xymnovel Chapter 100 Iron Oxen Plowing the Fields: The Birth of the Tractor
Chapter 100 Iron Oxen Plowing the Fields: The Birth of the Tractor
In the outskirts of Xianyang, the spring chill lingers.
The willows along the banks of the Wei River are just sprouting new buds, and the Guanzhong Plain, which has been dormant all winter, is awakening. In previous years, the fields would have been quiet and busy at this time, with only the heavy breathing of old oxen and the shouts of farmers yelling at their livestock. But this year, an experimental field in the Imperial Shanglin Garden is surrounded by a huge crowd.
Thousands of elderly farmers from nearby areas, carrying pipes and their feet covered in mud, stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to look into the field. Their eyes were filled with doubt, awe, and a hint of amusement, as if they were enjoying the spectacle.
"Have you heard? That 'Mischievous Young Master'... oh no, Young Master Hu Hai, is up to his old tricks again."
"I've heard! They say they built some kind of 'divine iron ox,' which doesn't eat grass or drink water, and can plow a hundred acres of land a day!"
"Keep bragging! You're exaggerating beyond belief! My big yellow dog is the 'King of Cattle' for miles around, and it can only plow three acres a day at most. A hundred acres? That would be like a god descending from heaven!"
The farmers were talking amongst themselves, while in the spotlight, a strangely shaped, hideous steel behemoth lay quietly on the ridge of the field.
This machine lacks glossy paint, its entire body displaying the original dark gray of cast iron. It has no wheels; instead, it has two tracks made of wide steel plates, resembling two giant centipedes coiled beneath its body. Its "head" is a huge radiator, its "belly" contains the newly developed single-cylinder four-stroke internal combustion engine, and a row of gleaming five-furrow plows hangs from its rear.
This is the "Shennong No. 1" tracked tractor, an agricultural marvel tailored by Wang Jianguo for Daqin.
Hu Hai's "Field Racing" Dream
In the driver's seat (which was actually just an iron plate welded to the vibration source), Hu Hai was wearing a pair of windproof goggles and excitedly adjusting the throttle lever.
After being punished by Li Si for driving his tricycle into a ditch and being forced to copy traffic laws, Hu Hai had been quiet for a few days. But when Wang Jianguo produced the blueprints for this tractor, his racing spirit was reignited. Although this thing wasn't fast, it was powerful!
"Imperial Advisor, will this thing really work?"
Hu Hai patted the iron lump beneath him, feeling his buttocks go numb from the vibrations—although it hadn't been activated yet, he could already imagine how crazy it would be when it started moving.
Wang Jianguo stood aside, directing Zhao Gao to add diesel (heavy oil fraction) to the fuel tank.
"Young master, this is science." Wang Jianguo checked the track tension. "The torque of this machine is equivalent to fifty oxen working at the same time. The track design increases the contact area, resulting in low pressure and strong grip, making it easy to walk even on muddy ground. It's not for running; it's for 'pushing'."
"Push? Push what?"
"We are ushering in a new era for agriculture in the Qin Dynasty." Wang Jianguo smiled and turned to look at the viewing platform not far away.
On the viewing platform, Ying Zheng, draped in a black cloak, sat upright. Standing beside him were Li Si, Meng Tian, and the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture of the Great Qin Dynasty, the Minister of Agriculture.
"Your Majesty, the time has come," Li Si reminded him in a low voice.
Ying Zheng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the steel monster and then looking at the row of oxen poaching beside it, ready to plow.
"Let's begin. Let me see whether my ox is more powerful, or the iron lump that built the nation is more powerful."
A battle between steel and flesh
With the sound of a gong echoing across the fields, a productivity showdown spanning millennia officially began.
On one side were ten experienced farmers driving ten plump and strong Qin Chuan cattle.
"Giddy up! Giddy up!"
The whips cracked in the air, and the old oxen, puffing out white steam, strained to pull the heavy curved plow. The sharp plowshares cut into the soil, turning up the black earth. It must be said that these old hands were truly skilled; the furrows were straight and of just the right depth—a technique refined through thousands of years of agricultural civilization.
On the other side...
Hu Hai took a deep breath and shook the huge Z-shaped starter handle violently.
"Huff...huff...BOOM!!!"
With a loud bang, a thick plume of black smoke billowed from the upright exhaust pipe, shooting straight into the sky.
"Rat-a-tat ...
The distinctive roar of a single-cylinder diesel engine, like a heavy hammer striking the ground, instantly drowned out all other sounds present. It was the powerful throbbing of the industrial heart, brutal, tyrannical, and unreasonable.
The elderly farmers watching were so frightened that they all took a step back, and several timid oxen were even more startled and tried to break free of their reins.
"Hold on tight!"
Hu Hai roared (though no one could hear him because of the noise), then suddenly pushed the clutch and revved the engine.
The tracks began to turn, and the steel teeth gripped the soil deeply.
"Snap—"
Without any running start or any cushioning, this multi-ton steel behemoth, dragging its two-meter-wide five-furrow plow behind it, roared and charged forward like an enraged rhinoceros.
The old farmers who were just laughing at them suddenly gaped open, their jaws almost falling into the mud.
