Chapter 118: Down to Earth, Luo's Farming
The six kingdoms began to unite and attack Chu, and all the princes automatically ignored two people - the emperor in the Zhou royal capital and the Marquis of Luo in the Luo State.
But obviously neither of them cared. After the royal territory increased significantly, taxes would naturally increase significantly.
How long had it been since the Emperor of Zhou fought such a prosperous war?
All the dilapidated palaces that had not been repaired before were renovated, and all the treasures that had not been purchased before were collected into the palace.
Now that the emperor had funds to reward his subjects, the undercurrents in the royal capital were even less.
The beauties that were tributed from various countries made the Zhou emperor feel that he had reached the peak of his life.
This emperor loved to enjoy himself. He believed that human life was so short that one should enjoy it while he could.
He thought that Luo State did not need to interfere in the affairs of other countries now, so Luo Hou must be bored, so he sent a large number of precious treasures to Luo Chang, and also gave him a piece of land.
The Emperor of Zhou also wrote a letter himself, saying: "Lord Luo, the Great Heavenly King blesses you, and may you live for thousands of years, be happy and healthy.
The Mandate of Zhou has lasted for nearly eight hundred years, and this is all thanks to you, Lord Luo, and our ancestors.
Because of the Luo Kingdom, the royal family was able to obtain so much land.
I have acquired many treasures these days. If I don't share half of them with you, how can I sit safely in Luoyi?
So please accept it.
You cannot come to Luoyi, and I cannot see you. Perhaps I will become the only emperor in Bang Zhou who has never met the Marquis of Luo. Whenever I think of this, I feel indescribable grief.
I will give you these cities close to Luo State, perhaps this way you can be closer to me.
The spirit of the King Su is in heaven, and the Mandate of Heaven for the State of Zhou will last for thousands of years."
The Zhou royal family was full of incompetent and mediocre kings, but this emperor was relatively sensible.
Luo Chang looked at the letter with some emotion and sighed, "We enjoy the wealth created by our ancestors, and we, as descendants, must also bear the sufferings created by our ancestors. This is the justice of heaven."
"Father."
Luo Chang had just put away the letter when he heard his son Luo Qing calling him from outside the door, so he said, "Qing'er, come in."
Gongzi Qing pushed the door open and walked in. As a child of a royal family, his appearance was of course quite outstanding, but there was still some dust on his body, as if he had just come out of a pile of dirt. His face was full of excitement.
Gongzi Qing walked into the room, bowed first, then knelt in front of Luo Chang and said with great joy, "Father.
During these days, when I and many Mohists were studying Mohist tools, a new plow was created.
This plow is very labor-saving to use. It is plowed by oxen and can be used on lands that were difficult to cultivate in the past. It is also more efficient than humans.
Over the years, the family has gradually fine-tuned the calendar, and a complete calendar is about to appear.
We are researching and improving current farming techniques. Now, I, your son, and the Mohists have developed new farm tools. This is a sign that farming will develop greatly.
Agriculture is the foundation of the world. If the new plow can be promoted throughout the world, wouldn't it be possible to reclaim more land and feed more people?
Our ancestor King Su said that if the Xia people had more land suitable for farming and producing bronze, they would be able to prosper forever.
Therefore, King Su started the feudal system. Now, the most suitable land for farming in the world is in the hands of the Xia people. Therefore, the barbarians in all directions are gradually eliminated.
One day, the development of land will stop, and then we must cultivate every piece of land that has been developed. If the Chinese have a population of 10 million, how prosperous will it be? "
Ox-drawn plows have been around for quite some time, but bronze is indeed not suitable as a farming tool and is not yet widely used.
Until the emergence of iron tools, although the iron smelting technology was not advanced at that time, it was still very useful as an agricultural tool.
With the emergence of the new plow, Rockefeller also improved the astronomical calendar to make farming time more accurate.
Gongzi Qing is the person who cares most about farming in the Luo royal family, and he is really excited now.
He believed that the reason why King Su's etiquette was so perfect that it allowed the Zhou Dynasty's Mandate of Heaven to continue for hundreds of years was that King Su's etiquette could make everyone stay in their place and ensure that there was always enough food to supply the people.
If the people of the country are at peace, the state will be at peace.
"Now the population of Zhuxia is increasing, and the speed of population increase is getting faster and faster.
But it is not easy to cultivate a piece of land that can produce food. Now with new and convenient tools, it will surely speed up the process."
Luo Chang smiled and said, “Then go and see the new plow you mentioned. If it is really useful, it should be recorded in the classics.
Just like the ancient Suiren and Youchao, their stories have been passed down through the ages, letting future generations know that there was such a group of sages who paved the way for the people of Xia. "
Outside of Zhaocheng, there is a manor that belongs exclusively to the Luo family. Luo Chang and Luo Qing came here under the protection of the guards.
There were a lot of people gathered in a farmland, half of them were wearing Mohist clothes, and the other half were wearing scholar robes.
If the nobles of Luo State saw it, they would find that most of the adult royal family members of Luo State appeared here.
Dust all over the sky fell on this group of people, but no one left. The Mohists were used to it. They were just struggling at the bottom of society and didn't care about so many things.
As for the royal family of Luo State, they have suffered too much in the process of educating their children. There are really not many things in this world that they cannot accept.
"monarch!"
"Master!"
Everyone saluted Luo Chang one after another, and then a group of people looked at the Mohists who were driving oxen in the distance under the scorching sun. It was like using a sharp knife to split flesh and blood. The slightly hard soil did not hinder at all and was directly turned over by the plow.
Everyone present had farmed before, and the efficiency of plowing was much higher. Luo Qing said excitedly: "Father, this efficiency has increased by at least several times."
Luo Chang quickly grasped the most critical point, "Now we need to see the extent of the wear and tear."
After a while, the Mohist who was plowing the field came back with his ox and laughed loudly, "After the modification, you can hold the plow with one hand. As long as you make sure it doesn't tilt, you can let the ox use its strength the whole time. With this thing, one man and one ox are more powerful than ten men!"
Luo Chang walked behind the plowing ox and held the iron plow without bending or exerting any effort. Then he pulled out the iron plow directly. He saw that the wood was wrapped with sharp iron sheets, emitting a cold light.
This metal is harder than bronze, but due to the lack of advanced smelting technology, it cannot replace bronze on the battlefield. However, as an agricultural tool, it is a far superior metal to bronze.
…
During the period of Luo's political retreat, due to the frequent wars between countries, countless deaths and the collapse of benevolence and righteousness, ancient scholars always described it as a dark age.
But objectively speaking, after withdrawing its energy from politics, an endless stream of new ideas and new technologies emerged in Luo State. Just like the emergence of the "Mo Li", the advancement of productivity cannot be ignored. These crystallizations of wisdom are the most precious wealth of that era.
The battle of wits between the various schools of thought is far more exciting than the bloody stories between kings, princes, generals and ministers. —— "A Study on the Contributions of the Agriculturalists and Mohists to the Origin and Development of Agricultural Tools"
I'll update a little more tonight to make up for what I did this morning~
(End of this chapter)
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