Chương 165: Spring Ploughing

In March of the second year of the Zhongping era (185 AD), in Zhuojun, Youzhou...

Spring has arrived, all things are reviving, a vibrant scene of life and vitality is still vivid in our minds.

In the fields outside Zhuoxian County, the snow has melted, the soil is soft, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass. It's planting season again.

Those once barren lands have now been divided into neat squares, one after another, stretching as far as the eye can see.

These are all plots of land that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui led people to measure over the past three months. They were allocated to a displaced family, who would pay 30% rent after cultivating the land and keep the rest for themselves. As soon as this policy was introduced, the displaced people were incredibly enthusiastic, wishing they could work in the fields 24 hours a day.

The fields outside Zhuoxian County were bustling with activity.

The hordes of refugees—now they should be called farmers—carried brand-new curved plows, their eyes fixed on the fields. Three months ago they were starving and skin and bones, but now they not only had enough to eat and had a peaceful New Year in Youzhou, but they were also allocated land. They had tools in their hands and hope in their hearts.

"Brother Zhang, how many acres did your family receive?"

"Five mu! How about yours?"

"My family also has five mu! I heard they're planting a new crop this year, what's it called... potatoes? sweet potatoes?"

"Who cares about beans or potatoes? Having land to grow is a blessing!"

"Old Wang, hold the plow steady! Don't tilt it!"

"Li Ergou, your land is over there, don't crowd me!"

"Aunt Zhang, your child shouldn't run around in the field, be careful not to trample the seedlings!"

On the ridge of the field, a young man dressed as a minor official was shouting through a wooden megaphone until his voice was almost hoarse.

These were all "military officials" selected by Xun Yu from among the refugees. They were literate, honest, and responsible for managing a plot of land.

Early that morning, the governor's mansion became lively.

Liu Ce summoned Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and other officials and clerks from various departments.

In the middle of the hall were three piles of things: one pile of yellowish potato seeds, one pile of reddish sweet potato vines, and the other pile of hybrid rice seeds wrapped in oil paper.

"Gentlemen," Liu Ce pointed to the three piles of treasures, "Whether the people of Youzhou can have enough to eat depends on these things!"

A crowd gathered around, looking at them curiously.

They had seen potatoes and sweet potatoes before, but this was the first time they had ever seen hybrid rice seeds.

"My lord, can this rice really yield more than fifty shi per mu?"

Xun Yu picked up a packet of seeds, weighed it in his hand, and asked, "Back in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the yield of rice per mu in good fields was only three or four shi (a unit of dry measure), and anything over fifty shi was simply a pipe dream."

Liu Ce patted his chest and guaranteed, "Absolutely! This is a superior breed that I acquired at great expense."

Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up: "If that's true, Youzhou will be self-sufficient in grain in no time!"

Du Ruhui had already begun planning: "Plant potatoes and sweet potatoes on dry land, and rice in paddy fields; allocate land rationally to maximize yield..."

...

Several carriages stopped on the official road not far away.

Liu Ce climbed out of the car, stretched, and looked at the bustling scene before him, feeling incredibly pleased.

"My lord," Xun Yu followed behind him, holding a planning map in his hand.

"As you instructed, all the fertile land around Zhuojun has been allocated. More than 30% of it is planted with potatoes, another 30% with sweet potatoes, and the remaining 30% with rice. The displaced people are allocated according to their households, with each household receiving at least five mu, and the more they work, the more they will be paid."

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction and took three large sacks out of the carriage.

"Come on, watch carefully," He placed the burlap sack on the edge of the field, untied the rope, and said, "These are potato seeds. Cut them into pieces, each with one or two buds, and bury them in the soil."

He grabbed a few potatoes; they were golden yellow and quite large.

The refugees gathered around, looking at it curiously: "My lord, can this thing really yield fifty shi per mu?"

"Is that even possible?"

Liu Ce laughed, "If it's planted well, one acre will be enough for your family to eat for almost a year!"

He opened the second sack: "These are sweet potatoes, propagated by vine cuttings. They're easy to grow and drought-resistant. The yield is no less than that of potatoes."

The third sack contained rice seeds—"hybrid rice F1 seeds".

Liu Ce began assigning tasks: "Wenruo, you take the lead and distribute these seeds to the refugees. Plant them the way I taught you—cut the potatoes into chunks, leaving two buds on each piece; transplant the sweet potato vines, spacing them one foot apart; and transplant the rice seedlings after raising them, ensuring accurate spacing between plants and rows. Assign someone to supervise each plot, and don't let them mess things up!"

Then Liu Ce took out a handwritten "Guide to Planting New Crops" and handed it to Xun Yu.

Xun Yu took it, opened it and looked at it. It was full of pictures and text, with detailed steps, and even the time for watering and fertilizing was marked.

"Your Excellency has thought this through very well."

Xun Yu nodded and said, "I will definitely do it well."

"Xuanling," Liu Ce then looked at Fang Xuanling, "You are in charge of farm tools and irrigation. The curved plows have been distributed, but it's not enough. The workshops should speed up the production to ensure that there is one for every five households. In addition, potatoes and sweet potatoes are dry crops, so we need to prepare more hoes; rice needs water, so the irrigation ditches in each farm area must be dug to ensure that rice planting is not delayed."

Fang Xuanling pulled out his small notebook and quickly wrote down: "We still need three thousand curved plows, five thousand hoes, two thousand shovels... As for the irrigation canals... what else, my lord?"

That's all for now.

Du Ruhui interjected: "My lord, the refugees are very enthusiastic, but some families have no livestock and are having difficulty cultivating the land."

"Then let's organize mutual aid groups!"

Liu Ce already had a plan: "Five households per group, sharing oxen and farm tools. Those without oxen will pull the plows themselves! In short, spring plowing cannot be delayed!"

He added, "Tell the displaced people that there will be rewards for good planting! The top ten with the highest yield per acre will have their rent waived for a year! The top one hundred will be rewarded with cloth and salt! I want everyone to work their ass off to farm!"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this. This was a ruthless tactic; a generous reward would surely bring forth brave men.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the others: "Kemin, you coordinate with the various counties to ensure smooth transportation of grain seeds; Fengxiao and Zhicai, you keep an eye on the border, and make sure there are no problems during the spring planting season; Wenhe and Gongtai, you..."

He called out names one by one and assigned tasks.

Everyone responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Liu Ce was secretly delighted.

With potatoes, sweet potatoes, and hybrid rice, Youzhou no longer has to worry about food shortages.

The enthusiasm of migrants to settle down and cultivate land can also be increased - if they can eat the land and have grain to pay taxes, they can even have some left over. Who wouldn't be happy?

When the autumn harvest comes and the granaries are full of grain, he can confidently expand his army and fight with greater strength!

"Gentlemen," Liu Ce cupped his hands to the group of advisors and officials behind him, saying, "I'm entrusting this matter to you all. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me. Spring plowing is of paramount importance; it's related to whether our Youzhou can gain a foothold."

Everyone smiled and nodded, saying, "Rest assured, my lord, we will not let you down! By the autumn harvest, we will ensure you see fields full of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice!"