Ch. 361..365: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 361-365
Chapter 361: Chapter 361: Prosperity (1)_1
"In a few days, come with me to the seaside and choose a location to dry sea salt," Chu Suifeng suddenly stated.
"Prince, I’m afraid I don’t have the time to accompany you," Lin Ziyin replied. "The aristocratic families are restless in Feng City, can you really afford to leave? In a few days, the weather will be warmer, and I will be even busier. I have to supervise the cultivation and sowing of the seeds." Lin Ziyin delicately refused. Hearing Chu Suifeng’s words, she surmised he was likely taking a gamble and had already guarded against the Imperial Court.
Since ancient times, salt was a regulated commodity. If Chu Suifeng truly wanted to break free from the control of the Imperial Court, he would need to anticipate their potential block on salt supply.
"The cultivation and sowing, there will naturally be farmers in charge of that. For the affairs within Feng City, you need not worry on my behalf," Chu Suifeng said with a cold expression.
Secretly, Lin Ziyin complained. She wasn’t Chu Suifeng’s advisor, so why should Chu Suifeng involve her in everything? Moreover, she wasn’t an expert at everything. Things like drying salt, she was an absolute beginner.
"Prince, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really don’t know much about salt drying. However, I’ve heard that the salt fields for sun drying require sufficient sunlight, and they need to be set up in a bay sheltered from the wind. Besides this, the only other thing I can suggest is to refine the salt," Lin Ziyin said daringly.
"Refining salt?" Chu Suifeng looked at her in surprise.
"I grow more and more curious about this mysterious master of yours," Si Jinhan said skeptically, looking at Lin Ziyin. "Just who is this master who seems to know everything?"
"Refining Salt. Although it sounds complex, it’s actually really simple once you know the trick. I happened to learn it in a casual conversation with my master and his wife," Lin Ziyin quickly explained. "I’ll write down the detailed steps for you, then you’ll understand."
"Write," Chu Suifeng ordered directly.
Chu Suifeng’s attitude in asking for help was so poor that Lin Ziyin almost couldn’t contain her frustration and rolled her eyes at him.
"Don’t curse me in your heart," Chu Suifeng said, coming to stand behind her. He bent down so his breath touched the top of her head, making her goosebumps rise.
"Dare I curse the prince?" Lin Ziyin chuckled nervously, quickly sidestepping Chu Suifeng. Shifting her chair, she said, "I’ll write it for you now, Prince."
Si Jinhan watched Chu Suifeng tease Lin Ziyin, a big grin on his face. "You’re too sly, you really deserve this," he added fuel to the flame.
Lin Ziyin couldn’t do anything to him, so she pretended not to hear and focused on her writing.
After a moment, she put down her pen and handed the paper to Chu Suifeng. "Prince, do you see that it is indeed simple?"
Chu Suifeng and Si Jinhan put their heads together, reading intensively. After they finished, they were both silent. The method was indeed simple, so simple they could hardly believe their eyes.
"Prince and third son, do not doubt it. This truly is the method of purifying salt," Lin Ziyin emphasized when she saw their doubtful eyes.
"So simple?" Si Jinhan was still somewhat incredulous.
"It’s that simple," Lin Ziyin nodded with certainty.
In silence, Chu Suifeng put the paper into his shirt and then looked at Lin Ziyin. "Are you sure you don’t want a piece of this?"
"If you could find a suitable cloth merchant, I wouldn’t mind some business opportunities," Lin Ziyin responded after considering.
"Weren’t you always involved in food businesses? Why the sudden interest in cloth?" Si Jinhan queried.
Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Prosperity (2)_1
"Business? Of course, I’m not afraid of having too much. As long as it can make silver, I can do it." Lin Ziyin replied with a smile, but did not tell Si Jinhan what kind of business she wanted to do.
After discussing matters in the Drunken Moon Building, the aristocrats of Feng City seemed to have not taken any specific measures. Regarding the land reform introduced by Chu Suifeng, no one had caused a ruckus at the Wang Residence or the government office. The only difference was the reduction in the amount of tax silver paid by various businesses.
Business has its ups and downs, and Chu Suifeng was so focused on cultivating wasteland that he did not notice the minor change in tax silver.
"Humph, let him cry when that time comes," Zhang Da sneered, "Starting from summer, all the grain purchased by the Zhang Family will be secretly stored in various places."
"Yes, master." The people below respectfully agreed.
