Free Web NovelThe carriage on the return journey rolled unhurriedly over the icy mud, its axles creaking between the snow and frozen earth.
Outside the window lay a desolate Northern Frontier, a mix of grey and white, with lingering patches of snow.
The temperature inside the carriage wasn't high, but the dim yellow light of the oil lamp made it feel exceptionally secure.
Louis sat at the table, a hand-drawn map with rough terrain spread before him, slowly outlining lines with his pen.
Emily was nestled across from him, wrapped in a fur cloak, holding a freshly brewed cup of hot tea in her hands.
The tea's faint bitter wheat scent brought a hint of warmth amidst the chill.
She glanced at Louis, then chuckled softly, “Are you planning to map out the entire Northern Frontier in one go, without a break?”
Louis didn't look up, merely stating, “Have you ever seen someone sow seeds without first plowing the land?”
Emily leaned closer, tilting her head to examine the map under his pen. “So you're plowing the land now?”
“I'm laying the groundwork.”
His brow furrowed slightly as his pen glided back and forth across the map, occasionally pausing to circle a spot, then frowning and erasing it to redraw.
The firelight reflected a faint glow in his eyes, as if the unseen blueprint in his mind was slowly taking shape.
Emily was momentarily lost in thought, then after a while, she softly chuckled, “Lord, introduce it to me then.”
Louis still didn't look up, only raising an eyebrow. “What?”
“You've been drawing on this map for ages; I've almost memorized the patterns. Why don't you teach me? I'd like to learn too.”
Louis finally stopped writing and looked at her, his gaze gentle. “You really want to hear me talk about terrain divisions and village models?
Be careful, you might dream of allocating granaries after listening.”
Emily blinked. “Anyway, the road is still long. Why don't you let me pretend to be a strategist and help you consult?”
Louis nodded, rotating the map towards her, pressing down a corner with his elbow, and holding the pen in his other hand, gently tapping the large brown area on the map.
“This area is our existing territory,” he said in a low voice.
“If we just leave it alone, 800,000 square kilometers, with only one person living per eight square kilometers on average. It's too scattered, too empty; it's practically ungoverned.”
Emily leaned in to look; the vast map was dotted with sparse points, like dust scattered by the wind, completely lacking any system.
“But what if everyone is squeezed into the Red Tide Territory's hilly area?” He paused, tapping a small red blotch on the map with his pen. “Then it's too crowded. Resources, food, job opportunities simply can't keep up.
“So you want to divide the territory?”
Louis nodded. “Not just the territory; I plan to divide the entire land into four distinct functional zones.”
As he spoke, he swiftly sketched on the map.
“First is the Red Tide Territory.” His pen steadily circled a more concentrated area, and the familiar topographical outline sprang to life on the paper. “This is our starting point and will be our future core.
I plan to rebuild it into Red Tide City. The goal is to make it the Northern Frontier's new hub city, just like Frost Halberd City, a nexus for strategy, civilian life, and governance.”
Emily's tone held a hint of teasing. “Are you planning to contend with my father?”
The pen in Louis's hand paused, then he chuckled, his voice low and gentle. “How dare I think that.”
He looked up at her, a hint of warmth in his eyes. “It's not about being equal with your father—it's about ensuring the Northern Frontier doesn't have only one option.”
Emily watched him drawing intently, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Then draw it beautifully.”
Louis then pushed the map towards Emily, lightly tapping the few circled areas on it with his pen.
“Besides the Red Tide Territory, those lands are newly allocated to us. They're too vast to swallow in one go.”
He paused, then looked up and smiled. “So, I plan to develop them in three layers.”
“That sounds quite professional,” Emily chuckled, holding her tea.
“Of course,” Louis said, suppressing a smile, his tone still serious. “The first layer is called the Core Development Zone. It's the most resource-rich part of the entire area: it has rivers, good soil, and several mineral deposits.
In this part, I will concentrate the first batch of settlers, build strongholds and villages, set up relay stations, and build roads. All initial investments will be focused here.”
He drew a clear, dark boundary on the map.
“This area is like a seed. If this part thrives, the entire Southeast Northern Frontier will follow.”
Emily nodded, becoming serious. “What about the second layer?”
“Resource Reserve Area.” He circled another layer outwards. “Although there are also mines and arable land here, the terrain is poor and transportation is inconvenient.
We can't invest too much at once. But we can first send a few hundred people to garrison, slowly open up roads, and prepare for the next stage.”
“Sounds like digging irrigation canals before planting crops.”
“That's the idea.”
He then drew a third layer, his hand pausing slightly, and his tone softened. “Finally, there's the Untouched Outer Zone. There might be mines, forests, and water veins here.
But the terrain is complex, and there are also magical beasts—our current manpower and resources simply cannot support a full-scale deployment.”
“So, leave it empty for now?” Emily asked.
