"Brothers, stick to the plan!" Luke shouted at the top of his lungs, and the riverbank sprang to life.
Ten fishing boats spread into formation, their oars churning the water into splashes.
Then the fishermen lowered enormous seine nets into the river.
These nets had been carefully improved, and they drew tight the moment they sank into the water.
"Hold formation! Don't let the fish escape!" Veins bulged on the boat captain Reg's arms, and the hemp rope in his hands stretched taut as a bowstring.
Dark shapes darted beneath the surface, surging like a tide.
"They're in the nets! They're in the nets!"
No one knew who shouted first, but the entire river suddenly seemed to erupt.
Plump river fish thrashed against the nets, but the watertight formation of ten boats left them no way out.
The fishermen deftly tightened the ropes, trapping them securely.
Countless splashes burst across the surface as fish leaped from the water, their silver scales flashing in the sunlight in a dazzling display.
"Pull! Don't let the nets go slack!"
"Ha! I've never seen so many fish in my life!"
Their arms straining, the fishermen pulled together with all their might.
The seine nets kept tightening, their heavy loads even making the boats list slightly.
By the time the last net had been hauled in, the boats were piled high with wriggling fish.
Every fish was far larger than an ordinary river fish, its plump body twisting and gleaming enticingly.
This haul surpassed everyone's wildest expectations!
More than two thousand fish-enough to feed the entire Red Tide Fief for several days!
On the opposite riverbank, the fishermen casting nets were also giving it their all.
"Get the angle right when you cast, or you'll miss the shoal!" an experienced old fisherman instructed the young apprentice beside him.
The inexperienced young man took a deep breath, gripped his net steadily with both hands, then flung it out.
The net traced a perfect arc through the air, enveloping a shoal of fish that had yet to escape.
"Got them!"
He excitedly pulled the rope tight, and the water immediately erupted in splashes as plump, two-foot-long fish struggled desperately inside the net.
"This one's huge!" He excitedly held up a fish as long as his arm, drawing envious looks from his companions.
"Imagine how good this one would taste in soup!"
The group grinned from ear to ear, their hands moving even faster.
Although their catch could not match the seine-net team's, they still caught several hundred fresh fish, filling everyone's wooden buckets to the brim.
On another stretch of the riverbank, the traditional fishing team made up of local inhabitants was conducting a different kind of hunt.
Each gripped a gleaming, freshly sharpened fishing spear, staring so hard they seemed ready to bore holes into the river.
"Here it comes!"
A seasoned fisherman swung his arm sharply, driving his spear into the water.
Squelch!
Bloody foam rose to the surface. A large fish weighing a full three pounds was firmly skewered, struggling desperately but unable to escape its fate.
In that brief span, the wooden buckets at their feet had already accumulated seven or eight large fish, their tails still flapping over the rims.
Farther away in the shallows, some fishermen quietly placed fish baskets into traps they had prepared beforehand, waiting for fish to wander inside.
"Wait a little longer... a little longer..."
Suddenly, one fisherman's eyes lit up, and he swiftly lifted his basket.
"Got them! More than a dozen!"
They broke into excited cheers. Though these fish were small, their delicate flesh made them a favorite delicacy.
The fishing operation continued for several hours before the fishermen finally began putting away their nets.
Every boat was piled high with live fish.
Their scaly bodies thrashed, their tails slapping loudly and sending water flying.
"More than three thousand fish! We've got more than three thousand!"
When the final tally came in, the entire dock erupted with excitement.
"Our lord really does know everything! He said there would be fish today, and there were!"
"We've never seen fishing methods like these before. So many fish in a single haul!"
"Our lord doesn't just know how to govern the fief-he's an expert at fishing, too!"
The fishermen exchanged jubilant high fives and clapped one another on the shoulders, their faces full of joy as they praised Louis.
Even those who had doubted today's fishing expedition were now thoroughly convinced by the results.
Standing nearby, Luke watched the scene in indescribable amazement.
His earlier anxiety had long since given way to delighted surprise.
He had never imagined Louis's prediction would be so accurate. It was downright incredible.
He could not help looking up at his lord, who stood on a raised section of the dock.
A faint smile rested on Louis's face.
Seeing the satisfied smiles on the fishermen's faces lifted his spirits as well.
He knew he had just taken the first step toward leading the Red Tide Fief out of its troubles.
At last, there was some relief from the Red Tide Fief's food crisis.
And today's catch was only the beginning. This would be a lasting industry.
As someone who had transmigrated, Louis naturally understood the importance of sustainability, so he had drawn up a thorough fishing strategy well in advance:
First, to ensure the fish could continue reproducing, Louis required larger mesh openings in every fishing net.
This would allow immature fish to escape easily and keep growing until the next breeding season.
Fishing would also be permitted only during fixed hours each day, with at least one day each week set aside as a no-fishing period, giving the river and its fish time to recover.
Only then would future catches remain plentiful rather than suddenly drying up one day.
Beyond catching wild fish, Louis also planned to establish dedicated fish-farming areas.
Selected high-quality fish would serve as breeding stock and be raised in designated waters.
This would make the fishing industry more stable, rather than leaving it entirely dependent on nature's bounty.
Louis gazed at the mountainous piles of fish on the dock, considering how to handle them.
No matter how plentiful the food was, it would only go to waste without proper management.
Let's hold a celebratory feast, Louis thought.
In just a few days, it would be exactly one month since he had arrived in the Red Tide Fief.
That was a day worth commemorating.
Over the past month, the Red Tide Fief had begun as a barren land with scarce resources and dispirited people.
Order had gradually returned, fishing and farming had begun to develop, and hope had slowly entered the people's lives.
Louis knew he could not take all the credit.
So this feast would not merely celebrate the bountiful catch. It would also honor the fishermen, craftsmen, and soldiers who had contributed to the Red Tide Fief.
However, the feast would consume only part of the catch. A great many fish would still need to be handled properly.
Although these fish were only enough to feed a little over a thousand people for several days, fishing was a long-term industry.
They could not let the fish they caught go to waste. Ultimately, they needed a way to preserve them for the long term, preparing for food shortages in winter.
Louis suddenly thought of a way to preserve fish for a long time, and he wanted to try it.
Before you continue