My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 24 The lion opens its mouth

Mi Zhu knew perfectly well that the little stuff in the treasury was only enough for Liu Bei to last until the summer harvest.

Therefore, Mi Zhu was very puzzled that Liu Bei was willing to set up military farms at this time and grit his teeth to implement it. He was both surprised by Liu Bei's courage and suspected that the other party was hiding some resources that he did not know about.

Mi Zhu fully understood Liu Bei's desire to establish military settlements.

Currently, there is a severe shortage of various supplies for the land reclamation project.

If we don't cultivate land, we can still manage to keep up with the money and food supplies.

However, once land reclamation begins, funds, materials, and food will inevitably be scarce, leading to a deficit.

But the benefits of land reclamation are just too great now.

If land reclamation begins now and can be successfully implemented, the dire situation in Xuzhou will greatly improve starting next year.

The effects of land reclamation are not limited to one year. The earlier you start land reclamation, the earlier you will reap the rewards. The resources invested are the same, but the output will be greater the earlier you start.

Mi Zhu originally thought that Liu Bei, with his steady personality, would seek stability and slow down the pace of land reclamation.

First, try to save expenses and reduce expenditures to accumulate resources. Once the resources are nearly stockpiled, then start farming.

Indeed, just as he judged, although Liu Bei did not say it explicitly, he did not make any prior preparations for the establishment of military farms.

But now it seems that I made a mistake.

Mi Zhu hadn't expected the other party to be so decisive, or perhaps... it was actually Liu Feng who persuaded Liu Bei to change his mind at the last minute?
Mi Zhu had a lot on his mind, but he didn't show it on his face. He even humbly said, "Young master, you flatter me too much. The governor cares about the well-being of the people and has specially ordered Yuanlong to do his best to help the people settle down and cultivate land. I have only done what I could by attaching myself to the emperor. I am not worthy of such praise from you."

Liu Feng smiled, and the next moment he went straight to the point: "If my father also wants to establish military farms, I wonder if you, Prefect, can lend us your full support?"

Mi Zhu thought to himself that it was indeed going to be a military settlement. Since the governor had made up his mind, he had long wanted to repay him. So he replied solemnly, "Don't worry, young master. As long as the governor and you give me your orders, I will do my best."

Liu Feng was somewhat surprised that Mi Zhu had included him in the conversation.

Is this selling directly to oneself?

Despite his doubts, Liu Feng proceeded to the next step step by step, making outrageous demands.

"To be honest, Your Excellency, we need a lot of money and supplies this time. I'm afraid the entire Xuzhou region can only rely on Your Excellency."

Liu Feng looked at Mi Zhu and announced a number that greatly surprised the other party.

"It is estimated that we will need 70,000 shi of grain, 100 oxen, 2,000 sets of clothing and shoes, 1,000 sets of bedding, 30,000 jin of iron, 1 million qian of cash, and 30,000 shi of grain seeds."

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three main grain crops in Xuzhou were millet, wheat, and rice.

Rice has the highest requirements for cultivation, requiring not only abundant water but also relatively high levels of sunlight and soil fertility. However, it also has the highest yield, with an average yield of over three shi per mu, and even over four shi per mu in some fields.

Wheat is second best, as it is not as demanding on the soil as rice, and its yield is also lower than rice, but it still exceeds three bushels.

Millet is the lowest grade, but also the easiest to grow. It is drought-resistant and has the lowest soil requirements, but its yield is also the lowest.

The yield of millet per mu is less than two shi, but millet can be replanted, and the annual yield can barely reach three shi.

The grain output ratio in the Han Dynasty was approximately 1:20.

That is, 1 shi of seeds can produce 20 shi of grain.

Although there may be slight differences between different grains, the general ratio is as follows.

Liu Feng's plan for this land reclamation project includes 500 hectares of paddy fields, 1000 hectares of wheat fields, and 2500 hectares of millet fields, totaling 4000 hectares. Assuming 10 jin of seed per mu, that would require 8 million jin of seed.
One shi in the Han Dynasty was 120 jin, which roughly translates to 30,000 shi of various grains.

4000 qing of land is equivalent to 400,000 mu of land. In the Han Dynasty, a farmer could usually cultivate 80 mu of land, so it would require at least 5,000 households.

Assuming an average of at least four people per household, that's twenty thousand people.

Liu Feng was to prepare at least six months' worth of food for them, to last until after the summer harvest.

Two adults need 3 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain per month to survive. At this time, there are very few side dishes, and almost no meat. They can only rely on grain to provide energy, so people have a large appetite.

Such a family of four, with two adults and two children, needs at least five bushels of grain each month.

After all, these farmers were meant to cultivate the land, and without enough to eat, they wouldn't have the strength to do the heavy farm work.

For 5,000 households, Liu Feng would prepare 100,000 shi of grain to sustain them until the harvest.

The investment is considerable, but once the settlement is successful, the returns are extremely substantial.

In terms of grain alone, each season can produce 600,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain.

Even if Liu Feng were to be relatively generous and split the profits 50/50, he could still net 300,000 shi of grain.

The 300,000 shi of grain was enough to cover Liu Bei's expenses of supporting another 5,000 troops for a year.

Moreover, this is only the first harvest. Given the level of agricultural maturity at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, many crops could be harvested three times in two years, or even twice a year.

If the military farms are managed properly, the grain output could very well reach one million shi (a unit of dry measure) starting in the second year, not even counting the output of farmers in textiles, mulberry cultivation, and other industries.

There are so many benefits to military farming, but the key issue is whether Liu Feng can raise enough food rations and produce enough crops.

As for whether the Mi family had enough food rations and enough grain to grow, the answer is yes.

Lu Su's family was merely a powerful clan in a county, possessing two large, round granaries, each containing three thousand bushels of rice. When Zhou Yu went to him to borrow grain, Lu Su casually pointed to one of the granaries and lent him three thousand bushels of rice.

The Mi family was incredibly wealthy, having been the richest family in Xuzhou for over a century. Their wealth must have been dozens of times greater than that of the Lu family.

Liu Feng clearly remembered that when Mi Zhu married his sister to Liu Bei, he provided Liu Bei with two thousand servants, gold and silver, armor and weapons, which greatly boosted Liu Bei's prestige.

Moreover, within half a year, he quickly recovered his strength, commanding an army of ten thousand, which aroused Lu Bu's suspicion and made him uneasy.

Therefore, he would definitely have this amount of food and supplies if Mi Zhu was willing to lend them.

Liu Feng's outrageous demands really startled Mi Zhu.

He originally thought that since Tao Qian had previously sponsored 10,000 shi of grain, and now that Liu Bei was also sponsored, he could simply follow suit and contribute 10,000 shi as well.

Who could have imagined that Liu Feng had such a huge appetite, demanding ten times the amount of grain alone, requiring 70,000 rations and 30,000 grain seeds.

If you also include the million-dollar sum of money, one hundred oxen, two thousand sets of clothing, one thousand sets of bedding, and thirty thousand catties of iron, then it's more than twenty times more than what Tao Qian had back then.

Mi Zhu had one strength: he was calm and composed.

Therefore, although he was shocked inside, he remained calm on the surface.

After a moment, Mi Zhu slowly shook his head: "Young master, this... is really too much."

Two consecutive chapters, please support! Thank you all for your support. There will be an extra chapter tonight!
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(End of this chapter)