Free Web NovelLouis turned and departed, bidding farewell to the many excited and grateful faces.
The unconscious mage was personally handed over to the medical personnel of Han Shan Territory.
“Take good care of him. As soon as he wakes up, notify me immediately.”
The medical personnel initially thought it was just a common injured person, but when they pulled back the blanket on the makeshift stretcher, they all gasped.
“Is this... this person still alive?”
“His chest—was it gnawed by something?”
“And he can still breathe... It’s too incredible—”
Though their faces were filled with shock, they weren’t novices. They quickly reacted, nodding repeatedly, “Understood! We’ll take care of it right away!”
The stretcher was carefully pushed into the medical house in the town, where, amidst the strong scent of herbs, a life-and-death emergency rescue was about to begin.
Louis did not linger. He stepped into the Political Affairs Hall of Han Shan Territory.
Though called the “Political Affairs Hall,” its appearance was far from what most people imagined.
In reality, it was just a large, converted semi-underground dwelling.
The building was located in the town center, constructed from local timber and stone, simple in structure yet exceptionally sturdy. The mottled marks on its corners clearly recorded the erosion of the northern blizzards.
Pushing open the door, a warm blast from the furnace greeted him, completely dispelling the cold from outside.
The interior layout, though not luxurious, was extremely neat.
Wooden bookshelves held several notebooks and territorial documents, and several practical writing desks were arranged. The one in the very center had been polished bright, clearly prepared specifically for the Lord.
The Town Head, Agricultural Official, Civil Affairs Officer, Security Knight, Medical Affairs Officer, and others were already waiting, rising to salute him.
Most of these officials were experienced, reliable, and loyal individuals Duke Calvin had transferred from the Calvin Family.
A few others were “potential candidates” prioritized by the Daily Intelligence System: young, enthusiastic, and, more importantly, absolutely trustworthy.
Louis removed his cloak and gloves, surveying everyone with a gentle tone, “I’d like to hear about the current situation in Han Shan Territory.”
The Town Head immediately replied, “My Lord, thanks to your policies and support, we have successfully weathered the winter and are now preparing for spring.”
The Agricultural Official continued to report, “The ice has just receded, and the shallow soil has loosened. We expect to complete plowing within ten days. Seeds and farming tools have been uniformly distributed by Red Tide Territory, and sowing can begin.”
“This year, we also opened up more than ten mu of new fields,” the Town Head said with a smile, “The displaced people did it voluntarily. They said that since they survived, they wanted to plant something to repay you.”
Louis nodded, indicating his satisfaction.
Han Shan Territory had no geothermal heat, and conditions were harsh, so this sowing time was about right.
Louis sat in the main seat, and after hearing the agricultural report, he softly inquired, “How is the population after winter? What is the recent resettlement situation?”
A Civil Affairs Officer immediately stood up and replied, “Reporting to you, My Lord, the spring population count has been completed. The mortality rate for displaced people who overwintered was less than one-tenth, and recently, there has been a continuous influx of external population into Han Shan Territory.”
He unfolded the record board in his hand, speaking a little faster, as if suppressing some excitement: “Currently, two displaced people communities have been expanded outside Han Shan Town, and housing and water are basically guaranteed.
Most displaced people are willing to work or learn a craft, and arrangements are being made. The permanent population of Han Shan Territory is now approaching one thousand.”
Louis nodded, a satisfied expression on his face: “If more displaced people come, try to accommodate them. As for food, Red Tide Territory can still allocate resources, so try to keep people here.”
“Next, how is the security situation?”
A tall Security Knight stepped forward two paces and knelt: “Reporting to you, My Lord, order within Han Shan Territory is generally good. In late winter, two small groups of bandits were found in the forest outside the town; they caused no casualties and have been driven away.
Additionally, some bankrupt former noble soldiers from nearby have come to pledge allegiance. We are gradually accepting and reorganizing them as planned, and so far, no problems have arisen.”
“Very good. If they are willing to abide by the rules, they can be taken in.”
Louis then asked about several other matters: medicinal herb reserves, ironware maintenance, and mountain road clearing progress.
The Political Affairs Officers answered one by one without hesitation, clearly well-prepared.
“The Fireback Turtle’s thermal device is operating stably,” the Agricultural Official added again, “The survival rate of livestock in the breeding area is remarkably high.”
