Chapter 40: A Superior

After Wang Dou made the final decision, the craftsmen set to work with fiery enthusiasm, designing the blueprints and preparing the materials.

Wang Dou provided the materials and manpower they needed, especially the timber for the waterwheel’s axle, which required a kind of thick, long, wear-resistant hardwood. Although Wang Dou had dismantled a batch of timber from the Four-Tilted-Beam bandit stronghold, he had no such thick, long hardwood. In the end, through Zhang Gui, he bought several thick, long old timbers from Shunxiang Fort, spending quite a bit of silver.

With this hardwood, they next had to make the waterwheel’s paddles, which likewise required a large amount of manpower and materials. Wang Dou mobilized the men and women of Jingbian Fort, placing them at the old craftsman’s disposal.

While the old craftsman was making the waterwheel, he also dispatched several younger craftsmen to the banks of the Hundred-Household Canal to select a site for installing the waterwheel. At the same time, along the stretch where the waterwheel met the river, a deep stone trough had to be built. The few craftsmen alone could not handle all this, so Wang Dou provided manpower to help.

While busy building the Lanzhou-style grand waterwheel, Wang Dou also required the old craftsman to assign workers to start making the kind of waterwheel used for irrigation wells — about five of them for now.

The year before, Jingbian Fort had sunk its first well, “Lord Wang’s Well.” The water was cold and crystal clear, so pure one could see every hair reflected in it, which everyone considered a marvel. To protect the well, it was entirely lined with bricks, a well pavilion was built over it to shelter it from wind and rain, and a windlass was set beside it for drawing water.

Also the year before, five irrigation wells had been sunk outside the fort, all of blue-brick construction, to supplement the fields beyond the canal. Unlike the well inside Jingbian Fort, these irrigation wells could not be drawn by human power; waterwheels had to be built to channel the water, and animal power was also needed. Wang Dou would have to go buy a few more mules when the time came.

In truth, when it came to irrigation, the best approach was still to build canals and ponds. During the peaceful years of the Great Ming, in some northern villages, besides canals, nearly every village or fort had one or two ponds to meet the daily water needs of people and livestock, and even for domestic use.

But building canals and ponds was costly and required massive labor. Even digging a pond for a village’s water supply could sometimes take years to complete and cost several thousand taels of silver, and the annual dredging and cleaning was no small sum either.

The moment Wang Dou thought of this, he lost all interest. Well irrigation was still the smaller investment with greater returns — he would take it slowly, digging wells and building waterwheels.

……

After diligent effort, more than ten days later, this Lanzhou-style grand waterwheel was finally completed. It was enormous, standing over ten meters tall, and looked spectacular erected beside the river channel.

The day the waterwheel was set in motion, the riverbank was packed with a sea of people. Not only did the military households of Jingbian Fort turn out in full force, but soldiers and civilians from nearby Xinzhuang and Dongjiazhuang also came flocking at the news.

As everyone held their breath, several craftsmen pulled open the sluice gate beside the river channel. At once, the bamboo-woven paddles of the waterwheel began to turn slowly under the river’s current. The enormous wheel spun faster and faster with a rushing roar, and the bamboo tubes on the paddles continuously poured water into the canal on the bank, sending the river water flowing steadily forward.

A wave of cheers erupted. The craftsmen, led by the old master, were all deeply moved; a few even had tears brimming in their eyes.

Perhaps this Lanzhou-style grand waterwheel was the finest work they would ever produce in their lifetimes.

Thereafter, this grand waterwheel became a landmark of Jingbian Fort. In later times, when people spoke of Jingbian Fort, the first thing that came to mind was this grand waterwheel.

……

Among the crowd, Wang Dou was naturally very pleased. After returning to the fort, he generously paid the craftsmen their wages and also hinted at wanting to recruit them.

The carpenters were all tempted. In truth, as hereditary government craftsmen for generations, they had little freedom and ordinarily suffered from hunger and cold. This time, coming to Jingbian Fort to work was considered a kind of lease; most of the wages they earned had to be handed over to the authorities, leaving them with only a few coins in the end.

