Volume One: Knight of the Forest Chapter 47: Yearning for Home

After listening to Zhuoguo’s words, Dock remained silent for quite a while before murmuring, “This is truly unbelievable.”
Belion saw the shock on his face and patted his shoulder. “The reason I haven’t accepted you outright is mainly because I don’t know you well enough.
You should know that the Nolanburg region was previously nothing more than a wooden outpost. Aside from forests and meadows, there was nothing here. We’ve spent more than half a year working tirelessly, battling wild beasts and bandits, and only through our efforts did we manage to accumulate this bit of property.
Only we know how hard it’s been. Because of this, though we long for more people, we can’t easily let in those whose backgrounds we don’t know. A single misstep, and all our possessions—and my life—would be gone.”
“Milord, I…” Dock tried once more to pledge his loyalty to Belion, but Belion stopped him.
Belion looked up at the midsummer moon and said, “After we arrived in Amondin City, I secretly sent people to investigate you and your men. As expected, you’re all ordinary folk, just trying to make a living, and so you answered the call to become city militia.
You yourself were once the owner of a two-hundred-acre farm. To form the militia and to provide more compensation for the families of your fallen brothers, you not only sold all your farmland but also most of your valuables.
Now your wife and two children live in the city, making do with very little. Dock, from this alone, you are a man of integrity, responsibility, and absolute reliability.”
Hearing Belion’s words, Dock’s eyes grew moist, and he choked up as he said, “Twenty-five good brothers died so tragically. Many were under twenty, not yet married or fathers, and all because of my mistake.
I have failed them; these young men trusted me so much, yet this is how it ended. Ah!” As he finished, Dock could no longer control his emotions and wept.
Belion went over and embraced him, comforting him: “Brother Dock, what’s past is past. The dead cannot be brought back. If they know in heaven, they wouldn’t blame a good brother like you.”
When Dock’s emotions finally calmed, he realized Belion was leading him toward Greenhill Village. Curious, he asked, “Milord, ahead lies Greenhill Village. It’s so late—why are we coming here?”
Belion smiled mysteriously. “Tonight, I have a surprise for you.”
Belion led Dock to the gate of an estate. Dock opened the gate and saw his wife and children inside. Seeing Dock return, they excitedly ran to embrace him. Dock hugged his young son, kissed his wife and daughter, and then asked curiously, “When did you arrive? How did you get here?”
Seeing her husband so bewildered, Dock’s wife, tears in her eyes, reproached him gently. “We arrived this morning. Lord Belion gave our family an estate.
We came because of you. After you sold the farm, we could only rent in the city, and you left us little money. I had to work as a kitchen helper, was bullied, and struggled just to feed the two children.
If it weren’t for Lord Belion sending someone to bring us here, I don’t know how much longer I could have endured such days.”
Though Dock felt heartache at her words, he maintained a stern expression. “There’s no need to discuss such matters before the lord.”
“Ah, Brother Dock, you’re wrong to say that to your wife. She’s worked so hard, raising your two children alone. You should be grateful and cherish her,” Belion chastised Dock upon hearing his lack of understanding.
Dock remained silent, but his wife was clever and quickly invited Belion inside. “Milord, please sit, I’ll pour you a drink.”
“Thank you, sister-in-law.” Belion sat down cheerfully, and then had Zhuoguo bring up a small woven chest prepared earlier. Belion opened it, revealing a property deed.
Drawing inspiration from property certificates of his previous life, Belion had crafted Nolanburg’s property deeds from cowhide and parchment, bearing his crest and seal, detailing the house’s location, size, construction date, and ownership.
Belion handed the deed to Dock’s wife. “This is the deed to this house; keep it safe. Brother Dock will be the deputy captain of Nolanburg’s militia. He’ll have a weekly salary of three dinars, about one hundred fifty dinars a year—more than enough to support your family.”
Dock’s wife didn’t dare accept it. She looked timidly at Dock, who pulled her aside and knelt on one knee. “Milord, I have no merits yet; how could I accept this house?”
Belion quickly pulled him up. “Brother Dock, there’s no need for this. I’m giving it to you; just accept it.” Without allowing refusal, he pressed the deed into Dock’s hand and continued, “Just be loyal to me, help train the militia, and fight with heart and strength when necessary.”
Gripping the deed, Dock nodded with emotion. “Milord, rest assured. Red-haired Lion Dock swears to the Fire God: if I ever betray you, may I be cast into hell and burned by poisoned flames.”
“I too swear to the Fire God: so long as one is loyal to me, I will never treat him unfairly!” With that, Belion and Dock embraced warmly.
After winning Dock over with gentle persuasion, Belion explained his plan for handling the twenty-five city militia under Dock’s command. Most of them had been trained and seen battle, but not all were suited for Nolanburg’s infantry regiment.
Belion’s plan was for the twenty-five men to go to the recruitment office and be selected by Iom and Beth. Those chosen would join the Nolanburg infantry; the rest could join the militia, become farmers in Nolanburg, pursue other trades, or even leave for better prospects elsewhere.
Dock found no fault with Belion’s plan—it was the best solution, and he couldn’t think of any better. Seeing Dock agree, Belion entrusted him with informing his brothers the next day, and delegated full responsibility for the matter.
The next day, after Dock explained the options, only half chose to continue as soldiers at Nolanburg’s recruitment office. The rest, after staying a few days and learning about Nolanburg’s land distribution policy, opted to become farmers, hoping to own their own fields.
This worked well; as farmers, they remained part of the militia, ensuring Dock had familiar men to rely on.
