Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 307 Buying Water for Irrigation

Ren Duoliji was carried on the horse's back and back to the border town.

He also didn't know how many of his men were left for this battle.

After half a day of bumpy ride, my intestines were almost broken.

This is still secondary. As a border army commander, how can he still maintain his dignity when he is caught like this?

I want to cry but have no tears.

Ren Duoliji was the commander of the Xiping border army in Yinzhou, belonging to the Fifth Army under the Zuoxiang Military Supervision Office.

There are 12,000 troops stationed in Yinzhou Prefecture.

He believed that if he mobilized 5,000 cavalry, he could sweep across the entire western part of Dazong Town.

Unexpectedly, a large basin of cold water was poured over his head.

Not only did they lose their soldiers and generals, but they even lost themselves.

He really didn't expect that the war cavalry of the large group would be so brave, not only able to charge and fight, but also to kill.

Then, how did Master Tie stay in Dazong for so long?

There's no way. If I can't figure it out, I'll just stop thinking about it and pretend to be unconscious. It's too embarrassing.

He had been taken into the city gate because he heard the discussions on the roadside.

Lin Feng did not take the 5,000 troops of Western Xia seriously. He had more confidence in his Qingshui Army.

After receiving the order, he still stayed in the yard and discussed the seed issue with Lin Tong.

This time there were two old farmers squatting nearby.

They have been farming all their lives and know what to plant and when.

However, they have never heard of intercropping of improved varieties.

They all listened in amazement as Lin Feng talked about the benefits of intercropping high-quality seeds with his hands and feet dancing.

However, they simply didn't believe it. With their rich experience in farming, they had already scoffed at it in their hearts.

Although Lin Feng was talking until his mouth was dry, he could still read impatience on the stiff faces of the two old farmers.

Lin Tong awkwardly rubbed a handful of good seeds in his hand.

In his heart, he didn't seem to believe what Lin Feng said.

If this nephew had not created so many miracles, he would have refuted it long ago.

Lin Feng knew from their expressions that his preaching had failed.

Just as he was trying to find a way to adjust his statement, a soldier came to report.

The Western Xia army was dispersed by Wang Qian.

The commander of his army was taken back to the border town by Qin.

In this battle, a total of 2,731 enemies were killed and countless others were wounded.

They collected 1,720 war horses and captured 1,389 Western Xia soldiers.

The casualties on our side were 163 dead, 382 wounded, and 195 war horses killed or wounded.

Lin Feng sucked his teeth when he heard this.

Damn it, why not just disperse? Why are you so bloodthirsty?

It’s not Wang Qian and Qin Fang’s fault. They are used to fighting the Tartars, so they just rush forward and beat them to death.

Does this mean that we have officially declared war on Western Xia?

Bai Jing was also confused standing aside, and she tried her best to persuade Lin Feng to try not to make more enemies.

But now, Wang Qian and Qin Fang rushed forward and killed all 5,000 cavalrymen.

Even the leader was captured.

If this news gets back to their leader, he will definitely go crazy.

However, Lin Feng soon put this matter behind him.

No matter what you do, if you dare to provoke me, I will not only beat you up, but also treat you to a meal.

As Lin Feng's territory expanded, food became a major problem.

He thought about it day and night, and finally figured out a way to increase grain production.

But he talked for a long time, both gesturing and talking.

Finally, an old farmer couldn't bear it anymore.

"Master, no matter what you say, we are short of water here. If the land could be irrigated thoroughly, I could harvest three crops a year."

Lin Feng swallowed and blinked.

It turns out the problem is here.

"Bai Jing, haven't we dug a lot of wells?"

Bai Jing smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, there is too much land, it's not enough."

"Then take a few more glances."

The old farmer also shook his head: "Sir, digging a well is not easy. It takes time and effort. Not only does it cost money, but we are also afraid that if we dig too deep, there will be no water."

The other old farmer was quiet and just nodded frequently.

"You can't just dig this thing up randomly."

