Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 117 The Mule (Bonus Chapter! Luckily, it reached 4k views)

"Sigh, life is more important."

After pondering for a long time, Xi Zhong finally tossed the wine jar aside.

My lord already possesses the bearing of someone destined for great things; it would be such a waste if I were to die over wine.

"Giving up alcohol will make you famous in history; this is a deal worth making!"

The celebration ended.

The next day, Zhang Xian got up early in the morning, dressed in a plain robe, and left the mansion.

Before dawn, the bluestone pavement was covered with white frost. Zhang Xian's leather boots left clear wet marks as he walked across it. When he passed the armory, the distinctive rusty smell of iron armor mixed with the morning mist entered his nostrils. The torches on both sides of the drill ground gate were not yet extinguished.

On the drill ground, hundreds of soldiers were all dressed in simple linen robes.

After Zhang Xian entered the training ground, Huang Zhong, dressed in a khaki-yellow robe, waved his hand and ordered, "Send the brothers on their way!"

"promise,"

The sixteen people split into two teams, each carrying a wooden coffin.

Outside the county, on a leveled plot of land, two graves had already been dug.

Hundreds of soldiers, along with Zhang Xian, emerged from the north gate and marched along this path.

The people along the street were all astonished when they saw each other, and then asked.

"Weren't you happy yesterday? What's wrong with you today?"

A resident who frequently visited the county government explained, "Two soldiers under the county magistrate's command died in battle; they're on their way to bury them."

"The county magistrate even brought back the soldier who died in battle?"

"You know, our county magistrate is truly kind and benevolent. Look at him, he went there early this morning. What other official would go to such lengths?"

The cloth shop was also open. Manager Wang, who had served wine yesterday, looked at the procession and, after a moment's thought, asked his clerk, "Go see if the spirit medium at the West Gate has risen yet? Buy some pottery coins."

"What's wrong, shopkeeper?"

Manager Wang watched the departing troops and said, "They were killed by the Hu people, after all. I was also robbed a few years ago, so this is considered revenge for me. Since it was revenge for me, then I shall see them off!"

"The shopkeeper is kind and righteous!"

A passerby heard this and praised it.

Shopkeeper Wang sighed, "Let's put ourselves in his shoes. The county magistrate has treated us commoners well, and we must not let him down."

"That makes sense. I'll go with you, shopkeeper. Waiter, buy me some pottery coins too!"

As he spoke, the man tossed a dozen or so five-zhu coins to the waiter.

"Oh, I'll go right now."

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant was quick-witted and immediately ran towards the west gate.

Outside the county

The soldiers arrived at the site.

The newly dug graves smelled damp and earthy. In the distance, on the mountain ridge, a flock of migrating geese flew by, their mournful cries and soft sobs mingling and being torn apart by the howling wind.

Zhang Xian stepped forward and patted the two wooden coffins on the left and right.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of your children and will not let them be bullied."

"Qiao Liang, your family has four members, and your son is three years old. I will personally deliver the pension to him later. When your son is older, I will let him study literature in a primary school. If he has a martial arts talent, I will give him a merit."

"Ma Yun, your family has five members. I will personally deliver the compensation. As you are the youngest son and have no heir, this merit will be inherited by the son of your eldest brother."

"Sigh," Zhang Xian sighed, then patted the two wooden coffins and said softly, "Rest in peace, I'll take care of things at home!"

"Send it to my comrade-in-arms!"

Huang Zhong stepped forward and shouted.

The soldiers stared intently at Zhang Xianyan before the wooden coffin, their eyes burning with fervor. Following Huang Zhong's chant, they craned their necks and shouted in unison.

"Send this to our comrades!!!"

"Send this to our comrades!!!"

After three shouts, the generals fell silent. Huang Zhong waved his hand, and the sixteen men who had carried the coffin earlier placed the wooden coffin into the burial pit.

Zhang Xian picked up a shovel and scooped up the first shovelful of soil.

"We've been waiting for you, my lord!"

The soldiers carrying the coffin stepped forward and took the shovel from Zhang Xian's hands, while the others picked up nearby shovels and began to bury the coffin.

As the grave was gradually buried by frozen soil, Zhang Xian stood quietly in front of it, watching. All the soldiers also looked on in silence. As the last shovelful of soil was put into the grave, Zhang Xian bowed his head and mourned for a while.

Then he turned around and said: "Each department..."

Just as the order was about to be given to the various departments to bring them back, a hundred or so residents of Lüqi arrived from the direction of the county town.

Zhang Xian waved for his soldiers to part and make way, then personally went to greet them: "Gentlemen, what brings you here?"

The cloth shop owner, still leading the group, said with a hint of sadness, "Your Excellency, these soldiers bravely died for our safety and peace, so we would like to offer them a small token of our respect."

Zhang Xian patted the back of his hand: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

As he spoke, he stepped aside, and the hundred or so residents of Lüqi entered the tomb.

