Inspecting the Territory (Part Two)

Victor traveled through his territory much faster this time than he had the year before. As the latest push to develop the territory got underway, the road connecting its heartland to Blue Lake had been fully repaired.

Limited by labor costs and other factors, the road was not especially wide, but its firm, packed-earth surface was broad enough for two carriages to pass side by side.

On the newly repaired road, Victor often saw groups of migrants making their slow way toward Blue Lake. Their carriages were loaded with supplies and tools.

Several garrisons originally stationed along the river had grown into large settlements. Besides the troops, they now housed several times as many residents and serfs.

Under the territory's plans for the future, these four garrisons would become large towns of several thousand people each and serve as important waystations for the next wave of migration.

More small and midsize settlements would spread out from the garrisons along both sides of the river. The land there was reasonably fertile, and with ample water, these riverside settlements could become a major breadbasket for the territory.

Once the first grain harvest came in that year, estimates suggested the territory would no longer need to bring food in from the heartland. What these settlements produced alone would be enough to support the next push north.

Victor noticed a problem, however. With the territory's support, the indentured laborers clearing the land had received plenty of livestock and farm tools. Land reclamation was moving quickly, and at least half the fields were already under cultivation.

But construction of the small and midsize settlements was progressing very slowly. The farther north they lay, the more makeshift they became.

Many serfs could only live in reed huts and sleep directly on the ground. If temperatures had