Chapter 654: Chapter 246: Returning Home
Regarding farming, Wei Ziang naturally knows about it, having helped in the fields for several years.
Plus, last night 小米 (Xiaomi) told him a lot, especially emphasizing the matter of potatoes.
The yield of potatoes is so high that, even though Xiaomi has told him many times, Wei Ziang still found it hard to believe.
The highest yield per acre can reach ten thousand pounds, and in general, a yield of three to four thousand pounds per acre is not a problem.
However, this matter, of course, cannot be said outright now, and there probably won’t be a chance to plant potatoes in the next year or two.
Of course, since this is a long-term plan, there’s no urgency at the moment.
So for now, what Wei Ziang told General Song is that before the Clairvoyant is made, they can first clear those wastelands,
just like Xiaomi said, with fifteen thousand troops coming from West Origin Pass, if a thousand of them are drawn each day to work, it would take half a year to cycle through them all.
Moreover, they’re all strong men, so one person can dig an acre of land in a day, which is no problem at all. Opening up wasteland may be slow, but opening up tens of thousands of acres in two months is certainly achievable.
Once the wasteland is opened up, it should be autumn by then, at which point they can plant wheat and some frost-resistant radishes, allowing for fresh vegetables in winter.
The most important thing is, if there really are twenty thousand acres of land, even if they only plant one season, they can harvest about two hundred thousand shi of grains.
If another season of rice is planted, or if sweet potatoes or potatoes are planted, it would be quite substantial.
Not to mention everyone being self-sufficient, at least, if faced with a situation where the delivery of grain and fodder is delayed as before, there’s no need to panic.
Moreover, it would greatly improve the food situation for the army.
Of course, if they could also raise some pigs or something, it would further improve their meals.
When Wei Ziang shared his ideas, General Song not only listened very attentively but even took notes.
Whether he genuinely thought this plan was good or because it was proposed by Xiaomi is unknown.
When Wei Ziang left from General Song, he was then sought out by Liu and the others.
Lord Xie’s memorandum has already been sent out, and Liu and the others were preparing to study how to make the Clairvoyant, at least to first come up with a few design diagrams.
The Clairvoyant that exists in the world was made by predecessors.
Of course, being master blacksmiths, many of them have mentors, so even if they haven’t personally made a Clairvoyant, they have some information.
Now, since they’re cooperating to make the Clairvoyant, these masters, needless to say, shared all the information they knew without reservation.
Since Wei Ziang is the brother of the lens provider and explicitly expressed a desire to learn, the masters, feeling they got a good deal, naturally included him in the process.
So, when Wei Ziang finally remembered he had urgent matters today, he hurried back without even bothering to drink a sip of water, and then took Xiaomi out of the city from the other side.
Though the time was a bit tight, fortunately, they made it out just before the city gates closed.
"Brother, why are you in such a hurry? If necessary, we could just climb over the city wall. It’s not like it’s impossible."
Xiaomi looked at her flustered brother with speechless confusion.
After speaking, she took a bite of sesame crisp. By the time Wei Ziang returned, she had already had dinner and was eating a snack, waiting for him.
Just as the words left her mouth, her head was gently tapped.
"You... you, why have you become bolder since coming here? Even if you can climb out, you aren’t afraid of scaring others?"
The city walls are dozens of meters high; even if one could do it, they’d probably be seen as a monster.
Xiaomi stuck her tongue out, "I was just joking. By the way, brother, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Here, these beef buns made by Ling’er are really delicious."
By this time, the two had already put some distance between themselves and the city gate, and with no one around, Xiaomi easily took out a package of steaming buns.
After Wei Ziang accepted them, he was given a bamboo tube filled with water.
Wei Ziang took a bite and found it indeed delicious, with rich and fragrant meat, neither fishy nor dry.
"Did Ling’er slaughter a cow?"
This beef was different from what he ate outside, much more tender and fresh.
Perhaps due to staying in the space for a long time, or maybe because of absorbing Spiritual Energy for an extended period to cultivate Swordsmanship, Wei Ziang became more sensitive to Spiritual Energy.
The meat also had a faint taste of Spiritual Energy.
"Yes, I’ve already portioned it out. When we get close to home, I’ll take out a few pounds and say I bought it at the market."
In Lishi City, beef and mutton are sold abundantly, mainly yak and sheep. Yaks can’t live within the pass, so they can’t be introduced; the meat has to be purchased.
Wei Ziang nodded; he was genuinely hungry, eating a few in succession, and drank half the bamboo tube of water, finally feeling somewhat better.
Then he alternated between eating and telling Xiaomi about what happened in the Stone Forest.
He did not come home for lunch, eating with the other soldiers; it was the same for him as it was for the general and Lord Xie.
"By the way, Xiaomi, when the charcoal arrives, I plan to ask for some and forge a few more of these military spikes."
During this period, although he was mostly blacksmithing, he learned the most basic forging skills.
Maybe because they saw his good attitude towards learning, the masters also taught him some things.
They told him that what ordinary people refer to as fine iron isn’t anything special.
It’s made by using ordinary iron, undergoing more rounds of forging to remove impurities and retain the essence, then using it for crafting.
Because crafting with fine iron is more time-consuming and labor-intensive, fine iron weapons are rare and expensive in the market.
"You can make them if you want, but why did you suddenly decide to make this?"
"To practice my skills, really. It’s nice having a few masters giving guidance. Just listening to their experience isn’t enough, you’ve got to do it yourself. Besides, I think these bayonets are quite useful during recon missions."
As for how they’re useful, there’s no need to go into too much detail.
Xiaomi nodded, "Indeed, practice makes perfect. And with free materials, it’s a shame not to practice more."
While chatting, by the time they returned to Anning Village, it was close to midnight. They were stopped at the village entrance, only to be let through upon recognition.
The vigilance was reassuring, putting them at ease.
By now, Anning Village had dramatically transformed. By the light of the moon, one could see vast stretches of houses and fields, much more lively than the previous barren mountains.
Upon entering the village, they both conscientiously slowed their pace, with imperial guards stationed at their doorstep. Xiaomi gave them several pounds of beef she’d prepared for them to eat the next day.
It wasn’t much, but each person could taste a few pieces.
They didn’t keep much for themselves either, only about two pounds, enough to make a pot of beef stew.
As for the remainder, they would slowly take it out to eat later; after all, they only had about ten yaks in the space and were counting on them to reproduce.