Han official!

Chapter 144 Harvest
The ditches are long ditches that open up the fields into a concave ditch and a convex ridge, and grains are sown in the ditches.

Zhao Guo stood at the edge of the field, lifted his trousers to avoid getting dirty, squatted down, grabbed a handful of fine soil from the ditch, put it in his mouth and tasted it, with a satisfied expression on his face.

"So fat."

Zhao Guo exclaimed in admiration, "As expected of a field along the river, the soil is fertile. Once the winter wheat is planted, we'll have another bumper harvest next year."

He pointed to the ditch and continued to talk about the Daitian method.

When the grain seeds in the ditches grow into green seedlings, we start to weed the grass for the first time and bury the soil on the ridges to the roots of the green seedlings.

After weeding the fields many times, by midsummer all the soil from the ridges had been piled up in the ditches.

The ditches where crops were planted became ridges.

The ridges became valleys.

The two have undergone ectopic changes, and when the corn is harvested, winter wheat can be sown in the new ditches.

This is the Daita method.

Guo Jie exclaimed in amazement, "Without fertilizer, you've managed to maintain the fertility of the same acre of land by using the method of staggered ridges and ditches, preventing it from going fallow. I wonder what's going on in your head to come up with such a brilliant idea."

"hey-hey."

Zhao Guo blushed when he heard Guo Jie's praise. He scratched his flat-capped head and said, "My family is poor. According to the classification of registered households, I am a poor person with less than 20,000 coins, not even a small family. I have never had enough to eat since I was a child. Every winter when the fields are closed, I can only eat one meal a day. I used to think that it would be better if I didn't have to fallow, or if I could serve on the frontier all year round."

It was a good thing for many poor people who could not get enough food to have common people sent to guard the border.

There are provisions for beacon towers.

Ensure that the garrison soldiers have enough food to eat.

"Have you ever planted water chestnuts near Xixia Fire?"

After seeing the law of replacing fields, Guo Jie immediately took Zhao Guo on an ox cart and headed for Xixia Fort. "Cutting water chestnuts is an important task for the garrison troops. We cannot be careless. If the military officers from the Duwei Mansion come to patrol the border and the storage is insufficient, the Jincheng soldiers of Xixia Fort will be severely punished."

Water chestnut is used as feed for horses.

Cutting water chestnuts is the main task of beacon towers.

The processes of water chestnuts are divided into cutting water chestnuts, accumulating water chestnuts, guarding water chestnuts, taking water chestnuts, taking out water chestnuts and entering water chestnuts.

In addition, there is a record of the amount of water chestnuts cut by each garrison soldier, which records in detail the amount of water chestnuts cut.

Zhao Guo's expression was stern. He knew how important it was to cut down the water chestnuts at the beacon tower. He said solemnly, "Don't worry, Lord Guo. Lady Wei will call me over every once in a while to count the water chestnuts in the storage. There won't be any omissions."

Guo Jie nodded slightly.

Beacon towers and farming were both given great importance by Guo Jie.

In addition to the beacon tower commander, a beacon tower usually has three or four beacon soldiers, all of whom are elite border guards who can wear armor and have the right to carry guns.

It is two completely different things for a soldier to have a gun and not to have a gun.

It is the same thing for a soldier to be armored or not.

Every time a beacon tower was set up, the Jinchengli had the right to equip five people with guns.

Xixiasui is located at the westernmost end of the Jincheng West River Valley, blocking the gap that allowed the Qiang people to go downstream and invade the Jincheng villages. Jincheng has always been a deserted river valley, and the Qiang people never expected that the Han people would occupy this land, so no Qiang people ever came here.

The completed Xixia Beacon Tower continued to the west in the Xihe Valley. Suddenly, between the two narrow mountain walls, there was a tall beacon tower made of red willow and sedge. It was five meters high and the beacon tower had a thick wall more than ten meters high, which was higher than the county walls of some counties in Guandong.

The soldiers of Jincheng knew that they were guarding their wives, children and their own fields, so they never slacked off. They saw an ox cart from a distance.

The sentinel on the beacon tower shouted, and the sentinel commander immediately put on his red armor, held a spear in his hand, and hung a ring-handled sword on his waist. He nervously ran up to the rammed earth platform of the beacon tower, a platform used for observation.

"Mr. Guo?"

The beacon tower commander was a knight-errant from Chen County. When he saw the man appear near the beacon tower, his expression relaxed and he hurried down to greet him: "Hurry and open the beacon gate and let Guo Jie's ox cart in."

When the soldiers of Jincheng heard that it was Guo Jie who came, they all looked happy. Only one person was left to guard the high platform, and the other soldiers of Jincheng all went down to greet him.

"good."

Guo Jie nodded and said, "I am very pleased that you have not let your guard down. Remember, the Xixia Fire Station is related to the safety of the Xihe Horse Farm and the Jincheng Village. You must not be careless or let your guard down."