One by one, pottery coins were laid out in front of the tomb. They were meant to be placed in the coffin, but that wasn't appropriate now, so they were simply laid out in front of the tomb.

The shopkeeper, Wang, then instructed his assistant to remove the hemp cloth from his back, wrap it up in front of the tomb, and set it on fire.

These kudzu cloths were clearly stockpiled goods; although not exactly tattered, they were riddled with holes and clearly showed signs of insect infestation and rodent damage.

However, it's the thought that counts. No matter how tattered the cloth is, the fact that the person put their heart into it already surpasses that of others.

The custom of burning silk was traditionally reserved for wealthy families.

After paying their respects, the hundred or so residents of Lüqi withdrew from the tomb.

Zhang Xian shouted: "Generals, remember this day! Your efforts to protect the borders and the people have never been empty words! Your work has not been in vain!"

We will remember this!

No amount of repeated words of faith can compare to the sincerity of the people of Luchi who came out of the city to see us off today.

Although there weren't many people, they planted a seed in the hearts of the county soldiers.

Let them know that those who fought for them were not empty-hearted people.

Zhang Xian approached the hundred or so residents and bowed to each of them.

They returned the greeting somewhat reservedly.

"Bring them back to their respective units!"

"promise!"

Outside the city, the wind and snow swirled, and before long, only these two newly erected graves remained, covered in snow and turned into snow mounds.

County government.

Sparks occasionally flew from the silver-bone charcoal in the charcoal brazier, making the vermilion annotations on the bamboo slips even more vivid. Han Ji's brush tip, glistening with ink, hovered above the grain register awaiting approval.

Zhang Xian took his seat at the head of the table. Han Ji, Xi Zhong, and Gu Yu greeted him and then continued with their respective official duties.

"What's the background of that cloth shop owner in the county?"

The charcoal crackled for a long time, and the main hall fell silent as people dealt with their business. Suddenly, Zhang Xian asked a question.

Han Ji and Xi Zhong were not quite aware of the situation. Gu Yu raised her eyes slightly and respectfully asked, "Is the county magistrate asking about the Wang family's cloth shop?"

"Yes." Zhang Xian didn't stop writing, nor did he raise his head or eyes.

"This man is quite capable. Twenty years ago, he was a helper in the Wu family. Because he was shrewd, he saved some money and redeemed himself. Then he gathered some people and started traveling between Luqi and Jinyang." "Later, because he was reliable, he accumulated some connections. In addition, he had accumulated some money and reputation through years of trading. So he opened a dyeing business. Over the years, he has established himself."

Gu Yu said softly.

Han Ji and Xi Zhong glanced at Zhang Xian at the head of the table, wondering why their lord had suddenly asked this question.

"He's a remarkable person, Your Excellency."

"Your Excellency is here."

"Invite him to the mansion for a chat this evening."

"only."

The county government's inquiry was just a minor incident; the four men clearly divided their tasks and completed all the official business.

As usual, Zhang Xian only handled the morning's work, while the afternoon's work was entirely completed by Han Ji and the other two.

After being away for half a month, the farmers and herdsmen outside the county were already able to harvest again.

He went out of the city and harvested all the ripe crops.

[Sindhu cotton: Seedling change: Changing the planting direction to improve cold resistance]

[Wheat: Variety Change: Change the planting direction to improve winter growth rate and cold resistance]

!!!

Shipment!

It was still a matter of replanting two seeds at a time.

Zhang Xian was overjoyed. He had been farming for almost a year, and the number of times he had switched to other crops was very small. Including these two changes, there had only been four times in total.

Great news! A very happy occasion!

And most importantly, the cotton crop has been replanted with a focus on cold resistance!
What does this mean?
This doesn't seem to mean anything.
The temperature difference between day and night seems to be quite large in Xinjiang as well.
But who cares, anyway, we've changed the crop!
Zhang Xian quickly picked out all the cotton seeds from the cotton plant he had replanted. The size of the cotton bolls hadn't changed much, but the seeds seemed to be a little smaller.

He obtained more than thirty cotton seeds from a plant that was being converted to cotton, and then planted them, marking the area clearly.

After two harvests, it will be around springtime. By then, there will be enough seeds, so we can plant some seeds in the field as an experiment to see if it will be effective.

The wheat variant has given it some resemblance to winter wheat, so after the autumn harvest in Lüqi, they could try planting another round of this modified wheat. If successful, it would be an additional source of production.

As usual, he planted the wheat seeds he had changed to, marked the area, and then Zhang Xian happily went to the pastoral area.

Chickens and ducks are less active in winter, huddled in their thatched huts and not moving much. Perhaps it's because of the cold weather, but their egg production also decreases slightly after winter sets in.

But it will be soon, spring is just around the corner, and by then, the production capacity of chickens and ducks will return to normal.

The pigs, cattle, and horses remained largely unchanged, probably due to their large size and strong resistance to cold. They continued their daily routine of eating and sleeping, but the stallion remained somewhat listless.

