Frost for a Thousand Years

Although winters in the Central Plains are not as bitterly cold as those in the north, the land is mostly covered in snow, making it difficult to carry out construction. Therefore, only on occasional sunny days can some localized construction and river dredging be carried out.

The five central counties of Huaijun are all flat plains, but not every acre of land is a single acre of farmland.

Agricultural development is centered on water resources and spreads outward to the surrounding plains.

That's why the concept of a river basin exists.

Huai County is traversed by a major river, and the Luo River, a tributary that flows into the major river, passes by its eastern side. The five counties are situated in the angle between the two rivers.

The land reclamation plan involved diverting more than twenty tributaries from the Luo River, whose water flow was not as abundant as that of the main river. Dozens of interconnected canals were then dug across these tributaries, creating a network of waterways.

This network of waterways can be considered a series of rivers. From these rivers, hundreds of smaller canals are channeled to irrigate the farmland.

From then on, the practice of military farming was established.

This may not sound difficult, but history, with its simple strokes, reveals countless ancient wonders.

One of the reasons why the Qin state was able to unify the world, and a very important one at that, was the famous Zheng Guo Canal. It mobilized 100,000 people and took ten years to turn the Guanzhong Plain into the granary of the world.

The difference is that Qin was at war, and it was only with the strength of one state.

Song Shi'an mobilized nearly 500,000 people when the Central Plains were basically unified and there were no threats, and when the productivity was far superior to that of the time.

The Zheng Guo Canal irrigates an area of ​​approximately two million mu.

Song Shi'an's mission was to create a total of five million mu of fertile land.

Of course, it's not about starting from scratch.

Huai County was originally an agriculturally developed area, and the area designated from these five counties originally covered nearly 1.3 million mu of land.

Therefore, time is tight and the task is heavy.

When the snow melts in early spring, the land reclamation will begin.

Accompanied by several heavy chimes.

Song Shi'an slowly walked to an altar that had been used for sacrificial rites.

Dressed in a crimson official robe of the third rank, wearing a gilded black gauze hat and a white jade pendant bestowed by the emperor at his waist, he was tall and handsome, and stood out like a god among the officials.

Wei Wusheng, dressed in armor, stood in the very center of the audience, looking at him with a smile on his lips.

Just as the priest was instructing Song Shi'an to bow, he suddenly turned around and extended his hand to Wei Wusheng.

"You're in charge of land reclamation, why are you calling me?"

Wei Wusheng didn't want to steal the limelight. He was only there to lead troops and fully assist Song Shi'an. He couldn't let his higher rank make him the one to overshadow the main character.

Song Shi'an pursed his lips, then opened his mouth without making a sound, urging with his mouth: Come quickly.

"Your Highness, you may go." Xin Yue also disliked others being coy and effeminate, and urged them on.

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

And so, Wei Wusheng stepped onto the stage in front of all the generals and officials.

The priest standing to one side, holding a gilded bronze staff several feet long with several strands of pearl-like sharp objects at the top, swung it up and down several times, then shouted:
"The official in charge of land reclamation shall perform the kowtow ceremony."

The two people knelt on the platform, facing the 'Tai Lao' offering.

"First bow, to the ancestors of the Great Yu Dynasty!"

Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng slowly kowtowed for the first time.

"Second bow, to the myriad gods of the Great Yu!"

Once again, the two kowtowed.

"The third prayer is offered to the mountains and rivers of Dayu, wishing for national peace and prosperity!"

After the final kowtow, it was over.

Guided by the priest, the two descended from the sacrificial altar.

Then, we walked to the center of a place marked with lines on both sides.

"Please have the official in charge of land reclamation shovel the first pile of soil."

The official in charge of the ceremony pleaded.

The shovel was presented to the two men by the prefect, who had been running all the way.

"Please go ahead," Wei Wusheng said, still trying to decline.

"Your Highness, don't be so shy, let's go together."

Song Shi'an's use of the audacious word "shy" stunned the other officials around him. Then, after Wei Wusheng grabbed a shovel and laughed heartily, the remaining officials also burst into laughter.

The classic two-part laugh.

An Sheng and An Sheng held the shovels together, exchanged a glance, and after getting ready, they scooped up the first pile of dirt and threw it to one side.

Then came the thunderous cheers of the entire military and civilian population.

Immediately afterwards, countless people, each wielding a shovel, poured into their work sites, forming long lines to dig out the tributaries.

The entire land of Huai County was dug out by 500,000 soldiers and civilians with shovels, creating deep trenches that stretched for nearly 10,000 miles, day after day…

……

March.

