xymnovel Chapter 150 Spring Ploughing
Chapter 150 Spring Ploughing
Chapter 150 Spring Ploughing (Part Two)
Leaving the prosperous Jericho Oasis, Lyon and his party headed west to Ramla, where the scenery gradually became desolate.
Last autumn, what Lyon saw in Ramla was the scars left by the war in Mongisza for years—the ruins of burned-down villages, the barren fields overgrown with thorns, and the eyes of the few surviving farmers filled with numbness and despair.
Saladin's army's raids not only took away food and livestock, but also deeply destroyed people's will to farm.
Now, when Lyon stepped into the Ramla region again, he could hardly recognize the land.
Although it is far less historically rich than Jericho, a completely different kind of vitality is stubbornly sprouting from this once desolate land.
What was once a desolate hillside with no open view and only sparse thorns has now been cut into regular geometric patterns by neat narrow ridges and deep ditches.
The furrows effectively collect and retain precious winter rainwater, allowing the roots of crops sown on the ridges to extend downwards in the relatively moist soil.
The color of the land also changed from a barren grayish-yellow to a dark brown that was rich in organic matter.
On a relatively flat sandy area outside the village of Ramla, dozens of villagers, under the guidance of Robert's assistant Theodore and craftsmen sent by the royal family, were enthusiastically digging for the "Algibe".
They have dug a cylindrical pit that is more than two people deep and about three steps in diameter.
The bottom and walls of the pit have been tamped down layer by layer with clay and thatch transported from afar to make them firm and smooth, in order to prevent leakage.
Upon seeing Lyon arrive, Theodore quickly bowed to Lyon and Lord Robert. His face and clothes were covered in mud, but his spirits were high: "Your Highness! Lord Robert! We dug this cellar so that during the rainy season we can divert all the water from the ditches and even the rooftops to store it. During the dry season, we can use buckets to fetch water. One cellar like this, if used sparingly, can save three to five acres of vegetable garden next door from dying."
Beside a cellar that had already been completed, a farmer was carefully drawing clear water from the cellar with a wooden bucket to irrigate several rows of newly sprouted onion and bean seedlings.
She and the other peasant women had become accustomed to mixing the limited amount of animal manure, the ash from burning thorns, and even some of the fertile river mud brought from Jericho into the sand to increase its fertility and water retention capacity.
Moreover, the simple single-shaft wooden model that required several men to drag and could only scratch the ground last year has disappeared.
Instead, a dozen or so modified local heavy plows are now operating simultaneously in the fields.
These designs weren't simply copied from Jericho's; Robert and Theodore adapted them to suit local conditions.
Iron components are used only for the most critical mold tips and lightweight curved mold walls; most of the structure still uses sturdy local wood to control costs.
They only require two people to support them and two oxen to pull them, and they can cut deep into the land.
The iron plowshare breaks through the hardened layer, and its unique curved plowshare can completely turn over large clods of earth, turning up the bottom soil to weather and burying the surface weeds deep into green manure.
The women and children following behind the plow no longer needed to vigorously pound the hard clods of earth; they could simply and easily level the turned-up, moist, and loose soil.
"Your Highness! Look at this soil!"
An elderly farmer with white hair and beard, holding a clod of soil, walked briskly toward Lyon with the help of his grandson. The soil no longer slipped away like quicksand in his hands, but could be held in a clump, and then naturally dispersed into moist particles when released.
Lyon recognized him as the old farmer who had complained about the land last year.
Tears welled in the old man's cloudy eyes as he murmured, "It's alive—this land, it's truly alive—"
'
"Old man, how was the village's harvest last autumn?" Lyon asked with concern. "A few months have passed; are things still difficult? Are you confident about this year's spring planting?"
Upon hearing Lyon's question, the old farmer's wrinkled face broke into a simple smile, revealing his sparse teeth.
He loosened his grandson's support, stood up a little straighter with trembling hands, and carefully placed the handful of damp soil back onto the ridge.
"Your Highness asked, and this old man dares not conceal the truth." His voice was still old and hoarse, but with a bit more strength. "Last autumn, thanks to the new method Your Highness instructed us on, the new plow sent by Lord Theodore, and the first cellar that Lord Theodore and his men helped us dig—my ten acres of barren land actually yielded a full eight modes of beans! In the past, a harvest of two modes from such sandy land would have been considered a blessing from heaven."
He pointed to a small stone hut not far away where the roof was being repaired: "Look, Your Highness. With this meager harvest, plus the few coppers I earned working on the water storage site, we've finally been able to patch up the roof that's been leaking for two years. My son, who originally wanted to go to Jaffa to work as a dockworker, has stayed here to learn from the craftsmen how to shape the land and how to build irrigation canals. He said—he said there's hope for the future at home, and he doesn't want to leave."
The old man wiped his eyes, his gaze falling on the tender green bean sprouts on the ridge: "The spring rains have been good this year, and with these new cellars as a safety net, as long as the summer sun doesn't come too early or too fiercely, I reckon the autumn harvest will double—it's not just a pipe dream. At least, the cellars at home shouldn't be empty this winter. With that in mind, I have more energy for work."
Jocelyn stepped forward at the opportune moment, took another ledger from his attendant that recorded the situation in the Ramla region, and added, "Your Highness, what this old man said is largely accurate. But overall, although the situation has improved considerably, the foundation remains very weak."
He turned the pages: "The arable land registered in the Ramla region has been restored to about 800 Roman mu after last autumn and winter cleanup and restoration."
