vstars Chapter 973 Autumn Harvest: The Jurchen potatoes were piled up like mountains; they had succeeded.
Chapter 973 Autumn Harvest: The Jurchen potatoes were piled up like mountains; they had succeeded.
Initially, the barriers were obvious.
The biggest obstacle is the language barrier.
The extension station was equipped with translators, but many agricultural terms, such as dormancy, apical dominance, and adventitious roots, still left the Jurchen youths bewildered after translation.
Master Wang simply abandoned the complex theories and adopted the most intuitive teaching method.
When teaching about sprouting, he didn't explain the principles; instead, he took the trainees into a warm, humid sandy soil shed, letting them arrange the seed potatoes by hand and watch as the robust sprouts emerged from the soil a few days later...
He made each student pick up a knife.
These hands, accustomed to using knives to butcher prey and fight enemies, were being used for the first time to carefully handle a potato.
A young man named Agula was the bravest wrestler in the tribe, but he held a knife and gestured at a potato for a long time, unable to bring himself to cut it, afraid that he would damage the precious sprout.
Master Wang walked up to him, without mocking him, but instead grasped his rough, calloused hand and guided him to make a steady cut, resulting in a potato chunk with a perfect bud.
He patted Agula on the shoulder: "Good lad, with that steady pace, you'll definitely be a good farmer in the future!"
Agula's face flushed red instantly.
Being praised made him feel a little awkward, but he also felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
The lifestyle of the Han Chinese masters also intrigued the Jurchen youths.
They discovered that the Han Chinese chef washed his face and hands every day, ate with a strange utensil called chopsticks, and never made a loud noise.
The Jurchens, on the other hand, were accustomed to sitting on the ground, eating with their hands, and speaking loudly.
For the first few days, the cafeteria was always clearly divided into separate sections.
The Han Chinese instructors sat on one side, eating quietly; the Jurchen students gathered on the other side, eating meat heartily and laughing loudly.
Once, a Jurchen youth, engrossed in his meal, threw the bones he had finished gnawing on the ground, drawing frowns from the Han Chinese chefs.
The interpreter immediately stepped forward and solemnly told him that, according to Han Chinese customs, this was both unhygienic and impolite.
Although the young man was clearly unwilling, he reluctantly picked it up under Wanyan Zongbi's strict order...
After working in the fields, the Jurchen youths returned to their dormitories covered in sweat, only to find their Han Chinese masters washing their bodies with hot water.
Gradually, they also began to learn how to fetch hot water and clumsily wash themselves.
When they saw that Master Wang and the other chefs carefully washed the mud off their hands before eating, and were told that "illness enters through the mouth, and unclean hands can bring insect eggs from the fields into your stomach," they also wanted to learn how to use chopsticks...
The most interesting thing was learning to use chopsticks.
Those two small bamboo sticks were incredibly flexible in the hands of the Han people, able to pick up any food.
But in the hands of the Jurchen youths, they were like two unruly pieces of wood.
They couldn't pick up the food properly or pierce the meat steadily, often making a mess of the table, which drew good-natured laughter.
But they didn't give up; their indomitable spirit was ignited.
Agula was still practicing with tree branches when he returned to his dormitory at night.
Finally, a week later, when he successfully picked up a grain of rice with chopsticks and steadily put it into his mouth, he shouted excitedly!
"How am I so awesome?!"
Soon, the Jurchen youths learned how to judge whether watering was needed based on the soil's color and moisture, how to distinguish between pests and beneficial insects, and how to use the simplest things like wood ash and lime water to prevent and control diseases...
They used to believe only in the Eternal Heaven and shamanic prayers, but now they are witnessing the power of science firsthand.
A seed, under the manipulation of a Han Chinese master, can be artificially controlled to germinate, grow, and eventually bear abundant fruit!
This is more magical and more reliable than any shamanic ritual.
Two months later, the first batch of trainees faced their graduation assessment.
The assessment was simple: independently complete the planting of potatoes on a plot of land, from seed selection to sowing.
The seventy-two Jurchen youths moved with practiced skill and followed a clear procedure.
They selected seed potatoes with focused attention.
He wields the knife to cut into pieces with precision and efficiency.
