Chapter 33: A bountiful harvest

For the nobles of the continent, there was no greater event than the spring ploughing and the autumn harvest, so every year, at the time of sowing and harvest, the nobles would come to the fields to show their importance.

Today, Christine also brought a group of officials to a field. First, the priest of the goddess of agriculture held a simple autumn harvest ceremony, praising the goddess whether they were believers or not. Then, in keeping with tradition, Christine swung her scythe and cut down a stalk of wheat, signalling the start of the autumn harvest in the area.

A week later, at Stewart Castle, the parlour.

Dimitri, the agricultural officer, reports: My lord, before I report, allow me to praise your wisdom. Thanks to your purchase of a large number of oxen and horses, the cultivated area has doubled.

Christian readily accepts the agricultural officer's praise, for it is the truth.

Dimitri continues: My Lord, according to the statistics, this year there will undoubtedly be a bumper harvest, and the yield per mu of land will exceed last year's.

In the absence of natural disasters, the factors that determine the yield are the fertility of the land and sufficient irrigation. Therefore, most villages in noble territories are located near water sources such as rivers and lakes, and the most fertile land must belong to the lord. Baron Stuart's territory is crossed by the largest river in Brittany, giving him a natural advantage. A bumper harvest is therefore inevitable.

Dimitri, you have done a good job.

At Christine's signal, Elena handed Dmitri a tray of fifty gold coins as a reward. Not putting the coins in a bag meant that everyone else could see the baron's generosity.

Thank you for your generosity, my lord! Dmitri said happily as he took the gold coins.

Christine looked around at the others and said, 'The same goes for everyone else. I will not be stingy with rewards as long as you work hard, but I will not tolerate mistakes.

The officials replied that they would not dare let up. After all, although the lord was young, he had been to war, fought pirates and seen bloodshed. No one doubted that Christian could keep his word.

Next came the feast to celebrate the harvest. First prayers were offered to the gods, led by the priest, then a sumptuous banquet was held, and bards and clowns were invited to perform. The villages also celebrated as usual, led by the village chief and the priest.

Everyone was happy. For the people of the Baron of Stewart's low-tax domain, a good harvest meant there would be plenty of food at home. For the people of the other noble estates, a good harvest was even more important, as it meant they would have enough to eat.

A few days later, the amount of grain harvested was counted.

Stewart Castle, the drawing room.

Several officers of the estate are waiting for the Baron's orders.

Harland.

At your service, Baron. Harland, head of the tulip merchants, said as he bowed.

'I will not be selling any grain from this year's harvest. The shortfall in the port and the city will be made up by purchases.'

As you wish.

Despite the good harvest, the peasants under the rule of the nobility could only feed themselves. The income from the sale of some surplus grain or other crops was just enough to buy the essentials.

So where did the city dwellers, the craftsmen, merchants and professionals in the villages and towns, and other people who did not work on the land, get their food? It was, of course, the grain collected by the various nobles, which was then sold through their own chambers of commerce or to merchants.

Other foodstuffs such as salt, vegetables, fruit, various types of alcohol, meat, etc., as well as materials for clothing such as linen, silk and fur, and building materials such as iron ore and timber, all came from the noble domains. In short, apart from the Church, most of the land on the continent was owned by various nobles, so all the produce on the land belonged to the nobles.

This is why everyone on the continent was obsessed with land and would do anything to become a noble and get a fief, because once you had land, it meant your family had an eternal foundation.

This is also one of the criteria for becoming an Earl. Although this does not mean that everyone in town does not farm, nobles without enough land cannot support that many people.

As for buying from other nobles, they are at the mercy of others.

An ordinary baron only has a few dozen regular soldiers, the rest are militia. Why does Christine dare to have a large number of regular soldiers? Because her current territory is the equivalent of two barons, and she has coastal fishing to supplement her food consumption. She has also purchased a large number of cattle this year in order to reclaim more land.

But a good harvest this year does not mean that it will be the same every year, so she needs to increase the territory's food reserves, otherwise what will the thousands of soldiers and servants eat in the event of a disaster? Baron Stewart's territory has many profitable industries, especially since port taxes have risen sharply this year, which is not bad compared to the income from food sales.

Christine added, 'Victor.

'My lord, please command. Butler Victor stepped forward and bowed.

'In addition to the castle, special warehouses should be built in every town and village to store the grain.

'Yes, my lord.

'I would like to appoint an official to manage the grain storehouses. You recommend someone reliable.

'Yes, my lord.

'Elena.'

'Yes, my lord, please.'

You will be the housekeeper in charge of internal affairs.

'Yes, my lord.

Victor was the steward of the whole barony. Under him were the stewards who were in charge of the noble household, the kitchen, the management of wine and cutlery, the management of valuables and financial expenditure, and so on. There were also matrons, butlers, head guards and coachmen at each level.

Baron and Baroness Stewart died unexpectedly in a shipwreck, and the household steward, head of security and other staff accompanying them also met with misfortune.

Today, Christine's appointment of Elena as the new Household Steward is also intended to allow her to take over Victor's position in the future. It is common for noble families to have a female housekeeper, and for Victor it makes no difference whether his successor is a son or a daughter, as long as the Baron is happy.

Uncle Liam.

'At your service, my Lord Baron,' replied Knight Liam Stewart.

'How many soldiers do I have?

'At present you have 50 cavalry, 500 infantry, 100 sailors and 13 brigantines.

'In the future, my army will be divided into squads of ten, with an additional squad leader. Five squads will form a squadron, with five squadron leaders: one senior and four junior.'

'Yes, my lord.

There were only so many soldiers in the area, and Christine could do with them as she pleased.

Equip my soldiers to the standards of the Kingdom's Royal Guard. I want to see results by the end of the year.

'Yes, my lord.

Since the number of soldiers could not be increased for the time being, only their weapons and equipment could be improved.