Otherworld, Northland, rich and powerful.
The barren field dug a crisscross fire ditch. More than a thousand farmers stood on both sides of the ditch.
A foreman yelled a few times to remind everyone to pay attention, and then threw a torch toward the back of the fire ditch.
Behind the ditches is the land overgrown with weeds all year round. The sturdy grass stems can even exceed one person's height.
The grass is often a paradise for snakes, rats and mosquitoes, and occasionally birds inhabit.
Zhou Qingfeng stood on the mound piled up behind the fire ditch and looked at the surrounding area for several kilometers.
This piece of land belongs to no owner, and there has been no clear attribution in the past. But from now on, it will erect a boundary monument, which belongs to the "rich and strong leader".
The reason why there is no attribution is because this is a low-lying waterlogged area. It is neither cultivated nor suitable for living.
As far as agricultural civilization is concerned, it does not work if there is less water, nor does it work if there is more water.
For example, the American continent in the real world has a large number of endless plains, which seem to have superior natural conditions.
But it wasn't until Europeans with industrial civilization came to develop it, and the native Indians could only hunt.
The reason is that the construction of water conservancy is also technical work, and it is impossible to do it if the level of civilization is too low.
The fire ditch is also a drainage ditch. Relying on the popularization of a large number of metal tools, the farmers of the "rich and strong collar" can efficiently carry out construction on the ground.
After the stagnant water in the low-lying land is drained away, the originally luxuriant weeds gradually wither.
A fire lighted in, and flames were raging in the grass for an instant.
Countless snakes and rats flee indiscriminately, and many farmers are busy catching them.
Zhou Qingfeng looked at it coldly, but didn't stop it.
Because the food of the "Fuqiangling" has not been enough to eat, anything that can be eaten will not be wasted.
"Old Borg." Zhou Qingfeng turned around and shouted to the dwarf witch doctor, "Remember to prevent the epidemic. Things in the wilderness are always not so clean."
The dwarf witch doctor responded impatiently, "I know, I know. You say this three times a day."
The mounds were piled up from reclaimed fields, and next to them were newly built gravel roads.
The road is about three meters wide, and building materials are obtained locally, which is very crude.
Several mules rolled back and forth on the road pulling the stone mill to ensure that the ground was strong and durable.
This road is the result of thousands of labors built by the'rich and strong leaders' over the past three months. It connects the territory and Coldwind City and is considered one of the best roads in the area.
The road surface is slightly higher than the ground surface, and the side drains have been repaired to ensure that the rain will not damage the roadbed.
The mound on the side of the road is dedicated to maintenance.
Running on the road is a new four-wheeled heavy-duty carriage, bringing tools and supplies to the road repair team.
Some distance north along the road, irrigation ditches and ridges are being leveled on the completely burned land.
Do you think this is a field towards happiness
wrong!
The refugees in Northland taught Uncle Zhou a good lesson!
He always thought that he could work as long as he called the farmers together and matched those animals with farm tools. But this is obviously wrong.
Agricultural farming knowledge also needs to be passed on. But the farmers in Coldwind City used to rely solely on the heavens for food, and had no idea of intensive farming.
Many refugees don't know anything at all, just like the black uncles in Africa, who just sprinkle some seeds into the fields and wait for the harvest.
There are also refugees who do not like farming at all. In their culture, being a farmer is a fruitless performance, but being a robber is a serious profession.
The clash of cultures gave Zhou Qingfeng a headache.
At most, the "rich and strong collar" gathered more than 10,000 refugees, but only four to five thousand remained stable after three months.
The remaining four to five thousand are similar to the'Sanhe Great God', who likes to play three days a day and only accept short-term employment.
Those who are left wandering are the factors of instability, and letting them develop is the hordes of bandits.
It takes a lot of effort to deal with this group of guys, more than to deal with the nobles of Coldwind City.
For the adventurous homeless, Zhou Qingfeng can only make a lot of money to encourage them to open up the Black Forest for'love and dreams'.
Most of those guys will return to nature as the dung of gnolls and goblins.
As for those willing to do farm work, Zhou Qingfeng had to use whips and wolf dogs to teach them how to live like individuals.
Reclamation, plowing, sowing, weeding, irrigation, fertilization, pest control, harvesting.
Zhou Qingfeng flipped through the agricultural books himself, only to find that farming also contains a lot of knowledge and skills, which need to be learned and accumulated.
