Water Margin people

Chapter 1670 Mechanical Agriculture

The boat headed out of the water.

Everyone felt the spring breeze blowing on their faces and became even more confused.

The ship stopped at a port south of the water.

"Today I'll show you the power of machinery!"

Sun Lei looked at the officials and smiled.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

At the port, dozens of researchers in white coats were already waiting.

"Are everything ready?"

Sun Lei looked at the researchers and asked.

"Everything is ready!"

A group of researchers spoke excitedly.

"Then let's get started!"

At Sun Lei's command, curtains were pulled aside on the open space outside the port, and the steam car appeared in front of everyone.

However, this steam car is different from previous ones. It seems to be bigger, but there is only a few seats, and the wheels are several times larger.

"This is a new type of tillage machine. With this, we don't need oxen or manpower to till the land!"

The researcher pointed at the steam cars and said with a smile.

"Use this to till the ground? Won't it sink into the mud?"

  Some people raised questions: it’s easy to deal with dry land, but what if it’s a paddy field?

"Don't worry, everyone. The tires for paddy fields are specially made and won't get stuck! And these steam cars are not for driving. They are slow, but powerful..."

The institute answered the questions of the officials who raised them one by one.

"Brother, we have come up with so many big things again!"

Lu Zhishen approached Sun Lei and asked, these new steam cars are much bigger than the previous ones.

"Isn't this to liberate labor and improve production efficiency? A family works so hard to cultivate only a dozen acres of land. You will know when you see it later!"

Sun Lei said, pointing at the machines with a smile.

The steam cars were hung with long rows of plowshares and placed at an angle.

"There are ten plowshares in this row!"

The officials looked at the plowshares with shock. One plowshare required at least one ox to pull it and one person to operate it, and there were ten plowshares in a row.

As the steam engine belched out hot steam and the rumbling sound continued, the steam car moved forward in the field. The plowshares were deeply inserted into the soil, and as the car moved forward, the plowshares turned over the land.

All this left the officials dumbfounded. They found such efficiency somewhat unacceptable. The most tiring part of farming is turning the soil, which is strenuous work and there is no way to be lazy. However, the machines before them do it effortlessly.

"This...this car can plow so much land!"

Someone asked in a trembling voice.

"It depends on the quality of the land. For a flat land like this, seven to ten acres in an hour is no problem!"

The researcher said proudly that their steam engine was large and its power should not be underestimated.

"A cow can only cover a little over an acre a day, but this big guy can cover seven acres in an hour?"

The officials immediately realized the infinite possibilities of machinery. Once it became popular, the efficiency of farming would be greatly improved, and the grain output would double. "Not only that, our Agricultural Machinery Research Institute is also researching harvesters, and the harvesting speed should be able to reach 20 acres per hour!"

The researcher smiled and said that the harvester is still in the experimental stage and it is difficult to improve its efficiency, but they know that as long as they continue research, thirty acres will not be a problem.

“Harvesting is also possible!”

The officials were even more surprised. Harvesting was hard work. A skilled farmer could harvest five acres a day, but this machine could finish the job in just a quarter of an hour.

"There's also sowing and pumping. Especially the pumping, the speed...tsk tsk..."

The researcher began to talk about his research results. If they could be put into practice, farming would become extremely simple.

The roar of the machines and the arrival of the emperor attracted many villagers to watch, but after they saw the machines turning the soil, they sat on the ground with their mouths wide open and their eyes blank.

They have been farming for generations and are very familiar with the land. Ever since the curved plow became popular, there has been no change in farming for thousands of years, but everything before their eyes has overturned their cognition.

"It's so deep?"

An old farmer walked to the edge of the field, staring at the turned-up soil in a daze. It was several inches deeper than what he had turned manually. Don't underestimate these few inches, as every inch requires twice the hard work.

"Don't be afraid, these are tillers, or tractors. They can pull all kinds of farm implements to till the land, and they can also pull buckets to transport goods..."

Sun Lei comforted the farmers. He knew it would be difficult for these people to accept this new thing in a short period of time, but the tide of the times never waits for anyone.

"Your Majesty, do you not want us anymore?"

The old farmers knelt on the ground and cried. They knew clearly that one machine could do the work of ten families.

"What are you talking about? I am the emperor, how could I abandon my people?"

Sun Lei said seriously.

"But there is nothing we can do for your majesty?"

The old farmers stretched out their hands, which were dark and calloused.

The villages around Liangshan Lake were the first to submit to Sun Lei. They had followed Liangshan since Sun Lei led the Liangshan heroes to defeat the county government. They witnessed the rise of Liangshan, but now even their only livelihood, farming, is about to be replaced.

"How is that possible? There are so many things you can do!"

Sun Lei helped those old farmers to rise up. The times will abandon many people, but as an emperor he will definitely lead these people with him, even if they are slower.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that they plow the land quickly and harvest quickly! But machines are just machines, no different from your plowshares and sickles. They don't know how to take care of the crops. You need to know when to weed, when to fertilize, when to pump water, when to cut off the water and let the crops dry, and when to add water and grout. All these require you!"

Sun Lei told the old farmers that machines serve people. They only replace the heavy, tedious and meaningless steps, and more control is still needed from people.

The old farmers finally felt relieved. No matter how powerful the machines are, they are still inanimate objects and always need people to operate and direct them.

"You all saw it, I promoted mechanical manufacturing not only for war. Plunder is only temporary, self-development is the hard truth! With these countries, there will be no worries! No matter how much land we conquer, it will not be enough for farming!"

Sun Lei looked at the officials and said that agricultural nations would lack interest in expansion due to the power of science and technology, because they would not be able to manage and cultivate the land, and would not be able to produce enough output, as human resources are ultimately limited.

But machines can break all of this. Food, clothing, housing and transportation are the most important, but now machines have solved all of these, especially the two big issues of food and transportation.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

All the officials bowed together, they were truly convinced this time, with such a powerful weapon, they had nothing to worry about.

The ten acres of soil were quickly turned over several times, and the steam car then mounted a plow cart to screen the entire field carefully.

The old farmers nodded frequently as they watched. They even went into the fields and turned the soil with their hands. When they found that it was turned very finely, they were even more satisfied. They only needed to tidy up the land a little more before they could sow seeds.