Harlen Town is located above the Gods Eye and is a town outside of Harrenhal.
Originally, this small town would have been burned and destroyed during the War of the Five Kings, but today it has ushered in its own rebirth.
Because the crops had just been harvested, the people of Harlen Town were enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
Roman took this opportunity to organize the townspeople to build infrastructure.
This included water channels, sewage ditches, single-household three-compartment septic tanks, as well as reinforced roads and a large watermill.
Originally, after finally getting a break, the townspeople were unwilling to perform corvée labor for the lord. However, Roman said that as long as they built what was requested, these infrastructure facilities would be free for the townspeople to use.
This completely ignited the enthusiasm of the townspeople. Previously, they were not allowed to bake bread or grind flour at home; they had to go to places designated by the lord and pay a usage fee.
This was the exorbitant taxation of the Middle Ages, and Westeros had preserved it.
Normally, corvée labor meant working for the lord; whether the construction was good or bad, it belonged to the lord, so doing a perfunctory job was usually enough.
If one worked hard, not only was there no reward, but if the body was left with chronic ailments, the family would be ruined.
Under such circumstances, one could not blame the people for slacking off.
But now that Roman said it would be free for everyone to use once built, what more was there to say? They would gladly provide their labor.
The whole town was working in full swing; the only ones who might want to cry were the original miller and some shop owners.
Looking at the reports coming in from various places, the stone from Harrenhal had already become the foundation for local infrastructure, and was now radiating outward layer by layer.
Originally, Roman intended to build a few brick kilns to make bricks as building materials, but the stone bricks of Harrenhal were so abundant that even Scholar Tom told Roman not to waste his effort for the time being.
Roman was personally present during the construction of Harlen Town. Although he no longer personally laid the mortar, he watched the progress every day.
Beside Roman were several loyal and sharp-witted Servants, each of them recording the key points of the construction of Harlen Town.
These people were specially selected by Helaena of House Hoare at Roman's request. Roman planned to learn on-site with them, and in the future, they would become grassroots administrators in the territory to advance Roman's plans.
These Servants had served the Hean Family for generations; some were even born into families of stewards. Now, receiving Roman's attention, they were moved to tears and followed Roman, studying desperately.
"Study hard, and summarize your experiences with each other afterward. The future construction of the territory will depend on you all!"
Roman patted a few of them on the shoulder, making them even more grateful.
"My Lord! I will definitely study hard. Even if it costs me my life, I will build the territory for you!"
"Don't say that!" Roman interrupted his impassioned speech. "Take care of your health. If you are gone, Helaena of House Hoare and I will have to do it ourselves. Do you want me to go lay bricks?"
This joke made the atmosphere lively, and amid the laughter, everyone respected Roman even more.
Many secretly swore: "The Seven above, I must serve the benevolent Lord Roman well!"
The townspeople of Harlen Town were even more moved because Roman had truly walked through every corner of Harlen Town.
Whether they were poor or wealthy, Roman would visit them and understand their living conditions.
"Are you eating enough?" "How did you survive the long winters before?" "How is the wheat yield in the fields? Can it support a family of six?" "Is coal convenient for heating and cooking? Have there been any problems?"...
Roman not only greatly improved his reputation among the townspeople but also gained a lot of inspiration, finding solutions to various problems.
The apprentice officials behind him were also eagerly recording various resident issues and response knowledge.
Roman mobilized all the residents of Harlen Town, along with the professional craftsmen he brought, and Harlen Town immediately took on a brand new look.
Houses were repaired, roads were leveled, and water supply and drainage became more reasonable.
Besides this, Roman also dragged Scholar Tom to the square of Harlen Town to give a lecture on hygiene.
Roman did not expect the people of Harlen Town to understand, because knowledge in Westeros was simply too precious; what he wanted was for the people to comply.
"Do not drink raw water! Didn't Lord Roman bring coal? It's not like you can't afford to start a fire!" "It is forbidden to dump excrement on the road! This is a warning. The second time, we will catch you and make you sweep the streets. If there is a third time, be prepared to pay a fine!" "Why haven't you dug a septic tank? Is there no one left in your family?" "All trash must be dumped in the landfill; it is not allowed to be thrown on the road!" "What kind of look is that? Do you have an opinion about Lord Roman!"
While building Harlen Town, Roman arranged for the sharpest of the apprentice officials to take up posts locally.
According to Roman's requirements, they began to standardize the production and daily life of the residents of Harlen Town, and recruited people to assist with various tasks.
A small bureaucratic institution was thus created; it would serve as the tentacles of Harrenhal, gradually bringing the originally loose territory into the hands of the Hean Family.
On the day the complete renovation of Harlen Town was finished, even the locals could not believe that their home could become so beautiful.
Seeing the town now, the local residents finally realized what kind of miserable life they had been living before.
At the same time, with Harlen Town now complete, Roman wanted to use Harlen Town as a model, and the next villages and towns would also undergo the same operation.
Currently, because the Hean Family lacked sufficient influence over the surrounding areas, they adopted a feudal model for the various villages and towns.
Whatever happened in those places, how cases were judged, and how taxes were collected were all decided by the local mayors and town heads; the Hean Family only met them when collecting taxes.
"This behavior is not good. Study hard, and in the future, you will all be the ones managing those places."
For these Servants, this opportunity was a meteoric rise; they would transform from propertyless Servants into local administrators, and report directly to Roman.
When everything was done, Roman had to return to Harrenhal to report on the trip to Helaena of House Hoare.
However, when Roman arrived at the village entrance, he discovered that it was already surrounded by townspeople.
Everyone intended to see Roman off.
Facing the enthusiastic smiling faces of the Harlen Town residents and listening to their cheers, the Attendant beside Roman had a thought:
"Even a king would probably not be able to receive such love and respect from the people as Lord Roman."
Throughout Westeros, the benevolent and capable monarchs could be counted on one's hands, and a monarch like Roman, who was willing to sacrifice for the people at such a young age, was even rarer.
Roman arrived at the backward Harlen Town with stone and wood, and when he left, he left behind a brand new town and various foods stuffed into his hands by the people.
Looking at the dazed Attendant before him, Roman opened his mouth to interrupt their thoughts: "Let's go, we still have many tasks ahead."