After waiting for almost half a month, I was finally able to walk on the ground.
The snow outside has basically melted, and except for the dark places, there is basically no snow left.
The Tengshe people who had stayed in the tribe for a whole winter also started to become active. Although it was not the best time for hunting yet, Shi Meng had already started to lead people to clear the surrounding areas of the tribe.
This is something that needs to be done every year. Before winter and after mid-winter, you have to walk around the tribe. There is no other purpose. The main purpose is to deal with some ferocious beasts that suddenly appear.
The people who move around the tribe are mainly women, the elderly and children. Compared with the hunting team, the combat effectiveness is still relatively poor, especially when dealing with wild beasts.
There will inevitably be casualties when facing ferocious beasts, so it is best to avoid this situation as much as possible.
However, it is only a preliminary visit now. It is estimated that most of the wild animals have just begun to complete hibernation, and not many come out to move around.
There is nothing to eat in the wild. It still takes a while for the young grass shoots to grow, and there are naturally few herbivores.
In addition to the previous hunting direction this year, Song Xuan also asked Shi Meng and others to focus on dealing with the wild beasts in the mountains near the rice fields. This is also because they are worried that after the rice is planted, it will be destroyed by some wild beasts. The mud in the fields is a problem for many wild beasts. It's still quite attractive.
Although spring has begun, the fields are still not suitable for cultivation. The surface soil is fine, but the soil below is still a bit hard and relatively humid before noon, so forced cultivation is very laborious.
Although it cannot be dug in a large area, it is still possible to try the plow in the tribe.
The cow has not been trained yet, and this is the first time Song Xuan is going to test the waters with Uncle Deer.
"Yo~"
After eating, Uncle Lu was still very obedient and allowed Song Xuan to pull him across the river.
This area has become a place for it to have fun after spring. Although there is no tender grass to eat, it is spacious enough.
Except for the roots of the big tree that still exist on the surface, the rest is too obvious, and Uncle Lu and his family can let them have fun on it.
In winter, Song Xuan had experimented with Uncle Deer, so he didn't particularly object to the noose on his body, but he just shook his head with some dissatisfaction.
"Yo hum~"
Although the Quyuan plow was no longer a problem to use in winter, Song Xuan still moved out both plows this time.
As long as the Quyuan plow is easy to use, if it's not easy to use, you can still use an ordinary plow to make up the difference. After all, if it doesn't succeed, the subsequent adjustment time will be uncertain. This can be regarded as a guarantee plan. But the main thing I tried this time was Quyuanli.
The piece of land Song Xuan chose was also the easiest to cultivate. There were no tree roots tangled underneath near the river bank. Most of them were weeds. After last year's burning, there were only some grass roots underground.
The further you go outside, the more trees there are, and naturally there will be more roots underneath. Even in the area that Teng She dealt with last year, he could only pick out some of the more outstanding ones, and they were all concentrated in a small circle around the trunk.
Trying to dig them all out is not realistic in this day and age.
Shi Ban was also very nervous on the side. After all, this was the first time Quyuan plow went into the field, and he also knew the importance of plow in future farming.
If it is not easy to use, it will be very troublesome to grow rice in the future. Now everyone in the tribe is very enthusiastic about rice. If they can only dig it little by little, it will be very stressful for many people. It got bigger.
Song Xuan comforted Uncle Lu for a while, while Shi Ban was responsible for the installation and debugging of the plow, and he also had to support the plow from behind.
"Angel, the plow is ready!"
Song Xuan turned around and saw that the plow had already penetrated into the ground, but it was not deep this time. According to what the two of them had discussed before, it would be better to go shallower at the beginning and slowly go from shallower to deeper.
"good!"
Seeing that everything was ready, Song Xuanbian patted Uncle Lu on the back and motioned him to move forward.
"Yo~"
Although Uncle Lu is usually quite arrogant, he still listens to Song Xuan very much. He probably knows the difference between a full meal and a full meal.
Under Song Xuan's command, he walked forward slowly. After all, all this was experienced in winter, and now it was just a change of place. Soon, the animal skin rope became straightened.
Song Xuan can also clearly see that Uncle Lu seems to be using more strength now than in winter.
Fortunately, the position of the plow was not deep, and although the speed was not fast, it was still moving forward. As Uncle Deer moved forward, the soil under the plow was quickly cut open.
But he didn't take more than two steps, and then he stopped suddenly. He tried to move forward twice, but couldn't pull it. He could only turn his huge head sideways and look at Song Xuan, probably saying:
What's going on?
