February is here in a flash.
Last autumn, there was a bumper rice harvest. Throughout the winter, Zhu Xiang led craftsmen to popularize stone mills in the villages of Guangling City and taught them recipes so that rice could be more popularized.
He also taught farmers how to use straw to make compost and use bran to feed chickens and ducks.
The number of mulberry-based fish ponds has also increased a lot. The two kinds of fertilizers, fish pond mud and straw compost, have made the seedlings that broke through the soil in February look thicker than last year.
Because the climate in the Yangtze River Delta is hot and humid, earthworms grow better than in Xianyang. Zhu Xiang also promoted the use of earthworms to raise chickens and ducks and make compost.
The planting techniques that Zhu Xiang used were unimaginable to people at that time.
For example, the simplest fish pond.
In the pre-Qin period, our ancestors had already dug ponds to raise carp. The Book of Songs, Da Ya, Lingtai, says, "The king is in the Ling Marsh, and the fish are leaping in the pond," which describes the scene of a fish pond.
However, fish farming at that time was just catching fish and putting them in ponds to fend for themselves, and the fish production was very low. Carp was also a precious food for the nobles. Therefore, in the etiquette of the Western Zhou Dynasty, giving carp as a gift was considered a special respect for the other party.
At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Fan Li, the Duke of Tao Zhu, explored a more sophisticated method of fish farming and wrote a volume called "The Book of Fish Farming".
Later, through the development of "Qimin Yaoshu" by Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty, "Yangyu Jing" by Huang Shengzeng of the Ming Dynasty and "Yangyu Jing" by Ma Guohan of the Qing Dynasty, more mature fish farming methods such as fry breeding and adult fish raising were explored.
Fish farming in lakes began during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, and fish farming in rice fields began during the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, eating carp was prohibited due to taboos, which led to the cultivation of the four major carps today: black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp... The locations and types of fish farmed were also constantly expanding.
But before the founding of New China, freshwater fish farming could only rely on fishing to supplement seedling cultivation, so the output of freshwater fish was still very low.
It was not until the founding of New China that Mr. Zhong Lin, despite the assertion of foreign experts that "it is impossible to successfully breed domestic fish artificially", spent eight years to cultivate the world's first batch of artificially bred domestic fish fry, ending the history of generations of freshwater farmed fish fry relying on fishing.
Later, through the efforts of Mr. Liu Yun and other scientists, freshwater fish became a common food on the table.
Although Zhu Xiang was only an agronomy expert, there were many overlaps in the research of agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery, so he knew the basic methods of fish farming.
For example, Mr. Zhong Lin spent eight years researching a method for breeding freshwater fish fry despite the ridicule of foreign experts.
The fish farming technology developed by scientists with the simple desire to ensure that people have enough food to eat and eat well was taught by Zhu Xiang to the people in the Yangtze River Delta, which was still considered half a barbarian land at that time, two thousand years later.
Although the technology Zhu Xiang displayed was so powerful that it was unimaginable to people at that time, it did not shock many people, and no scholar praised this feat.
People at that time did not know how important this technology was and just regarded it as an ordinary thing. Moreover, although the upper class valued agriculture, most of the scholars in the world looked down on those who actually engaged in agriculture.
Perhaps people in later generations will also regard eating fish as a common thing, because two thousand years ago, our ancestors had already mastered the method of artificially breeding freshwater fish.
Thinking of this, Zhu Xiang was very happy and the fatigue on his body was reduced a lot.
Zhu Xiang would travel between fields and ponds during the day, and at night he would light candles and grind ink, writing down the techniques he had practiced in that era into a book.
Only when a technology has been successfully put into practice would he dare to record it, because agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery are the most dependent on "God's will". A slight difference in climate and geography may turn a good technology into a bad one.
Zhu Xiang hoped that what he could record were all experiences that could be used by rote. Even if there were no scholars in the future who would personally study agricultural technology, this book could support the arrival of a new era and help the common people avoid famine.
The planting and cultivation of crops is Zhu Xiang's main job. He has some knowledge of other things such as fish farming, but he doesn't know much.
Zhu Xiang could only rack his brains to figure out from his memory the techniques he had seen and heard but which he did not really understand, and then spend a lot of time practicing them himself to verify the truthfulness of his memory.
Whenever this happened, Zhu Xiang would always sigh, "I only regret not having read enough books when I need them."
