When the Yellow River reaches the Manyin Ferry, the water surface becomes open and the water becomes gentle. It is a good place to cross the river.
But here, there is a hill rising suddenly, becoming a natural military fortress.
Climbing this hill, you can see dozens of miles around the ferry.
To the west of the Yellow River, you can see many cattle and sheep, as well as herdsmen riding horses and running around the sheep, while the faint sound of dogs barking can be heard.
Those sparsely standing dome-like haystacks are actually silage towers.
On this side of the Yellow River, a large number of oxen pulled an eight-oxen plow to plow the land.
There is a ditch under the mountain front, which is Fukou Avenue.
At the end of Fukou Avenue, a wide pontoon bridge made of pontoons spans the east and west banks.
On both sides of it, there are two small pontoons composed of sheepskin rafts as auxiliary bridges.
"Brother-in-law, look, Xu Erniang's plan is not to make any major changes to the west bank of the river for the time being. You can first sow some alfalfa seeds and create a semi-captive pasture."
"The first thing we need to reclaim is the large area on the east coast..."
The young lady of the Zhang family had a serious face and introduced Feng Junhou in a serious manner.
As soon as Feng Junhou looked at her little face, he knew that she was sulking.
Immediately he waved and shouted to the bodyguard: "Bring an oil umbrella over here without even blinking!"
The guards who were far away quickly climbed up, handed Feng Junhou an umbrella, and then quickly disappeared on the mountainside.
Feng Junhou opened the umbrella, raised it to Zhang Xiaosi's head, and then said with concern: "Si Niang, I see you are sweating on your face. Come on, let me wipe it for you."
She knew clearly that this guy had bad intentions, but the little lady of the Zhang family couldn't keep her sullen face any longer. She gritted her teeth, kicked him a few times, and cursed angrily:
"You have no conscience! You have no conscience!"
Feng Guiwang was tall and strong, and Zhang Xiaosi's punches and kicks were not as powerful as General Guan's, and besides, he didn't kick anyone ruthlessly.
Feng Guiwang grinned and said "ouch" twice, thinking it was to give Zhang Xiaosi some face.
The two were flirting and flirting, and the guards led the people up the mountain again.
"I have met the king and the lord, and I have met Madam Zhang."
The second wife of the Xu family and Li Tong and his wife bowed their heads and saluted together.
Feng Yong nodded and said seriously:
"Come on. Mr. Li Xu, I have no other intention of calling you here this time. I just want to ask about the reclamation situation on the east coast."
As he said that, he pointed to the bottom of the mountain and said, "How much wasteland can be opened from here to Zuli? Have you calculated it?"
Xu Erniang was wearing a narrow dress with tight sleeves that came from Nanxiang. From her shoes to her trouser legs, there were some specks of mud. She looked like she was a hard worker.
I saw her stroking her hair, as if to clarify her thoughts, and then slowly said:
"May I ask your lord, does this include the west side of the river?"
After hearing this, Feng Yong looked at the west bank of the Yellow River again, "Since the west bank of the river is temporarily immobile, naturally it is not included in it."
Xu Erniang nodded: "If it is not included, from the ferry to Zuli County, about 300,000 acres of fertile farmland can be developed."
"Three hundred thousand acres of fertile land? Are you sure? It's not Zhongtian?"
This number was slightly beyond Feng Yong's expectation.
Xu Erniang nodded and affirmed: "Back to Junhou, it is indeed fertile land. Among the 300,000 acres, more than 70,000 acres were planted with bamboo shoots in the early years, so it can be cultivated directly this year."
"There are more than 100,000 acres. We need to plant beans first, and then grain the next year. For the last 100,000 acres, we need to plant alfalfa fertilizer first to let the raw land become mature land, then plant beans one year later, and finally grow grain.
.”
"But as long as food can be grown, it will eventually become fertile land. I can guarantee this."
What Xu Erniang said is the basic process of land reclamation for the Xinghan Society.
This set of procedures can be traced back to the time when Hanzhong was reclaimed and Feng Yong became Hanzhong’s Diannong School Wei Cheng.
Fengjiazhuang had a bumper harvest of grain, and more grain was harvested per acre than other families. Coupled with the introduction of the Quyuan plow and the Eight-Niu plow, Feng Langjun was considered an expert in farming at that time.
In a half-ripened field, planting beans first and then planting grain the next year can make the grain grow better.
Many people who came to Hanzhong for reclamation gave it a try with hesitation, and then the next year they gave it a thumbs up, thinking that Feng Langjun was a good person.
This trend started from that time.
Then, two years later, during the Southern Expedition, the Xinghan Society was established. With the help of the second generation of Quan in the society, and the new product of woolen materials, Feng Huishou almost monopolized the beans in the Han Dynasty.
Especially the beans were looted by the Xinghan Hui and then transported to Nanzhong to support the Southern Expedition.
That is to say, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Southern Expedition, the Xinghan Society suddenly gained a firm foothold.
