xymnovel Chapter 144 Spring Farming Plan
Chapter 144 Spring Farming Plan
Chapter 144 Spring Farming Plan (Part Two)
"Your Highness, please have no worries. Take a look at this picture!"
Robert suddenly strode to the corner of the study, pulled out a sketch from a pile of files, and said, "If heavy-duty tillage isn't suitable, then we shouldn't force it. Shallow tillage can only utilize the moisture and nutrients in the topsoil, while deep tillage allows crop roots to grow deeper and become more drought-resistant. What we need is a compromise. It should be heavier than a traditional wooden tillage, but lighter than heavy-duty tillage, capable of deep tillage, but not so heavy that it would require four oxen to pull it."
Lyon looked at Robert expectantly.
111, does such a plow really exist?
Robert, beaming with pride, pointed to the sketch and explained, "Look at this, Your Highness. This is a type of plow I saw in Toledo; the locals call it a Roman-Arabic type. It has an adjustable iron plowshare that can lift and sweep over rocks, and press down for deep tilling of soft soil. Moreover, its frame is a mortise and tenon joint, allowing it to be disassembled and easily transported."
Lyon took the sketch, his eyes lighting up.
The agricultural implements depicted in the sketches do indeed combine the deep-plowing capabilities of the Roman heavy implements with the adaptability of the Arabian light implements.
"Can we find a craftsman to make it?" Lyon asked urgently. "We have to be quick. If it's too late, I'll send the royal family's craftsmen to help!"
When it comes to food, Greek fire has to take a backseat!
"If we could get help from the royal artisans—one month!" Robert declared confidently. "But the iron parts require good steel, which generally has to be imported from Damascus—though if it's just for an emergency, the inferior iron from northwest Galilee would also work. Or, if Lord Jacob could persuade the Knights Templar, they could probably help provide some steel from Tortoza."
Jacob nodded slightly: "I can give it a try. The Knights' estate in Tortosa also needs good farm tools, so it's a win-win situation."
"But then another problem arises: even with farming tools, we don't have enough free farmers to cultivate the land," Robert said worriedly. "Clearing land requires years of hard work before a good harvest can be expected, and most people, especially the poor, want immediate returns. And free farmers with enough land, or tenant farmers under the protection of lords, have no reason to clear land elsewhere."
"That's why the kingdom hasn't seen much increase in arable land in the last hundred years—cultivating new land is too risky and takes too long," Lyon nodded and suggested, "What if the royal family provided guarantees?"
"What do you mean?"
"Imagine this plan," Lyon began pacing, his speech quickening. "Any freeman or minor lord willing to cultivate wasteland—whether it's building terraces, clearing rocky beaches, or diverting water for irrigation—will be provided with a loan of seeds and tools for the first three years by the royal family, along with tax reductions for the corresponding years based on the cultivated area. If the cultivation is successful, the land belongs to the cultivator; if it fails, the loan can be deferred."
Robert gasped, "Your Highness, this—this will empty the national treasury! And the great lords will certainly oppose it, which will shake the existing land system!"
"Therefore, there are restrictions," Lyon said. "First, it only applies to unclaimed wasteland"—that is, land that has not been officially claimed by any lord and has been abandoned for more than five consecutive years. Second, the settlers must commit to planting drought-resistant or high-value crops, not just wheat. Third, and most importantly—"
"A portion of the produce of successfully cultivated land, such as one-tenth, must be sold to the royal family first, at market price."
In this way, although the royal family may seem to have incurred initial costs, in the long run, we have secured a stable source of food, and prices are not manipulated by foreign merchants.
Robert pondered for a long time, then slowly exhaled: "Your Highness, you are—reinventing a contract."
“No,” Lyon corrected, “I’m looking for a way to ensure that neither land nor people are wasted. Robert, you’ve traveled to so many places and seen so many famines. You know, in the face of disaster, dinars can’t save lives; only the food that grows from the land can.”
Robert stroked his beard, his gaze shifting back and forth between the sand table and Lyon.
"Your Highness," he finally spoke, "the new contract you mentioned is far-sighted, but in order for it to take root and flourish on this sandy land, we must first solve two fundamental problems: how to cultivate the land and how to manage it."
He picked up three small wooden blocks—green, yellow, and brown—from the table and placed them side by side on the sand table representing the Galilee region.
"Let's talk about farming first. You're familiar with the three-field system in France and England, right? The first year is for planting wheat or rye, the second year for planting barley or beans, and the third year for leaving the land fallow and grazing, and so on. This method preserves soil fertility and is a good strategy in the mild climate of Western Europe."
“But in the Holy Land?” Robert shook his head, moving aside the brown wooden block representing fallow land. “Our land is already barren, and rainfall is scarce. If a third of our arable land is left fallow year-round, the yield will immediately collapse. Moreover, we don’t have enough livestock to effectively utilize the pasture on the fallow land.”