"Last autumn, the total harvest of various beans and a small amount of drought-resistant barley in the region was approximately 950 modes. Although this amount is only a fraction of Jericho's, it is five times greater than the near-total crop failure after the war!"
He then changed the subject, continuing, "However, if such output were taxed in kind at the old tax rates, the remainder would be far from enough to sustain the farmers' basic survival and reproduction. Therefore, last year when we collected taxes, we actually implemented the wartime reduced special tax rates, and the actual revenue collected was less than 20% of the normal rate. Moreover, much of it was converted into part of the labor service, used to participate in the construction of water cellars and the Beit She'an Dam. Ramla's contribution to the Kingdom's finances last year was almost non-existent, and it still needs assistance from Jerusalem and the surrounding areas."
"This year," Jocelyn closed the ledger and looked at the fields before him, "if the weather is favorable, and if the water storage project and deep-plowing methods can withstand the summer's challenges, I estimate the total yield may reach 1,800 to 2,000 modes. At that time, we may be able to restore the tax collection to 50% of the normal rate, so as to slightly replenish the national treasury without stifling the signs of recovery. If Ramra wants to recover its vitality, it won't be achieved in just one or two bumper harvests; it will take three to five years of accumulation to become a stable source of tax revenue for the kingdom."
"Is that so?" Leon frowned, pondering. Since Ramra's recovery was still so difficult, what if they exempted her from taxes altogether—
However, this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before Lyon immediately recalled Baldwin's teachings to him a few days earlier.
At that time, with spring planting imminent, Lyon couldn't help but ask Baldwin, who was on his sickbed, "Your Majesty, Ramla is in such dire straits, why not simply exempt them from taxes for several years, allowing them to recuperate without any burden? Isn't this the benevolence and grace that a monarch should possess?"
Baldwin, who had just recovered from a high fever, objected without hesitation to Lyon's question: "Mercy, Lyon—a monarch's indiscriminate and costless mercy is like poison wrapped in honey; it will first corrode not the enemy, but the very foundation of your own rule."
Baldwin drew him closer, his eyes, clouded by illness, now unusually clear: "The kingdom's current agricultural output is barely enough to feed us all. Every resource, from grain to dinars, must be used sparingly. A nobleman's primary duty is war and defense, and for that, he must extract resources from the land. Being too lenient with your subjects means you cannot accumulate enough wealth to arm sufficiently loyal and professional warriors."
"A soldier requires the output of at least three medium-sized farming households to be decently armed and supported. Otherwise, why should he risk his life for you instead of going home to farm? Indiscriminate tax cuts and exemptions will only breed laziness and allow deception to run rampant. The people will try every means to hide their output, and officials will take the opportunity to line their own pockets. And your army will need to spend several times more dinars than your neighboring country, which follows the norm, to maintain the same size and quality. This is not benevolence; it is digging your own grave."
"A kingdom is like a spire. Those responsible for paying taxes and producing are the foundation; they need stability, but even more so, they need clear rules and pressure. Lower-ranking officials who serve this system, such as artisans and clerks, can be slightly higher in rank. But the warriors who defend this system with their lives must be at the top, enjoying the highest priority in supplies and honors. Blurring these hierarchies and trying to show equal mercy to everyone will make your kingdom neither efficient nor powerful, and it will soon be beset by internal and external troubles."
Baldwin cautioned: "Favors must be given, but not as gifts without cost. They must be an investment, an incentive, a contract that binds personal effort to the interests of the kingdom. Otherwise, favors will quickly depreciate, and your authority will erode with them."
Lyon's thoughts returned to the sunlight in Ramla, and he understood.
It seems that simple, long-term tax cuts are not advisable, as they would undermine the kingdom's fiscal discipline, foster dependency, and cause discontent in other regions.
He pondered for a moment, then made a decision.
"Old man, Earl," Lyon said loudly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "I have seen Ramla's hardship and recovery, and the kingdom has seen it too. As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to extend this favor on behalf of the royal family."
"Based on this year's projected output, the regular in-kind tax in the Ramla region will remain at 50% this year." Lyon turned to Jocelyn, lowering his voice, "This is the bottom line."
"However," he raised his voice so that the surrounding farmers and officials could hear, "first, the Kingdom will officially recognize Ramla as a chartered settlement," for a period of five years. Within those five years, all unclaimed wasteland cleared and successfully cultivated for three years according to the new law, and producing settlers within those five years, will be subject to settlement. Upon expiration, the lord will receive one-third of the rent, and the settlers will receive two-thirds of the land as hereditary tenancy rights, still paying fixed rent to the lord."
"Secondly, establish the Ramla Award for Outstanding Farming." Every autumn harvest, a royal envoy and local elders will evaluate the ten households that have most effectively adopted the new methods, achieved the greatest increase in output, or made the most significant contributions to the maintenance of public irrigation systems. These households will be fully exempted from their annual household tax and part of their labor service, and will be awarded a certificate issued by the royal family. This honor and benefit will only be awarded to the most hardworking and capable individuals.
"Third, farmers who participate in public water storage cellar and canal repair projects organized by the kingdom can have their labor counted on a daily basis to offset part of their household labor obligations. Those who work more will not only benefit themselves but also their families."
The farmers looked at each other, their eyes lighting up.
Jocelyn did some mental calculations, nodded slightly, and sighed inwardly.
My intuition was right; this Crown Prince looks exactly like my nephew!
Blood ties are truly wondrous!