Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 243 Machinery 1
Tongzhou Yuying Farm
Murong Xinghan and others visited the combine harvester and observed its operation.

The spring wheat harvested in autumn is relatively sparse, unlike the dense winter wheat harvested in summer.

The yield in the north has never been as high as in the south, but the acreage of harvesters has always been calculated based on the north.

From units of measurement to units of time, and even the pronunciation of names, everything has a unified standard.

It may still be dark in the western region at eight o'clock in the morning, but eight o'clock is eight o'clock. The time set by King Wu shall prevail. The local time shall not be set just because the sunrise and sunset times are different.

The parameters of the harvester have always been calculated according to Tongzhou. Nowadays, most areas of Tongzhou are planted with winter wheat, while only some barren areas in the north are still planted with spring wheat.

The nine provinces behind the mountains, especially Tongzhou and Wuzhou, have always been considered barren lands.

But looking back, King Wu's prowess is even more apparent.

They used barren land to feed a large group of people.

Everyone did as King Wu asked, building houses when asked, researching agricultural tools when asked, and collecting gunpowder for alchemy when asked—things they didn't understand.

They would offer women as tribute if ordered, and would do work if ordered to do so.

Over the past decade, those who listened have built happy homes.

Sang Yang'an and Wang Qing were both obedient people, and Murong Xinghan also belonged to this category.

Perform your duties and complete the assigned tasks.

Because of the data reporting and the role played in completing tasks.

Issue orders and give them the opportunity to take charge independently.

Successfully completed. Proceed to the next step.

If it cannot be completed, place it in a suitable location.

People in Son Nong province understand that being an official is not about accumulating time or simply getting by, but about seizing opportunities to rise in the ranks.

Compared to other dynasties, the promotion system in the Mountain Agriculture Province was always fair and just.

Even if a leader recommends a subordinate, the subordinate must demonstrate tangible achievements.

Those who surrendered quickly in the early years were kept in service and gradually rose to high positions.

Those who are useless should go home and retire; most hereditary lords are these kneeling subjects.

Harvesters are constantly evolving.

From horse-drawn harvesters to steam harvesters, the acreage harvested has always varied, sometimes high, sometimes low.

However, efficiency has been continuously improving.

One person harvests wheat per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 1 acres) per day.

Early horse-drawn harvesters could harvest more than 20 mu of wheat with four or five people, increasing the efficiency of a single person by four or five times.

Later, the harvester went from a dozen acres to several dozen acres, and then back to a dozen acres, all of which improved the efficiency of a single person.

The number of horses used is also a key factor. Without horses, a lot of costs and space for raising horses can be saved. Fewer feed and grooms are needed, which also saves on food consumption.

Today, the first steam-powered combine harvester no longer requires horse-drawn traction.

Murong Xinghan, Wang Qing, and the others all stared at the huge thing a dozen meters away.

Wang Qing asked, "How big exactly is it?"

“12 meters wide, 3.3 meters high, and weighing 25 tons.” Murong Xinghan had detailed information about this behemoth and knew it by heart. “It is a self-propelled steam combine harvester. It uses a steam engine to drive the working parts and drive huge tracked wheels, completely eliminating the dependence on traction animals.”

"With its drive-free drum, the combine harvester is more sophisticated than the simple cutting and baling function of a horse-drawn harvester. It eliminates the need to operate livestock; now, you only need to operate the machine. It is expected to harvest 300 mu of wheat."

"However, the drawbacks are also obvious."

Murong Xinghan looked at the huge machine in front of him, with lots of steam billowing from its cylinders.

"During the experiment, we found a risk of the furnace exploding. We need to preheat the furnace with water an hour and a half in advance. We need professional drivers and furnace operators, and about fifteen operators to work together as a team. The failure rate is also higher."

"We still need to provide a lot of water and coal, and horse caravans are still needed to transport the grain."

seeing is believing.

As the person in charge, Wang Qing needs to have firsthand, accurate information and his own understanding.

After the heavy, bulky machinery was finally heated up, it began to move forward in the field with a roar.

Badama, a Mongolian from the Naturalized Ministry, listened to the roar of the machine and looked at the "giant beast" that he was walking on.

"This thing would be really powerful on the battlefield."

Badama expressed his opinion: if this metal contraption with a cutting table appeared on the battlefield, killing people would be as easy as harvesting wheat!
“Indeed.” Murong Xinghan had a similar feeling. Wang Qing thought for a moment, and realized that sometimes you can’t understand Arctic Martial’s intentions just by thinking about them.

But upon seeing this giant machine, Wang Qing understood why King Wu had requested a reduction in the number of horses.