Lyon's heart sank. He had indeed considered introducing a three-field system, but Robert's analysis shattered that illusion.
"So we need our own crop rotation method." Robert alternated between green blocks representing grains and yellow blocks representing beans, "not mechanically rotating them by year, but flexibly arranging them according to plots of land and water sources."
He picked up a stick and pointed to different areas on the sand table: "In the relatively water-rich Valley of Galilee and along the Jordan River, we can try a two-year, three-cycle planting program," he said. "The first year we plant winter wheat, the second year we plant chickpeas or lentils, and then leave the land fallow for a short period at the end of summer, planting some wild peas or alfalfa to restore soil fertility."
"In arid coastal sandy areas and hilly slopes, drought-resistant crop rotation is adopted." First, mulberries or olives are planted, then chickpeas or watermelons are intercropped between rows of trees, and finally, the land is left fallow for a year to allow it to rest. The key is to stagger the fallow periods of all plots to ensure there is land to harvest every year.
Robert turned to Lyon, his expression serious. "And this leads to the second problem: zoning. Your Highness, we cannot expect chickpeas to feed the knights' horses, nor can we expect soldiers to fight on figs alone."
He drew several large circles on the sand table: "The kingdom must clearly define the three major production areas."
"First, the food supply zones," Robert said, pointing to the most fertile valleys in Galilee and the alluvial plains near Jaffa with the most reliable water sources. "These lands, regardless of the crop rotation method used, must be guaranteed to have at least half planted with wheat or barley. Even if it requires digging additional irrigation canals and building more algibes," he added, "this is the foundation of the kingdom's military strength."
"Secondly, the areas for basic necessities." He pointed to the more expansive but barren hills, terraced fields, and inland edges, "where chickpeas are widely cultivated..."
Drought-resistant crops such as lentils, mulberries, and figs were planted. The goal was to ensure the common people and serfs were well-fed and to maintain stability. New crop rotation methods could be boldly experimented with here.
"Thirdly, the wealth exchange zone." Robert concluded by pointing to the Jordan Valley and selected coastal plots, "for planting olives, grapes, and..."
Cotton, sugarcane, and even spice crops introduced from the East. These produce were not for consumption, but for sale. In exchange for ironware, high-quality steel, and weapons that we could not produce ourselves, and—if necessary, emergency food supplies from Cyprus or elsewhere.
Robert finished speaking and took a deep breath: "Your Highness, this changes everything. It's no longer just about promoting a few new crops or farming tools; it's about reshaping the entire kingdom's land use and agricultural taxes. This will affect the interests of every lord. They'll ask, 'Why is my fief designated as a 'supply zone' for growing beans, while the neighboring earl's land can grow wheat and enjoy higher profits? If my serfs are all drawn away by the land reclamation policy, who will cultivate my own land?'"
Robert lowered his voice and continued, "To implement such a plan, we need more than just money and blueprints; we need legitimate authority. To coordinate with lords, to adjudicate disputes, to mobilize resources from the royal family, military orders, and monasteries, and even to suppress potential resistance. That old title of 'Royal Construction Supervisor'—"
Robert smiled wryly: "He's fine for overseeing the construction of castles and churches, but for directing the land and agriculture across the country, he's just...out of place. The lords and peasants will wonder, 'Why should a house builder teach us how to farm?'"
Lyon immediately understood Robert's implied meaning and realized that Robert's request was completely reasonable.
He pondered, considering what official position he could be given.
"Supervisor Regniad Agriculturam!" Lyon said slowly, a Latin title he had made up on the spot, but it sounded formal and resounding enough. "Or, to put it more simply, Praefectus, the Imperial Colonizer!"
Colonizationis! Responsible for all agricultural improvements, land reclamation, grain storage, and the management of agricultural artisans within the kingdom. They have the authority to coordinate related affairs within the fiefdoms of various lords and report directly to the Royal Household.
With each word he uttered, Robert's head drooped lower, his shoulders trembled slightly, and his gaze toward Leon became even more agitated.
Lyon nodded in satisfaction: "I will go back immediately to discuss with my brother the king. I will have the royal clerk draft the title and letter of appointment as soon as possible, and ask my brother the king to affix his seal."
Robert raised his head, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light: "Your Highness, there is an ancient Lombard proverb in the Visconti family tradition: 'Where there is deep cultivation, there will be golden ears of grain.' I left the family estate at a young age to make my own way, and now you have given me a wider, more challenging land. I, Robert di Visconti, hereby swear to you, with my life and fortune, that I will not let the kingdom's fertile fields lie fallow, that I will not let your granaries be empty!"