Opening post by Ser Harrold Wode · #1
start with grain, not glory. I fill the granary before buying another flourish for the keep, then keep a separate reserve that raiders and cheerful accounting cannot touch. Check the stores after every harvest and move surplus inward from outlying plots... winter does not care whose banner looks impressive.
salt meat while it is still fresh, and stack firewood under cover before the first hard frost. I send gathering parties early, when the roads are safe, rather than waiting until every peasant has discovered that snow is inconvenient. You should also leave pack animals rested; a starving mule costs more than it's worth.
keep one convoy ready near the keep, with its route chosen before trouble starts. If a supplier is lost, cancel the journey instead of feeding wagons to the road for pride’s sake. I rode alone again today, so I have little patience for plans that depend on everyone behaving loyally... save food first, trust later.