Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 64 Disappointment
As expected, the swamps around Chishan Village were cleared and turned into paddy fields.

Silt is a natural fertilizer. The yield of this kind of paddy field is often more than 30% higher than that of ordinary fields. When there was a drought in Jiangdong, the silt fields cleared by the Yangtze River were scrambled for by the powerful and wealthy, and even the Wang family suffered.

A field that is one year old is called "zi", a field that is two years old is called "xintian", and a field that is three years old is called "wu".

The field is a field with surplus.

The output of the fields will only be surplus after three years, so reclaiming wasteland is a thankless task. It requires a lot of energy and the payoff takes too long, so ordinary people are unwilling to do so.

But this kind of silted field is a different story, it will produce high yields that year.

Puyang Xing, the prime minister of Eastern Wu, once wanted to build the Danyang Lake Field. His original intention was good, but because the project was too large and he was eager to complete it, he forced his soldiers and civilians to commit suicide, causing the project to fail.

The same is true in Chishan Village today.

Farming is not an easy job these days, and everything depends on your hands.

That would be fine, but without iron farm tools, efficiency would be greatly reduced, and it would be considered good if a strong man could plow two acres a day.

But farming is not just about plowing the fields; it also involves pumping water, planting rice seedlings, and a series of other complicated steps...

"We do have plenty of farmland, but we're short on manpower and lack seeds, oxen, and iron tools. The bandits from nearby Mount Tai, Duan Feihu, often come south to harass us."

Gao Xun was tanned and didn't look like a young master from a noble family at all. As soon as he saw Liu Daogui, he started to complain bitterly.

"Duan Feihu? Could he be a descendant of the Xianbei Duan clan?" Liu Daogui was stunned when he heard the surname.

In the sixth year of Yonghe (350), Duan Kan took advantage of the civil strife in Jie Zhao and marched south to occupy Guanggu, proclaiming himself King of Qi. He was powerful in the Qingzhou area for a time, and relied on the Jin Dynasty to make things difficult for his cousin Murong Jun. In the twelfth year of Yonghe (356), he was conquered by Murong Ke.

It's only been 20 or 30 years since then, so it's normal that some fish slipped through the net.

"It should be the Xianbei Duan clan."

"It's good that you came!" Liu Daogui was not angry but happy.

A horse will not be fat without night grass, and a man will not be rich without windfall.

Liu Daogui was unwilling to rob the refugees heading south, but he had no psychological burden at all in robbing these bandits.

Zhao Lunzhi came over and said, "Why not melt down those broken swords and make farm tools?"

Liu Daogui thought about it and realized that spring plowing was about to start, so it might be too late to build it now.

It is not easy to start a furnace. It requires building a furnace and burning charcoal, which is also a labor-intensive and time-consuming task.

There are not enough people at the moment, and we have to rest the fields and build forts. Men, women, young and old are all busy.

Seeds are also a big problem, and breeding is required more than half a month in advance.

"I can only borrow it. Have the local powerful people in Lanling ever come here?" Liu Daogui felt secretly resentful. He had already planned it last year, but because the efficiency of the military government was really low, it was delayed until now.

Gao Xun said, "The Lanling Xiao family did come here once and exchanged some polite words."

There was a bloody fight in Chishan Village, and the Xiao family, as the local tyrant, must have known about it.

This battle was almost Liu Daogui's battle to gain a foothold. He showed his momentum and also demonstrated his own value.

"The Xiao family is enough. I will take people to the Xiao family and borrow some seeds, oxen, and farm tools."

You don't need too many allies, just one or two are enough, and Liu Daogui doesn't expect to rely on others.

"Daozhe just came back, why not take a couple of days' rest?"

"It's not too late to rest after everything is done."

This trip south has already wasted a lot of time, so we should rest and wait until after the spring plowing.

