Barton, a Barbarian Slave, was in a tall and spacious wooden house.
The wood of this house seemed quite exquisite, emitting a faint, refreshing woody scent.
He held a large bowl of brown rice firmly in his hands, the bowl filled to the brim, almost overflowing.
Barton's gaze slowly shifted to his side, where his wife was also holding a large bowl of brown rice, her head bowed, vigorously shoveling food into her mouth, her focused and eager manner as if she wanted to chew and savor every single grain of rice.
And their nine-year-old daughter, Miranda, also held a rice bowl nearly as big as her small face, eating with rice grains all over her face, yet completely oblivious, just continuously praising: "Papa, this food called rice is so delicious. Miranda has never eaten such delicious food before, Papa, you eat too!"
Barton looked at the scene before him, his heart a mix of emotions, feeling as if he were in an illusory dream.
Once, as a member of his tribe, he led his wife and daughter to wander everywhere, with no fixed abode.
To own a house, even if not luxurious, as long as it was sturdy and spacious enough to shelter from wind and rain; to wear warm clothes to ward off the winter cold; and to eat enough food every day without worrying about hunger—this was his greatest dream in this life.
However, fate always seemed to enjoy playing tricks.
When he was in the tribe, no matter how hard he tried, this dream remained like a reflection in a mirror, distant and unreachable.
Later, when the tribe was defeated, he and his tribesmen became slaves, and he thought they would From then on (from then on) fall into endless darkness and despair. Yet, unexpectedly, this dream, which he once thought would never come true, was now realized in such an unexpected way.
Barton's heart was filled with questions; he really couldn't understand why that Human noble, now the Lord, would do this.
In his opinion, it was completely unnecessary.
After all, in his previous understanding, slaves were merely the private property of Lords, used for exploitation and oppression, so why would they be given such excellent living conditions?
He still clearly remembered what that Human Lord had said before; those words, at the time, sounded like a beautiful fantasy, making it hard to believe.
But now, all this seemingly beautiful reality was genuinely laid out before him.
Could it be that it was all true?
And not a beautiful dream that could shatter at any moment?
"Papa, what are you thinking about? Why aren't you eating?"
His daughter Miranda saw Barton staring blankly with his rice bowl and asked in her still somewhat childish voice, her clear childlike tone like a gentle spring breeze, softly caressing Barton's heart.
"Nothing, Papa was just spacing out. I'll eat now."
Barton was pulled back to reality by his daughter's voice. He quickly lowered his head, extended his rough yet strong hand, grabbed the food from the bowl, and put it into his mouth.
The simple yet wonderful taste of the brown rice spread in Barton's mouth, making him involuntarily speed up his eating.
While chewing his food, he secretly looked at his daughter.
He saw his daughter looking at him with a satisfied expression, the smile on her small face as pure and bright as an angel's, bringing a warm current to Botton's heart.
Botton's gaze gradually firmed, and he secretly vowed in his heart: If the days to come could all be like this, even if he sold his life to that Human Kingdom lord, it would be worth it!
All of this was worth protecting with his life!
At this moment, in every corner of Winterfell City, the same scene was unfolding among the Barbarian Slaves.
Some were gathered with their families, sharing this hard-won feast; others sat alone in corners, silently savoring this long-lost warmth and contentment.
Unbeknownst to them, the Barbarian Slaves' trust and subservience to Link were rapidly increasing.
Warm dwellings protected them from the winter's harsh cold; comfortable clothing shielded them from the biting wind; sufficient food filled their once-hungry stomachs; and the presence of their families brought them the warmth of home.
These seemingly ordinary things were like the most potent weapons, slowly dismantling the defenses of these Barbarian Slaves.
They had never imagined that after becoming slaves, they could live a life even better than before.
This huge contrast filled them with gratitude and awe for Link.
Just as the Barbarian Slave Botton thought, such a life was worth protecting with their lives.
Because they knew that all of this was hard-won, and once lost, it might never return.
After taking in this batch of Barbarian Slaves and letting them enjoy several days of happiness, Link began to classify and train them.
For the adult Barbarian Slaves, Link arranged for Lina and Lucrezia to teach them combat skills.
At the same time, Link also had some veteran Soldiers of Winterfell City serve as instructors for these Barbarian warriors.
