I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 38 Famine Raid!

After this operation, Yuan Shu directly recruited Han Jin and the useless people under his command.

The entire Maoling County did not start the spring farming work under the leadership of the government, but was mainly managed by Yuan Shu and agricultural assistance organizations.

If other people knew about this, they would probably say it was "extremely strange".

After actual operation, Yuan Shu found that this group of guys were really not very capable, and many things were not done as efficiently as the Thirteen Guardians.

There was a group of officials, some of whom couldn't even count well. They were so unsuccessful in using the counting sticks that the numbers they came up with were so wrong that they were far from the original score, which made Yuan Shu very angry.

But it must be said that with them here, at least on paper there are no problems.

Yuan Shu had all the human, material and financial resources, but if he wanted to carry out large-scale operations, he still needed the support of the government. The so-called helping farmers, the important thing is the "help".

Therefore, Han Jin was just like a big flag raised by Yuan Shu, who used the big flag as a cover to do things efficiently in Maoling County in an official capacity, and directly treated Han Jin as a rubber stamp.

Han Jin and his gang did not expect that Yuan Shu, the little prodigy, and the people under him were so capable. They were even more professional than them in handling agricultural affairs, and they were extremely efficient and fast.

If an order is given in the morning, it can be completed and implemented in the afternoon. If an order is given in the afternoon, there will be people working overtime in the dark at night to get it done. The main goal is speed.

Farm tools, oxen, seeds, grain, and a series of items needed for spring ploughing were all in place, providing farmers with everything that could be provided, so the spring ploughing in the entire Maoling County was carried out with extremely high efficiency.

Han Jin and his useless subordinates watched helplessly as the land of the self-cultivating farmers in Maoling County changed day by day and the progress was incredibly rapid.

During this period, Han Jin also sent people to the lands of some landlords and powerful people to nominally supervise the spring plowing, to see the progress there, and then to see the progress on Yuan Shu's side, and compare the two.

The gap was immediately apparent.

Yuan Shu had made preparations in advance and started large-scale soil turning operations in the first month of the year. All the preliminary work was completed, and when it came time to sow the seeds, everything was ready except for the east wind.

Moreover, farmers are very motivated to work and are very hard-working. They also have high-quality farm tools and oxen to help them, which makes their work even more effective.

As for the landlords and powerful people who owned private land, although there were supervisors wielding big whips and operating fiercely, no matter how fierce the supervision was, no matter how loud the sound of the whip was, these tenant farmers looked half-dead, slow, and their production enthusiasm was very low.

This is also a rather obvious contrast.

After his subordinates told Han Jin about these two things, Han Jin was very moved and felt that Yuan Shu's inexplicable theory of awakening conscience seemed to really begin to show its power.

Not to mention the scholars and students, the farmers also seemed to be motivated, as if they were given an injection of chicken blood. The work that used to take seven or eight days to complete was now completed in less than two days.

What was originally scheduled to be completed in a month was now done in just sixteen days. The entire Maoling County has completed the initial spring farming operations. What follows is a long stage of seedling care, weeding and pest control.

In order to make crops grow better, Yuan Shu also began to study fertilizers.

The scholars knew very little about this matter, but Yuan Shu still got some information from an old farmer and an old official in the county government.

Don’t count on chemical fertilizers. They are industrial products and the Eastern Han Dynasty couldn’t produce them.

But simple composting is still possible.

Yuan Shu then issued an order for everyone to start raising funds for composting on a large scale.

Generally speaking, simple compost is not difficult to make, but it takes some effort to collect the raw materials.

Farmers need to collect crop straw, weeds, leaves, peat, kitchen waste, sludge, human and animal feces and urine, distiller's grains, mushroom chaff, etc., pile them together and carry out fermentation operations.

These things are seen frequently in daily life, but they are relatively scattered, so it takes some effort to collect them. It requires specialized collectors and caregivers. The family-based production model makes it difficult to produce enough compost, so organization is still needed.

