"These pampered lords... they've only worked hard for a few months, and they're already falling apart."
Ryan sneered, then said:
"Go tell them something privately."
"Say that the territory's population is too high right now, putting huge pressure on the food supply. If anyone can open up more farmland, they'll definitely have a shot at earning a lordship. But distant water can't quench present thirst—if someone can research new crops or accelerate wheat growth, they might also be elevated to lord."
"Each of them was at least a mage apprentice, and yet their brains are this dim?"
"Also, three months from now, spread another message: say that future farmland will need to be overseen by people with knowledge and proper manners to monitor yields."
"That should keep their ambition and drive burning until the end of the year."
If demand didn't exist, then create it. Raise some people up to lower others down. Once there's a gap, it's only natural for a lord to exploit it.
