Xianyu Infrastructure, I have a lot of troops in my hands

Ze Yue touched the yellow-white particles in his hand. He was too familiar with this thing. People working on this land were also very familiar with it: salt and alkali.

Why does no one want the tidal flats near the river? Some people cultivated them in the past, and they were fertile farmland. However, when the flood came, the salt and alkali underground were soaked up, and white alkali floated on the soil. The land that had been cultivated for several years was ruined.

The saline-alkali soil was hardened and desertified, so not only could crops grow, but even weeds could not grow. Only the reeds along the river bank grew denser and denser year by year.

"Mr. Zeyue, why are there alkaline particles in this ditch?" asked the knowledgeable old farmer.

Ze Yue hesitated and said, "This alkaline land has been irrigated twice, and water has seeped into the ditch."

"What? Pouring water into the ground can wash away the alkaline particles?" Some people were shocked and excited.

Looking at the flat fields not far away, they were eager to try, "If this is really possible, then this large piece of land can be used." What they lack here is arable land. This place is vast and sparsely populated, and large areas of tidal flats along the river are barren. If they can reclaim the land, they can feed many people.

"Why not? In the past, when the good fields were flushed with water, the salt and alkali particles floated up. Now, when you flush the fields with water, the salt and alkali particles will naturally go down."

As if to verify his words, someone excitedly jumped into the ditch, scooped up the water and took a sip, and was immediately choked to the point of wrinkling his facial features.

"Ah, poof, it's alkaline water." The concentration is even higher than the standard.

Originally they thought it was a futile effort, but unexpectedly it could actually improve the soil quality. Everyone was excited and full of energy, their hands moving non-stop, wishing they could swing the hoes until smoke came out.

A few days ago, no one understood the Queen's intention, and everyone thought that Xie Xian was doing this just to find something for them to do.

These refugees already owed the Lady a lot, and some of them felt very upset. There were also bad rumors in the refugee camp, saying that these people were just messing around and that the Lady found these jobs for them out of pity.

It made them feel very uncomfortable, but today they knew that every order from the lady had its purpose.

They could not have imagined that this method could remove the salt and alkali particles from the wasteland.

Everyone glanced at Ze Yue secretly, and they were more determined to keep this secret secret from the lady.

Ze Yue took a few deep breaths, opened the folding book with trembling hands and turned to the next page. After pouring water three times, he sprinkled lime powder on the ground.

The next morning, a four-wheeled carriage drove up the road, and the rectangular compartment was filled with bags of lime powder.

The output of lime is good because it is not far away. After mining, crushing and calcining, Xie Xian left the amount for disinfection of the chicken coop and put the rest into the fields. The pH of this tidal flat alkaline land is too high, and more investment is needed to complete the improvement.

Because cotton is alkali-resistant and does not require high soil sandiness, it can be used after a little improvement.

Over the next week, a steady supply of lime was delivered. Each person dragged a large sled behind them, and they crushed the lime and soil over and over again, sifted them, and mixed them evenly.

The soil at this moment is almost brown-yellow, which is very different from the original soil.

Ze Yue grinned, their efforts were not in vain.

"This soil has become good enough to be grown in fields," everyone looked delighted. The situation was getting better day by day, and everyone was itching to grow crops.

"The lady said that once the land is cultivated, she will hire people to work on it. I will definitely come." Their ancestors have been digging for food in the soil for generations. It usually takes two or three generations and ten to twenty years to cultivate a piece of good land.

But now, they watched helplessly as the barren alkaline land with no grass growing on it was turned into low-quality farmland in less than half a month using the method of the Queen.

Just like the magic in the legend, since the queen has such ability, does it mean that there is also a way to turn this inferior field into a medium field or even a superior field?

The thought of this made them breathe faster.

Although Xie Xian's fame was based on wealth and prestige, the common people cared most about their only land. Whoever could make the land better would be worshipped as a god.

In the yard of the textile factory, large numbers of earthworms are put into pits, covered with thick straw, and water is sprinkled from time to time to keep them moist.

Straw and reed stalks are useful, so they can’t just be wasted. Fallen leaves can also be used as food for earthworms. So the fallen leaves from the mountains were brought back in carts as food for the earthworms.

Rumor has it that the daughter of the Xie family is doing things more and more strangely, but the villagers have no objection as long as they are paid.

In the government office of Que County, Bai Lingjun had finally made his favorite tea today and just as he picked up the tea bowl, he saw County Magistrate Xie walk in with a smile on his round face.

"Is there any good news today?" asked County Magistrate Bai.

"What is your niece doing? If the land is not acceptable, I will not return the deed." He has been in this border town for five years, so he naturally knows the situation of the surrounding land.

The piece of land that Xie Xian wanted was not suitable for cultivation, and not even a single grass grew on it.

County Magistrate Xie smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, my lady has already had the land cleared. It just costs some money. Those refugees will feel more at ease if they have something to do."

"Oh? That's good. The Xie family is helping the county solve its problems. That's great!" County Magistrate Bai nodded. "Most of the land around this county is occupied by aristocratic families. If my niece really wants some land, I will swallow my pride and let them share some of it."

With the help of Xie Xian, he now has a say in the county town. The city lord and the county lieutenant treat him well, and his position will be promoted in next year's assessment.

In Bai Jingting's heart, Xie Xian was his lucky star. He had no way to repay her, so he naturally tried every means to repay the favor.

"My Lord, please don't be like this. Since the lady wants this place, she must have her own intentions. We will just sit and wait." County Magistrate Xie had heard some rumors among the clan, so naturally he didn't want to cause trouble.

"You really don't need it?"

"You are joking, my niece Xian never does useless work."

Seeing that County Magistrate Xie was so confident, Bai Jingting had no choice but to give up. He could only repay the favor he owed later.

"Spring plowing season will begin in two months. Some of the refugees in the city will return home, while others will stay. I wonder what arrangements the county magistrate has." County Magistrate Xie brought up another topic.

"According to the law, it's okay for those who stay to get some land, but there's really no good land around Que County."

The Xia Dynasty implemented a land allocation system in which men and women between the ages of sixteen and sixty were considered Zhengding. Male Dings were taxed 50 mu of land, while female Dings were taxed 20 mu of land. Second Dings, those aged thirteen to fifteen and sixty-one to sixty-five, were taxed 25 mu of land.

"Increasing the farmland is a good thing, but the land is barren and I'm afraid I can't even pay the land tax. Although there is a tax exemption system for the first three years of land reclamation, after three years, the output of this land will not be able to support the family's consumption. Wouldn't this official be blamed?"