Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 50 Development (Please continue reading)

"Master, you're back."

Wearing sleeves, Zhou Cui directed a woman to dilute the wine in the vat with water, and went to greet Zhang Xian when she saw him.

Nodding, Zhang Xian smiled with satisfaction as he watched the women's increasingly skilled movements: "The progress is getting faster and faster."

“Yes, we’re all skilled now. We can steam a whole vat of fermented millet in less than an hour,” Zhou Cui replied with a smile.

"How many did you steam today?"

“Twelve vats,” Zhou Cui said, listing them off with obvious familiarity.

Zhang Xian nodded. The twelve vats of fermented material weighed approximately 2,400 jin. At the current ratio of one jin of fermented material to two jin of diluted liquor, that would yield 4,800 jin of pure liquor.

"Understood. Have someone repackage it. Someone should come and collect it shortly."

“Yes, Master.” Zhou Cui nodded.

Zhang Xian glanced at the working women a few more times and nodded slightly: "Continue. Remember to pay them their wages daily, and if they want to exchange them for grain, give them that as well."

"Understood, Master." Zhou Cui indicated that she understood and then continued working.

As winemakers, Zhang Xian gave them extra wages, which was definitely a skilled job.

The compensation must be good too, otherwise why would people work hard for you?
Are we going to follow the example of other clans and lock them all up to work until they die?
Wouldn't that mean I'd be assimilated as well? That's completely contrary to my original idea of ​​creating a sanctuary.

Away from the warehouse area, the area is now under strict control. There is even a wall that has been built around the warehouses, with wooden walls connecting the four corners. The winemaking process takes place within this walled area.

Walking slowly through the Peach Blossom Spring with hands behind their backs, they see figures in the distance, herding cattle and leading horses to cultivate the wasteland.

Spring sowing has been underway for over a month, and the seedlings in the hundreds of acres of fields have already sprouted. Recently, people have been carefully tending to the fields to prevent damage from birds, animals, and insects.

"Master of the house."

"Master of the house."

Several Taoyuan people passing by Zhang Xian greeted him respectfully. They were carrying plows and hoes on their shoulders, and judging from the direction they were heading, they must have just returned from irrigating the fields.

"Yes, be careful when you're working, don't get hurt." He nodded slightly in response.

The group, flattered and overwhelmed, bowed respectfully, but Zhang Xian waved his hand and dismissed them.

Standing on the ridge of the field, gazing into the distance.

Hundreds of acres of newly reclaimed wasteland spread out on the plain like a rough burlap cloth, with tree stumps left after the thorns were cut down still on the edges, and the charred traces of burning mixed with the smell of soil.

He crouched down, crushed a handful of soil with his fingertips, and the agricultural skills panel appeared.

The soil is of medium quality and has moderate fertility. There have been no natural disasters. The crop grown is millet. The estimated yield is 136 jin (approximately 63 catties) (this yield may vary depending on changes in soil fertility and management).

It's already good if there's any yield at all from barren land. Even though the yield from this one acre is only expected to be a little over a hundred catties, if all the barren land of over a thousand acres were turned into barren land, that would be tens of thousands of catties of grain.

On the south side, the sorghum field covered 270 mu, and the seedlings had already grown to knee height. The stalks, undaunted by drought or flood, rustled in the wind. A few farmers were clearing drainage ditches with plows and hoes.

Pumpkins and beans are planted together in the eastern field. The vines on the trellis have begun to spread, with the pumpkin leaves as big as bowls unfurling and the bean seedlings standing tall and graceful.

The soil is of excellent quality and fertile, free from natural disasters. Suitable crops include: pumpkin (estimated yield: 2200 catties per half-acre with water content), and beans (estimated yield: 135 catties per half-acre). (These yields may vary depending on soil fertility and management practices.)

A fertile field is still a fertile field. After being tended to for several years, the soil has been well-nourished and its fertility has been maintained. Not to mention the pumpkins that came from modern times and were bred by the Jiayuan Farm, half an acre of beans alone produces more millet than an acre of barren land.

"It's a pity we didn't plant enough pumpkins. The seeds didn't keep up. We only have ten acres. Otherwise, the pumpkins alone would have been enough to feed over a thousand people this year." "What a pity." He stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and gazed at the opposite bank of the stream.

To the west, across the stream, the newly reclaimed area still exposed reddish-brown raw soil. A dozen or so refugees were digging the ground with iron hoes, sprinkling a handful of wood ash every three inches they dug. In the distance, shouts could be faintly heard: "Two more fingers deeper! You blind fools, do you think this is for planting flowers?"

Zhang Xian could no longer see clearly beyond the distance, but the movement of the black dots indicated that someone was working diligently.

He wasn't the only one contributing in Taoyuan; almost everyone who came here was doing everything within their power.

He got up and left the field, walking slowly to the training ground.

A dozen or so bundles of straw tied into the shape of "humans," their chests riddled with spear holes; on the side of the field, six ring-pommel knives lay across a rough pine frame; and a dozen or so hides hung on wooden poles like dried fish. These were goods that Zhang Xian had traded several jars of wine for from hunters in the surrounding area, intending to use them to make leather armor in the future.

Inside the arena, a dozen or so young guards stood in a square formation, their wooden spears thrusting forward at Zhao Yun's command.

The shout of "Kill!" startled the birds into flight.

Zhang Xian stood quietly to the side with his arms crossed, watching without disturbing the conversation.

"Why is the patriarch pausing here?"

Suddenly, Huang Zhong's voice rang out from behind, almost startling him.

He looked back and saw Huang Zhong standing there like a hedgehog, carrying seven or eight long wooden bows on his back and seven or eight quivers of arrows hanging from his waist.

"And what kind of outfit are you wearing now?"

Zhang Xian asked with a smile.

Huang Zhong knew that his appearance was indeed a bit strange, so he laughed and said, "The longbows in the military equipment are of good quality, so I thought of adjusting them. I just finished them and am preparing to take them to the training ground to select a few young men with good eyesight and arm strength to train their archery skills."

"Oh—." Zhang Xian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Huang Zhong's archery skills are undoubtedly superb, and can even be considered one of his strongest techniques. With such a teacher, the archers of Taoyuan are bound to be exceptional.

Even Zhang Xian himself wanted to try archery; men are naturally curious about things that can be shot.

"Is there anyone you can choose from? Would you mind counting on one of them?" He quickly helped Huang Zhong unload several quivers and a longbow.

The longbow was not yet strung; only one side of the string was suspended, resembling a flat, straight fishing rod.

"Does the patriarch also want to practice archery?"

"It's always a good thing to have an extra skill to rely on."

"Then let's include the head of the family. It's a pity that the manor is still short of longbows. Tomorrow, Zhong will go to the county to find some timber and horn to prepare a few dozen more."

"That works too. I'll be your bow maker too. I may not have many other advantages, but I learn things quickly!"

Goodness, a skilled archer is also skilled at making bows; I almost forgot about that.

Hansheng, Hansheng, you're not just a military general, you're a walking treasure trove of knowledge!

"Haha, if the patriarch wishes to learn, then I will certainly impart all my knowledge to him!"

As they settled down in Taoyuan, her son's health changed dramatically every day. In the past, he would be out of breath even after walking a few steps, let alone running. Now, he could take his medicine every day and was almost as healthy as a normal person. For so many years, she hadn't seen a happy smile on her son's face.

Thinking of this, Huang Zhong felt even more grateful to Zhang Xian.

(End of this chapter)