Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

While Lü Bu was further consolidating his power in the court, the farmers under his rule were carrying out spring plowing in the fields.

In a certain county in Youfufeng, an old farmer named Chen Laosi was worrying over his straight-shafted plow.

This plow is straight and requires two oxen to pull it. But they only have one old ox, and it's spring plowing season, so they couldn't borrow an ox. They just tried it, and one ox simply couldn't pull this straight-shafted plow.

"Dad, what should we do?" the son asked, standing by the field, looking worried. "One ox can't pull it at all. Are we even going to plow this land?"

Old Chen sighed, "Then what can we do? Should we just dig it up one hoe at a time?"

The son looked at the several acres of land in front of him and said, "When will we finish digging this? We can't delay the farming season."

Just then, the sound of a gong came from the village entrance, and Old Man Wang, the village head, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fellow villagers, gather at the village entrance! The county has distributed new farm tools, the curved plow that the Duke of Jin ordered to be improved, which can be pulled by just one ox! Everyone come and take a look!"

Old Chen was skeptical: "A curved plow? A single ox can pull it? Really?"

The father and son followed the villagers to the village entrance.

Five brand-new plows were placed on the open ground, their plowshares curved like crescent moons.

The agricultural official from the county government demonstrated, "Everyone, look carefully. This is a curved-shaft plow. The shaft is curved, which saves effort! There's a hole here for the plowshare, which is secured with a wooden wedge. You can adjust the depth of plowing as needed. The plowshare is here; you don't need to lift the plow to turn, just push it!"

He demonstrated how to plow a straight plow, which originally required two oxen to pull, by harnessing only one ox.

The ox walked with ease, the plowshare went smoothly into the soil, and the turned-up ridges were neat and even. When turning, a push of the plowshare made the plowshare turn easily and continue moving forward.

"It really can be pulled by a single ox!" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Old Chen squeezed to the front and examined the plow closely: "Why is the plowshare bent?"

The official laughed and said, "Old man, you don't know this. This was ordered by the Duke of Jin to be improved and made by the court craftsmen. The Duke of Jin said that the straight-shafted plow was heavy and difficult to turn, so it should be improved into a curved-shafted plow, so that the oxen and the people would save effort."

He patted the plow: "This curved-shaft plow is as efficient as two straight-shaft plows. The county has built fifty of them for trial use, which are lent to farmers free of charge and to be returned after the autumn harvest. However, if there are any problems, please give us your feedback so that we can have the craftsmen continue to improve them."

Old Chen was excited: "You can really lend it to me?"

"Of course!" the official replied. "Duke Jin has decreed that spring plowing is the foundation of people's livelihood, and all counties must ensure the supply of agricultural tools and seeds. In addition to the curved plow, there are also improved waterwheels and composting techniques, which will be demonstrated one by one later."

Soon, five curved plows were borrowed.

Chen Laosi managed to snag a car, and the father and son happily carried it back to the field.

Hitch on the old ox, Chen Shuanzhu held the plow, and Chen Laosi led the ox.

"Walk!"

The old ox strained, and the plowshare easily entered the soil, turning up the black, oily mud. When turning, Chen Shuanzhu pushed the plowshare, and sure enough, the turn was easy.

"Dad, this is so much easier!" Chen Shuanzhu exclaimed in delight. "Our one ox pulls the cart faster than two oxen used to!"

Touching the curved plowshare, Chen Laosi exclaimed, "Duke Jin is truly a genius; he even knows how to improve farming tools."

On the banks of the Wei River not far away, a different scene unfolds.

Several huge waterwheels are being installed.

That was a waterwheel that the craftsmen of the Imperial Workshop had improved and built according to Lü Bu's suggestion. It was made of wooden planks with a scraper, and was placed on the riverbank. It was turned by human or animal power and could lift water from the lower level to the higher level of the ditch.

The village headman directed the able-bodied men: "Push hard, make sure the waterwheel is stable!"

With everyone's help, the waterwheel was placed on the riverbank. The waterwheel entered the water, and the scraper carried the river water, which flowed into the adjacent ditch and along the earthen ridges into the fields.

