The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 111 What's so special about this thing
The group left the county town and headed towards Dongmiaozi Village. Soon after they left the county town, they passed by a large tract of farmland.

It was late July, and around this time of year, the wheat harvest would be underway in the countryside. Winter wheat in Shandong Province is typically planted in November and harvested the following July.

But in November last year, Shandong area was in a state of devastation. Jin soldiers were killing and burning people everywhere in the county. Winter wheat had not been planted at all, so there was no wheat to harvest.

But the farmland was not abandoned, but was planted with a large amount of corn.

This batch of corn seeds was what Wu Jialiang asked Yue Wenxuan for after visiting Dongmiaozi Village in April, so they were not planted until early May.

Corn planted in early May cannot be harvested until late September to early October.

So there are no fruits in the farmland, only fields of corn plants. With the help of chemical fertilizers, these plants are growing vigorously.

Ma Yang was a little confused: "What kind of crop is this? Why haven't I seen it before?"

When Cui Weihua heard this, he became excited: "This is called corn! Hehehe, this is my main achievement this year."

Ma Yang: "Oh? What's so special about this item that the county magistrate values ​​it so much?"

Cui Weihua said: "The yield of this plant is several times higher than that of rice and corn."

These words startled Ma Yang, but he immediately thought: How is this possible?

Cui Weihua: "It will be harvested in two months. Come back and see us then."

Yue Wenxuan turned around and smiled, "We don't have to wait that long. We'll be able to see the results when we get to the outskirts of Dongmiaozi Village. The corn in Dongmiaozi Village is planted early, in late February or early March, so we can harvest it two months earlier than in the county. We'll be able to see it when we get to the outskirts of Dongmiaozi Village."

Cui Weihua was delighted: "That's great, very good. I also want to take a look in advance."

After introducing this new crop, Cui Weihua was actually quite nervous, fearing that it would not meet expectations, which would harm the farmers. He wanted to see the results more than anyone else.

Hearing that he could see the results two months in advance, Cui Weihua couldn't help but squeeze his horse's belly to make it go faster. As soon as the horse let go of its hooves, it ran to the front of the team in an instant, which scared him again: "Whoa! Whoa! Slow down! Slow down! Are you running so fast to die? The ones who can fight are all behind you."

The team invisibly sped up and was getting closer and closer to Dongmiaozi Village.

Soon, they arrived at a village that had surrendered to the rebels earlier.

Corn is planted in the farmlands around the village. The corn here has entered the harvest period. Each corn plant has a plump fruit. A group of farmers are busy harvesting in the fields.

Seeing a large group of people coming from a distance, the farmers thought they were bandits and were frightened. Their first reaction was to hide, but someone immediately recognized the Zhangjia Village team leading the way. So they were no longer afraid and continued to work in the fields.

These farmers were also harvesting corn for the first time, and their movements were still a little unfamiliar. They broke the corn carefully and worked very slowly.

Cui Weihua rode his horse to the edge of the field, stretched his neck to look into the field, and asked, "Are you harvesting corn?"

"Yes, sir." The farmer in the field responded nonchalantly. Ordinary people were afraid of officials, but the farmers in this field had already joined the rebel army and were not so afraid of officials.

He was just a little puzzled. Why did our Gong Da Wang's men bring the county magistrate here? Did the officials and the bandits become one?

Cui Weihua shouted anxiously, "Show me one."

The farmer froze and immediately protected his bamboo basket of corn, taking a few steps back as if he was afraid of being robbed.

Cui Weihua was froze by his action, then laughed and said, "Are you afraid that I will rob you? I'm the county magistrate, not a robber."

The farmer murmured quietly: "Officials are even more aggressive in their robbery..."

Cui Weihua: "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly." The farmer raised his voice: "I didn't say anything." He turned his eyes to Zhang Dalang, Zhang Dashu and others next to him with a questioning expression.

Zhang Dalang walked up to him and said with a low laugh, "Master Zhenjun is here too, don't be afraid! Give him one to see, and I'll return it to you after he's done. I didn't take it for nothing."

Hearing that the True Lord was also there, the farmer was overjoyed. He glanced at the team and really saw Yue Wenxuan. He was mixed with the Ma family members, hiding in a large group of people, without showing his presence. No wonder he didn't see him at first glance.

Since the True Lord is here, there is nothing to be afraid of.

The farmer took out a freshly picked corn cob, without even the green skin peeled off, and handed it to Cui Weihua.

Cui Weihua had only seen cooked corn cobs and had eaten half of one. This was the first time he saw a raw one. He quickly took it and turned it over and over in his hands. He pulled out the silk at the top and peeled off the green skin, and finally saw a fresh corn cob.

"Wow!" Cui Weihua smiled. "It's really big."

He turned around and waved the corn cobs at the Ma family members: "Look, look, freshly picked, and there are so many on one ear."

Ma Yang, Ma You, Ma Guang, Ma Sheng, and Ma Congyi gathered around and couldn't help but marvel at the plump corn cobs in Cui Weihua's hands.

The yield of this ear of corn is truly incredible. It is simply not on the same level as wheat, rice, and corn.

The key is still good-looking!
No wonder it is called "corn", it really looks like beautiful jade.

Ma Congyi couldn't help but ask, "Is this delicious?"

"It's delicious, fragrant and sweet." Cui Weihua: "I've tasted it myself."

Ma Yang: "Whether it tastes good or not, we can plant it based on the yield. Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, we will get some seeds back later."

Several family heads nodded in agreement...

However, the food problem is not the main issue at the moment. The Jin thieves are approaching, and they are not very concerned about food. Their focus is still on combat effectiveness.

Soon, the group put the matter of corn aside for the time being.

After walking for a while, we were almost at Dongmiaozi Village.

Before entering the village, we saw a flat ground in front of us where an army was conducting drills.

The total number of people was probably over a thousand, forming a huge formation.

Ma Yang saw a row of tanks at first glance!
Yes, it's a real chariot.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen it wrong.

In fact, the Northern Song Dynasty army also had chariots, among which the more famous one was the crossbow chariot, which was a giant crossbow equipped with wheels for easy transportation. It could be pushed onto the battlefield and shot at the enemy.

But what Ma Yang saw now was not a crossbow cart, but a cart with wooden boards on top.

This is ridiculous!

Isn't this something that was only played during the Warring States Period?
Atavistic tactics?

Ma Yang was just looking confused when Wu Jialiang spoke up, "Although chariots were popular during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, they were also popular for a while during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The reason for this was to deal with the northern barbarians. They were very effective against cavalry."

(End of this chapter)