As the saying goes, there must be gains. This drought has led to the widespread use of the waterwheel, a tool that has not been promoted before, in the Luo family's territory.

After so many years of development, the waterwheel is not only used in farming, but has actually become a power tool for mills in some territories of Hizen Province. In workshops such as the Roche family's cement workshop, waterwheels also become a source of power.

But even so, the application of waterwheels has not been promoted in the territory of the Luo family. In fact, due to the high cost of purchase, the water wheel was only widely used in farming in various parts of Hizen Province (the main reason for this is that when it was first promoted in Hizen Province, it was basically given to the local area by the Roche family for free). After seeing the great effect of the use of waterwheels in Hizen Province, the local people of Chikugo and Higo Provinces, which are adjacent to Hizen Province, also purchased some of them from the Cabinet of the Luo Family for trial. However, it has not been widely used in the local area. As for Chikuzen Province, Bungo Country, Bunzen Country, and Nagato Country, it is even more difficult to promote it.

Even the Roche family "loans" allow local residents to take the water wheel back to the local area for installation and use, and then repay the debt one by one over a few years. But little has been achieved.

The main reason for this is the distribution of benefits among the people of each area where the waterwheels are used. After all, after the waterwheel is bought, after it is put into use, its water supply area is naturally limited, which leads to the limitation of its irrigation benefit area. At this time, it is natural that the closer the field is to the waterwheel, the greater the benefit will be.

Thereupon. This raises two questions. The first is that the waterwheel should be installed there after it is bought. Naturally, the local people thought that it would be best to install it close to their fields. Then there will inevitably be disputes. Second, when starting to raise money to buy a water wheel, who should pay how much money will be a matter of dispute. Villages and towns everywhere are basically delayed because of such problems, and when they encounter such a situation, unless it is an internal affairs expert like Masato who personally comes out, the general village head and town head will be helpless.

Some people may say that since it is so troublesome, then it is better to let the people buy it independently.

It is true that as a local lord, he paid out of his own pocket to buy a water wheel for the local lord. Especially those retainers and lords who served in the Luo family. After learning about the effect of these waterwheels on the increase in the income of the territory, they will pay for some of them. But this is only a small area after all, and the dispersion of these waterwheels on the current territory of the Luo family is almost a drop in the bucket, and the overall role played is really insignificant.

As for the average lord, at this stage most families are not enough to afford a waterwheel. Even if a small number of households already have the financial resources, in this era of small peasant thinking, they would rather use the extra money to buy more grain to store at home than to buy this waterwheel that cannot be used as food. Even if you run up to him and tell him that the waterwheel will have a great effect on the harvest of their fields in the future. They won't listen to you either.

Some people may say that this is the case. Then it's better to provide a waterwheel for free or a waterwheel at a reduced price.

It is also undesirable and even dangerous. The first is the issue of the financial health of the territory. If the Luo family is still a small wealthy family and is in charge of a small territory, it is no problem to realize the strategy of free and price reduction, which is equivalent to just implementing a pilot on a small piece of land in a huge territory. But if this strategy were to be implemented in the entire territory of the Luo family today, then it would be completely different.

Perhaps, the cost of a small waterwheel is really nothing for the Luo family's huge territorial income, but when the cost of thousands of waterwheels in all the territories is added up, it is definitely a huge cost consumption. This will cause the overall financial situation of the territory to be in a loss, or even collapse. Imagine a billion people in the Celestial Empire throwing a coin at you at the same time, and you will understand the gravity of the situation. Therefore, in the case of unpredictable consequences, even Masahiro, who has always been adventurous, does not dare to implement such a strategy.

Of course, the Luo family can also be promoted in various regions for free in a pilot way, just like the original policy towards Hizen country. The answer is no.

Because in the past few years, the Luo family has spent every year on various more important things such as the reclamation of the territory's fields, the construction of marching roads, the repair of water conservancy facilities, the daily operation of institutions, foreign wars, and other more important things, which have almost dried up the territory's finances. There is simply no extra money to promote it for free, even if it is barely able to squeeze out a little money and food to promote it. With such a speed and scope, it will take at least several years for the watermill to be widely used in the territory.

At the same time, this strategy of free promotion also ignores the understanding of the thinking of the local people. During this period, the ideological realm of the ordinary people was still in the realm of ignorance and selfishness (this is an indisputable fact, after all, the background of the times is like this). Typical manifestations are that it is very easy to be confused by the so-called gods and Buddhas, and it is also very easy to believe in ordinary rumors. For these people, if you give them enough benefits, it will become extremely easy to get along with and will support you; But if they misunderstand you, then these lovely lords will become "Diaomin" and cause you trouble.

In such a situation, once an area is supplied with free waterwheels, the people of other nearby areas that do not receive waterwheels will complain. If you charge them for a water truck in the future, it will only anger their dissatisfaction. This in turn creates instability within the territory. In the end, what was originally a good incident will turn into a bad thing (this was the case when it was promoted in Hizen Province before).

In general, it is precisely because of the above reasons that the waterwheel cannot be used on a large scale in the territory. But this drought has provided an opportunity for this.

In the current situation of natural disasters, the people of various regions had to abandon their previous interests and realize the great role of waterwheels in dealing with the drought, and they united to purchase waterwheels from the Cabinet of Internal Affairs.

The waterwheel, which was originally received a cold reception, suddenly became the hottest farming tool in the Luo family's territory. In response to the high demand, the Roche Carpentry Workshop, located in the Notakayama Gorge in Matsuura County, Hizen Province, had to gather the craftsmen of the Roche family's domain in the Notaka Mountains with the help of an order from the Cabinet of the Interior to gather the craftsmen of the registered and reliable carpentry workshops in the Notaka Mountains, and then build waterwheels day and night according to the assembly line and shift work. The manufactured waterwheels began to be transported from Notaka Mountain to various parts of the Luo family, and many "walking houses" were born that were specifically responsible for transporting goods.

It accelerated the widespread use of waterwheels on the Luo family's territory, and thus gave rise to some commercial industries, which was the first benefit that the drought brought to the Luo family.

The second benefit was that it accelerated the integration of the four eastern prefectures of Chikuzen Province, the five prefectures of Toyozen Kunichu, and Toyoura of Nagato Province into the Luo family's ruling system.

Why?

Since the original water conservancy facilities in these areas are not perfect, it will inevitably affect the spring plowing and autumn harvest in these areas this year. At that time, in order to help the lords in these areas, the Luo family will inevitably carry out large-scale paid conscription in the local area, such as cultivating fields, repairing water conservancy facilities, and building marching roads, which will greatly accelerate the progress of local infrastructure construction, and let the lords in these areas realize the benefits of becoming the Luo family's lords, so as to quickly transform into loyal lords who completely support the Luo family. With these foundations, it naturally accelerated the progress and depth of the Luo family's rule over the local area.

After the last, this great drought also provided a rare opportunity for the Luo family to attack the areas in the southeastern part of Bunzen Province that were still maintained by wealthy families such as the Sugi family, as well as the areas in the northeast of Bungo Province that were controlled by the Otomo family.

(Thanks to "Smoke of God" for being a deacon fan of this book.) (To be continued......)