“Yes, leave it empty for now.” Louis put down his pen, tapping the map gently twice with his fingertips. “The first layer is to sustain people,
the second layer is for reserves, and the third layer—we'll wait for the right time.”
He then paused, and slowly drew three rings on the map. “These are our ‘Core Development Zones’.”
Emily leaned in, listening as he recounted them one by one, almost like telling a story.
“The first area is the River Valley Basin.”
His pen traced the meandering great river on the map. “One main river, two tributaries. Once the river channels are clear, the waterway can connect to the Red Tide Territory. The land can be farmed, the river can be fished, and there are also salt crystal mines and spirit soil layers, where some magic energy facilities can be tested.”
“How many people do you plan to settle in this area?” Emily asked. freёwebnovel.com
“Fifty thousand,” he answered simply. “Three towns, including the main town, plus twenty to thirty villages. We'll prioritize grain, supplement with fish, mine along the river, and set up workshops along the fields.”
Emily raised an eyebrow. “Are you planning to grow all the food for the entire Southeast Northern Frontier yourself?”
“Not planning, but must.”
She chuckled softly. “Alright, what about the next one?”
“Southern Foothills Forest Belt.” He circled another area. “The forest is temperate coniferous, suitable for cattle and horses, and logging. Deeper in, there might be precious minerals like glow crystals and veinless stones.”
He tapped the edge. “These two towns will serve as centers for carpentry and forging, implementing a military-agricultural system. Blacksmith villages, combat readiness workshops, and livestock farms can all gradually develop.”
“Population?”
“Thirty thousand people, one town with five to ten villages. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) They must be able to endure hardship and produce.”
Emily nodded, then looked at the third circle. “What about this northern mining area?”
“Northern Hills Mineral Vein.” Louis's tone immediately deepened. “Currently, it's only estimated for ten thousand people. It has flint marrow oil, veinless stones, and possibly deep magic marrow mine veins, but it's dangerous, with frequent anomalies.”
He glanced at her. “So this area requires experienced miners and Bloodline Knights to explore, setting up fortress-type villages and gradually expanding deeper.
Two towns, eight mining villages. Small villages will have a few hundred people each, with agricultural officials or village chiefs. Towns will have militias, granaries, and trading posts. Only the main town will have an administrative center and garrison outpost.”
As he spoke, he swept his hand across the three circles on the map. “The three areas will operate at different paces but share a single Red Tide core.”
Emily looked down at the three circular lines, suddenly feeling a little dazed.
As if through this rough, yellowish parchment map, she could vaguely glimpse the future Red Tide Territory:
Towns taking root and expanding in the wind and snow, plowing oxen slowly treading over field ridges, blacksmiths' hammers ringing incessantly, border furnaces illuminating the deep mine shafts, livestock grazing leisurely in the forest, and cooking smoke rising from the river mouth.
It was orderly wheat fields and mine shafts, nascent camps and townships, it was the future.
She took a small sip of hot tea and asked, “How will these territories be managed?”
“Right.” He gently placed a small stone on a point on the map, as if solidifying a future cornerstone. “I will ‘symbolically’ grant land to those knights who have achieved military merits, but only the right to manage, not actual power.”
He looked up at her, a barely perceptible smile on his lips. “Nominally, I'll enfeoff you as a manor lord; it sounds respectable. But the granaries, mineral veins, foundries, and tax system will all be supervised and managed by the civil officials I dispatch.” freewebnσvel.cѳm
Emily blinked. “Won't the knights be dissatisfied?”
“They're not foolish,” Louis said calmly. “I will give them dividends, enough for them to live like nobles, and I will also give them the right to mobilize garrisons, enough for them to maintain face and prestige.
But once anyone truly treats their fief as private property or an ATM, the civil officials will report it directly, and I will immediately revoke their authority.”
As he spoke, he drew several radial lines on the map. “This way, each point falls on a grain route, a mining route, or a river confluence, forming a large network.
Defense, administration, and transportation are all integrated. The first batch of villages and towns will be these points, the lines will be the post roads, and the axis will be the Red Tide Territory.”
“So the Red Tide Territory is like the heart?” Emily asked.
“Mm.” He nodded. “It beats, and only then will it send blood to the limbs.”
After saying this, he looked at the crisscrossing axes on the map, his gaze as calm as an undercurrent beneath the water's surface.
Emily, however, was mesmerized.
Louis was not as flamboyant as the gilded nobles in the Imperial Capital, nor did he possess the naturally imposing presence of her father. Instead, he had a quiet sense of leadership.
He didn't issue commands, yet he made people feel at ease. He didn't rely on high status, yet he naturally exuded a sense of gravity.
She sighed softly, her gaze still fixed on his long, clearly articulated fingertips.
“That's what I like about you—”
She thought quietly to herself, “—calm and steady, always like a true Lord.”
As Louis's pen moved across the map, and the lines on the map gradually filled in, the entire Southeast Northern Frontier map was divided into clear layers and a logical network.
