Chapter 35: Eightfold Shennong Displays Might Again

Salt and iron were stored in the warehouse, and the hidden concerns of internal security were also preliminarily arranged.

Chen Wen had no rest at all, and immediately devoted all his energy to the top priority of Jiao Tu Zhen at present.

—spring plowing and summer planting.

Time waits for no one, and the crops in the fields are the foundation of everyone's survival.

The newly transported iron was sent to the blacksmith's shop at once.

The only blacksmith in Jiao Tu Zhen was a taciturn, thick-armed middle-aged man named Shi Dun.

He originally came from a military artisan household, and his skills were solid.

Chen Wen explained in detail to him the improved designs for hoes and sickles he had in mind.

"The hoe blade should be thinner, the angle more clever, so it saves effort when entering the soil."

"The sickle's curvature needs to be changed; when swung it should bring wind, and cutting wheat stalks should be like slicing water..."

Chen Wen spoke while gesturing with his hand on the ground.

With eightfold comprehension and expression ability, he could turn vague concepts into concrete technical points the blacksmith could understand.

Shi Dun initially frowned upon hearing it, feeling that the young leader's ideas were somewhat fantastical.

But after careful consideration, he also felt it contained a wonderful principle.

He hammered away for several days in silence, and when the first new-style hoe and sickle came out of the forge, even he himself was surprised.

Chen Wen picked up the new hoe and walked to a piece of hard ground that had not been deeply tilled.

With both arms exerting strength, under eightfold strength enhancement, the hoe cut into the soil easily with a whooshing sound.

One pull, one pry, and a large clod of compacted soil was turned over.

The efficiency was more than double that of the old hoe!

Even when used by ordinary townsfolk, it clearly felt much less laborious.

"What a fine tool! This hoe is really powerful!"

An old farmer tried swinging it a few times, his eyes lighting up.

"This sickle looks fast just by looking at it!"

Another woman touched the sharp edge, her face full of joy.

【Guiding the improvement of farm tool design, raising basic agricultural efficiency, practical application ability enhanced (x Bonus)!

Diligence Points (WP) +120!】

【Current WP: 4451】

The new farming tools were quickly mass-produced and prioritized for distribution to skilled farmers.

Chen Wen was not satisfied with this; he deeply understood the principle that "to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools."

But after the tools, what matters even more is the method.

He spent all day in the fields, and with eightfold observational ability he could keenly sense the condition of every inch of land and the differences in growth of various crop seedlings.

He found that the villagers still used the old, rough method; fertilizing basically relied on heaven, and density depended entirely on experience.

"This plot has poor drainage; the rice seedlings' roots are slightly yellowing, so we need to dig a shallow ditch beside it."

"Over there on the slope, the soil is thin and fertility insufficient; next time we fertilize we should focus more on it."

"Uncle Wang, your idea of intercropping bean seedlings with other grains is good, but the row spacing still needs to be widened by half a foot, otherwise they'll compete for sunlight and fertility."

He walked and observed, occasionally pointing out problems and making improvement suggestions.

At first some people muttered under their breath that this military-born leader knew nothing about farming, but soon they fell silent.

Because for any plot adjusted according to Chen Wen's instructions, the seedlings' growth visibly improved!

Lush green and standing tall, just looking at them is delightful.

Chen Wen took his limited agricultural knowledge from memory, and through eightfold perceptiveness intuitively summarized it to the utmost.

He organized labor to systematically dig drainage ditches and water storage pits around the fields to cope with possible drought or flood.

He vigorously promoted the Fermented Fertilizer Method, not just using human and animal manure.

He also mixed weeds, fallen leaves, river mud, and even stove ash, stacking and fermenting them to produce green manure with longer-lasting, milder efficacy.

"Leader, this… this fermented manure, can it really be stronger?"

A man in charge of piling up manure scratched his head, looking at those several large manure pits emitting strange odors, half-believing, half-doubting.

"Wait ten days and see the effect for yourself."

Chen Wen didn't explain much, personally demonstrating how to pile compost, turn it, and control moisture.

With eightfold patience and meticulousness, he tirelessly explained each point.

Gradually, the villagers found that the fermented fertilizer's smell was not so pungent.

When spread on the ground, the crops indeed grew sturdier, and the soil was no longer as prone to compaction as before.

【Promoting advanced agricultural techniques, optimizing farming methods, knowledge dissemination and leadership ability enhanced (x Bonus)!

Diligence Points (WP) +180!】

【Current WP: 4631】

What amazed the villagers most was that Chen Wen seemed never to tire.

At dawn, the first to arrive at the field ridges to check dew moisture was him;

At the most venomous midday sun, the one crouching in the fields studying pests was him;

At nightfall, the last one holding a lantern to inspect the rice seedling leaves was still him.

His figure was tightly intertwined with this land.

Under the invisible drive of his influence and eightfold efficiency.

The entire spring plowing and summer planting work of Jiao Tu Zhen proceeded with an unprecedented level of efficiency and meticulousness.

The appearance of the fields changed day by day, and the seedlings grew vigorously.

From afar, a lush expanse met the eye, brimming with vitality.

It formed a stark contrast with the desolation of the surrounding wilderness.

A few elderly refugees who had later sought refuge and endured great hardship.

They often gazed upon this hopeful field, unable to hold back tears.

"At my age, I've never seen crops grow so vigorous! This is truly... a blessing from the immortals!"

They didn't know that there were no immortals, only one who relied on the "Cow Horse System" and his own stubborn will.

The leader who stubbornly carved out a utopia in this chaotic age.

Aunt Wang watched the crops growing wildly in the field, her face breaking into a smile.

But she, whose abacus clacked loudly, also began to have "sweet troubles":

"Leader, at this growth rate, our current granaries won't be enough! We need to expand them quickly!"

Chen Wen wiped the sweat from his forehead, gazing at the green sea before him that he and the townsfolk had jointly irrigated, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Food is the foundation, it is hope.

"Build!"

He said without hesitation.

"Not only must we build new granaries, but after this harvest, the land we can plant next year also needs to be expanded further!"

Agriculture is the foundation; now that the foundation is gradually stabilizing, this little tree of Jiao Tu Zhen can withstand greater storms to come.

And Chen Wen knew that storms would never be absent from this land.