I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 72 What do the free people want from me for food?
Rod led Us to the gates of Frostleaf Town, stood on the wooden platform, his gaze sweeping over the dense crowd, and said loudly:
“I am Rhodes Tulip, Baron of Blackpine Ridge and Dragon Slayer. Welcome to my territory.”

“From today onwards, you are my slaves and must obey my orders completely. I will make sure that each of you is well-fed.”

Us translated Rod's words verbatim, and the savages' expressions changed drastically.

Anger, fear, doubt, surprise, but little joy.

Clearly, the messenger did not explain the specifics to them; he probably only said that they would get bread if they worked.

"Why are we slaves?!"

"Shut up, Imperial!"

"Let's go back to the mountains!"

……

A cacophony of noise erupted, and Us tried to translate it to Rhodes, but Rhodes stopped him with a gesture.

He had seen this kind of scene far too many times.

Rhodes wasn't angry. He waved his hand, and the guards behind him brought up the Graystone Chieftain and the Giantwood Chieftain.

"You two have eaten a lot of my bread these past few days, it's time to do something worthwhile."

Rhodes glanced at the two leaders, took out an hourglass and placed it in front of them, calmly saying, "Deal with them before the sand runs out, or I'll have to kill them."

Rhodes had no interest in wasting time with them.

These savages who came from the mountains later were not considered excellent laborers. Rhodes wanted them to work in peace of mind, and also for the future development of Frostleaf Town.

But if these people don't listen, that's a different story.

With so many people, Rhodes had no time to persuade them one by one.

Us translated Rhodes' words to the two leaders, who immediately rushed into the crowd and slapped the loudest person across the face.

"Shut up, everyone!"

The Graystone leader roared, "Shut up if you want bread!"

"The Graystone Tribe will never be slaves!"

A middle-aged savage stepped forward, his face contorted with rage, and pointed at the Graystone chieftain, cursing, "A coward like you is not fit to be the chieftain of the Graystone tribe!"

call out!
No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp arrow flew through the air and instantly pinned the middle-aged savage to the ground!
Zheng!
The sound of metal scraping against metal rang out instantly, and the soldier's longsword gleamed with a cold, sharp light under the blazing sun!
Everyone fell silent instantly, their gazes involuntarily drawn to the direction of the arrow.

Rhodes, longbow in hand, his gaze as cold as an icy pool, swept over the savage.

"Who else dares to resist!"

His ruthless and decisive actions instantly intimidated everyone!

Without needing a translator, Rod understood what the middle-aged savage was saying based on his actions.

No translation is needed; the savages can now understand what Rhodes is saying.

A sharp blade is the best form of communication.

Rod started to get annoyed.

You attacked my troops in my territory, but now I'm giving you bread without holding a grudge.

Not only are you ungrateful, but you also dare to resist?
You don't care about my smile, do you?
"Kneel down now!"

Rhodes slowly raised his longbow, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at the crowd.

The newcomer, Us, seeing Lord Rhodes like this for the first time, immediately translated it.

Graystone and Giantwood Chieftain urged their people to kneel down, and those who hesitated were kicked down by the two.

The two had come to realize during their few days in Frostleaf Town that as long as they worked hard, no one would make things difficult for them.

Lord Rhodes was generous enough to ensure that everyone was well-fed.

What more could you ask for?
Living in the mountains means worrying about food every day and having to guard against attacks from wild animals.

Now we can eat our fill by cutting down trees and breaking rocks, which is much better than before!
slave?

Not all slaves are the same!
They wouldn't even be slaves or dogs in the mountains, but the life of slaves in Frostleaf Town was what the two of them dreamed of!
"Very good, you finally didn't choose the wrong path."

Rhodes put away the arrow and tossed it to Us.

"Now scatter them, hand over their belongings, and then go to eat as Lawrence has instructed."

"Also, compile a list of children under the age of fifteen and take them all away."

Before Rhodes, the children of slaves were assigned to carpenters and craftsmen, making them apprentices. The less bright ones were sent to learn farming. Only the two most foolish ones usually worked alongside the women.

These savages must have more than eight children. They can't do heavy work, so Rhodes needs to make proper arrangements for them.

Perhaps in the future, the management and communication of these wild people will mainly depend on these children.

Just as Rhodes was considering the children's situation, the White Frost Prophet approached him.

The White Frost Prophet was somewhat frightened when he first saw Rhodes in a fit of rage and his decisive, ruthless demeanor.

He cautiously stepped forward and asked, "Your Excellency, shall we also follow that person?"

"You don't need to. You are free citizens and do not need to hand over your personal belongings for the time being."

Rhodes calmly said, "Lawrence will collect taxes from you; you just need to pay them honestly."

"Thank you for your kindness."

The White Frost Prophet breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and asked, "Then where do we go to get our food?"

"Get food?"

Rhodes smiled at the White Frost Prophet and said, "You are free people, why do you need food from me?"

The White Frost Prophet was taken aback, and stammered, "You, you said before that there would be bread to eat if we worked..."

“That’s right, but they were slaves. They belonged entirely to me, so they could receive food directly.”

Rhodes tilted his head, staring at the White Frost Prophet as if he were an idiot. "You're free people, asking me for food without doing any work?"

This is not Rhodes making things difficult for the White Frost Prophet; Rhodes treats all free people this way.

The free people of Shuangye Town earn work points by working and then exchange them for food; the work points are settled the following month.

"But we have no food!"

"What does the lack of food have to do with me?"

Rhodes chuckled twice, then asked in bewilderment, "You weren't my subjects before, and you didn't contribute to my territory. What does it have to do with me if you don't have any food reserves?"

The prophet Bai Shuang was speechless for a moment.

What Rod said is absolutely correct.

Free citizens have absolute freedom; they can go wherever they want, as long as they can pay taxes and support themselves.

People like the Baishuang tribe, who are starving, are not considered free people; they should be considered refugees.

Rhodes ignored all of that and continued to smile.

“I promised you that the White Frost Tribe would not be slaves and could be free people, and I have kept my promise.”

"Whether you stay here or not is up to you."

"Of course, if you don't want to be a free citizen here, then please leave Black Pine Ridge as soon as possible."

Rod's calm voice carried a hint of coldness.

Tribes like theirs are considered refugees wherever they go.

A group of savages.

Going to another lord would only lead to the fate of being a slave.

In fact, Rhodes did want the White Frost Tribe, but he could not allow these savages to maintain the tribal social structure after settling in Frostleaf Town.

Rhodes would not allow such a blatant little group to exist in his territory, as it would be extremely detrimental to his rule.

The White Frost Prophet's primary reason for not wanting his people to be enslaved was to preserve the White Frost tribe.

Rod wasn't stupid; he had already seen through this guy's intentions.

Do you want to take these savages to Frostleaf Town, feed them until they're full, teach them something, and then just pack up and leave them all behind?

Don't even think about it!

"This this……"

Just moments ago, Bai Shuangxian was contemplating a wonderful life, but now she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

This outcome was completely unexpected!
What should we do?!

　I'm not asking for votes today, just sharing some joy: my seven-pound baby girl! We're currently naming her. What an exhausting day!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)