What they considered a plow that required an old ox to pull with all its might was as light as a straw behind this iron lump.
Five deep furrows appeared simultaneously, and black waves of earth rolled and parted to both sides. Wherever it passed, the hard frozen soil, the tangled grass roots, and even the stones buried in the soil were all mercilessly crushed and turned up.
That's too fast.
While the oxen were still panting and plowing their way through the field for the first time, the tractor had already rumbled to the edge of the field, then made a graceful (actually quite clumsy) turn on the spot and started its second haul.
This is not even a contest of equal scale.
This is a dimensional reduction attack.
The old farmer's knees and the "divine cow's" food.
Half an hour later.
The ten oxen, exhausted and foaming at the mouth, collapsed on the ground, refusing to get up. The old farmers, also drenched in sweat, sat down on the edge of the field, looking despairingly at the machine that continued to roar tirelessly.
It didn't sweat, didn't pant, and didn't even slow down by the slightest bit.
As long as there's fuel in the tank, it can plow the land until the end of time.
"A divine object...this is a divine object!"
It's unclear who started it, but a commotion suddenly broke out among the onlookers.
Then, something both funny and sad happened.
Several elderly clan leaders with white hair, trembling, carrying red silk cloth and baskets, rushed into the field despite the Black Ice Guards' obstruction.
"Grandpa Ox! You've worked so hard! Please take a rest!"
They knelt down abruptly in front of the still-smoking tractor, hung the red silk cloth on the scalding hot water tank cap, and then took something out of the basket—
The best grass, and hard-boiled eggs.
"Quick! Quickly offer the hay to the sacred cow! This is the best alfalfa in our village!"
"And eggs! To nourish the sacred cow!"
Hu Hai, who had just jumped off the car, was stunned by what he saw. He took off his goggles, revealing panda eyes (from the smoke), and looked at the basket of grass and eggs, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Hey! Don't feed it! Don't feed it!" Hu Hai jumped up and down in a panic. "Grandpa! This thing doesn't eat grass! That's the air intake! If you put it in, it'll choke to death!"
"It doesn't eat grass?" The old chieftain was stunned, looking bewildered. "Then... what does it eat? It's so strong, does it eat meat?"
"It drinks oil!" Hu Hai pointed to the oil barrel Zhao Gao was holding, "and that black, smelly water! It's called 'ghost fire water'! Understand?"
The old clan chief leaned over and smelled the barrel of diesel fuel, almost knocking himself over from the stench.
"This...this taste...it truly is a divine substance, even its flavor is so strong." The old clan chief exclaimed sincerely, then kowtowed even more devoutly, "May the divine ox bless the Great Qin with favorable weather and abundant harvests!"
Seeing this scene, Ying Zheng, standing on the viewing platform, did not smile.
Instead, his eyes became unusually deep, even carrying a hint of pity.
"Build a nation," Ying Zheng whispered.
"Your subject is here."
"Look at them," Ying Zheng said, pointing to the kneeling farmers. "They are not kneeling before machines, but rather to their longing for a bountiful harvest and their prayers to never go hungry again."
"This machine, in their eyes, is their life."
Wang Jianguo nodded: "Your Majesty, this is the significance of technology. It's not just about making cars run faster; it's about enabling these people who toil in the fields to stand up straight."
Ying Zheng's conversation with Little G in the field
Ying Zheng stepped down from the high platform and went to the tractor.
The machine had just been shut down, and the heat sink still emitted scorching heat. Ying Zheng reached out and touched the rough cast iron casing, feeling the lingering vibrations.
"Little G".
[Hey, Zheng-ge. Congratulations on unlocking the 'Agricultural Mechanization' tech tree. That's a big milestone.]
"Can this thing really replace a cow?"
One tractor is equivalent to fifty oxen. Moreover, it doesn't eat grain, doesn't get sick, and doesn't need rest. With it, the Qin Dynasty's grain production will no longer be limited by animal power.
Ying Zheng walked around the tractor once, his gaze sharp.
"But, Little G, have you thought about this?" Ying Zheng suddenly asked, "If one machine can do the work of fifty people, what will the remaining forty-nine people do?"
[...] Little G seemed to pause for a second, "[Brother Zheng, you've hit the nail on the head. This is the inevitable growing pain of industrialization—a surplus of labor.]"
"Labor pains?" Ying Zheng sneered. "It could easily turn into unrest. If the people have nothing to do and nothing to eat, they will rebel. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up because they had no other way to survive."
No, Brother Zheng. This isn't a dead end, it's a path to survival.
Little G pulled up a complex chart and projected it directly onto Ying Zheng's retina.
The liberation of agricultural labor was a prerequisite for industrialization. These people were "driven" from the land, but they wouldn't go hungry because factories needed them, the army needed them, and cities needed them.
They will shed their farm clothes, don work clothes, and enter steel mills, textile factories, and arsenals. They will no longer be farmers who only know how to till the land, but industrial workers of the Qin Dynasty. They will manufacture more tractors, trains, and ships.
This is the "demographic dividend." Only by liberating people from the constraints of the land could the Qin Dynasty truly transform from an agricultural empire into an industrial one.