After this wave of operations, not to mention outsiders, even those within the Xinghan Society felt that the leader of Feng Hui was simply too far-sighted.
Some people had secretly laughed at him for selflessly exposing his farming skills, but they had already planned it.
But no matter what, if you plant some beans in the newly opened wasteland or when the fields are rotated, and then spread some domestic fertilizer when farming the next year, you can always harvest a few more bushels of grain, which is a good thing.
As a result, this farming method became a popular practice among Han Chinese.
As for growing alfalfa, let alone that.
Back then, when the bald Khotan broke into the Ju County trading market, if he hadn't brought alfalfa seeds with him, how could he have gained Feng Langjun's sincere friendship so easily?
When opening a pasture to raise livestock, silage is indispensable. If you want to store silage, you must have enough forage. If you want to have enough forage, alfalfa is a must.
At the same time, alfalfa also has the ability to improve land fertility.
The reason why the royal family can enjoy the dividends now is because the queen, with her unique insight and magnanimity, lent Feng Langjun tens of thousands of acres of the imperial estate belonging to Hanzhongye to grow fodder.
This favor was not a big deal for Feng Langjun, who was just starting his own business.
Again, whether it is the former Xinghan Hui or the current Xiaowei Mansion, all strong expansions are based on sufficient supply.
Whether it's for people or livestock.
People need to eat grain, and livestock need to eat grass and beans.
Because wherever the pasture is opened, the pasture will be opened. Wherever the pasture is opened, alfalfa will be planted. This is the most basic thing.
Feng Huitou has not returned to Jincheng for so many years, but the brothers in the guild will support him even if he sells his pants.
Over the years, it is not that no one has thought about hooking up with the core figures in the Xinghan Society, but without exception they have failed.
Not only because of King Feng Gui's current status, power, etc., and the benefits it can bring to them, etc., the awe in their hearts is also an important aspect.
After all, anyone who looks back afterwards will feel a chill in their heart.
I have been in the game for so many years without realizing it. I suddenly discovered after the fact that there were many things that my brother had unknowingly arranged from the beginning.
So to rebel against your brother, it really requires the courage to face death.
After all, it is too difficult for the young men in their twenties in the Xinghan Club to fight against an underhanded guy who is good at digging holes at least a few years in advance.
Of course, Feng Junhou doesn’t know what others think. He has his own ideas:
"Of the 300,000 acres, just use 100,000 acres to grow grain. The remaining 200,000 acres will be planted with beans first."
After saying that, Feng Junhou looked at Zhang Xingyi again, "After we go back, Si Niang will draft an official document and establish the rules."
Zhang Xingyi nodded to express his understanding.
One hundred thousand acres of fertile farmland sounds like a lot, but according to a rough calculation, it can only keep a thousand or so families fed all year round, and at the same time, there is still some leftover for some sideline business.
The Xiaowei Mansion has great autonomy, so it does not need too much farmland. This is what the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty said.
Feng Junhou said that this logic... was perfect, and he raised his hands to express his approval.
Besides, by this time next year, the captain's mansion will have at least 16,000 more mules available for service. With the addition of war horses, the demand for beans will further expand.
So this needs to be prepared in advance.
"The area on the west bank of the river should be turned into pasture for the time being and forget about farming."
Feng Yong turned around and looked to the west. To the north of the slightly undulating wasteland, he didn't know if it was his imagination, but he seemed to be able to vaguely see the Great Wall.
Although Longyou was still rich in water and grass at this time, once you cross the Yellow River and go west, you can already detect changes in the water and soil with the naked eye.
When the food supply is sufficient, it is better to keep that piece of wasteland as pasture than to develop it as cultivated land, even if it is to leave some environment for future generations to work around.
Xu Erniang glanced at Feng Yong in surprise, as if she didn't understand why Feng Junhou wanted to restrict farming. However, the number of livestock under the control of Xiaowei Mansion was very large, and beans were almost as important as grain.
Besides, food has been shipped from behind, so it’s not unreasonable to grow beans.
So she responded: "No."
After Feng Yong finished speaking, he glanced at Zhang Xingyi.
Zhang Xingyi understood and then asked:
"Li Langjun, how does the scale of livestock and bees this year compare to last year?"
In just two years, the application of hand printing has been promoted within the Xinghan Society at an extremely fast speed.
Just the test papers from several schools, the tabloids in the army, and the communication of various government orders from the captain's office and Yuexun County made Beeswax extremely tight.
It is foreseeable that with Feng Yong taking office as the governor of Liangzhou, the demand for beeswax will increase dramatically.
After all, if you are used to printing by hand, who would want to copy it by hand?
Not only is it prone to errors and omissions, but the most critical factor is that it is not efficient.
Before Amei got the handmade mimeograph machine, it had to be copied one by one from the principal's office to the county, then from the county to the township, and finally from the township to the pavilion and the bureau.
If there is a mistake in the county, it is not impossible that the lowest pavilion and li will have the opposite policy.
