Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 158 Opening the Mountain!
Besides the winter wheat, the cold-resistant cotton has also been improved by making the plant shorter and producing more cotton fibers.

Next spring, when the weather gets warmer, we will try planting cotton in the southern part of Bingzhou. We don't know if the cotton, which has only undergone one cold-resistant variant, can adapt to the cold of Bingzhou.

If all else fails, we'll have to find a way to take over Xihe and Shangjun.

These two prefectures are now basically under the control of the Qiang and Hu people, so taking action against them is actually easier than taking action against Wang Ze.

It prefers winter wheat, is cold-resistant cotton, and also has sorghum, and the beans have also been improved once.

The sorghum was replaced with a variety with higher sugar content, and the beans were replaced with larger pods and beans, which was a pleasant surprise.

In terms of crops, there are these four improved crops, and there have also been considerable gains in animal husbandry.

The time to market for black pigs was shortened by two months, but their weight and meat quality did not decrease.

The improvement in cattle breeds is reflected in their size. The beef cattle in the Home Ranch are now half a size larger. They were bred with yellow cattle and cattle introduced from Western Region merchants to obtain female cattle that were already on the larger side. After being improved by Home Ranch, the beef cattle used by Zhang Xian for slaughter now weigh no less than 1,800 catties.

If we compare it to the meat yield of black pigs, then it would take nine black pigs to produce the meat yield of one beef cattle.

Unfortunately, these cattle can only be raised in residential areas at present, and the six cattle pens can produce fifty-four head of beef cattle each month.

Each cow yields around 1,000 jin of meat, plus 300 jin of bones, 200 jin of internal organs, and over 200 jin of fur and horn.

In other words, Zhang Xian's farm produces about 54,000 catties of beef every month. Adding pork, chicken, duck, and fish, the meat alone can meet the meat needs of an army of 10,000.

A 10,000-strong army that eats meat—this is a privilege reserved for the elite of the elite, not for those who were just ordinary farmers being forcibly conscripted.

Besides cattle and pigs, Zhang Xian's superior horses also emerged. With the tall stature, long-distance running ability, and explosive power of Liangzhou horses as the sire, and with the stallion working tirelessly day and night, the new generation of horses in Zhang Xian's homeland area finally showed an improvement in the sire's endurance and agility.

The horses he now raises basically have the physique and all the advantages of Liangzhou horses, and have also greatly absorbed the endurance enhancements from Bingzhou and Youzhou horses.

It can be said that the horses produced in the entire Jiayuan area today are all considered to be excellent steeds.

Zhang Xian could produce 54 such fine steeds every month, totaling 648 a year!
His livestock pens have now undergone several reassignment changes.

The original allocation of 24 slots, consisting of five chickens, five ducks, four pigs, eight oxen, and two horses, has been changed to the current system.

Two chickens, two ducks, two fish, six pigs, six cows, and six horses. The breeding of mules has been moved to the outside world, but they will only be retired after they have produced enough male and female offspring.

There are now over a hundred mules in use in Luqi, and those are produced in the homestead area.

The new slot allocation aims to ensure even distribution of resources, allowing for more balanced improvements across various species.

Unfortunately, there have been no improvements to chickens and ducks to increase their growth rate; the focus has been on increasing meat and egg production.

The fish have only been kept for two or three months, so there are no good breeds yet.

However, the breeding of grass carp is going quite smoothly so far. They eat grass and produce meat, and their fat content is much higher than other fish that are suitable for breeding. Once the reservoirs and ponds in Luchi County are filled with water, they can be promoted for breeding in Luchi.

Nowadays, the pigs, chickens, and ducks raised in Luqi County are all breeds produced by Jiayuan Farm, which are superior to ordinary livestock and poultry of the same kind.

Next year, following the model of Lü Qi, Taiyuan County will be converted, and Zhang Xian will then have a county as a rear production base.

At that time, the annual output of money and grain would be astronomical.

It is impossible to support the whole country with one prefecture, but it is more than enough to support a whole province with the land of one prefecture.

Nowadays, there are very few counties in Bingzhou still under the control of the Han people.

Apart from these four prefectures—Taiyuan, Shangdang, Yanmen, and Dingxiang—the other prefectures were mostly inhabited by Hu, Qiang, and Xiongnu people.

However, everything is progressing smoothly on Qiangyin's side. Once the grassland people north of Yanmen are stabilized, they can then move west to reclaim Yunzhong.

