Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 284, Section 283: Doing one's best
Qin Shi was well aware that large-scale farming carried significant risks.

In later generations, with advancements in science and disease prevention, there is still a saying: "Even with immense wealth, animals don't count."

Because livestock diseases are prone to outbreaks, once they occur, it can lead to total financial ruin.

but……

Because she is willing to accept this risk, she should try more things and strive to summarize the most efficient and low-cost breeding methods in this day and age.

Once some progress has been made, we can learn from the recuperation and restoration method promoted by a prefect in the Han Dynasty, which requires each household to raise one or two pigs and three to five chickens and ducks.

Even if it's just an extra dollar a day, over 365 days a year, life will still be a little more prosperous.

Therefore, when faced with the head of the village's gritted teeth and conflicted expression, she comforted him with a smile: "If you've done your best, there's nothing to worry about."

The head of the farm was worried: "That's true, but there's no standard for 'doing one's best,' and then..."

Ugh!
Qin Shi noticed his worry, smiled, and said nothing more.

For the breeding of Gongzhongdan and Feiqing, disinfection relies on wood ash and medicinal decoction. However, after mineral mining in the spring, large quantities of lime can also be used. This two-pronged approach is somewhat effective.

As for raising pigs on the mountain, although the location is chosen to be on the mountain, the method of pen-raising and castration when they are young is still adopted, and the feed is as simple as possible, such as wild vegetables.

So, with the original breed and this kind of breeding method, the meat might only amount to a hundred or so kilograms a year, but that's enough in this day and age.

Everything has a development process and cannot be accomplished overnight.

As for the head of the estate's tension and worry, it's good to keep some of it to himself; the more cautious he is, the more he'll care.

……

Susu Village is vast, with flat fields stretching as far as the eye can see, and even today, some villagers still tend to the fields.

She watched quietly for a while, then asked, "Have all those commoners been settled?"

They were all from the Guanzhong region, and by setting off earlier to pick up their families and settle them here, they were much faster than Qin Shi, who had to wait several days before setting off.

The head steward immediately replied, "Your Majesty, they have all been settled—shall we go and summon them now to receive orders?"

Qin Shi nodded, and immediately a servant left.

only……

The head of the farm was puzzled: "If we're talking about millet cultivation, the farmers in our farm are just as good as us, so why do we need to bring in more people?"

Qin Shi thought to himself: Even the servants in front of the prime minister's gate are capable of being seventh-rank officials. This estate was previously owned by Ji Heng. These farmers have lived here for a long time, so it's inevitable that they will develop a little arrogance.

Her methods of planting millet were very different from those of today. If she gave instructions, the other party would only pay lip service, and she couldn't keep an eye on things all the time. She would only be able to see if it was effective after a year's harvest. Wouldn't that be a waste of time?
Inviting these ordinary people is a different story. In order to save their lives, they will definitely be conscientious and dare not be careless.

Moreover, these skilled millet growers invited from various regions each have their own tricks, and perhaps they can offer more practical methods than just theoretical ones.
Once it's confirmed to be effective, they can spread the word to their fellow villagers after returning home...

At that time, farmers would go to great lengths, spending days and nights seeking advice, just to get an extra spoonful of grain from their fields.

But for now, Qin Shi only smiled and said:
"Based on the number of these commoners, each person should have five mu of land, including both upper, middle, and lower grades. I will have some secret methods for growing millet that I need to instruct them to try."

“Since the existing farmers in the village are skilled at growing millet, they shouldn’t follow my lead and keep farming according to their own methods.”

"If the harvest is good this autumn, the king and I will reward you handsomely."

When it comes to farming, Zhuang Tou is truly confident!

The only difficulty is—

This is the king's estate; the land has been carefully tended with great care and manpower. Where would they find any inferior land?

"If not, then lead them to the gentle slopes of the mountains and let them cultivate the land themselves."

During the Qin Dynasty, there was no concept of the Way.

For them, physical strength was the least valued asset. And the fields of the nobles, meticulously tended and richly fertile, were never short of food.

The truly impoverished people, on the other hand, mostly own low-quality land.

Cultivating barren hillsides for millet and rice requires significantly different amounts of water, so it's worth trying.

If there is indeed a harvest, then we can persuade the king to uphold the prohibition on mountains and marshes. If we only protect a certain amount of tree resources, perhaps more people can survive in this world...

Thinking of this, Qin Shi suddenly burst into laughter again.

In modern times, she was someone who basically didn't have contact with or pay much attention to the situation of people in poor mountain villages.

But here, he suddenly transforms into a philanthropist who is concerned about the country and its people and does everything for the poor.

After much thought, all I could do was sigh.

In modern impoverished rural areas, the suffering is that children cannot go to school, there are left-behind children, lonely elderly, and the saying that poverty and hardship breed unruly people.

But in today's poverty, there is no idle land anywhere, and farmers are still starving to death.

He worries that charcoal is cheap and wishes for colder weather.

He is the one adorned in silk robes, not the one who raises silkworms.

Survival and life are two completely different propositions.

……

The contemplation of this grand proposition took only a moment.

Soon, the attendants arrived in haste with the group of commoners.

The initial fear on their faces had vanished—the Queen had summoned them only to farm, and they were all people who had spent their lives tending the land; when it came to this, they were absolutely unwilling to admit defeat.

As for the fact that the farmhands were better at farming than the servants, as the servants had only mentioned in snippets of conversation…

snort!
When it came to farming, no one was afraid anymore. They had barely paid their respects to the Queen when someone anxiously said:
"Your Majesty, I am a renowned farmer in the surrounding villages! Last year, one mu of medium-quality land yielded 55 jin of millet! My family only has medium and low-quality land. If I could acquire five mu of good land..."

"Exactly! I am also particularly good at it..."

"Their farms are thriving because they have oxen and iron plows! We only have one iron plow within a ten-mile radius, and only three or five families have oxen. When we need them, we can't borrow any at all, and we have to rely entirely on manpower to plow the fields..."

The common people in Qin nowadays usually use the double plow, which can plow to a depth of fifteen to twenty centimeters.

But that requires a large plow and two oxen to pull it.

In terms of manpower, single-family households can only use small-scale equipment, and the effect is naturally much worse.

If manual labor is insufficient to plow the fields, and deep cultivation is impossible, the yield will naturally be affected.

In just a few days, they have gone from being apprehensive to being full of fighting spirit.

Qin Shi paused for a moment, then looked at the inconspicuous servant who had led the way.

Wu Zi also looked over, and when the Queen's gaze swept over her, she nodded knowingly.

The Queen was never afraid of her servants being ambitious; what she feared was that they weren't.

With such keen observation skills and strong execution ability, the other party can indeed be listed as a key candidate for promotion.

Now, with one expectation and two gains, Qin Shi is equally satisfied:

"In that case, I must first ask how you fertilize the fields?"

　coming.

　　(End of this chapter)