Prepare to improve farm tools 2
Chapter 8: Prepare to improve farm tools 2
The next day, after Chu Huaibei had breakfast, he prepared to go to the military camp with the deputy general. When he walked out of the gate, he saw a carriage parked quietly... Chu Huaibei glared at the deputy general, snatched the deputy general's horse, turned over and mounted, and said to the deputy general: "You take the carriage yourself, I'll ride the horse." "Alas, your highness, your highness..." The deputy general saw that his own highness turned around and walked away. He had no choice but to untie the carriage rope, lead the horse and catch up with the pace of the people in front while saying to the driver: "You find a way to go back to the palace by yourself..."
The driver looked at the dismantled carriage in silence for a long time, then apologized to the palace guards and asked them to stop the carriage at the door for a while while he returned to the Qin Mansion to fetch another horse. The palace guards at the door were quite understanding and nodded, saying, "It's okay. Leave it here for now. You can return to the Qin Mansion to fetch the horse."
When the deputy general caught up with his prince, his tone was quite aggrieved: "Prince, it was the Queen Dowager who sent a message to let my subordinates prepare a carriage and take good care of you." Chu Huaibei held the reins with his left hand and looked straight ahead: "Humph, I told you to bring the horse yesterday, but you pretended to obey and disobeyed." The deputy general pulled a bitter face, "Prince, the Queen Dowager is also concerned about you. Your broken arm has not healed yet, so the carriage should be stable." Chu Huaibei knew that his mother was doing this for his own good, but if he really took a carriage into the military camp, those scheming guys would probably want to do something to disgust him. Chu Huaibei had a lot of things to do and didn't want to cause trouble.
Arriving at the military camp, she first inspected the various areas. The camp remained in good order. It seemed the men were optimistic about her recovery and wouldn't dare to cause any trouble during this period. It was a shame that only Chu Huaibei knew about the accident caused by her serious injury, which had led to her, a spirit from another world, arriving here.
Then he led his deputy to the Sinong Office. Since he had been notified by the deputy yesterday, Chen Sinong had had a clerk waiting at the gate. Seeing the prince approaching on horseback from afar, he turned around and immediately informed them. Chen Sinong and the entire Sinong Office were there to greet the prince. This was the young prince's first visit, and Chen Sinong attached great importance to it.
Chu Huaibei dismounted and helped Chen Sinong to his feet, then instructed a clerk beside him to help the chief officer. Having Chen Sinong lead the way to the farm tool warehouse, Chu Huaibei looked around. It was quite large, with a large number of farm tools, all neatly arranged. He picked up a shovel. The handle was sturdy, and the head was free of mud and clean. He looked at a few more shovels. They were all clean and intact. Chen Sinong was keeping this place very well managed.
Chu Huaibei looked at them one by one and found that there were very few types of farm tools here. The only ones used by humans were shovels, hoes, pickaxes, sickles, and hoes for turning over the soil. The only one used by animals was the primitive iron plow, which needed to be pulled by two oxen.
There was no spiked rake, and the hoe was not the kind commonly used in rural areas in the previous life. There was no flat rake for covering the soil. It seemed that some research had been done.
Ever since she recalled the Emperor's attitude towards her and the schemes of the various Northern Border families, Chu Huaibei had been determined to control the army's lifeline of food and fodder. If the Emperor ever lost his temper and simply cut off the army's rations, that would be a truly fatal joke. Besides buying grain, she could only increase production by growing it herself. Cultivating wheat seeds was a gradual process, but there was no rush. She would first focus on agricultural tools, improving sowing and harvesting efficiency, and minimizing the loss of production due to missed deadlines.
Chu Huaibei asked Chen Sinong beside him: "Chen Sinong, why don't we see any spiked rakes or flat rakes here?"
Chen Sinong frowned after hearing this and thought hard before saying, "Your Highness, I have never heard of these two items. What are they used for?"
Chu Huaibei wanted to describe it, but realizing he might struggle, he asked Chen Sinong for pen and paper and carefully drew a diagram. "This is a four-toothed rake, used for turning the soil. It's easier than a hoe and turns deeper. This is a flat rake, used for ridge formation and covering the soil after sowing," Chu Huaibei explained carefully.
Chen Sinong understood the first part, but the second part was completely lost on him. He had never heard of the purpose of ridge-making or why it was necessary to cover the soil. "Your Highness, please forgive my ignorance, but what exactly are these ridge-making and covering operations?"
Chu Huaibei looked at Chen Sinong, trying to confirm from his expression whether he was asking a sincere question. Did they plant wheat without ridges or covering it with soil? Seeing that Chen Sinong's doubts did not seem fake, Chu Huaibei asked, "How do you plant wheat?"
Chen Sinong replied, "Your Highness, now we first till the soil and then spread the wheat seeds evenly on the ground. When the ground is dry, we water it. When the wheat seedlings emerge, we only need to water it later."
Chu Huaibei was shocked after hearing this. How could such a crude planting method be reasonable? This parallel world didn't inherit the agricultural civilization, or the original author simply didn't consider the issue of agricultural production. Agriculture is the core of feudal society! Could the author not be more attentive...
Oh, and there's no plow here. It's a highly efficient agricultural tool for sowing wheat, completing the entire process of furrowing, sowing, and covering soil in one go. First, have the people at the Sino-Agricultural Office replicate it, then find a plot of land and show them how to operate it. They should understand. It's difficult for Chu Huaibei to demonstrate it without a real object; people always lack imagination for the unknown.
Since they were already here, Chu Huaibei also drew a curved plow and asked them to make a prototype. The curved plow could be used by one person and one ox to plow the fields, doubling the efficiency of the animals. "Have a copy of these farm tools made first. If you need anything, ask the deputy general directly. I'll come back in ten days."
