Rome Must Perish-Chapter 324 - 203 Cultivating Land

Today marked the Agricultural Department’s first use of the experimental fields to teach tribesmen how to farm, so they approached the event with exceptional importance. Volenus personally oversaw the organization, splitting all the attending tribesmen into dozens of groups and having experienced Agricultural Department subordinates, Official Tribe Members, or Reserve Tribe Members provide explanations and demonstrations. He himself also took charge of explaining one of the groups.

"Do you know why the land must first be tilled before planting wheat?" Volenus asked the "students" gathered at the edge of the field.

The "students" learning in his group were far from ordinary. They included Spukala and Tetilipus, heroes credited with bridge construction; Pequot, a celebrated warrior; military leaders such as Fesaros, Tolirugo, and Camillus; as well as department heads Pigeris, Horace, Karina, and others.

Even seasoned Roman veterans like Flanitnus, Quintus, and Lebilus—all of whom had prior farming experience—were present at the experimental field. Having failed at farming before, they now needed to learn thoroughly, especially now that they could no longer rely on slaves for help. In their eyes, Volenus, the Chief Officer of the Agricultural Department, was the tribe’s "farming expert."

Virtually all of the group’s students were prominent figures of the tribe, so Volenus couldn’t avoid taking on the explanation role himself.

"Well... tilling can make the soil looser, which is more conducive to wheat growth. It can also expose insect eggs and pests hidden in the soil, making it easier to remove or kill them so they don’t damage the wheat seedlings later. Additionally, it can uproot weeds to stop them from competing with the wheat for resources..." Quintus said carefully.

"Quintus, you explained that very well. Anything else?" Volenus asked. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"That’s all I know."

"What about the rest of you?" Volenus looked at the others.

"I’m with Quintus—I only know that much."

"Don’t ask me; I’ve never farmed before, so I have no clue."

"I’ve farmed before, but we kept it simple: dig a pit, sprinkle seeds, pour some water, and leave it be—it was very basic. Unsurprisingly, the harvest was minimal."

...

These figures, who had gained Maximus’ trust due to their various talents, knew surprisingly little about farming, which gave Volenus a distinct sense of superiority.

Of course, he would never let such feelings show. Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke solemnly, "The leader once said that wheat seedlings are like humans—they need to breathe. If the soil is too compact, not only will the seedlings struggle to breathe, their roots will also have difficulty anchoring securely, impeding their growth. Hence, we need to till the soil to loosen it—this is crucial.

Some soils are very sticky, others are heavily compacted. After tilling, compacted soil still needs to be broken up, which is very time-consuming. The Skodisqi people taught us a method: mixing a trace amount of lime powder into the soil can resolve this issue and even reduce pest infestations. Our Agricultural Department plans to trial this method first, and if it proves effective, we’ll promote it widely among the tribesmen. The lands allocated to tribesmen are all fertile and have been carefully examined by the Agricultural Department; issues like overly sticky or compacted soil don’t exist there for now, so there’s no cause for concern right away.

Quintus was correct: tilling the land can remove weed roots and insect eggs, especially the eggs. Buried deep in the soil, they’re impossible to detect. Once hatched, some insects feast on the roots of wheat seedlings, and when they mature and crawl above ground, they continue gnawing at the seedlings. At that point, catching them becomes exceedingly difficult. Therefore, exposing the eggs and letting winter’s cold kill them is an effective method.

In the future, you could raise chickens and ducks. After tilling, drive them into the fields and let them peck at the exposed insect eggs—they not only help eliminate pests, but they also grow plump in the process. Beyond the three aspects mentioned by Quintus, exposing the soil to sunlight after tilling aids wheat growth and allows fertilizer to penetrate the soil more effectively. So, tilling beforehand is a must, and deeper tilling yields better results."

"But if we’re talking about tilling dozens of acres of land, wouldn’t that just take an exhausting amount of effort?" Pequot exclaimed, somewhat nervous, given he owned the most land.

"If we rely solely on manpower to till the soil, even just one acre would utterly exhaust you, let alone dozens. Therefore, the best course is to use livestock and tools," Volenus said as he pointed to a sturdy ox grazing on weeds in the field. "You can use horses or oxen for tilling. Horses are faster, so they till at a quicker pace, but oxen are stronger and more obedient. They survive on grass alone and are easier to sustain. Our tribe currently lacks horses, but we do have over a hundred oxen, so using oxen for plowing is more practical—"

"Can we use donkeys?" Fesaros asked.