Compared to Wang Dou’s generosity, the treatment at Jingbian Fort naturally tempted them even more. Though the environment here was still a bit rough for now, what did that matter? As long as one could eat their fill and dress warmly, anywhere was paradise. The only problem was that their household registrations were not in Jingbian Fort, making it very difficult for them to stay.

Wang Dou also fell into deep thought. He now had a group of craftsman households who made weapons, their registrations transferred from Shunxiang Fort through the connections of Du Gong, the Company Commander of Shunxiang Fort. Perhaps, in order to keep this batch of craftsmen, he would have to go around giving gifts again.

He still had to try. And the group of craftsmen currently building Jingbian Fort would also need to be retained in the future.

……

During this period, the carpenters’ main energy had been focused on building the Lanzhou-style grand waterwheel. After the grand waterwheel was completed, their primary objective shifted to those several irrigation-well waterwheels.

Making the irrigation-well waterwheels was far less difficult than the grand waterwheel, and very soon, those five irrigation-well waterwheels were also finished.

Wang Dou examined these irrigation-well waterwheels. They were actually a modified type of dragon-bone waterwheel, costing over ten taels each, and once channeling water, they could irrigate a maximum of over twenty mu of land.

In his mind, Wang Dou actually had a more efficient water-lifting design — the later-era chain-pipe waterwheel, also called the “liberation-style waterwheel,” composed of a frame, bevel gears, chain wheels, chains, round leather discs, water pipes, and a drawbar, likewise driven by animal power.

However, this kind of waterwheel required a high degree of technical skill. The gears, chain wheels, and chains were extremely difficult to make, required a lot of iron, and were very costly. Better to use these Great Ming irrigation-well waterwheels and channel water slowly for now.

……

By now it was already the beginning of the second month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, which in the later-era Gregorian calendar would be around the twentieth of March. Spring plowing was about to begin.

The year before, the military households of Jingbian Fort had reclaimed over one thousand mu of wasteland. With fifty-five military households in Jingbian Fort, each household was temporarily allocated over twenty mu, with lots drawn to ensure fairness. After receiving their land, the military households were all moved to tears of gratitude. From then on, they had their own fields, and life now held hope. With land allotted, their roots were deeply planted in this place.

After discussion, Wang Dou, Han Chao, Han Zhong, Qi Tianliang, and the other officers would not receive land for the time being.

Now that Jingbian Fort had dredged the Hundred-Household Canal, built a waterwheel, and dug irrigation wells, there was no problem for anyone to channel water for irrigation.

As for seeds, Wang Dou had already sent Qi Tianliang and Yang Tong to buy a batch of millet and sorghum seeds. Jingbian Fort had missed the planting of winter wheat the previous year, so they had to plant these coarse grains this spring.

In the north, millet was called “guzi,” whereas in the south, rice grain was called “guzi.” But like sorghum, both millet and sorghum had short growing periods, were drought-resistant, and tolerated poor soil, making them suitable for sowing in spring and on newly reclaimed land. After autumn arrived, they could plant some winter wheat.

At present, Jingbian Fort had nineteen plow oxen. If each military household was to receive one ox, they would need to buy over thirty more. Ox prices had dipped slightly at this time, but one ox still cost over six taels of silver. With plows and other equipment added, it would likely cost over two hundred taels of silver again.

Du Gong, the Company Commander of Shunxiang Fort, had hinted several times that Wang Dou should buy oxen at the ox market in his fort. Wang Dou had inquired and learned that the ox market was run by Du Gong’s brother-in-law, and the oxen were very expensive — one ox still cost seven taels of silver. But Wang Dou clearly could not just consider the price difference. After thinking it over, he decided to go to that ox market in Shunxiang Fort and buy another batch of oxen.

