In the spring of March, everything revives.
Zuoying ushered in two major events.
One is that the last batch of soldiers working at Chaoguan Wharf returned and were replenished in the military camp.
At this point, all three thousand troops of Zuoying had arrived.
Zuo Menggeng completely broke up the original organization, and mixed and reorganized veterans and recruits.
In this way, veterans who have received training in advance can help and guide new recruits, greatly reducing the training pressure.
The veterans who received early training were awarded different military ranks accordingly after training and assessment, and began to serve as middle and lower-level officers and non-commissioned officers in the army.
There are more than a thousand veterans who have received training for more than three months, and there are also more than a thousand complete recruits.
In this way, basically one veteran can lead two new recruits.
In this way, the entire army can have combat effectiveness as soon as possible.
Every day on the school field, it is not uncommon for veterans to yell, scold and beat recruits, which has become the only way for recruits to progress.
This time is the most important period for Zuoying.
Zuo Mengeng didn't go anywhere, he just stayed in the military camp, eating, living and training with all the officers and soldiers, setting an example in everything.
Under his example, all the officers followed suit, and the recruits quickly settled down, accepted the training in the military camp, and became qualified soldiers step by step.
The first batch of 400 flash cap guns have been delivered to the gun factory, and the rejection rate is very gratifying, only one percent.
Zuo Menggeng distributed these four hundred muskets evenly among the four infantry brigades. Let the veterans master it first, and then teach it to the new recruits.
On the school grounds of Zuoying, the roar of muskets finally sounded.
The recruits looked at the power of the muskets, and some were so frightened that they peed. But when they think about the near future, they will also be able to possess such weapons, their enthusiasm for training becomes unprecedentedly high.
"Remember the whistle, don't hear it wrong. One whistle means formation, two whistles means raising the gun, and three whistles means firing. Do you understand?"
The first shooting training class was hosted by Zuo Mengeng himself.
A squadron of veterans lined up, each with a musket, all eager to try.
Regarding Zuo Ying's command method, Zuo Mengeng thought for a long time and adopted a method that combined horns and whistles. For large-scale command, semaphores are used.
The use of drums as a command was canceled by him.
The sound of the Chinese drum is dull, which would be fine if it were a cold weapon battlefield. But once the guns and guns are fired, the soldiers are likely not to hear them.
He had no intention of getting a Western-style snare drum, so he asked craftsmen to make a whistle.
Don't make this thing too simple, just use iron sheets.
The sound of the whistle is sharp and can be heard clearly in even the most complicated environment.
After the officers got the trial, they all applauded.
At this point, the whistle has become a tool for grassroots command in Zuoying.
For example, when the array is firing, the squadron is commanding with a whistle. One, two, three and long sounds have different meanings, which are enough for the soldiers to understand and obey.
For larger operations, a trumpet is used, that is, a charge horn.
The so-called tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
No matter how large the battlefield is, voice will be insufficient as a command.
What is needed at this time is a flag.
Zuo Mengeng didn't make any semaphores in a coquettish way.
The battlefield is chaotic and changeable, and no one can always keep an eye on the command center's flags.
If you miss a move, it will be great fun.
Therefore, the semaphore of Houying is distinguished by color.
This method is the simplest and most direct, and will not let the troops below miss the information.
Another big event is over at Zuozhuang.
That is spring plowing.
Food is the most important thing for the people, and no one dares to ignore the important task of farming.
Shandong's agriculture is based on three crops every two years and mainly mixed crops.
There were already crops in the fields in Zuozhuang.
That was the barley and wheat planted by the former owner Feng Yuan when he was away.
After a winter, the wheat seedlings have grown a lot and are beginning to mature.
In February, Lao Qintou came to Zuo Mengeng and mentioned the irrigation issue. Zuo Mengeng took the decision personally and approved two waterwheels for Zuozhuang.
Nowadays, this waterwheel has been put to great use. It lifts water from the river and flows into the wheat fields along the winding canals, which greatly alleviates the drought.
People who were not busy in the village were also mobilized and began to plow the vacant land in preparation for planting.
Most of the crops planted at this time were sorghum, millet, soybeans, millet and other crops.
"Don't plant so much, it will be difficult for management. We only plant one kind, and that is soybeans."
Accompanied by Lao Qintou and Chen Zhi, Zuo Mengeng inspected the farmland conditions and put forward ideas.
Lao Qintou was a little hesitant, but it was a matter of great importance and he had to say it.
