HUS Chapter 51: The Yang Can Plow
HUS Chapter 51: The Yang Can Plow
Dec 26, 2025
"Does that plow truly have such miraculous effects?"
Zhang Yunyi stood up from behind his desk in surprise and asked Field Supervisor Peng Jin.
Peng Jin nodded repeatedly and excitedly described the trial plowing scene to him.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunyi's mind immediately stirred.
Such a divine farming implement would be an enormous achievement!
Especially since the Yu family was based on agriculture, this achievement would be particularly significant.
If this Estate Head could claim even ten percent of the credit, wouldn't this also count as a gold medal of immunity from death?
However, this matter had nothing to do with him!
Zhang Yunyi was fretting when Peng Jin said, "Estate Head, the common people are going crazy. This year's spring plowing has just begun, and the curved-shaft plow isn't difficult to manufacture. Although we can't use this new plow on all our land this year, if we rush the production, we can still use it on a large area."
This statement immediately reminded Zhang Yunyi.
"Quick, immediately gather all the carpenters and blacksmiths on our estate. Mm, also go recruit from Tianshui City, and borrow craftsmen from other estates..."
Peng Jin said, "Estate Head, our estate's people are easy to handle, spending money to recruit in Tianshui City is also easy. But borrowing people from other estates..."
The six major estates were equal in status and position.
Borrowing people wasn't issuing orders, but relying on personal favors. However, there were also competitive relationships among the six major estates. Whether they would be willing to lend people was hard to say.
Peng Jin suggested, "How about requesting Steward Yang to order it? As long as he gives one order..."
"Fool!"
Zhang Yunyi glared, "If I let him give the order, how much credit will this Estate Head have left? You just go handle it. Those craftsmen who are borrowed will also learn how to manufacture the new plow. Their estates won't have time this year, but won't they want to use it next year?"
Peng Jin suddenly understood and quickly acknowledged before rushing off in a flurry.
The news of the miraculous new plow spread so quickly, sweeping through all of Feng'an Estate like the wind.
In front of Blacksmith Li's shop, it was already crowded with the estate's common people.
Squeezed at the very front were all free citizens and dependent households.
They had come to order the new plow.
The tenant farmers didn't need to buy one, and couldn't afford to either.
They were "working people," with all means of production provided by the master.
Of course, they were also exploited the most harshly. The harvest from a year of hard work mostly went to the master.
What remained was barely enough to stay alive. Nevertheless, they were also overjoyed.
Because the master's oxen and plows were limited in number, and their allocation to each household had time limits.
They didn't dare overuse the master's animal labor, and feared not finishing plowing the fields within the time limit, which would require human labor to supplement.
This way, not only would all the household's able-bodied laborers be tied up in the fields with absolutely no time to do anything else to supplement the household income, but everyone would also be worn out with illness.
Now with such a divine implement, it would free up at least one able-bodied laborer in the household.
This way, their lives in the future would be somewhat easier.
"Don't crowd, don't rush. My master said this plow must first meet the Estate Head's needs before it can be your turn."
Li Yue's young apprentice blocked the workshop entrance, as imposing as a great general.
"Ah? Then my family can't use it this year?"
"If you can't use it this year, you'll definitely use it next year. Isn't this still something to look forward to?"
Immediately an onlooking tenant farmer consoled him with a grin.
Originally, among these farming households, tenant farmers had the lowest status but these tenant farmers suddenly discovered that they actually had priority in some matters.
At least in using this new plow, they ranked ahead of the free citizens and dependent households whose status was higher than theirs.
I am an ox or horse, and I'm proud of it.
Just at this moment, a troop of people entered Feng'an Estate in great numbers.
Qingmei, leading two stewards, two matrons, seven or eight large carts, and over a hundred people, entered Feng'an Estate.
They quickly took over the Li family blacksmith shop.
"Don't be anxious, everyone. This divine implement, the 'Yang Can Plow,' was developed by our eldest branch's Steward Yang. Our eldest branch's young mistress said this is a divine implement that benefits thousands upon thousands of common people. Look..."
The speaker was eldest branch procurement steward Zhao Hongyu, whose voice was very loud.
With one sentence, he fixed the plow's name as the "Yang Can Plow" and clearly established the eldest branch's credit.
Suo Zhanzhi had sent eldest branch procurement steward Zhao Hongyu and granary steward Ma Sanyuan over.
These two people were Suo family members she had brought from her natal family, absolutely trusted confidants.
Zhao Hongyu waved his large hand grandly, and the common people crowding in front of the workshop competing to purchase the "Yang Can Plow" all turned to look.
Seven or eight carts were stopped by the roadside, loaded full of various blacksmithing tools and carpentry tools.
Surrounding the carts were mostly blacksmiths and carpenters who had come along.
Steward Zhao said, "To quickly produce the Yang Can Plow and catch up with this year's spring plowing, our young mistress has taken great pains! The young mistress hired many craftsmen, and they all came with their tools. At the very least! At the very least, our Feng'an Estate will definitely be able to use the 'Yang Can Plow' in time. Everyone can rest assured."
Upon hearing this, the free citizens, Yu family dependents, and tenant farmers present were all overjoyed.
The two stewards and two matrons who came this time had all been urgently deployed from the eldest branch.
