Two or Three Times as Much
The crowd stood between the two teams and watched them dig. They noticed that although Team B, who was digging with hoes, was also working very hard, they didn't dig out much soil with each hoe. Moreover, even the most capable men had to straighten up and rest after digging for a quarter of an hour or so, otherwise their backs would give out.
Team A's tools were clearly much more handy; each shovel strike brought up more soil, allowing for rapid progress. Moreover, when the person using the shovel got tired, they would switch tools with the person using the shovel next to them. After switching tools, they would be full of energy and enthusiasm again, showing no signs of fatigue. In less than fifteen minutes, the two sides had widened the gap between them.
Team B panicked, worried about being punished for losing, and dared not rest. They quickly bent over and worked harder. But their tools were inferior to Team A's, and not only could they not catch up, they were left further and further behind.
When half an hour was up, an official from the Ministry of Works gave an order, and the two teams stopped using their tools at the shouts of the yamen runners. There was no need to measure; just by looking, it was clear that Team A had reclaimed two or three times more wasteland than Team B.
Liu Hongyu and the others, along with the men performing corvée labor, were all stunned.
The new tool that Lord Zhao developed is incredibly useful!
Fearing punishment, the men of Team B dared not speak to their superiors. Instead, they approached the constable in charge and said, "Sir, you see, it's not that we're being lazy, it's just that our tools aren't as good as theirs. Don't blame us."
The constable said, "Don't worry, the officials know what they're doing."
Those people were finally relieved.
The Ministry of Works officials from the capital were not surprised. Zhao Ruxi had the tools sent to the capital, where the Emperor had already had them tested and studied, and they already had a fairly clear understanding of the new tools.
The purpose of this trip to Nanyang was simply to have someone test the new tool once again, using facts and data to demonstrate its effectiveness, so that when the Emperor rewards Lord Zhao, those court officials won't just spout nonsense and think that Zhao Zhiwei is benefiting from Prince of Qi's fame.
It's still uncertain who benefits from whom.
The tech geeks in the Ministry of Ministry of Works have always admired truly capable people, not the powerful and wealthy.
They measured the area on both sides carefully, recorded the data, and then said, "Draw a new line from where we started, switch tools between the two groups, and do it again."
Upon hearing this, the people in Group B quickly grabbed their tools and exchanged them with the people in Group A.
The constables in Group A, eager to gain credit for their Lord Zhao, and knowing the new tools were superior and their group would surely lose with the old ones, decided to act without any selfish motives. They told the constables in Group B, "Tell the lords to wait a bit before starting. Let your men familiarize themselves with the new tools before the competition."
The constables from Group B quickly brought it up.
Zhao Ruxi had these farm tools made. Since they were all improvements on existing ones, the nail hoes and nail shovels were simply made by replacing the whole piece of iron of the hoe or shovel with individual nails. After making them, she gave them to the servants in her household to use. The servants knew how to use them after just one look, and she never thought that she would need to teach these people who were performing corvée labor how to use the new tools.
It was only when the constables from Group B brought it up that she remembered this issue.
After the Ministry of Ministry of Works officials made their request to Xiao Lingyan and Gong Cheng, they said, "Alright, let them get acquainted."
The tools were simple to begin with. Two people from Team A demonstrated how to use them to the people from Team B, and everyone understood immediately without needing to practice.
So the second competition began quickly. Needless to say, the outcome was that Team B, using the new tools, cleared the land two or three times faster than Team A.
The new tool has been very effective.
The officials in the Ministry of Works were all technically skilled and not usually good at flattery, but now they turned into sycophants, showering Zhao Ruxi with compliments.
The Great Jin was an agricultural powerhouse that prioritized agriculture and suppressed commerce, placing the importance of agriculture above all else. As officials of the Ministry of Works, they had always been dedicated to improving agricultural tools, hoping to create new ones to increase agricultural productivity. However, limited by their knowledge and abilities, they were unable to come up with any truly practical improvement measures.
Some time ago, the Prince of Qi also wanted to improve his farming tools. He asked the emperor for leave and went out to travel around, but he couldn't come up with a way to improve them.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ruxi, after only six months in office as the Assistant Prefect of Nanyang, produced two tools that significantly improved agricultural productivity. How could the officials of the Ministry of Works not be convinced?
As for the idea that the Prince of Qi secretly took the agricultural tools he had come up with to help Zhao Ruxi gain fame, not only the officials of the Ministry of Works, but also the court officials would not think that way.
Zhao Ruxi pioneered a completely new method of painting, invented a safe that no one could open, and created a textile machine with dozens or even hundreds of shuttles that could automatically weave cloth. Her quick wit and intelligence were acknowledged throughout the Great Jin.
Now that she has been in Nanyang for half a year as the official in charge of agriculture and has developed new agricultural tools, isn't this what should be done? It's perfectly logical, and no one finds it strange at all.
As for His Highness Prince of Qi, he is lazy and ignorant of farming. Although he has been in the Ministry of Works for two or three years, he has not produced anything useful. As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. "Xiao Lingyan does not need to show off or gain fame, lest he attract the attention and retaliation of other princes. Therefore, if he wants to do something, he does it secretly or through Zhao Ruxi. As a result, his reputation in this area has not spread.
Seeing that Liu Hongyu, Cai Yaozong, and others were also about to join the sycophancy, Zhao Ruxi quickly interrupted the Ministry of Works official, saying, "Lord Shi, do you think there's anything about this tool that needs improvement? If not, it can be widely adopted."
"No, no, it can be implemented nationwide."
Lord Shi was an old man in his fifties who had spent his life studying agricultural tools and trying to improve them. When he saw the agricultural tool that Zhao Ruxi had improved, which did not have a complicated design but only changed the point of force, yet increased the efficiency by more Youyu double, he was greatly impressed. This time, he volunteered to come to Nanyang to express his admiration for Zhao Ruxi.
"Now is the season for land reclamation. With the improved farming tool by Lord Zhao, we can reclaim at Youyu twice as much wasteland as in previous years. Lord Zhao's actions are a great achievement for the present and a benefit for future generations," he said.
Gong Cheng knew his junior sister didn't like hearing this. He said, "The Emperor sent us here today not only to see the actual effects of the new farming tools on land reclamation, but also to discuss with Lord Zhao methods for promoting these tools. It's getting late, why don't we go back to the yamen and sit down to talk?"
"Yes, yes, Your Highness Prince of Qi and all the officials have come from afar, why don't you go back to the yamen and rest?" Liu Hongyu quickly said.
So the group traveled back to the prefectural government office, some by carriage and others by horse.