“As for the workshops,” another young Affairs Officer looked up and smiled, “Over sixty children have already enrolled, and this spring, enrollment will be doubled. The main subjects taught are general knowledge and handicrafts. Literacy is also taught, but the results are mediocre.”
After listening to everyone’s reports, Louis did not speak immediately, but he had already silently nodded in his heart.
These people indeed did not disappoint him.
The policies were his, but their actual implementation relied on these people carrying them out little by little.
This place faced various difficulties: no geothermal heat, no surplus food, no convenient transportation lines...
Yet Han Shan Territory endured, its population stabilized, fields were planted, and even the displaced people were arranged in an orderly manner. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
So Louis turned, his tone calm yet affirming: “You have done very well.”
The officials in the hall paused, then all rose and saluted.
Louis continued, “Winter has passed; this is spring, and a new beginning. You have maintained order in Han Shan during the most difficult times, and you have preserved the hopes of these common people. I have noted it.”
Upon hearing this, the Town Head was momentarily emotional and couldn’t help but say, “My Lord, this is all your credit. It is because of your advance policies and supplies that we were able to persevere.
To be honest, without you, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything just by relying on our passion.”
The Civil Affairs Officer also nodded in agreement, “We merely followed the framework you set. Any results we achieved are all due to your foresight.”
Though sincere, the words still carried a hint of flattery.
Upon hearing this, Louis slightly curved his lips: “There’s no need to exaggerate; it’s not that miraculous.
But I know that Han Shan was able to endure because you all carried the burden. No matter how much is said, it’s better to be practical.”
He reached out and patted a box by the table, nodding gently.
A retainer, already prepared, took out small cloth bags and handed them to each official.
The bags were not large, but they were heavy.
“Inside are ten gold coins,” Louis said in a normal tone, “They are what you deserve. Not a reward, but what you deserve.”
The officials were all stunned for a moment.
Ten gold coins.
Many of them had never even touched that much gold in their entire lives, let alone received it directly in their hands all at once.
The Town Head’s mouth slightly opened, and finally, he could only say with a trembling voice, “This... this is too valuable—”
After a brief silence, a complex emotion quietly spread through the Political Affairs Hall.
They looked at the heavy bags of gold coins in their hands; some had reddened eyes, others tightly clutched the bag’s opening.
It wasn’t just a bag of gold; it was a token of respect and trust that someone had genuinely recognized.
“Thank you, My Lord,” the Town Head was the first to bow his head, his voice hoarse but revealing an undeniable excitement, “We... we will definitely continue to work hard to build Han Shan Territory even better!”
“When my child was just born, our family didn’t even have food to eat,” the young Agricultural Affairs Officer said, gripping the bag of gold coins with trembling hands, his eyes already red, “Now he can learn to read in the workshop, has food to eat and a place to sleep, all thanks to you—”
Facing the grateful gazes of the crowd, Louis merely smiled faintly.
He did not put on a condescending air, but simply accepted their thanks openly.
“I have said that if you work for me, your efforts will be rewarded. You have achieved results, so you should receive what belongs to you.” His tone carried a sense of natural promise.
“I manage the territory, but the territory’s destiny is carried by your hands. I trust you, and I hope you continue to persevere.”
After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall quieted down a few degrees.
“However,” Louis suddenly rotated his shoulders, joking, “I’m not made of iron. I haven’t rested since morning, and I’m a bit tired. Take me to where I’m staying; I’d like to rest for a while.”
“Yes!” everyone responded in unison.
The Town Head personally led the way, with the officials following behind, slowly proceeding along the morning streets of Han Shan Town.
Han Shan Town’s streets remained simple, with low, practical houses. Piles of recently melted snow lined the flagstone paths, but every inch of the ground had been carefully swept, and even standing water had been directed into the drainage ditches.
Wherever they went, people stopped their work.
There were old men sweeping snow, young people repairing roofs, women returning from the well with wooden buckets, and children gnawing on dry bread by the window sills.
They looked up, gazing at the figure slowly walking in the center of the street, surrounded by officials.
They wanted to cheer, but were afraid of disturbing the great Lord, yet that fervent emotion could still be felt by Louis.
Finally, the group arrived before a courtyard gate.
“This is the best dwelling in Han Shan Town currently,” the Town Head introduced, his expression slightly nervous, pointing to the newly built semi-underground house ahead.
