Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 148

Chapter 148: West General Olaro
Henry sees the development of the city, makes decision to create a region where it will be the center of the development of smithing and tools to be shipping to other regions of the kingdom.

“Mehis, huh?” – Henry asked, his eyes fixed on the bustling city before him. Mehis was being reworked from the ground up, keeping everyone extremely busy. Luak’s army had practically destroyed the whole city. – “It’s a good name.”

Olaro gave an embarrassed smile – “As per your orders, we have begun spreading the news that we are looking for people to open up more vein mines and speed up the mining of Cold Iron” – he reported – “As of now, the city has around six thousand people, and according to reports, there are thousands more coming from other villages in the West to Mehis.”

Henry planned to create specialized hubs around the kingdom. The East would focus on fishing, maritime trade, and sea exploration. The West would specialize in mining, taking advantage of the numerous Cold Iron veins and the miners, who had been doing this job since birth. The iron would then be shipped to the north, to the capital, where it would be processed into tools and weapons. Despite the barriers, Henry wanted to keep the production of weapons close to his watch and where the army was stationed.

There was also a need to ensure that infrastructure kept pace with the population growth and the extraction of iron – “We will need to focus on infrastructure as well. Make sure to expand the White Merchant Road to the capital. The flow of Cold Iron is vital to my throne’s strength” – Henry said, his gaze still fixed on the bustling city – “Also, make sure to establish a local garrison here in Mehis. We need to protect and maintain the safety of the city, we can’t allow a hidden power to grow together with it.”

Olaro scratched his head at Henry’s words. “What’s the matter?” Henry asked, noticing the troubling expression on the man’s face.

“I’ve been trying to solve the issue by myself, since Your Highness has been busy with the reconstruction of the capital and the East” – Olaro explained – “However, the rapid influx of people coming to the town has made it difficult to feed everyone. We have deployed soldiers to hunt around the area, but it seems like we are unable to meet the growing demand for food. We can hold for another month, but…” – He stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

“Food… again” – Henry murmured. From west to east, food was always the problem. The soil wasn’t suitable for agriculture, and the never-ending snow and extreme temperatures made it almost impossible to grow anything on the ground. Because of that, hunting became the primary source for food – “We also haven’t found the right animals to raise.”

Contrary to Earth, where countless animals could be raised to put food on the table, the animals in this region didn’t seem fit to be raised in captivity. Even the Snowfire Horses had to be put in a large plot of land to simulate freedom; otherwise, they would slowly die, as if refusing to have their freedom taken away. Of course, they could raise other animals in large plots of land, but then there would be no difference from those in the forest.

The king had two options: either deploy more soldiers to the region and expand the hunting area, or use the ample and rich Frozen Forest to hunt and then send the food to the region. However, they still hadn’t found the reasons or the group of Winter Orcs that invaded the Outer Layer, making it dangerous.

“No problem, I will deploy another two hundred soldiers here” – Henry said, deciding on the less dangerous course of action and one he had more control over the outcome – “Do you think it’s enough?”

Olaro took a moment to think before responding – “Yes, I think it’s enough for now. If we count the other three hundred soldiers, we will have enough manpower to sustain this population. However, if the city keeps growing, we might need more men.”

Henry nodded, already expecting it – “This is not a long-term solution. You only need to guarantee this situation for a year. We will soon acquire a large piece of land that might be able to produce enough food to sustain the throne’s subject” – Henry said, his eyes turning away from the chain of mountains and looking at the south – “I heard that Luak and Aritreia have a good climate and soil to produce potatoes and carrots. If we add that to our future fishing and hunting production, we won’t need to worry about food for some time.”

Olaro listened attentively – “Understood, Your Majesty. I will ensure that the situation is managed for the next year.”

Henry patted the general’s shoulder with a smile – “I expected nothing less from the West General” -he said, catching Olaro off guard with the title.

“West General?” – Olaro asked, dumbfounded.

“Yes, West General!” – Henry confirmed. “You know that I have already abolished the nobility classes, right?” – Olaro nodded in response, scratching his bald head, and Henry continued – “So, the regions will no longer be governed by noble families, but by the soldiers under my name. Each one of my Generals will be responsible for one of the regions. The East will be under Iosif’s hands, the West will be under yours, the South, which will be the spearhead of my throne, will be under Luther’s hands, while the North will be under my personal control. Of course, as the throne lands grow stronger, this situation might change, but as of right now, this will be the setup.”

Olaro was still lost for words. He was indeed a general, but previously, the position only involved moving troops, and the job of governance was attributed to the high nobles, like the Grand Dukes. The army was formed by commoners and low or destitute nobles. The high nobles had their own armies and only sparsely used them.

“Don’t disappoint me…”- Henry said -“I am counting on you.”