Digging holes and planting seeds with precise spacing... his every move shows he's already a seasoned and experienced farmer.
Wanyan Zongbi and Gu Liang stood side by side on the ridge of the field, looking at this scene, both filled with emotion.
"Lord Gu, did you see that?" Wanyan Zongbi's voice was somewhat excited. "Agula, that tallest boy, he used to be the toughest fighter in our tribe. Now look at him, he's stroking those potato chunks more gently than when he prays to the Eternal Heaven."
Gu Liang smiled and nodded: "Fourth Prince, what you are seeing is the beginning of an era."
At the graduation ceremony, Master Wang handed out bags of premium seed potatoes, each sealed with a seal, to each student.
These seed potatoes were the kindling they brought back to their tribe.
Agula spoke on behalf of all the trainees, saying slowly and deliberately in his still somewhat broken Chinese, "Thank you... Master Wang... Thank you Lord Gu... Thank you Lady White Snake!"
"When we get back...we'll definitely...grow potatoes that are taller than mountains!"
"Then...exchange for more rice! Exchange for more cloth!"
"Also... get the best horse... for Da Wu!"
His words drew enthusiastic applause.
The applause came not only from the Han people, but also from the Jurchen leaders who came to witness the ceremony.
When the seventy-two young men, having completed their studies, returned to their respective tribes with bags of precious divine seeds, they were like heroes.
An unprecedented green revolution has officially begun on the vast grasslands!
This is no longer an experiment on two acres of land outside Pingzhou City, but a massive transformation affecting hundreds of thousands of people and involving tens of thousands of hectares of land!
"Where to plant it?!" This is the first question faced by all tribes.
Grasslands are not fertile fields.
In most places, the soil is shallow and covered with gravel.
Traditional Jurchen people believed that crops could only grow in low-lying river valleys near rivers.
But those places are often the best pastures.
After Agula returned to the tribe, he overruled all objections.
Instead of choosing the riverside grassland suggested by his tribesmen, he took a few companions, carrying hoes, and came to a gentle slope that was far from the water source and higher in elevation.
The place was overgrown with weeds and the soil was yellowish; to everyone else, it was a useless piece of wasteland.
"Agula, have you gone mad?!" The tribal elder, who was also his uncle, questioned him angrily, "Wasting the divine seed in such a place? Are you going against the will of the Eternal Heaven?"
Agula wiped his sweat, pointed to the ground beneath his feet, and explained using the knowledge he had learned at the promotion station: "Uncle, Master Wang taught us that potatoes are afraid of being flooded."
“The land by the river is too wet. If it rains heavily, the divine seed will rot in the mud.”
“Although it looks dry here, look,” he grabbed a handful of soil and squeezed it hard, “the soil is loose and breathable! And if we dig a little deeper, the soil underneath is still moist.”
"If we work a little harder, we can bring a small irrigation canal from a distance, and that will be enough for it to drink!"
"Master Wang said that this kind of sandy soil is the best for potatoes to grow!"
The elders and clansmen were skeptical, but they were eventually convinced by him.
Thousands of men and women put down their bows and arrows and lassoes, and picked up hoes and shovels.
They no longer followed the migration of cattle and sheep, but instead began the arduous task of cultivating the chosen land...
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
The powerful shouts of the workers replaced the melodious pastoral songs.
The men wielded iron farm tools they had acquired from Pingzhou, turning over the turf that had covered them for centuries, revealing the fresh soil beneath.
The women and children followed behind, breaking up the clods of earth and picking out the grass roots and stones inside.
Sweat soaked their fur coats, and mud covered their cheeks.
The reclaimed land was not immediately planted.
The trainees strictly followed Master Wang's instructions, guiding the villagers to mix the collected weeds and cow and sheep manure together, pile them up, pour water on them, and let them ferment.
"What are you doing? Why is this stinking stuff piled up by the field?" the villagers complained.
"This is for making fertilizer!" Agula explained patiently. "Master Wang said that the land is like cattle and sheep; it needs to be well-fed to have the strength to grow crops!"
"These things are the fodder for the land!"
The fermented base fertilizer was evenly spread into the field.
Potato chunks with purple sprouts were carefully placed into soft soil pits, following standard row and plant spacing, with the sprouts facing upwards...