After everyone dispersed, Zhang Da couldn’t help but sneer. The Northern Land was Chu Suifeng’s territory, but aside from warfare, what else could Chu Suifeng do? Chu Suifeng should consider that if not for the silent support of Zhang Family and other wealthy families, it was unclear whether this Wang could have survived until now.
People should know their measure. Chu Suifeng has gained so much from their Zhang family but is still not satisfied. Well, he has no one but himself to blame for their ruthlessness. just wait until this Autumn. The Northern Land has always had poor harvests, and once the Zhang Family controlled the grain, how long Chu Suifeng could endure?
Even if Chu Suifeng ultimately compromises with the Zhang Family this time, he will not easily forgive Wang. Chu Suifeng must grant some privileges to Zhang Family, such as reducing duties and the license to freely trade in and out of Northern Land. Nothing can be left out.
Lin Ziyin was very cautious in her work. After several days of hard work, it was not in vain. As March approached, the weather improved slightly, the temperature rose, and the snowfall decreased.
By noon, a few families had begun to cultivate the wasteland according to the assigned divisions in the village. After some study and hard work, Lin Ziyin managed to assemble several different types of machinery, both manual and steam-powered.
Chu Suifeng’s coal was being delivered continuously, and Lin Ziyin had built a large walled yard to store the coal. Now that they had a source of fuel, they could theoretically test the steam-powered machinery. But Lin Ziyin had no time for that, she had more important things to do.
The weather was soon to warm up, and the busy season of spring sowing was about to start. The priority was preparing the seedlings. Growing rice seedlings was a major event, with people from Chu Suifeng’s manor and monks from Ding’an Temple arriving in such large numbers that the greenhouse was packed full.
"The seeds must be fully plump. Before growing seedlings, first soak them in hot water, then put them in bags. Terrigate them with hot water every three hours, and flip the seeds every half day," Lin Ziyin explained while working.
"Why do the seeds need to be turned?" The monk from Ding’an Temple was serious about his work.
"Germinating seeds need enough warmth, which is why we grow our seedlings in this greenhouse. If they’re outside, they’ll freeze as soon as they’re watered. But too much heat is not good for germination. If the temperature is too high, the seeds will rot, which is commonly referred to as overheating. So you must follow my instructions when you go back. After three days, when the seedlings start to sprout, they can be sown in the greenhouse." Lin Ziyin patiently answered all queries. "The seedbed in the greenhouse also has a particular method. Come with me and take a look so you can do the same when you go back."
The field of action moved to another greenhouse, where Hei Yi and others found that the soil in the greenhouse had already been divided into sections and soaked with water.
Chapter 363: Chapter 363: Prosperity (3)_1
"The temperature in the greenhouse should not fall below twenty degrees. When sowing, lightly pat down with a board to let the seeds sink into the soil. Then cover them with a layer of soil and fertilizer. As long as the temperature is controlled daily, by May, you can transplant the seedlings directly," said Lin Ziyin passionately, gazing at the black soil, "Because the seedlings are strong enough, when the temperature rises, you can transplant them directly, and they will grow rapidly."
"We have to transplant the seedlings?" asked a man from Chu Suifeng’s manor in confusion. "Aren’t rice seeds just scattered directly on the ground?"
"It’s hard to explain everything at once. Let’s wait until the seedlings are grown to talk more about it," Lin Ziyin replied with a smile.
Yes, there was confusion on everyone’s faces, but no one voiced any objections to Lin Ziyin’s unorthodox method of growing rice. Nobody had ever heard of such a method before.
"The farmers in the prince’s manor have never tried the warming greenhouse method of seedling cultivation, and they may not grasp certain details. If possible, could the young lady visit the manor more often?" After spending time with Lin Ziyin, Hei Yi deeply respected her.
"Amitabha, the monks at Ding’an Temple are also not proficient in this method. I’ll surely bother the young lady to come by more often," Master Hui Lian from Ding’an Temple stated. Seeing the significance of the situation and Lin Ziyin’s technique, Master Hui Lian decided he must convince the temple’s host to increase the acreage for rice cultivation as soon as he returned.
Concerned about the seedling cultivation work at the two houses, Lin Ziyin conveniently agreed to their requests.
Under her careful guidance, seeds were sown in the greenhouses at the three locations a week later, keeping Lin Ziyin busy. She would visit the three areas whenever she had some free time.
