Solomon's gaze swept over the crowd again, his young face sharp as a hawk's, meeting the newly enlightened eyes of his soldiers.
"It does not matter if your land is by the river or near the mountain. It does not matter if the soil is black or full of stones. First, it must be measured by this standard!"
"Once it is measured, once we know if it is much or little, then we can talk about merit! Then we can talk about rewards!"
"Who dares argue about this again?" He paused, his voice dropping to a glacial chill. "Who dares question this standard? Who dares question my officers?!"
The last sentence was a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the last flicker of resentment the soldiers held against Luchen and Lauchlan.
Solomon ended his proclamation with four words: "This is the law!" Each word struck like a hammer, forging a new institution into the bones of this land.
"Luchen! Lauchlan!" Solomon turned to his stunned commanders.
"Here! Lord Solomon!" The two men jolted, snapping to attention.
Solomon pointed at the rope square on the ground.
"Your task is to use this rope as the master copy. Make more ropes of exactly the same length."
"Then, split into teams. Take these 'Solomon Ropes' and measure every inch of land under my rule!"
"I want to know exactly how many 'Solomon Acres' I own!"
"Count the numbers. Assign the plots. Register them in a book. Do it fast, and put the results on my desk!"
"Yes! Lord Solomon!" They shouted, not daring to show a hint of hesitation.
Though the order was given, Solomon worried. Statistical analysis was beyond their education level. It involved addition and multiplication. But for now, it was the only way. He couldn't personally count every clod of dirt. At least they could handle the physical distribution.
"Damn it! Without educated men, every step is a struggle!" Solomon cursed under his breath.
He wasted no more words. With one last look at his now-docile soldiers, he wheeled his horse around and galloped away, his cavalry guard trailing dust behind him.
On the plain, only the rhythmic thud-thud of mallets driving stakes remained. The noise of arguments had vanished, replaced by the sound of order.
After Solomon left, creating the "Solomon Acre" standard, Luchen and Lauchlan felt a massive weight lift from their shoulders.
The work became... easy.
The soldiers, who had been red-faced with anger just moments ago, were now incredibly obedient.
They had seen Lord Solomon's method. More importantly, they saw a standard that was clear, simple, and undisputable.
Human nature is not afraid of poverty, but of inequality. Soldiers could accept receiving poor land for poor service, but they could not accept the arbitrary "pacing" method used before.
Luchen and Lauchlan watched in shock as men who had been ready to brawl now bowed their heads before the "Solomon Rope."
As each standard "Solomon Acre" was staked out and marked, smiles returned to the soldiers' faces.
"Hey, Robb! Look! This plot is mine! Not a foot more, not a foot less! Five Solomon Acres!" An old veteran grinned, hugging his wife and son with one arm while gesturing wildly at his new property. "My family's land! My family! Family!"
"Aye! Before, it was all up to Luchen and Lauchlan's legs!" Robb shouted, still holding a grudge against the commanders. "But Lord Solomon is fair!"
"That's right! Lord Solomon is fair!" The surrounding soldiers joined the chorus. "Lord Solomon is as just as the Father Above!"
"As just as the Father!"
Luchen and Lauchlan listened to the praise, their faces burning with shame. They lowered their heads and worked harder, silently swearing to learn how to read and count. The chaos of the morning had been a humiliation they wouldn't forget.
As they directed the measurement, they gathered feedback. The more they heard, the more they respected Solomon. He was a boy, yet he was more mature and capable than any grown man they knew.
When the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the first batch of distributed land, Luchen and Lauchlan didn't dare delay. They hurried to the castle to report.
Solomon was sitting at a crude wooden table outside the castle walls, staring at the structure as if mentally redesigning it.
"Lord Solomon!" The two bowed respectfully.
Solomon looked up, his eyes still tracing the battlements. "How did it go?"
Lauchlan stepped forward, excitement in his voice. "Reporting, Lord Solomon! The Solomon Acre worked like magic! We finished measuring the big tract near the river today. All the disputes are gone!"
"Half a day's work achieved more than the last few days combined!"
Luchen chimed in. "Yes! Lord Solomon! The soldiers and the people are convinced. Everyone is praising you!"
"They say you are as fair as the Father Above!"
"Everyone says with the Solomon Acre, there can be no cheating! Right and wrong are clear at a glance!"
"Good," Solomon said briefly. He turned to them with a smile. "So! The numbers?"
The two commanders froze. Hands went to the back of their heads. Eyes went to the dirt. Silence.
Luchen forced himself to look up, his voice dry. "Lord Solomon... my Lord... exactly how many acres... total acres... that... that will take some time... to carefully... carefully count."
Seeing Solomon's expressionless face, he panicked and added, "And... my Lord knows... we... we aren't good with numbers. Counting is... indeed... a bit slow."
Lauchlan looked equally ashamed.
Solomon stared at them. He was shocked by the sheer rigidity of their brains, but he forced himself to be understanding.
He rubbed his face with his right hand, unable to look at them directly. "Just tell me how many soldiers received land today."
This question was obviously easier for them than calculating total acreage.
I finally understand why kings use scholars to rule and warriors to conquer. Asking a warrior to do math is torture.
If he knew the number of soldiers, he could just multiply by five to get the acreage.
Although they couldn't sum up large datasets, as the direct supervisors, they should know how many men they processed.
Luchen and Lauchlan exchanged a glance, searching their memories.
"Lord Solomon..." Lauchlan started, stammering. "Today... by the river... the soldiers who got land... maybe... maybe fifty... no... sixty?"
He looked at Luchen, unsure.
Luchen frowned, thinking hard. "Hmm. Maybe... should be close to seventy..."
Solomon: "..."
Solomon gasped, turning pale as he looked up at the darkening sky.
"Education! It cannot be delayed for another moment!"