Civil administration, workshops, construction, and the military—all four aspects were now on track. Mark and his team announced the new policies to the Nolanburg people: the installment plan for buying houses and the land distribution policy delighted the former serfs and refugees, inspiring greater motivation and making Nolanburg run like a well-oiled machine.
Many times, solving one key issue means solving them all. Such is the mystery of life: moving forward holds boundless allure.
The days passed, and soon it was September—a season of harvest. Three thousand acres yielded three hundred shefers, or six hundred thousand pounds of soybeans, averaging two hundred pounds per acre.
This was because the land was newly cultivated, rich in fertility, and enhanced with farmyard manure. But if the land wasn’t cared for, in three years it would be like most lordly estates, producing only one hundred pounds per acre, or less.
Fortunately, Belion had foreseen this problem. In his previous life, he grew up in the countryside and had plenty of farming experience, superior to most farmers in this world.
From the start of his stewardship in Nolanburg, he mandated that everyone relieve themselves in designated places, both for hygiene and to collect raw materials for composting manure.
To help his people accept using farmyard manure, Belion spent two bottles of Valendi wine to have Father Dunhill explain its benefits.
Father Dunhill was quite persuasive. Since Belion’s method involved lots of wood ash, Dunhill said it harnessed the power of fire, bringing the Fire God’s blessing and promising increased yields.
Hearing this, the people believed, muddled as they were. To convince them further, Belion had Mark, when sowing began, plant soybeans on an extra hundred acres without manure, to compare with the three thousand acres treated with manure. The results were obvious, and everyone soon knew what to do without further promotion.
Facts are more compelling than any theory; Belion understood this well—especially with farmers. Having grown up in the countryside, he knew countless examples: farmers are the most pragmatic and skeptical. Without tangible benefits, they won’t believe easily.
With such a harvest of soybeans, plus plundered and purchased grain, Nolanburg’s stores now held over four hundred shefers. With a daily ration of one pound of grain per adult, plus meat and vegetables, Nolanburg could feed more than two thousand people for a year.
Still, Belion felt the times were unsettled, with chaos looming. One must have enough grain in hand.
While building the castle atop Stormcrest, Lianno discovered a secret passage leading to a cave inside the peak—an old imperial arsenal carved by craftsmen. Belion had Lianno convert the sealed cave into a grain store, connecting it to the castle’s warehouse via the passage.
The warehouse was vast; Nolanburg’s current stores filled less than one-twentieth of its space. Belion ordered Mark to contact grain merchants in Yangvikshuo City, Highland Fort, Amondin, and other places, offering to buy grain at ten dinars above market price per shefer.
Belion’s target was to purchase at least two hundred thousand pounds of wheat, ensuring Nolanburg’s reserves were safe—after all, food is paramount.
Though it was autumn harvest and grain was generally cheap, word spread that Belion, the lord, was paying extra, and he was mocked for being foolishly generous. But Belion didn’t mind; he valued real benefits most.
Aside from these civil affairs, Belion spent most of his time with the troops, overseeing training and sharing military insights from his previous life through discussions with Iom, Beth, Barrett, Dock, and others.
Many issues were like a thin paper wall—once Belion pierced it, his contemporaries, limited by their era, understood and quickly incorporated the improvements into Nolanburg’s infantry and militia training.
The soldiers’ organization, discipline, and fitness improved remarkably, especially the new recruits chosen in summer—their progress was visible to the naked eye.
To celebrate the harvest and successful military training, Belion decided to hold a Harvest Festival in early September while the weather was still warm, with sumptuous food and wine.
At the Harvest Festival banquet, there was no bean soup. Instead, Belion’s cook, having learned from him and passed the recipe on, served tofu, tofu skins, dried tofu, and other soybean products.
Soybeans could be a staple, rich in nutrition, but in this world, people only cooked beans in soup, lacking other methods, which made soybeans unpopular.
But once soybeans became tofu and other products, their taste and versatility greatly improved. As expected, at the harvest feast, everyone praised tofu, and soybean products officially became a staple on Nolanburg’s tables.
On that festive night, Belion, warmed by wine, sang several songs—adapted from those he learned in his previous life. One, “The Last Farewell,” received unanimous acclaim. Mark flattered him: “Master, this song is wonderful—the lyrics are beautiful, and the melody ethereal.”
In fact, the song was the end-credit theme from one of Belion’s favorite films, “The Hobbit.” Its lyrics were:
I saw the sky fade its colors,
I heard the low sigh in the wind,
When snow covers my fallen brothers,
Only then will I bid my final goodbye.
Night is falling, the day is ending,
The journey calls, I must leave.
Crossing mountains, traversing the land of endless night,
Walking beside shimmering rivers.
Under the clouds, beneath the stars,
In the snowy fields where cold winds whisper,
I finally set out for home,
Though I know not where this road leads.
We have traveled together, but the day will come
When I must bid you farewell.
I have been many places, endured much sorrow,
But I do not regret, nor will I ever forget
All who walked alongside me.
Night is falling, the day is ending,
The journey calls, I must leave,
Crossing mountains, traversing the land of endless night,
Walking beside shimmering rivers until the sea.
I will carry these memories,
Carry your blessings as I go,
I finally set out for home,
Though I know not where this road leads.
We have traveled together, but the day will come
When I must bid you farewell,
I must bid you a sincere farewell.
Belion brought this song into the world, and thanks to everyone’s fondness, it later became a must-sing at graduation season in the Gray Eagle Fortress school—a development Belion never expected.