The timber merchants of Xiangyang are very famous in Datang.

At the same time, there are many carpenters in Xiangyang.

Since the beginning of May, carpenters in all states and counties where rice is grown on a large scale have been recruited in large numbers to concentrate on building a single instrument.

To this end, the Ministry of Household and the Ministry of Industry also specially cooperated with the mechanical workshop of Guanshishan Academy and arranged personnel to major prefectures and counties.

When the rice began to turn golden, a new type of instrument appeared in the homes of all the Turkic immigrants and the Guanzhong immigrants.

"Brother, this threshing machine looks weird, is it really better than the threshing bucket we used before? It's not expensive for 200 yuan a piece, but it's not cheap. ”

The sun had just risen over the horizon, and the fog in the fields was still very heavy.

However, the two brothers, Shi Liang and Shi Wen, had already gotten up early.

After half a year of hard work, this year it was finally time to harvest rice, and every household in Wudi Village got up early in the morning.

"The officials in the county, as well as the students of Guanshishan Academy, also said that this threshing machine is good, what do you have to worry about? Besides, the two hundred dollars haven't been paid yet. ”

Shi Liang is obviously still more confident in the threshing machine that the two brothers are carrying.

This threshing machine is exactly what Li Kuan asked the mechanical workshop under Gewu Academy to research.

In fact, as long as there is a relevant idea, the production of a threshing machine is very simple.

Otherwise, it would not have spread to the vast rural areas in later generations.

What the machinery workshop has to do is nothing more than how to make the structure of the threshing machine simpler, with fewer components and lighter.

The threshing machine that the Shi Liang brothers will use now is the finished product after several revisions.

"Brother, although I haven't paid it yet, and the official also said that you can return it if you are not satisfied with the use, but do you think you may not pay the two hundred yuan?"

"Don't think about it so much, wait a while and start using it, won't you know if it's good or not?"

Although Shi Liang has confidence in the threshing machine, he has not used it after all, and he can't say anything.

Accompanied by bursts of birdsong, large ears of rice hang quietly on the rice grass, enjoying the last morning sunshine.

Although Shi Liang got up very early, there were others who went to the ground earlier than them and began to harvest the crops.

Rice harvesting is one of the most tiring and painful farm work, especially during the summer harvest.

Because it is necessary to hurry up, after cutting the rice, it is necessary to re-cultivate the land and plant the seedlings.

After the rice is finished, you have to dry it, so to speak, a lot of work is all in one place.

The farm is busy, the most important thing is this time.

"Fifth brother, the students of Guanshishan Academy said that one person operates a threshing machine, and it normally takes two to three people to cut the rice to correspond, which is much faster than the threshing bucket, today we will first cut the rice in this field, and then I will go to threshing."

Shi Liang slowly put the threshing machine in the ridge of the field, drew a handful of sickles, rolled up his trouser legs, entered the paddy field barefoot, and began to work.

This sickle is also specially improved by the mechanical workshop of Guanshishan Academy, and the knife edge has some serrations, which is different from the general sickle.

I saw Shi Liang grabbing a grass tree with his left hand, waving a grass sickle with his right hand, pulling it forward, and a small handful of rice grass had already been cut.

"Brush, brush!"

Shi Liang is worthy of being an expert in farming, cutting the rice grass, very fast, but between one or two breaths, he has already cut three or four rice plants, and then use the yellowed rice leaves to entangle several rice plants together, and then cut four or five rice plants, this handful of rice grass, even if it is completed.

For those who have never cut the grain themselves, it is difficult to understand the seemingly simple cutting action, which involves multiple processes, each of which contains the experience accumulated by the farmers over the years.

There are a row of fine serrations at the corners of the rice leaves, and when you are not careful, your hands will be scratched when you are not careful.

However, the farmers do farm work every day, and they have long had rough skin and thick meat, and they can't help everyone when they are cut by idle rice crops.

"Brother, you go threshing first, and I'll continue to cut."

A moment later, a stack of rice was piled up in front of the threshing machine.

The golden ears of rice make people look very festive.

"Whoa!"

Shi Liang responded to Shi Wen's words with actions.

I saw him pick up a handful of rice crops, and at the same time step on the pedal of the threshing machine with his right foot, and the roller in the grain pocket immediately rotated.

Then Shi Liang quickly stuffed the rice into the rice pocket, and under the impact of the wooden nails on the roller, a grain of rice immediately rushed out of the rice and landed in the rice pocket.

