Chapter 123 Personal Experience: Andra revealed an extremely strange expression...
Long marches naturally require supplies, and from the second day onwards, a steady stream of people set off from the capital to catch up with the little princess's entourage.
Andra looked up at the girl riding ahead, who was at the very front of everyone, her long, black hair more dazzling than the flags in the daylight.
Where is she going? And why the beach?
...port?
An answer inexplicably flooded his mind, causing Andra to involuntarily tighten the reins. In a daze, he felt the sea breeze on his face and the sensation of seawater washing over his nose.
That was obviously an illusion, but she somewhat agreed with the answer.
King Norlana is still very young, and Eleanor's bond with her mother seems far stronger than the familial bonds within the Hertua royal family. Unwilling to contend with her mother, she decides to set her sights on Baelai.
Andra frowned as he thought about it: The idea was good, but how would Eleanor carry it out? The Belials were rich and had many ships; a mere thousand-strong slave army couldn't possibly accomplish anything.
Snap.
The horse stopped, and she gazed ahead. Not far away, there was a... small village?
Andra did not ask any questions, but she spurred her horse forward, quickening her pace to catch up with Eleanor ahead, and entered the village almost at the same time as her.
This is an abandoned village, and according to the map, there is a city not far away.
Seeing her expression, Eleanor said frankly, "There are many villages like this in Norlana."
“Yes.” Andra nodded. When she first arrived in Norlana, she discovered that the country was not as prosperous as it seemed.
The capital of Norlana is rich in the wealth of the entire country, but if you go out for a few days and nights, you will find many barren places.
Due to taxes, disasters, or epidemics, some city-states in Norlana would even periodically drive away their villagers, forcing them to find food elsewhere, which would cause much land to be abandoned from time to time.
Although the Hertuyas had no right to mock Norlana in this regard.
While she was thinking, Eleanor had already entered the village and dismounted beside a field that had been cultivated but then abandoned.
She stood on the edge of the field, waiting for thousands of people to enter the village one after another, and had the squad leaders and servants go first to guide them in lining up.
After everyone was in place, the princess gently said "Sit," and then sat down on the ground herself.
Upon seeing her actions, everyone quickly followed suit. Even Mysera, who had been pulled over by the servants, sat down in bewilderment to listen to her sister speak.
Andra sat beside Manju, watching Eleanor's earnest face. She thought the girl would give a passionate speech, urging everyone to march along the city-states, eventually gathering and training a large army to attack Baley—
But Eleanor's first words were, "Okay, this is our first stop."
She gently plucked a blade of grass from the edge of the field and blew it aside with a whoosh. Then she said slowly, "Let's repair the houses here first, and then plant a year's worth of crops."
...?
Not only Andra, but everyone else looked surprised.
Even Coral, who had prayed before setting off that Her Highness the Princess would not take any risks, couldn't help but widen her eyes: Farming?
Not to mention them, even the slaves couldn't understand.
They were war slaves. Apart from a small number of people whose talents were later discovered by their slave owners, many of them were raised as war slaves from childhood.
They had never experienced family life or farmed; their daily lives consisted of training and going to the battlefield to die.
This group's yearning for freedom was "to acquire enough treasure on the battlefield, to have a family, and to enjoy their old age with their wives and daughters."
These imaginings do not include putting down swords and settling down to farm. However, the slaves also know that land is linked to family and peace. Farming is hard, tiring, and difficult, but it must be safer than fighting... right?
The girl chuckled when she saw the different expressions on their faces.
It wasn't mockery, but rather a feeling of pure joy.
"Everyone, I know that most of you have never farmed, and neither have I."
She lowered her hands and placed them on her knees. "Farming in Norlana used to be tough and the pay was meager—but I can change all that."
"Higher production and lower taxes—if we can achieve these two things, there will never be so many desolate villages in Norlana again!"
The princess spread her arms wide, and the wild grass swayed behind her, as if it had transformed into heavy ears of wheat.