There was no other way. Although the horses had been bred two or three times, Zhang Xian decided to breed this particular stallion because the probability of a single horse producing a variant was high.

His unnamed pure black warhorse was its breed, making it the first warhorse produced with golden fingers.

The effect is quite good. It improves courage, endurance, and physique. With the support of the upper panel, it becomes a thoroughbred steed.

"Horse, cheer up! If you can give birth to a new breed of warhorse, you can finally rest. Doesn't that make you a little excited?"

As usual, he used PUA tactics, then his gaze fell on the donkey pen next to the horse pen.

Yes, he has started raising donkeys.

However, he wanted to breed mules, not donkeys.

Now all nine donkeys in this pen are pregnant. As for who will be bred, that goes without saying; they can be used on a stallion.

Does the capable do more work?

He had already planned to use donkeys, since animal power was scarce in the Han Dynasty, and having mules would naturally replace some of the animal power of horses.

The mule, produced by mating a male horse with a female donkey, is only slightly smaller than a horse and is suitable for long-distance freight transport and heavy agricultural work.

Moreover, because they inherit the characteristics of female donkeys, they have a lower requirement for the fineness of feed and are more patient than cattle and horses.

The stubbornness of donkeys would change due to the docile nature of horses, making them more docile and easier to control. The advantages of donkeys and mules are obvious, so Zhang Xian had no reason not to breed them.

As for its drawbacks, of course it has them too, namely its pitifully low explosive power.

But it doesn't matter. By simply changing the breeding order, you can get a mule with explosive power that rivals that of a horse.

Just mate a mare with a male donkey.

You might ask Zhang Xian why he knew all this so clearly.

Of course, the Han Dynasty already had mules as a means of transportation.

We have to thank Zhang Qianqian for bringing back donkeys, camels, and mules to the Han Dynasty after his journey to the Western Regions.

Although mules cannot reproduce naturally, as long as there is a domestic donkey, it is not difficult to breed them.

Zhang Xianke put in a lot of effort to acquire donkeys, and fortunately, he got the first batch, so he could breed the rest himself.

Mules, both of which have different breeding sequences, have their own distinct advantages.

If the Lüqi can be bred on a large scale, then there will be no need to worry about animal power in the future.

After brushing and feeding all the livestock, Zhang Xian left the agricultural and pastoral area humming a song.

Upon returning to the mansion, Zhang also brought over a roll of cloth.

"Lord, do you think this style of cloth is acceptable?"

cotton!

Zhang Xian took the cloth, and the moment his fingertips touched the cotton fabric, an unusual softness came from his fingertips. This touch was even more delicate than the finest Shu brocade.

Zhang pointed to the fabric and said, "Using the three-up-one-down weaving method you taught me, although the weaving speed is a bit slower, the finished fabric is actually three times denser than ordinary linen."

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice onto the cloth, revealing faint cloud patterns.

"You even added cloud patterns?" Zhang Xian asked in surprise.

Madam Zhang smiled shyly: "Such fine materials are too good to be used for plain weaving, so I took the liberty of making this. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

Zhang Xian smiled and shook his head: "My sister-in-law is indeed skillful."

As he spoke, he grabbed both ends of the cloth and pulled hard. The cotton cloth stretched taut and made a muffled "thud," but it did not deform in the slightest.

"Its toughness is excellent, truly top-quality. Sister-in-law, how many short-sleeved hemp garments can this bolt of cloth yield?"

After estimating, Zhang replied, "If it's adult short-sleeved robes, judging from the county magistrate's build, he should be able to produce twenty sets."

Zhang Xian nodded. It was alright; it was already quite good that so much cotton cloth could be produced from eighty catties of cotton thread.

What is a short brown?

It's a type of short-sleeved garment, with the top falling between the hips and knees, and the trousers having no hem. Its distinguishing features include a cross-over collar, right-fastening front, no sleeves, and side slits.

It was generally worn by commoners, servants, and soldiers.

Nowadays, the short tunics worn by soldiers in Luqi County during training are made of hemp. If they were replaced with cotton ones, they would be warmer and more convenient for daily use.

Unfortunately, we only have this much right now. It will take a long time to gather enough for more than a thousand people.

'How about planting one of each type of medicinal herb in the garden field? And replacing all the remaining empty spaces with cotton?'

Zhang Xian pondered that if the medicinal herbs were simply replanted, the cotton yield could be increased from over a hundred jin to over two hundred jin, doubling the yield.

After the start of spring, with a cycle of ten days, 120 sets can be produced each month, and in ten months, enough will be collected to meet the needs of more than 1,000 people.

In addition, we will try to switch to cotton cultivation in the spring, and there may be even more.

After thinking it over, Zhang Xian sat down in his seat.

Seeing that he was pondering, Zhang did not disturb him and left the main hall on her own.

(End of this chapter)