Strong laborers need to work in the fields, and it is quite difficult to devote their energy to these tasks. Therefore, after discussion, Yuan Shu, Lu Zhi and others decided to organize older people in the village who are still able to move around, to deal with the composting issue.

The kitchen waste, human feces and urine generated by every household every day should all be collected.

Collect fallen leaves, weeds, etc. on the roadside when you see them.

Then make a big hodgepodge, pile it in a relatively warm and humid place, and wait for it to ferment.

Although the effect of compost is not as good as that of chemical fertilizers, it is definitely better than nothing.

After a series of operations, Yuan Shu felt very satisfied. He believed that as long as there were no large-scale natural disasters or large-scale locust infestations, the agricultural harvest in Maoling County this year would be considerable.

Of course, in order to prevent possible problems, Yuan Shu still injected funds and brought in a professional team from Chang'an City to begin repairing the water conservancy facilities in Maoling County that were specifically used to irrigate the land of self-cultivating farmers.

What already exists must be repaired, and what originally did not exist must be newly built, and water conservancy projects should be built. In this way, even if there is a natural disaster, the ability to resist will be stronger, and the harvest may be reduced, but it will not be a total loss.

Previous observations showed that useful water conservancy projects were basically located on the land estates of the wealthy and powerful, and there were very few usable water conservancy projects on the land of self-cultivating farmers. Yuan Shu was extremely dissatisfied with this.

In addition to paying for it himself, he also targeted Han Jin and asked Han Jin to allocate funds from the county government to the water conservancy project and to contribute some effort. He should not get such a huge benefit for free.

Han Jin was dumbfounded. He thought he could just follow Yuan Shu and win, but Yuan Shu actually asked him to pay.

Isn't this going to cost him his life?

However, faced with Yuan Shu's fake smile, Han Jin swallowed several times but could not say no. He could only cry poor and endure the pain to take out part of the funds for himself and his subordinates' feasting to meet Yuan Shu's request.

The Wuling area, located on the edge of Chang'an, still has financial allocations and tax revenues, so it is not like the poor counties in Liangzhou that have no money at all.

Yuan Shu was ready. If Han Jin evaded the question, he would use his official power and ask his father to use the connections of Yuan's students and former officials in Youfufeng to bring a small anti-corruption storm to Han Jin and check the accounts of Maoling County in recent years. As Han Jin expected, the county magistrate was the master of the people in his county, and his words were the law. However, with the political power of the Yuan family, it would be as easy to kill a small county magistrate as turning over in sleep.

However, since Han Jin paid a sum of money and personally brought people to monitor the construction site, he seemed to have some sense, so Yuan Shu let him go for the time being.

From the end of February to the beginning of April, in more than a month, the spring farming task in Maoling County was completed beautifully.

All the land used by self-cultivating farmers in the county completed its production tasks in accordance with the planned schedule and with guaranteed quality and quantity. Even some land that had been abandoned was reclaimed and drained in preparation for use next year.

The construction of water conservancy projects is also in full swing.

Although the area around Chang'an no longer has the abundant water supply of the eight rivers surrounding Chang'an during the Western Han Dynasty, the irrigation needs of just one county are not that difficult to meet.

Seeing that the entire agricultural production is well organized and progressing steadily, the farmers are no longer as anxious as before, and the people who participated in the agricultural assistance campaign are no longer as confused as before. Both sides achieve their goals and get what they want.

Lu Zhi felt this particularly clearly.

When he and Yuan Shu took a break from farming, they sat by the field and looked at the situation they had worked so hard to create, feeling deeply moved.

"A year ago, I was still confused. I felt that I had studied for so many years and had learned almost everything the teacher taught me. What should I do next? The court and the people were fighting fiercely, and the eunuchs and relatives of the emperor were abusing their power. As a mere scholar, what could I do to change it?
After much thought, I feel that it would be better for me to return to my hometown to teach my students, observe how the situation changes, and wait for the situation to become clear before considering what to do next. So, Mr. Yuan, in fact, before you came to study, I already had the idea of returning to my hometown, and was even ready to say goodbye to my teacher.

