The closer they got to the seat of Ruyu's government, the more densely populated the area became.
The fields were no longer desolate. They often saw two or three figures bent over as they worked the land. Strangely, most of them were women. It was common for farmwomen to work in the fields, but seeing so few able-bodied men was truly odd. "Where did all the men go?"
The convoy had stopped by the roadside to rest.
The bored youth asked, and Ning Yan answered without even raising her head, "With wars breaking out so frequently, it's normal for there to be few men."
"That makes sense, but..."
The youth felt that something was off.
Ning Yan asked, "But what?"
Pointing at the figures in the distant fields, the youth said, "They don't have many farming tools, and there are hardly any draft cattle either. Yet all the fields we've seen along the way have already been plowed. Look at how deep those furrows are. They couldn't have gotten that way from turning the soil just once or twice. How much effort must that have taken?"
Heyin had quite a few improved farming tools that greatly increased cultivation efficiency while being flexible, time-saving, and labor-saving.
The commanderies and counties bordering Heyin had followed suit, but this kind of spontaneous folk imitation naturally spread only so fast.
Once they left that area, the youth no longer saw any improved farming tools. Most of what remained were heavy, clumsy, straight-shafted wooden plows.
The thing spring plowing could least do without was draft cattle.
Unfortunately, draft cattle were a scarce resource. Often, several households would pool their money to rent one, or even an entire village would share a single ox. Draft cattle were the root of their livelihood. Some commoners were even