I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 62 The Barren Hanzhong

The court officials and local officials sitting in the front row were frantically taking notes with their heads down.

These are all pieces of knowledge not found in textbooks.

When Liu Shan was compiling teaching materials, he popularized and improved some agricultural knowledge that was commonplace among the common people, while important techniques were left to be taught in the classroom.

He did this not because he wanted to hold back, but because most of the students in the agricultural science class were illiterate, so it would be useless for them to read it.

It also leaves room for students to think and creates a lively atmosphere through interaction between the stage and the audience.

"The 'soybean-wheat rotation' I just mentioned is suitable for fertile soil. For infertile soil, a season of soybeans should be used as fertilizer first. The specific method is to bury the newly formed bean seedlings in the soil; this is the best time..."

"There's also the timing of soybean-wheat crop rotation; the months need to be precisely controlled for timely harvesting and planting..."

The officials in the front row listened with great interest.

Although Yizhou mainly grows rice and very little wheat, with the "soybean-wheat rotation" technique, those who originally grew soybeans and wheat can not only increase their yields but also harvest an extra season's worth of grain, the more the better.

Some of the students sitting in the back row looked worried.

Being able to harvest an extra season's worth of grain on the existing land would be ideal.

However, to achieve "soybean-wheat rotation" on barren land, a season's worth of soybeans is needed as fertilizer, which is something that the vast majority of people, whose food supply is already tight, are reluctant to do.

But if they didn't reclaim the wasteland, it would be disobeying the imperial court's orders, and they couldn't afford to suffer the consequences.

Therefore, he felt very conflicted.

As one student said before, if you want fertile land, you need beans first.

Liu Shan saw the reluctance and concern in their eyes and smiled leisurely.

"Next, the imperial court issued the national policy of 'soybean and wheat rotation' to support agriculture."

"For farmers who adopt the 'soybean-wheat rotation' method to reclaim land, the first season's soybean seeds will be provided by the imperial court, and they will be exempt from soybean and wheat taxes for one season."

"Farmers who practice 'soybean-wheat rotation' on their existing land will be exempted from soybean field taxes for one year by the imperial court."

Upon hearing that the imperial court would provide bean seeds for soil fertilization free of charge and exempt them from taxes for a year, the people, who had previously been full of worry, immediately beamed with joy and cheered.

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Imperial Court!"

Not only that, the students outside the courtyard also cheered along.

Most of them didn't understand farming, nor did they know about green manure for soil nourishment or crop rotation of beans and wheat. They only knew from reading in books, "Without sowing or reaping, how can one obtain three hundred sheaves of grain?" that farming was not easy for ordinary people.

In today's lesson, Liu Shan thoroughly explained these agricultural knowledge to them, and they finally understood that the food they ate every day was so hard-won.

The class was neither too long nor too short, and the students listened with great interest, but Liu Shan's mouth was already dry.

"That concludes today's cultural lesson. After a short rest, please come with me to the experimental fields."

"The experimental field has already harvested a season of soybeans, and the soil is fertile, so it's just the right time to plant a season of winter wheat. Let's see if the harvest will be better next year."

"Farming means being down-to-earth and hardworking, personally working in the fields, not sitting here and talking nonsense. I hope you all take this seriously."

The phrase "hardworking and down-to-earth" resonated with everyone present who was engaged in farming.

"Alright, tomorrow's lesson is about rice seedling cultivation and transplanting, which is related to the growth and yield of rice seedlings. This is an extremely difficult technique, so I hope you will all study it in advance. We will try it repeatedly in the experimental field, and I welcome your feedback."

"We will obey the imperial decree!"

All the students in the agricultural science class bowed deeply with their hands clasped, their eyes full of anticipation.

They already knew about rice seedling cultivation and transplanting from textbooks.

Rice cultivation still follows the traditional sowing method.

This method is convenient, but the seedlings emerge unevenly, there are many weeds, and the yield is low.

According to the textbook, this seedling transplanting involves planting seeds on a seedbed beforehand, and then transplanting the seedlings into the field once they have grown to a certain height.

This helps farmers seize the planting season, control seedling density, and facilitate weeding, thus avoiding land waste and increasing rice yield.