But everything you have done since you came here has made me not want to go back home at all. I really feel that I am doing the right thing. I really feel that I am doing something that can make the world a better place. I have not wasted my time. All my time I have spent is doing meaningful things. "

Lu Zhi turned his head and looked at Yuan Shu, who was smiling, and said softly, "Mr. Yuan, I really want to thank you."

"Why so?"

Yuan Shu shook his head and smiled, "It's just mutual achievement. I have an idea, and Lu Jun is willing to help me realize it. We complement each other and benefit each other. Isn't this great? Moreover, if Lu Jun didn't care about the country and the people, if Lu Jun didn't think conscience was important, how could we have come this far?"

"Mr. Yuan, don't be so modest."

Lu Zhi said solemnly: "There are many people with ambitions, and many people with the will and strength, but what everyone lacks is a guide. After a deep conversation with you, I realized that what the world lacks most is not people who stick to their original intentions, but people who point out a clear path.

I also gradually realized that the reason why sages are called sages is not only because of their excellent knowledge, but more importantly, they can become guides, able to point out a clear path for followers to follow and find their own direction.

If we say that all living beings in the world are at a loss as to the way forward in the fog at the beginning, then sages are those who can find the right path in the fog and guide everyone to walk on it together. Only in this way can they become sages.

Mr. Yuan, as you said, conscience is something everyone has, and many people are willing to do the unity of knowledge and action. However, the only person who can propose the relationship between conscience and the unity of knowledge and action, who can integrate them into a doctrine, pass them on to the public, and guide them on the road, is you. "

Yuan Shu looked at Lu Zhi for a while, then smiled and looked away, turning his gaze back to the vast farmland he saw.

"Mr. Lu, saints are important, but three thousand disciples are also important factors in achieving saints. If no one follows and no one believes, how can we continue on this path? With the right path, we also need companions who support each other, and only then can we continue on this path. What do you think?"

"indeed."

Lu Zhi smiled and said, "I am willing to support Yuan Jun on this road until the end. Yuan Jun, are you willing to continue to guide us?"

"It's my wish, but I don't dare to ask for my ear."

As soon as the words came out, they both laughed.

Until this moment, Yuan Shu was finally sure that Lu Zhi was willing to follow him all the way.

My own knowledge, my own ideals, my own path, now I have a true companion.

From now on, I am no longer alone.

Next, he would turn everyone here into his true colleagues, not just followers.

It should be noted that once followers lose the objects they are following, they will be confused and lose their way, while companions, even without a guide, can persist to the end and never give up.

The future is really exciting!

Yuan Shu thought so happily.

"Yuan Jun! Yuan Jun!"

Yuan Shu was feeling happy when he suddenly heard a shout. Turning around, he found that it was Su Chu and Ma Ran from Hongnong, two of the Thirteen Guardians, running towards him.

These two people had previously gone to their hometown of Hongnong County in accordance with Yuan Shu's request to look for channels to purchase more high-quality agricultural tools and livestock for farming. Now that they are back, they have naturally achieved some results.

But looking at their expressions, why do they seem a little panicked?

What happened?

Yuan Shu's face became serious, and he stood up with Lu Zhi and looked at the two people running towards them.

Su Chu and Ma Ran ran over quickly, stopped in front of Yuan Shu, and took a few breaths.

"Mr. Yuan, it's bad. Sili and Yuzhou are suffering from famine!"

"I heard that many people have starved to death in Hedong, and many counties are causing trouble due to starvation. From Hongnong County to the east, food prices have begun to soar!"

Su Chu and Ma Ran each brought a big piece of news, which shocked Yuan Shu and Lu Zhi.

(End of this chapter)