Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 26 Reclaiming Wasteland

Five days after the potatoes were planted, the northern slope of Xinghuobao began its first large-scale reclamation.

Before dawn, the fortress gate creaked open. Zhao Tiezhu stood atop a high slope, holding a stripped willow branch, his booming voice piercing the morning mist: "From today onward, reclaim forty mu of uncultivated land in the eastern district! As per the divisions established the day before yesterday, each squad leader should lead their men to their positions! The new farm tools have been distributed to the squads; use them with care! Lunch will be delivered to the fields. According to the 'Merit Order,' ten points of merit will be awarded for each mu of uncultivated land reclaimed!"

Below the slope, nearly sixty able-bodied men were already lined up. Twenty of them were refugees under Zhao Tiezhu's command, thirty were prisoners from the forced labor camp, and ten were Wei Wu soldiers specially assigned by Chen Wei to supervise and guard the work. Today, they were not wearing heavy armor, but only light leather armor, with ring-pommel swords hanging at their waists and long sticks in their hands.

The troops were organized into twelve reclamation squads of five men each. Each squad was assigned a squad leader, either a seasoned and reliable refugee or a recently distinguished prisoner. Wei Wuzu soldiers were assigned one person for every two squads as supervisor and guard. Zhao Tiezhu's arrangement served both as mutual supervision and checks and balances, and also implicitly suggested the use of experienced soldiers to mentor new recruits and civilians to supervise prisoners.

Even more eye-catching were the new agricultural tools. There were twelve iron hoes with bluish-black blades, twelve sickles of uniform shape with a slight curve, and three ingeniously constructed curved plows with iron plowshares. These were particularly striking, as they were quite different from ordinary straight plows. The shafts were curved, the plowshares were long and sharp, and they were also equipped with a "plow gauge" to adjust the depth of tillage.

These farm tools had been distributed to each unit by Li Shu last night according to the register. At this moment, the refugees stroked the smooth and sturdy hoe handles and sickles, their eyes filled with novelty and excitement. The prisoners in the hard labor camp looked at these sophisticated machines, which were clearly beyond their comprehension, with awe. A few of the bolder ones secretly touched the cold iron blades with their fingers, but were immediately stopped by the guards' eyes.

Zhao Tiezhu strode down the slope to a group of refugees, picked up a curved plow, and demonstrated: "Watch closely! This plow is different from the ones you usually use! The shaft is curved, making it easier to turn! This iron thing is called a plowshare; it goes deep into the soil and turns it up hard! The person holding the plow must keep a steady body and look straight ahead! The people pulling the plow must be in pairs or threes, and their steps must be in unison! Start by creating ridges at the edge of the field, turning over the soil ridge by ridge! If you encounter large rocks or tree roots, clear the obstacles first before starting to plow! Anyone who is clumsy and damages the plow will not only lose their merit points but also have to do extra hard labor!"

He picked up a new-style iron hoe: "This hoe has a short handle and a wide blade, making it easier to swing and digging deep! It's ten times better than our old broken woodcutting knife for weeding and tilling! Use it carefully, and when you're done, make sure the blade is facing upwards, and don't bump it!"

After demonstrating, Zhao Tiezhu slammed the willow stick on the ground: "Time's up! Teams, get to work!"

"Let's get to work!"

At a command, sixty men surged like a floodgate opened, heading towards the overgrown, thorny slope. The clanging of hoes and picks, the panting breaths, the overseers' commands, and the occasional shouts of "Heave-ho!" broke the morning's tranquility.

The power of the new farm tools quickly became apparent. With a swing of the new iron hoe, the roots of shrubs as thick as a bowl snapped instantly, and the hard, compacted soil was turned over like tofu. Especially the three curved-shaft plows, pulled together by the refugees and prisoners, their plowshares cut deep into the soil, turning up waves of dark earth more than half a foot thick—an efficiency far beyond that of manual hoeing. At first, the squad leaders wielding the plows were unsure how to do it, their plows moving erratically and erratically, but with Zhao Tiezhu's repeated inspections and guidance, they quickly mastered the technique, and the furrows they created gradually became straight and even.

"Fast! Really fast!" An elderly migrant worker wiped his sweat, looking at the turned-up land behind him, and clicked his tongue in amazement. "With this good stuff, we could probably clear two acres of wasteland a day!"

The prisoners in the nearby labor camp, who were pulling their plows with their heads down, looked up when they heard this, a complex look flashing in their eyes. Most of them came from poor backgrounds and had never seen such a powerful tool before. In the past, when they worked for landlords, they used old wooden plows and chipped hoes, and it was already a miracle if they could cultivate half an acre of fertile land a day.

The Wei soldiers supervising the work leaned on long sticks, vigilantly scanning their surroundings and the prisoners at work, occasionally glancing at the swirling dirt. Though skilled in warfare, they were no strangers to farming and knew what these tools meant.

Zhao Tiezhu moved between the various units, sometimes correcting their posture, sometimes encouraging them with shouts, and sometimes squatting down to grab a handful of soil he had turned over, examining it closely with a satisfied expression. The soil on this slope was indeed of good quality; although it was barren, the humus layer was thick, and with a little cultivation, it could become fertile land.

However, the land reclamation was not without its challenges. An hour later, a cry of alarm came from the third row on the east side. The plowshare of a curved plow had struck a deeply buried boulder. Although the captives pulling the plow stopped in time, the plowshare was still stuck, and the plow shaft creaked under the strain.

"Stop! Stop!" the sergeant shouted in a panic. Zhao Tiezhu rushed over upon hearing the shout and saw that the tip of the plowshare was already somewhat dull and stuck in a crevice in the rocks.