Lin Tong quickly explained: "We need to consult a Feng Shui master first about where to dig a well."

"Mr. Feng Shui?"

The old farmer looked distressed: "The Feng Shui master wants money, but he won't return it if he can't dig up water."

Lin Feng looked up at the sky.

In the west of the town, rain is rare and the area is indeed dry and water-scarce.

Even if you dig a well, you have to dig very deep to see water, and most of the time you may not even see water.

After thinking for a long time, I suddenly remembered a folk remedy from my previous life.

It's about tips on finding water.

"What's your name?"

The old farmer said hesitantly, "My name is Zhou Laoyuan, and I've been farming for others for most of my life."

"You said that if we irrigate the land, we can harvest three crops a year?"

Zhou Laoyuan was stunned for a moment, thought about it, and nodded vigorously.

"I did, but it's not a crop."

"Of course. I'll provide you with water so you can irrigate your fields, and you can share your farming techniques to help everyone achieve three crops a year. How about that?"

Lin Tong couldn't stand it anymore and winked at Lin Feng.

Zhou Laoyuan still nodded vigorously: "If you say so, Master Jun, I dare to agree."

"Okay, let's make a deal. Go home and wait."

After seeing off the two old farmers, Lin Tong became anxious.

"How dare you make such a promise? Everyone knows there's a water shortage here. Getting some water is incredibly difficult."

"Just dig a few more wells."

"That's easy to say, but do you know how much it costs to dig a well?"

"How many?"

Lin Tong held up two fingers and said, "At least twenty taels. Twenty taels! Who among the peasants here can afford that?"

"So expensive?"

"It's expensive, and this is just the cost price."

Lin Feng touched his nose and pondered for a moment.

"If I don't charge money and dig the well for free, will they be willing to do it?"

Lin Tong said sullenly: "If you don't want to, you're crazy."

Bai Jing quickly said, "Brother, we don't have that much money, don't make promises rashly."

Lin Feng smiled and said, "I'll dig the well for free, but I have to charge a little for the water. Isn't that too much?"

"Charging for water?"

"How to collect it?"

Lin Tong and Bai Jing stared at Lin Feng at the same time.

Lin Feng chuckled and said, "Just calculate it based on the acres of land. You can't even think of something so simple."

Lin Tong still shook his head: "You can't even recover the cost."

Bai Jing also said: "If you collect too much, people can't afford it, and if you collect too little, we will lose money."

"We charge one cent for one mu of land. Ten mu of land costs ten cents. Is that too expensive?"

Lin Tong said angrily: "If we keep collecting it like this, we'll have to pawn our pants for the loss."

Lin Feng shook his head: "Three crops a year, let's use ten mu of land and sixty cents for water."

He turned to Bai Jing and said, "Calculate how much land there is in total."

Bai Jing frowned and said, "Just counting the land in Lingdouzi, we have developed more than 20,000 acres in total."

"How much can we charge?"

"At sixty wen per year for ten mu, twenty thousand mu... one hundred and twenty taels of silver is about right."

Lin Tong laughed and said, "It's only enough to drill six wells. Who can I ask for money for the rest?"

Lin Feng calculated: "How many wells are needed for 20,000 mu of land?"

"At least two hundred wells, four thousand taels of silver, and that's the cost price."

"This is a lifetime investment."

"I'm afraid I won't live long enough to see the day when I can make a profit."

"If I lower the cost price to two taels of silver, will this job be profitable?"

Lin Tong simply waved his hand: "No way, I won't do this losing business anyway."

"Okay, then the government will take the lead and do this unprofitable business."

Lin Feng asked Wen Cheng to post a notice that anyone who was willing to pay for water could go to the government office to register.

For farmers who are short of water, they basically carry water to irrigate the fields.

Not only is it time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it is also completely unable to meet the irrigation requirements of the land, resulting in very low grain production.

One cent per acre of land is very cheap, and if you don’t have money, you can buy it on credit and pay it back when you have money.

Soon the yamen was crowded with people buying water to irrigate their fields.