Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Amazing Dragon Blood Stone
Now, the enthusiasm of the serfs in their work is practically beyond doubt. Elder Druid Vandar seems to have rediscovered his second spring, and his enthusiasm for agricultural reclamation is high.
But this world is both idealistic and materialistic.
If enthusiasm is high but efficiency cannot be improved, then the speed of land reclamation and the yield of farming cannot be increased.
So Su Li continued to say to Vandar, "My Minister of Agriculture, I think that while expanding the scale of land reclamation, we should also pay attention to the yield per acre and the efficiency of reclamation. Do you have any good plans in this regard?"
"Oh, I have some thoughts on this aspect." Vandar was very enthusiastic and immediately spoke at length: "Before I went to guide the reclamation of farmland today, I took a look at the production tools in our team. The knights were very considerate and bought a large number of farm tools at Marle Castle, totaling two hundred iron tools, including hoes, sickles, shovels, and pickaxes, all-inclusive, and in considerable numbers. However, it is clear that the knights are not involved in production and are not very familiar with the specific tools needed for land reclamation, resulting in insufficient preparation of tools needed for land reclamation, whereas the items needed for the autumn harvest are temporarily unused."
"So after you received the serfs from the previous territories, there was a severe shortage of tools for reclaiming wasteland. The current urgent task for farming is to increase a batch of farm tools, needing at least 100 iron tools."
"100 iron tools?" Su Li pondered slightly and said, "There is a blacksmith in our Pioneer Territory, and he is a Master of Forging. However, it currently appears that there is still a lack of iron ore."
In this light, the giant iron mine at Jinke Mine is the stronghold I need to prioritize capturing.
With iron ore, the tools needed for farming can be solved, and the weapons and armor forged can also bring a fortune to the territory.
After all, upon reaching the territory, Su Li should distribute salaries and bonuses to the knights. These knights left Bauhinia Castle with him, overcoming obstacles along the way to reach the territory, which took as long as a month.
According to the current calculation, with 1 Champion Knight, 8 Elite Knights, 14 Regular Knights, and 28 Basic Knights, he needs to pay 88 gold coins per month.
The funds he reserved will be mostly spent after this month’s wages, leaving only 112 gold coins.
As for how to acquire iron ore, that’s not something Vandar, the Minister of Agriculture, needs to consider. He only cares about his own responsibilities and continued, "But there is a piece of good news, the knights bought two Nord wheeled heavy plows. This kind of wheeled heavy plow can plow a wider land at once, meeting the farmers’ need for deep plowing and significantly increasing the speed of cultivation. Moreover, the front is equipped with a pair of wooden wheels, which, compared to wheel-less plows, can significantly ease the burden on livestock and reduce the resistance of pulling the plow, thus enabling the plow to be heavier and more complex, with deeper plowing."
"I have observed that among the 20 cows we brought, 12 are dairy cows and 8 are oxen, of which 3 are still in good physical condition after the long march. If we feed them a meal of rich fodder tonight, they can start plowing the fields tomorrow. If you can find a few Dragon Blood Stones, it would further strengthen the oxen, allowing them to pull the plow longer."
The technology level of the Empire is not actually low. Inside the Empire, there is a School of Engineering, which sometimes exchanges with Dwarf engineers, so some farming tools are not lacking.
Most of the land in this world is owned by noble lords, who are generous in providing serfs with tools to increase the grain yield of their fiefs.
This kind of Nord wheeled heavy plow is somewhat similar to the Saxon heavy plow on Earth’s predecessor, named after being invented in the Nord Elector’s Territory. The climate of the Nord Territory is similar to Saxon, being a high-cold area in the north, with hard land and moist soil due to ocean winds blowing in from the ocean.
In this not-so-prosperous land, both lords and farmers are in a predicament of tool scarcity, with most farmers not even owning a hoe, let alone other tools. Necessity is the mother of invention, which led to the creation of this efficient agricultural tool made mainly of sturdy white waxwood or black fir wood, with only the plowshare made of iron, capable of cutting through sticky, compacted soil, severing the roots of plants growing horizontally in the soil, paving the way for the plow moldboard. Deep plow blades follow behind, turning the soil over.
If tomorrow the oxen recover their strength, the two heavy plows joining the land reclamation process could indeed greatly increase the speed of farmland reclamation.
"Dragon Blood Stone?" Su Li nodded, saying, "I will remember, if I encounter such a thing, I will definitely not miss it."
The Dragon Blood Stone is said to be a type of ruby formed by dragon blood splattering onto rocks, possessing powerful effects. When carried, it is influenced by the aura of a giant dragon, making the body bigger and stronger, highly favored by knights, nobles, and ladies. Knights carry it to enhance their cultivation speed, while nobles often use it under their beds to enhance their prowess with noblewomen. Of course, a broad-minded lady would also thoughtfully prepare a Dragon Blood Stone for her lover.
It is said that in auctions, such a gemstone can fetch a price ranging from 20 to 1000 gold coins, depending entirely on whether a generous noble willing to spend extravagantly is encountered.
However, this thing is not exactly rare and can be found in deep mountains and dense forests because there are quite a few giant dragons in this world, and they are very greedy and aggressive, often getting injured. This is why adventurers and mercenaries frequently leave the fertile plains to explore the forests and mountains.
In some remote territories, such gemstones are quite numerous. They might be tied to a cow’s nose or a warhorse’s neck to make them stronger, which also gives rise to many cattle thieves and horse thieves.
Then Su Li summarized and asked Vandar, "So you are now in need of at least 100 iron tools and two Dragon Blood Stones to speed up reclaiming wasteland, correct? But to increase the grain yield, besides the farmland area, isn’t the yield per acre also very important? Apart from meticulous cultivation, doesn’t the Dawn Church have any other methods?"
Vandar frowned, shook his head, and said, "As it stands, I have not received any divine revelation, and the conditions for increasing per-acre yield might be difficult to meet. Does the Lord have any good suggestions?"
Does this world not even have composting technology?
Su Li immediately felt a surge of spirit. As for how to farm, this was practically embedded in his bones!
In that red era, fertilizers and water conservancy facilities greatly enhanced agricultural development levels.
Given the territory’s current manpower and tool situation, large-scale water conservancy projects are difficult to achieve in a few days.
He immediately spoke eloquently, "Then you might consider using composting techniques. I read about such a scheme in an ancient book."