As spring turned to summer, a spectacular sight appeared on the grasslands.
Neatly planned fields have replaced the chaotic grasslands.
The emerald green potato sprouts broke through the soil and grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The lush, vibrant green contrasted sharply with the surrounding withered grassland, like pieces of jade inlaid on the earth!
The Jurchens had never seen such a thriving crop.
They run to the edge of the field several times a day to check on it.
Watching the green leaves grow thicker and thicker each day, and the stems grow stronger and stronger... the smile on my face grew brighter and brighter each day.
They began to understand Agula's concept of field management.
In the early morning, they had to pull out the weeds that competed with the potatoes for nutrients, and also crush the beetles that gnawed at the leaves by hand. During the dry season, they had to stand in long lines, carrying buckets of water from a distant source to carefully water each seedling...
This is much harder than herding livestock on horseback.
But it also brought an unprecedented sense of security.
Because they know that every drop of sweat they shed will be rewarded in the autumn.
The harvest season has finally arrived.
When Agula dug up the first potato from his rotten ground, the whole tribe was in an uproar!
That wasn't just one bunch, it was a whole nest!
With one stroke of the hoe, the soil was turned over, revealing not a few small eggs, but a pile of golden, round nuggets!
The biggest one is bigger than Agura's fist!
With trembling hands, the elder took the heavy fruit from Agula's hands. He brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, and then brought it to his nose to smell the earthy fragrance.
Finally, two streams of hot tears flowed from his cloudy eyes.
"The Eternal Heaven... The Eternal Heaven has opened its eyes!" He choked up, knelt down, and kowtowed deeply in the direction of Pingzhou.
The joy of the harvest spread like wildfire across the entire grassland.
"Agula's tribe harvested 3,500 catties from one mu of land!"
"Batu's tribe has even better land; I heard it's almost reaching four thousand catties!"
"Oh my god! We won't go hungry anymore!" The children rolled and played on the potato mountain, and the women learned from the Han people how to boil and roast the potatoes. The sweet and soft taste was a delicacy they had never tasted before.
The men, looking at these yellow lumps, seemed to see countless plump cattle and sheep, and warehouses piled high with rice and cloth...
After the revelry.
Wanyan Zongbi personally led a cavalry composed of the strongest warhorses from various tribes to Pingzhou in a grand procession.
This time, he wasn't there to negotiate, but to fulfill a promise.
The number of horses was precisely half a percent more than stipulated in the agreement.
"Lord Gu, Lady White Snake!" Wanyan Zongbi dismounted, his face beaming with unprecedented sincerity. "This is our gratitude from the Jurchen people! You gave us a way to survive; we are not ungrateful!"
"From now on, the border of Dawu will be the border of us Jurchens!"
"Anyone who wants to come from the north and cause trouble, please ask us about the sabers we have!"
Gu Liang and Bai Lu stood on the city wall, looking down at the magnificent cavalry that stretched as far as the eye could see, their hearts filled with emotion.
Bai Lu smiled and said to Gu Liang beside her, "Lord Gu, our first step has been a success."
"Now that we have well-fed Jurchens and a more powerful cavalry, we can look further ahead."
Following her gaze, Gu Liang looked towards the vast grassland further north, a grassland filled with unknowns and threats, his eyes becoming incredibly profound.
Winter nights on the grasslands come early and suddenly.
The biting wind, carrying snowflakes, howled like white ghosts beneath the vast, boundless dome.
Near Wanyan Zongbi's royal tent, however, was a scene of blazing fire and billowing heat.
Dozens of huge bonfires were lit, the roaring flames dispelling the cold and bathing everything in a warm orange-red hue.
The air was filled with the aroma of roasted whole lamb.
This was the grandest thank-you banquet ever held by the Jurchens for the Pingzhou delegation.
The mountains of potatoes mean that no more children or the elderly will die of hunger this winter.
This kindness is as heavy as Mount Tai.
The Jurchen men did not know how to express themselves with flowery words; they would only use the strongest wine, the fattest sheep, and the most enthusiastic songs and dances to entertain their benefactors.
Time flies. Bai Lu sat in the seat of honor, feeling a little dazed.