Chapter 1139 - 177: Harvest Season and Growth of the Flying Horse Herd

Chapter 1139: Chapter 177: Harvest Season and Growth of the Flying Horse Herd

The strength of the Swamp Territory, to be reasonable, somewhat exceeded the expectations of the Hesse Territory. It’s no wonder that it can be recognized as a Count’s Territory. Being able to produce 500,000 Golden Crowns also represents its absolute power.

A large number of mercenaries poured in, yet they couldn’t even scout the main forces of the opposite side before being killed by the militia and monsters of the Swamp Territory.

From the intelligence gathered, this territory is somewhat sinister, not only with resilient, battle-ready militia but also many monsters driven within the swamp. Additionally, the other side seems able to control the swamp’s environment; mercenaries previously scouted a safe area, yet by the next day, it turned into a trap, causing grievous losses for the mercenaries.

This makes the current situation in the Hesse Territory particularly resemble the eve of the Battle of Guandu, the situation Yuan Shao faced, having armies deployed for years, exhausted people, empty granaries, and burdensome taxes.

Therefore, when Hilude reported the battle results, Su Li didn’t pay special attention to the front lines, letting mercenaries slowly wear down the enemy. The regular army of the Hesse Territory is impossible to deploy immediately.

The war over the past two years also severely drained the territory’s strength, from population to army, horses to food, all needing time to recover.

Not to mention tiring the opponent for three years, at least disrupting their harvest for two quarters.

Currently, these mercenaries are interrupting the opponent’s winter harvest season. A large number of enemy soldiers are mobilized, and the ripe fields cannot be harvested. Next spring’s sowing will also be delayed, so two seasons being affected isn’t mere verbiage. When the main forces of the Hesse Territory strike next time, it will have a better effect.

Having chosen this tactic of exhausting the enemy, the victory of the war isn’t something that can be determined overnight.

Su Li thereby focuses more on recuperation and harvest season results for their side. While the Swamp Territory’s border still stages brutal hunts and struggles, the vast fields of the Hesse Territory welcome the year’s third harvest.

Thanks to the Manor System reform and the rise of numerous Dawn Church monasteries. Originally covered with thick snow, a land once dead in midwinter now shows astonishing vitality.

Fields upon fields of winter wheat and buckwheat, with their heavy ears of wheat shining with a dense golden hue in the rare end-of-winter sunlight. They have resiliently survived the coldest frosts, already ripe for harvest before the true arrival of spring. Under the guidance of the Dawn Church nuns, the serfs, dressed warmly, swing their sickles in the cold air, exhaling white clouds, yet their faces beam with incredible joy and energy. Bundles of golden wheat ears are swiftly harvested, bundled, and piled on the field ridges, resembling small gold mountains.

In a planned magical crop area, the scene is even more enchanting. Extraordinary Wheat Ears, pearl wheat, steel wheat, Moonlight Heart cabbage, Traveler’s Onions, Frost-Talking Peas, and Ash Root Leeks, all extraordinary crops and vegetables, have all matured.

These mature extraordinary crops exceed typical harvests, presenting a fantastical and wonderfully strange tableau. After over two years of Su Li’s relentless investment, the careful nurturing by Druids and Dawn Church nuns, and the continuous nurturing by the Wind of Jilun, these precious extraordinary crops have finally witnessed their first large-scale, mature, collective harvest with such a delightful scale and growth beyond expectations.

The largest area is occupied by extraordinary wheat ears, with every ear flowing with a faint, visible golden glow, in the unimposing sunlight at winter’s end. The entire wheat field seems to lay a river of liquid gold. The wheat grains are extraordinarily full, containing mild life energy, making them an excellent base material for high-grade military rations and recovery potions. The serfs wear chain armor, cautiously harvesting under the nuns’ guidance using specially crafted sickles, as ordinary tools cannot cut through the tough stems.

In the dedicated vegetable growing area, the scene is more bizarre and colorful, with enormous Moonlight Heart cabbage quietly lying on the furrows, their leaves showing a translucent silver sheen, emitting a gentle glow even during the day, their veins like flowing moonlight. They contain tranquility and restorative magic, perfect for fine dining and sanatoriums.

Frost-Talking Peas grow on the northern highlands, with verdant vines hanging pods crafted as if from ice crystals. The pods’ surfaces are covered in tiny frost flowers that never melt and make a wind chime-like tinkling sound when gently shaken. The peas themselves contain frost magic, precious for making cold-resistant potions, ice series enchantment materials, and special dishes.

Deeply purple Ash Root Leeks emit a subtle heat, densely growing like clouds of fire falling upon the earth. This plant yields massive quantities, but the daily edible amount is minimal; excessive consumption drastically increases mortality rates, thereby paradoxically appearing the most bountiful, with the largest numbers. It genuinely fulfills the Jade Academy Druid’s initial statement, "You just say if its yield is large, if production conditions are ordinary? Can it be eaten, you don’t have to care first."

The entire magical crop area breathes complex magic power fluctuations and a strange mixed aroma — the wheat fields’ richness, the cabbage’s coolness, the onions’ invigorating scent, the peas’ chilliness, and the leeks’ spiciness. Various magical glows intertwine, forming a hazy and magnificent light mist, enshrouding the fields as if a miracle descends.