Simon explained patiently, and Baldwin listened intently. Gradually, the concept of production teams became clearer to him.

A completely new method of production gave him a sudden sense of clarity, as if clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

In truth, the idea was simple: divide the population into small groups, provide each group with oxen and farming tools, and have them share these resources. During planting and harvesting, they would coordinate their labour, significantly increasing efficiency. Each group would have a leader responsible for overseeing the tasks and ensuring productivity.

For Baldwin, this was an entirely foreign concept. Throughout history, governments have concerned themselves only with land distribution and taxation, never directly organising production like this.

Simon observed Baldwin’s reaction with satisfaction.

This was nothing more than borrowing modern agricultural practices. The Eldorian Empire still functioned under a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy.

However, even this self-sufficiency was being eroded by powerful landowning families monopolising land, causing productivity to stagnate.

Simon had no choice but to introduce production teams. His domain was too poor; only through strong organization could it break free from its backward state.

At least, under current technological limitations, he believed this system would be highly effective. In times of national crisis, planned economies were the sharpest tool for rapid recovery; letting things develop naturally would only lead to further decline.

The rampant land annexation in his domain was proof of this problem. Without firm control, the common people would lose even more.

Thanks to the knowledge from the system, Baldwin quickly gained a thorough understanding of the production team structure.

[Knowledge transfer complete.]

"My Lord, I am enlightened. I will immediately notify the local governments to establish production teams and distribute the oxen and tools." Baldwin said.

"Wait," Simon added. "For wealthier households willing to contribute their oxen and tools for public use, they should receive some form of compensation. Also, we must draft laws to regulate the care and maintenance of these resources."

Baldwin bowed deeply again, eager to head to the Governor’s Office.

Though he had never heard of such a system before, he now understood that it could rapidly restore Brambleford’s agricultural productivity.

On his way to the Governor’s Office, Baldwin couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the stark contrast between the current Simon and the one from before.

Why has the prince changed so much?

Frowning in thought, he suddenly considered a possibility.

"Has the Prince been hiding his talents all along, avoiding competition with his brothers? And after the recent assassination attempt, has he realised there is no more room to hide?"

Glancing back at the direction of the Prince, Baldwin’s expression grew thoughtful.

Meanwhile, in the prince’s residence, Simon also glanced toward the Governor’s Office.

He could tell that Baldwin was an ambitious man.

Scholars of this era all harboured dreams of serving the nation and its people. Simply put, scholars of this time had lofty ideals.

Baldwin was known as the most ruthless censor, likely because of his deep passion for the Eldorian Empire.

That was precisely why Simon valued him.

Such men were rare; they got things done.

At the same time, such men were frustrating; they were inflexible and lacked social tact.

But regardless, when it came to governance, Baldwin was an expert. He had been in Brambleford for five years, and yet the people hadn’t rebelled and hanged him from the city gates. That in itself was a testament to his ability.

When Simon had explained the production team system, Baldwin’s eyes had shone with excitement. Clearly, the idea had struck a chord with him.

With Baldwin’s enthusiasm, there shouldn’t be much difficulty implementing the plan.

Stretching lazily, Simon tightened the tiger fur cloak around himself. This was genuine fur. In this era, tigers weren’t a protected species. They were a menace.

"My Lord, are you heading to the Engineering Department again?" Ysabeau approached him as he stepped down the stairs.

Today, she wore her usual purple dress, but underneath, she was bundled up in thick winter clothing.

Simon had examined these winter garments before; they were padded with kapok.

Some regions of the empire did cultivate cotton on a large scale, but warm clothing was still a luxury.

Otherwise, why would ancient people say? "The wealthy’s tables overflow with food, while the poor freeze to death in the streets?"

"I’m going to check on the progress of the farming tools," Simon said.

"Then I will send someone to prepare your horse," Ysabeau replied, immediately ordering the servants to fetch it from the stables.

Simon nodded approvingly.

Since Roland had left on his mining expedition, Ysabeau had been managing the residence’s affairs. She had done an excellent job.

Even though the assassination attempt had happened some time ago, Simon still travelled with guards whenever he left the residence.

At the main gate, two personal guards were already waiting for him.

They had been handpicked by Lancelot, two brothers named Thomas and William Valemont. Their sole duty was Simon’s protection.

At the Engineering Department, Simon went straight to inspect the farming tools prepared for distribution.

The silver he had earned from the coal business had been allocated in two ways; part of it went into establishing the new workshop, while the rest was spent on purchasing oxen and forging farming tools.

One unexpected benefit of selling the coal briquette technology to the Goldwynd family was that the cost of iron ore and coal had significantly decreased for the Engineering Department.

Since the expenses were deducted from his share of the profits, it saved Simon a considerable amount of money.

Inside the workshop, blacksmiths were busy, some hammering metal, others refining iron ore.

Their ironmaking techniques still relied on the fining process.

This method involved binding raw iron to wrought iron, allowing the molten pig iron to evenly merge with the softer iron, producing steel with an intermediate carbon content.

Wrought iron had a carbon content below 0.02%, while pig iron contained over 2%. By heating them together, they could create steel with a controlled carbon composition.

This method was widely used in the empire and was considered a decent steelmaking technique.

However, given the growing demand for farming tools and coal stoves, the current rate of steel production was becoming insufficient.

That was why Simon had come: to improve the steelmaking process.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t yet replace the fining process.

Crucible steel required graphite, which was currently unavailable. Bessemer converters were even further out of reach.

"Blast furnace ironmaking?" When Simon suggested this method, Bjorn looked utterly confused.

No iron, no steel.

This was the immediate problem.

Simon had instructed Roland to prioritise the search for graphite, but after a month, there was still no news.

For now, the only solution was to increase raw iron production.

If Roland succeeded in finding graphite, the increase in iron production could then be integrated with crucible steelmaking to form a proper manufacturing chain.