The Northern Land in April became more pleasant—the temperature was on the rise, rare stray snowflakes on certain days, but indeed, the winter in this land was extraordinarily long, almost half a year.
With the weather becoming warmer, Lin Ziyin gave the villagers a half-day break, urging people to seize this opportunity when the ground was damp to plant corn.
"Boss, what’s this?" The villagers earnestly asked her when they received several pounds of corn.
"Corn, a new high-yield grain variety," replied Lin Ziyin, "Corn can not only be consumed as food but also used to make various types of snacks. It’s a crop that could potentially replace wheat."
"That’s amazing!" The villagers rejoiced. When they saw the big bags of corn being carried away by Hei Yi and the monks, everyone agreed without question, "Then we need to grow a lot more."
"There isn’t enough seed for everyone to plant more" joked a local.
Indeed—all of the corn harvested in the previous season had been distributed by Lin Ziyin. Some was given to Chu Suifeng’s manor, some to Ding’an Temple, and finally to the villagers and her own land.
Each villager received enough seeds for just two acres of land. They wouldn’t get more even if they asked. Despite this, the villagers greatly praised Lin Ziyin’s generosity.
"Chug chug chug." There were three tractors coming from the road.
"Heavens! The tractors are moving!" someone shouted in surprise, pointing at the approaching tractors.
Cun Da, Long Feishou, and Hong Zhong, behind the wheel of the tractors, were approaching with grins plastered on their faces. They had practiced before, but this was their first time actually going out on the road. Many of the villagers who worked in the fields every day had never seen something like a tractor before.
When the villagers saw the iron beast had actually started moving, they were all so astonished they were left speechless.
"My word! How much wasteland can these tractors plough through in a single day?" someone exclaimed.
Chapter 364: Chapter 364: Prosperity (4)_1
Hong Zhong’s vehicle was the first to descend onto the barren land, and the tractor churned the soil deeply. Lin Ziyin observed carefully for a moment, and a sense of satisfaction quickly filled her. It appeared that this steam-powered tractor worked effectively. The only drawback was that the tractor required additional coal fuel after a certain period.
Fortunately, there was a large nest next to each vehicle, and the coal added each time was enough to plow the field back and forth.
"This thing is much better than oxen." Someone yelled.
"Absolutely, it’s amazing."
Others, out of curiosity, started running after the tractor non-stop.
The outsiders who came from afar to help with the reclamation were even more stunned. These people were old-fashioned, always contracting reclamation projects and bringing their whole families with them. Everyone had thought that helping with the reclamation for a spring and summer season would earn them several months’ wages, freeing them from living worries for a year.
But looking at what they saw now, oh my, it was frightening!
A plow pulled by oxen couldn’t compete with the amount of land this iron contraption could reclaim in one day, let alone the land reclaimed solely by human labor.
"Ziyin, how many acres can this iron contraption plow in a day?" At the edge of the field, Lou Zheng voiced the common concern on behalf of everyone.
"Approximately less than thirty acres." Lin Ziyin watched the busy tractor with a smile, "From morning till night."
"Even if it works from dawn to dusk, this iron thing doesn’t know what exhaustion is. It’s way more efficient than an ox." Bai Chunsheng commented in awe.
"Hurry up and clean up the roots inside. It’s a social practice course, ten copper coins a day." Qian Xuan brought a group of young recruits along.
The children watched the tractor run "putt-putt" delightedly, each and every one of them overjoyed. They had seldom participated in practical classes; up until now, they had only attended four days, each of which paid them. Jobs like picking up grass behind this iron contraption were too easy; it was essentially playing and also earned them pocket money. It wasn’t only the young recruits who wanted to do it, the villagers who came to work were also envious.
"Brother, Brother Dayou." Lin Ziyin stopped the two from going to reclaim the land, "Just wait for Tie Niu to run a few laps for you, you don’t need to go down."
"How can that be?" Guo Huiniang waved her hand in refusal, "There’s a lot of wasteland you want to reclaim. Don’t delay things because of us."
"It won’t be delayed." Lin Ziyin looked at her with a smile, "It’s just a little while, besides, I don’t plan to reclaim many acres all at once."
Mechanical reclamation had an additional benefit, which was that it could measure the area of land to be opened in one place. Based on the coal burned in one run by the machine, Lin Ziyin calculated that a piece of land with fifteen acres as one unit would be optimally used for digging ditches and laying roads in a single effort.
