Chapter 70 Using the Curved Plow

Chapter 70 Using the Curved Plow

After Luo Ning had a brief meeting with these village heads and group leaders, Wilson's job was to implement and supervise the tasks assigned to him.

He himself, accompanied by Chahar and Galen, went to Kales' blacksmith shop to take a good look at the finished curved plough.

The blacksmith shop was still as messy as last time, with broken bone tools, pottery, stone tools, etc., placed randomly everywhere, leaving only an empty space in the middle where the finished curved plough was placed.

If Chahar had not informed the Lord in advance that he would come for inspection today, Kallus probably would not have bothered to clean up the empty space in the middle.

"My Lord, you are finally here!"

Kalus and his son Bal came over from afar and said, "We assembled the curved plough yesterday and are waiting for you to come and test its effect!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Kalus."

Luo Ning maintained a friendly smile and said, "I can't wait to see your results. Come on, take me there."

Led by the father and son of Carls, Roning walked into the blacksmith shop and saw the curved plough placed on the palm-sized clean ground in the middle.

His eyes lit up, and he strode over, looking carefully from front to back. Then he squatted down and carefully examined the plough shovel. Its shape and size were almost the same as the plough he remembered.

"Karus, everyone in this town says that you have great blacksmithing skills. Today, I finally got to see them!"

He couldn't help but give the other party a thumbs up. "This curved plough is almost 99% complete to my design. Very good!"

After receiving the Lord's affirmation, Kallus' nervous mood finally eased. At the same time, he was secretly proud of his craftsmanship, but he was still very humble.

"The drawings designed by the adults are so clear; I just need to follow them."

Luo Ning pinched the front end of the plough tip and lifted the curved plough.

Although this thing is a bit heavy, he is now a mid-level knight, so this weight is nothing, and he lifts it easily.

"It's a bit heavy for the average person."

He looked at the plough body and asked, "Do you have an estimate of how much the plough blade, the two pieces of iron, and the plough body, which are made of wood, weigh?"

Carles knew this very well and quickly said, "Sir, the ploughshare and plowboard should weigh five pounds. I made them with five pounds of iron. The plough body is made of birch that Mr Chahar and William's son cut down, and it should weigh about a hundred pounds."

Luo Ning looked at the plough body and said, "As expected of William's son, the plough body is well made."

The young man Bal at the side couldn't help but say, "Sir, I did this with him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kallus quickly covered Bal's mouth and looked at Ronin embarrassedly, "Sir, please forgive Bal's rudeness."

Luo Ning laughed, "Bar, right? How old are you this year?"

Barr broke free from his father's hand and answered loudly, "I am thirteen years old, my lord!"

"Yes, your technique is great!"

Luo Ning smiled and said, "Learn how to forge iron from your father. Oh, and learn how to make the plough body. I may need you in many ways in the future."

Bal was a little excited to be able to talk so much with the Lord. After receiving the Lord's encouragement, he nodded firmly, "Sir, I will study hard!"

Kallus' class will eventually be handed over to Bal, and Roning really hopes that he can improve his blacksmithing skills.

Because of his experience with the wrought iron he bought in Muma City, he discovered that the iron smelting technology in this world was not as advanced as he had imagined.

The so-called wrought iron is actually sponge iron, which is made by reducing iron from ore under low-temperature conditions.

Blacksmiths used this wrought iron to forge various tools, weapons and protective gear.

This method is fine for forging weapons because the demand is relatively small, but if you want to produce large quantities of farm tools, it will probably work the blacksmith to death.

The specific method to solve this problem is to refine liquid iron, pour the molten iron into moulds to shape it directly and produce agricultural tools on a large scale and in batches.

But Roning looked at Kallus's blacksmith shop. With just that open furnace and a small leather bellows, it would be difficult to raise the temperature for iron smelting.

Obviously, this would require Roning to use his knowledge again.

First, he had to design bellows and then a furnace so that the temperature could be raised high enough to produce pig iron.

