weaving

Chapter 342: Shit Bully?

In the main hall of the official office of Dushikou Castle, Zhang Cheng had just appointed Jin Yong as the chief general and Chen Zhong as the deputy general, and sent troops to exterminate Zhao Shihu, the Muzha peak bandit. Neither Zhang Guangda nor Chen Zheng knew what Zhang Cheng's intention was, but I didn't dare to ask in public, so I had to give up temporarily.

Here, Zhang Cheng was drinking tea, his eyes stopped on Ma Zhongli and Feng Yuanshan, and he asked in a deep voice, "Ma Zhongli, what's the situation in terms of grazing horses, cattle and sheep on our North Road?"

Ma Zhongli was still very cautious, he bowed his body, swallowed again, and then replied: "Reporting to Admiral, there are a lot of woodland and pastures on the North Road, but the plots are a bit scattered.

So far, a total of 26 pastures have been built, of which only four are suitable for grazing horses, and the rest are for grazing cattle and sheep. Today, there are 470 horses, 310 cattle, and 890, [-] sheep. "

Zhang Cheng nodded, and said again: "Ma Zhongli, for the matter of herding cattle and sheep, you can choose the right person and entrust them to ranchers everywhere. You have to concentrate on the affairs of the horse farms, the breeding and herding of military horses is the most important thing." Your main responsibility.

Now if the cattle in various pastures are mature, you have to deliver them to Feng Yuanshan in time. His land reclamation and preparation for farming are just what he needs. Most of the horses and mules are used by the military, but they can no longer be used for farming.

Also, how are you preparing for herding camels? "

…………

In fact, among the frontier armies in the northwest of Ming Dynasty, camels are commonly used to carry military supplies. They are extremely capable of enduring hunger and thirst. They can survive for half a month without water, and can survive for as long as a month without food. .

The camels used by the Northwest Frontier Army of the Ming Dynasty were basically Bactrian camels. Their breeding costs were extremely low, and they could be used for riding, camel transportation, pulling carts, plowing, etc.

Camels can continue to be transported even when the weather is harsh and the supply of water and grass is insufficient. Their load is heavier than that of mules and horses. During short-distance transportation, they can carry nearly [-] catties and travel up to [-] to [-] miles a day.

Even for a long-distance march, camels can carry more than 80 catties of goods, and travel more than [-] miles a day. If they are aggressive, their maximum speed can reach more than [-] miles in an hour.

Moreover, camels mature very early, when they are four to five years old, and their life span can reach 35 to 40 years.

At the same time, camels shed more than ten catties of fur every year. Its structure is similar to cashmere, which can be collected and processed, and can also be used for spinning or knitting.

There is also camel milk that can be eaten, and camel meat can also be eaten. Its military value is higher than that of mules and horses, and its civilian value is not low.

…………

When Ma Zhongli saw that Zhang Cheng asked about herding camels, he couldn't help showing embarrassment. He said: "Reporting to my lord, these camels are not only used by various troops in Xuan Town, but also raised by people in the capital. They think they are used for transportation or farming. use.

But whether it's the capital or our Xuan Town, it's easy to find a breeder, but it's hard to find a breeder, and this camel only has one litter every two years, and the pregnancy alone lasts for a year. Moreover, this female camel only gave birth to one cub per litter, and it is rare to have two cubs in one litter. It is indeed not easy to reproduce! "

Zhang Cheng was also a little confused. In his previous life, he only knew that the camels were mostly used for tourists to take pictures in various scenic spots. Camels, mules and horses were no longer used in transportation, except in places with extremely harsh conditions.

Zhang Cheng heard about camel breeding for the first time. After thinking about it, he said, "Well, you can choose some experienced people here and try to breed them first, and then I will arrange some caravans to come in." Northwest and Beyond the Great Wall hire some people who know how to do this."

When he said this, he felt as if he had forgotten something. He lowered his head and pondered for a while, and then asked again: "Ma Zhongli, is there a regulation for raising livestock and poultry, and how is it handled now?"

"Reporting to Lord Admiral, these chickens and pigs are gathered together, and they are raised too much, and they are prone to plague, and ducks and geese need to find a place with water to breed them. Currently, the military households in each castle are scattered in their own yards. Autotrophic."

Zhang Cheng nodded. He knew what Ma Zhongli said was true. In this era, there is no concept of hygiene, and there is no veterinary medicine. If livestock and poultry get sick, it is not a trivial matter.

Even in later generations, airplanes are all in the sky, and the development of science and technology is not underdeveloped. When encountering chicken fever or swine fever, they still need to be slaughtered in a centralized manner and buried deep.

He immediately said: "Ma Zhongli, you can find some careful military households and raise a group of chickens and pigs in a fixed woodland. As long as the chicken coops and pig coops are cleaned regularly, it should be fine. Give it a try."

After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, without waiting for Ma Zhongli to agree, he turned his head to Feng Yuanshan, and said, "Feng Yuanshan, are things going well with you on reclaiming wasteland and preparing for farming?"

"Reporting to Lord Admiral, the land reclamation on the North Road has gone smoothly. Since your Excellency left the town on the North Road in early May, a total of 780 five hectares and 77 acres of wasteland have been opened up in various castles, and more than [-] miles of canals have been repaired.

In addition, the military settlement was investigated, and more than [-] hectares of military land were cleared. Although the yield of this newly opened wasteland is not high, it can roughly harvest more than [-] shi of wheat, plus the cleared more than [-] hectares. Ripe fields will increase their income by about [-] shi in the coming year. "

In the Ming Dynasty, one hectare was roughly equal to one hundred mu. The 780 hectares and 77 mu of newly reclaimed land were equal to 570 and seven mu of land. This, together with the original land, was more than sufficient to support [-] soldiers.

Zhang Cheng was quite happy about this, and he encouraged: "Yes, Feng Yuanshan, this matter of reclamation and cultivation is of great importance, and we must not neglect it in the slightest. Now the reclamation of wasteland and canal repair on Shangbei Road is coming to an end.

You can lead the reclamation team to Xiabei Road, where Mr. Jin and Mr. Yan are now checking the military households and farmland, and approving the number of troops in each fort. The matter of reclamation and canal repair should not be delayed.

In addition, how are the preparations for farming? The admiral also knows that no matter how good the crop is, it will grow without fat, and it is all stimulated by fertilizer. "

"What the admiral said is very true. This kind of crops is not a job that lazy people can do. There is no time to rest all year round. Now we have built small bunkers around our newly opened fields, and about every three households plant them. The field of about [-] mu shares a fertilized earthen pond.

These are all made of plant ash, mixed with the remains of birds, animals, fish, etc., adding human and livestock manure, adding green grass, and covering the soil with retting. Now they send special people to drive dung trucks to various pastures to collect livestock manure, but these are different. The excrement in the castle city is difficult to collect. "

Zhang Cheng asked with a puzzled face, "Why?"

Feng Yuanshan also had a tense expression on his face, as if there was something hard to say, he was sitting on the chair shaking his body back and forth, his face was flushed with suffocation.

"Dung bully!"

(End of this chapter)