Chapter 59: Continuing the Spring Plowing

Spring plowing was not something that a noble like Bruno needed to personally handle.

Thus, the fact that he even came to inspect the fields during the spring plowing was already unprecedented.

If it were any other lord, who would be willing to mingle with these dirt-covered peasants toiling in the fields?

Bruno personally guided the serfs in harnessing the curved plow to the ox, then instructed two serfs to operate it together.

After a single round, the serfs were utterly amazed!

Even though the plow's blade was made of wood, it could turn over half a foot of soil with remarkable efficiency.

Moreover, the entire operation only required two people and one ox, and it was evidently far less time-consuming and labor-intensive than before.

Unfortunately, Idar Territory did not have many oxen.

As a result, many serfs and commoners had to rely on manual labor to pull the plow instead. However, even so, with the help of the curved plow, plowing became much easier, and efficiency at least doubled.

That did not mean the serfs had a lighter workload this year, though. In fact, the amount of land that needed to be cultivated had more than doubled compared to previous years. This was why Bruno had always been concerned about the lack of manpower.

Previously, Idar Territory had practiced the crop rotation system and the two-field system.

Of course, it wasn't just Idar Territory—the entire Norman Empire used crop rotation and the two-field system, while some central regions practiced the three-field system.

The two-field system meant that the land was cultivated for one year and left fallow the next. During the fallow period, livestock could graze, allowing the soil to recover and retain its fertility.

The three-field system, on the other hand, divided the land into three sections: one for spring crops, one for winter crops, and one left fallow for grazing. These three sections rotated annually, maintaining soil fertility.

However, this year, Idar Territory would no longer have any fallow land—all available land would be cultivated!

Because Bruno had fertilizer!

The waste that Shabi had been collecting in Idar City had finally found its purpose.

Through composting, Idar Territory's unique, high-manure-content organic fertilizer was now ready for use!

In addition, Bruno had also prepared burnt manure, plant ash, and other fertilizers. In short, Idar Territory no longer had to worry about soil fertility.

However, while Bruno understood the power of fertilizers, the others did not!

Thus, when they heard that Bruno planned to cultivate land that was originally supposed to lie fallow, everyone was utterly dumbfounded.

"Milord... why didn't you mention this earlier?" Old Ford asked cautiously. "If we plant crops on land that was meant to rest, even if there is a harvest, it will surely be much lower than usual. Not only will this bring no benefits, but it will also deplete the soil's fertility…"

"It's fine! Didn't I have Shabi collect manure before? That manure will enhance the soil's fertility, allowing us to cultivate the land without the need for fallowing while still achieving high yields."

"M-Manure…?" Old Ford suddenly realized what was happening. No wonder their lord had been buying up all the waste from the commoners and serfs!

At first, Old Ford thought this was just a minor trick, but he never expected it to be part of a larger scheme…

"Milord, I've lived for so many years, but I've never heard of manure having… such miraculous effects…"

"Well, that just means you're a bit ignorant, Old Ford," Bruno sighed.

Then, he changed the topic and added, "Actually… I read about this in a book…"

"A book…? Another book?" Old Ford felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

Last time, when they brought back those strange crops by ox cart, Bruno had also claimed that he had read about them in a book.

Why was it that the books their Earl read were so vastly different from the ones he had seen?

"Milord, may I have a look at this… miraculous book? I want to keep up with you and not hold back our Idar Territory!" Old Ford said sincerely.

"Oh… that book? I think… I used it as toilet paper…" Bruno said, completely unfazed.

"T-Toilet… paper?"

"Yes! Using pebbles to wipe is just too uncomfortable. Sheepskin parchment is much better—it's smooth, gentle on the skin…" Bruno grinned.

In this world, paper had not yet been invented, so Norman Empire nobles typically used smooth pebbles as toilet paper.

In fact, using pebbles was already considered a luxury. Take the Odin Empire, Norman Empire's northern neighbor, for example their royalty and nobles used a rough hemp rope instead.

After doing their business, they would thread the rope between their legs, pull it from the front with one hand and from the back with the other, and scrape back and forth like a saw…

And that wasn't even the worst part the hemp rope was communal!

The emperor would use it first, then the empress, then the favored ministers… all sharing the same rope, never replacing it for years.

They believed this symbolized unity between ruler and subjects.

Disgusting!

I'll vomit first in advance.

"But Milord, we don't have enough seeds! Every year, the number of seeds is fixed…" Old Ford finally played his trump card!

No seeds? Let's see how you plan to plant anything now!

"No worries. I already had Lister buy plenty of extra seeds from Viscount Conte. We have more than enough," Bruno said.

Hearing this, Old Ford was completely stunned.

Lister?

That dim-witted servant he had recommended?

He had originally hoped Lister would be too foolish to suggest any crazy ideas to Bruno, but instead, this guy had…

I underestimated him!

"…Fine. We'll plant everything according to your orders…" Old Ford finally surrendered.

After all… the lord's word is law!

Planting sweet potatoes was not complicated, but potatoes and corn required special handling.

Potatoes needed to be cut into pieces before planting.

Thus, after watching Bruno's bizarre method of cutting potatoes in half before burying them, Old Ford completely gave up resisting…

Who had ever heard of cutting crops in half before planting them? If this actually worked, it would be a miracle!

Old Ford was already preparing to calculate how much extra money they would need to buy food next year…

As for corn, it needed to be soaked to promote germination before planting. Once it developed white rootlets, it could be sown into the soil. Allegedly, this process would increase germination rates.