Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Peter's armed parade not only promoted the immigration policy but also established his authority. The lord's guard at the castle has recently reduced the frequency and scope of its patrols, fearing that venturing too far might lead to a crisis like Thomas's.

Military success brought convenience to production.

In just three days, more than 30 farmers came to the camp, some of them bringing their families.

Shevak and Mikhal brought their mother and sister over to Pavlena's care, while they chose to stay in Troski village as intelligence informants.

After careful consideration, Peter adjusted the camp's structure. In addition to the existing combat, carpentry, logistics, and propaganda groups, he added an agriculture group and an intelligence group.

The agricultural group is responsible for hunting, farming, vegetable cultivation, animal husbandry, and other agricultural and pastoral activities within the camp. It consists of one group leader, four squad leaders, and thirty-six farmers under its command, with any farmers joining later also included.

Tom, the former deputy leader of the combat team and squad leader of Class A, was transferred to be the leader of the agricultural team and the leader of the hunting team. Lucky Rak became the leader of the farmland team, Sauerkraut Pepa became the leader of the vegetable team, and a pig farmer named Pick, who had just joined the team, became the leader of the animal husbandry team.

The intelligence group is responsible for intelligence gathering and assassinations both inside and outside the camp. It consists of one group leader and three squad leaders. Monthly operating funds are 50 Groshens.

Jerry is the head of the intelligence team, white-haired Robert is the head of the assassination team, handsome Charlie is the head of the public relations team, Shevchenko is the head of the infiltration team, and Michal and Barbara are members.

After Tom, Jerry, and Robert left the combat team, three more people were selected from those who performed well in labor reform to fill the positions. John the Big Mouth was promoted to deputy team leader and class leader of Class A, replacing Tom, and Andre the Redbeard was promoted to class leader of Class B, replacing John the Big Mouth.

After the personnel adjustments, the camp structure became more rational, and Peter's orders could be transmitted more quickly. Those who received promotions were all smiles.

"That damn Charlie is finally gone! From now on, the carpentry team is all mine!"

Doug was secretly delighted. Although the carpentry team was facing challenges from the agriculture team, it was still the largest team in the camp in terms of numbers. Previously, the handsome Charlie, the deputy leader, had won over a large number of captured lumberjacks by speaking ill of him. Now that he was gone, let's see who dares to oppose his authority! Sure enough, Lord Peter still trusts me the most!

"Ding! Doug the dog's loyalty +1."

"Finally away from that annoying Doug, I can finally show off my beauty."

Handsome Charlie was equally delighted. The public relations team's main task was to infiltrate high society under false identities, gain their trust, and then obtain intelligence or persuade them to side with them. With his handsome looks, elegant speech, and aristocratic air, he was destined to dress extravagantly and mingle in high society, capturing the hearts of beautiful young women, young ladies, middle-aged widows, and even wealthy older ladies, then dancing with those women amidst the envious gazes of those men... Indeed, Lord Peter understands me best!

Handsome Charlie shuddered; just thinking about it was exciting!

"Ding! Handsome Charlie's loyalty +3"

Upon hearing the notification tone, Peter glanced at Doug and Charlie, those two bewildered fellows, then turned his gaze to the newly appointed agricultural team leader, Tom, and said, "We can find the seeds for the farmland at Sami Mills' Krezer. We have leverage over him, and he'll meet our seed needs."

Tom replied dutifully, "Okay, I'll make the contact as soon as possible. The newly cultivated farmland at the camp has a thick layer of fallen leaves and humus, and the soil is black, which saves us the trouble of fertilizing the land initially. However, considering the second round of planting in the summer, I suggest increasing livestock farming and collecting manure. The current three-field system is because the soil fertility is insufficient, resulting in more than half of the fields being idle every year."

Pig farmer Pick also chimed in, "I suggest raising more pigs. Pigs reproduce quickly, producing a litter of seven or eight piglets a year. They can survive on a small amount of grain and plenty of weeds. Their manure can be collected and used to fertilize our fields for the next planting season."

Peter nodded and said, "Okay. I'll bring you a batch of piglets as soon as possible."

"If possible, please also raise some oxen and packhorses, as human labor is too slow in pulling plows."

"It was proposed by Lak, the head of the farm work team."

Peter nodded in agreement and said, "John, leave a message for the passing merchants at the crossroads, saying that we are willing to buy oxen and packhorses at high prices, no matter how many they bring."

"Could we raise some chickens? They love to eat insects in the ground, so my cabbages won't be bitten by bugs anymore. Ducks won't work; they'll eat the cabbages too."

Vegetable team leader Pepa also cautiously offered her suggestions.

Peter nodded again and said, "No problem, we'll have plenty of chicks soon."

Peter remembered a technique for hatching chicks that allowed for concentrated, large-scale hatching by maintaining a suitable temperature with insulating blankets. He decided to spend money to collect eggs from various villages and then hand over the technique to Pavlena to oversee the process.

Seeing that Peter readily accepted the good advice, the others also spoke up, offering suggestions for the camp. Peter noted them down and responded to them.

Peter focused on development, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.

