Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2571 The Han Emperor Worries About Agriculture, Another True God Falls

Chapter 2571 The Han Emperor Worries About Agriculture, Another True God Falls

The May wind sweeps across the Central Plains, bringing not the usual humid warmth, but rather a touch of dry heat from the north.

By the end of the month, it was already the Lesser Fullness of Grain (Xiaoman). Along the various roads of the Han Dynasty, in the continuous wheat fields, the wheat grains were gradually becoming plump and ripe, and the summer harvest was just around the corner.

In contrast, the millet planted in spring was also growing continuously, and the lush green corn stalks, almost as tall as a person, were entering a stage of vigorous growth. This was the result of the emperor's repeated instructions to the court and local prefectures and counties to manage agriculture.

The military camps of various prefectures and counties were almost empty at this time, except for the necessary rotations.

By this time, the soldiers in the camp had already returned home in batches and entered the countryside.

In the Han army, the local soldiers were not full-time soldiers, but rather part-time soldiers and part-time civilians. They farmed during the agricultural season and only organized themselves for training during their off-season.

In fact, in the wars against the barbarians and the Song Dynasty in the previous two years, field armies were mobilized, and these local armies had heavier farming tasks every year.

These two months are the busy farming season. Apart from the soldiers who stay behind in batches, the rest of the soldiers will return to the countryside.

In addition to the local army, the border army and the field army were also like this, except that the border army and the field army had special military farms.

Moreover, compared to the government troops, the field army had much less time for farming. When the Han Dynasty conscripted soldiers, only families with at least two able-bodied men could be recruited into the army.

If a family has only one son, they will not be incorporated into the field army system.

Throughout the entire Han Dynasty, only the Central Imperial Guard and elite troops such as the Black Cavalry and the Golden Fire Cavalry were fully off-the-job soldiers. They did not need to engage in agriculture each year, but only needed to use their time for military training and combat, or to serve as garrison troops on the frontier.

In the eastern suburbs of Henan Province, Old Man Wang straightened his aching back, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and looked at his dozens of acres of fields, where the wheat ears were heavy and drooping, indicating that a good harvest might be in sight soon.

But it seems that fate wasn't cooperating.

Looking up, the sky was so blue it was almost blinding, with thin wisps of clouds. It had rained once since Xiaoman (the 8th solar term).

"It's hard to plant during the Grain in Ear season..." Old Wang murmured another proverb passed down from his ancestors. His calloused hands grabbed a handful of soil, rubbed it gently, and it turned into powder.

With the summer grain harvest imminent, autumn millet planting requires rain. Judging from the current situation, if there isn't a good rain soon, rushing to plant will become a major problem.

Half of a year's hard work and hope lies in the wheat that is about to be harvested, while the other half hangs on the unpredictable weather.

He sighed heavily, called over his son, who was also tanned dark from the sun, and his two bewildered grandsons, and continued tending to the millet seedlings next to him that needed more water, doing as much as he could.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away outside the capital city of Tianjing, a completely different scene unfolded.

In front of the newly built Agricultural and Grain Terrace, Emperor Wang Yu changed out of his dragon robe and imperial robes, and put on a coarse cloth outfit that was neither new nor old. He wore a straw hat that was no different from that of an old farmer in the field. He was squatting between two rows of not-so-lush fields, and was using a small hoe to clear away the weeds.

The vegetable patch in front of the palace is insignificant compared to the vast imperial farmland, but the emperor's personal labor is more of a gesture, a symbol, to declare to his subjects that "agriculture is the foundation of the nation, and I care about it deeply."

The name of this hall, Nongjitai, reflects the idea that agriculture is the foundation of the nation and its people.

None of the six high-ranking officials, including Xiao He, dared to show the slightest negligence. They stood quietly at a distance, their eyes following the emperor's every move.

Wang Yu dug up a clump of weeds, threw it aside, and addressed the officials beside him, saying, "The Lesser Fullness of Grain is approaching, and the summer harvest is just around the corner. The court has repeatedly ordered all prefectures and counties to make thorough preparations." "Storage, transportation, security, flood prevention, and looting prevention... keep a close eye on every link for me. The people have endured more than half a year of hardship, and they are counting on this harvest to survive, pay taxes, and supply the army."

“At this critical juncture, if any mistake is made that causes the people’s hard work to be wasted or the grain and fodder to be lost, I will not let it go lightly.”

At this point, Wang Yu paused, tapping his hoe lightly on a clod of earth, producing a dull sound, before continuing, "I will hold you accountable. The governors, prefects, and magistrates of these areas will be out of a job."

In feudal times, agriculture was of paramount importance, even the most important aspect. If something went wrong in this area, the foundation of the empire would crumble.

Moreover, the Han Dynasty is already preparing for next year's war against the Qian Dynasty, so it is even more crucial that there be no problems with food supplies this year.

Rice, wheat, and corn, in particular, were the most important military rations.

In preparation for the battle next year, even Nurhaci's grain purchase requirements were cut by more than half.

Although what they were given was basically a so-called food ration made by grinding sweet potato vines into powder and mixing it with a small amount of corn flour and wheat flour.

However, in preparation for the upcoming major war, the imperial court still cut the trade by more than half.

Although sweet potatoes and potatoes do indeed rank among the highest in terms of grain production.

In reality, these two types of crops were mainly grown by ordinary people. The military settlements of the Han Dynasty mainly grew corn, wheat, and rice.

The reason is simple: although sweet potatoes and potatoes have high yields, they have short shelf lives and are prone to oxidizing, making them unsuitable as a primary source of military rations and only a supplement.

In contrast, although corn yields less than sweet potatoes and potatoes, it is still considered high-yielding. It not only has a long shelf life but is also more suitable as military rations, serving not only as food for soldiers but also as feed for warhorses.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the relevant edicts have already been issued throughout the land, and the Censorate and the Ministry of Revenue have dispatched multiple inspection teams to supervise the preparations for the summer harvest. All granaries and transshipment points have been inspected." Minister of Revenue Xiao He stepped forward and replied calmly.

Wang Yu nodded, finally stopped what he was doing, stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and looked into the distance.

"Henan has been hot and dry these past few days. If the weather is not favorable after the summer harvest, autumn sowing will be difficult and may cause trouble. Send an imperial edict to the Imperial Observatory to pay close attention to celestial phenomena and climate."

"Order the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue to inspect the water conservancy facilities in various places in advance, repair those that can be repaired in a timely manner, and dredge those that need to be dredged as soon as possible. It is always better to be prepared than to dig a well when you are thirsty."

"Your Majesty, we obey!" the senior officials replied in unison.

There was indeed less rain today. Although it shouldn't cause a drought, insufficient rainfall would almost certainly lead to a reduction in grain production.

This is why sweet potatoes and potatoes, which have been promoted in recent years, are relatively drought-resistant, allowing them to cope with drought conditions with ease.

"Let's go back to the palace!" Seeing that it was getting dark, Wang Yu instructed the guards around him to put away the plows, hoes, and other implements, and then gave orders to those around him.

He came out of the city to this agricultural platform to personally cultivate the land, so that officials and even the people of the world could see his emphasis on agriculture, and that he didn't really want to farm here all day long. Now that he had achieved his goal, he naturally went back when it was time to go back.

However, just as Wang Yanzhang, the commander of the Imperial Guards responsible for escorting the emperor, was personally preparing the emperor's carriage, a system notification suddenly sounded.

"Ding! The Gun God has fallen. Wang Yanzhang's Divine Gun skill is advancing..."