“I can do it. The sages of the past and the future have imparted a great deal of knowledge to me, and the scholars I have hired will arrive soon. As long as you assist me in fighting for two quarters, we can prove it to everyone and promote it to the whole world.”
worldwide?
The slaves, however, paid no attention to this. One of them eagerly pressed on, "Your Highness, you will grant us land..."
She realized halfway through her sentence that it was too outrageous, so she quickly covered her mouth, blushed, and lowered her head.
However, Her Highness nodded and said calmly, "This is just the first pilot project. We will continue to move forward, and in total, we will need about five or six villages."
Upon hearing about the land distribution, everyone held their breath, and those in the front row who wanted to ask questions had their mouths covered by those in the back.
"I will hand over the farming steps to scholars and experienced farmers. They will teach you how to tend the land. I have already sent people to buy high-quality seeds at a high price. Once you have learned, you can start farming."
Eleanor said the part they most wanted to hear: "There will be many people supervising this process, and as long as everyone works hard enough, all the cultivated land will be yours after a year."
A commotion erupted as everyone tried to shout, but then fell silent.
Her Highness paused consciously.
Salin and the squad leaders exchanged a few quiet words, then asked on behalf of everyone, "Your Highness, do you wish for us to become farmers in the future?"
They didn't mention serfs, because serfs were not allowed to own private property. The merciful princess had already hinted at their freedom from the outset, which made the atmosphere exceptionally relaxed.
Eleanor shook her head, her gaze sweeping intently across the room.
“I will give you all the freedom to choose. The people under my rule will live better than before, but farmers cannot leave the land... and are destined to work harder than others.”
Her earnest voice resonated in everyone's hearts.
“I know you are all excellent warriors, and some of you may hope to exchange your swords for a relatively easy future. But no one has ever taught you how to farm or the life that free people are accustomed to.”
Just like the day we first met, smoke rose from the chimneys of some dilapidated houses as the princess was about to finish speaking.
"Alright, let's eat first, instead of worrying about all that." She raised the corners of her mouth, casually glossing over the hardships and sorrows.
......
Eleanor picked up the bowl and slowly drank the bean soup inside.
Knock knock.
There was a knock on the door. She turned around and, unsurprisingly, saw Andra leaning against the wooden door.
The boy released her hand and walked to the table, examining the simple furnishings of the room. She glanced at the dark brown food in the girl's hand and couldn't help but shake her head.
“Eleanor, you don’t have to suffer with them.”
The princess shrugged, picked up the bowl again in front of her, and drank the soft, mushy beans in one gulp, deliberately letting out a "ha~".
"Wow~ It's delicious."
Andra bared his teeth, but bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.
She pulled out a chair, sat down, and said sternly, “What I mean is, you can find someone else—like a very capable official—to manage them and use your precious time to do something more meaningful.”
Eleanor put down her bowl and looked at Andra with a smile, as if she could hear Anya's nagging and coaxing again.
"Eleanor, I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong."
The young man wearing a crown flipped through the report in his hands, then helplessly pulled his lover closer, touching her forehead with his palm to check her temperature. "Your energy is precious. From now on, let Hudora and the others handle these things."
Yes, human energy is precious. The saying goes, "If you can't lead a team, you'll work yourself to death."
In her previous lives, she often assigned suitable tasks to suitable people, such as the military... She entrusted the military to Andra, Mysera, and Manju in three consecutive lifetimes.
She didn't interrupt Andra, but listened patiently to the boy's words, becoming more and more surprised as she listened.
In this life, Andra was only a teenager, yet she knew why she used a slave army to carry out the initial farming plan.
The logic is simple: it is very difficult to persuade thousands of farmers to change their past farming methods, and there will be many instances of them paying lip service while secretly resisting.
These war slaves were not only used to obedience, but also had a high level of enthusiasm for learning to farm. They would be very hardworking, at least in the first year, and would do everything according to the scholars' requirements. They dared to do even the most "outrageous" things.
These are just the surface layers; as Andra spoke, she even analyzed Andra's future plans.