"Angel, the plow suddenly became deeper!"
This is no wonder Uncle Lu. The depth of the plow was not well controlled and he plunged in suddenly. The resistance suddenly increased several times, so naturally it was difficult to pull.
Although Uncle Deer's size can be considered outstanding among the deer Song Xuan has seen, his two huge antlers alone can catch up with the size of an ordinary sika deer.
But after all, it is not a completely muscular body like an ox. If the plow penetrates too deep, it will be a little overpowered.
"Did you press the wooden handle just now?"
According to the previous design, the top wooden handle is used to control the depth of the plow. If you want it to be shallower, press it down slightly to tilt the plow blade a little. If you want it to be deeper, tilt it upward and press forward. That’s it.
"I'm holding on, but I can't control it!"
After all, it is the first time to use it, so it is normal to be unsure. The experimental area in the tribe was relatively small before, and Uncle Lu could only be allowed to walk a few steps, and it was basically over without even using it.
Although we didn't go far just now, we have already opened more than one meter, and the environment under the soil here must be much more complicated than what the tribe created artificially.
He tried several times in succession, but it was always intermittent. Even after Song Xuan got started, the results were similar. The furthest one was only seven or eight meters away.
The round piece of wood seemed not as easy to control as expected. Even if Song Xuan put his hands on it, it was difficult to control the sudden shaking.
The other parts are pretty good. Although the plow blade is made of polished stones, it has not caused any problems so far. It is basically the same as the design. The turned soil is divided directly along the stones behind it. both sides.
Not only did he use a lot of strength to travel twenty or thirty meters, but he was also pulled to a stop from time to time, which made Uncle Lu very unhappy.
At this time, he kept tapping the ground with his hooves.
Seeing that the main problem was how to control the sudden dive and rise of the plowed field, Song Xuan also had a direction for improvement in his mind. Uncle Lu was a little impatient, so he simply untied the rope from his body and patted him. His shoulder signaled that he could go.
"Yoha~..."
After exerting all his efforts, Uncle Lu snorted in dissatisfaction and walked towards the tribe with his head and tail wagging.
"God's envoy...this?"
"It's okay, just carry it back!"
Only half an hour after leaving, the two men returned to the tribe carrying the plow.
"Angel, can this still be used?"
There is no problem in normal use. The main thing is to strengthen its control. Since a piece of wood is difficult to control, then make a slight modification and add a crossbar at the rear. It will be easier to control the handlebar with two hands.
After listening to Song Xuan's plan, Shi Ban nodded thoughtfully, then took out the wood beside him and started processing it.
At least for the time being, except for this small problem, Quyuanli has no major problems in normal use.
Even if the plow is about ten centimeters deep, Uncle Deer can still pull it as long as it starts moving, but it will be very difficult at this time, and it can't be pulled very far.
However, in Song Chen's plan, this kind of work is not meant to be completed by just one person. When pulling, he can pair it with a female deer. Pulling two deer will be much easier in the future. The male and female are paired together, so the work is not tiring. Well, of course it’s not that difficult for a cow.
This time, just to save trouble, I only called Uncle Deer and a deer passed by, but luckily, with its strong physique, it performed quite well.
………………
Shi Meng did not take many people with him when he went out this time. After all, it was not far from the tribe and they were mainly concentrated within a radius of four to five miles.
There weren’t too many wild beasts to face. If you could meet a few, you were lucky. The area had been cleaned up several times, and even if there were any, they had suddenly broken in from below, so that night it was just a matter of luck. came back.
Shuiyun stayed in the tribe and led the people to start fishing for the first time this year.
Although the ground has only been dry for a few days, the river has long since thawed. Although the fish are not that active, it is not fishing. As long as there are fish in the river and they are in a position where everyone casts the net, it will be fine.
So after only a short while, everyone came back happily carrying the fish.
"Angel, hehe!"
Although the fish is not big, it is better than nothing. In the first year, the income was not much. In winter, he mainly relied on eating fish, which made Song Xuan a little tired of eating. This year is not bad, as it is fresh food, and the methods are richer. , Song Xuan never got tired of it.
But seeing Shuiyun, Song Xuan thought of another thing, that is, the Sheep Tribe who failed to participate in the exchange meeting last year.
Although they sent people to visit again later, they did not bring much food. At that time, the condition of the Sheep Tribe was not very good. Shuiyun failed to persuade him to join Teng She. At this time, he remembered that Song Xuan was also worried. , will there be any accidents in their tribe?