As for those craftsmen, they were recruited through Suo Zhanzhi's commission to her second uncle Suo Hong.
After the marriage alliance between the two families, as one of the conditions for seeking the marriage, the Yu family allowed the Suo family to freely conduct business on Yu family territory without being subject to Yu family control.
Currently, Second Master Suo had already successively established some trading posts on Yu family territory.
Trade wasn't just about making money. In the process of establishing these posts, the Suo family gained footholds, connections, and intelligence sources on Yu family territory.
If not for this, how could the Suo family have the capability to recruit so many craftsmen on Yu family territory in such a short time?
Suo Zhanzhi wanted to firmly secure this great achievement that benefited the entire Yu family, and even the entire world, to the eldest branch's main line.
Credit was often coveted by others but now, with Suo Zhanzhi promptly dispatching a large number of people in her capacity as the eldest branch main line's young mistress, others couldn't snatch away the credit.
When Zhang Yunyi heard the news and hurriedly led people to the front of the Li family blacksmith shop, granary steward Ma Sanyuan was announcing with a beaming face, "The young mistress has ordered that the 'Yang Can Plow' must be rapidly promoted to the Yu family's various estates. Agricultural encouragement steles are to be erected at each estate. The young mistress wants this agricultural divine implement born from the Yu family to be carved on them for generations to admire. The young mistress has also ordered that from now on, during every autumn harvest season, our eldest branch main line will provide funds. For what? To hold 'Agricultural Appreciation Banquets' at each estate to reward all the people on the estates."
Upon hearing this, many of the common people crowding in front couldn't help but kneel down, and there was another round of singing praises.
At this point, the achievement was secured, and so was the influence.
Zhang Yunyi stopped in his tracks, his face as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.
Damn it, even if I work harder, how much credit will be left when it's distributed to me?
...
What made Estate Head Zhang even more frustrated was that among those the young mistress sent were actually stonemasons as well.
These stonemasons were quite diligent. The very next day they had carved four "Agricultural Encouragement Steles."
Then they erected them by the roadsides at the four entry and exit points of Feng'an Estate, east, south, west, and north.
On the "Agricultural Encouragement Steles" were first the consistent phrases like "Agriculture is the foundation, encourage agriculture and diligent farming."
Next came lavish descriptions of the invention of the "Yang Can Plow."
What kind of "Agricultural Encouragement Steles" were these? They were clearly achievement monuments.
Moreover, this achievement was now firmly grasped in the hands of the eldest branch's young mistress and Steward Yang.
Every autumn harvest season, the eldest branch main line would fund "Agricultural Appreciation Banquets"?
That would naturally require the head of the eldest branch main line to personally preside over them.
Many farming households never left a ten-li radius from their homes in their entire lives. How much of the sky had they seen?
Therefore, Zhang Yunyi, as the head of this estate, could say what he wanted and become the local tyrant here but once the eldest branch could legitimately use the "Agricultural Appreciation Banquets" to interfere in the estate's affairs and interact with the estate's common people, those ignorant commoners would know there was a "heaven beyond heaven."
They would henceforth clearly know that above their Estate Head, there was an existence that could control the Estate Head.
It wasn't that they didn't know about such things before, but previously they were like farmers living in remote mountain valleys.
Those farmers knew there was an emperor and a county magistrate in the world, but what did that have to do with them?
They would never intersect, and what could truly intimidate them were the local landlords and powerful clans.
Now, Zhang Yunyi's supreme authority was about to be shattered.
Yang Can hadn't even specifically done anything targeting Zhang Yunyi, yet his foundation was already being shaken.
The blacksmiths and carpenters sent by the eldest branch's young mistress quickly became the main force in creating the "Yang Can Plow."
This technology wasn't difficult to master. The difficulty was that no one had ever thought of it.
Once these craftsmen figured out the manufacturing process with the help of Blacksmith Li and his disciples, the young mistress's second batch of craftsmen arrived.
Thus, Li Yue and his disciples continued as masters, instructing these newly arrived craftsmen on how to create the "Yang Can Plow."
Meanwhile, some of the first batch who already knew how to manufacture it had set off for other estates.
Although this year it would be impossible to popularize the "Yang Can Plow" on all of the Yu clan's land, the Yu family's estates, including but not limited to the six major estates Yang Can was responsible for, would all witness its advancement far beyond the straight-shaft plow.
When next year's spring plowing came, the new plow would be used on all the Yu clan's land.
By then, not only would grain output increase, but the large amount of human and animal labor saved would bring earth-shattering changes to the Yu clan's territory.
Zhang Yunyi was the "heaven" of Feng'an Estate, the "local tyrant" of Feng'an Estate but he discovered that his "heaven" could no longer cover this yellow earth.
His prestige as a local tyrant was also gradually losing its uniqueness.
This made Estate Head Zhang feel like sitting on pins and needles, like having a thorn in his back.
He felt he had to do something.
Yang Can wasn't currently targeting him, only building his own reputation but objectively, Yang Can's behavior was shaking his rule over Feng'an Estate and this behavior wasn't just shaking his rule over Feng'an Estate. What about the other estates?
Presumably the Clan Head also didn't want to see signs of the eldest branch main line breaking free from his control, right?
Perhaps I can make an issue out of this point!
Zhang Yunyi stroked his beard, his gaze gradually growing darker.
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