Even if he has a lot of cheats, the limit of a person's power is visible and tangible, and what he wants to do is always much less than what he can do.
By defending the city, Zhu Xiang's status among the scholars in Guangling City rose.
But then Zhu Xiang went even further and worked in the fields and ponds, making himself look gray and dirty every day, with no manners at all. This made the scholars very uncomfortable, and they remembered Zhu Xiang's commoner background.
There were nobles who farmed their own fields, but they found it difficult to accept the idea of Zhu Xiang having to deal with the dirtiest maggots, mud, grass clippings and even feces all day long.
The scholars who originally wanted to make friends with Zhu Xiang or become his retainers all backed off.
When Zhu Xiang learned that many scholars and knights in Guangling City were interested in him, he thought about how to refuse if someone came to him.
Although he and Xia Tong were good friends, he also knew that he was too famous now, and that the high-ranking officials and generals in the court were all his friends, so he had to keep a low profile. It was better not to come as a retainer.
Seeing those people retreat on their own, Zhu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a little bitter in his heart.
Not only now, even in his previous life, the professors of agronomy who rolled around in the fields all day were not particularly respected.
Maybe someone will praise them when they produce results, but the people around them will always cover their noses in disgust when they see them rolling around in the fields.
Thinking of this, the bitterness in Zhu Xiang's heart disappeared again.
People two thousand years later still acted like this, so it was quite normal for him to be denounced as an alien in this era, and there was no need to feel wronged.
Compiling agricultural books was not Zhu Xiang's job alone.
Although Xu Ming left Zhu Xiang and became a professor at the Xianyang Academy, there were still many of his former farming disciples who followed Zhu Xiang.
Like Zhu Xiang, they wrote down their insights while practicing, and with the help of Zhu Xiang, chose the direction they wanted to research.
Some of them specialize in seed research, some specialize in fertilizer research, some specialize in fish farming, some specialize in how to cultivate better silkworms... Some people directly change their careers, from agronomy to water conservancy, or engage in agricultural tool development.
Zhu Xiang encouraged them to write down their own thoughts, and he printed them at his own expense and gave them to literate scholars.
Nowadays, farmers are illiterate, so if we want to pass down books, we can only rely on these scholars. That is why the scholars of the Warring States period were very important, and that is why the world did not value those ignorant farmers.
Zhu Xiang also opened an academy in Guangling City, hoping to train more scholars.
I wonder if in ten, twenty, or even a hundred years, there will be a genuine scholar from the common people who can serve as an official in the imperial court.
Zhu Xiang thought about it for a long time and set about helping to establish ancestral halls and other villagers' self-governing organizations in the countryside, just like a basic rural commune, which could share production tools such as stone mills and oxen, encourage wealthy families in the village to open private schools, and support the education of ordinary farmers' children who were willing to study.
Ancient village self-government and clan organizations would breed the gentry class, which would be the most decadent existence two thousand years later. But at this time, being able to cultivate a group of small and medium-sized landlords may be a manifestation of advancement.
Zhu Xiang thought uncertainly.
He is not sure of the outcome of many of the things he does, and can only wait and see the final verdict.
At least it won’t be worse than the death of Qin II in the previous life.
Ying Xiaozheng was very indignant when he saw that his uncle worked so hard but was criticized by those scholars.
He recalled that when he was in Xianyang, there were also Confucianists who pointed fingers at his uncle.
The mainstream thought at that time was as Mencius said, "Those who work with their minds rule others, and those who work with their hands are ruled by others; those who are ruled by others eat others, and those who rule others are eaten by others." However, the farmers "wanted to make the ruler and his subjects farm together, which violated the order between superiors and subordinates," which would make the world uneasy.
Zhu Xiang commented that the farmers' idea is a simple "common prosperity", which is a difficult wish to achieve. But this is the same as the Confucian wish of "Great Harmony Society". A vision that is too beautiful to be realized is called a wish. As long as it does not hurt others, what's wrong with dreaming and practicing your ideals
Ying Xiaozheng would have just listened to it, but now he got angry and made a note in his little notebook that when he became emperor in the future, he would require the emperor and his ministers to personally cultivate the fields during the spring ploughing every year, which would become one of the most important national sacrificial ceremonies of the Qin State.
He also wanted to gather a hundred people to write a biography for his uncle, praising his uncle for his hard work and guidance in agriculture and sericulture as a saintly behavior, and to erect steles of merit for his uncle at famous mountain god worship sites such as Mount Tai and Mount Kuaiji.