Taiyuan also moved westward to recapture Xihe.

Next year will be a period of population explosion; the more land there is, the more cultural heritage it will have in the future!

From the beginning to the end of October, Xun Yu, Han Ji, and others spent nearly a month mobilizing manpower and supplies towards the Taihang Mountains.

By the end of October in the Taihang Mountains, the north wind was already biting like a knife, stinging people's faces.

The vast, desolate mountains resembled ancient, slumbering beasts, their rugged spines stretching silently beneath the leaden sky.

In the chilling "cliffside plank road" section of the Jingxing Ancient Road, the biting mountain wind, like an invisible giant hand, carries pebbles and ice chips, lashing the plank road hanging on the sheer cliff, emitting mournful howls, like the painful panting of a giant beast.

Below the plank road lies a bottomless valley shrouded in mist, so deep that just looking down makes one dizzy.

Along the plank road, the camp of Kaishanying spread out like a beehive clinging to the ribs of a giant beast in a relatively sheltered mountain hollow.

The simple shacks were built along the mountainside, and the smoke from the chimneys struggled to twist into wisps in the strong wind, only to be torn apart again.

The sounds of human voices, the neighing of mules and horses, and the clanging of tools seemed small yet resilient amidst the roaring might of heaven and earth.

In the center of the camp, the tall "Han" flag was blown straight by the wind, fluttering loudly.

Inside the large tent, the air was thick with heat. A huge sand table occupied the center, meticulously sculpting the rugged terrain of the Jingxing Ancient Road with mud and gravel.

One section, prominently circled in vermilion, is the dilapidated "cliffside plank," hanging precariously on the cliff face, only four feet wide.

Han Ji, dressed in shorts covered in mud and grime, frowned as he pointed to a chilling mark on the sand table.

Standing beside him was Lu Da, the master craftsman of the craftsmen's camp, a short, stocky old man with calloused hands and a face etched with the unwavering determination of weathering storms and rock, along with several experienced foremen.

When Han Ji said he wanted to come to Taihang Mountain, he was the first person to jump out. Compared to other craftsmen, he really did participate in the maintenance of the well tracks when he was young.

Therefore, Han Ji appointed him as his deputy.

"Lu Da!" Han Ji's voice rang out.

"This is the first major obstacle on the way to Jizhou! If this section isn't widened and reinforced, the subsequent transport of troops, supplies, and refugees will be impossible! Do you have any other ideas?"

Lu Da's cloudy yet sharp eyes were fixed on the sand table, his fingers moving slowly along the dangerous path, as if he could touch the cold, slippery rock wall.

“Supervising the construction is difficult! Extremely difficult! The plank road is suspended in the air with no shelter on the outside, and it is severely eroded and decayed by the wind. The wooden piles driven into the rock wall for the foundation have been neglected for many years, and many of them are loose and rotten. If we want to widen and stabilize it, we must first clear these things away!”

He paused, then pointed to a relatively gentle, exceptionally solid natural rock formation about ten feet below the outer edge of the plank road.

"The ridge chosen by our lord is excellent, but we must first be able to descend it. Therefore, I think we should first establish a 'Flying Ape Team' to descend by rope, clear away the loose and dangerous rocks above and below, and carve out a foothold!"

"The Flying Ape Team?" Han Ji's gaze sharpened.

"Yes!" A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Da's eyes.

"Select the most agile and courageous men, tie them with thick hemp ropes, and lower them down from the upper edge of the plank road or the cliff above to clear away dangerous rock fragments while suspended in mid-air, thus clearing obstacles for the subsequent excavation of the foundation trench!"

Han Ji took a deep breath, the mountain wind carrying a chill that penetrated his lungs through the curtain.

He knew that this "Flying Ape Team" was a suicide squad! The slightest mistake would mean certain death!

"Where should we choose?" Han Ji's voice lowered.

"I have some candidates. They are all familiar faces, skilled mountain runners, bold yet meticulous!"

Lu Da said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Supervisor. The skills of suspending ropes and driving piles to secure the structure are what mountain runners rely on to make a living!"

Looking at Lu Da's weathered yet resolute face, Han Ji patted him heavily on the shoulder: "Good! Lu Da! The necessary ropes, steel bars, crowbars, and sledgehammers will be supplied to the camp with priority! Safety must be ensured!"

