Three Kingdoms

In terms of farming, fennel is more adaptable than ordinary crops. It tolerates drought and is afraid of waterlogging. It has loose soil requirements. It can be directly planted in sandy loam soil with general permeability and good drainage. It can be mixed with soybeans, vegetables, etc. Carry out rotational tillage or individual tillage.

At the same time, fennel also has a variety of medicinal effects, including anti-allergy and antioxidant. It is a very beneficial supplement to the human body. In addition to pepper, it is also an important spice introduced from the Western Regions in history.

To put it simply, for the area of ​​Longyou and Longxi, the economic effect of planting fennel is better than that of ordinary wheat.

The importance of growing cotton goes without saying.

Whether it is Parthian fennel or cotton, they are urgently needed supplies for Fei Qian who wants to expand his planting area. Only by supplying a large amount of seeds can we ensure that during the planting expansion process, production will not be reduced due to some defective seeds or insect damage during planting.

In the Han Dynasty, there were no effective insecticides like those of later generations. Even though Fei Qian improved the way of planting and soaked the seeds with plant ash before sowing each time, the insecticide effect was actually only average, and there was no way to achieve the kind of insecticides that would be available in later generations. It has the effect of killing insects and weeds, so the yield will definitely be greatly affected.

Especially cotton.

Not only do they like to eat cotton seedlings, there are also bugs that like to eat cotton fibers.

Every advancement in farming technology requires a lot of practical experience.

The larger the planting area, the greater the fault tolerance.

"There is such a thing in Gaochang..." Fei Qian pointed at the cotton and said slowly, "It's just that this Gaochang white cotton is not suitable for growing in the pass... What I need is more, especially in the The white beetle that grows in relatively mild areas...』

Bailu, also known as Baidie. It is the name given to cotton by people in the Han Dynasty, and some areas call it Baibei. . Hey, does it look like the shape of cotton blossoms blooming on the branches, with white hairs protruding from the edges?

Gaochang Bailuo may be the first cotton that people in the Han Dynasty came into contact with, and it was also the cotton brought back by Baique. Well, sometimes Fei Qian thinks about it, Bai Que seems to reflect in his name that he was born to do this...

Bailu, white bird.

It's a pity that the cotton seeds brought back by Bai Que were not very suitable for large-scale promotion and planting in Guanzhong or warmer areas. Just like oranges that grow in Huainan become oranges and those that grow in northern Huaibei become oranges, plants also have certain adaptability, and this change in adaptability cannot be achieved in a day or two. In addition to using divine power to accelerate or system blessing, it is indeed a headache for Fei Qian, who has neither a godhead nor a system grandfather.

During the severe cold season, the rich could sit on the kang, wearing fur clothes and thick robes stuffed with feathers to keep warm. The poor garrison soldiers did not have this condition, so they could only stuff reed catkins, catkins, and straw into the layers of their robes. A few of them shivered and huddled together, burning the scarce firewood in winter, and shivering to keep warm.

Staying at home can provide some protection from the wind and rain, but once you need to go out and encounter severe cold weather, the outdoor temperature can reach below zero. It is common for people to freeze to death in the Han Dynasty. Even if someone doesn't freeze to death, it's common for them to be missing an ear or a finger due to long-term exposure to low temperatures.

In the Western Region and Mobei, the temperature in winter is even lower!

Due to climate reasons, the Han gentry system has a consensus that these bitter cold lands are not suitable for farming and do not want to be developed. However, in fact, for these areas, whether it is animal husbandry, planting, or mining, it is An empire wants a strong foundation.

If you want to develop, you need people, or at least you have to make it possible for people to stay. This requires ensuring that these people, not just soldiers, but also ordinary people, can get better protection against the cold. If cotton can be widely grown at this time, at least there will be more cotton than what is currently grown in the east of Chang'an River, then With cotton-padded jackets when going out and quilts at home, the Han people could push their daily residence northward into a wider area!

In addition to seeds, Feiqian also expressed his intention to purchase these cash crops in large quantities. In the area under Fei Qian's control, there are not many places suitable for farming. Planting a large amount of cotton or Parthian fennel will inevitably squeeze the original food production areas, so a broader market needs to be opened up.

