Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 283, Section 282: Su Su's Arrangements
The warships arrived at Qishui Wharf approximately four hours later.

Qishui Wharf is located at the confluence of the Ju River, Tongchuan, and the Guanzhong Plain. The riverbanks are wide and the current is gentle, making it an ideal location for waterway transportation.

Upon disembarking from the ship, Qin Shi discovered that it truly lived up to its reputation as the king's estate; there was even a straight road leading through it. How convenient it was for transportation!
All boat traffic at the dock was suspended, and local officials, soldiers, and elders waited there in respect. The common people huddled silently to the side, not daring to let their dusty and grimy appearance offend the noblemen.

Only occasionally would someone who was genuinely curious cautiously look up and peer out, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen of Qin.

In this day and age, wearing white dragon fish clothing would be extremely unwise, and Qin Shi, with his status, was quite at ease with this level of hospitality.

However, just as everyone was about to step forward to offer some flattering words, she had already raised her hand:

"I'm short on time, so let's skip the formalities and go straight to the farm."

Therefore, as soon as they disembarked from the warship, they were respectfully welcomed and put into a carriage.

Then the wheels turned and the various people who had gathered around slowly followed. After a brief silence, the dock quickly returned to its usual hustle and bustle.

Amidst the commotion, ordinary people were still curiously discussing:
"Why is the Queen here instead of staying in Xianyang Palace?"

"I've heard the Queen is a celestial messenger from Kunlun. Perhaps she's coming here to guide some immortal..."

"No, no! My relative's relative has heard that the Queen possesses a secret Kunlun technique; with a flick of her finger, she can make millet yield an extra thirty to fifty bushels per acre!"

"Now that I've come to the estate in person, I'm naturally going to use my magic!"

"You scoundrel, you're even trying to fool me now! I don't know if the Queen has any magic powers, but I do know how it's possible to harvest so much millet from just one acre of land?"

"If it really exists, I'll go and become an attendant to the immortal right now."

"Pah, pah, pah! Look at your wrinkled old face! Even if immortals wanted a pageboy, they wouldn't want someone like you..."

"Then let's call your child over..."

“This doll won’t do. I finally got this one; the previous one was sacrificed to the River God during a drought…”

The chatter of the common people was left far behind the carriage, while Qin Shi sat comfortably in the carriage for a moment, then sent someone to invite an elder from the village to the carriage:
"Please tell me about the four seasons, the crops, and the rain in this place."

She was still holding the materials she had compiled, which she would soon compare with the other person's words to see if the climate here was still the same as described in the book, given the different time and place.
The old man, trembling with fear, was invited into the carriage, but the queen spoke gently and kindly, even instructing a eunuch beside her to give him a packet of salt. He then mustered his courage and began to explain the situation in detail.

Susu Village has four distinct seasons, with long winters and short summers, and rain and heat occurring simultaneously.

With large temperature differences, abundant sunshine, and an altitude of 700 to 1,700 meters, it is exceptionally favorable for both grain and herb cultivation and livestock breeding.

In later generations, this place became famous for its Qin Chuan black pigs, as well as its highly resistant rootstocks that are sold all over the world, which are cold-resistant, drought-resistant, and salt-alkali-resistant.

Fruit trees, tubers, and staple food crops are all grown very well.

However, at present, large areas of mountains, forests and valleys are still undeveloped, and any major projects would inevitably be wasteful of manpower and resources.

Qin Shi recorded everything, and although he had not yet reached his destination, he already had several general development plans in mind.

In less than half an hour, they traversed the rolling hills—by the way, this area now belongs to the Qin Dynasty.

Ahead, at the end of the straight road, lies a huge farm separated by dense pine and cypress trees; this is Su Su Village.

……

Su Su Zhuang, as the name suggests, refers to the fact that the millet produced by this farm each year is large and plump, and was a precious item presented to the Xianyang Palace.

Few miscellaneous crops were planted on the farm; vast fields were mostly planted with millet. Now, in the cold winter, the soil was recovering, and as far as the eye could see, it was barren. Qin Shi, however, knew that because of the large temperature difference and strong sunlight, not only did millet grow well here, but wheat, rice, and fruit also yielded good results.

However, for now, the main concern is still basic needs like food and clothing.

Therefore, she only summoned the head of the village: "Are there any tigers or wild beasts in the surrounding mountains and forests?"

"No no!"

This is the king's estate, and he occasionally visits during the spring festival. In addition, there are no high mountains around, so soldiers regularly patrol these low hills, and not a single wild boar can be found.

Otherwise, every autumn, wild boars with their young would rush down and wreak havoc on these vast fields of ripe fruit, leaving them no time to even cry.

Qin Shi was relieved:
"Let's use that gentle, rolling hill in front for raising pigs."

what?
The head of the village was stunned.

"Raising pigs?"

Under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department, there are specialized departments for raising pigs!
Qin Shi was not satisfied.

The small number of pigs in the Imperial Household Department is more than enough to supply the Xianyang Palace. But to make sure that everyone in the world can have a taste of meat is extremely difficult.

Despite the lack of imported Large White pigs to optimize the sire line, this region possesses such significant advantages that, with proper breeding of Qin Chuan Black pigs as the dam line, it is not impossible to catch up with the advantages of later generations.

Those black pigs that give birth to about thirteen piglets per litter, grow to 100 kilograms every two hundred days, have high fat content, and are resistant to roughage!
In this day and age when even human medical care is not guaranteed, it is precisely because of such excellent qualities that the aquaculture industry can develop rapidly!

Although……

Nowadays, a black pig is just a black pig.

They are not large in size and their meat is firm, but they are very resistant to disease and are comparable to wild boars in terms of physique.

—It can be said that it benefits from the fact that it is easy to raise.

Now, these large, gentle hillsides are perfect for raising these black pigs, allowing them to breed in large numbers. By using sires from different places, each litter is selected to produce the best pigs that grow the most meat, are least prone to disease, and can grow rapidly just by eating grass.

The head farmer was puzzled: "The nobles dislike the smell of pork, so piglets are castrated when they are young. Is it necessary to do the same when raising pigs here?"

Qin Shi shook his head: "I don't know anything about these things either, but I do have some breeding methods that I can teach others. We'll make arrangements after the estate is planned out."

Upon realizing her identity as a Kunlun Immortal Envoy, the head of the manor immediately fell silent.

Qin Shi stared at the simple hand-drawn map in front of him and circled two plots of land by the pond and in the valley:

"There are two noble ladies in the palace who are skilled at raising chickens and ducks. Now, various tips and tricks have been written down and explained—note them down, and from now on, they will specialize in raising chickens and ducks."

But if they live in such large groups, they are very likely to fall ill and die in large numbers, resulting in no harvest at all!
Zhuang Tou opened his mouth, but seeing that Qin Shi was still studying the map, he closed it again.

He thought to himself: If I don't listen to the Queen now, the noble lady might get angry and take my life.

If one listens to the Queen, one will reap no harvest, and the nobleman will be furious, ultimately taking one's life.

But no matter what, he'll live one more day if he can. He'll just do whatever his benefactor tells him to do.

　Coming!
　　(End of this chapter)