Chapter 18: Construction of Kuri
Food would always be the most important foundation.
If people could not even eat their fill, there was no talk of prosperity.
Under Kuri's climatic conditions, developing agriculture was actually a natural advantage. However, the sparse population meant that the people living there did not even have the ability to continue reclaiming wasteland. For those villagers, merely cultivating their existing plots of land was already an exhausting task.
With Shutenmaru and his men involved, the situation was completely different. The productivity gap between trained samurai and ordinary villagers was like the difference between eras. If the villagers represented small-scale subsistence farming, then these samurai were equivalent to large-scale production.
With such labor, vast stretches of farmland could be opened up in a short time.
Coupled with Kuri's climate, as long as the first 3 months passed, a substantial harvest could be expected. Moreover, with conditions suitable for repeated planting throughout the year, Kuri would not have a winter off-season like other regions.
By next year, Kuri's financial situation could be completely transformed, potentially becoming second only to Hakumai.
This was not Ren looking down on other regions. Places like Udon or Ringo were genuinely difficult to develop due to their natural conditions. Even in his previous life, Ren knew that vast eastern territories in cold regions struggled to support agriculture, regardless of how rich they were in other resources.
"Lord Ren, let me massage your shoulders," Yukiko said, seeing him sitting to the side. She walked behind him and gently pressed his shoulders.
Seeing her, Ren suddenly thought of something.
"Yukiko, once the Daimyo's Mansion is established, there will be many things to manage. For now, you'll help me oversee the finances."
"Oversee finances? Me?" Yukiko asked in surprise.
Ren nodded. "When Shutenmaru brings back villagers willing to help with construction, food will need to be distributed. You'll decide how much each person receives. In your spare time, count how much grain the stronghold currently has. If it's not enough, have them hunt in the mountains."
Yukiko nodded, still somewhat uneasy. "Can I really do something like this well?"
"I can only rely on you," Ren said helplessly. "We can't expect those former bandits to understand these matters, can we? Across all of Head Mountain—no, all of Kuri—there are probably fewer than 100 people who can read."
Only Yukiko had learned some administrative knowledge from Orochi. Aside from her, Ren could not find anyone else suitable.
"Once things truly stabilize, we can recruit people from other regions," he added.
Hearing this, Yukiko's expression grew firm. "Yukiko will definitely complete Lord Ren's task!"
Meanwhile, when Shutenmaru escorted the abducted women back to their villages, it caused an immediate uproar. The villagers rushed out in terror, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.
Shutenmaru explained the situation once, but even after seeing the young women returned, the villagers still looked at him with disbelief. In their hearts, they assumed these bandit lords were merely finding new ways to torment them.
Who could have imagined that the people of Kuri, oppressed for hundreds of years, would one day hear that the bandits had been pacified?
They did not dare speak their doubts aloud. It was only after the women themselves confirmed the story that the villagers began to half-believe it. As for Shutenmaru's request for people to help build the Daimyo's Mansion, they dared not refuse.
No one believed the bandits would actually feed them, but if they refused and angered these people, they might be killed on the spot. So they all expressed their willingness to obey.
Shutenmaru did not take everyone. That would have left no one to tend the fields, and the stronghold's food reserves were limited. He selected some men and middle-aged women, telling them to remain in the village for now. Once all the women from other villages had been returned, he would bring them to Head Mountain together.
Among those selected were both men and women. In Shutenmaru's view, the women were actually more useful. The villagers lacked the strength to move massive stones or timber for construction, while these women could handle cooking and logistics—and they also consumed less food.
Time passed little by little.
Before long, Ren's Daimyo's Mansion was completed.
Those who had gone to help returned to their villages and spoke of what they had witnessed. They described how the bandits were obedient and restrained before Ren, slowly convincing others that someone had truly subdued them.
In particular, the villages Ren and Yukiko had personally visited remembered their words from before. They sighed at their own blindness and felt a sense of pride, believing that such a great figure had once eaten in their humble village.
From that day on, the people of Kuri no longer had to fear being plundered by bandits.
That alone was enough to bring tears to their eyes.
Although the bandits who deserved death were not executed, as long as life could continue, who would risk everything for revenge? Moreover, those men had now become enforcers maintaining order. Under the new Daimyo's command, they were even helping reclaim farmland, which was already the best possible outcome.
Kuri was still poor and weak. Even with Shutenmaru and the others reclaiming land, the remaining grain reserves could barely sustain the first few months.
Yukiko had originally wanted to write to Orochi for assistance, but Ren stopped her.
In his view, this problem was manageable. He had previously obtained the Ripe-Ripe Fruit. Although he had not fully assimilated it, he could already use its ability to some extent.
He directly ripened the first batch of crops, instantly resolving the crisis.
This ability, however, could not be used frequently, as it severely depleted the soil's fertility.
Fortunately, once the urgent issue was resolved, everything else became much easier. Kuri was vast and sparsely populated, and Ren planned to develop a mixed system of farming and animal husbandry.
Kuri's transformation could not be hidden from the other regions, nor did Ren intend to hide it.
He established defenses along the borders, and before long, even the Flower Capital noticed the changes taking place in Kuri.