Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 35: The Artifact for Farming, the Quyuan Plow
It is already February and spring plowing is about to begin.

Historically,
Before defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao was always troubled by food shortages.

The subsequent massacre of Xuzhou
After all,
It was also because Cao Cao was short of food and could not feed more captives and refugees.

If there hadn't been that massacre,

Cao Cao's reputation would not suffer a serious blow.
Nor will they push many talented people to the opposite side of themselves.

There are only two ways to solve the food problem.

One is to plant high-yield crops, and the other is to reclaim more wasteland.

But Cao Yan currently does not have high-yield grain varieties, so he can only start by reclaiming more wasteland.

In ancient times, due to the limitations of tools, farmers had to clear wasteland, which was an extremely time-consuming and laborious task.

Cao Yan was thinking that he needed to make an advanced tool to help farmers reclaim as much arable land as possible before the spring plowing.

On this day,

There were several more notices recruiting craftsmen on the bulletin board outside the government office.

Although Xun Yu is the one who is in charge of government affairs in the city now,
But everyone knows in their hearts,

Nowadays, Dongwuyang has various people-friendly measures.
In fact, they were all written by General Cao’s younger brother Cao Yan.

Therefore, as soon as they saw that it was Cao Yan recruiting craftsmen, the entire Dongwuyang was immediately in an uproar.

In the western corner of Dongyang Wucheng,

Outside a temporary workshop,
The craftsmen who came to apply for the job formed a long queue that stretched as far as the eye could see.

In less than half a day,

The thirty carpenters Cao Yan needed had been recruited.

The efficiency is quite high.

at this time,

Cao Yanzheng and three foremen were carefully studying a blueprint.

On that drawing,

It is a tool Cao Yan drew from memory - a curved plow.

This is a must-have "artifact" for time travelers.

The curved plow was a plow invented by the people of Jiangdong in the late Tang Dynasty.

It is named so because its shaft is curved, which is very different from a straight-shaft plow.

Therefore, the plow was first promoted and applied in Suzhou and other places, so it is also called Jiangdong plow.

Compared with previous plows, the curved plow has several major improvements.

The first step was to change the straight and long shaft into a curved and short shaft, and install a freely rotating plow disc on the shaft head.

This makes the plow frame smaller and lighter, and easier to turn and make corners.

It is flexible to operate, saves manpower and livestock, and can greatly improve the efficiency of farming.

This was also the reason why he had told Cao Cao before that they could be self-sufficient after enduring this year.

"Captain, you said that to reclaim wasteland with it, only one man and one ox are needed?"

"Is the efficiency really three times higher than before?"

"Although I'm a carpenter, I also work in the fields during busy farming seasons. If this thing is really so magical, it will truly benefit all living things!"

The craftsmen asked their questions one after another, and Cao Yan answered them one by one with a smile.

Seeing that Cao Yan was really not joking, Xu Ran, the head craftsman, said respectfully, "Captain, let's try making a few first and see how they turn out."

"Very good, you should start immediately, the sooner the better! I will promote and lend it out in large quantities during the spring plowing season." Cao Yan ordered.

"Yes!" the craftsmen responded in unison.

Although the drawings are relatively simple,
But the craftsmen were eager to show off.

It only took one day.
Thirty craftsmen worked together to build three curved plows.

Cao Yan and the craftsmen pulled the curved plow to the field and prepared to test it.

Cao Yan was busy directing the craftsmen to adjust the angle of the plow shaft.
Suddenly I felt the light above my head dim.

He looked up,
It turned out to be an old man, who was watching curiously nearby. Xu Ran was about to drive him away, but Cao Yan stopped him and asked with a smile, "Old man, what's the matter?"

The old man wasn't afraid at all. He smiled and asked Cao Yan, "Captain, is that a plow you're making? Why does it look so strange?"

"Make a new plow to test the effect." Cao Yan explained.

The old man walked around the curved plow twice, curled his lips in disdain,
"I have been tilling the land for decades. What kind of plows have I not seen?
Your plow looks novel, but the plowshare is so light, can it plow deep?

I think the plowshare has to be heavy, the heavier the better, so that it can plow deeply and with more power!"

Cao Yan patiently explained, "The plowshare is too heavy, which not only increases labor intensity but also easily injures the oxen.

Look at my curved plow. It is light and flexible. It saves effort and can plow deeper.

Furthermore, many families nowadays do not have cows and rely entirely on human labor to pull the plow.

If the plow is too heavy, it will be very hard to pull it by hand."

The old man still looked unconvinced. "Captain, don't try to fool me. I've been farming all my life, how could I not know the ins and outs of this?"

"Seeing is believing," Cao Yan said confidently, patting the curved plow. "How about you come and see it while I try it out later?"

The old man nodded doubtfully.

After some careful polishing and adjustment, Cao Yan asked people to carry the curved plow to the field and prepare for trial plowing.

He looked around and called out to the people watching in the fields, "Who wants to try this new plow?"

"I'll do it!" Before Cao Yan finished speaking, a young man immediately jumped into the field and ran to Cao Yan.

"What's your name?" Cao Yan asked with a smile.

"My name is Ergou, and my family has been farmers for generations." Ergou replied with a simple smile.

Cao Yan then asked the old man, "Father, how about you find another person to pull the old plow and we have a competition?"

The old man was not intimidated. He turned around and shouted, "Tiezhu, use the straight wooden plow we usually use and compete with the captain!"

Cao Yan pointed to the two plots of land and said, "Whoever finishes plowing first wins. How about that?"

"I'll do as you say, Captain!" the old man grinned, then whispered in Tiezhu's ear, "Save some strength. Don't let the Captain lose too badly."

Tiezhu nodded and replied, "I saved it."

Tiezhu and Ergou are both native farmers.
Farmland is naturally very familiar to them.

Tiezhu is tall and strong.

He picked up the wooden plow, shouted, and began to plow the land hard.

Two dogs lifted up the curved plow,
According to the method taught by Cao Yan,
Move forward steadily.

at first,

Tiezhu relied on his familiarity with the old plow and his brute strength.
Farming progress is way ahead.

The old man stood aside, nodding as he watched, and said to the person next to him:
"See? We still have to use the old plow.

This new gadget looks fancy, but it's probably not very useful!"

Cao Yan just smiled slightly and did not refute the old man's words.

Over time,
The speed of the iron pillar began to slow down gradually.

Beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

As for Ergou,
As his proficiency in the curved plow continued to improve,
Farming is becoming smoother and faster.

The flexible steering and labor-saving design of the curved plow

It made Ergou feel almost no fatigue.

After just one hour, Ergou had finished plowing the designated fields.

At this time, the iron pillar

Less than half of the land has been cultivated.
I was already exhausted, panting and sweating profusely.

Seeing this scene, the old man rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe what he saw.

Looking at Ergou and the miraculous new plow, he muttered to himself, "How...how is this possible?"

(End of this chapter)