Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

As the foundation of the new city wall on the north side of Xinghuo Fort was raised inch by inch amidst shouts and the sound of ramming earth, the other leg of the "Nine-Character Policy"—"Accumulating Grain"—was also being carried out with unprecedented force and breadth across the land controlled by Xinghuo Fort, under the full-fledged promotion of Fort Lord Chen Xing and Civil Affairs Commander Zhao Tiezhu.

Building walls requires massive amounts of manpower and resources, and manpower needs food to operate, while resources need food to be exchanged. This simple principle is amplified to its extreme in times of chaos. Chen Xing knew that without sufficient food reserves, even the strongest city walls could not be defended, and even the most elite army would collapse. Therefore, "stockpiling grain" was not merely a complement to "building walls," but a lifeline of equal importance.

Spring plowing had long since ended, but the work on the land had not ceased. Under Zhao Tiezhu's leadership, a massive "summer reclamation" campaign was launched. The target was barren slopes, riverbanks, and forest clearings that had been temporarily shelved due to manpower shortages or distance. Based on the newly formulated population and land planning maps, the household registration office broke down the tasks to each village, production team, and even down to the family or small team unit.

"For the first three years, all newly reclaimed wasteland will be exempt from land rent, and 'reclamation merit' will be calculated solely according to the 'Merit Order'! The reclaimed land will be preferentially contracted for cultivation by the reclamation family! The fort will provide potato seed tubers, some farm tools, and loans for rations!" Such policies were repeatedly publicized to all fort residents, naturalized camp members, and even well-behaved prisoners of war in the "re-education camp" through propagandists and literacy notices at each settlement. Tangible benefits are far more attractive than any empty slogans.

Every morning, just as dawn breaks, groups of young men and women, carrying shovels, picks, and hoes hastily made and distributed by the craftsmen's group, head to their designated areas under the leadership of their respective team leaders. They cut down shrubs, cleared away stones, loosened the compacted soil, and prepared rough furrows. Sweat dripped into the earth, and their palms blistered, but as they watched the thorny weeds transform into arable land, many of their eyes shone with hope. This was the future they were building for themselves and their families.

Water conservancy is the lifeblood of agriculture. Building upon the existing small irrigation canals, a more systematic water conservancy renovation and expansion project was launched simultaneously. Chen Xing personally led Wu Xuejiu and several experienced farmers and river workers skilled in surveying to conduct on-site surveys along the main streams within the controlled area, planning water diversion, storage, and distribution schemes. They used simple levels and markers to determine the canal routes and slopes.

"Here, we need to build a low dam to raise the water level so that water can be diverted into the canal."

"On that slope, we need to dig several zigzag winding canals to intercept rainwater layer by layer and reduce soil erosion."

"In the low-lying areas downstream, several reservoirs can be dug to prevent summer flooding and provide irrigation during droughts."

Chen Xing incorporated some rudimentary concepts of modern agricultural irrigation into the current conditions. Although the project still required a large investment of labor, Zhao Tiezhu and the farm managers had witnessed firsthand the benefits of the irrigation canals and had no complaints; they even proactively requested to expand the project. After all, with water, barren land could be transformed into fertile fields, and existing farmland could be guaranteed a stable harvest regardless of drought or flood.

The core trump card of "stockpiling grain" remained potatoes. The bumper potato harvest in the first season completely won over everyone. The old farmers who were initially skeptical of the "miracle grain from the Western Regions" now beamed with joy when they talked about potatoes. Apart from keeping some for their own consumption and exchanging it for other supplies, the vast majority of the harvested potatoes were carefully selected and properly stored as the most important seed potato reserve.

The second batch of potatoes planted during the spring planting season is now lush and green, growing vigorously. Chen Xing instructed Zhao Tiezhu to designate special "seed potato cultivation fields" in several of the best-condition villages, where the most experienced farmers would be in charge. They would experiment with more refined seed selection and retention, and test yield-increasing methods proposed by Chen Xing, such as "cut-up seedling cultivation," "reasonable dense planting," and "mounding soil." Simultaneously, utilizing the knowledge of crop rotation and intercropping from the "Basic Agricultural Book" obtained through the system, they began experimenting with a "potato-legume-winter wheat" rotation pattern on some fields to maintain soil fertility and increase overall yield.

