Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 72 Peach Blossom Spring (Please read 4k words)

"Why do you need to do this when you're here on official business? Get up quickly."

Zhang Xian stepped forward to help him up.

Han Ji did not rise, but kowtowed again.

"My entire clan, young and old, were all killed. Later, I planned an assassination attempt, but it failed, resulting in the deaths of twenty-three of my friends. Fortunately, I managed to escape, but I hesitated day and night."

This thief carries the blood feud of Ji. I swore an oath that whoever kills this thief will be my lord!

"My lord! Though I am unworthy, if I can carry your aspirations, I will fight with my life!"

He looked up, his face streaked with tears.

"You have arrived!" Zhang Xian was filled with emotion.

History is just history.

Each of those unrecorded creatures has its own story.

correct.

What I'm doing is right. The millions of ordinary people shouldn't just be numbers written down in a few strokes. They are human beings, and they should be human beings!
He squatted down, closed the wooden box tightly, and placed it in front of Han Ji.

"Let's offer a proper sacrifice."

He patted Han Ji on the shoulder and got up to leave.

Han Ji needs to be alone now.

As I left the thatched cottage, I looked up at the azure sky, with fluffy white clouds drifting in the gentle breeze.

"It's a beautiful day today."
-
"Greetings, Master."

"Okay, everything is fine."

"Master."

"."

As Zhang Xian walked through the idyllic village, the villagers who came and went all showed joy and respect on their faces.

These past few months have felt like a dream, a period of wandering from place to place, but in the end, my whole family has managed to survive safely.

Not only could they eat their fill every day, but every few days the manor owner would also find a reason to distribute meat to them.

He's become stronger and his complexion is better; all of this is thanks to his own master.

Outsiders all say that the owner of the manor is a good person and a kind person.

They're all wrong.

He himself, the lord of the manor, was clearly a saint!
Zhang Xian nodded repeatedly, nearly giving himself a concussion, before running off to his own little world.

The swaying wheat and sorghum, the red and yellow peppers and pumpkins—even after more than ten days, this place remains vibrant with life.

The chicken coops and duck sheds further away were also operating as usual, with eggs being laid every day and a lot of feed left in the feed troughs. It seemed that Li Zhen had been coming over to take care of them every day.

The homestead template has logically consistent rules, so he is never worried that others will find it strange.

His own cheat ability was a surreal thing, so he wasn't curious about how it changed other people's thoughts.

Because he couldn't figure it out. If he could, he would have gone to research nuclear bombs, no, he would have gone to research time machines.

In just over ten days, the crops in his homestead had basically completed more than one cycle. Medicinal plants were fine; planting another cycle only increased their medicinal efficacy for another year. But he really didn't know how grains like wheat and beans would change after one cycle.

After tidying it up, the weeds were cleared away and the plants were watered.

Ginseng: Nineteenth Growth Cycle: Benign Variation: Enhanced Wound Healing and Improved Blood Circulation.

"Another variant has emerged!"

Zhang Xian's face lit up with surprise when his gaze fell on the ginseng.

The longest-grown ginseng in the entire farmland is this one. It was a wild ginseng found on a small hill. When it was first dug up, it was less than a year old, but now it has the medicinal properties of nineteen years. Several times during this period, the ginseng showed signs of flowering, but after the flower buds were pinched off, it grew back. That's how it has been rotated and planted until now.

Moreover, several of the dishes he used as a chef included ginseng rootlets. He dug them up and planted them repeatedly, and it was only thanks to the characteristics of his homestead that he wasn't driven to death by the constant digging and planting.

Now, finally, a superior mutation has occurred, enhancing the recovery from external injuries and improving blood circulation. Excellent! Now, it's a combination of internal and external benefits!
Before its mutation, ginseng was a powerful tonic for qi and blood, suitable for exhaustion symptoms such as shortness of breath, weakness, and a faint pulse. It could keep a dying person alive and increase the time available for rescue.

But now there's also an enhancement to external injuries.
Wait, should it be taken internally or applied externally?

Zhang Xian blinked, unsure for a moment, so he simply dug up this ginseng that had been dug up countless times before.

As usual, I cut off some of the tendrils and then buried them back in.

"Just try and you will find out."

Besides this ginseng, there are eight other ginseng plants planted later in the ginseng field. They are all wild ginseng, and their ages vary, ranging from four or five years old to twelve or thirteen years old.

They were all contributed by the people in the surrounding mountains. There are ginseng for sale in Zhending, but they are all dried ginseng, which cannot be grown.

Next to the ginseng field was the first variant crop he planted before he left.

Sorghum.

