After listening to Cao Xian's words, Yuan Xi thought that this was indeed the case. If it weren't for the catchy words and simple words, it would be difficult for this kind of ballad to spread among the people orally.
Cao Xian added: "In the month when the young master was out working in the fields, several craftsmen came over one after another with drawings of improved plows."
"After Sister Wu Zhao and several officials looked at it, they felt that two of them were the most likely, so they asked the craftsmen to go back and make real objects, and both of them were rewarded."
"However, during the production process, the craftsmen found that there were still many problems, so they revised the drawings several times, and the actual product has not yet been produced."
"But if you count the time, it's almost time."
Yuan Xi thought that technological improvement was not that simple after all. He just proposed an idea, and if he wanted to make it into a physical object, there would be a lot of twists and turns in the process.
His idea was very simple: how to improve the straight shaft plow into a curved shaft plow.
In his previous life, he had never plowed the land, so he didn't know much about the principles of the curved shaft plow.
I only know that the plowshare can rotate, can turn left and right, and can also adjust the angle up and down, which not only saves power when cultivating, but also helps in deep plowing.
But when it comes to actual production, craftsmen have to spend a lot of time.
A straight-shaft plow only needs some wooden strips to be nailed together and a layer of iron sheet to be wrapped on the plow head. A carpenter can almost complete it independently.
But the curved shaft plow is different. Not only is the curved shaft difficult to handle, but several joints need to be connected with iron parts.
Because moving parts wear out faster, higher requirements are placed on materials.
Moreover, Yuan Xi only remembered that the Quyuan plow had more than a dozen parts, but he had no idea what the functions of each part were.
It seems simple, but it requires improvement by carpenters and blacksmiths to make a finished product that meets the expectations.
From the initial conception to the realization of the Quyuuli, later generations were slowly formed over hundreds of years. Now, starting from scratch will certainly not be so smooth.
Although Yuan Xi had been mentally prepared, he still felt a little bit frustrated.
Too slow!
Normally, that would be fine, but these few years have been a time when he is scrambling for time. If spring plowing is not used this time, he will have to wait for autumn planting. Fortunately, there are fertile fields and fertile soil everywhere now, so it will not have much impact.
However, Cao Xian later said that another idea has already begun to take shape.
Tube cart.
Yuan Xi looked happy after hearing this. Although this cart consumes quite a lot of materials, it has a simple principle and does not require manpower. This is quite suitable for areas where labor is in short supply.
The so-called barrel cart is an irrigation device, shaped like a wheel, with a bamboo tube hanging on each spoke, which can lift water to high places.
Place it next to the rushing river, use the power of the water flow to turn the wooden wheel, and at the highest point, the bamboo tube is dumped into the water tank next to it, and then flows into the farmland.
The barrel cart may seem a bit flashy at first glance, but it actually plays a very important role.
One is that it can be irrigated automatically without the need for manual labor to carry water.
The second is more critical, as it does not require large-scale changes in topography.
If you want to get water from the river without manpower, you have to dig ditches and divert the water from the river.
If you do this, it will easily affect the downstream waterways, and when the river overflows, it will easily flood the farmland.
With the use of drum trucks to collect water, the number and width of trenches can be greatly reduced, saving a lot of manpower and material resources, making the river banks stronger, preventing river flooding, and ensuring a stable grain harvest.
Now Yuan Xi only needs to dig ditches every few miles to irrigate the farmland farthest from the river, and can make full use of dozens of miles of land on both sides of the river.
Cao Xian twisted his body and said: "A few days ago, because of the digging of ditches, General Qu and General Taishi both sent people to deliver letters."
"If we continue to dig like this, the large fields around the three cities will be filled with ditches every ten or even several miles. The cavalry will not be able to charge at all. I ask the young master what we should do."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi smiled proudly and said: "Sure enough, they also noticed it. Yes, I did it on purpose."
After hearing this, Cao Xian didn't understand for a while. What did it mean?
Can't get along with yourself?
Wu Zhao's voice rang out, "So that's it. I've vaguely figured it out. The young master actually played a big game of chess."
Yuan Xi quickly withdrew his hands from the linen clothes around Cao Xian's waist. Cao Xian did not expect Wu Zhao to come over so quickly, and his face turned red.
Wu Zhao said in a condescending manner, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but General Zhao Yun is waiting outside. I was afraid of delaying the matter, so I came over and told the young master."
When Yuan Xi heard this, he quickly jumped out of the barrel, took the linen cloth from Cao Xian's hand, and wiped his body clean.
When the two girls saw each other, their faces became even redder.
Yuan Xi got dressed and went out, and saw Zhao Yun waiting outside, saying the same thing.
When several cavalrymen were training, their horses almost fell into a ditch that had not yet been dug as soon as they ran for more than a mile. They came back and complained to Zhao Yun, saying that the horses would be easily injured if they went on like this and there were ditches all over the place.
Moreover, in a war like this, the cavalry has no use at all. Will they not be needed in the future?
When Yuan Xi saw that apart from himself and Zhao Yun, the only people present were Wu Zhao and Cao Xian, he said: "That's true. This is my original intention."
Zhao Yun was stunned. The two women had heard of it before, so they were not that surprised.
However, Cao Xian still hasn't figured out why, and suddenly his big eyes flashed with curiosity on his face.
Yuan Xi said to Zhao Yun: "Brother Zilong, when we made a bet to intercept the Xiongnu, was it cost-effective for the cavalry to charge into the formation?"