With grain production expanding, storage and management became paramount. Chen Xing ordered the simultaneous construction of large granaries in the main fort, the southern outpost, the eastern village, and several larger newly reclaimed areas. These granaries were no longer simple earthen enclosures or cellars, but employed more scientific designs for moisture-proofing, rodent-proofing, and fireproofing: the floor was lined with a thick layer of lime and wooden moisture-proof boards, the walls were thickened with ventilation holes, the roof was constructed with double layers of reed mats and mud to prevent leakage, fire-resistant ditches were dug around the perimeter, and dedicated personnel guarded them day and night. The management of the granaries was centralized under the unified control of the household registration office, with strict accounting for all inflows and outflows, and they were kept separate from the small and medium-sized granaries used by the individual villages, ensuring the safety of strategic grain reserves.

The "stockpiling of grain" wasn't limited to cereals and tubers. Salt, a hard currency and necessity of life in turbulent times, was elevated to an unprecedented strategic level. Besides acquiring salt from merchants in Gray Valley Fortress and beyond through trade, Chen Xing consciously dispatched reliable personnel to secretly investigate potential salt springs and mines in and around the controlled area. Simultaneously, at Murong Mingyue's suggestion, he attempted to establish covert trade routes with small grassland tribes further north who controlled small salt ponds, exchanging cloth and ironware for coarse salt.

The cultivation and harvesting of medicinal herbs were also included in the plan. Under Wang Jian's guidance, some forest edges or residential land were designated for trial planting of some common and easy-to-cultivate herbs, such as Bupleurum, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Isatis indigotica. Women and children were organized to go into the mountains to collect wild medicinal herbs during the off-season, which were then preliminarily processed and stored by apprentice physicians.

In terms of animal husbandry, using the cattle and sheep captured and traded, as well as the herding experience brought by the Murong tribe, two small pastures were established in the hilly grasslands far from the main farmland. They attempted to carry out planned breeding and herding, with the goal of providing the army with pack animals, leather and meat supplements.

These measures, like countless trickles of water, converged into a mighty river of "accumulating grain." They consumed enormous human, material, and managerial resources, but the changes they brought were undeniable. Newly reclaimed fields expanded, irrigation networks grew denser, granary foundations were strengthened, and salt and medicinal herbs slowly accumulated… A grounded and hopeful atmosphere permeated the fields and around the granaries. People saw that the fortress owners were not only building high walls to protect them, but also genuinely filling their granaries and rice bowls.

On this day, Chen Xing and Murong Mingyue rode horses to inspect the newly reclaimed area of ​​Dongtun. Before them lay vast tracts of newly leveled land, the dark brown soil gleaming in the sunlight, and several newly dug irrigation ditches already flowing with water. In the distance, an elderly farmer responsible for this area was explaining to a group of young men the techniques for cutting potatoes into chunks and leaving the sprouts.

"Remember, keep the buds strong, each piece should have at least one or two buds, and coat the cut surfaces with wood ash..." The old farmer's voice was loud and clear.

Looking at the vibrant scene, Murong Mingyue exclaimed, "Just a few months ago, this was a barren wasteland. Now, fertile fields are in sight. Your strategy of 'stockpiling grain' is tangible and visible, and it wins people's hearts more than empty talk of benevolence and righteousness."

Looking at the people working in the fields, Chen Xing slowly said, "Food is the most important thing for the people. Ensuring that people have enough to eat is the most basic principle and the greatest benevolence. No matter how high the wall is built, it is meaningless if the people inside are hungry. Only when the granaries are full can people's hearts be at peace, and only then can we have the strength to train soldiers, build walls, and cope with future storms."

He paused, his tone slightly grave: "However, everything we do takes time. Land reclamation takes time, irrigation takes time, and crop growth takes even more time. And our enemy may not give us that much time."

Murong Mingyue understood that he was referring to the Black Mountain Commander. "Therefore, we must seize every moment. Building walls and stockpiling grain are both races against time."

"That's right." Chen Xing nodded, his gaze drifting further north, towards the territory of the Black Mountain Commander. "We're racing against time to build walls and stockpile supplies. He's probably also racing against time to gather strength and prepare for revenge. It'll be a test of who can run faster and be better prepared."

As the sun set, it cast long shadows of the two figures and the newly cultivated land. The green seedlings swayed gently in the evening breeze, as if gathering the strength to break through the soil. On this scorched earth of a chaotic world, Xinghuo Fortress was sowing seeds of hope for survival and the future with an almost stubborn diligence. Every seed planted in the soil, every stone used to build the foundation, added a layer of resilience to the coming storm.