"Idiot! Are you blind? Didn't the person pulling the plow see the bump in the ground?" Zhao Tiezhu scolded, inspecting the plow with concern.

The two prisoners pulling the plow turned pale with fright and knelt on the ground: "Manager, spare our lives! We...we weren't paying attention..."

Zhao Tiezhu glanced at the boulder, then at the dulled plowshare, suppressing his anger: "Alright, it was an accident. This rock is quite large; we need to dig it out first. You two, go get the pickaxes and clear the soil around this rock! The rest of you, use hoes to clear the surrounding area!"

He turned to Li Shu, who was accompanying him, and said, "Remember this: the third group damaged the plowshare. This is considered a serious wear and tear on the tools, so no points will be deducted. However, they need to clear the stones today to make up for the acreage of reclaimed land."

"Yes." Li Shu made a note on the small wooden tablet.

Not far away, the Wei soldiers supervising the work coldly watched the kneeling prisoners, their hands on the hilts of their swords. Seeing that Zhao Tiezhu had handled the situation properly, they said nothing more.

This incident made the other platoons even more cautious. The platoon leaders reminded the plow pullers to watch their step and to first clear away any potentially hard spots with hoes. Although the progress was slightly affected, no one dared to be careless again.

Around noon, several women carrying baskets brought millet cakes, pickled vegetable dumplings, and water in earthenware jars to the edge of the field. The people rested there and received their food according to their assigned units. The refugees and prisoners shared the food, while the Wei Wu soldiers supervising the work received a slightly larger portion. Zhao Tiezhu specifically instructed that the unit that had worked the hardest and cleared the land the fastest would receive an extra half-cake. The news spread, and as the people ate their dry rations, looking at the land they had cleared behind them, they discussed which unit would likely receive a larger reward, and their tired faces regained their energy.

In the afternoon, the sun grew increasingly scorching. Sweat soaked through their coarse cloth clothes, forming salt frost on their backs. Blisters formed on their palms, which they wrapped with cloth and continued working. The new farm tools were good, but clearing wasteland was still extremely physically demanding work. Among the prisoners in the labor camp, two were exhausted and slowed down. Their fellow refugees immediately urged them on, and the Wei soldiers supervising the work cast cold glances at them. The two dared not slacken, gritting their teeth and persevering.

Zhao Tiezhu also took off his shirt, baring his chest, and personally demonstrated how to skillfully wield a hoe and how to coordinate with the plow pullers. His bronze back gleamed in the sunlight, and his firm muscles rippled with each movement. His hard work inspired many, even the Wei soldiers supervising the work looked at him with more respect.

As the sun began to set, the reclamation was already taking shape. Of the forty acres of uncultivated land in the eastern area, nearly twenty acres had been cleared, the black soil turned over, and the furrows neatly arranged, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding uncultivated weeds. The remaining bramble roots were piled up at the edge of the field to dry and be used as firewood.

The bugle sounded to signal the end of the workday. The weary men, carrying their farm tools, lined up and returned to the fort. Zhao Tiezhu ordered each squad leader to count the number of people and tools; only after confirming everything was correct were they allowed to enter the fort.

At the fort's gate, Li Shu had already set up a table. Each squad leader stepped forward in turn, reporting the acreage reclaimed by their squad that day, any unexpected incidents, and any tool damage. Li Shu recorded everything, and had the squad leaders confirm it by affixing their fingerprints. This would be the basis for calculating merits and distributing rewards that evening.

The prisoners from the forced labor camp were taken back to be kept under guard by Wang Jian. The refugees, meanwhile, called to each other, went to the well to fetch water to wash themselves, and discussed their day's harvest and hardships.

Chen Xing and Chen Wei stood atop the fortress wall, overlooking the returning troop and the newly opened land in the distance.

"Twenty mu in one day, far exceeding expectations," Chen Wei said. "The new farm tools are indeed remarkable. Zhao Tiezhu's coordination is also very effective."

Chen Xing nodded: "Tools are useful, but they need people to use them well. Tie Zhu is skilled in farming and understands people's hearts; he's the right person for this job." He paused, then asked, "How did those people in the labor camp perform today?"

Chen Weidao said: "According to the supervisor's report, most of them are working hard, especially those who are assigned to pull the plow, who dare not slack off. However, there are two or three people who are physically weak, and the squad leader has already reported this. In addition, Zhao Tiezhu handled the matter of the third squad damaging the plowshare properly, and no dispute arose."

"Among the prisoners, are there any we care about?" Chen Xing asked.

Chen Wei pondered: "There is a man named Shi Zhuang, formerly a minor bandit leader, who is quite strong. Today, he was pulling the plow with great effort and seemed to know a bit about farming. He occasionally gave his fellow prisoners pointers on techniques. Wang Jian also reported that this man is rather quiet in the camp, but he never slacks off when working and accumulates merit points quite quickly."

"Shi Zhuang..." Chen Xing noted the name down. "Keep an eye on him. If he can truly repent and work diligently, he might be useful in the future."

As dusk deepened, the people who had been clearing the land dispersed, leaving only the newly turned earth, silent in the last rays of daylight, exuding the mingled scent of soil and sweat. Further away, the uncultivated weeds swayed in the evening breeze, awaiting the next arrival of hoes and plowshares.

In a secluded garden in the southeast corner of the fortress, fifty catties of "roots of rare medicine from the Western Regions" had been quietly buried in the soil for five days. Unbeknownst to anyone, beneath the seemingly calm soil, some pale yellow sprouts were struggling to push open the seed tuber's skin, reaching out their first and most vulnerable tendrils toward the faint light and moisture.

Reclaiming wasteland is not only about expanding the land, but also about cultivating hope for survival. Two different seeds, one visible and one hidden, both begin their arduous journey of breaking through the soil around this newly established fortress.