Zhao Yun hesitated and said, "Young Master also saw it that day. The cavalry charging into the formation that day was a helpless move."
"It's good that the young master's cavalry is equipped with full armor, but my cavalry here is all lightly armored and leather-clad, focusing on long-range flank shooting. It's actually a loss to fight the enemy head-on."
"It's a good thing that the Huns didn't have full armor at that time. Otherwise, light armor would definitely be at a disadvantage against heavy armor."
Yuan Xi nodded. The greatest advantage of cavalry is not in charging into formation, but in mobility.
By harassing the enemy's flanks and rear, it reduces the strength of the soldiers and creates opportunities for the main infantry.
Letting the cavalry charge into battle, if the opponent is well-defended, is almost tantamount to risking death, just like when Baima Yicong met Qu Yi's first-death warrior.
Cavalry is not invincible.
A rather incredible fact is that even if stirrups appeared in later generations, the armor would still be complete and cavalry would not have an advantage when fighting infantry.
All generals who are proficient in the art of war understand that heavy cavalry cannot defeat heavy infantry!
The most typical example is Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
Contrary to what most people imagine, the horses ridden by tigers and leopards are used most of the time to travel. When they actually engage in battle with the enemy, they often dismount to fight.
The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were famous for their quick movements. Under the leadership of Cao Chun, they once traveled three hundred miles a day to rush to the battlefield. The most typical one was the Battle of Changban to pursue Liu Bei.
This kind of march extremely exhausts the physical strength of the horses. Even if the three horses are rotated, it is unlikely that there will be any energy left to rush into the formation in the end.
Therefore, the horses at this time were all using fast maneuvers to chase the enemy. If there was a real fight, the tiger and leopard riders would often dismount to form a formation, or directly charge into the formation, and then dismount to engage the enemy.
Yuan Xi said to Zhao Yun: "Just looking at the number of horses and cavalry, we occupy the entire territory of Youzhou. How many cavalry can we afford, and how much food and grass will it cost?"
"Even so, in terms of numbers alone, can they compare to the Southern Huns who claim to control hundreds of thousands of people?"
"Not to mention Wuhuan and Xianbei, who are more numerous. We have to raise equal cavalry to fight against them. The entire Han Dynasty is okay. How can Youzhou alone do it?"
"Don't talk about the future, just say that Gongsun Zan still has thousands of white-horse loyal followers. It will be difficult for us to deal with it now, right?"
Zhao Yun felt the same after hearing this.
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "So I was worried a few days ago. If I really captured Youzhou and faced the Wuhuan Xianbei outside the pass and the Gongsundu family in Liaodong, would I have to raise a large number of horses to guard against the unknown?
When will the enemy appear?"
"Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, how to prevent foreign tribes from harassing the mainland has been a difficult problem."
"Then one day, I suddenly figured it out."
"We can't raise horses, but we can dig rivers and trenches."
"If I go in the opposite direction and dig ditches while occupying the city, I only need to dig all of Youzhou into fertile farmland with crisscrossed rivers and canals, and supplement it with fortified cities and strongholds to block the main roads. No matter how many cavalry come from the opposite side, they still have to dismount.
Fight?"
"When the time comes, will they be able to match our well-trained heavy infantry?"
"In this way, their cavalry cannot attack them, but our cavalry can break into their hinterland at any time and retaliate in kind!"
After hearing this, Zhao Yun suddenly realized: "That's it!"
Only then did Cao Xian realize. She glanced at Wu Zhao secretly, and the other party understood the young master's thoughts so quickly!
Yuan Xi smiled proudly, the nomads harassed them very hard, right? They brought the other party down to the same level as himself!
Yuan Xi was inspired by it because he discovered some interesting facts when he was reading history.
When the Jurchens of later generations rose in Liaodong, they issued an order strictly prohibiting the cultivation of rice.
At that time, Yuan Xi didn't understand why this mattered. Did the Jurchens not like to eat rice?
Later he figured out that growing rice required digging rivers and ditches, and the rice fields were full of water, making the cavalry unable to play its role!
This is a fatal blow to the nomadic people who mainly ride and shoot.
In this way, you only need to build a fortified city in Youzhou, erect strongholds on key areas, divide them by rivers and canals, and use much less food and grass costs to raise infantry for defense!
The saved horses and cavalry can be used to fight for hegemony in the Central Plains!
Yuan Xi finally laughed and said: "Everyone thinks Youzhou is a bad place because although there are many resources, it is difficult to defend against nomads."
"Only in my eyes, Youzhou is a treasure land."
"As long as we dig and attack at the same time and gradually encroach, sooner or later we will build Youzhou into the strongest defense line in the North.
"By cooperating with the Great Wall, foreigners will no longer be able to easily take advantage of the Central Plains!"
Dig Youzhou into a big fortress so that no one from outside can come in, but people inside can leave at any time.
Although this may take years or decades to complete, once it is successful, its significance will be extremely important for protecting foreigners. This is the romance of doing civil engineering.
Zhao Yun nodded: "But the manpower and material resources required to dig trenches are huge."
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "So I want to mobilize everyone. This is not just about giving money and food to make people willing to do it, but also giving them a huge motivation."
"That's why I started in Three Cities, spreading nursery rhymes about me."
Only then did the three people realize that no wonder Yuan Xi asked Wu Zhao to write another nursery rhyme.
"Thousands of rivers will bloom, Youzhou will be settled, thousands of canals will grow, and the world will be at peace!"
Nothing Yuan Xi did was without purpose, all the links were connected!