The fire chief, along with several Jincheng soldiers, bowed solemnly and said, "Yes!"

Guo Jie walked into the Xixia beacon tower. Although it was only a beacon tower for five people, it occupied a large area.

There were kitchens, warehouses, and storehouses for storing firewood and armor and weapons. The arsenal of the Western Han Dynasty was well-equipped. The various armor and weapons in the Donghai County alone numbered in the millions.

Although the Xixia beacon tower was the most basic one, with one set up every few miles, this small beacon tower with five people also had dozens of armors and weapons: 5 pieces of armor, 3 halberds, 3 spears, 1 halberd, 5 swords, 5 knives, 5 crossbows, 2 bows, as well as 500 crossbow arrows and 300 arrows.

Guo Jie looked at the warehouse full of various armors and weapons, feeling indescribably happy, and also a sense of satisfaction after a good harvest.

The joy of harvest is very strong.

His efforts paid off as he finally secured a beacon tower.

Guo Jie stood at the door of the Wubingshang, looking at the room full of various swords, halberds, crossbows and other armored weapons, as well as the bundles of crossbow arrows and feather arrows piled in the warehouse.

He felt an indescribable satisfaction in his heart.

"The stipends have all been paid in full, right?"

Guo Jie knew very well that the most effective way to win over the soldiers' hearts was to care about their food and drink. This was why someone found a capitalist and asked for a large amount of beef to distribute to the soldiers.

The soldiers could not afford to eat meat on a regular basis. Only when they visited their father-in-law’s house during the Chinese New Year would they buy a piece of beef as a gift to their father-in-law.

After someone came to power, the soldiers changed from eating bean sprouts every day to eating beef as a buffet, eating until they were full and vomited.

How could the soldiers not be loyal?

After Guo Jie looked at the armored soldiers in the five garrisons, he turned and went to the warehouse where the grain was stored.

The fire chief hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Mr. Guo, the clerk will collect the food allowance every month. Not a single grain is missing, and it is all recorded in the monthly record book."

Beacon tower granaries are divided into three categories.

Beans, wheat, rice, and millet.

Since the granary distributed raw grain, that is, unshelled grain, each beacon tower was also equipped with a stone mill and a wooden pestle.

Millet, wheat, and barley are all about two pounds per person per day. If there is strenuous labor, there will be additional food rations, with each person receiving an extra pound of grain.

If it is long-term strenuous labor, more food will be given. Last month, the soldiers of Xixia Beacon Tower received an extra two stone and six dou of wheat per month for building the beacon tower, which is already a very high stipend.

Guo Jie looked at the grain piled high in the warehouse and nodded repeatedly. "You are all outstanding archers, and the beacon tower commander is the best in the field. In addition to the monthly grain distribution from the county official temple, those who guard the beacon tower will also become guests of the Guo family in Jincheng, and receive a monthly guest stipend to support their families."

Dushe is equivalent to a military competition.

The soldiers of Xixia Fire Station received double salary, which attracted competition from the soldiers of Jincheng, so a fair method was used to select the soldiers.

Everyone who participated in the competition shot.

The captain had been first in the previous round, and the other four soldiers had come in second through fifth, respectively. While many of the Jincheng soldiers were dissatisfied, believing they hadn't performed well, they acknowledged the fairness of the selection process. The captain and several soldiers exchanged a look of delight and a touch of self-satisfaction.

They received two stipends, one for beacon towers and one for guests, and were already considered the richest people in Jinchengli.

His wife at home had not yet given birth to a son, but many people came into the house to propose marriage to his son who was still in her belly.

The captain and his soldiers used to be a group of wanderers who lived one day hungry and one day full. They called themselves wanderers, but in fact they were just refugees who wandered around with no food to eat.

They never thought they would have such a good life today, with a house, a wife, a son, and a stable salary.

As long as you work hard, you can live a good life.

In a village full of powerful people, hard work and diligence are the least valuable, and the more honest you are, the more likely you are to be bullied.

Only in Jinchenglu, as long as you work honestly, you can have a house, a wife, and land, and live a life of plenty.

The captain and his soldiers looked at the land of Jincheng River Valley with great enthusiasm in their eyes. They gripped their swords tightly and vowed to protect this land even at the cost of their lives.

The look in the eyes of the captain and his soldiers when they looked at Guo Jie was filled with determination to die for him.

All these good days were bestowed by Guo Jie.

Mr. Guo’s kindness is not over yet!

"The wooden pestle was replaced with a treadle."

Guo Jie noticed the indifferent looks in the eyes of the beacon tower commander and his men, and smiled, saying, "From now on, all beacon towers controlled by Jinchengli will have their wooden pestles replaced with treadle pestles."

The mortar is an essential tool for every beacon tower. It uses a wooden pestle to pound raw grain into shelled grain.

Each beacon tower is equipped with a stove, cauldron, and steamer.

The horseshoe stove is used not only for cooking but also for heating in winter.

