Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

The fifth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as "Po Wu". The lingering festive atmosphere has not completely dissipated, but inside and outside Xinghuobao, a more urgent rhythm has quietly replaced the brief relaxation of the holiday period.

After several consecutive sunny days, although the cold wind still lingered, the power of the sunlight had clearly increased. The snow on the fortress walls began to melt extensively, the meltwater gurgling down the earthen walls, forming small puddles at the base, and quickly seeping into the thawing ground. Icicles hanging from the eaves shrank each morning, their dripping sound becoming the background noise of the daytime. Outside the fortress, the thick "snow blanket" covering the wilderness began to blacken and thin, revealing withered grass roots and brown soil beneath. On the sunny slopes, small patches of bare ground could even be seen, steaming with the dampness of the earth.

In the irrigation canals, the frozen ice finally cracked and melted, and the newly flowing stream, though icy cold, was much more plentiful than in winter due to the melting snow. It rushed merrily along the man-made channels towards the ponds in front of the fortress and the fields awaiting irrigation. The murmuring water, to the farmers' ears, was the most beautiful prelude to spring.

"The earth's energy is stirring!" Zhao Tiezhu rubbed his calloused hands, still slightly chapped from the chilblains, standing on the highest ridge outside the fortress. He squinted at the vast expanse of land "awakening" before him, his face showing both excitement and a barely perceptible tension. "In three to five days at most, the sunny slopes will be ready for hoeing. Fortress Master, this year's spring planting cannot be delayed!"

Behind him stood Chen Xing, Wu Xuejiu, Zhou Dashan, and an old farmer with many years of farming experience who had been specially invited, as well as an elder from the Murong tribe who was skilled in observing the weather and discerning the earth's energy. The group gazed solemnly at this land belonging to Xinghuo Fortress, soaked with their sweat.

"Tiezhu, have you sorted out the moisture, fertility, and crops to be planted in each plot of land?" Chen Xing asked. Today, he was also dressed in a short brown robe for easy movement, with deerskin boots on his feet and his trousers rolled up high, as if he were ready to go to the fields at any moment.

"It's all sorted out!" Zhao Tiezhu pulled out a roll of blackened parchment from his pocket. A rough map, drawn in charcoal, marked areas of varying sizes and symbols. "Based on our land preparation last autumn and the snowmelt this time, we've divided the land into twelve plots of varying sizes that can be sown in time. The three plots closest to the water source and with the best soil moisture will be planted entirely with 'miracle grains'! This is what the fortress lord repeatedly instructed us to do, and it's our only hope for survival this autumn! The two plots closest to the fortress wall and relatively sheltered from the wind will be planted with millet. The remaining sloping and sandy loam areas will be planted with beans, sorghum, and some rapeseed we got from Lijiaji—we'll use whatever space we can find!"

He pointed to the parchment, his voice booming, "All the tools have been inspected and repaired. Seven more iron plowshares have been made, and over twenty wooden plows have been repaired. Hoes, picks, and rakes have also been tidied up. Animal power is still tight; we only have eleven oxen and eight pack horses capable of heavy work in the fields. The rest will have to be pulled by people. Manpower..." He paused, looking at Chen Xing, "As the fortress lord instructed, apart from the necessary guards, patrols, scouts, and the work that the artisans' workshop must maintain, everyone else, including the well-behaved young men in the Guihua Camp and the manpower that the Murong tribe can spare, will be incorporated into the spring plowing team! The elderly, women, and teenagers will also be assigned lighter tasks; we will not let anyone who can move be idle!"

Chen Xing nodded, satisfied with Zhao Tiezhu's preparations, then looked at Zhou Dashan: "Where are the seeds?"

Zhou Dashan hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Fortress Master, the 'miracle grain' seed potatoes have all been taken out of the cellar and are being spread out in a sunny spot to 'awaken the seeds.' Mr. Wu is watching over them, saying that this way the sprouts will be uniform. The millet and bean seeds have also been sifted, dried, and treated with pesticides to prevent insects and mold. The rapeseed is stored separately."

"Have the fodder and feed for the oxen and pack animals, the ointments for preventing frostbite and treating sprains prepared by the medical department, and the food and water provided by the logistics department all been arranged properly?" Chen Xing asked again.

Wang Jian and Li Shu responded, indicating that they were both ready.

Finally, Chen Xing looked at Murong Mingyue: "General Murong, during the spring planting season, patrolling and guarding outside the fortress, especially in the west and north, is of paramount importance. We must guard against the Ulolan tribe or scattered bandits taking advantage of our busy farming to harass us. The cavalry has a heavy burden to bear."

Murong Mingyue clasped her hands in a fist salute, her expression stern: "Rest assured, Lord. The cavalry has already drafted a rotation patrol plan, expanded the reconnaissance area, and added temporary outposts. Once there is an alarm, we will be able to issue a timely warning and delay the enemy's attack, buying time for the fortress to assemble."

"Alright!" Chen Xing looked around at everyone, his tone solemn, "Gentlemen, the battle of spring planting is a matter of life and death for our Starfire Fortress this year, and even more so, a matter of our future foundation! In this battle, only victory is allowed, defeat is not permitted! Everyone should perform their duties and work together with one heart and one mind!"

"We will obey the Lord's command!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices echoing across the fields.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, the spring plowing campaign officially began.