After Ying Xiaozheng memorized it, he patted his chest and took credit for it to Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Although he knew that his son Zheng'er could do what he said, but now that you haven't done anything yet, are you going to show off and take credit for it
What kind of Qin Shi Huang cub did I raise? Did I raise him in the wrong way
"Okay, uncle is so happy. Before Zheng'er returns to Xianyang, uncle will make you a snack that you have never eaten as a thank you." Zhu Xiang patted Ying Xiaozheng's head as if he was coaxing a child.
Ying Xiaozheng was not only not happy, but also very dissatisfied: "What?! Uncle actually hid the snacks and didn't make them for me! Uncle, you are so hateful!"
Zhu Xiang: “…” He pinched his nephew’s handsome face and went to the kitchen speechlessly to make snacks for Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng stood with his hands behind his back, grumbling all the way, complaining that his uncle had prepared delicious food without his knowledge. It was so abominable, he had never seen such an unkind uncle.
Because Jiao Yun performed very well on the battlefield, Li Mu was in the kitchen persuading Jiao Yun, who had already taken off his armor and returned to the kitchen, to join the army.
When the two saw Zhu Xiang bringing Ying Xiaozheng to the kitchen, they tacitly stopped arguing and rolled up their sleeves to help cook.
"do what?"
"See that basket of agar-agar? I want to boil it into gelatin and make jelly for Zheng'er."
"Teacher, Mr. Jiao, listen to me, isn't my uncle really abominable? He has never made milk jelly for me! I didn't even know there was such a dessert as milk jelly!"
"Well… "
Ying Xiaozheng was still chattering there, and he really looked aggrieved.
Zhu Xiang pinched Ying Xiaozheng's two little lips like pinching a duck's mouth: "Shut up, and help me get a bucket of water buffalo milk."
Li Mu captured several buffaloes from Nanyue and wanted Zhu Xiang to see the difference between the buffaloes in Nanyue and those in the Central Plains.
The fat content of buffalo milk is higher than that of ordinary milk, so it is perfect for making jelly.
Milk jelly is the literal translation of pudding. In addition to milk jelly, buffalo milk can also be used to make ginger milk and double skin milk. Seeing that Ying Xiaozheng was really aggrieved, Zhu Xiang arranged everything for him.
When Ying Xiaozheng was eating happily, Zhu Xiang realized a problem.
You are not complaining! Isn't it normal for me to come up with a new dish? What do you mean I deliberately don't give it to you
He was being held hostage by his nephew again, alas.
"Uncle, my aunt and I are going to Xianyang. You must take care of yourself!" Contentedly, Ying Xiaozheng boarded the ship back home and waved to Zhu Xiang. His expression did not show any reluctance to part, and he even wanted to row the boat away immediately.
Zhu Xiang prepared a large box of dried snacks that could be eaten for a long time for Ying Xiaozheng, and prepared different kinds of preserved fruits for Xue Ji. He also gave his recently written book to Ying Xiaozheng and asked Ying Xiaozheng to find someone to print it in Xianyang.
Seeing Ying Xiaozheng's impatient expression of "I want to go on a long voyage", he sighed and said, "Don't be naughty when you go to Xianyang, listen to your aunt. Xue Ji, be careful on the road."
Ying Xiaozheng said impatiently: "I know, I know. When have I ever been naughty?"
Xue Ji nodded to Zhu Xiang: "Take care, my dear."
The boat sailed away from the shore.
Zhu Xiang watched the boat sail away reluctantly, and said to Li Mu with a wry smile: "Zheng'er has lived by my side for so many years. Now he has left suddenly, I really can't adapt. Zheng'er looks like he wants to grow wings and fly away immediately, it's really annoying to see."
Li Mu replied: "Really? Why do I feel like you often leave Zheng'er alone and run around?"
Li Mu helped Zhu Xiang count. He went to Changping to meet the King of Qin and went to Guangling to defend the city, which was nothing. Zhu Xiang had no choice. But when Zhu Xiang took Zheng'er to Shu, he left the young Zheng'er alone in Chengdu and went to Qianzhong County by himself.
Zhu Xiang had done this many times, leaving Zheng'er to work in the county magistrate's office and running around everywhere himself.
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Sometimes Li Mu can be quite irritating!
(End of this chapter)