Although this year's winter is not particularly long, it is at a normal level, which is also a very big challenge for the sheep tribe.
Song Xuan was worried that they would not be able to survive such a winter, but the heavy snow soon came, and Teng She could not send anyone to check on their situation. Now that they were able to move, Song Xuan thought of them again.
Although the Sheep Tribe has a small population, there are at least twenty people, and half of them are adult males. This ratio is different from other tribes. The population of most tribes is relatively evenly distributed, with both men and women. It's almost the same.
The most important thing is that in Song Xuan's mind, the sheep tribe is a force that is relatively easy to win over. No matter how large its population is, mosquitoes are still meat no matter how small they are.
Now that he remembered it, Song Xuan decided to send someone over to check.
Although spring has begun, this time is still similar to winter in most tribes. Even if you go out, it is difficult to hunt enough prey. For most people, it is better to lie inside the tribe and wait for the weather to get warmer. Some, on the contrary, will be more reasonable.
So if winter starts with the snow, it will last about three or four months, but if you add both before and after, it will take at least four or five months.
For a normal tribe, it is enough to save enough food for the winter in the remaining time, but this is still a big challenge for the Sheep Tribe. At least from the information obtained from the last visit to their tribe last year, Song Xuan I feel that even if they save repeatedly, they may not be able to survive the hunt successfully.
Neither Shi Meng nor Shi Yong were in the tribe, and Shui Yun was the most familiar with this route, so Song Xuan decided to send Shui Yun over to take a look.
It just so happens that there is no shortage of manpower in the tribe now, so they can afford it in the tribe.
"Shuiyun, do you remember the Sheep Tribe?"
"Huh? Divine envoy, what's wrong?"
After a winter of study, Shuiyun's speaking ability has also improved a lot, at least now it is not as jerky as before.
Nowadays, except for children in the tribe, communication is basically done without handwriting.
“I don’t know if the Sheep Tribe is still alive, and they didn’t come even if I asked them to come last year!”
Last year, Shuiyun failed to call the Sheep Tribe over, and this matter was always on his mind.
"So I want you to take people to see it again, and if the food is not enough, give them some more!"
"ah?"
Shuiyun was very surprised when he heard what Song Xuan said.
He was the first person to learn about Song Xuan's generosity, but Song Xuan's image suddenly grew stronger in his mind.
I originally thought that Song Xuan just showed a little concern for the Sheep Tribe, but I didn't expect that Song Xuan would directly ask him to send more food.
"Angel, this?"
Song Xuan naturally knew what he was thinking in his heart. For most people, doing this would undoubtedly be a hot-face but a cold-butt, especially since the Sheep Tribe didn't show much kindness last year.
But the icing on the cake can't be as real as providing help in times of crisis. If the Sheep Tribe is in crisis at this time, Teng Snake's move will still be of great help to them.
Even if they survive until now, Teng She will only lose a few people for ten days, which is not a big problem.
"It's okay, just pick a few people, pack up, and set off tomorrow!"
Seeing Song Xuan's decision, Shuiyun looked at him with great respect and began to arrange the manpower. This time, he focused on going quickly and returning quickly, so he chose the ones who were better at rowing.
Song Xuan didn't let them bring too much food. Although there was no shortage of food in the tribe, for the sake of safety, they still had to keep a month or two's supply in case of emergencies.
In this way, only seven or eight hundred catties can be given to the sheep tribe. This food can last them for at least more than a month.
But for Teng She, it only lasts for seven or eight days, and it is better to save food. If it is consumed normally, it will be finished in four or five days.
In addition to the huge difference in population, most people here in Tengshe are in a state of activity. If they consume more, we have to replenish it by eating more.
I believe that at this time, no tribe can be as active as Soaring Snake. They are moving around as soon as spring begins.
Shuiyun originally decided to go there with only four people in a boat, but Song Xuan thought about it and decided to let him take two more people and row two boats together, firstly for safety along the way.
Secondly, if there are more boats, it will be less crowded to load things. After all, this journey does not take long. In addition to food, you must bring enough daily necessities.
Firewood, tents, and bedding all had to be arranged. Although it was already the beginning of spring, the temperature at night was still very low, which was okay in the tribe. The fire in the house was even a little hot.
There are not such good conditions in the wild, especially when you have to camp outside. The more things you prepare, the conditions will naturally be better. Since the tribe has this strength, there is no need to live too hard.
