Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing tapped his head with his finger and said slowly, "Of course there are, but..."

"But what?" Li Si was getting impatient with his slow pace. "But what? Brother Zicheng, just say it!"

"However," Zhou Wenqing touched his chin, looking troubled.

"Talk is cheap; we need to create something real to be convincing, but this iron... it's not easy to get."

He recalled that the Qin law at that time strictly controlled ironware, prohibiting private ironware casting by civilians. All ironware had to be marked with official marks and "the craftsman's name was inscribed on the object," making it traceable throughout the entire process.

Zhou Wenqing didn't know if Li Yi had the authority to secretly access iron. He might be able to figure out a way to make one or two small parts, but to forge a complete curved plow... that would be difficult.

"Forget it, this bait is good, but it's not suitable for cooking right now."

Zhou Wenqing stood up, turned his back to Li Si, frowned, and waved his hand with a hint of regret.

"Let's try something else first. Luckily, I have something else that can also help the fields produce more grain."

When Li Si heard Zhou Wenqing casually say "never mind," he felt a surge of anger rush to his head. He was so anxious that he almost cursed inwardly and nearly reached out to grab Zhou Wenqing's collar. He was so anxious that he immediately revealed his identity—how could such a national treasure, the foundation of a strong army and a prosperous country, just be let go like that?! It would be a complete waste!

Until I heard that casually uttered second half of the sentence...

Hmm? Can we... choose another one?

Li Si swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, silently withdrew his "claws," and covered his "little vest" again.

Of course, the more agricultural treasures the better! Let's choose another one. Only children make choices. Li Si, representing the King, says... of course, we want them all!

So, he quickly composed himself, adopting an expression as natural as possible, full of curiosity: "Oh? There's another way? Brother Zicheng, please tell me quickly!"

"Although it might be slightly less effective than that 'curved plow' from before, but..."

Zhou Wenqing turned around to face Li Si, his face showing a conflicted expression as he weighed the pros and cons, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his chin.

"After much thought, I still feel that this item is more reliable. It's perfect. I'll have to ask Brother Gu'an for his advice."

He paused, then, meeting Li Si's focused and intense gaze, clearly uttered two words: "Fertilizer."

"Fertilizer?" Li Si repeated the unfamiliar word, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on Zhou Wenqing, afraid of missing a single word.

"That's right." Zhou Wenqing nodded. "To put it simply, this stuff is 'grain from the fields'."

"Grain from the fields?" Li Si asked thoughtfully, pressing for details. "I would like to hear more."

Zhou Wenqing didn't hesitate either. He strolled to a patch of lush green grass in the courtyard, lifted his robe, squatted down, and casually plucked a long blade of grass from beside his feet. He then gestured to Li Si:

"Whether crops grow well or not depends on whether the soil is 'energetic'. The manure and green manure we usually use are like 'feeding' the soil, but they take a long time to work up the energy and need to be composted for half a day."

"But the 'fertilizer' I'm talking about is different."

He carefully stroked the grass roots and leaves, separating them to demonstrate:

"It can directly extract and combine the few 'energies' that crops need most—such as those that make seedlings grow taller, roots grow stronger, and ears of grain become firmer. It's powerful and fast-acting, like giving starving land a bowl of thick soup."

Li Si's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his breathing quickened, and he leaned forward again:

"According to Brother Zicheng, this bowl of 'thick soup'... how much can it increase the yield per mu?"

"That's the problem."

Zhou Wenqing stood up, threw down the grass in his hand, patted the dirt off his hands, and looked somewhat troubled.

"Although this stuff can directly improve soil fertility, promote strong seedlings and increase the number of ears of grain, it is not as time-saving and labor-saving as the new farming tools. It is also less effective in increasing yield. Conservatively speaking, the yield per mu is estimated to increase by 10% to 20%."

Zhou Wenqing thought to himself: If it were modern industrial fertilizer, increasing production by 40% or 50% would be no problem. Unfortunately, with the current technology, a stable increase of 10% or 20% is already the limit.

Compared to this, the "bait" seemed rather weak, almost unacceptable. After thinking for a moment, he added:

"However, if used properly, staple grains like millet and wheat can be harvested at a rate 30% higher if they are carefully tended. Moreover, this stuff is easy to store and transport, unlike manure which is picky about location and weather."

After explaining, Zhou Wenqing carefully observed Li Si's expression, his face showing a hint of uncertain inquiry:

"Brother Gu'an, do you think this 'bait' is enough? Will it be enough to lure that 'big fish'?"

"That's enough! Of course, that's enough!"

Li Si almost shouted it out in a broken voice, and that was only after he had restrained himself.

In fact, if it weren't for the sincere yet slightly apprehensive look on Zhou Wenqing's face, which genuinely suggested he had no idea what was going on, he would have suspected that this person was deliberately showing off.

One or two tenths may seem like little, but in reality, it means an extra three liters of millet per mu (unit of land area)... Four million mu in Guanzhong would amount to 120,000 shi (unit of dry measure). According to military regulations, a soldier's monthly ration was one and a half shi, and that's how much...

