Winning Hearts

Lynn immediately had several sturdy farmwomen traveling with him process the game they brought back from hunting.

Meat cured with salt, scallions, and garlic not only lasted longer but also had some of its gaminess reduced, making it barely edible.

Once road construction began, the meat would all be chopped up and added to the serfs' wheat porridge, helping make up for the food shortage.

Just as Lynn was happily occupied in the forest, Lao Liu sent someone with word that two ships had arrived at the dock.

The two ships belonged to Leon, loaded with several large crates of iron tools and thirty-six serfs.

Leon himself was not aboard.

According to his letter, he was currently in Three Rivers City discussing the sale of illicit salt with several merchants.

After all, he had never handled such a massive business before. He could not swallow the terrifying profits of illicit salt alone and would inevitably need partners.

He also assured Lynn in the letter that these merchants were all old acquaintances and that there was no chance of information leaking.

As for the younger sister he had promised, he pledged to bring her to White Bear Territory in Late April or Early May, claiming he would make arrangements in advance and guarantee Lynn's satisfaction.

After skimming the letter, Lynn went to inspect the serfs.

To his surprise, all thirty-six serfs were adult men, and most of them were strong and sturdy—prime, top-quality beasts of burden at a glance.

But after thinking it over, he found it perfectly logical.

Those capable of escaping their territory and reaching Three Rivers City could only be strong adult male serfs.

Those fleeing with families could not run fast and would inevitably be caught by the Lord's cavalry.

And Three Rivers City had no shortage of adult men.

Only a very small number of these unskilled male serfs could find work to survive on.

The rest were either sent back or starved to death in some corner of the city.

Now that Lynn had opened a channel to Three Rivers City, he could bring all these serfs who would otherwise wait to die to White Bear Territory.

These thirty-six serfs were merely the first batch sent by Leon and Lao San.

As for how to handle them, Lynn did not hesitate before sending them all to build roads.

Prime beasts of burden belonged at construction sites, hauling bricks and mixing mortar.

The eight-day deadline passed in the blink of an eye. Having just finished planting their own Allotment Land, White Bear Territory's serfs hurried without rest to gather in the north of the territory.

Lynn stood tall on a temporary earthen platform, his expression cold as he swept his gaze over the more than one thousand male serfs below.

He slowly raised the large wooden horn Carpenter Torima had just made, his deep, forceful voice echoing above their heads like a great bell:

"I am your Lord! Listen carefully!"

In an instant, silence fell below the platform. The serfs all fell quiet, and only the breeze stirred their old clothes.

Lynn paused, his sharp gaze slicing like a blade across every young and weathered face as he continued:

"Starting today, White Bear Territory will undertake several major projects! Building roads and digging mines are no simple tasks. They may take two months, three months, or even longer! But this is for the territory's future, so every one of you can live a good life!"

His voice rose higher. "You have probably all heard that I discovered a Salt Mine in the north of the territory! I know that every year, you have to hand over ten sheep or even more just to buy salt.

"That is all because of those bastards, the King and the dukes. They want to squeeze the last coin from your pockets! They only want to eat your flesh and drink your blood. They do not care whether you live or die!

"But I am different from them. I will protect this territory, and I will protect you! Once the roads are complete and the Salt Mine begins production, every one of you will have free salt. Free! And as long as I am here, salt in White Bear Territory will always be free!"

Before Lynn had even finished speaking, a slight commotion erupted below. The serfs whispered among themselves, their faces filled with surprise and doubt.

They had only learned of the Salt Mine yesterday.

Yet in

their minds, every blade of grass and every tree in the territory belonged to their lord.

The Salt Mine might be good, but what did it have to do with serfs like them?

In previous years, they had always bought expensive salt from their lord.

To scrape together enough money for salt, they could not bear to eat the sheep they raised themselves.

Even with another Salt Mine, they had assumed nothing would change.

Yet their lord had actually announced before everyone that salt would be free.

What did free mean?

It meant every serf household could eat ten more sheep a year!

That was an enormous, tangible benefit.

The serfs could hardly believe their ears, but their lord had indeed said it himself.

In an instant, the way they looked at Lynn filled with gratitude and anticipation.

Of course, a small number of serfs still did not wish to trust Lynn.

Seeing this, Lynn's lips curled slightly as he shouted into the horn again:

"Some of you surely still refuse to believe me, so open your eyes and watch closely! During road construction, I will provide three meals every day. The wheat porridge at noon will even have meat and salt in it. You will absolutely eat your fill and have enough strength to work!

"Not only that, every week I will choose five of the most diligent serfs among you. Their reward will be sixty mu of Allotment Land! Starting next year, these hardworking lucky men will no longer need to farm for me four days a week. They will own the full one hundred and twenty mu of Allotment Land!"

Lynn's voice was tremendously persuasive and penetrating, every word like a seed of hope scattered into the serfs' hearts.

The serfs below completely erupted.

To serfs, nothing was more tempting than "land" and "freedom."

No longer needing to farm for their lord and receiving a full one hundred and twenty mu of farmland—those two rewards sent them into a frenzy.

Some young, strong men clenched their fists excitedly and even howled on the spot.

Their eyes gleamed with eagerness, as though they could already see those sixty mu of fertile land beckoning to them.

Even some serfs who had once looked listless and unwilling to work were stirred by Lynn's words and the atmosphere around them, hope and expectation appearing in their eyes.

But at that moment, Lynn suddenly snapped the whip in his hand, carving a fierce arc through the air.

The sharp, piercing crack instantly silenced the crowd below.

Lynn's expression darkened, and his tone shifted. "I will reward the diligent, but I will also punish the lazy. White Bear Territory will never tolerate idleness or trickery! Whoever dares loaf around or disobey orders will learn what pain is from my whip and Longsword!"

Then he raised the large horn above his head and roared:

"Those willing to work for me, shout it out! Let me hear your voices!"

After a brief silence, uneven cries rose from below: "Willing! Willing!"

At first, the voices were weak, but as more and more people joined in, the cries became louder and more unified, echoing over White Bear Territory for a long time.