Shi Liang rolled the rice in his hand, but it was only a few breaths, and the rice on it had been completely removed.

Immediately afterwards, he picked up another handful of rice grains, and so on.

"Fifth brother, this threshing machine is really easy to use, and it doesn't take any effort at all. I used to use that threshing bucket, and at the end of the day, my arms were sore and swollen, and I couldn't lift them up the next day. Now it feels much easier than cutting rice. ”

Shi Liang stepped on the threshing machine very excitedly, feeling that with it, he no longer had to worry about the speed of threshing not being able to catch up with the speed of rice ripening.

"Brother, is it really that good?"

Shi Wen couldn't help but straighten up and looked at the scene next to the threshing machine.

"At such a fast speed, the rice after the threshing machine is beaten, there is less rice left in it than the threshing bucket, is this not good? If you want me to say, don't say it's two hundred yuan, even if it's five hundred yuan, this threshing machine is worth it. With it, at least two strong laborers can be saved. ”

Shi Liang had a simple smile on his face, a smile full of confidence in the future.

……

"Lord Wang, this area is the paddy fields of Wudi Village, all of which are planted with Nanyang rice. More than ninety percent of the farmers here have migrated from Guanzhong, but they quickly adapted to life here. ”

Li Kuan and Wu Meiniang are playing in the mountains and rivers there these days, doing sports.

Wang Xuance was not idle, and he checked the cultivation of rice around Xiangyang everywhere.

"Guanzhong is not very far from here, as long as these people take a good start, there should be many people coming next year, and when the imperial court continues to shift the focus of promotion to the south, it can drive the development of rice cultivation along the entire Han River."

Seeing the golden rice fields in front of him, Li Kuan also had a smile on his face.

Datang's food problem, although it cannot be said to have been solved.

However, as long as you are willing to work hard, in such a country, it is not easy for ordinary people to starve to death.

That's already a big step forward.

"Yes, Lord Wang, there is good news. It is near this Wudi village that the students of the Gewu Academy of Guanshishan Academy discovered a phosphate mine, and now a part of the phosphate rock has been mined experimentally, and after crushing, it is ready to be tested in the planting field of this year's late rice. ”

Wudi Village is a village where immigrants from Guanzhong gather, and Wang Xuance naturally learned about it.

As for the students of Guanshishan Academy, as long as they met them along the way, whether it was Li Kuan or Wang Xuance, they had to talk to them alone.

"Found phosphate rock? Did Datang Industrial arrange someone to build a workshop? ”

When Li Kuan heard the news, he immediately became interested.

Wang Xuance: "Yao Yuan, the student who discovered the mineral deposit, has already written back, and Datang Industry should arrange someone to come over soon." ”

Datang Industry is a workshop specially arranged by Li Kuan and Xu Jingzong, mainly to operate industry, which is regarded as a school-run enterprise of Guanshishan Academy.

However, no one could have imagined that such a school-run enterprise would become the largest industrial giant in Datang in the future.

"The area around Yangyang is an important area for rice promotion, and after the production of this phosphate fertilizer, it can be quickly sold to farmers, and it can also be directly supplied to many places along the Han River. Of course, this phosphate fertilizer can't be sold expensive at the beginning, and if it is transported too far, it will lose money, so it is necessary to let Datang Industry quickly explore a few more phosphate and potash ores. ”

Li Kuan knows better than anyone how much fertilizer affects crop yields.

To put it bluntly, as long as the use of chemical fertilizers is in place, Datang's grain output is increasing by two or three percent, which is no problem at all.

In this way, it seems that it will also be beneficial to its task of increasing its population by 10 million?

"Okay, go back and explain to Yao Yuan, and let him tell the people from Datang Industry when the time comes."

Although Wang Xuance still didn't quite understand why Li Kuan attached so much importance to these special stones, crushing these stones and adding them to the ground could increase grain production?

I've never heard of anything like this since ancient times.

"Lord Wang, this phosphate fertilizer, no matter how cheap it is, always needs money, I estimate that many farmers are reluctant to buy it at the beginning, and then Datang Industry will produce a large amount of phosphate fertilizer, I am afraid it will not be sold."

Wu Meiniang's understanding of business is stronger than that of Li Kuan and Wang Xuance.

