The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 100: Improving the Soil

The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 100: Improving the Soil

The entrance to Gaojia Fortress bustled with activity.
An endless procession of transport teams arrived from the county seat.
Liang Shixian had personally vowed “not a single grain would be embezzled,” fueling his intense focus on the matter.
It was the first day of grain shipments. Riding his horse, he arrived alongside his scribe, guards, and the grain convoy, standing before Gaojia Fortress’ gate. One by one, wagons entered the fortress, loaded with flour, then exited.
“This Li Family’s strength is truly unfathomable,” the scribe murmured beside him. “This is the thirtieth wagon already. Unbelievable.”
Liang Shixian nodded inwardly: Descendants of the Tang Dynasty royalty, a clan with roots stretching millennia—how could they be lacking? That such a grand lineage extends its aid to me is incredible luck. Without it, I’d have been ensnared in a fatal trap and doomed by the Eunuch Party.
After precisely forty wagons had departed, Thirty-Two emerged from the fortress. Clasping his hands respectfully, he addressed Liang Shixian: “County Lord, we of the Li Family have delivered the promised forty wagons of flour today. The rest now depends on your capacity to relieve the people’s suffering.”
Liang Shixian returned the gesture, his expression grave. “This official will personally oversee this grain. Should any dare to embezzle even a morsel, execution will be their fate, no leniency granted.”
Thirty-Two smiled slightly. “The countless eyes of Chengcheng County’s people are fixed upon you, County Lord. If you prove upright, you will win their devotion. If not… Heh…”
Liang Shixian retorted proudly, “If I were to steal even a grain from this relief grain, may the heavens strike me down with lightning, and let me die a wretched death.”
Thirty-Two saluted. “Then we leave it to you.”
Liang Shixian tugged the reins of his horse with a proud air and rode off with the grain convoy.
Meanwhile, Li Daoxuan was preoccupied with autumn wheat.
As the time approached for autumn wheat sowing in Gaojia Village, this ‘city kid,’ who couldn’t tell grains apart, found the whole process fascinating.
He adjusted his view over the village’s wheat fields within the miniature world. An array of cameras—long lenses and all—pointed through the glass at the fields below.
Opening his laptop, he searched for information on autumn wheat cultivation and read intently: “Ah, first comes deep plowing…”
He peered down at the tiny figures. Gao Chuwu was helping his parents plow their field, his ox-like strength turning the soil with ease.
“Seems basic knowledge like deep plowing is second nature to them, a hundred times over. No need to teach them,” Li Daoxuan tapped his forehead, chuckling. “This is like teaching a fish to swim.”
Damn it, Thirty-Two’s rubbed off on me. I’m done.
He skimmed past the traditional farming advice online—those farmers clearly knew far more than he ever could. Only when he reached chemical fertilizers did his focus sharpen.
“The soil PH needs to be around 6.5? How the hell do I even figure that out?”
He frantically searched again and discovered instruments sold at gardening stores specifically for testing soil pH.
Adjusting soil pH required all sorts of chaotic equipment: potassium sulfate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, sheep manure, microbial agents, and more.
The sheer complexity overwhelmed him.
Crap. Disaster. The villagers wished for more harvests this year. I thought buying them fertilizer would be simple, but now… Misusing it could be disastrous. Failing to deliver now would mean I’m no man at all.
Li Daoxuan’s ‘true man’ spirit blazed. Failure was not an option today.
Read every article!
Watch every video!
Phone that relative back in the countryside!
Post on military history forums… Forget that, those replies are useless anyway.
After exhausting every avenue, his country relative offered the most practical advice. After all, it was the laboring folk who battled on the frontlines; their experience was gold.
Armed with a pH probe bought from the gardening market, Li Daoxuan carefully inserted it into the miniature field below…
At that moment, Gao Chuwu’s family was toiling hard at plowing. Suddenly, a colossal silver pole descended from the heavens and plunged deep into their field with a resonant THUD.
The family froze in stunned silence: “Huh?”
Thankfully, they were residents of Gaojia Village, accustomed to strange celestial objects dropping without warning. Otherwise, such a sight would have scared them half to death.
Gao Chuwu raised his head skyward. “Deity, what kind of game is this? Is that giant pole the Golden Cudgel you borrowed from Sun Wukong?”
His parents hastily clapped a hand over his mouth. “Fool! Show proper respect when addressing the Deity!”
Li Daoxuan didn’t explain. Without Gao Yiye nearby, his voice was unheard. He focused on the probe’s LCD screen, which displayed: PH 7.5.
He immediately relayed the value to his country relative, describing the specific field conditions, surrounding environment, water sources, and every relevant detail.
After pondering, the relative replied in detail, outlining a solution along with precise fertilizer quantities.
Li Daoxuan calculated the exact size of the Gao Chuwu family’s plot, meticulously measured the required fertilizer amount, and only then summoned Gao Yiye: “Here is celestial fertilizer. Instruct Gao Chuwu’s family to measure precisely two jin of it—no more, no less. Dissolve it in water and irrigate their land. This autumn, their wheat will yield a bountiful harvest.”
Overjoyed, Gao Yiye rushed to Gao Chuwu’s home. “Chuwu! Chuwu! The Deity has bestowed celestial fertilizer upon your family! He promises you a bumper harvest this year!”
Gao Chuwu’s father was ecstatic. “We thank the Deity!”
To this middle-aged farmer, a fruitful field meant more security than anything else.
Great, one family’s field managed. On to the next.
Whish! Li Daoxuan extracted the probe. The Gao family watched in awe as the ‘Golden Cudgel’ rose into the sky before crashing down (THUD!) into another family’s plot.
Moments later, Gao Yiye ran to those farmers. “By the Deity’s command: Measure precisely three jin of this celestial fertilizer. Dissolve it in water and irrigate your entire field evenly. Understood?”
That family, too, burst into praise and gratitude towards the Deity.
Soil pH modification commenced across every field in Gaojia Village…
Villagers who had come from Zhengjia Village, Wangjia Village, Zhuangjia Village, and other neighboring settlements watched, eyes filled with longing, as the miraculous giant pole zipped from one field to another.
“Ah, these Gaojia villagers are blessed,” one sighed. “They have fields to sow. Our villages… there’s still no rain there… alas.”
Hearing their laments, Li Daoxuan paused momentarily, sighing inwardly: A pity. My haven’t expanded to your villages yet…
As the thought formed, he noticed the ‘Rescue Index’ display outside the miniature world suddenly flicker. It jumped sharply, climbing a whole 5 points in an instant.
Understanding dawned on Li Daoxuan: Liang Shixian had begun distributing congee.

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Chapter 100: Improving the Soil