Moreover, the two boats can also share the weight, and the speed can be increased somewhat, at least using less effort.
After Shi Meng and Shi Yong came back, they learned about the arrangements and had no objections. Compared with Shui Yun, they were able to understand Song Xuan's thoughts better. Song Xuan would sometimes mention future arrangements.
Especially the part related to the Karasuba tribe, they both attach great importance to it. Although Shuiyun and the others also care about Karasuba, not only do they not understand Karasuba's strength, at least not as deeply as Soaring Snake.
Even because Teng Snake had defeated Wu Yu, he felt that Teng Snake was also very powerful, but the truth about Teng Snake was very clear.
The population gap alone is a chasm that Teng She can hardly cross, let alone combat experience. Karasuba is richer than Teng She.
Therefore, it has long been the consensus of Soaring Snake to recruit as many manpower as possible.
Early the next morning, I took a few other people with me, took two canoes, and headed downstream.
Since there has been a lot of snow throughout the winter, the water level is also very high and the flow rate is not slow, which is a good thing for going downstream. Of course, there are good and bad things, and it will be more difficult to come back.
However, the purpose of Tengshe at this time is to arrive quickly. The current flow speed can save at least half a day. If everyone works harder, it is not impossible to even arrive a day or two earlier.
This trip would take more than ten days, and Song Xuan could only wait quietly, hoping that nothing unexpected would happen to the Sheep Tribe.
Even if the food is not enough, I hope they will still be alive when Shuiyun arrives, otherwise they will be at a loss.
But it was hard to say. Song Xuan was very skeptical from the beginning about whether they could survive the winter, let alone survive the winter. Not only did they have to deal with a worry, they also lacked food and supplies. No, heating was still needed most of the time, and Song Xuan didn't think the sheep tribe had enough time to collect dry firewood.
………………
In just two days, Shi Ban modified the curved shaft plow. In addition to adding a handle behind the wooden handle, Shi Ban also made the main piece of wood thicker.
Although it has become heavier, it feels a lot more stable in your hand.
This experiment was very good. Although the two people were not particularly familiar with each other, the plowed ground was always crooked, but the sudden deepening or shallowing like before rarely happened.
The speed is not as fast as Song Xuan remembered, but compared with the digging bit by bit by humans, it can be said to be a revolutionary change.
The only disadvantage is naturally that the plow can only excavate areas without many tree roots. Once it encounters an obstacle, it will be very difficult to move forward. The small grass roots have not much impact, but as long as the roots are slightly thicker, the wood can be used The plow couldn't handle it.
But this is something Song Xuan has known for a long time. At least except for the first time of reclamation, having a plow later will speed up everyone's speed.
Especially in the future, planting will be much more convenient. One ox and one plow is equivalent to the speed of a dozen or twenty people.
"Okay, let's change it according to this. Try to get it all done these days and it will be ready for use in a while!"
"Okay, angel!"
As time goes by, the land has gradually reached a state that can be cultivated. If it is just a simple assembly, it will not take long, but after all, it still needs some adjustment, so it still takes more time to get it right.
Shi Ban also asked Gong Yi and others to join in. There was no secret about the plow Songxuan. The main reason was that the plow was relatively large and the structure was not complicated. The main difficulty was in the details. If it was really necessary, it would be done soon. You can figure it out.
For most tribes, there is really no need for plows. After all, even the former Teng She found it difficult to understand Song Xuan's practice of burning and digging, expending all his efforts, and finally harvesting a small amount of food. .
The same is true for most tribes today. Even if Song Xuan told them that it was edible, few tribes would be able to make up their minds to open up large areas of open land for growing rice.
Compared with hunting, planting is not intuitive, and the efficiency does not seem to be fast, unless there are a large number of seeds for the first time, but a large number of seeds means a large amount of investment, which most tribes still cannot afford.
Since no one knows how to do it, there is no need to hide it, and Song Xuan has also received seeds that are relatively easy to find around. When exchanging with other tribes, rice seeds were also the most important type, and they were relatively It is very intuitive. After all, it was proposed by Teng She alone, so the surrounding tribes were also more concerned about it. They basically brought people from around their own tribe over. Of course, the things Song Xuan exchanged for them were also impressive. Just very satisfied, both parties seemed relatively happy.
If other tribes want to develop cultivation, they can only start on a small scale like Teng She did the first time. For them, it is better to go hunting in the mountains, and what they hunt can be eaten immediately. superior.