Spolis nodded and said: "I know where it is...if you want it...at this price..." Spolis knew that there was a lot of this cotton in Shendu, but it just had to be transferred from Anxi, but this was not too much. It's a difficult thing. After all, cotton is just big in size and lighter in relative weight than other goods, so it's not very difficult to transport.

Fei Qian smiled and said, "I don't care about the price. You go find the Dahan Chamber of Commerce to negotiate." 』

Let professional people do professional things. Feiqian only wants results here.

The ability to negotiate prices? Although Fei Qian is good, it is not necessary now.

Spolis rolled his eyes twice, but in the end he didn't say anything, and just focused on the third bag.

What was poured out from the bag was something that looked like a rhizome as thick as a finger. Perhaps it had been left for a long time, and the color was a little dull and shriveled. There was also another small bag of seeds that were as big as corn.

Are they all about plant seeds?

Is it a quirk of this big Han general, or is it some other reason?

Spolis raised his head and glanced at Fei Qian, with such a question in his mind. However, it is generally accepted that the Han people like farming, so although Spoulis feels a little weird in his heart, he can still accept it in general.

What the heck, the point is silk!

As long as you have enough silk, nothing is a problem!

Spoulis began to carefully examine the two shriveled plant roots, which were as thick as fingers. Finally, he took the bags back into his arms one by one and thanked Fei Qian for his meeting and reminder. We will negotiate with the Dahan Chamber of Commerce to determine the final result as soon as possible.

"that's it? Spoulis seemed a little unbelievable.

They are just some seeds and so on. In fact, there is nothing too difficult.

This rhizome is a wild carrot.

Because Fei Qian purchased a large number of strange seeds and plants, on the one hand, as a strategic reserve, and on the other hand, he also wanted to use this method to see if he could expand his planting pedigree in China and make China's material system richer.

After Yun Er's tribe joined Fei Qian's command, they brought this wild carrot from the Congling area. Of course, this thing is very different from later generations in terms of appearance and size. So Fei Qian thought about it for a long time and even tried a little bit in person before he was 80% or 90% sure that this thing might be wild. carrots.

What's interesting is that the roots of this wild carrot were not originally eaten, but its seeds were crushed and used as spices...

Compared with the carrots of later generations, the current wild carrot is small and tastes bad. If Fei Qian hadn't seen that the carotene released after frying stained the oil, he might not have been able to determine This ugly little guy may be the ancestor of later generations of carrots.

Carotene, lycopene, and anthocyanins are all beneficial ingredients to the human body, especially in improving the physical fitness of the Chinese human body, enhancing human body functions, delaying aging, etc., and they all have certain effects.

For the people of the Han Dynasty, there was certainly no possibility of excessive intake of these beneficial ingredients, but an extreme lack. For example, carotene can protect and improve vision. If coupled with the animal husbandry that Fei Qian was already promoting, Breeding, fats and animal offal intake will definitely help more and more Chinese people get rid of night blindness.

Even if it is used on a small scale, it will bring the night fighting ability of Fei Qian's soldiers to a higher level.

Fei Qian nodded matter-of-factly and chatted some more. When Spolis was about to say goodbye, he added: "Oh, by the way, there is one more thing. That Jarvis and so on, the people who sent him are all here." It's too bad... It's too bad. I can only do hard work. Do you understand? I also need some better people, such as those who can read and write... I will pay a high price..."

Spoulis was a little embarrassed, "A literate person?" I'm afraid these people won't want to come..."

"This is your business..." Fei Qian chuckled, "But I know you have a way... You know, I am planning to make a Qinglong Temple... Well, that is, a grand gathering of words. I want to Become the greatest general of the Han Dynasty! Therefore, I think if you can bring some of your scholars here, I will be very happy... When I am happy, maybe I can give you more benefits..."

Spolis raised his eyebrows, nodded and said: "This thing... Jarvis really can't do it... Although it's a little difficult, I think I should be able to..."

