Wang Xuan smiled as he slowly said to Xu You, "The Xu Family has such a profound scholarly heritage. Surely, you must know everything. Then let's start with something basic. Do you know how many ways there are to compost manure? Which crops is each method best suited for? How much can they increase yields?"
Xu You: "..."
Who the hell would know how many ways there are to use manure?!
"Vulgar and disgusting! How could we, esteemed Scholars, study such filthy things?" Xu You's face and neck flushed red again with anger.
"Why can't you know? Fields fertilized with manure produce more grain and vegetables. That can increase food production. Haven't you heard that food is the paramount necessity of the people? For every ten percent increase in food production, do you know how much more grain the entire Han Empire could produce? How many people could it feed?"
"Besides, what's so disgusting about it? The grain and vegetables you eat every day—don't they all need to be fertilized with manure?" Wang Xuan raised an eyebrow.
After Wang Xuan put it that way, Xu You and the others imagined manure being poured over everything they ate each day. Though the husks had been removed and the food washed, they still felt waves of nausea and nearly vomited. Wang Xuan could not help laughing at the sight.
"Fine. No one is perfect, so I won't demand that you understand everything. Since you don't understand agronomy, let's ask about something else. Do you know how to dig mines without causing collapses? How to prevent mine explosions? How to increase the speed of ore extraction? How to raise furnace temperatures? How to increase iron production?"
Xu You and the others: "..."
They had never even seen a mine. How could they know