He cultivated the land in the name of the crown prince, seizing some of the hidden fields from the nobles, while converting more slaves and landless commoners into farmers, and promoting the latest farming methods and spreading improved varieties.
"...These things can be left to others. Since you're going to Belair...uh, why are you looking at me like that?"
Andra was momentarily distracted when he saw Eleanor resting her chin on her hand, staring intently at him.
"It's nothing, I just feel...you understand me too well, don't you?" The girl smiled sweetly, reaching out as if to poke her nose.
The two of them were stunned at the same time.
Andra stepped aside, and Eleanor moved her wrist, pointing to the door: "As for why I have to do it myself~ Come on, let's go to the river together."
"good."
Andra quickly turned her head to hide her flushed face and rushed out the door first.
......
They crossed the desolate fields and came to the riverbank not far away.
Some fallen leaves were floating on top. Eleanor took an expensive glass container from her bosom and slammed it down.
She seemed to see Andra's pained face behind her and calmly explained, "Don't worry, I have a way to mass-produce glass."
"...Is this also an apocalypse?"
"I guess so."
The princess raised her hand, and the water in the glass was murky with many impurities, and there were also slightly larger plankton and insects swimming around inside.
Seeing this, Andra pondered the rumors about Eleanor in the court and confidently took over the conversation.
"I know you've been advocating in the palace to drink more hot water and to use filters. So, after filtering and boiling the water, there won't be any impurities, right?"
"That's part of the reason."
Eleanor pointed to the forest in the distance: "I'll fill the village's large buckets with water using buckets. Please cut some firewood for me."
......
Why did things turn out this way?
Eleanor stared into thought as she looked at the full buckets of water and the large pile of firewood beside them.
She originally wanted to teach Andra a lesson through her own labor: if you don't experience things firsthand, you'll overlook the hard work and difficulties involved.
The reason she insisted on doing everything herself was to learn from these experiences what she had missed in her previous lives, in order to get closer to the working people at the bottom of this world.
However—they don't work hard at all!
She and Andra had such special physical abilities that they completed two tasks at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.
Andra crossed his arms casually, as if to say, "What are you trying to tell me? Anyone can do things like chopping wood and pouring water."
"Andra, what I really want to say is that we shouldn't always be so high and mighty; sometimes we should come down and experience things for ourselves..."
Eleanor pressed one hand against the bucket, her voice growing softer and softer.
"...Pfft." The princess, who was holding the bucket, suddenly laughed. She remembered Andra from the beginning.
So clever, so arrogant, yet—so devoted to pleasing the little princess.
Of all the Andhras she experienced, the first Andhra was actually the most "gentle" and wise.
Even in the end of her previous life, when Andra fought a dragon to save a small island, all she thought about was the "fun thing" of slaying the dragon.
The young heir with golden-red hair recounted many adventure stories about Andra as if pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
In that lifetime, Andra never stayed for anyone, including Eleanor—the lover she devoted decades to.
Only the first Andra learned to be considerate and was willing to become a wise king, enjoying the love and respect of the people.
Eleanor looked at the bucket in front of her and thought of Andra combing the little princess's hair, building Enlin with her lover, personally wiping her sick wife's body, and even carrying her to scenic spots to admire the wildflowers blooming on the mountains...
The key is not physical exertion, but investing a sincere heart.
Because of reluctance, there is affection.
She wouldn't give up on experiencing all of this firsthand, and she would take Andra, Myrcella, and the nobles along the way with her—this time would not be wasted.
Eleanor looked up, patted the tub with an innocent expression, and said, "I'd like to try boiling water and how to help someone take a bath. Would you like to try?"
"..." Andra revealed an extremely strange expression.
Princess Wang waved her hands repeatedly, "Alright, alright, I'll call Manzhu and Shanhu over."
"want."
"ah?"
I said I wanted to wash.
Andra, with a tight smile, pushed himself up from the barrel and climbed inside.
Splash! Water splashes everywhere.
Eleanor stared at Andra's soaking wet body, momentarily stunned. "You... forgot to take your clothes off."
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