Su He saw that smallpox had not spread outside the prison camp.
The situation was under control and he was ready to return to Hanzhong Fucheng.
The Guards Brigade still stayed in the prison camp to guard the prisoners, isolate and treat smallpox patients, and train healthy prisoners.
A smallpox outbreak broke out in the prisoner camp, allowing the prisoners to see that Su He treated them sincerely instead of treating them like cattle.
Most of the prisoners are willing to join the army.
Su He asked Li Dazhuang to continue closing the prisoner camp.
By the time the soldiers' training was over, the smallpox in the camp had completely disappeared.
At that time, the soldiers assigned to Su Hu's troops were left behind, and Li Dazhuang returned to Hanzhong with the remaining soldiers.
The army began to pack their bags and set off back to Hanzhong.
Su Xiong led the army back first, while Su He and Li Fengming followed the logistics troops and walked at the back.
This war with the Ming Dynasty has ended, and there will be no new war in a short period of time.
Returning to Hanzhong Mansion to accumulate strength, he will be the one to initiate a war next time.
Su He rode a white horse without a trace of hair on the cement road.
He saw that there was already some slight flow of water in the Qingjiang River.
But these flows are very small and can only irrigate the land near the river.
Land far away from the river is still uncultivable.
The air is still very dry. From the beginning of his rebellion to now, there has not been a single rain or snow in Baoji County.
There is not much spring wheat planted on both sides of the Qingjiang River.
If it doesn't rain this year, there will definitely be a famine in northern Shaanxi.
Suhe also needs to stockpile more food to deal with the victims who may flee to Baoji County.
At present, winter wheat planting technology has not been popularized yet.
Only one season of spring wheat is grown here in Shaanxi.
Last year we were busy with rebellion, and the land was very dry.
Suhe has no opportunity to promote winter wheat planting technology.
He plans to vigorously promote winter wheat planting technology this year.
The yield of winter wheat is not as high as that of spring wheat, but it can still feed many people.
If it doesn’t rain this year, winter wheat will have to be promoted in Hanzhong.
Here in Baoji County, Suhe puts all his hopes on sweet potatoes.
This food crop can grow normally even under extreme drought conditions.
As Suhe crossed the Qinling Mountains, he felt the humidity in the air getting stronger and stronger.
As soon as we arrived at Feng County, it started to rain lightly in the sky.
"Spring rain is as precious as oil.
Rain is good! More rain will be conducive to spring plowing."
Su He and his group were very eye-catching as they walked on the cement road.
But most people were in a hurry, they were all farmers getting ready to go to the fields.
Rice is grown in most areas of Hanzhong Prefecture, and rice seedlings begin to be cultivated around the Qingming Festival.
At this time, it is the time for rice transplanting.
Su He also wanted to see how the counties in Hanzhong Prefecture were preparing for spring plowing.
He was leading the battle at the front, and all spring plowing work was arranged by Wang Zhongce.
Su He led a group of guards and followed the farmers working in the fields to the vicinity of the paddy fields.
Farmers drove old oxen, walked slowly in the water, and plowed the paddy fields.
After the cattle plowed the land, farmers spread a thin layer of manure on the paddy fields to increase the fertility of the paddy fields.
The whole family went out together, holding handfuls of rice seedlings, and planted them in the fields.
When Li Fengming saw the farmers planting rice, he suggested: "Commander Su, let's help the farmers plant rice together."
Su He immediately stopped him: "You're not helping, you're showing off, and it's not helpful.
I only know how to grow wheat, but I don't know how to transplant rice seedlings.
But I know that if the depth of transplanting is not well controlled, the seedlings will die."
When Li Fengming heard what Su He said, he immediately fell silent.
Su He took people to look around the fields.
Rice seedlings have been planted in most paddy fields.
The lush green paddy fields are really pleasing to the eye.
These paddy fields will produce golden rice during the autumn harvest.
Su He returned to the paddy field by the river again. He saw that the farmer had finished planting the rice seedlings and was sitting on the edge of the field to rest.
He walked over and asked politely: "Uncle, can I ask you some simple questions?"
The old farmer took one look at Su He and immediately recognized that this man had an unusual identity and was definitely not a farmer.
But these days, he often encounters these people who come down to check the spring plowing.
The old farmer thought that Su He was an official in the township, and after a long period of contact with him.
They already know that the officials in the village now are different from those before, and they don't need to be afraid of these people.
He responded directly: "You have been here many times. If you have any questions, please ask me quickly. I will rest for a while and go to plant my eldest son's land.
He went to work in the city and earned more money.
The iron plow I use now was bought for me by my eldest son.
He lives in another village, and the land he borrowed is far away from here, so he can't delay the farming season.
In the past, the land was farmed for the landlords, and most of the food belonged to the landlords. It would not hurt if there was less.
That’s not possible now. My family grows all this land by ourselves. If we cut out a little grain, that’s not possible.”
After Su He heard what the old farmer said, he could also see that the farmers who were allocated land were very motivated to farm.
They will also have their own plans.
Farmers all want to repay the loan fees as soon as possible and make this land truly theirs.
"Uncle, I saw you were plowing the land with a cow just now. Did you buy the cow yourself? Are cows easy to buy now?"
Su He asked the old farmer about the cattle.
Cattle are an important means of production, and they can plow the land at a speed that is unmatched by human labor.
The farming season only lasts for a few days, and if you miss it, you will be delayed for a whole year.
The old farmer looked at the cows tied to the side and grazing, with a joyful smile on his face.
"This cow is mine, but it does not belong to me alone.
Our village chief organized a mission to transport food to the army some time ago.
We got a lot of colorful banknotes, but we dare not keep such things in our hands.
Ten families pooled their money together to buy the cow and use it together.
Except for the village chief and the rich households in the village, how can we ordinary people afford a cow for our family?
Cattle are very expensive, and several families have to pool their resources to buy them.”
Su He listened carefully to what the old farmer said.
He is very resistant to paper money.
Before Su He went on the expedition, he had asked Su Wuniu to start making new coins.
Gold, silver and copper coins.
Wait until the new money is put to use.
Banknotes, money that is not accepted by people now, will gradually be phased out.
Paper money will gradually be converted into bills similar to certificates of deposit.
Used by merchants for large-scale transactions over long distances.
Several families raise a cow together because cows are too expensive now.
Once the grasslands are established and there is no shortage of cattle and sheep, the price of cattle will drop a lot.
"Uncle, does the township charge any fees, apportionment or other fees?" Su He continued to ask.
The old farmer shook his head and said: "We don't have any seeds left at home. I went to the township office to buy seeds and got them on credit.
There are no other fees.
The officials at the township office only told me the agricultural taxes and land loan payments that I would have to pay after the autumn harvest."
Su He also learned from the old farmers about some of the problems they encountered in life.
He continued on the road and rushed towards Hanzhong Mansion.
Walking on the cement road, Su He saw farmers from various counties busy with spring plowing.
The distribution of land to farmers has fulfilled the long-cherished wish of this group.
This is Suhe’s most stable fundamentals.
They sent their sons and husbands to join the army to ensure that their land would not be taken away by others.
