Chapter 689 Prepare for a Rainy Day


    Fei Qian felt like a spinning top being whipped up by an invisible whip, never stopping at all. He had just finalized matters with Xu Shu and Cui Hou about the caravan trade and the spread of related rumors, and then he found another Zao Zhi, in the fields, check the relevant data and questions about the experimental fields.


    Generally speaking, farming in the Han Dynasty was not as precise as that of later generations. Issues such as plant-to-plant spacing, plowing depth, top dressing, etc. all depended to a large extent on the personal experience of the farmers and depended on the weather. There was no systematic standard. mode.


    ?But this is only compared to later generations, and at this time, it is estimated that only Roman agriculture can compete with the Han Dynasty.


    ?In the Han Dynasty, basically most of the vegetables and fruits seen by later generations have been seen. Of course, those imported products are still not available.


    "Wheat" is the main product in the north, and it is also the most planted in Pingyang. "Millet" and "millet" also occupy a part. As for "rice", it is mostly planted south of the river, mainly in Jingzhou and Yangzhou. area.


    Although in the Han Dynasty, most people still liked "millet", because the flour ground from wheat can provide a lot of calories and nutrients, and can also be made into military hard bread and the like for long-distance marches, so out of comprehensive aspects Considering this, the area in Pingyang is naturally required to grow mainly wheat.


    ? In addition to these staple food crops, Pingyang also grows "shu" and "liang", and some "hemp". These are crops suitable for growing in large river basins.


    As for vegetables, they are basically based on "Pogon", "Kangpo", "Leek", "Mustard", "Brassicae" and "Cranjing". Of course, there are also some white radish and large winter melon. .


    It seems to be a common concept among all rulers. Peasants who face the loess and back to the sky are the best producers of food and the best source of soldiers. They are also the bearers of national taxes. This concept even spreads across China and abroad, throughout ancient and modern times, and now in the huge Roman Empire in the West, it even means that people engaged in agriculture have no evil intentions and are the strongest and bravest warriors in the country, so they praise a person A person is a good farmer, a good farmer, which is the greatest compliment to him.


    Just like Zhuge called himself a country man when he came out of the mountains...


    Countryman, this word was really not a derogatory term in the Han Dynasty.


    “Zijing, we won’t plant any more wheat for the time being...” Fei Qian squatted on the edge of the field, held a handful of soil in his hand, felt the viscosity and humidity of the soil, and said to Zao Zhi.


    Zao Zhi was a little confused and didn’t understand why Fei Qian said such words, “If you don’t want to plant wheat? Then what should you plant?”


    Wheat, divided into winter wheat and spring wheat.


    South of the Great Wall, winter wheat is basically the main crop, while spring wheat is grown further north. If winter wheat is to be planted, it is basically plowed and sown at this time. Then the winter wheat will begin to joint in the spring, and will enter the maturity stage in May and June, and can be harvested.


    But the problem is…


    ?Fei Qian threw the soil in his hand back to the ground and frowned. The soil was a little dry, which was not good. He didn’t know if it would snow this winter...


    ?Now Fei Qian is worried about both snow and the lack of snow.


    “Zijing, do you feel it’s getting colder this year?” Fei Qian let out a breath, watching the breath turn into a long string of white smoke in the air, and then quickly dissipated in the cold autumn wind.


    ?Zao Zhi thought for a moment, then nodded.


    "Wheat needs to survive the winter. If the weather continues to be this cold and it doesn''t improve in spring, then..." Fei Qian sighed.


    Zao Zhi couldn''t help but widen his eyes after hearing Fei Qian''s words, "This... it would be really troublesome if this is the case..."


    Zao Zhi was originally very interested in crops and other plants. He has been running to the fields every day since Jingxiang. Now he is considered to be a crop expert, so he feels very much about what Fei Qian said. Tricky.