He made a note of this matter and then told everyone: "Let's go and experiment to see how effective the curved plough is."

Bal couldn't wait any longer and quickly picked up the flail. Roning signalled to Galen and others to help Kalus carry out the curved plough.

In the fields not far away, Chahar had already asked the cowherd to bring a black buffalo from the castle over.

Under Luo Ning's personal command, everyone worked together to put the yoke on the buffalo's neck and, at the same time, connected the yoke and the pear bowl with a linen rope.

"When using it, you can adjust the position of the plough arrow according to the conditions of the land to ensure that the angle of contact between the plough blade and the land is appropriate."

Roning fiddled with it himself, and after adjusting the approximate position, he signalled to the cowherd that he could start.

After receiving the order from the Lord, the cowherd gently waved the whip, and the black buffalo began to move forward after hearing the command.

The buffalo was not fast, but it was very strong. It pulled the curved plough forward under the traction of the rope.

In the beginning, the cowherd could not control the direction of the curved plough very well. He was nervous and unfamiliar with the plough, so he did not plough well.

But he did have some experience after all, and after many adjustments, he was finally able to turn the soil smoothly.

Kales, Chahar, Galen and others who were following behind and observing carefully all exclaimed in amazement.

"Oh my god, it can plough so deep!"

"Not only is the plough deep, but it also looks very smooth, much easier than ploughing the field with a few of us pulling a light plough!"

Before becoming a male servant, Galen needed to farm, and he had turned the soil over. Whether it was with a hoe or a light plough, whether it was manpower or oxen pulling, it was not something that could be done by just one man and one ox, so he always had helpers by his side.

But now, a herder and a cow can easily turn over a 30-meter-long field!

If the onlookers were very excited, the herder who was actually doing the operation was even more excited. He felt that what he had in his hand was not a plough but a magical tool!

"This is really... incredible!"

The cowherd was trembling with fear. He only needed to control the direction slightly and follow behind. Although it would consume a certain amount of physical strength, compared with the previous method of turning the soil, this method was much easier!

After he finished ploughing a row, he directed the buffalo to turn around while slightly controlling the plough tip. With the pull of the buffalo, he was able to turn around very easily. He was shocked by how labour-saving and convenient this operation was.

"Look, there are so many earthworms!" Bal squatted aside, pointing at the earthworms moving on the soil, and shouted excitedly.

There were usually earthworms when working, but not as many as we see now.

Luo Ning was not surprised by this phenomenon. After all, the curved plough could plough deeper than a light plough or manual tillage. In addition, the plough wall broke up the soil clods, so it was not surprising that all the earthworms in the soil were turned out.

What he is more concerned about is the quality of the soil.

He squatted beside the ploughed furrow and reached out to pinch the soil, which was quite moist. Looking at its black colour and the many earthworms in it, he could tell that it was very fertile.

It seems that the land quality in Shanlin Town is indeed good. No wonder the yield per mu of barley can reach 90 kilograms.

He patted the dirt, stood up, and asked the cowherd, "How does it feel to use the curved plough?"

Although the cowherd had met the Lord when he was "employed" earlier, he still felt nervous when facing the Lord directly.

After thinking for a while, the cowherd expressed his feelings.

"My Lord, this is the most amazing and incredible thing I have ever seen in my life!"

He said exaggeratedly: "When we operate a light plough, it usually takes two or three people, but just now, I was able to operate it easily by myself. Not only is it fast, but it also saves a lot of energy!"

The cowherd looked at the fallow field and said, "If I were to cultivate this land by myself, it would probably take two or three days. But now, give me the curved plough and this cow. Sir, I promise I can finish it in just one day!"

Although the herdsman's description was a bit exaggerated, Luo Ning knew that the curved plough did bring great convenience and efficiency to farmers and reduced the difficulty of turning the land and cultivating the land.

Now, the question is how to mass produce it.

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