After settling down in the prefect's mansion, Cheng Renjun muttered secretly, wondering which of the adults in the capital it was, why were all the female relatives here.
Not to mention, these female relatives are of various shapes and sizes, and they come in all types.
The beautiful ones are like Shen Zhining and Zhao Lingbo, the ugly ones are like Shu Wuyin, and the veiled Gu Jinge seems to be seriously injured.
Forget it, he doesn’t have to guess what these big shots are thinking.
Most of Xu Mochen and others have entered the Immortal Path, so they don't feel tired. He also asked for the geographical records, county records and maps of Danzhou in the south.
Seeing a group of people discussing something again, Shu Wuyin couldn't sit still and wanted to go shopping.
"Don't run around," Xu Mochen knew her well. "Most of the people in the city are ordinary people. It's hard to deal with troubles."
There are people outside, and no matter how busy you are with fighting immortals, trouble will easily occur.
Shu Wuyin nodded: "I know, I won't be so imprudent. I just think it feels weird here. I'll go see if there are any evil spirits."
Hearing that this was the reason, Xu Mochen did not continue to object.
After Shu Wuyin left, Xu Mochen set up a ban in the room. He spread out the map on the table, while Zhao Lingbo flipped through the geographical annals and county annals.
An Zerui, a local-born immortal cultivator, introduced: "This is the general appearance of Danzhou in the south. It is not small in area. Of course, it is incomparable to some large states in Daqian.
The coastal area is not suitable for growing rice due to the invasion of sea water, so most of the agricultural land is in this place."
Xu Mochen looked at the location he pointed at, which was a basin.
Danzhou in the south is surrounded by the sea, and there is a large ring of mountains surrounding it. There is a river there that passes through the entire state and finally merges into the sea.
The place surrounded by ring-shaped mountains is the basin that Anzeri refers to.
Shen Zhining understood it at a glance: "It's similar to an alluvial plain, so the soil should be very fertile."
"The climate is good, with plenty of rain," Xu Mochen nodded, "so it's warm as spring all year round, which is suitable for the growth of crops."
"But the prefect just introduced me," An Zerui smiled bitterly, "I have been away for a hundred years, but I don't know what it is like now.
It seems that the local residents have different customs and do not pay much attention to farming.
In addition, it is said that there is sufficient rainfall only in the rainy season. After that season, there is still sometimes a shortage of water."
Shen Zhining is also a time traveler, and she is rich in knowledge: "It seems that the main reliance is on this river."
"This river is called Wanquan River, which means that the water source is very rich," Anzairui continued to explain, "If your Majesty wants to find a place for experiments, you can search along the river bank."
Xu Mochen nodded, and Zhao Lingbo on the side closed the geography book: "Your Majesty, this book records that Wanquan River has relatively abundant rainfall in spring and summer, but in autumn and winter, it often dries up."
"No way," An Zerui said a little confused, "When Wei Chen was here, the four seasons were normal all year round."
Xu Mochen frowned. What Zhao Lingbo said should be true. In this case, not to mention a bumper harvest, I'm afraid it would be difficult to harvest in general.
"Let's find out what happened," Xu Mochen thought, "the water source cannot be suddenly interrupted."
"It's also possible that the environment has changed," Shen Zhining expressed a different opinion. "By that time, will there be a backflow of seawater?"
Zhao Lingbo nodded, worthy of being a talented concubine: "Yes, it is clearly written on it. Every year, sea water flows back, causing many originally fertile fields to gradually turn into saline-alkali land."
If this is the case, their trip will be in vain.
"Isn't there anything the local prefecture can do, such as regulating the rivers or something like that?" Xu Mochen was a little angry. With such inaction, the so-called unique treasure land will be abandoned sooner or later.
"Your Majesty," Zhao Lingbo bit his lower lip, "I just checked it with the county annals and found that there are records in it that say, in the spring and autumn, sacrifices are made to the mountain gods, river gods, and sea gods."
Xu Mochen suddenly turned around: "Xiu
Immortal?"
"I don't know if it's folk belief or if immortal cultivators are involved," Zhao Lingbo hesitated. After all, she was the only one in the room who was 100% human. "I just said that sacrifices are very effective."
An Zerui's expression also became solemn: "It seems that in the past hundred years, due to the wars in Middle-earth, this place has undergone great changes. No wonder the ministers arrived and saw no one from Qiongqing Palace.
Your Majesty, I request you to return to the sect immediately."
Xu Mochen agreed: "Check carefully to find out what happened.
Princess, are there any valid sacrifices recorded in the county annals?"
"It's effective." Zhao Lingbo is also a talented woman with a photographic memory, "but it seems that the requirements for the sacrifice are very high and cannot be continued every year.
According to the county annals, sacrifices are held about once every three to five years to ensure that seawater does not flow back and Wanquan River has sufficient water to maintain local farming."
Xu Mochen understood that due to objective conditions, there is not much usable farmland in Danzhou in the south.
If this continues, I am afraid that all the arable land in the entire state will turn into saline-alkali land, making it impossible to grow crops.
It's just that these are records, and he still needs to verify them with his own eyes.
He came to the table, looked at the map carefully, and asked for a long time: "My beloved, do you think it would be effective if we built a reservoir here to regulate the water source...?"
Shen Zhining searched for the basic conditions for building a reservoir. She pointed to a place: "Your Majesty, this place is surrounded by mountains, with the Wanquan River passing through the middle. There is only one outlet, so it is an excellent place to build a reservoir."
When she said this, everyone gathered around.
Brother and sister Fang Minghang also think it is feasible.
However, there is no reinforced concrete in this era. If we build a reservoir and rely on manpower...
I'm afraid that Danzhou in the south cannot be spared from labor service.
As for using magic, there is still hope.
Xu Mochen rolled up the map: "This is just a temporary inference and we need further investigation.
Starting tomorrow, everyone will move separately.
My beloved concubine, the princess, and Mr. Xie will visit this city together to fully understand their customs.
Mr. Xie can also ask about the situation of medicinal herbs.
Mr. An, please return to Qiongqing Palace quickly and find out what happened.
Fang Minghang, Fang Mingying, go and look for oak trees.
As for me, Tang Aiqing and I went out to the city to investigate in person."
Everyone takes orders.
The meeting ended and everyone returned to their rooms.
Xu Mochen took a breath and sat down, frowning.
"Your Majesty," Tang Derun persuaded, "the situation may not be as bad as imagined. When it comes to farming, haste makes waste."
Xu Mochen shook his head: "What worries me is not about farming. I just feel that it would be unforgivable if there are immortal cultivators secretly taking charge."
The world of Shifang does not interfere deeply with the attitude of the human race.
Tang Derun sighed: "I'm afraid the world in ten directions pays little attention to this remote area, so some problems will inevitably arise."
Xu Mochen waved his sleeves and said: "That's all, he is really a cultivator of immortals. No matter what his background is, I will definitely get rid of him quickly."