"Master, the fields can be planted with mixed crops. It would be a waste of land to only plant soybeans. In autumn, I'm afraid the harvest will be much less."
Zuo Mengeng didn't see it that way.
"We have very little land, so if we plant everything, our harvests will be small. It is better to specialize in planting and increase the yield of a single crop."
He pointed to the wheat field and said: "Next year, we won't plant barley anymore, and we will focus on wheat."
Although the maturity period of barley is in May, which is much earlier than the summer solstice harvest of wheat, and the cultivated land can be used for other purposes in advance, the nutritional content, yield, taste, etc. of barley are all insufficient, and it is far less practical than wheat.
Seeing that he wanted to change even this, Lao Qin was very worried.
"Master, you can't do that. We don't have much farmland in Zhuangzi. If we do this again, many people will go hungry."
Zuo Mengeng laughed loudly.
"Old Uncle Qin, you don't think that more than 10,000 of us have to live on this little land, do you?"
"this……"
Old Qintou was asked.
As farmers all their lives, what they hate most is that their fields are wasted, and they wish they could plant crops on every inch of the land.
But what Zuo Mengeng said is also true.
The entire Zuozhuang only has a thousand acres of land, and no matter how intensively it is cultivated, it is impossible to provide food for more than 10,000 people. There is also a military camp, which is a big consumer of food.
Lao Qin was anxious and kept stamping his feet.
"How can we fix it?"
Zuo Mengeng comforted him.
"What else can we do? Let's buy some food."
In fact, most of Zuozhuang's current rations are purchased from outside.
Although it costs a lot, there is no other way.
Fortunately, with the support of the major families in Linqing, it would be convenient for Zuo Menggeng to buy food.
Lao Qintou was very dissatisfied with this situation.
"What's the point of buying grain all the time? Master, I heard that you have made a lot of money. How about... why don't we buy more land? We farmers have plenty of strength, and we can plant more land."
Zuo Mengeng's head was covered with black lines.
"It's hard to buy land now, and besides, money is of great use. Let's talk about it later."
How to buy land?
No amount of money is enough.
There is no joy in grabbing land.
When Zuo Menggen came here, in addition to planning crop planting, he also had another important matter.
He took the baggage and handed it to Chen Zhi.
"These are Western crops. It is said that the yield per acre is amazing, and they are drought-resistant and do not require too much water for irrigation. Find a few open spaces in the village and try planting them to see the effect. If possible, we will promote planting next year .”
Hearing that it was a new crop, Chen Zhi couldn't help but be cautious.
"Is there a way?"
Zuo Menggen handed Xu Guangqi's manuscript to him.
"This is the crop planting method written by Xu Xuanhu Gong himself. Take it and study it carefully and teach it to everyone."
When Chen Zhi heard that it was Xu Guangqi's manuscript, Chen Zhi's eyes gleamed, as if he had received a treasure.
"When I go back, I will make a copy of Duke Xuan Hu's handwriting. I have to keep it safe personally."
Zuo Mengeng didn't take it seriously at first, thinking it was just a farming book. At this time, Chen Zhi reminded me that I realized what Xu Guangqi's autographed manuscript meant.
If this is obtained hundreds of years later, the original copy of "The Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" will be priceless.
Then think about who among the familiar people has relatively high historical value. When the time comes, one person will have a collection of manuscripts. In the future, future generations will not have to worry about food and drink even if they rely on these.
Regarding the trial planting of Western crops, Zuo Mengeng gave very careful instructions.
"When you are tending these crops, you must record them in detail and write down your experiences. Even if you fail this time, it can become experience."
Because the ancient farmers had no culture, many valuable experiences could not be passed on.
This is also the reason why agricultural development is slow.
However, the agricultural field is Zuo Mengeng's weakness. The only thing he knows is that potatoes and corn can effectively alleviate the food crisis.
As for how to adapt these species from the Americas to China's land and climate, we can only leave it to local farmers.
Although the scholars in Zhuangzi do not understand planting, they can help record and obtain first-hand precious information.
When more people with knowledge join agriculture in the future, it will be an opportunity for great development.
Zuo Mengeng also has ideas about planting streamlined open spaces.
"We can organize everyone to grow more vegetables, which will grow and harvest quickly. It can effectively enrich everyone's table and make up for part of the food consumption."
Ancient agriculture focused more on staple foods and neglected the cultivation of vegetables.
The climate in the south is mild and mild, and the natural production of vegetables is abundant. But in the north, people's diet is much more monotonous.
Zuo Mengeng felt that this situation should be changed.