Though called “the best,” it was only relatively so.
This was a new-style residence embedded in the hillside, with solid brick and stone, heavy doors and windows, and a roof covered with thatch and stone slabs to prevent cold from seeping in.
Despite still having some roughness and simplicity, it was clearly a product of careful thought.
The courtyard in front of the door had already been paved with flagstones, and a ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) cluster of early spring mountain flowers was even placed in the corner of the wall, their bright colors somewhat clumsily decorating this sturdy space.
“This is the best house in Han Shan Town right now,” the Town Head repeated in a low voice.
He seemed worried that this modest dwelling might not be fitting for the new County Governor returning from the battlefield.
“Very good,” Louis’s tone was not loud, but it made the Town Head sigh in relief.
Then he said, “You may go. I wish to be alone for a while.”
The others dared not ask further and withdrew, leaving only the attendant to put down his luggage and light the furnace, then quietly exiting and closing the door.
The moment the door closed, the sounds of clamor and salutes finally faded into silence.
The furnace crackled, and from a distance outside, came the sound of an axe chopping wood and a rooster crowing.
Louis took off his cloak, placed his sword by the wall, and sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching the flickering firelight for a moment.
He was alone, of course, not just to rest.
The main purpose of his visit to Han Shan was to save someone.
But how could he just save Leixier and then leave?
“Now, deal with everything that needs to be done,” he murmured to himself.
Louis pulled out a small notebook from his embrace.
It was a notebook that had been read repeatedly; its pages were curled at the edges, and its cover was worn white. freёweɓnovel.com
Yet, even so, Louis’s movements when opening it were still careful and solemn.
The cover was densely covered with rows of twisted, peculiar characters.
To the people of this world, they were merely an ancient, lost secret script.
But only he knew that they were actually intentionally written by him in Chinese.
A writing system that only he could read in this world.
“After all, if this thing were to fall out one day and accidentally be picked up by someone—” A bitter smile appeared on Louis’s lips, “I don’t want anyone to guess that I can foresee the future.”
This notebook contained not just scattered thoughts, but dense information.
All of it was intelligence provided by the Daily Intelligence System.
Louis did not believe his memory could remain perfectly flawless for ten years straight.
That’s precisely why he meticulously recorded every piece of intelligence here, classifying it properly.
His fingertips flipped through the pages, stopping on one where the title prominently read: “Han Shan Territory Resource Summary.”
“As expected, there’s still quite a bit that can be used,” he murmured softly.
“Cold Gravel Stone—produced from the North Ridge mine,” he read softly, his fingertip resting on the line of text, “Though it’s only low-grade stone, it’s sturdy and impact-resistant, barely adequate for building roads, ramparts, or even city walls—Red Vein Fir is also available, not prone to warping or cracking, cold-resistant and tough.”
He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile on his lips: “If these two are used together properly, they’ll be perfect for building my Hakka-style castle—not only resistant to blizzards but also helpful for defending against external enemies.”
He then shifted his gaze downwards, where some food categories were listed.
Coldberry bushes, mountain plums, frozen-scaled fish...
These names held no romantic poetry in his eyes, only naked value.
“Hmm—although it’s a remote area, these food specialties are much better than Red Tide Territory’s early ones,” Louis murmured softly, tapping his fingertip on the table.
Coldberries were rich in energy, though sour, they stored extremely well, and were excellent for making jams and fruit wines.
Mountain plums were good for drying easily, excellent as dried provisions or snacks.
And frozen-scaled fish were a specialty of severe cold river sections; their flesh was firm, naturally having a hint of icy resilience, making them excellent nutritional supplements.
“These can be consumed by my own people, or cultivated on a large scale for sale.”
His mind was already rapidly calculating the scenario: coldberries and mountain plums, after centralized collection, would be handed over to a fruit processing workshop, uniformly boiled, pickled, and dried, then packaged and sold.
For frozen-scaled fish, simple smokehouses and cold storage rooms could be built, and long-term preservation would not be an issue.
If supplemented with smoking techniques from Red Tide Territory, the commercialization of these items would almost be a natural progression.
“Centralized acquisition, processing, storage in warehouses—”
“As long as there’s a system, I can directly enter the market through the Calvin Merchant Guild in my hands.” His eyes lit up, “This isn’t just simple food anymore; it’s Han Shan Territory’s own industry chain.”