[Shushu: Second Growth Cycle: Benign Variety: Growth Cycle Reduced by 15%, Crop Yield Reduced by 10%]

A variant that's neither good nor bad, it can be considered as trading low yield for rapid growth.

It's not a question of whether it's easy or difficult to use, because the planting cycle for millet is at most 130 days, and this variant simply shortens that time to a little over 110 days.

It also reduced the yield per acre by 10%.

Based on the summer harvest data from Taoyuan, the average yield of sorghum per mu is 140 jin. A 10% decrease would mean a loss of 14 jin.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, sorghum was not a regular crop; it was only used as an emergency crop when local production was low after natural disasters.

One reason is that it really doesn't taste good. Whether steamed, boiled, or ground into flour, the taste is terrible. Even taxes don't collect this stuff. So, although it's easy to grow and you can get a guarantee by sprinkling a handful, it's generally the choice of poor people who really can't make ends meet.

Even the people of Taoyuan only grow it but don't eat it. Fortunately, it's good for making wine, which is why Zhang Xian took it seriously.

Harvest the second crop of sorghum, replant with variant seeds, and keep changing them. If you can keep shortening the growth cycle, even if the final yield is only ten or so kilograms, as long as your cycle is short enough, it's still a good product.

Apart from ginseng and sorghum, other crops remained unchanged, showing no signs of improvement.

He harvested everything that needed to be harvested, and then planted the seeds in sequence, but this time he left six square meters of space for planting.

He opened the wooden box he carried with him, carefully selected fifty-four cotton seeds, and buried them in the ground.

After watering thoroughly, and with the message "[Sindhu Cotton: Remaining growth time 239:59:59 seconds]" appearing on the screen, his anxious heart finally settled down.

As long as it can be planted, there's no need to worry about producing good variants.

My level 2 agricultural skill is almost at level 3. If all else fails, I'll put all three skill points after leveling up to level 3 into the mutation skill. I refuse to believe I can't increase the mutation rate!
It's a pity that most of my energy was spent on the smallpox vaccination program; otherwise, my agricultural skills would have been upgraded long ago.

At level one, the farmland area was only nine square meters, but at level two it increased to eighteen square meters. I wonder how much it will increase at level three.

After taking care of his homestead and gaining his daily experience points, he went on to manage his livestock.

However, despite feeding and grooming the livestock, he gained very little experience.

He got up and rubbed his aching back. The falcon that he had swatted away when he entered the village flew back.

The claws landed on my shoulder without hurting at all. Of course, it would have been perfect if the bleeding field mouse hadn't been there.

"You idiot! How many times have I told you? Don't use me as a feeding platform when you're hunting! I need to change clothes again!"

“Kacha—!”

The eagle remained silent, merely flapping its wings twice and turning its head to look at Zhang Xian as if asking, "Do you want some too?"

"No, thank you!"

Zhang Xian flicked the hawk's beak, then lifted it by its wings and angrily carried it to the courtyard like a hen.

Even so, the falcon did not loosen its grip on the field mouse; instead, it would occasionally take a leisurely peck at it.

Click, click. The courtyard remains ever-new; even during the ten-odd days he was away, it was still as tidy as ever.

He casually placed the falcon on its perch, then went inside to fetch water, wiped himself down, and changed into a new set of clothes.

Even someone as tough as him was exhausted from the long journey. He fell asleep fully clothed and slept soundly until dawn the next day.

I woke up the next morning to the distinctive squeaking of eagles.

I open my eyes, and it's another energetic day.

Pushing open the door of the thatched cottage, a damp, cool breeze greets you, and the familiar scent brings a sense of peace.

After washing up, the falcon that had woken him up had flown away somewhere else, and he couldn't be bothered to care.

Smoke was rising from the direction of the main hall. Before he could even step out, he saw Li Zhen running towards him with two braids swinging.

"Hehe, Master is awake. It's time for breakfast. Uncle Hansheng said last night that we didn't need to wake you, so my mother and I made rice porridge last night. This morning, we're having your favorite rice noodles."

The little girl, with a grin on her face, ran up to him as if to claim credit.

How did you know I was awake?

Zhang Xian grabbed the little girl's cheeks and asked with a smile.

"Ugh!" After escaping the patriarch's grasp with great effort, Li Zhen puffed out his cheeks and said, "That bad bird is chirping so loudly, the patriarch will definitely be woken up by it."

"Hehe, you little rascal." He patted Li Zhen's head and ruffled it, then took her little hand and led her toward the cafeteria in the main hall.

The dining hall, located to the right rear of the main hall, is currently extremely busy.

Eight or nine women, led by Huang, were managing more than a dozen steamers and iron pots.

The steamer basket was filled with the aroma of steamed buns, and the orange-yellow millet porridge in the iron pot was glistening with oil.