Jia Guihao returned to Sheng'an to report.

Upon entering the palace, he was immediately received by the Crown Prince without waiting for even a moment.

The Crown Prince stood in the middle of the steps below the dragon throne, while Jia Guihao prostrated himself in the main hall, his face streaked with tears: "Your Highness, I have missed you so much that I cannot control myself... Please forgive me."

"Alright, alright, why make this so mushy?" The crown prince beckoned to him and said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Jia Guihao stood up.

The prince simply sat down in the middle of the steps and beckoned to him, "Come sit here."

Such an inappropriate scene naturally caused the eunuchs and palace maids to leave.

Only Grandpa Xi remained, standing bent over on one side.

Jia Guihao sat down on the steps and reported to the Crown Prince: "The various sub-camps of the military farms have begun spring planting one after another."

"What about the canals? Have they all been connected?" the prince asked.

"All of the dozen or so major tributaries that run through Huai County have been opened, and the water source has long been connected. The smaller canals are also basically under construction," Jia Guihao described vividly. "Because there was already a foundation, it's just a matter of connecting all the fields into one area, so there is plenty of time. Sowing and digging canals can be done simultaneously without any delay."

“After all, there are 500,000 people. With that kind of scale, anything can be accomplished,” the Crown Prince said.

"Moreover, there were 500,000 people with ample food and complete farming tools," Jia Guihao said. "They were like a tsunami, creating fertile fields wherever they went."

The ability to mobilize 500,000 people at once, including 50,000 soldiers, can be considered a super-project of corvée labor in ancient times.

Throughout history, only Qin Shi Huang and Yang Guang were able to launch such a large-scale operation.

However, what they did was purely scientific research—exploring the limits of human mobilization in ancient times.

"Moreover, the people are very enthusiastic and eager to cultivate the land, working day and night," Jia Guihao said.

"Never stopping day and night?" The crown prince thought this was too outrageous.

“The military agricultural settlements were divided into ‘villages,’ each with about five hundred people, which was equivalent to a village. Each village was responsible for its own area, and the amount of land they could cultivate belonged to them, even if it was just rent,” Jia Guihao said. “In order to irrigate their own land, they had to dig canals. Therefore, the village head and the land officials personally mobilized the work, working day and night.”

That's the charm of the production brigade.

However, the difference is that these achievements do not all belong to the collective.

Originally, farmers also split the profits 30/70, but the difference is that the average farmer had at most four or five mu, while now the average farmer has about ten mu.

Given this trend, after a bumper harvest, there may even be a surplus of grain for nearly a year.

"Do the common people really believe that the grain will actually reach them?" the crown prince asked, somewhat puzzled. In ancient times, how could ordinary people possibly trust the government?

This is science fiction.

“At first, no one believed it, and many people even resisted the military-agricultural colonies,” Jia Guihao said. “But the original aristocratic families of Huai County really moved away, and those big households that hoarded grain at high prices had their grain confiscated… These things happened right before the eyes of those ordinary people.”

"That's true," the Crown Prince nodded. "If he offends the powerful and wealthy on one hand, and deceives the poor on the other, what's in it for him?"

If you bully the rich, then you must stand up for the common people and seek justice.

If you exploit ordinary people, you're bound to collude with the rich.

You bully the rich on one hand and the ordinary people on the other. This is North Korea!

Isn't this a complete tyrant?

"If things continue like this, the amount of grain we can harvest this year will be incredible, Your Highness." Jia Guihao had already foreseen the future.

"Yes." The Crown Prince nodded solemnly. "This is the military-agricultural colony."

Since land reclamation was so effective, why didn't other dynasties use this method to reverse their decline?

Military settlements originated in the Western Han Dynasty, but they were all located on the border.

The purpose was to wage war by stockpiling supplies.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao began large-scale military settlements with the help of Yellow Turban refugees. Later, Deng Ai's military settlements became a national policy, laying the foundation for the unification of the Three Kingdoms.

You've found a bug, haven't you?

The military-agricultural colonies did indeed enrich the people and strengthen the army, making the Wei state powerful, but in the end, it was not Wei that unified the country.

Because of the stability of military settlements, if this national policy continues to be implemented, the benefits will inevitably be usurped by powerful families in the end.

Even if Cao Wei had not been usurped by Sima, other families would have inevitably emerged.

“In this Great Yu, only Song Shi’an can accomplish this.” The Crown Prince had to admit this, so his tone grew colder and colder. “And this also means that only he can hold this position.”

