Black Pine Territory (4)

Santos listened to Sagras's words, looked at the map, and kept asking Sagras about the details of the supply depot. After all his questions were answered, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Detachment Commander Sagras, I'll leave the construction of the outpost to you. You can rest assured that the camp is safe. I will leave an infantry detachment here to guard the camp, and the river fleet will also cooperate in the defense. They will also send archers on board to the camp."

"No problem, Regimental Commander Santos, don't worry. Besides, my brothers have all received militia training. If those cowards in Black Pine Territory dare to attack us, we won't be afraid of anything."

Sagras patted his chest and assured Santos.

Santos left the construction site with a smile. Sagras, despite his young age, acted so mature and generous, and no one knew why.

If Victor were here, he would say that civil engineers are like this in any world.

Santos found his tent at the encampment and decided to take another look at the map of Black Pine Territory.

At that moment, an officer clad in black armor called out to Santos from a distance, "Regimental Commander, do you have time now? I have something to report to you."

Santos looked at the person who came in and said, "Shang Ye, come over here. I happen to have some time."

Santos invited Shang Ye into the tent. Since it was a military tent, the interior was very simple: a cot, a few chairs, a desk, and a map hanging on a screen, all prepared by Santos's personal guards.

Santos invited Shang Ye to sit down, and took out a ceramic jar sealed with a large cork. He said to Shang Ye, "I happen to have something good. I got it from Bob. It's a prototype. Let's try it together."

Before Shang Ye could refuse, Santos twisted the cork off the earthenware jar, and a fruity aroma filled the tent.

Smelling the aroma, Shang Ye asked Santos curiously, "Is it freshly made fruit wine? Regimental Commander, we're on the march and fighting, isn't drinking wine against the Viscount's rules?"

"Of course not. This is a type of military food produced under the guidance of the Viscount. It was made by the Arms Factory and the Viscount named it 'canned food'."

"Canned food? What a strange name!"

Santos took out two earthenware bowls, poured the contents of the earthenware jar into the two bowls, and then handed one bowl to Shang Ye.

Shang Ye picked up the ceramic bowl and examined it carefully. He saw several pieces of apple pulp floating in the transparent liquid.

Santos picked up the earthenware bowl and drank directly from it. "It's a pity I don't have a fork. Oh well, with these limited resources, I'll just have to make do with this one sip."

Santos drank and chewed, a satisfied expression on his face.

Shang Ye also drank it out of curiosity, and his mouth was instantly filled with a sweet taste. The sweetness of the syrup mixed with the fragrance of apples, and the fruit pulp soaked in the syrup was no longer sour and astringent, but sweet and delicious.

There are many kinds of fruits in this world, but most of them have not been bred, have low sugar content, and taste very ordinary.

However, there are also a few excellent varieties that taste delicious and have special effects. For example, the Golden Pear produced in Viscount Benjamin's Golden Pear Territory are famous in the Northlands for their sweetness and cooling properties, which have also brought considerable wealth to the Golden Pear Territory.

"It's so delicious, this is simply a rare delicacy." Shang Ye was completely captivated by the taste.

It should be said that both the Barbarians and the people of the Grand Duchy of Vera lived in temperate regions at higher latitudes, where the winters were relatively cold, and they were all naturally fascinated by high-sugar foods.

Victor discovered this when he was promoting White Sugar, which also aligns with common sense from his previous life.

Victor decided to make canned goods for the same reason: the territory could produce its own White Sugar at a low cost, and since there was no cold chain logistics, fresh fruit couldn't be transported out, so he simply made it into canned goods.

While it may not be possible to make canned food affordable for every Freemen in the short term, adding it to military supplies would definitely satisfy the soldiers in the army.

"This is only the second time I've eaten this canned food. The first time was when I tried it at Bob's place. Currently, this type of canned food can be stored for about 10 days in the spring and autumn. If it goes into winter, it can be stored for about 1 to 2 months."

"This is simply amazing! If this were used as military supplies, the soldiers' morale would be greatly boosted. Your Excellency truly possesses unfathomable abilities!"

Shang Ye admired Victor greatly.

"This is just a prototype. The Viscount also said that the final product will be made of glass jars or tinplate, which can extend the shelf life to about a year. At that time, not only canned fruit, but also canned meat and vegetables can be made, with a wide variety of products."

The Viscount also mentioned that this canned food wasn't just for military supplies; the territory could also allow its citizens to cultivate fruit trees and vegetables on a large scale. The territory would then purchase the produce, process it into canned goods, and sell it uniformly. This would increase the citizens' income significantly more than growing grain.

"Your Excellency is truly remarkable. I own over a hundred acres of land. I'll hire people to plant fruit trees and make a fortune."

"However, all of this will take time and cannot be achieved in the short term."

"I believe that day will come soon. There is nothing that His Excellency cannot accomplish if he sets his mind to it."

"Indeed, Your Excellency is capable of what others cannot, exceeding everyone's imagination!"

The two of them bragged to Victor for a while, and then they ate the whole can of food.

"By the way, Shang Ye, what did you want to report to me?" Santos asked curiously, remembering something.

"Oh dear, I was so busy eating canned food that I almost forgot about this."

With Regimental Commander like this, I realized that our camp was too close to the Black Forest. Based on my understanding of Black Pine Territory, they might use the Black Forest as a natural barrier to launch a night attack on our camp.

I think we can arrange for some people to be on guard. My squad and I are very suitable for this kind of mission. After all, we just completed our re-equipment and have three squads of Sword-and-Shield Soldiers, which are well-suited for jungle warfare.

Santos nodded in agreement. "In that case, the security task tonight is yours. Just make sure not to give chase, since they have the home advantage."

"Don't worry, Regimental Commander."