At dawn, before the sky was even light, the urgent tolling of bells rang out within the fortress. Those who had been preparing for some time quickly assembled at their designated locations, led by their respective squad leaders. Zhao Tiezhu, like a general on a battlefield, distributed small wooden plaques marking different plots of land and tasks to the squad leaders. With a gruff shout of "Start ploughing!", the entire Starfire Fortress roared into action, like a fully wound-up machine.

On the most fertile plot of land, closest to the water source, eleven elderly farmers, leading their precious oxen and gripping the heavy iron plows, shouted commands as they turned over the land that had slumbered all winter. The damp, icy soil was broken apart by the plowshare, creating dark, glistening furrows that released a rich, life-giving earthy fragrance. Behind them, women and children used hoes and rakes to break up and level the large clods of earth. On the other side, the group pulling the plows by hand struggled even more, the ropes digging deep into their shoulders. They shouted commands, bending over and straining forward, each step leaving deep footprints. Sweat mingled with melting snow, soaking their thin clothes, but no one complained; only focused and eager hearts remained.

Plots two and three were designated as potato-growing areas. The requirements here were even more meticulous. Chen Xing personally provided guidance. The land needed deep plowing and fine harrowing, with raised beds and ridges. The ridges had to be wide and flat, and the furrows deep to facilitate drainage and future hilling. Wu Xuejiu, along with several literate boys, used Chen Xing's dictated and recorded "Essentials of Rare Grain Cultivation" to explain on-site: how to cut the seed potatoes, how to disinfect the cut surfaces with wood ash, the spacing and depth of planting, the thickness of the soil covering… Many older farmers initially dismissed this "troublesome" approach, thinking they could simply bury the seed potatoes directly. However, seeing the fortress lord personally overseeing the process, and Wu Xuejiu explaining things clearly, and recalling the astonishing autumn yields, they suppressed their doubts and meticulously followed the instructions. Murong Mingyue also brought several of her followers to observe and learn, finding this meticulous operation quite novel.

The area around the fortress was a hive of activity. After completing their routine patrols, the soldiers guarding the fortress were assigned to relatively safer areas near the walls to participate in land reclamation or transport supplies. In the workshops, the fires burned continuously as blacksmiths worked to repair farm tools damaged by the intensive spring plowing, while carpenters rushed to make more carrying poles, baskets, and wheelbarrows. Smoke from the chimneys never ceased from morning till night as women from the logistics department carried buckets of steaming hot porridge and pickled vegetable dumplings to various work sites. Children took on tasks such as delivering water, relaying simple messages, and even chasing away birds from the fields.

The western camp was not uninvolved either. Besides the cavalry responsible for main guard duties, members of the Murong tribe who were less skilled in riding and archery, or who were older, were also divided into several teams under Helan Sou's organization to participate in the spring plowing at Xinghuo Fort. They helped care for the centrally managed oxen and packhorses, participated in transporting soil and fertilizer, or dug drainage ditches along the fields. Initially, they were quite unfamiliar with these farm tasks and moved clumsily, but the farmers of Xinghuo Fort did not laugh at them; instead, they patiently guided them. Unable to communicate verbally, they relied on gestures and demonstrations. Sweat flowed together, shoulders carried the same load, and the barriers between them quietly melted away in the mud and sweat.

Chen Xing spent almost every day in the fields. He wasn't just a commander, but a hands-on participant. One moment he was demonstrating how to properly cut potato tubers in the potato field, the next he was helping the plow team push the plow, and then he was squatting at the edge of the field, discussing with the old farmers whether it was more suitable to plant beans or millet on a certain plot of land. His hands quickly developed new blisters, his trousers were splattered with mud, and his face was rough and red from the still chilly early spring wind. But no one felt that the lord's appearance lacked authority; on the contrary, it made them more approachable and trustworthy. Even the old farmers who were initially skeptical about the "miracle grain" planting method, seeing how dedicated the lord was, couldn't help but pay close attention, afraid that they might do something wrong and fail to live up to his efforts.

During breaks from her patrols, Murong Mingyue often rode her horse through the fields. She saw Chen Xing, busy in the mud, conversing without any barriers with the old farmers and craftsmen; she saw the respect and drive in the eyes of the fortress inhabitants, not born of fear, but from the heart; she saw the gradual, natural cooperation between the Han and Hu tribes in their labor. Her feelings grew increasingly complex. Perhaps this was the fundamental difference between Xinghuo Fortress and any other force she knew. It was not merely a stronghold for survival, but an attempt to forge a new relationship based on labor and rules.

As night fell, the exhausted people dragged their heavy steps back to the fort or camp. But the air was filled not with dejection, but with a fulfilling weariness and a faint sense of anticipation. Around the hearth, people discussed their progress that day, comparing whose field was more level and whose potato-cutting technique was more skillful. The children, in their sleep, were still muttering in their dreams, "The ridges should be wide, the furrows deep."

The spring planting season, like a battle without gunfire yet equally crucial to survival, is in full swing on the newly thawed land at the foot of Black Wind Ridge. Every day, new soil is turned over, and new seeds are planted. These are not merely plant seeds, but the deepest and most persistent hope of everyone in Starfire Fortress for survival and for a better life.

The ice and snow have completely melted, and new green shoots are emerging from the grass and trees. Inside and outside Starfire Fortress, life is in full bloom.