Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 89 Invincible Under Heaven (Since we're already invincible under heaven, let's just add an extra chapter, 4k words)

Sesame seeds are nothing special, and even the Han people have them, so Zhang Xian just randomly found two holes to plant them. Perhaps he would only remember them when he changed the planting method.

Fennel can be grouped with scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, as they are all spices used to satisfy the appetite.

The last grapes and large pomegranates also fell to the ground, arranged at the outermost edge of the farmland.

Pomegranates are great! Once they grow into multi-layered fruits, they become a good fruit, rich in vitamins, and the whole fruit has high nutritional value.

Fresh fruit is delicious and satisfying to eat directly, and it also keeps well.

If I remember correctly, pomegranate peel is also a type of dye for fabric.

Moreover, Changshan was originally an important pomegranate producing area in later generations, so planting it ahead of time feels like destiny.

If pomegranate wine and pomegranate vinegar could be developed, then it would be a multifunctional fruit.

As for grapes, well, let them grow however they want; they're hard to take care of.

After planting the last seed and watching the remaining growth time, Zhang Xian stood up and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

With a homestead, any crop or fruit tree can quickly accumulate a large number of seeds and then be widely distributed.

In terms of crop diversity alone, Taoyuan today surpasses many other places.

This is also a kind of foundation.

To put it bluntly, people live to eat and satisfy their appetites. Even in war, the people of Taoyuan have higher morale than others.

I wandered around the fields and farmland, looking at my chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and horses. Everything was thriving, which was very satisfying.

Horses reproduce quickly, but like cows, they only give birth to one at a time, rarely more than one.

In the stable, Zhang Xian carefully brushed the body of the stallion, who had become listless from being bred.

He muttered to himself, "Horse, oh horse, you must know that an animal's instinct is to reproduce. How can you be so listless?!"

"Look at them! The mares from Youzhou are mostly small and delicate, the mares from Liangzhou are mostly tall and affectionate, and the mares from Bingzhou are like virtuous wives and loving mothers. With such a mate, how can you still be so dejected?!"

"How can you be so颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, or apathy) at your age!"

Zhang Xian angrily slapped the horse's head, frustrated by its lack of ambition.

Gongma Hengtong stared silently at Zhang Xian, as if to say, "Why don't you do it?"

Zhang Xian smiled and indicated that he was not worthy of such a treat.

"In a few days, I'll find you some concubines. What do you think of that donkey? Everyone says donkeys are good animals but have bad tempers, hence the saying 'donkey temper.' Or you could work hard again and raise some mules for me, how about that?"

Seeing the caravan of Hu merchants today reminded Zhang Xian of donkeys, which are a great help among livestock, and then he thought of mules, which are easier to control than donkeys.

Mules are great; they're obedient, strong, and can easily help pull carts or push millstones.

In the future, Taoyuan will definitely have a huge demand for animal power, so it would be good if mules could be produced in advance.

It just means Old Ma will have to suffer a bit more, but Zhang Xian has always been generous to his meritorious officials.

Those old cows that were first used to cultivate smallpox are now living peacefully and healthily, and even Zhang Xian, who works in the fields, rarely uses them anymore.

Therefore, Lao Ma only needs to endure hardship now, and good days are sure to follow in the future.

After brushing the stallion's coat and feeding it some soybean meal, Zhang Xian left.

Taoyuan's overall affairs were on track, but he still had a lot to do himself.

After practicing their skills, they would then begin preparing lessons.

The literacy campaign for the people of Taoyuan has just begun, and everything needs to be carefully considered.

The night was silent.

The next morning, when I opened the bedroom door, I saw that the falcon, which was usually out all day, was now lying obediently in its nest.

He opened his sleepy eyes and asked curiously, "Why didn't you go out today, you who's been running around having fun?"

He went closer to take a look and found that the eagles were clucking like hens incubating eggs.

"Is it possible?"

A smile appeared on his lips as he reached into the eagle's nest.

The usually docile falcon today unusually gently caught Zhang Xian's finger with its beak.

In that instant, he understood.

"Alright, alright, so you're a female after all. You're going to incubate the eggs, right? Okay then."

Zhang Xian flicked the falcon's head and went outside to wash up.

When he returned, he brought a bowl of fresh meat strips and placed it next to the eagle's nest.

"Focus on incubating the eggs; leave the hunting to me."

"Click-clack—"

The falcon responded with a sound, as if it understood, and nestled peacefully in its roost.

The eagle incubating its eggs was just an interlude; although surprising, it wasn't anything major.

Zhang Xian continued his efforts to build his paradise.

He visited Tong Yuan, learned halberd techniques, trained the Peach Blossom Spring community, managed agriculture and animal husbandry, and studied skills.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and a new batch of sugarcane and cotton ripened. He harvested some and sent the sugarcane to the sugar mill.

Steam filled the workshop, and the sweet aroma of sugarcane mixed with the smoke from the firewood wafted out from the gaps in the thatched roof. The syrup that had solidified on the edge of the iron pot slowly slid down.