After saying that, he turned his eyes around and continued, "In addition, this matter was extremely dangerous. I have decided to increase the daily salary of each member of the Flying Ape Team by five hundred coins."

"Yes, Supervisor Renhou!" Lu Da clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

……

The wind subsided slightly the following morning, but it was still biting.

Above the most precipitous section of the cliffside walkway, forty strong men selected by Lu Xuan had several thick hemp ropes wrapped around their waists, the ends of which were firmly tied to huge iron rings driven deep into the rock face on the walkway, or to sturdy wooden stakes on the cliff above.

Each of these locations was guarded by at least three additional people; these people were the Flying Ape Team's last line of defense should any unexpected incident occur.

With everything ready, forty men from the Flying Ape Team slid down, secured by several ropes.

They clung to the slippery, cold cliff like geckos, with suffocating emptiness beneath their feet.

Lu Da himself was among them, the rope around his waist was tied very securely, and he held a heavy steel crowbar tightly in his hand.

He glanced down, where the clouds and mist of the deep valley surged beneath his feet, like a gaping maw ready to devour him.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart, and shouted to the other men who were also hanging in mid-air beside him, "Steady yourselves! Listen to my command! Pry the loose parts down first! Watch out for falling rocks!" "Understood!" the men responded in unison, their voices echoing between the cliffs.

Lu Da spotted a precarious rock, about the size of a millstone, and plunged the tip of his crowbar into the crevice between the rock and the mountain!
His arms were bulging with muscles, veins popped out on his forehead, and he let out a low, muffled roar: "One! Two! Three! Go—!"

"Hey—yo!" The men next to them exerted their strength at the same time, using the steel bars and crowbars in their hands to strike the weak points of the rock, or working together to pry it open!

Creak... Crack!
A sickening sound of rocks shattering rang out! The massive, precarious rock finally detached from the mountain, tumbling and whistling as it plummeted into the bottomless abyss, only to be followed by a long, muffled echo.

"Okay! Next one!" Lu Da wiped the gravel dust off his face and, without stopping, locked his gaze on the next target.

Working in mid-air is extremely physically demanding and also extremely dangerous.

The howling mountain wind constantly tore at their bodies, and the ground was slippery, requiring them to be extremely careful with every swing of their tools.

Rock fragments kept rolling down the cliff face, making hollow sounds and reminding everyone how high and dangerous it was.

A young member of the "Flying Ape" team was prying at a small rock when the crevice beneath his feet suddenly cracked! He slipped and lost his balance, swinging off course!

"Ah—!" A cry of surprise pierced the mountain wind!

At the critical moment, a quick-thinking man nearby suddenly extended a steel rod and hooked it tightly around the rope around his waist! The immense downward force caused the rope to tighten instantly, emitting a heart-stopping groan! The people watching above were already gripping the rope tightly, but fortunately, with the combined efforts of several people, they pulled the terrified young team member back, pressing him tightly against the rock wall, his face ashen.

"Boy! Calm your mind, get your waist and stance in perfect harmony, and root yourself to the ground!" Lu Da shouted sternly, both reprimanding and reminding him.

"This job is a matter of life and death! If you're scared, you're not going to earn five hundred coins a day, so get out of here!"

The young team member gasped for breath, looked down at the churning clouds, nodded vigorously, his eyes still filled with fear, but now with a fierce determination to never give up.

He gritted his teeth and gripped the tool in his hand tightly once more.

The cleanup operation lasted for a full ten days.

Forty "flying apes" danced on the edge of death, clearing away the loose and dangerous rocks in the pre-designated base area below the plank road with their sweat and courage, creating a relatively safe working surface.

The next step is to excavate the foundation trench and embed the foundation.

Lu Da led his most elite rock drilling team into battle.

It is no longer suspended in mid-air, but has taken a firm foothold in the cleared base area.

The heavy iron hammers pounded down in succession, striking the steel chisel tip and producing a dense, muffled clanging sound, like the heartbeat of a giant beast, echoing in the deep valley and drowning out the howling wind.

"Steady! Accurate! Ruthless!" Lu Da's roar was the only rhythm.

"Drill at an angle! Drill a wedge-shaped groove! The depth must be three feet! This is the foundation; the foundation must be solid!"

Sparks flew between the cold steel rod and the hard rock.

Each hammer blow sent sparks flying from the hard rock. After countless blows, deep indentations appeared in the rock, and fragments of rock fell down in a flurry.