Once the new system was up and running, it burst forth with amazing energy, and the camp was bustling with activity every day.

Lack and his farming team used newly built, heavy wooden plows, harnessed to two old oxen acquired from a nearby village, to turn over the fertile black soil at the edge of the camp. The fragrance of the earth mingled with the damp scent of humus, filling the air. Women and children followed behind the plow, bending down to pick out stones and stubborn grass roots.

Tom obtained oat and flax seeds from Crizer at Lower Semill Mill and sowed them.

Sauerkraut Pepa's vegetable section had fenced off a small plot of land, woven into a low hedge of branches and vines, where he planted cabbage, onions, peas, and carrots. Like a dragon guarding a treasure, he patrolled the area several times a day, scolding any crows or birds that tried to approach and trample it.

The pig farmer in the breeding team, Pick, was a lean and shrewd young man. He was only twenty-five years old, but he had already been raising pigs for wealthy families for ten years. He and a few others built simple pigsties and poultry houses in a clearing in the woods using rough wood and vines.

Peter quickly kept his promise, and in another "medicine on credit" operation, he traded a slightly higher-than-market price and a small "protection promise" for seven squealing piglets. Peak was overjoyed, and his greatest pleasure each day was taking his apprentices to the edge of the forest to cut tender grass and dig up tubers, mixing them with bran bought from the mill to feed the piglets. Their manure was carefully collected and composted in a corner of the camp with fallen leaves and ash, preparing for the second round of planting in the summer.

Doug, the carpenter, was indeed in high spirits. Without Charlie's checks and balances, he held all the power and divided his team into two groups: one group continued to consist of captured lumberjacks and camp laborers, going deep into the forest to cut timber, not only to meet the camp's construction needs, but also to consciously stockpile dried oak and pine; the other group consisted of more skilled carpenters who set up sheds in the open space in the center of the camp, making sturdier plows, wheelbarrows, tables and chairs, and even began to try making simple loom frames.

Doug even went out of his way to expand and reinforce Peter's cabin, laying smoother planks on the floor and adding windows with wooden latches, making it look quite impressive. After receiving the praise, Doug's loyalty increased by 1 point.

Pavlina, from the logistics team, became the "chicken incubator supervisor." Peter taught her the warm water blanket method for constant-temperature incubation. The specific procedure was to line a large wooden box with dry, soft straw, place several earthenware pots filled with hot water inside, wrap it with multiple layers of old blankets for insulation, and maintain the temperature by changing the hot water daily and feeling it with your hand. Pavlina, along with several meticulous women, took turns caring for the hundreds of collected eggs like mother hens.

Peter instructed that the chicks would need three weeks to hatch. They could use this time to begin incubating the next batch of one hundred eggs.

The message left by the combat group at the crossroads—"High prices for oxen, packhorses, and ironware"—was like a pebble thrown into calm water. Initially, only a few daring traveling merchants came to test the waters, bringing an old iron pot or two or a few bags of salt. The camp had a good reputation, paying with good-quality Grossington, sometimes bartering with smoked meat, furs, or even promises of future food rations. Gradually, some more respectable merchants began to appear, bringing the camp much-needed nails, burlap, salted fish, and even two reasonably strong packhorses. The trade took place at the crossroads, with John the Big Mouth and the combat group maintaining order. To facilitate the transactions, the crossroads post even underwent an expansion.

The intelligence team chatted and laughed with the merchants, extracting all sorts of information from the surrounding area—which lord was short of money, which village had suffered a disaster, which bandit leader had changed. He memorized all this information and then relayed it to the old monk Martin for recording. At that moment, Jerry desperately wished he could speak and write Latin.

The camp itself was also constantly expanding. Peter had planned ahead; the camp was circular in shape, surrounded by a log fence. The houses were arranged along the fence according to the Chinese Bagua (Eight Trigrams) orientation, forming a circle around the central open space. The central open space was leveled and turned into a plaza for gatherings, meetings, and occasional celebrations. At the edge, a towering watchtower was under construction, with deep foundations, which could house archers and enhance the camp's defenses.

The camp still uses a communal cooking system, providing food centrally. Every evening, the central square is filled with the aroma of food, mainly oatmeal porridge, vegetable soup, dark bread, and some meat. The portions are large and filling, and the smell of burning pine branches adds a sense of security and comfort.

Over the past week, people have been fleeing villages throughout Troski territory to seek refuge with him, and the camp's population has now exceeded one hundred. Everyone has found their place and seen hope.

The newly arrived farmers were full of enthusiasm because they had been allocated their own small plots of vegetable gardens and a share of the future harvest from the newly cultivated fields; the original combat team members were more obedient because of their clear responsibilities, improved treatment, and especially meat rewards; even the prisoners who were still undergoing "labor reform" were less resentful and worked harder because they saw the possibility of integrating into the camp and even getting promoted through hard work.

A vibrant, dynamic energy surged through the camp. It was no longer a bandit's den of survival, but a nascent community taking root and blossoming. Light shone in everyone's eyes.

Peter stood in front of his cabin, looking at the thriving scene. He knew that the camp's foundation was in place.