    Freeze damage is basically the enemy of winter wheat. Because of the overwintering plant characteristics of winter wheat, when the winter spans for a long time, the temperature drops suddenly, and the low temperature continues, it will suffer disasters, resulting in a reduction in production, and in serious cases, the loss of production.


    “Let’s plant spring wheat instead…” Fei Qian said. Zao Zhi was silent for a while, then nodded and said, "If it''s a cold winter this year, that''s all we can do. But if we don''t plant anything, farmers will have nothing to do, and both of them will be criticized..."


    The change from spring wheat to winter wheat is not only a change in time, but also the crystallization of the wisdom of farmers from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period. The earliest wheat, like other crops, was planted in spring and harvested in autumn. However, during the long-term planting process, the hard-working farmers of China discovered that compared with other crops, wheat was more cold-resistant and not drought-resistant. In this area of ??the river basin, spring is windy and dry. If there is not enough water for irrigation when wheat is sown, it is easy to be damaged by wind. Therefore, we tried to change from spring planting to winter planting, and because of this change , winter wheat can be harvested in May and June, shortening and easing the lean period before the usual autumn harvest in August and September.


    ?Fei Qian is also silent. Will there be frost damage this winter? No one can say this for sure, but there is a high probability that it will happen. Of course, if the cold wind in Siberia is blocked by the Yinshan Mountains, maybe it will not happen this year but only next year. Then such a move to change planting will naturally be criticized.


    The basic problem is not to force it. If it is severely cold this winter, then everyone will be happy. But on the other hand, if there is no severe cold, it will naturally have some impact on Fei Qian''s reputation.


    "What Zijing said makes sense. In this way, one-quarter of the winter wheat will be planted, and the rest will be planted with millet next year..." Fei Qian finally made the decision, not just for the sake of moderation, but if he didn''t plant some Farmers have seen with their own eyes that there is always some gossip.


    ??The key is that most of the farmers in Pingyang have only settled there for a year or two, and their sense of belonging is not very strong. If they are incited by someone with intentions, it will be troublesome.


    Fei Qian continued: "... During the winter leisure, let''s organize the farmers to plow the fields deeply..." This not only gives the farmers something to do, but also prevents them from being too idle. It can also destroy the growth environment of locust eggs and reduce the number of locusts. number of adults.


    “Wei.” As a Dian Nong, these matters are naturally within the scope of Zao Zhi’s jurisdiction.


    Fei Qian stood up, patted the soil on his hands, and said, "Speaking of wheat, have you tried the new steamed buns that came out during this period? It''s getting late, and there is a hotel in the east of the city that does a good job, so let me How about inviting Zijing to try it?”


    ??Zao Zhi also stood up and said with a smile: "I''ve eaten it, it''s really good. If the minister wants to treat guests, I have to obey his orders..."


    Steamed buns, also known as steamed buns in later generations. However, eating steamed buns was not an easy task in the Han Dynasty. Flour was not something you could just talk about and have it.


    It wasn''t until the arrival of a large number of Huang''s craftsmen that Fei Qian built several water-powered mills that he was able to completely crush the wheat to a fine enough level. Otherwise, he would never be able to provide enough output just by relying on manpower to push a small stone mill. How many people eat it.


    ?It is precisely because of the production of a large amount of fine flour from water-powered mills that there are now more tricks on the ground in Pingyang...


    Productivity always comes first, and this is true no matter in ancient or modern times.


    Lu Su heard that Zhou Yu was very angry, so he asked someone to bring the Romance of the Three Kingdoms


    Open the book:


    “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Lu Su, don’t come to Jingzhou!”


    “Oh, okay, I don’t want it anymore…”


    “Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo yeah........., Lu Su, don''t come and urge me to fight!”


    “Oh, okay, I won’t rush you…”


    “Wuwuwu Lusu, don’t come!”


    "Oh, okay, I''ll go..."


    Silently put down the book...


    “Tell the governor that it’s too late to punish the author...”


    (End of this chapter)