In addition, Wang Dou also needed to buy a batch of mules and horses. The irrigation wells required animal power to channel water, and likewise, Qi Tianliang’s supply corps also needed draft animals and carts. As Jingbian Fort expanded in the future, this demand would only grow more vigorous.

Just as Wang Dou was taking out silver and preparing to send Qi Tianliang and Yang Tong with some men to Shunxiang Fort to buy oxen and mules, he received an urgent notice sent by Zhang Gui: the Garrison Commander, Lord Xu Zhongjun, would be coming to Jingbian Fort today to conduct an inspection.

……

The year before, after Wang Dou submitted the land reclamation registers of Jingbian Fort for filing, Xu Zhongjun had been very surprised. At that time, he had wanted to visit Jingbian Fort to inspect it and see the results of Wang Dou’s fort-building efforts. Due to a multitude of affairs afterward, it was not until today that he brought his men over.

His entourage was grand. Besides his escort of personal guards, those accompanying him included Du Zhen, the Vice Battalion Commander of Shunxiang Fort who managed agricultural affairs within the battalion; Du Gong, the Company Commander; and Zhang Gui, the Platoon Officer of Dongjiazhuang. Wang Dou, leading Han Chao and others, along with a large crowd of Jingbian Fort’s military households, greeted Xu Zhongjun’s party outside the fort.

Xu Zhongjun was still dressed in his Battalion Commander’s official uniform, a qilin bronze badge hanging at his waist. He rode a fat, sturdy horse — it seemed to be one of the Later Jin army horses Wang Dou had captured that day. He looked somewhat ill, but his bearing remained steady and his gaze still sharp.

Led by Wang Dou, Xu Zhongjun and his party toured the barracks, granary, fodder yard, and armory inside the fort. Seeing how Wang Dou had managed to construct the fort’s buildings to such a standard in such a short time, Xu Zhongjun and his party all nodded in approval.

Seeing their approving expressions, Wang Dou and his men naturally felt proud as well.

However, the walls of Jingbian Fort had not yet been built; only an opening had been made on the south side. In the future, Jingbian Fort would have only the south gate as its sole entrance and exit.

After viewing the interior of the fort, Xu Zhongjun and his party went to the bank of the Dongfang River to see the Jingbian Fort grand waterwheel, whose fame was rapidly spreading. Everyone was in high spirits, clearly very curious about this grand waterwheel.

At their first sight of this enormous waterwheel, standing over ten meters tall, Xu Zhongjun and his party were all taken aback, clearly awed.

Watching the turning waterwheel continuously channel water to the canal bank, Xu Zhongjun kept questioning Wang Dou. When he heard that this waterwheel’s irrigation capacity reached three hundred mu, Xu Zhongjun’s eyes lit up, but when he heard that the waterwheel had cost as much as one hundred taels to build, his eyes dimmed again.

In the end, he carefully observed the waterwheel, exclaiming in wonder from time to time.

Du Zhen, Du Gong, and Zhang Gui all stayed by Xu Zhongjun’s side. They also heard the conversation between Xu Zhongjun and Wang Dou, but unlike Xu Zhongjun, the looks they cast at Wang Dou clearly revealed a strange expression, evidently thinking: “Building such an expensive waterwheel — this Wang Dou is truly a wastrel. Even if he got some money and goods from suppressing bandits, he can’t afford to squander it like this.”

……

After viewing the waterwheel, Wang Dou again accompanied Xu Zhongjun and his party to see the reclaimed farmland of Jingbian Fort.

The group walked along the Hundred-Household Canal. Fields, canals, irrigation wells — Xu Zhongjun inspected them one by one, nodding from time to time. This Wang Dou, who had volunteered to come and establish the fort, was indeed very capable. In such a short time, he had achieved so much. This made Xu Zhongjun appreciate Wang Dou all the more. If the fort officers in other forts were all as dedicated as Wang Dou, the state of agricultural reclamation within the battalion would only grow better and better.

He recalled something and asked, “Spring plowing is about to begin. Wang Dou, are the plow oxen and seeds in your fort sufficient?”