"Donkeys can be used, but they have stubborn temperaments and are difficult to control. Their strength is limited, so pulling our plows would tire them out quickly, requiring frequent breaks. It’s not efficient," Volenus explained, beckoning two Skodisqi Reserve Tribesmen, who then struggled to carry over a wooden frame and set it beside him.

The wooden frame was constructed with four planks arranged in a rectangular shape. A long plank extended upward, another extended forward, one short plank served as a fixed middle section, and another short plank angled downward. At the downward end was a black, polished iron attachment shaped like a pointed, rounded blade.

Patting the wooden frame, Volenus said, "This is a plow used by the Segestica people, who learned it from the Skodisqi. It’s very similar to our Italian plows, except—"

He tapped the bottom short plank with his foot. "Italian plows are entirely wooden, while this one is fitted with iron. Although it’s heavier, our repeated trials have shown it’s more labor-saving and capable of deeper tilling. Pro, demonstrate it for everyone."

"Alright!" A lean elderly man stepped forward.

Everyone present recognized him. This Egyptian elder had been among the first batch of slaves to join the Supply Team, always working closely alongside Volenus and handling odd jobs.

Pro first led the sturdy ox over, gently stroking its head while murmuring softly. The ox obediently stood still as Pro fastened a wooden plow yoke onto its neck. Then he tied two ropes from the yoke to the long wooden planks of the iron plow.

Next, he pressed the iron plow blade deeply into the ground, held the plow handle firmly with his right hand, and wielded a cow whip in his left. A quick crack of the whip accompanied his shout: "Move!"

The ox obediently stepped forward, pulling the taut ropes connected to the iron plow and generating immense power. The plow blade sliced through the soil, which overturned along the plow face and fell neatly to the sides...

Pro followed along as he guided the wooden plow, occasionally calling out to the ox. Only when the ox strayed off course did he lightly smack it with the whip to steer it back in line. Before long, he had tilled a hundred meters of land with apparent ease.

"Using a plow is like driving a carriage—you need to pay attention to two things," Volenus explained to the side. "First, you must hold the plow steady, and second, you must control the ox’s direction. If you take care of both, plowing becomes quite effortless.

Additionally, there are two critical points to remember: Clear the stones from the field thoroughly, or they’ll damage the plow blade! Always walk behind the plow; otherwise, injuries caused by the blade could be troublesome..."

Watching how intently the group was listening, Volenus added, "Next, you’ll try plowing the field yourselves. Pro and I will be here to guide you."

"Me first! Me first!" Fesaros enthusiastically dashed into the field.

"Volenus, the tribesmen don’t currently own oxen or horses. During plowing season, will the Agricultural Department lend them out in exchange for fees?" Quintus asked.

"I’ve already raised this matter with the leader. His perspective is that we don’t have enough livestock right now, and many tribesmen are farming for the first time. Given the vast amount of land and even some undeveloped areas, borrowing and returning oxen would take up too much time. If plowing isn’t finished before the spring planting season starts, it would be problematic. Therefore, the leader has decided to have Reserve Tribe Members consolidate the use of oxen and horses this time, assisting the Official Tribe Members with plowing all their land. The leader will likely bring this up tomorrow in the Political Affairs Hall meeting."

"The leader’s decision is absolutely right—I support it!" Pigeris spoke up immediately.

"I support it too!" Camillus added. "These animals were acquired through everyone’s efforts, so it’s only fair they help us get through the initial challenges together. Constantly demanding fees would be too unkind!"

...

Amid lively discussions, an excited shout came from the field: "Everyone, look at how well I’ve plowed!" Fesaros, guiding the plow behind the ox, called out triumphantly while moving forward. Overjoyed, he suddenly swung his whip with force.

A crisp "crack" was followed by the ox letting out a loud "moo" and bolting forward wildly.

The iron plow jerked forward violently, catching Fesaros off guard and sending him face-first into the dirt in a spectacular fall.

"Hahaha..."

........................

"Leader, there was another fight today—this time between Segestica people and Skodisqi people," Legal Officer Sidonius reported to Maximus in the Snowdonia main hall.

"Were the offenders apprehended?" Maximus frowned.

"All were caught and sentenced. Although we’ve already amended the decrees to increase penalties—starting from simple flogging and extending the time offenders must wait to become Official Tribe Members—these conflicts haven’t significantly diminished.

The explanation given by those Skodisqi Reserve Tribesmen who caused the trouble was that they had suffered too much at the hands of the Pannonians in the past. They said the hatred had festered in their hearts, and if they detected even the slightest hint of contempt from the Pannonians, their rage would erupt uncontrollably, making them disregard everything else..."