The stone holes were not drilled vertically downwards, but rather at an angle, following the angle marked by Lu Da, and driven deep into the mountain.

This is to ensure a stable mortise and tenon joint when the huge stone blocks and iron pillars that will serve as the foundation of the new plank road are subsequently embedded, so as to resist the erosion of the mountain winds and the load-bearing capacity of the plank road.

Meanwhile, another intense operation was underway above the reinforced and cleared plank road.

The sturdy logs were transported to the upper edge of the walkway, where craftsmen used ropes to suspend them and accurately place them into the pre-cut trenches below.

The massive stone blocks and the wrought iron pillars as thick as an arm, which had been prepared beforehand, were also lowered down by ropes.

The craftsmen below chanted in unison as they worked together to embed the stone blocks and iron pillars into the foundation trench.

Like the most rigorous supervisor, Lu Da held a ruler and compass, repeatedly measuring and correcting the position and angle to ensure that every foundation was horizontally and vertically straight and deeply embedded in the rock.

"Three inches to the left! Another half inch in! Good! Hold on!"

"Grouting! Quick! Pour in the glutinous rice mortar! Fill the gaps!"

"Wedge! Drive the iron wedge in! Secure it!"

The sounds of shouts, the clanging of hammers striking wedges, and the roar of the commander mingled with the howling of the mountain wind.

Sweat, mud, and stone powder mingled together, covering the faces and bodies of every craftsman. Only their eyes, though weary, shone with a persistent light.

The inner layer is filled with glutinous rice paste, and any gaps on the outside are smoothed out with cement.

The slippery rock walls inside the walkway were not overlooked.

Another team of craftsmen, secured by ropes around their waists, suspended inside the walkway and carefully chiseled shallow drainage grooves with chisels and hammers to prevent rainwater from seeping into and eroding the internal structure of the walkway.

Time passed amidst the clanging and banging of the hammers.

On the outside of the plank road, relying on the solid rock ridge, a row of thick wooden piles serves as the base of the diagonal support columns and the foundation of huge stone and iron pillars, like the newly formed bones of a giant beast, stubbornly extending on the cliff face.

The originally dilapidated and narrow plank road is being widened little by little, and a new framework is beginning to take shape.

When the last stone slab serving as the base of the diagonal support column was firmly driven in by the wedge, Lu Da stroked the cold, solid foundation with trembling hands. His bloodshot eyes were filled with an indescribable sense of accomplishment and exhaustion.

He looked up at Han Ji above the plank road and roared with all his might, "Supervisor! It's done—!"

The sound echoed through the canyon, carrying a heroic spirit that pierced through the wind and snow.

Standing on the edge of the plank road, Han Ji looked down at the solid new foundation that seemed to be embedded in the cliff, and at the craftsmen who were almost exhausted but still stood tall. His heart was filled with excitement, and he waved his hand vigorously: "Good! Well done, Lu Da! You and the brothers rest for two days! Let the others from the Kaishan Camp do the work of erecting beams and laying planks!"

The exhausted craftsmen erupted in thunderous cheers, their voices echoing through the valley for a long time.

night.

Han Ji, however, no longer wore the smile he had in the afternoon.

He picked up his pen several times, intending to write something on the paper, but ultimately did not put pen to paper.

time.

It took too long to use.

The Taihang Mountains are now covered in a blanket of snow.

If it weren't for the cliffside walkway which could still block the falling snow, the project here would have been suspended long ago.

Three months.

They have spent three months here to build this distance along the cliff.

Is it slow?

That's really fast; completing the base embedding work in three months is already considered incredibly fast.

But he didn't have much time left.

The cliffside walkway can now be completed simply by laying the foundation, but there is still the treacherous Eighteen Bends section to come.

Compared to the cliffside walkway, the construction of the Eighteen Bends was much more difficult.

The lord only gave us a six-month deadline, and half of it has already passed.

With the heavy snowfall now, further construction is simply impossible.

After much deliberation, he finally put pen to paper.

Request for an extension.

After finishing writing, he immediately handed it to the guards to be sent back to Jinyang.

Three days later, I received a reply.

There are only a few short lines of text above.

"Construction is suspended; safety is the top priority."

Seeing the familiar tone, Han Ji felt much more at ease. His lord was still the same lord who valued human life.

(End of this chapter)