The food in the beacon tower was cooked in a cauldron or steamer with shelled corn to make rice or porridge.

Vegetable soup or seasoning sauces such as salted fermented black beans are poured on the rice, which is called soup-over-rice.

"Three liters of salt per month."

When the fire chief mentioned the good times at the beacon tower, his face was filled with uncontrollable joy: "In addition, we also have homemade fermented black beans, soybean paste, ginger, and mustard."

Guo Jie nodded and saw that twelve vegetable plots had been opened up near the kitchen, where leeks, sunflowers, onions and other vegetables were planted.

According to the regulations of the official temple, the standard for vegetable plots is twelve ridges. If it exceeds this standard, it must not be reduced. The vegetable plots of the beacon tower must not be less than an independent vegetable garden with twelve ridges, and can provide three kinds of vegetables: leeks, sunflowers, and onions.

In addition, in addition to growing their own vegetables, the beacon towers also distributed vegetable money, 216 coins per tower.

And seventy coins for meat, which can buy more than ten pounds of meat, can only allow all the soldiers in the suit to taste the meat.

Guo Jie instructed, "Give an extra bowl of minced meat to the soldiers stationed in Jinchenglu every month. Remember, this rule only applies to the residents of Jinchenglu."

Hae is a meat sauce made from fish and meat.

Jinchengluli is close to the river, so they harvest a lot of fish, but they haven't raised a large number of pigs yet, so for the time being, they will be given an extra bowl of sauce made from fish and meat.

When you raise more pigs, you can replace the meat sauce with pork.

However, the prerequisite is that this person is registered in Jinchenglu.

The captain and his men were excited.

Not a single one.

One bowl per person, eat it sparingly, it's enough for most of half a month.

Eating meat for two days out of three days was something the captain and his soldiers would never dare to dream of.

The squad leader and his soldiers wore armor with red ribbons and knelt directly on the rammed earth ground, kowtowed heavily.

"What is this for?"

Guo Jie hurriedly helped the beacon guards to their feet and said, "You and I are brothers who grew up together. We are fellow villagers. Please stand up quickly. How can I accept your kneeling respect?"

In the eyes of everyone in Jinchenglu, he was no longer a human being, but a ghost like the community god.

The squad leader and the squad soldiers watched Guo Jie's back as he turned and left, and vowed to defend the Xixia Squat to the death and not let any Qiang people enter the Jincheng River Valley.

In October, the first good harvest came in Jinchengli. The crops had to be harvested quickly, not left to linger in the fields. The harvested corn was shelled, dried, and stored in the granary.

Guo Jie changed into a brand new white robe, a white cap, and a pair of white leather shoes, and strode towards the endless 7,000 acres of fertile farmland, followed by a large group of people from Jincheng.

He stood at the edge of the field, turned his head and glanced at the densely packed villagers behind him, his heart indescribably excited.

Jinchenglili, a vast lili, rose from a deserted land.

On the land covered with weeds, there are fields of heavy golden corn.

The autumn wind blows, raising layers of golden waves of corn like wheat.

The sparse number of villagers increased to more than 400 people. They were wearing linen jackets and skirts without patches, standing behind Guo Jie and looking at him excitedly.

Yi Shuo was wearing a thin gauze skirt and had her hair in a Yingchun bun. She was standing beside him, holding her eldest son Guo Qin. Her beautiful eyes were full of admiration as she looked at Guo Jie beside her.

"Qin'er."

Yi Shuo's eyes were full of stars. "This piece of land is your father's inheritance for you. You must grow up quickly and help your father stabilize the rear. Then you can sell Han silk to Europe, the place your father mentioned, and become the first Han Chinese to set foot in Europe."

Wei Junru's belly was getting bigger and bigger. She changed her military uniform into a loose, fine gauze skirt and stood on the other side of Guo Jie.

She touched her bulging belly, her heroic face now showing a touch of tenderness. "Our family's fortune lies not in the fields, but in the weapons! And even in the West Sea your father spoke of! Sooner or later, your mother will conquer the West Sea for your father, and support him. He can just lie at home and enjoy himself all day, without having to travel to Chang'an anymore."

"call--"

Guo Jie took a deep breath, picked up the reaping hook, which is also a sickle, suppressed his excited emotions, and cut the first handful of millet.

He held the cut corn stalks, turned around and looked at the people in Jincheng who were holding sickles behind him.

"Harvest the millet!"

Zhao Guo stood by and waited until Guo Jie cut the first handful of millet, then he immediately shouted loudly.

Zhao Guo was also very excited. He and the people of Jincheng cultivated thousands of acres of land and produced crops.

The harvest has finally begun.

Hundreds of villagers could no longer wait, their faces flushed with excitement. They picked up sickles and rushed to the vast fields to harvest the land that was full of heavy ears of millet.

This land has been silent for thousands of years.

It finally began to come alive.

(End of this chapter)