As Ying Zheng listened, the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He looked into the distance. There, smoke billowed from the chimneys of Xianyang, where factories were operating; further away, the railway was extending, where workers were building the road.
"Liberation..." Ying Zheng murmured to himself, "So this is the true liberation."
He turned around and looked at the old farmers who were still kneeling on the ground, as well as the onlookers whose eyes were filled with confusion.
"Issue my decree!"
Ying Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire field through the large copper megaphone (the same loudspeaker Liu Bang had used to sell goods).
"First, the Imperial Household Department will dedicate all its resources to producing the 'Shennong No. 1' tractor. I want every county in the Great Qin to hear the roar of this iron ox!"
"Second, each prefecture and county shall establish an 'Agricultural Machinery Station,' where the imperial court will purchase tractors and rent them to the people. The rent... shall be deducted from the rent paid in grain!"
"Third, we are recruiting 'farm machinery operators'! Anyone who is willing to learn to operate this divine machine, regardless of their background, may apply! After completing the training, you will receive a national salary and enjoy a noble title!"
These words caused a stir in the audience.
The young people who were originally wondering "what will I do when cows are no longer useful?" suddenly had their eyes light up.
Driving one of these? How impressive! It's even more exciting than riding a horse! And you can even get a salary for it?
"I want to learn! I want to learn too!"
"Long live Your Majesty! I want to ride the Divine Bull!"
The old farmers who had been kneeling in worship just moments before got up, pulling their sons and grandsons along: "Quick! Go sign up! Stop farming, go learn to operate that iron machine! That's a government job!"
Standing on the tractor, looking at the excited crowd below, Hu Hai felt as if he had become a superstar.
"Don't push! Don't push! Those who want to learn, come get a number from me! I, this young master, will personally teach you how to reverse into a parking space!"
Zhao Gao's "oil theft" plan
Outside the crowd, Zhao Gao was directing his men to carefully seal up the remaining half-barrel of diesel fuel.
"My lord, this oil smells so strong, is it really that valuable?" a young eunuch asked, covering his nose.
"You know nothing!" Zhao Gao glared at him. "Didn't you see the look in His Majesty's eyes just now? From now on, this will be the blood of Qin! More valuable than human blood!"
Zhao Gao rolled his eyes and lowered his voice: "Um... in the future, keep more of the waste residue from the oil refinery, that kind of black asphalt."
"What's the point of keeping that thing? It's so sticky it's unusable for paving roads."
"Idiot!" Zhao Gao tapped the little eunuch on the head. "The Grand Preceptor said that stuff can be used to mend tracks and waterproof. With more tractors coming along, there will definitely be more road repair and patching work. Although we can't resell oil (that's a capital offense), we can monopolize the 'Great Qin Road Repair Business'!"
Zhao Gao stroked his chin, revealing the smile typical of a cunning merchant: "This is what you call... the downstream benefits of the industrial chain."
That year's spring plowing was destined to be recorded in history.
Although the "Shennong-1" was still very rudimentary and had an extremely high failure rate (the tracks would often fall off while it was running, or the water tank would boil over), every deep plow mark it left on the Guanzhong Plain was like an industrial rune carved into the earth.
A month later, the first batch of farm machinery operators who had undergone Hu Hai's "devilish training" graduated.
They drove their tractors, rumbling and roaring, to all corners of the Qin Dynasty.
In the Hexi Corridor, tractors reclaimed tens of thousands of acres of wasteland, turning it into the granary of the Qin Dynasty.
In the black soil of Liaodong, tractors turned over the frozen soil that had been dormant for thousands of years and planted soybeans and sorghum.
Even on the red soil of Lingnan, these steel monsters have appeared, scaring away countless venomous snakes and ferocious beasts.
The farmers whose jobs were "taken" by machines did not starve to death as feared.
Some of them went to Liu Bang's cannery to turn the grain grown by tractors into military rations; some went to Zhao Gao's oil refinery to produce fuel for tractors; and others went to the road construction team to pave wider roads with asphalt and cement.
The massive machine, Daqin, revved faster and faster amidst the roar of its internal combustion engine.
One evening.
Ying Zheng stood atop the high tower of the Epang Palace (which was now a concrete and steel structure), watching the wisps of black smoke moving across the distant fields, and the setting sun faintly visible through the smoke and dust.
"How beautiful!" Ying Zheng exclaimed.
"Is Your Majesty referring to the sunset?" Wang Jianguo asked.
"No." Ying Zheng pointed to the black smoke. "I'm talking about that smoke. In the past, it was the smoke from beacon fires, representing war and death. But now, it's the smoke from industrial cooking fires, representing... living, and living better."
He turned around, his eyes blazing.
"Jianguo, now that Tieniu is doing the farm work, shouldn't we find something more interesting for the rest of the people to do?"
Wang Jianguo adjusted his glasses: "For example?"
"For example... build an iron bird that can fly in the sky. Or, build an iron fish that can dive into the sea."
Ying Zheng smiled, a smile filled with childlike curiosity and imperial ambition.
"My Great Qin cannot merely crawl on the ground."