The officials felt as though a veil had been lifted after hearing this. They had originally worried that the Lord would rush to retaliate over the Empress Dowager's provocation, throwing their current development plans into disarray. Now, it seemed that the Lord was far more steady and wise than they had imagined.
"Let's return to our previous topic." Karl sat back down and picked up the roster beside the map. "How is the resettlement of the immigrants progressing?"
The official in charge of immigration affairs cleared his throat and reported, "My Lord, to date, more than thirty-seven thousand immigrants have arrived in the Northern Territory. They have been settled in twenty-seven settlements around Frosgard. Following your instructions, each settlement has been provided with sufficient farm tools, seeds, and oxen. The first group of immigrants has already finished sowing their winter crops and is expected to have a harvest by next summer."
"What about the food reserves? Are they enough to last until next year's harvest?" Karl asked.
"At present, the total reserves in the grain depots across the Northern Territory amount to roughly six hundred thousand kilograms. Together with the supplies we have been transporting in from Carnford, there will be no problem lasting until next summer. However, if the number of immigrants continues to increase, we may need to plan ahead for the next purchase of grain."
Karl nodded and made several marks on the roster. "Continue recruiting immigrants, but control the pace. The Northern Territory may be vast and sparsely populated, but its infrastructure is still inadequate. If too many people pour in at once, it will only create chaos. Also, tell Edgar to transfer a group of experienced officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and send them to the settlements throughout the Northern Territory to guide