Before long, people from all the surrounding villages knew about the Lin family’s treasure for reclamation and farming. Some people even made a special trip to see the legendary iron contraption.
After the tour, everyone was taken aback.
Chu Suifeng and Si Jinhan received Hei Yi’s report and arrived promptly the next day to see the novelty.
"It’s indeed very fast." Si Jinhan walked around the machine and came back satisfied.
"Prince, if we reclaim the land at this speed, there will be no fear by the time autumn comes." Sima Gong was extremely overjoyed. On this side, they were worrying about how to encourage the people to reclaim and farm the land, and how to get through the autumn crisis. They did not expect Lin Ziyin to bring them a huge surprise immediately.
"You have to prepare two vehicles for me as well." Chu Suifeng stared at the tractor and instructed Lin Ziyin in a matter-of-fact tone.
Hearing that, Lin Ziyin breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Chu Suifeng was trustworthy and did not have any intentions of seizing her tractor. Considering his honesty, she decided to put in more effort to assemble two more tractors for him.
Chapter 365: Chapter 365: Prosperity (5)_1
"Wait, Prince, can you and Benefactor Lin prepare an extra part? Consider it a contribution to the incense fund of Ding’an Temple?" Master Hui Lian shamelessly leaned in.
"Prepare some extra parts." Chu Suifeng ordered.
"Yes, sir." The guard responded.
When the parts ordered by Chu Suifeng were delivered, half a month had passed. Lin Ziyin had tilled a full five hundred acres of wasteland. The hard work was accomplished by human power, ox power, and most noticeably, the tractor.
Lin Ziyin lent out the tractor to Chu Suifeng’s men for temporary use, while he led his team to start sowing. Only in the evenings did she find the time to assemble machinery with a few people, including Long Feishou.
"Just a few seeds of soybeans and corn, my God, our family can’t keep up even with half a day." Upon seeing the servants of the Lin Family operating the hand-pushed multifunctional seeder, the villagers almost died of envy. If they could farm like the Lin Family, even if they had an extra twenty acres of land, they wouldn’t feel tired.
The Lin Family made a lot of small tools. The factory workers only worked half a day, so the servants moved quickly as they pushed small tools for work. This multifunctional seeder planted both soybeans and corn at the same distance and even loosened the soil in the process.
"Look, no need for manual watering." Someone cried out in surprise.
Indeed, not far off in the big river, a water wheel powered by the current easily irrigated the land.
"I’ve spent my whole life farming, and yet I can’t match a young girl." An elderly villager was almost pounding his chest with his fists. They were originally skeptical about Lin Ziyin’s claims of planting rice, but now it seemed indisputable.
Meanwhile, within a few days, the Tatar also received a secret letter.
"Chu Suifeng wants to alleviate the grain shortage by having the common folks cultivate the land, what a joke." The eldest prince laughed uproariously as he read the letter.
However, the second prince, Alhatu, didn’t laugh. "What’s so funny about Chu Suifeng wanting to reform? If the people of the Northern Land could mass cultivate, then Chu Suifeng wouldn’t have to worry about grain shortages. Furthermore, he could also break free from the court’s control. This could not necessarily be beneficial to our North Country."
"What the second prince said is really funny. How could you boost someone else’s morale and dampen your own spirit?" The eldest prince scoffed, "Everyone knows the climate in the Northern Land is similar to ours. Even if a lot of land is cultivated, it doesn’t make a difference because the climate there doesn’t permit large scale crop farming. Over the years, the grand minister of agriculture has tried numerous ways and failed to combat this predicament. Chu Suifeng is not some immortal deity who can make crops adapt to the climate overnight."
"The eldest prince has a point. If the Northern Lands could cultivate crops well, why would the Emperor Daqin give Chu Suifeng such vast territory as a fiefdom? And it is even a hereditary one. Daqin boasts about being vast and rich in resources, yet the ’vast’ part mostly refers to the barren Northern Lands, while the ’richness in resources’ refers to the Jianghuai region," the prime minister quickly added in agreement.
"My lords, does anyone else have other views?" The seated Tatar Khan asked.
Immediately, all the ministers expressed their opinions, but more of them agreed with the eldest prince, with few siding with the second prince.
"Where is the State Preceptor?" The Khan looked around, unable to spot the person he trusted.
"Your Highness," As he was searching, the National Master walked in, wearing his long robe. "I have heard the debate between the eldest prince and the second prince."