This novel approach was something even seasoned farmers who had spent their entire lives cultivating the land had never heard of before, exclaiming, "They say trees die when transplanted, but how can rice seedlings survive on their own?"

But after today's class, they were full of anticipation for the cultivation and transplanting of the seedlings.

During the important solar term of the Autumn Equinox, the agricultural science class brought hope to the people of Chengdu for the coming year, while in Hanzhong, thousands of miles away, the scene was quite different.

Hanzhong was originally a rich land, but after it came under the control of the Han Dynasty, most of the population was relocated by Cao Cao, leaving fertile fields abandoned and overgrown with weeds, resulting in a very low harvest this year.

Wei Yan stationed 20,000 troops here to resist Cao Wei, but this amount of food was far from enough to supply the army.

Therefore, the grain supplies from Chengdu became one of the main food sources for the troops stationed in Hanzhong.

"Chengdu has had a bumper harvest this year; the Prime Minister should have already sent people to transport the grain, right?"

Looking at the mess he was in, Wei Yan sighed inwardly.

When Liu Bei appointed him as the governor of Hanzhong, he boasted, "If Cao Cao brings the whole world to attack, I will defend you; if he leads an army of 100,000, I will devour him." This shows Wei Yan's confidence and self-assurance at the time.

But when he actually arrived in Hanzhong, he understood what it meant to have no one in the fields and to have vast land with few people.

What's even more critical is that the majority of the population Cao Cao relocated from Hanzhong were young adults, women, and children, leaving behind the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who lacked the labor force.

This not only deprived Shu Han of soldiers and labor, but also forced them to provide food to support these people.

Now, Wei Yan bears not only the heavy responsibility of defending against Cao Wei in the north, but also the task of restoring and developing agriculture.

Just as Wei Yan was frowning in dismay, his soldiers reported that a grain transport team from Chengdu had arrived.

Wei Yan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and immediately rushed out of the tent to personally greet the grain convoy.

His concern wasn't for the grain transport team, but rather for knowing how much grain the imperial court had allocated this time.

Wei Yan arrived at the top of the city wall and looked into the distance, where he saw a long line of soldiers moving slowly.

As the troop approached, Wei Yan asked the grain officer beside him, "You count how much grain we have this time?"

The grain officer squinted and estimated, and soon he had a good idea of ​​what was going on. He said, "General, based on each cart carrying 25 shi of grain, this amount of grain can supply the army for several months."

Wei Yan frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the number.

Now that we are not at war, the transportation of supplies is relatively easy, and we should not only have a few months' worth of supplies.

"General, since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has implemented new policies for the Imperial Academy, resulting in enormous expenditures for the court. This is why the provisions for us border soldiers have been reduced..."

Before his deputy could finish speaking, Wei Yan immediately shouted, "Shut up! How dare you utter such treasonous words and try to demoralize our army?"

The idea that the imperial court was withholding military pay was a threat to morale in any dynasty.

The lieutenant realized he had said the wrong thing and immediately bowed his head in apology.

"This humble general has misspoke; I hope the general will forgive me."

Wei Yan glanced sideways at his deputy and sneered, "The late emperor treated me with great kindness, and after His Majesty ascended the throne, he further bestowed upon me the title of Marquis of Duting. His imperial grace is boundless. Do not speak such words again."

The lieutenant was so frightened that cold sweat poured down his back, and he nodded frantically.

"Pass down the order to prepare to receive the grain."

After Wei Yan issued the military order, he was about to leave when his deputy suddenly pointed at the grain transport team and shouted, "General, look!"

On the banner of the grain transport team was a prominent character for "horse," which puzzled Wei Yan.

This is not wartime; why would a general need to personally escort supplies?

Wei Yan couldn't immediately recall which general the character "Ma" referred to, so he went to the city walls.

Only when the grain convoy arrived at the city walls did Wei Yan get a clear look at it.

He was in his early thirties, with high cheekbones, full cheeks, a straight nose, and thick eyebrows, giving people a sense of reliability and dependability.

"General Ma Dai is hereby ordered to escort grain supplies."

"Greetings, General Zhenbei!"