Fei Qian's words were very straightforward, even a little vulgar, but this made Spolis feel relieved. Didn't Caesar have such great ambitions back then...

Having ambition is not a problem, but not having benefits is a problem.

With benefits, even excess benefits, then nothing is a problem.

Being a businessman, isn’t it just about making profits?

For a moment, both of them laughed.

Fei Qian sent Spolis away with some expectations.

The agreement is tentatively reached, just like the seeds are planted first. What will grow exactly depends on time...

………(⊙＿⊙;)………

Outside Chang'an City, outside the Wubao where the soldiers were stationed, there was a newly repaired canal.

The green bricks above the ditch have been newly replaced.

With the construction of new brick-making kilns in the labor camps, the supply of green and red bricks has been greatly improved, which makes it possible for ordinary farmers not only to afford the consumption of bricks and tiles, but also to provide sufficient quantities to the general public. Engineering use.

This canal, which is not the main channel, provides irrigation for about 150 acres in the surrounding area, and is also specially allocated to jujube for the cultivation of related vegetables and crops. It can be said that including here, as well as Zuo Fengyi and several Wubao in Hedong, it is the most advanced agricultural experimental base in Dahan.

The gurgling water of the canal nourishes this land that was originally dry and had little water. The hard-working farmers and officials have revitalized it.

Most of these are vegetables commonly eaten by the Han people, such as onions, leeks, and sunflowers, but there are also dozens of acres of land separated by field ridges. That is the private land of Da Sinong Zaozhi, which is specially used to grow various novel crops. Experimental fields for cotton and various exotic fruits.

Zao Zhi and the kind of people who can only stand on the ridge and point, don’t want to get a little dirt on their robes and black satin boots under their feet, and have several people fighting to hold an umbrella even when they talk, they have a big belly and are full of fat. The appearance of civil servants and officials is completely different. If you don't pay attention, you might think that Zaozhi is just an ordinary farmer.

At the moment, Zao Zhi, with a glimmer of sweat on her wheat-colored skin, was wearing a short coat with her sleeves rolled up, exposing her arms and legs, which were stained with mud. She was squatting on the edge of the ditch to wash herself.

"The growth is okay..." Zao Zhi said to the agricultural doctor beside him, "There are more insects in the No. 3 and No. 5 fields. We will send someone to spray some vegetation ash water later... The giant clover in the No. 8 field Some of the leaves are yellow. I think the soil is not too dry. It doesn’t look like it’s lacking water... I’ll have to check for more details..."

Zao Zhi was talking nonchalantly, some of which were recording observations, and some of which were giving instructions for processing. The agricultural doctors who were following Zao Zhi also wrote them down respectfully, and then they went to work separately.

The position of "Da Si Nong" under the General Hussars is fundamentally different from the post of "Da Si Nong" before the Han Dynasty.

Zao Zhi's "Da Si Nong" was a real technical position, while the previous Da Si Nong among the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers of the Han Dynasty could only be regarded as a bureaucratic position.

In the early days of the Western Han Dynasty, Dasinong did have many technical positions, such as being in charge of collecting and storing rice and millet, supplying rations to officials and in charge of the measurement system. Some were also responsible for arranging for the emperor to personally cultivate the land, and were in charge of harvesting the fields for sacrifices. , as well as those in charge of the accumulation of national money and goods, in charge of the casting of money, etc. Basically, many of them are indeed related to some specific technologies. However, after the Eastern Han Dynasty, the only subordinate officials under Da Sinong were Taicang, Pingzhun and Guan were three ministers, and the rest were reduced to provinces or transferred to prefectures. Da Si Nong became simply the chief in charge of central finance and was no longer responsible for some technical affairs.

Pure bureaucrats pay more attention to their official titles. Who would care about various improvements and developments that are originally within the responsibilities of the chief minister?

Therefore, the position of "Da Si Nong" re-constructed by General Hussar places the financial logistics project in the hands of Xun You, while Zao Zhi is more similar to the Da Si Nong during the Western Han Dynasty, focusing more on agricultural related technologies. .