Li Si silently calculated in his mind, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his breathing becoming slightly labored.

That's enough to feed eight thousand soldiers for a year!

This is hardly a "mere bait"! It has clearly shifted the balance of power in the world by an inch towards the Qin Dynasty!

Li Si barely managed to calm his turbulent emotions, and with a slightly hoarse voice, he repeated firmly:

"Brother Zicheng, rest assured, this bait... is plentiful! Even a dragon would be tempted by it!"

"I'm relieved to hear Brother Gu'an say that!"

A relieved smile appeared on Zhou Wenqing's face; the first step of the "system task" had finally been finalized.

He turned around and prepared to go back to the inner room to get a pen to write down the materials and procedures so that Li Yi could prepare as soon as possible.

"Then I'll call Ah Yi right away..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly froze. He abruptly raised his hand, clenched one fist, and slammed it heavily into the palm of his other hand, muttering in frustration:

"Oh no! I forgot something! This 'bait'... it probably won't work!"

"What?!?!"

Li Si felt a moment of darkness before his eyes.

Zhou Wenqing subconsciously looked up and saw that his shout had startled several sparrows resting on the eaves, causing them to flutter away. He had a bad feeling and subconsciously swallowed.

Sure enough, the next second, Li Si took a step forward, disregarding all manners and postures, and grabbed Zhou Wenqing's front of his clothes with both hands, his eyes wide open, almost spitting fire.

"Zhou Wenqing! You...you're not playing me for a fool, are you?!"

This day was full of ups and downs. Even as a close advisor to the King of Qin who had seen countless storms, he was struggling to cope with the turmoil and his heart was about to stop!

"You were talking so eloquently just now, and now you're saying it's 'unusable'?! Do you even know what you've been saying?! National treasures shouldn't be treated so lightly! You...you're simply..."

He was so angry that he was speechless for a moment, his chest heaving violently. He only managed to suppress it with the last bit of dignity he had as a "gentleman," otherwise he would have loved to punch that fickle face a couple of times.

Do you really think he's a Legalist who only knows laws and regulations but doesn't know the three arts of warfare?

Zhou Wenqing was startled when Zhou Wenqing's collar was pulled so tightly that he could hardly breathe. He quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and awkwardly explained.

"Brother Gu'an! Brother Gu'an! Calm down! Let go, let go first! You've misunderstood! I'm not saying that thing is useless, it's just... it's the 'bait' we need right now, and it takes too long to prepare!"

He spoke rapidly, counting on his fingers: "Think about it, that 'thick soup' can't be made just by boiling it! It requires specific ingredients; some need to be finely ground into powder, some need to be calcined at high temperatures to remove impurities, and some need to be repeatedly fermented and purified to achieve the desired effect... The process is very complex, with each step linked to the next!"

"With just our current manpower, it would take at least three to five months to make something decent! How can we possibly 'cast our hook' right away?"

Looking at Li Si's still ashen face and bloodshot eyes, he added with a bitter expression:

"By the time the 'bait' is ready, it'll be too late; the fish will have already swum away!"

Li Si was still panting heavily when he heard this, and glared at Zhou Wenqing with red eyes.

"Are you sure? It's just that the production time is a bit long, it's not fabricated, and there aren't any other problems, right?"

Zhou Wenqing nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice: "I'm sure, I'm absolutely sure! The fertilizer is not a fabrication, it's just not suitable as fish bait!"

"Then screw his bait!"

Li Si suddenly flung Zhou Wenqing away, the force so great that Zhou Wenqing staggered.

Zhou Wenqing took two steps back to steady himself, still somewhat shaken, and straightened his wrinkled collar before cautiously looking up at Li Si.

"Brother Gu'an, are you alright?"

Li Si closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, his breath was even and even.

But he quickly straightened his disheveled clothes and expression, and solemnly bowed deeply to Zhou Wenqing:

"I...I lost my composure just now and disturbed Brother Zicheng. I hope you will forgive me."

"Please forgive me, please forgive me." Zhou Wenqing nodded repeatedly and helped Li Si up. "Wenqing understands, I will definitely forgive you."

"Brother Zicheng, please wait here for a while. Don't give up so easily. I suddenly remembered that I have a close friend who happens to be nearby. He is wealthy and has a wide network of connections. Perhaps... perhaps he can solve this problem."

He paused, then almost gritted his teeth as he added, "I'll go seek his help right away. Brother Zicheng, please wait here. I'll be right back!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around, his clothes fluttering in the wind, and ran quickly towards the outside of the courtyard without looking back.

Only after running a long way, until the small courtyard was completely out of sight and no further explanation from Zhou Wenqing could be heard, did Li Si slow down, shake his head, and mutter to himself:

"Since the task is already completed, let's leave it to His Majesty to decide. Otherwise, if this continues, I'll definitely have to report to the Imperial Physician."