The teacup in Emily's hand had grown cool, her gaze fixed on the map. “These two areas have similar population densities, but you've arranged for one to have towns while the other is empty. Is it because of the terrain?”
“The former has water sources, while the latter is near a swamp, with unstable foundations,” Louis said, casually writing a few key intelligence words in the corner of the paper, his tone consistently calm. “We'll consider developing it when we have enough craftsmen; there's no rush.”
“Can places like that also serve as reserve grain lands?” she tentatively asked.
“They can.” He looked at her and nodded. “You're suited for this.”
“Suited for what?”
“Giving advice, being a strategist.”
She was momentarily speechless, her earlobes slightly red, but she still straightened her back. “I'm not just a decoration. I also studied governance in Frost Halberd City.”
“I know,” Louis said, his tone still calm, but with a hint of teasing.
Emily didn't reply for a moment, just silently watched him continue planning, a completely new outline of the Northern Frontier gradually forming in her mind.
And Louis sat in the center of the map, his pen pointing to where the future frontiers would rise.
“...Can you really build all of this?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” he said very softly, without the slightest hesitation. “As long as we don't make too many mistakes, and aren't too greedy, taking it slowly will definitely lead to success.”
Emily gazed at him silently, her eyes filled with complex emotions: respect, reassurance, affection.
She suddenly realized that, without her knowing it, she had grown accustomed to spending such nights, in such a carriage,
watching him draw maps and make plans, while she offered suggestions, took notes, occasionally warmed herself, occasionally fell silent.
When they came to their senses, the carriage had already slowly entered the Red Tide Territory's border.
Morning light pierced through the heavy clouds, and a wisp of cooking smoke rose in the distance, appearing quiet and gentle against the grey-white Northern Frontier sky.
Louis put away the map, rubbing his slightly sore eyes. “We're here.”
Emily pulled back a corner of the curtain and softly said, “Welcome home, Lord.”
“I'm back,” Louis said with a smile. “We still have a lot to do.”
Emily leaned against him, softly responding, “Mm, slowly.”
The cooking smoke in the town swayed in the cold wind, and the renovated watchtowers and granaries were already taking shape.
Bradley was already waiting at the gate, handing over the latest statistical ledger and several request documents.
Louis quickly scanned them, then went directly into the main hall, summoning his subordinates to begin implementing the next phase of adjustments.
The primary task was the re-demarcation of territorial boundaries.
Some of the newly planned territories overlapped with the fiefs of the former Snowpeak nobles from before the war.
But the situation had already changed: after the insect plague, most of the original territories were burnt down, the population was displaced, and nobles found it difficult to protect themselves, let alone defend their borders.
So Louis personally stepped forward to explain the adjustment plan to the dozen or so surviving nobles, generously compensating them with larger, seemingly more resource-rich new land parcels.
“Your old territories have been completely destroyed by the Mother Nest; repairing them will not be easy,” Louis said sincerely.
“But this new land has good water sources, is suitable for farming, is close to main transportation routes, and future trade routes will also pass through it. I am not trying to deprive you, but rather to build a greater order together.”
Those nobles were already quite grateful for being sheltered by the Red Tide during the insect plague, and now receiving new land, they were practically weeping with gratitude towards Louis.
Moreover, their knights were also returned, and Louis did not seize power by leveraging his achievements.
He merely established a common defense agreement: in case of war, they would still be under Red Tide's command for unified defense.
“After all, if the defense line breaks, no one can hold it,” he said.
Although some nobles felt this was inappropriate, they dared not voice it in front of Louis.
And so, this system of “using their grain to defend our walls” was quietly established.
At the same time, the resettlement plan for the displaced population was officially launched.
Based on the population data registered during the winter, Louis categorized the displaced people and allocated them according to region, skill, and physical condition, then led them to various new territories to build new homes.
Farmers who knew how to cultivate were sent to arable areas like the River Valley Plain and Hot Spring Valley, responsible for spring plowing and granary establishment.
Skilled workers such as carpenters, masons, and blacksmiths were concentrated in the “Town Workshop Zone,” starting to build roads, houses, and workshops.
Infantry were assigned to border outposts and pre-set fortresses, undertaking defense duties while also reclaiming wasteland.
Merchant households gathered in the two future main market towns, participating in the planning of relay stations and trading posts.
As for the unemployed and vulnerable, they were arranged by the Town Council for odd jobs and assistance, with accompanying relief funds and public kitchens.
Under this series of actions, the population of the Red Tide Territory began to spread like a network, connecting points, lines, and surfaces.
Having completed these tasks, Louis immediately set off on a journey to the River Valley Basin.
It was his personally chosen “Granary Land,” possessing spirit soil surrounded by river water, geothermal layers that had not completely frozen, and large tracts of empty fields abandoned by insect corpses.
“Spring plowing is about to begin,” he murmured, looking up at the overcast sky from horseback, “We must get the first batch of seeds into the ground before the snow melts.”