With manual printing, you only need to copy one copy and you can print hundreds of copies directly.
War is fought not only on national strength and resources, but also on mobilization efficiency, organizational capabilities, etc.
King Feng Gui defeated Cao Da Sima. In addition to relying on surprise and advanced military units, the officers and soldiers of the Xiaowei Mansion withstood the huge pressure in the early stage with their strong organizational skills, which was also an extremely important factor.
Therefore, beeswax can also be regarded as a war preparation material.
If there are any major festivals or important dinners in the Principal's Mansion, they will look for a place to light up a few candles.
I usually light an oil lamp.
The Feng family is not rich either!
Even the young ladies of the Zhang family, who used to be able to show off their wealth with candles made of beeswax, now have to light tung oil lamps.
The young lady of the Zhang family must be dissatisfied with the decline in her quality of life, so she will work hard to increase the scale of beekeeping.
Li Tong didn't know if he felt the sun was too bright, so he wiped the sweat from his forehead:
"Back to Mrs. Zhang, although some new bee colonies have been expanded this year, the bees were attacked by insect pests a month ago, so, so..."
When Zhang Xingyi heard this, his face darkened.
Unsatisfactory guy!
It doesn’t make me look good at all!
No future!
…
Feng Junhou, on the other hand, knew that the risks of breeding were very high and beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even ordinary wealthy families could only breed in free range.
Immediately, he quickly smoothed things over, "Natural disasters and pest disasters are beyond human control. I can't blame you entirely for this, but you need to be more careful in the future and pay attention to the surroundings of the beehive."
Li Tong responded quickly: "Yes, yes, I understand. After I go back, I will personally arrange it and take the lead in inspecting all the beehives."
Today, Li Langjun has a happy family, a happy life, and some small power in his hands. He can be regarded as a decent person.
Not to mention all the things he has experienced in the past, he cherishes his little life now, how can he dare to be a little bit jealous?
Zhang Xingyi snorted, but it was hard to say anything else.
Feng Yong asked some more questions about breeding under the control of Xiaowei Mansion. After understanding the situation and giving some instructions, he let Li Tong and his wife go down.
"Okay, Li Tong has done a pretty good job, there is no need to be so angry."
When Feng Junhou saw that Mrs. Zhang was still unhappy, he spoke.
At least in terms of meat supply, there is no shortage in Xiaowei Mansion, and Li Tong can be regarded as having contributed a lot.
"What's not bad? If I can't even light a candle at night, does that mean it's not bad?"
The young lady of the Zhang family said unreasonably.
"Let's be reasonable. Who doesn't know that at least half of the man's honey is in the hands of the Zhang family's young lady?"
Feng Junhou avoided talking about beeswax, but came up with a trick to avoid the truth:
"This honey is more expensive than brown sugar. Just for the supply of honey, I don't know how many people owe you favors."
"Not to mention the income from honey, how many big men have more wealth than you? Are you still not satisfied?"
This rainbow fart was photographed so well that Mrs. Zhang finally had a look of pride on her face, "I earned it with my own skills!"
Then he glanced sideways at Feng Junhou, "There are indeed not many people who are richer than me, but among the people around me, which one is not richer than me?"
Feng Junhou coughed and said with a straight face: "Nonsense! At most, there is only one person who can compare with you!"
It's okay if Feng Junhou didn't say this. As soon as he said this, Zhang Xingyi became furious. She gritted her teeth:
"Why should I compare with others? I just want to compare with her!"
"Sister, forget it, let's not compete. We can't compete..."
"No!" Zhang Xingyi glared at Feng Junhou angrily, "No coward! If you don't help me, I will find a way on my own. One day, I will definitely surpass her!"
Feng Junhou pretended not to hear.
Several women in the Feng family have their own spheres of influence.
Li Mu controls Nanxiang's economic lifeline, and she provides at least half of the Feng Mansion's cash flow.
Although Amei seems to be very low-key, she is addicted to all kinds of knowledge and has an extremely important influence on various equipment used in all aspects of the captain's mansion.
At the same time, she is also responsible for training the engineers needed by Hanyang Manufacturing Bureau. If Hanyang Manufacturing Bureau really takes shape in the future, she will be the actual founder.
As for the wife of the Feng family, let alone that.
Because the Zhang family’s young lady’s target has always been General Guan.
It’s just that General Guan is in control of the Feng Mansion. If Mrs. Zhang wants to compete with General Guan, she means competing with the entire Feng Mansion...
Feng Junhou supported her courage, but was not optimistic about her struggle.
Alas, hope is too slim...
"Siniang, it's too hot. Let's go down first. I'll accompany you to the river to see the scenery."
Feng Junhou coaxed, "Maybe I'll cook tonight and make you a dish."
"I want to eat tofu!"
It is probably that the conversation about beans just now made the Zhang family feel something, so she made such a request.
"No problem, what kind of tofu do you want to eat? Mapo tofu or homemade tofu?"