"Water's coming out! Water's coming out!" the farmers cheered.

An old farmer squatted by the ditch, scooped up a handful of water, and tears streamed down his face: "With this waterwheel, we no longer have to carry water bucket by bucket to irrigate the fields. I'm sixty years old, and this is the first time I've ever seen such a miraculous device."

The village head said, "This is also a favor from Duke Jin. Duke Jin said that the Guanzhong Plain has been plagued by frequent wars and neglected water conservancy for many years, making it difficult to have a good harvest. This spring, waterwheels will be promoted and ditches will be repaired in various counties. The imperial court will provide money and grain, and the people will provide labor and be paid according to their work."

"The imperial court will still pay wages?" Some people didn't believe it.

"Here you go!" the village headman said decisively. "Duke Jin has great supernatural powers; he can conjure up grain, fodder, and money out of thin air. He won't be short of wages. Haven't you seen the city distributing porridge every day? Even the refugees have food to eat. How can we, who are doing honest work, be shortchanged?"

The people believed it and worked even harder.

In the fields, agricultural officials also teach composting techniques.

"Human and animal excrement, weeds, straw, and wood ash, piled up in the right proportions, covered with soil, and fermented for two or three months, make excellent fertilizer." The assistant explained while demonstrating, "Composting like this is fertile, won't burn seedlings, and can increase the yield by 30% per acre."

Old Chen squeezed through to learn and carefully memorized the proportions.

The assistant official added, "There is also the raised-ridge, low-ditch planting method. The ridges should be high and the ditches deep, so that drainage is good, the roots can breathe, and the crops grow strong. It is especially suitable for planting wheat and millet."

He drew diagrams on the ground to explain, and the farmers gathered in a circle, listening attentively.

These technologies, which seem simple to later generations, were revolutionary improvements at the end of the Han Dynasty, much like the transformation from a single-sided stirrup to a double-sided one. They appeared simple, but before anyone thought of them or could implement them, they were as insurmountable as an insurmountable chasm.

Using his knowledge as a time traveler, Lü Bu began to promote these improved tools and technologies in the three provinces under his rule.

The effects were immediate, with busy spring plowing scenes everywhere.

Curved plows turn the soil, waterwheels irrigate, compost increases soil fertility, and high ridges and low ditches ensure drainage. Smiles appear on the farmers' faces, and the fields come alive.

Lu Bu's troops in the Level 5 safe zone receive more food and supplies than they can use. As a result, not only are the taxes on civilians very low, but Lu Bu also has surplus resources to subsidize the people. He distributes these resources to the people under various names such as agricultural incentives and land reclamation subsidies. He can also recruit refugees to repair water conservancy, roads, and city walls.

Now, the people under Lü Bu's rule are loyal, and refugees from surrounding areas are coming to join him. The population of the three provinces has exceeded two million and is still increasing. (Bingliang is desolate, and Sili has suffered from numerous wars, so the combined population of the three provinces is not large.)

Ordinary people don't understand power struggles. Anyway, food is the most important thing for people. If Lü Bu can feed them, they will obey Lü Bu.

Mid-March, the camp in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an.

Hou Cheng, a lieutenant general who had just been appointed Governor of Henan by Lü Bu, stood on the command platform in full armor, his hand on his sword.

Five thousand soldiers stood in neat formation below the stage, their banners fluttering in the wind.

"Brothers!" Hou Cheng shouted. "Henan Yin is a strategically important place in Sili, and Luoyang is the former capital. Since Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power and Li Guo's rampage, Luoyang has been destroyed and its people have been displaced. Now, the Duke of Jin has taken control of the court and wants to recover the lost territories. We are here today on the Duke of Jin's orders to send troops to Henan Yin and bring it under the control of the court."

The soldiers roared in unison, "Victory! Victory!"

Lü Bu clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I wish all my soldiers a great victory!"

Hou Cheng drew his sword and roared eastward, "Let's go!"

The army set off eastward.