These women were responsible for feeding over four hundred people in Peach Blossom Village.

Zhou Cui, who was transferred to the brewing workshop, also came to help this morning. She and her daughter ground rice milk half the night last night, and this morning she got up early to steam the rice milk and then cut it into rice noodles.

In a small iron pot, ginger and garlic were sautéed until fragrant, chili peppers were cut into thin strips, and pork was also cut into thin strips.

Stir-fry it, serve it, and place it on top of the glass noodles in a large bowl.

Next to the small iron pot, a clay pot was also simmering with rice noodle soup, with a base of broth made from chicken bones, which was then ladled into a large bowl.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, and the oil seeping out with the chili topping makes this bowl incredibly delicious.

"Master of the house."

"The owner of the village."

"Master."

Holding Li Zhen's little hand, Zhang Xian walked into the canteen courtyard. Several women saw him and put down what they were doing to greet him.

Madam Huang wiped the sweat from her brow: "Master, Hansheng and the others are already inside."

Zhang Xian nodded: "You've worked hard. All the food for Taoyuan Manor depends on you."

"Of course," the women smiled and continued with their work.

"Then you can continue with your work." He waved his hand and walked into the cafeteria.

The canteen in Taoyuan is not big, only about 40 or 50 square meters. It is actually just a larger kitchen. The people of Taoyuan do not eat here.

Usually, Zhang Xian, Huang Zhong, and a few others would come over for breakfast in the morning, and then carry the food directly to the training ground.

"Lord."

"Lord!"

"Brother Xian,"

"."

Huang Zhong, Han Ji, Zhao Yun, Xiahou Lan, Shi Tou, and Gouzi are all here.

Some people had already started eating steamed buns and porridge, and there were still quite a few tender white eggs on the plates on the square table.

"Sit down and continue eating."

When they saw Zhang Xian come in, they stood up to greet him, but he waved his hand to indicate that it was not necessary.

He sat down among Huang Zhong and the others, releasing Li Zhen's small hand: "You should eat too."

"I'll go call my mother."

The little girl ran quickly towards the stove outside the canteen.

Before long, Zhou Cui came in carrying a large plate with seven or eight large bowls of vermicelli on it.

"I've eaten with my lord this morning." Looking at the glistening soup, Huang Zhong wiped his chopsticks and reached out to take the large plate from Zhou Cui's hand.

Zhang Xian rolled his eyes at him: "If you want to eat, why do you need to come to me? Just ask your sister-in-law to cook for you. She can do everything that Cui Niang can."

"Right, Cui Niang?"

As he spoke, he turned to Zhou Cui and asked her a question.

"Of course, I've taught Rou-jie everything I learned from the head of the family without holding back." Zhou Cui smiled slightly. "Brother-in-law Hansheng is even stronger than before."

Compared to her destitute and gaunt appearance a few months ago, she is now much more poised and confident.

The woman who was in charge of more than thirty brewing operations had become much bolder. In the past, she would not have dared to tease Zhang Xian like that.

"Hahaha, that food is also made by my wife. If it weren't for our lord, we would hardly have any food with Cui Niang's skills!"

Huang Zhong laughed heartily and served the vermicelli from the large plate to the group.

Han Jixin had only been here a short time and rarely ate rice noodles; he usually ate noodles instead.

Compared to yesterday's bleakness, Han Ji was like a completely different person this morning, with a radiant face and a lively spirit.

He took the large bowl handed to him by Huang Zhong and continued, "I have rarely seen Cui Niangzi in the past twenty-odd days in Taoyuan. She is now busy working in the restaurant."

"Brother Xiahou, don't you agree?"

He handed the bowl to Xiahou Lan beside him, who chuckled and said, "I dare not joke with Aunt Cui. If I say too much, I'm afraid Zhenmei will secretly pull my hair at night."

"Hahaha"

A burst of laughter immediately filled the cafeteria.

If this were said to someone else, no one would believe it, but when it came to Li Zhen, everyone knew that this girl, who was so bold as to steal food from a rogue, was truly capable of raiding people at night and pulling out their hair.

Zhang Xian was also overjoyed.

"Cui Niang, go ahead and do your work. You know what kind of people these are."

"As you know, Master, there are still a few pounds of vermicelli in the pot by the stove. If you need more, please take some more. I'll take my leave now."

Zhou Cui smiled faintly and left through the door.

A small head poked in through the doorway: "What were you laughing at just now?"

"It's nothing, you should eat. Your husband is right here, why don't you come and eat at this table?"

"No way!"

The little head shrank back in a flash.

"Hahaha"

Another burst of laughter filled the cafeteria.

(End of this chapter)