The soil in the Northland is actually very fertile, and the surrounding area of Coldwind City is a typical black soil.
Although there is little accumulated temperature and sunshine every year, only one crop can be planted here. But as long as it is well cultivated, the yield per mu can be increased from sixty to seventy kilograms to more than two hundred kilograms.
Such a good land has never been put to good use in the hands of the local nobles.
The rich and powerful in the city would never come to inspect the farmland. They will only send soldiers and tax officers at harvest time, and do nothing else.
"It's a waste." Zhou Qingfeng walked along the newly built road. Looking at the busy farmers in the vast fields, he was satisfied and deplored in his heart.
"We must teach the local aborigines how to grow land and vegetables. They are too lazy. First plant a crop of soybeans so that farmers can practice their hands. Next year, they can plant higher-yielding wheat."
Soybeans are easy to grow and do not require much field management, but the yield per mu is low. Wheat is just the opposite.
Rubio followed Zhou Qingfeng, nodded and noted his master's instructions.
Get off the road and follow the ditch. A dam has begun to take shape. The heavy-duty horse-drawn carriage brings in stone materials, which are specially used for the construction of the dam.
This is a very simple water storage project that can only raise the river surface by about 1.5 meters. However, this drop of five meters is enough to irrigate thousands of acres of newly reclaimed farmland in the surrounding area.
A water diversion channel and a mill were built next to the dam, and a large waterwheel lifted the river water another three meters, with the help of the overhead canal under construction to flow to the core manor of the “rich and strong”.
These huge projects have never happened before. Just building these things gathered half of the craftsmen in the entire Coldwind City, plus the repeated training of Xili and the strange maids.
This is a challenge for everyone in the territory.
Anyone who participated in the project would be amazed from the bottom of his heart, feeling that ordinary people could actually do things that noble masters and even wizards could not do.
Where Zhou Qingfeng passed, the farmers and craftsmen naturally knelt down and worshipped. Since following this strange lord, people have seen a different way of life.
In the past, the lord always used whips and curses to manage slaves, and it was actually a mess.
Master Hugo likes to be reasonable and has perfect regulations, rewards and punishments.
The foreman cannot dispose of his subordinates as he pleases.
The life safety of ordinary farmers can be guaranteed at the very least.
Residents don't have to see the lord to be anxious, for fear that the master will kill themselves if they are unhappy.
But whips and wolf dogs are absolutely indispensable. If they are missing, it may one day be the liberation of the standing serfs and welcome the workers and peasants' family.
The bottom layer here is such a contradiction. They are the humblest, they are also the stupidest, and they are also the most hated.
"Master, our food consumption has exceeded the standard by 20% this month. However, our trade volume has tripled." Rubio saw that Zhou Qingfeng was in a good mood and reported a few words.
"Our heavy-duty carriage is very good. It takes less manpower and time to transport more goods. Everyone is willing to do business with Harmony Firm."
In commodity trade, transportation costs often account for 50% or even 90% of the total cost.
Heavy-duty carriages that use bearings, springs, and metal axles can reduce transportation costs by at least half.
The advantage in this respect even reaches the point where'quantitative change leads to qualitative change'.
The merchants of Coldwind City both liked the cheap goods continuously delivered by the Harmony Chamber of Commerce, but were also frightened by the terrible transportation ability of the Rich and Strong Leader.
"Is there any news from the long-legged family?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.
Rubio shook his head, "There is no special news.
Long-legged family was extremely defensive to us at first, but it didn't take long for us to open business relations. Because they themselves can't stand the cut-off of goods brought about by the border blockade.
Some businessmen say that the long-legged family is hiring adventurers and reorganizing the army. But this news has not been confirmed. "
Zhou Qingfeng circled the construction site of the dam and returned to the road with a whistle.
'Jiying' ran over from the other end, carrying his master back to the manor.
A hydraulic sawmill and a hydraulic blower are being built near the manor, and a taller and larger ironmaking furnace is mostly repaired.
The second hydraulic forging machine was built first. The main reason is that its key components are provided by Zhou Qingfeng, which saves the craftsmen a lot of work.
The forging hammer has been raised from 20 kg to 100 kg, and the stability is much better. The forging machine will stop for maintenance if it doesn't move.
This is all thanks to the efforts of the book charm and the mechanical magic girl.
The development of the territory is thriving, and Zhou Qingfeng has the energy to consider other things.