Chu Huaibei had originally planned to leave the Sino-Agricultural Office and return to the parade grounds to watch the soldiers train, but his deputy general persuaded him to return. It was almost noon, and the palace guards had specifically sent a message yesterday, saying, "The Queen Mother asks General Qin to take good care of the prince's health and to persuade him to return home early unless necessary." "Qin Feng, what did my mother use to bribe you?" Chu Huaibei said, gritting his teeth as he turned and stared at his deputy general, tugging at the reins.
Qin Feng bowed and begged for mercy helplessly: "Your Majesty, General, please let me go. Like the Concubine Dowager, I am only concerned about your health. After all, this injury is not ordinary. I also hope that you can recover soon and return to the barracks to command the northern border."
Chu Huaibei rode back on horseback in disappointment. She had thought that since she had finally gotten out of the palace, it would be best if she could walk around and have a look. After all, many scenes only existed in her memory. She had not left the palace for more than a month since she came to this world. Although she had children and beautiful women by her side, she still wanted to see the outside world.
She now felt that the scenery along the road from the military camp to Youyun City was very beautiful. The remaining snow that had fallen a few days ago had not yet melted away, and the dry grass on both sides of the road was lightly covered with a layer of fluffy white. Looking into the distance, she could see the snow-white mountain tops in the distance, and even the sky was aqua blue. The midday sunlight fell on her body, and she felt that the wind blowing on her face was warmed, and her mood became wonderful for a moment.
Unfortunately, Chu Huaibei’s good mood did not last until he returned home. Soon after he entered the city gate, he was blocked by a group of people on the street.
两拨人推推搡搡，其中一拨人还在间隙伸手揍人，没打脸，专往人身上痛处打，端的下手狠辣。围观的群众都站的远远的，深怕自己被牵连，但还是止不住的指指点点。看来，不管在何时，国人都爱看热闹的这个传统继承的很好···
Chu Huaibei ordered his personal soldier Lu Shun to take two people to separate the two groups first. It was outrageous that they were fighting in the street in broad daylight.
Lu Shun and his two companions stepped forward and first pulled out the one who was beaten the worst from the crowd. The man who was in the middle of a fight suddenly came to his senses. The man was dressed in military armor and had an imposing aura. It was obvious that he was a fierce general who killed enemies on the battlefield. So he gradually stopped and retreated to his own camp.
After the two groups had completely separated and stood in place, Chu Huaibei raised an eyebrow, pointed his left finger at the fat man who had been beaten the worst, and asked, "Tell me first, in broad daylight, why did you two start a fight in the street?"
Ma Youcai rubbed his chest. Seeing that the man, though wearing a sling and embroidered clothes, was protected by armored guards, he must be of extraordinary status. He immediately took two steps forward, plopping down to his knees, and said in a plaintive voice, "Sir, I am Ma Youcai, the owner of the Maji Restaurant in the west of the city. The one who beat me was a servant of the Censor Fan's family."
"This is what happened. Half a month ago, several servants of the Fan family came to our small restaurant and ordered a table of food and wine. They ate well that day, but the next day they came to smash the restaurant and smashed it, saying that the food in our restaurant was not fresh and had upset their stomachs. They demanded compensation for the medicine money. Our small restaurant is inherited from our ancestors and has been open for more than 20 years. It has always been clean. Neighbors often come to eat there and have never had any stomach problems. Anyone who has eaten there can testify to this. They didn't get the money the next day, and on the third day they even brought a corpse in, saying that someone had died from eating in our restaurant. , and wanted to go to the government office to sue me. I had no choice but to raise the money and pay 500 taels of silver. But they were not satisfied and kept asking for more money. I have elderly parents and children to take care of, and I can't go to jail. Otherwise, what will they do? Gradually, I gave them all the 100 acres of good farmland and the restaurant at home. But who would have thought that today I would see the corpse on the street! I chased him to ask about it, but he ignored me and even beat me. My younger brother saw that the situation was not good, so he went home and called his family for help. The next thing you see is what happened.
After hearing this, Chu Huaibei first signaled Lu Shun to call the prefect Liang Song over, and then ordered the remaining guards, "Keep a close eye on both groups. Don't let any of them escape."
Looking at the servants of the Fan family, he said, "Let's not talk about whether what Ma Youcai said is true or not. Someone will come to investigate the case soon. You dare to beat people in the street in Youyun City. You are really brave. Who gave you the power to hurt people at will?"
The Fan family's servants had never met Chu Huaibei, and the visitor hadn't announced his identity. Those who tried to introduce themselves were silenced by a poke in the arm. The master had sternly instructed them not to act on their own when encountering problems outside the home. They were to report everything back home, and someone would handle it. Youyun City had several generals living there, and if they encountered someone who was difficult to talk to, they could only blame themselves for their bad luck if they were attacked on the spot.
Those who were beating, those who were being beaten, and those who were watching the excitement were all silent for a moment, and no one spoke.
Lu Shun came quickly with the prefect Liang Song. Liang Song stood at the bottom of his horse and bowed, "Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
Everyone suddenly realized that this person was actually the King of Zhenbei!
Chu Huaibei pointed at Ma Youcai and the Fan family members kneeling on the ground and said, "Zhizhou Liang, this person on the ground has been wronged. It is true that the Fan family servants standing behind him beat people in the street. Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly. Youyun City is not a place where trouble can occur."
Liang Song bowed and confessed his guilt: "I will definitely investigate the truth and strengthen the security patrols in the city to prevent such tyranny from happening again."
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