When the sugar workers started making sugar on their own for the first time, Zhang Xian stopped watching them and gave them a few opportunities to make mistakes.

He himself went to study cotton.

There are already many cotton bolls picked, which should be enough for this first attempt.

These cotton bolls contain black seeds, and figuring out how to thresh them became the first step in mastering cotton technology.

He first tried peeling them by hand, but after peeling only a few dozen, his fingers started to feel uncomfortable.

Then I tried rolling out the cottonseeds using a rolling pin method.

Hey, this works! It's actually quite fast.

He called over two or three women to help him roll out cotton seeds, and for a while, he found himself quite relaxed.

Under the shade of the trees, cotton bolls, spread out on bamboo mats, were piled up like small mountains. Several sparrows hopped around pecking at the scattered cotton fibers. Women sat around them, the "rustling" sound of wooden rolling pins crushing the cotton bolls mingling with the creaking sound of waterwheels in the distance.

It took about an hour to pick out 20 jin of cottonseed and piled up several baskets of cotton bolls.

But this only looks like a lot; in terms of weight, it's not much heavier than cottonseed. Several baskets together only weigh a little over 60 kilograms.

The weight of cottonseed bolls is roughly 40/60.

Looking at the pile of cotton bolls, he was at a loss.

What should we do next?
He made a mistake yesterday; he should have asked Boer about his cotton-making skills. Now he really has no clue what to do.

Several women he had summoned, seeing his troubled expression, cautiously asked, "What's wrong, Master?"

Zhang Xian smiled helplessly and pointed to several baskets of cotton bolls, saying, "I want to use them to make cloth, but I don't know what to do next." The women exchanged glances, and one of them said, "Could it be made using the same method as silkworm silk?"

"silk?!"

Zhang Xian suddenly realized, "That's right, they're both about weaving cloth. To some extent, they're related, except one is produced by plants and the other by organisms."

In the Han Dynasty, men farmed and women wove. He humbly asked the women sitting next to him for advice on silk reeling.

"Sisters, how do you process this silkworm silk?"

A woman said, "Break open the silkworm cocoon, pick out the pupae, and then boil and dry them."

'Is it degreasing?' Zhang Xian understood a little, and then looked at the cotton boll.

I'm not sure if this thing can be boiled in water.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to conduct a comparative experiment: one half was directly dried in the sun, while the other half was boiled in water and then dried.

"Sisters, lend a hand. You all have experience boiling silkworm cocoons, so help boil those two baskets of cotton bolls. We'll just dry these two baskets directly without boiling them."

Several women bowed and said yes.

Start cooking in a pot over a fire. Begin steaming the cotton bolls in boiling water.

The other group, which didn't boil the cotton bolls, also brought bamboo strips and placed them on them to dry in the sun.

When they returned the next day...

Very well, it's all ruined.

The first attempt at cotton processing was a complete failure.

Zhang Xian stared in thought at the cotton boll in his hand that crumbled at the slightest touch.

The degreasing process is correct, but the procedure is wrong. It should be done after the cotton bolls are spun into thread or fabric.

These cotton bolls are now so worn out that they don't even have the toughness to be used to make thread, so they're basically scrap.

However, it should be fine to use as medical cotton; let's disinfect it and keep some in stock.

The first attempt was a failure. It would take about ten days to try the cotton-making technique again. The cotton produced from the farm in both attempts weighed only seventy jin (35 kg) of cotton bolls, with each attempt yielding just over thirty jin (15 kg).

This time I was careless and actually used all the cotton for the experiment. It's just that Taoyuan's path in craftsmanship has been too smooth.

I'll try again next time; doing it in small batches should be fine.

I thought about it all night yesterday. Everyone says "fluffing cotton," so the word "fluffing" is probably the key!
All the waste cotton was collected. The batch that was dried was still in slightly better condition and might still be worth a try, but the batch that was boiled could only be used for medical purposes.

Before there was even a moment to grieve over the bad news of the cotton experiment's failure, good news had already arrived.

The Overlord Halberd is complete!
The Overlord Halberd, crafted by two master craftsmen using steel produced by the frying method, was completed after more than ten days of meticulous work! The halberd is about three meters long and weighs forty kilograms. Its jet-black body seems to absorb all light, creating a strong visual contrast between its matte black color and the shiny blade tip.

The moment Zhang Xian arrived at the blacksmith shop, he was completely captivated by it.

The fire in the stove inside the shop had not yet gone out. The Overlord Halberd leaned against the chopping block, its black body swallowing the firelight, with only the blade reflecting the scarlet red of the charcoal.

The Tong brothers and the three blacksmiths bowed to him, but he paid no attention to them, his eyes only on this rare and deadly weapon!

Upon handling, this Overlord Halberd is entirely black. To effectively dissipate force and maintain balance, a meter-long ironwood core was used in the upper middle section of the shaft, wrapped with black silk and rhinoceros hide, and then covered with multiple layers of lacquer. It feels icy cold to the touch, like holding black iron, yet it also exudes a faint aura of ferocity.

