Chapter 74 Debut
It was still very hot in Shuzhong at the end of August. Liu Chan still felt extremely uncomfortable standing on the ground with a yellow cover on his head. He is a fat guy, he sweats easily, and his underwear got soaked early, but he still had to act nonchalant on the outside. Because he is the emperor, he wants to be a good emperor, and he must continue to do this kind of thing to increase his appeal.
"Farming is a big thing. Your Majesty pays so much attention to it. It is really a blessing to all people." Someone around him was flattering the old-fashioned flattery. Although the person who said it was disgusting, Liu Chan obviously liked listening to it, with a chubby face. A smile appeared.
"Is that the eight-ox plow newly made by Zhu Yejian? Please use it to show me." He had to make a complete set for the show. As a powerful tool to win people's hearts, Liu Chan actually paid more attention to the eight-ox plow.
At that moment, some palace officials went down to deliver the emperor's oral instructions.
In the Han Dynasty, the word "Zhen" as a self-proclaimed emperor generally only appeared in court meetings or edicts, and was also used in some more formal occasions. In private, they usually call themselves "I" and "I", just like ordinary people. In addition, the word "I" is not only used by emperors, but can also be used by queen mothers and empresses.
After receiving the order, Wang Xun and Zhao Guang, who had been prepared for a long time, raised their whips and shouted. The eight cows swung their tails, dragged the heavy plow, and walked forward slowly, digging deep into the soil. Turn up.
"Why is this plow so weird?" As a student of Prime Minister Zhuge, Ma Di naturally knew the origin of the eight-ox plow, but what he didn't expect was that this real thing not only looked weird, but was also so big?
Ma Su could no longer suppress his curiosity. He picked up his robe and went to the ground himself. He bent down and looked at the turned up mud. He thought to himself: This is much deeper than the ground turned up before.
The rules between emperors and ministers during the Han and Tang Dynasties were not as strict as those during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. As long as it was not a formal occasion, the relationship between emperors and ministers was still relatively casual. Even in the early Song Dynasty nearly a thousand years later, ministers still sat on chairs when discussing matters in the dynasty. Only in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, when imperial power reached its peak, did people kneel down to discuss matters.
Ma Su turned around and found Feng Yong, who was standing far away on the other side of the field. He raised his hands and said, "Is Feng Jianling okay?"
Feng Yong felt on the spot that this guy was here to ridicule him. There was nothing I could do about it. The caring look in his eyes when he looked at me a few months ago was still fresh in my memory.
“Thank you Ma Canjun for your concern. Farewell Feng Zhuang, long time no see.”
"I really made a mistake that day." Ma Su had a wry smile on his face and shook his head gently, "It was my fault that I almost lost a good talent to the court. Feng Jianling once said that farming requires deep cultivation and careful work. , is the essence, I didn’t understand it that day. A few days ago, I also heard that Supervisor Feng ordered the farm to harvest half a stone more grain per acre than the fields elsewhere. Now that I think about it, it must be related to the four words of deep cultivation and careful cultivation. We can't break away from it. I hope Supervisor Feng won't worry about the rudeness that day."
In Fengzhuang, treating talented people as crazy talents really felt like a black mark that could never be erased in his life. However, he was a student of Zhuge Lao Yao after all, so he could speak out about this matter without blushing, and he also said it in public. Feng Yong handed over his hand and apologized. This magnanimity was quite admirable.
"I don't dare. The boy was really arrogant that day. He said something unfounded in front of Ma Shenjun. Anyone would think it was absurd. When it comes to talking about it, it was the boy who was unreasonable." Feng Yong quickly returned the courtesy.
Ha
Feng Yong nodded: "That's right. Deep plowing can not only cut off the roots of grass, but also turn the grass underground to become fertilizer for crops, killing two birds with one stone."
“Fertilizer?” Ma Su asked strangely, “What does this mean?”
"People want to eat grain, and cattle want to eat grass. They all rob the essence of other things to nourish themselves. Even the food, why doesn't it need to rob the essence of the soil in order to grow? Cutting off the roots of the grass will prevent the weeds from eating the food. Fight for the essence of the ground, plow the grass underground, and over time, the weeds will transform into the soil and become the essence of the ground, which can be used for food. This is killing two birds with one stone."
There is no way to tell the ancients about microbial trace element photosynthesis, so I had to talk about it casually.
After hearing this, Ma Su's eyes lit up and he raised his hands and said, "Farmers and common people all know that we must remove weeds in the fields. When asked why, they were at a loss and didn't know why. Today, when I heard Feng Jianling's words, I suddenly became enlightened. The Book of Changes says: The relationship between heaven and earth Tao, people use it every day without knowing it. The ancients were sincere and I didn’t deceive them!"
Literature people are so annoying! Everything can be quoted from the scriptures!
Feng Tibi laughed dryly and did not answer the question because he, an illiterate man, didn’t know how to continue.
Fortunately, Ma Su didn't notice Feng Tubie's embarrassed expression. He looked at the Eight Niu Li with some emotion: "Some time ago, I heard that Feng Jian ordered the village to provide food. I also thought about it in private. If I could do it that day, After listening to Feng Langjun’s words, I wonder how much more grain the big man can harvest this autumn? Oh, I’m really ashamed!”
Damn it, why do I feel that officials in ancient times were always so disciplined? Shouldn't it be that with the development of productivity, people's level of consciousness will continue to improve?
"How can it be so simple?" Feng Yong said, "This eight-oxen plow alone is extremely difficult to make, and it is not something ordinary people can afford. Not to mention, it takes eight oxen to pull it. How many of them are there in the world? How can one family have eight cows? For example, in the government office, there are only two cows."
Ma Su said meaningfully: "Sometimes it is not easy, but it is the easiest."
Feng Yongdang didn’t understand. Thinking that this time, Old Demon Zhuge would most likely take advantage of this opportunity to try to sneak up on the locals - if it were Feng Yong, he would do the same thing. How much food can be produced in such a big place as Hanzhong if it is completely reclaimed? It is definitely more than enough to supply the Northern Expedition. There will be no problem in supplying it for at least one or two years. Food no longer needs to be controlled by the aristocratic family. Zhuge Lao Yao will probably let himself go completely. Thinking about it, he is a little scared.
The biggest disadvantage of the eight-niu plow is that it is not easy to turn around. It is only suitable for large areas of cultivated land. As for those small fields, the curved shaft plow is naturally the most suitable. But in this era, which aristocratic family doesn't have tens of thousands of acres of fields connected together? This kind of eight-ox plow is the most convenient for them!
Of course, all the nobles here today are poor compared to the big families in Shu, and most of them don’t have that much land at home. This may have seemed like a sad story before, but now it seems that there is no need to be sad anymore, because there are many wastelands in Hanzhong!
Because of the wars in Hanzhong in the early years, large areas of barren fields were abandoned there. It is really heartbreaking! The wasteland must be reclaimed as soon as possible. Everyone's hearts began to get excited. The emperor is wise! Earlier, he said that he would use the land of Hanzhong to reward everyone, but there is no real news yet. He couldn't be lying to us, right? No, we have to find a way to remind the emperor.
The ministers who knew about the existence of Ba Niu Plow began to feel a little turbulent in their hearts.
(End of this chapter)