Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

"My disciples and I cleared over ten acres of barren land and borrowed seeds from farmers at the foot of the mountain to cultivate. Sometimes when we went to Suizhou city to perform religious ceremonies, the patrons would also provide us with some grain, oil, and salt."

"How's the harvest from the fields in these mountains?"

"In a good year, we can harvest about 20 shi of rice; if we encounter floods, we'll be lucky to get 7 or 8 shi of rice."

Twenty shi of rice, when converted, is just over one shi per mu, or about 350 jin.

In comparison, the yield of modern ordinary rice per mu is at least 700-800 jin.

Hybrid rice needs no introduction; it's simply a biological miracle.

It's important to know that there were no chemical fertilizers in ancient times, and coupled with the variety of crops, the yield was not high.

However, Li You only brought a few thousand people. In the beginning, as long as they could grow enough grain, there was no need to pursue high yields. As the planting area increased, the yield would naturally increase as well. For now, the team's food supply would mainly rely on purchasing grain.

Two more days passed, and Gao Shun and his group also made it down the mountain.

Compared to Yan Hongxin and his group, there were fewer casualties along the way, but more than thirty people still perished.

However, they also made many unexpected discoveries and even gained a lot.

The soldiers carried the carcasses of wild boars, leopards, and wolves and piled them in front of Li You.

"My lord, we've also encountered a monster with a long nose!"

"That thing was huge and hard to hunt; we only managed to kill one."

Li Youyi immediately recognized it as an elephant.

Surprisingly, elephants are found in the Tongbai Mountains.

This suggests that the ambient temperature at this time must be at a historically high level.

Master Mingjing, who was watching from the side, had a change in expression and then issued a warning.

"These white elephants are quite intelligent; your actions will invite their revenge!"

Li You nodded: "The Taoist priest is right. From now on, wild boars can be hunted, but white elephants are out of the question, understand?"

"clear!"

"Gao Shun, have you found a suitable place to use it?"

"We found a few. My brothers and I discussed it, and the best spot we found is a stronghold that can house five or six hundred people. The other places can easily accommodate two or three hundred people."

"Really?"

"It should work!"

Upon hearing this, Li You finally felt relieved.

The exploration undertaken by our soldiers, overcoming numerous obstacles and even sacrificing their precious lives, was ultimately worthwhile.

But at this moment, it's best not to split up; it's better to keep everyone together.

After discussing with his soldiers, Li You finally decided to first set up camp in the valley that Yan Hongxin had found.

"Everyone, get in the mountains!"

"Set off!"

"Set off!"

Moving forward through dense primeval forests is an extremely difficult task.

The livestock wagons had to stay where they were, and the women also had to stay behind. The combat troops were the first to depart.

Fortunately, thanks to the sacrifices and efforts of the initial scouts, the later stages went relatively smoothly, and the casualties were not so great.

After a four-day trek, Li You and his first group of 800 men finally arrived at their destination.

The first and most important thing they had to do was cut down trees.

Only by cutting down the trees can the land be cleared for building houses and cultivating rice paddies.

During this time, Li You also visited the Taoist temple where Master Mingjing had previously lived.

It's called a Taoist temple, but it's actually just a few thatched huts.

Li You asked the elder, "Is this kind of house cold in winter?"

The Taoist priest replied: Just bear with it and it will pass.

Such words can only be spoken in the relatively warm south.

When Du Fu wrote "My Thatched Hut Is Broken by the Autumn Wind," although the poem was quite poignant, he didn't freeze to death and still had the leisure to write poetry. Nine years after writing "My Thatched Hut Is Broken by the Autumn Wind," Du Fu finally passed away peacefully. This shows that the thatched hut where Du Fu lived, while cold, wouldn't have frozen him to death. And even after "rolling away three layers of thatch," he still didn't freeze to death. If Du Fu's thatched hut had been built in the north, the outcome would have been quite different.

The rest of the group gradually made their way in.

Everyone joined in cutting down the trees.

With many hands make light work, and in just a few days, most of the trees in this valley were felled.

Next came the preparation of timber, construction of houses, and clearing of land.

After discussion, Li You and others decided to assign 300 people to build houses, 200 people to cut and sell firewood, and the rest, regardless of gender, to participate in land reclamation. After all, food was the fundamental issue, and it was May in the south, so they didn't feel cold lying on the ground.

Inspired by the Taoist temple of Master Mingjing, Li You instructed the soldiers building the houses that the first phase of the houses did not need to be built too well, as long as they were habitable.

Based on Liu Dashun's description and experience, Li You's soldiers began to try to build terraced fields in the mountain valleys.

Terracing techniques existed as early as the pre-Qin period, primarily concentrated in the mountainous regions of the north. By the Tang Dynasty, terraced field technology had become quite sophisticated, with large-scale terraced fields even appearing in mountainous areas such as the Honghe River region of Yunnan.

Terracing is hard work, but as long as there are enough people, the land can be dug into the desired shape.

The key issue lies in water diversion. If the water source is located above the terraces, diverting water is not difficult; simply dig ditches to guide the water to the highest terrace. Once the higher terrace is filled, the water will flow down the slope, gradually filling the lower terraces.

However, when the water source is located below the terraces, drawing water becomes a very troublesome matter.

This is the situation that Li You and his group are currently facing. The reclaimed land rises up the valley, at a higher elevation, while the water flows below the valley floor.

The best way to solve the problem is to replicate the advanced technology of the ancients.

Liu Dashun, Mingjing Daoist, and other indigenous people, including Li You from the north, described an agricultural device called "high-turn waterwheel". Its principle is to make two round waterwheels, one placed at a low water source and the other placed on a high terraced field. The two waterwheels are connected by ropes, which forms a device similar to a conveyor belt.

By attaching bamboo tubes to the conveyor belt, water can be drawn from a lower position and discharged from a higher position.

The power source for a waterwheel can be human or animal power, but in most cases it is human power.

The emergence of such a device was actually a solution devised by the ancients out of desperation.

Although the south has abundant water resources, it is characterized by crisscrossing hills and valleys, with many fields located on the mountains. In order to feed the people, they have no choice but to find ways to irrigate the fields.

……

Rice is generally sown in April, sowing in May is a little late, and sowing in June is even later.

But by the time the rebel army had almost finished cultivating the land, it was already early June.

Despite the significant manpower invested, only 500 mu of terraced fields were ultimately cultivated.

Moreover, rice is not a crop that can be grown simply by scattering seeds. It requires a series of processes such as soaking seeds, promoting growth, sowing, and transplanting before the seedlings can grow into seedlings.

Only after the seedlings have grown well can they be transplanted. Afterwards, a series of processes are needed, including watering, pest control, and fertilization, before they can finally grow into mature rice.

To save time, Li You had to use his financial resources, mobilizing thousands of bolts of cloth to purchase rice seedlings from nearby prefectures and bring them up the mountain.

Yes, rice seedlings can be purchased, and they are quite expensive.

In ancient times, rice seedlings were called "green seedlings." The "Green Seedling Law" in Wang Anshi's reforms, as well as the idiom "the gap between green and yellow," all refer to this plant.