The halberd's tip gleamed coldly, exuding a chilling killing intent!
The main blade is a cold, crescent-shaped blade with a gleaming white edge. Its arc seems to sever vision as it moves. The back of the blade is covered with fine serrations, like the fangs of a beast. Once it bites into flesh, it will tear off a piece!
The secondary blade is slightly smaller, angled like a hook, specifically designed to lock onto weapons. The blade surface is engraved with a taotie pattern, its fierce eyes wide open, as if it wants to devour living souls!
The spearhead is a three-edged armor-piercing cone, with a deep blood groove like a dragon's spine, and a single cold star at its tip. Just looking at it sends chills down your spine, as if your throat has already been pierced!
He held the Overlord Halberd horizontally before him, his palm stroking the shaft as if caressing a peerless beauty.

The halberd's tail is forged from fine steel and is an armor-piercing spike. It can be used to stab enemies or to prop up the halberd. Several patterns are engraved on the spike, and the blood groove meanders like a snake, as if it is eager to drink the enemy's blood!

The halberd tassel was not an ordinary red tassel, but a tuft of black horse tail dyed dark red. When it danced in the wind, it looked like a blood mist, exuding a murderous aura!

Overall, this halberd resembles a lurking dragon, with the shaft as its body, the crescent moon as its claws, and the spear tip as its teeth. When still, it exudes an imposing aura, and when it moves, bloodshed is sure to follow!
Zhang Xian stroked his halberd, his eyes gleaming: "What a deadly weapon!"

"The manor lord also possesses considerable and domineering strength!"

The two Tong brothers also sighed in admiration.

The forty-pound Overlord Halberd was as light as a blade of grass in Zhang Xian's hands.

After examining the Overlord Halberd, Zhang Xian, satisfied, placed it on the ground and bowed to the three blacksmiths.

"You three have worked hard these past few days. This halberd is a great comfort to me, and I am deeply grateful!"

"You flatter me, Master! Divine weapons are meant for heroes, and this has always been the case. If you can make this weapon famous throughout the world, then my brother and I will also be remembered in history. This would be our great fortune!"

“That’s right! Me too!” Blacksmith He chimed in from the side.

Zhang Xian nodded solemnly: "I will definitely not disgrace the name of this Overlord Halberd!"
-
After obtaining the divine weapon, Zhang Xian's first action was to go find Tong Yuan.

The old man sat on the threshold, gently stroking the weapon that could be described as a deadly instrument, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

If I had possessed this weapon back then, I'm sure it would have attracted a host of heroes vying for it.

Unfortunately, it's too heavy; so heavy that even I can hardly lift it now.

"Good weapon, don't waste it!"

"I will obey!"

Zhang Xian clasped his hands in a fist salute and accepted it from Tong Yuan.

The old man stood up, supporting himself on the door frame, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Let's have some fun!"

"Order!"

Zhang Xian took a few steps back, his Overlord Halberd flashing in a dazzling display.

With a flick of his arms, the halberd's blade pierced the air, and in an instant, a burst of cold light exploded!

The opening move is like a dragon raising its head!

With a tremor, the three-meter-long weapon seemed to leap up as if it were alive, its tip pointing diagonally to the sky, the crescent blade gleaming coldly, like an evil dragon opening its eyes, revealing its ferocious power!
Sweeping across like a tiger cutting its tail!

He moved with perfect harmony between his waist and horse, slashing horizontally with his Overlord Halberd. The halberd blade drew a dark arc of light, and the shrill sound of the air being torn apart was deafening. A fence post next to him was silently cut in two, the break as smooth as a mirror!
The impact was like a mountain collapsing!

Zhang Xian roared, his arm muscles bulging, and the forty-pound halberd crashed down with immense force! Before the blade even arrived, the powerful wind had already sent dust flying everywhere, as if the earth itself would be cleaved in two by this strike!

It coiled and twisted like a python strangling!

The halberd shaft spun in his hand, the two crescent moons transforming into deadly silver wheels, the blades weaving a net of light, causing fallen leaves within a radius of three zhang to fly wildly!

Tong Yuan narrowed his old eyes and saw Zhang Xian's figure merge with the light of the halberd, as domineering and unparalleled as a demon god descending to earth. Where the halberd passed, even the air seemed to freeze.

"Excellent!" the old man suddenly exclaimed. "The halberd is a fierce halberd, and the man is a madman; they are a perfect match!"

Zhang Xian stopped his stance and stood up, exhaling a long breath as he touched the ground with the tip of his halberd.

The flying leaf slowly fell, and the halberd's tail spike smashed a shallow pit in the ground. In the distance, the oxen in the cowshed pawed restlessly, pulling on the tethering stakes and making them creak and shake.

The fighting spirit in his eyes gradually faded, and he looked at Tong Yuan: "Master, is this halberd technique to your liking?"

Tong Yuan laughed loudly: "Hahaha! Impressive! There are only a handful of people here who can fight you for ten rounds!"

He was filled with satisfaction. He had made the right choice in taking Zhang Xian as his last disciple. Even if this boy did not become the ruler of the world, he would be invincible!

(End of this chapter)