Besides, he is now the most important person in charge of the commercial field of the Chu Palace, and without a few brushes, how can Li Kuan rest assured that he will hand over so many industries to her to manage?

"It doesn't matter, when the time comes, each farmer will give them 50 catties of phosphate fertilizer for free, and let the people of Datang Industry tell the farmers how to use these phosphate fertilizers. As long as a season of crops is planted, there is a gap between adding phosphate fertilizer and not adding phosphate fertilizer, which can be seen at a glance, and then the farmers will naturally have a handful of names in their hearts. ”

If you want to talk about how to promote products, Li Kuan still has a lot of means.

In later generations, many rotten street techniques are still very effective in Datang.

As a promotion of phosphate fertilizer, it is obviously a more appropriate method to try it for free first and then charge for it.

There's a free one, so why not?

This can grasp the desire of many farmers to take advantage of the situation and expand the trial population on a large scale.

And once everyone discovers the benefits of phosphate fertilizer and calculates the advantages and disadvantages of input and output, it is natural to know what to do.

Wu Meiniang: "Lord Wang, there are many villagers harvesting rice over there, should we go over and have a look?" ”

The group slowly walked into the village, and the sound of chickens and dogs barking came to their faces.

From last winter to the present, Li Kuan, as an envoy to the dethroned government, has inspected the popularization and planting of Nanyang rice in various places, and now he has finally seen the scene of rice harvesting, and everyone must go to see it.

"Whoa!"

Accompanied by the sound of the drum turning in the threshing machine, Li Kuan smelled the fragrance of straw.

"Lord Wang, is this the threshing machine designed by the mechanical workshop before? It looks like it's very efficient. ”

The group walked on the field path and watched the nearby farmers at work.

"His Royal Highness the King of Chu, Caomin Shiliang has seen His Royal Highness the King of Chu, and has seen Miss Wu and the king's steward."

When he walked in front of one of the rice fields, the farmer who was actually threshing suddenly stopped, walked briskly and saluted.

Li Kuan and Wu Meiniang glanced at each other, a little surprised that in such a rural area, someone could recognize them immediately.

It is no secret to say that the news of Li Kuan's inspection of Xiangyang is not a secret.

But farmers often have very little information about this kind of information.

And even if the person in front of him can call out the title of Li Kuan, he can actually recognize Wu Meiniang and Wang Xuance, which is surprising.

"Lord Wang, this farmer seems to be a tenant of the former palace, and his subordinates look a little familiar."

As soon as Wang Xuance's words came out, Li Kuan and Wu Meiniang both understood.

Most of the villagers in Wudi Village migrated from Guanzhong Road last year, and among them, a group of people from the original tenants of the Chu Wangfu also followed them to Xiangzhou.

It seems that the farmer in front of him is one of them.

"Shi Liang, huh? How is it, it's still quite used to in Xiangyang, right? This year's Nanyang rice is growing well, right? ”

Li Kuan quickly showed a smile that met the expectations of society and talked to the farmer.

"His Royal Highness King Tuochu Hongfu, we have all been allocated a hundred acres of Yongye field in Xiangyang. In these newly opened farmlands, Nanyang rice is growing quite well. Although it is slightly worse than the fertile land on the edge of Weishui, it is still very good. ”

Shi Liang was excited when he heard Li Kuan talking to him.

Li Kuan: "How many acres of rice have you planted this year?" ”

Shi Liang: "More than 60 acres, and 100 acres can be planted in the second half of the year." ”

Li Kuan: "Work hard, this is a rare opportunity, which is beneficial to the court and to you." ”

Shi Liang: "The grass people know, starting next year, I plan to try to raise some fish fry in the rice fields, and spread the experience of the stewards in the palace to everyone in this Xiangyang County." ”

……

After some small talk, Li Kuan also had a general understanding of the situation in Wudi Village.

The current living conditions of these immigrants are similar to what they expected, which is relatively ideal.

Fortunately, there are no natural disasters this year, otherwise it will be too unfavorable to the promotion and planting of Nanyang rice.

And at this time, Li Kuan can finally consider returning to Beijing.

Of course, in order to avoid any accidents in the later promotion, after returning to Beijing, Li Kuan will still learn about the situation through the students of Guanshishan Academy all over the country.

With the successful experience of these students, every year in the future, the academy students can arrange for some people to go to various states and counties in the world to experience it.

And Guanshishan Academy can also start a new round of expansion.