more circles on it and placed the small greenhouses right beside these hot springs. After working out the detailed designs, he handed the project over to his agricultural officer, Mick.

"Mobilize workers. Use local materials. Build a few to start with."

Mick's eyes went wide. He had no idea why Louis wanted to do this, or whether it would even work. But he didn't voice the slightest objection. He simply nodded heavily. Mick followed Louis's orders with absolute obedience.

Louis's greenhouses used arched timber frames covered with animal hides and heavy burlap, their seams packed with earth. Pipes channeled hot-spring water through the interior, circulating enough heat to keep crops growing without a furnace.

So even when blizzards raged outside, it would stay as warm as spring within.

What to plant was just as critical, of course.

"We're not aiming for high yields. We're aiming for fast." Louis's directive was crystal clear.

After careful selection from the seed stores, three crops were chosen for the first round of planting.

First came quick-leaf greens, ready for harvest in only twenty days. They tasted bland but grew rapidly and filled empty stomachs.

Second, winter radish. A slightly longer growing period, but its advantages were high yield and long storage life. Good for soup, pickling, and porridge alike. Decent nutritional value.

Third came Dragonroot Herb, both food and medicine. Its thick tuber could be used alone as a remedy or boiled with mixed grains into warming medicinal gruel, especially valuable for children and the elderly.

So Louis gave the word, and the craftsmen got to work beside the hot springs, hammering and sawing by the drawings he'd provided.

A few days later, the first batch of hot-spring greenhouses was complete. The low, squat shelters stood quietly in the rising steam, nestled in the geothermal zone beside the springs. Sturdy timber frames. Animal hide and burlap roofing, keeping out the early autumn chill. Hot-spring water flowed gently through the channeling troughs, carrying the earth's deep warmth into each shelter.

Louis lifted the covering flap and leaned in for a look.

Row after row of quick-leaf sprouts had already pushed tender shoots out of the soil. Damp, vivid green. A surge of vigorous life bursting from the gray-brown earth.

Mick, spotting Louis's inspection visit, came jogging over at once. Joy was written all over his face.

"My lord! They sprouted! They really sprouted! Your method worked!"

He was trembling with excitement, like a child seeing his seeds germinate for the first time.

Louis nodded. "We can keep building."

He spoke with perfect calm; the result matched his expectations.

"Yes!" Mick nodded furiously. "I'll assign crews right away! Every greenhouse we can build, we'll plant!"

Weir, who had come along, had never understood much about farming. But the sight of green sprouts pushing through the soil caught even him off guard.

"You can actually grow things right now? The ground's already gone cold. It hasn't even snowed yet."

"The hot-spring water runs underneath." Louis glanced at him. "Cover the ground, trap the heat, keep the earth warm, and you can grow food."

*You can do it like that?*

Weir opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He just fixed his lord with a burning gaze. *The great sun warms the earth and makes planting possible.*

Louis caught the look and laughed softly. "Come on. Let's go take a look at the fishing."

From the greenhouses to the docks, the air was crisp but the wind was light. Mist clung to the ground, and the air carried a faint tang of mud and fish. It was early autumn, and the rivers had yet to freeze—the final window of the fish migration season.

Crimson Tide Territory's fishing industry was already well-developed by now. Rows of wooden posts lined the docks. Several newly built large vessels were moored at the edge, their sails still creased with the fresh folds of new canvas.

More than a dozen fishing boats worked in a coordinated ring. Seine nets descended beneath the surface while oars drove fish inward and the crews hauled the circle tight. Thick ropes groaned through the water, closing like the jaws of a great beast.

And then—water exploded!

Shoals of silver-white fish were flung high into the air, flashing bright under the sun.

"They're up!!"

"Haul the nets! Haul them in!!"

The fishermen roared in unison. The rhythm aboard the boats snapped into frantic precision. The surface boiled, dotted with silver. The net came up so heavy it tilted the boat to one side.

Louis found himself transfixed by the sight of the harvest.

Just then, a familiar voice called out from the direction of the dock. "My lord! You came! And you didn't even send word!"

Luke came running over, his face split wide with a grin, pride and eagerness written all over him. "That first net alone has to be at least two thousand fish!" He gestured wildly with both hands to show their size, his eyes blazing. "This migration run—we're looking at a bumper harvest!"

Louis regarded his enormous grin and nodded. "Good work, Luke."

"It's all thanks to your planning, my lord!" Luke straightened proudly. "Without your order to switch to finer mesh, we could never have caught this much. Now we won't have to worry about food all winter."

"Save the flattery. Let's talk business."

Luke grinned sheepishly and snapped to attention. "Yes, yes! Whatever orders the lord has, I'll carry them out a hundred percent!"

"Mm." Louis gazed out at the stretch of river that had yet to freeze. "Today, I want you to take some men and try to establish a batch of simple winter fishing farms."