These veterans had experienced countless battles and were rich in experience; they not only rigorously trained the Barbarian warriors but also taught them the rules of the military camp.
From troop formation to command execution, from daily routines to combat discipline, every detail was explained clearly.
As for the younger Barbarian Slaves, Link devised a special training plan.
The first step was to instill in them the concepts of Winterfell City's supremacy, defending Winterfell City, obeying orders, and dedicating everything to Link.
Link knew that children's minds were the easiest to mold, especially these simpler Barbarian children.
He believed that after a period of 'brainwashing,' coupled with the immersion in a life that was like heaven to them, these Barbarian children and youths would develop an unparalleled sense of belonging to Winterfell City, willing to dedicate their all to Winterfell City and to him.
While instilling in these Barbarian children the ideas of Winterfell City's supremacy and the Lord's supremacy, their training tasks were also carried out simultaneously.
Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight fell upon the land of Winterfell City, these Barbarian children were awakened and began their day of training.
They learned basic combat skills, such as wielding wooden swords and throwing stones; they also learned how to cooperate as a team and follow commands.
As for the Barbarian women, Link did not let them idle either.
Although these Barbarian women could not fight on the battlefield, they were much stronger and tougher than human women.
Based on their characteristics, Link arranged for them to engage in various tasks within their capabilities.
Such as cleaning the territory, having them sweep the streets diligently with brooms, making Winterfell City cleaner and tidier; or having them reclaim wasteland, preparing for planting crops; or repairing roads, having them move small stones to fill potholes, making the roads smoother.
All the Barbarian Slaves had their own jobs to do, and they spent every day busy.
However, this not only did not cause dissatisfaction among these Barbarian Slaves but instead made them feel at ease.
Because they felt that having work to do every day meant that this human Lord was not deceiving them, and everything they possessed was real, which made them feel secure.
Otherwise, enjoying such a good life every day without labor would make these Barbarian Slaves feel anxious deep down.
They feared that all of this was just a brief dream, and once they woke up, they would lose everything.
Moreover, the tasks Link assigned to these Barbarian Slaves seemed incredibly easy to them.
Compared to the arduous labor they performed for survival in their former tribes, these jobs were a piece of cake.
They even felt somewhat undeserving of the life they now had.
Therefore, all the Barbarian Slaves worked on the tasks Link assigned, not a single person slacked off, nor did anyone become negligent; all the Barbarian Slaves were full of vigor.
They knew that only through their own efforts could they protect everything they now possessed.
With fulfilling and wonderful days ahead, it wasn't long before these Barbarian Slaves completely submitted to Link.
Everything happened naturally, without any reluctance or pretense.
Moreover, this was only the first batch of slaves accepted by Winterfell City.
In the future, if more slaves joined Winterfell City, it would become even simpler to make them completely submit.
Because with the example of this first batch of Barbarian Slaves, seeing them live such happy lives, the speed of submission would be even faster.
In the Human Kingdom, the proportion of slaves would definitely not be small.
There was much to be done with slaves.
From modern history, there are examples, such as US President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
At that time, the Union lines were stretched thin and in urgent need of a large number of Soldiers, so in the same year, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Union army unprecedentedly recruited Black people into the military. Although most Black Soldiers were only assigned to menial tasks, such as transporting supplies and building fortifications, President Lincoln's move still won the support of Black slaves.
These Black slaves saw the hope of freedom, and they were willing to fight for this freedom, which also became one of the factors in the Union's victory in the Civil War.
In this world, the same principle applies in many places.
Although Link would not do something thankless like liberating slaves, after all, as a lord himself, he was, in essence, one of the 'slave owners,' he deeply understood that utilizing these vast numbers of slaves could definitely play a significant role at certain times.
Not only for war, but in the agricultural era, various constructions could not be done without a large amount of manpower.
Building castles, reclaiming farmland, constructing roads—every project required a huge amount of manpower and resources.
And these slaves were definitely the best and cheapest labor resource.
They did not need to be paid high wages; only basic living security needed to be provided, and they would work themselves to death for him.
Link stood on the city wall of Winterfell City, looking at the busy Barbarian Slaves within the city, filled with confidence.
He knew that by rationally utilizing these slave resources, Winterfell City would surely usher in a more prosperous future.