Lanling County lay to the east of Chishan Village, less than sixty miles away, making it a neighboring village. The Xiao clan was not located in the county seat, but rather on a plain south of the city, beside the Wen River. A fortress stood amidst the village, smoke curling from cooking fires, the sounds of chickens and dogs mingling, and beyond, fertile fields stretched as far as the eye could see.

Liu Daogui hadn't seen such a scene for many years.

Jiangdong is such a small area, crowded with a lot of nobles, so one can imagine how the lives of ordinary people are.

Lanling County has no government offices and no noble families. It is a bit chaotic, but it is also full of vitality.

Before the group got close, six or seven cavalrymen rushed out of the fort. Liu Daogui thought they were horses at first, but when he got closer he realized they were donkeys.

However, the man on the donkey was wearing leather armor and looked quite strong, with a long spear in his hand shining coldly.

Following behind was a team of strong soldiers, each holding a ring-handled sword.

"But he is under the command of General Liu of Chishan Village?"

Before Liu Daogui revealed his identity, the other party had already guessed it.

"I am Liu Daogui, and I have come to see Master Xiao."

"It turns out to be General Liu, and I am Xiao Tingzhi." The leader waved his hand, and several people put away their spears.

"Greetings, Master Xiao." Liu Daogui bowed.

He and Xiao Yuanzhi are of the same generation and are considered his elder, so there is nothing wrong with this courtesy.

Xiao Tingzhi got off the donkey and glanced at the men around Liu Daogui who looked ferocious. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "What advice do you have for me, General Liu?"

"I have been ordered to go north to cultivate the land and suppress bandits. I am in a hurry and need some seeds, farm tools, and oxen. I hope Master Xiao can lend me some and I will return them double next year."

As soon as Liu Daogui arrived, he took over Chishan Village and defeated the siege of the bandits. The surrounding area was filled with heads, and he was so fierce and vicious that it was understandable that Xiao Tingzhi was on guard.

However, he was a little too cautious, being secretive and not allowing Liu Daogui and his companions to enter the village, which was a failure in hospitality.

"To be honest, our lives are not easy either. Every year we have to offer some food to the tribes of Mount Tai and the Cao family to avoid being harassed. There is no more food in the fort..."

Xiao Tingzhi is a tall and strong man, but unexpectedly he is so timid and doesn't look like a clan leader at all.

Liu Daogui glanced at the young men around him. They were all strong and healthy, and did not look like they were having a hard time.

Seeing Liu Daogui's unhappy expression, Xiao Tingzhi said, "The Xiao and Liu families are old friends. For the sake of our past friendship, I'll give you two hundred kilograms of grain. I hope General Liu won't mind."

"Master Xiao is in such a difficult situation, you should just keep the food." Liu Daogui felt disappointed.

No wonder Xiao Yuanzhi was not optimistic about this matter in his letter. The northern and southern Xiao families had already parted ways. Xiao Tingzhi had been under the rule of Di Qin before and did not have much sense of belonging to the Jin Dynasty.

If he wanted to surrender to the Jin Dynasty, he would have gone south long ago.

What's more, the Jin army on the border often went north to plunder them, killing husbands and seizing wives and daughters. Their methods were comparable to those of the Hu people. Naturally, Liu Daogui, a military officer, did not have a good impression of them.

Originally, Chishan Village and the Xiao family joined forces to support each other. Not to mention dominating the entire Lanling County, they were more than capable of defending themselves without having to worry about the Taishan bandits or the Cao family.

"I'm so ashamed. General Liu, if you have time, you might as well come and visit us often." Xiao Tingzhi spoke in a very coherent way, and people who didn't know him would think that they had a very close relationship.

But there was not much shame on his face.

"Goodbye!" Liu Daogui and his companions turned around and left, feeling that this trip to Lanling was not as easy as they had imagined.

If it were easy, the powerful people south of the Huai River would have already flocked north.

To all the forces in Lanling, Liu Daogui has always been an unwelcome outsider...

(End of this chapter)