Zao Zhi was also very happy about this change. He originally liked these plants and even thought that plants were simpler and more straightforward than people. As long as they are good to the plants, the plants will try their best to return abundant fruits to humans. But if they are good to humans, the rewards may not always be good fruits...

After years of cultivation, the crops in these experimental fields have good yields.

Zao Zhi had just gone to the ground, personally removed some newly grown weeds, and collected relevant data. Then he washed up with the dirt all over his body and sat down to rest.

On the edge of the ditch, there is a patch of green herbaceous plants. If you get close and smell it carefully, in addition to the smell of mud and feces in the soil, you can also smell a refreshing fragrance. This vegetable is "coriander".

Zhang Qian brought some back from the Western Regions, but they gradually disappeared. After Fei Qian reopened the Western Regions, this "coriander" really appeared on the dining table of the Han Dynasty.

When Zao Zhi eats soup cakes, he always likes to cut some coriander, sprinkle it with green onions, and then pour it with hot oil. It's so beautiful.

Of course, this is also the eating method taught by Fei Qian...

According to Fei Qian, there is another delicious food called chili pepper in the world, but it is a pity that it has not been found yet. If there are chili peppers, this fried soup cake will be perfect.

Of course, not everyone likes "coriander" so much. For example, Pang Tong dislikes the taste of "coriander" and even thinks the taste is smelly, which makes Zao Qi, who likes "coriander", feel a little strange.

Why does this "coriander" smell so bad?

However, Zao Zhi later discovered that there were indeed some people like Pang Tong who thought "coriander" was smelly. This made Zao Zhi very strange and puzzled.

Then Fei Qian said that this involves biological knowledge...

Biology means the things that are born between heaven and earth.

This made Zao Zhi very excited. He felt that besides the mulberry trees, there seemed to be another vague thing appearing in front of his eyes. It was like a brand new land, waiting for Zao Zhi to open up, plant and watch. The fruit is abundant.

But the main work in Wubao during these two days was not "coriander", but melons and fruits.

The most harvested fruits in summer are all kinds of fruits, and they continue to be harvested until autumn.

Among them is courgette.

The name of courgette was changed during the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms period. Emperor Shi Le of the Later Zhao Dynasty tabooed the word "Hu", and Fan Tan, the governor of the Xiangguo County of Han Dynasty, changed it to "cucumber". I don't know if people in later generations can eat cucumber. Remember that time when your ancestors were weak and bullied and become stronger?

Dahan's current courgettes, like carrots, don't look like those of later generations at all. Except for some similarities in the outer skin, there is almost nothing else in common. Not only are they small and stubby, but they also have a very large The troublesome part is that it must be picked and eaten when it is fresh and tender, otherwise when it grows old, the courgette will be like a hedgehog, dry and hard, and can be used as a meteor hammer. If it is knocked down and pricked, it will definitely draw blood. dripping!

There were no convenient refrigerators in the Han Dynasty, and melons and fruits were not resistant to storage, so if you wanted to eat fresh food, you could only eat it freshly. There are refrigerators among the noble families, but they are not affordable for ordinary people. It is obviously not cost-effective to store vegetables and fruits such as courgettes.

Therefore, if you want to store these courgettes, you can only pickle them.

During this period, the newly picked courgettes were washed in the ditch and then put into jars for pickling. The jar must also be cleaned in advance and then baked on the fire before it can be used to hold these pickled courgettes, so as to prevent them from deteriorating and rotting halfway through pickling.

Of course, in this season, you don’t need to eat pickled food, you can still eat fresh food.

After peeling off the outer skin with a knife, the melon flesh inside is still crunchy, slightly sour, and a little bitter, but it is still a good thing to cool down in summer. If you add a little sour vinegar, it will be even better...

Of course, Pang Tong also didn't like this method of adding sour vinegar. He liked to add some icing sugar.

As for the hussar general Fei Qian, anything is fine.

Sometimes Zao Zhi also laments that perhaps only someone like Fei Qian, who is tolerant of everything and not picky about food, can gather so many officials and people from various places with different habits under his command, and then he can Live in this land of mutual understanding and tolerance.

But these feelings of Zao Zhi were soon disturbed by his wife...