Only he can sit.

No one else can replace you.

Then wouldn't this military farm be his private property?

Why was the emperor so insistent on sharing the military farms with large families?
Because that way, at least this situation wouldn't occur—Sheng'an would have to depend on Song Shi'an's whims when it came to getting food.

Jia Guihao saw the Crown Prince's apprehension and realized that he was the Crown Prince's confidant, a confidant he could completely trust.

why?
His abilities pose absolutely no threat to the Crown Prince.

Even the most loyal dog would be eager for that, yet it still harbors ambitions!

"Your Highness," Jia Guihao asked, "his clansmen also went to Yan to do business. I heard that they were exempted from most taxes, and only paid a symbolic toll?"

“That was promised to him by His Majesty,” the Crown Prince said. “No problem.”

"Yes." Jia Guihao didn't say anything more.

"Your full support for land reclamation is enough, just like I did in Sheng'an."

From the very beginning of the land reclamation project, the Crown Prince has received countless impeachments.

He suppressed it all.

No matter how much we fear him, we have to trust Song Shi'an at this time.

“Your Highness, there is one more thing.” Jia Guihao could tell that the Crown Prince was only pretending to be magnanimous, so he leaned over and whispered, “Shi An has a very good reputation for farming in Huai County. He is charitable and generous, and he often helps the suffering people. In the areas under his jurisdiction, many people who are suffering have received his generous assistance, and it was all private.”

"..."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince fell silent.

Jia Guihao did not continue speaking.

The two of them looked out of the main hall, their expressions solemn.

As a wealthy wandering knight, it's understandable that he would do this; given Song Shi'an's character, he's capable of doing it too.

Such a major undertaking as land reclamation is already the greatest act of kindness in the world, and yet people still find time to do good deeds at this time.

Song Shi'an, are you a pure person, or...?

They're raising assassins.

.........

Daqi, Leyang.

Chen Xing took the military report and went to the Qi Emperor's palace.

"Your Majesty, Song Shi'an's land reclamation project is bound to succeed," Chen Xing said pessimistically. "No one can stop him now."

"Yes," Ji Yuan, sitting on the throne, said calmly, "A person who can think of such a method to extort grain is capable of anything."

"Too stupid, too weak." Chen Xing was exasperated and cursed, "Those aristocratic families, those noble families, are truly pathetic! I really didn't expect that they couldn't even provide Song Shi'an with the slightest resistance, and they even fell apart themselves, fighting like dogs!"

Originally, everyone thought that the powerful families of Dayu were the most awesome.

It will surely let those self-righteous little reformers know how powerful the old aristocracy's fist really is.

But what about the facts?

Song Shi'an punched them one by one, as if he were bullying children.

“They are not weak, they just haven’t reached a critical moment of survival yet,” Ji Yuan said succinctly. “Now, they will be just as anxious as we are.”

“If the military-agricultural colonies succeed, their only concern will be their own power and their own land,” Chen Xing reminded him. “Your Majesty, no matter what, their losses will only extend this far. But for the military-agricultural colonies to succeed…”

"Next year, they will have the ability to launch a counterattack against my Great Qi." Ji Yuan had already seen through everything.

After the successful settlement of the colony, the gap in strength between the two sides will widen significantly.

"Moreover, the Yan state will not help us restrain them."

Chen Xing's urgent request was perfectly reasonable.

Because the heaviest punch will land on the face of the State of Qi.

"But do you think there will be a next year?" Ji Yuan asked.

"Huh?" Chen Xing didn't quite understand. "If the land reclamation is successful this year, there will be even less food shortage next year, and the scale can be expanded even further..."

"How could someone like Wei Ye possibly relinquish all power to his son as regent?"

"..."

“He’s going to die. He won’t even live to see next year,” Ji Yuan said with certainty. “And at the moment of his death, the Kingdom of Yu will surely be thrown into turmoil.”

"Your Majesty, are you sure he won't make it past next year?" Chen Xing asked cautiously.

It's a guess, and it's certainly a reasonable guess.

However, matters of national importance cannot be entirely based on guesswork.

If he really holds out until next year, or even for several years, then the Qi Kingdom, which is just waiting here for the Emperor of Great Yu to die, is simply wasting its time...

It would be better to fight a battle with all our might.

"Ah."

Ji Yuan responded calmly to this.

With this word, everything is enough.

The information has a source and is accurate.

"This year's harvest season for the military farms."

Ji Yuan looked ahead, his eyes sharp, and said, "This is also the time for me to stir things up." (End of Chapter)