It wasn't just that the Western Expeditionary Army didn't need warhorses; more importantly, there was no purpose for warhorses in future battles.

Once something happens, something else will happen. The appearance of these metal contraptions and trains only demonstrates a very small fraction of the strength of the Mountain Farming Kingdom.

Soon Wang Qing stopped thinking about fighting. With the steam tractor inexplicably stalling, everyone's attention quickly turned to the troublesome matter of how to report back.

They were busy from morning till afternoon, and as sunset approached, everyone sat in the shed having a meeting with grim expressions.

"It can only harvest 186 mu per day. This machine is big and prone to breaking down. It requires a total of 31 people, including tractor drivers, harvester operators, water and coal feeders, cleaners, and transport team members!"

"Extremely high labor costs and low efficiency!"

Wang Qing looked at the more than fifty R&D team members sitting in front of him with a very stern expression.

"Work overtime immediately! Find a way to improve it and produce a report for King Wu!"

The designers didn't dare to be negligent and immediately replied, "Yes!"

Its average efficiency was terribly low. Although it was the first landmark combine harvester, it fell far short of the high-efficiency machinery that King Wu required.

More than thirty people, one steam tractor, and one combine harvester combined were less efficient than a horse-drawn harvester that didn't rely on coal.

The average efficiency of thirty people and thirty horses is two to three times higher than that of this expensive giant combine harvester.

If there's a problem, you can find out by taking a look on-site.

Problems that weren't considered during the design phase can only be belatedly discovered after an accident occurs on-site.

Some problems, once they arise, can't be solved no matter how stubborn you are.

This is not the time for academic discussions; it is the time to work overtime and think about how to give an explanation to King Wu and to give an explanation to our whole family.

Of all the sectors—commerce, military, industry, and agriculture—the Mountain Farmer Kingdom has always placed the greatest emphasis on agricultural development.

In the entire agricultural system, King Wu valued combine harvesters the most, even more so than trains.

King Wu gave the target instructions for each step, from large plows to horse-drawn harvesters, then to steam harvesters and steam combine harvesters, and the next step was fuel-fired internal combustion engines and combine harvesters.

If every step is clearly planned, then whoever gets stuck is the one with the problem.

Lacking a reference point, the Japanese fleet was unaware of what it had done, only feeling that it had failed to bring back high-value goods and had let down King Wu's investment.

After they returned home, they discovered that after a year or two away, their hometown was full of "rare and exotic treasures" they had never seen before.

For the agricultural nation that has entered the industrial age, mass-producing glassware, porcelain, iron lunchboxes, iron benches, matches, cloth, clothing, tofu, soap, and shampoo has become ten times easier than before.

After the Industrial Revolution, once high-value goods became less expensive, especially some seasonings and sugars, which could no longer fetch the price of gold.

The current group of designers are in a similar situation to the Japanese shipbuilding fleet.

Because they had no idea what the difficulty of normal history was, when they jumped directly from rudimentary mechanical power to the steam-powered train era, a group of people thought that this progress was just a simple technological advancement.

Therefore, once locomotives could be mass-produced, the design and manufacture of steam combine harvesters should also follow King Wu's plan.

The steam engine was merely a transitional product; Arctic Warfare had long ago made it clear that the next step was the more efficient internal combustion engine.

Now that things have suddenly deviated from the plan, Wang Qing and a large group of ancient craftsmen who have only received less than ten years of education are panicking.

It's normal that some things can't be done right now, but if everything that King Wu asked us to do has been done, and now it's suddenly stuck in our hands, who wouldn't panic...?

King Wu couldn't have been wrong, so who was wrong?
Arctic Martial Arts certainly understands technology, and Wang Qing would not doubt that Arctic Martial Arts' plans and schemes are wrong.

Even if they are wrong, they dare not doubt it, much less speak out.

Wang Qing, who knew nothing about technology, looked at a group of useless designers and angrily cursed:
"A bunch of useless trash!"

A large group of people dared not refute, all looking down at the recorded data, some quickly calculating something, compiling statistics on the parts and tools needed.

Murong Xinghan advised, "My lord, the autumn harvest is just around the corner, and we only have two or three days to be busy. The report will be submitted in a couple of days, so we must get these people to improve the machines now."

Wang Qing also understood this principle, and he didn't have the authority to kill them. Even if these technical personnel committed a crime, it was up to King Wu to decide.

"Summon the designers and key personnel from the machinery factory immediately! Produce a solution tonight!"

Wang Qing couldn't handle such immense pressure alone, nor could Murong Xinghan, so they quickly summoned more people to resolve the issue.

If things are not handled properly, it will affect more than just one or two people.

(End of this chapter)