28 Population Strategy

After bidding farewell to the people from Tiger and Leopard Village, Xiao Bai Zhan told Qiu Shui, Sword Overlord, A Fei, and the others to return to their respective tasks. He made his way alone back to the administrative courtyard.

For the past two days, Xiao Bai Zhan had been contemplating the harvest at the end of the month and the sowing for the next. Grain production was the utmost priority in building the small village. Recruiting NPC farmers and NPC soldiers both required a substantial amount of food; the more grain they had, the stronger they would become.

With this month's grain about to be stored in the warehouse, Xiao Bai Zhan was not so much concerned with the upcoming harvest as he was with how to maximize the grain yield in the following month.

Li A San was more familiar with these matters, so he decided to consult with him.

Xiao Bai Zhan went to the side room of the courtyard, the herbal workshop.

Li A San was busy inside. Upon seeing him, he quickly set down the herbs in his hands and said, "My lord, you've come."

Xiao Bai Zhan nodded and smiled, "You've worked hard. How is the blood medicine coming along?"

Li A San replied, "We have produced a considerable amount of +5 blood medicine, enough for two days’ worth of sales. The process for +10 HP blood medicine is still immature; defective batches of +7 HP and +8 HP make up more than sixty percent, and +10 HP is less than ten percent. At least a hundred more trials are needed to calibrate the herbal formula precisely."

"Heh, your progress is already impressive. Take a break and come with me to the main hall to discuss something."

"Yes, sir."

Li A San followed Xiao Bai Zhan out of the herbal room and back to the main hall, where they each took a seat.

Li A San observed Xiao Bai Zhan’s expression and, noting the absence of a smile, asked, "My lord, you seem troubled. Is something weighing on your mind?"

Xiao Bai Zhan sighed, "Yes, it's a headache. Ah San, when we first established the village, due to lack of experience and shortages in both grain and farmers, we only cultivated just over fifty acres. With an output of thirty-five pounds per acre, this month’s harvest will only yield about 1,725 pounds of grain. If a hundred farmers consume one pound of grain per day, that’s three thousand pounds needed in a month. Our harvest covers barely over half of that, leaving a huge gap."

"But we only have thirty-two farmers now. Feeding them is more than sufficient!"

Xiao Bai Zhan shook his head with a bitter smile. Thirty-two farmers were far from enough; he was eager to expand the population.

Li A San said, "What exactly is troubling you, my lord? Please speak plainly so I can help ease your worries!"

Xiao Bai Zhan didn’t answer directly but instead asked, "Tell me, how can we collect as much grain as possible next month?"

Li A San was confused, not grasping Xiao Bai Zhan’s intent. He replied, "Naturally, we must increase the number of farmers so they can cultivate more land. The more fields, the more grain."

Xiao Bai Zhan smiled, "Yes, the more land cultivated, the more grain. Apart from farmers, players can also till the land. We can now manufacture iron hoes, so we just need to hire a group of players and have them take hoes to the fields. This way, we can obtain a large amount of grain without worrying about excessive consumption."

Li A San shook his head, "Though this path is viable, I fear the cost will be too great. Hiring players to farm requires paying wages. Currently, the market rate for herbs is one copper coin per bundle. Players can collect more than ten bundles a day, so only those who receive at least ten copper coins daily would forsake herb gathering for farming. Players' efficiency at farming is only twenty to thirty percent of NPC farmers; five days' work would barely open up an acre. Each player requires fifty copper coins in wages, and with our reserves at only about fifteen hundred copper coins, how many players can we afford to hire? How many acres can we cultivate? Though your idea is good, it lacks practical feasibility and might provoke player resentment. Please reconsider, my lord!"

Xiao Bai Zhan himself had used a copper knife to cultivate land and knew well the difficulty players faced in opening up fields. Spending an entire day in the fields was exhausting, let alone five days. The small village's farming must rely on NPC farmers.

His proposal was meant to pave the way for Li A San to agree to his next plan.

Xiao Bai Zhan laughed, "Haha, so you see it the same way! Good, then let's focus on hiring farmers. I’ve decided: in these two days, we’ll build seven huts, and before February first, recruit all the remaining villagers for our quota. After the harvest, on February first, ninety-two farmers will simultaneously expand the farmland."

Li A San was startled by Xiao Bai Zhan’s decision and hurriedly advised, "My lord, you mustn’t! Our remaining grain is scant; we can’t support such a sudden surge in population. We must proceed gradually and plan carefully."

Xiao Bai Zhan immediately replied, "No, I know food is tight now, but we don’t have time to drag things out. We must, at any cost, cultivate as much land as possible at the start of next month. As for the missing grain, we can use other foods as rations. Think of some solutions; there must be a way."

Li A San inwardly lamented, feeling the difficulty ahead, and said, "If my lord insists, I can only obey. As far as I know, the only substitute for grain is the fat fish from the river. Please collect as many as you can."

Xiao Bai Zhan was surprised, "Is it difficult to catch fish?"

Li A San replied with a bitter expression, "Without fishing nets, we and the farmers can only use wooden forks at the riverbank. In a day, we might catch only one or two. It’s time-consuming and laborious, and not enough for a meal—just a partial supplement for grain."

Fishing nets belong to the weaver skill set, wooden forks to the carpenter skill set. The village could produce wooden forks but not nets.

"Oh, I see..."

Xiao Bai Zhan pondered. If they could catch more fish, perhaps the food crisis could be resolved.

"Have the carpenter take all the farmers and build seven huts immediately. This afternoon, a few of us will personally go to the riverbank to see how we can catch more fish."

Li A San accepted the order and left the courtyard to organize the farmers to build the huts.

These huts wouldn’t immediately bring in new farmers; it would take time. If the village was attractive enough, it could draw in around ten new farmers per day. With January twenty-third as the current date, by February first, the start of sowing, the recruitment would just be complete.

At that point, the village’s productivity would reach its peak.

Under the population limit, even in the whole realm of "Cities Rising in the Three Kingdoms," the most capable, daring, lucky, and "strong, violent" small villages could only recruit one hundred NPC farmers. At best, they could match Xiao Bai Zhan’s strength but never surpass it.

Establishing an undefeated foundation—this was Xiao Bai Zhan’s fundamental strategic thinking.