Empire Ascension: The Rise of the Fated One-Chapter 157: Agriculture - Four Field System

Rewari Kingdom, Khera Village, 18th March 1557

The evening sun, casting long shadows through the wide open windows of the farmer welfare office, bathed the room in a golden glow.

Aditya glanced over the scrolls piled on the table, his brow furrowing in frustration as he went through one of them. ’We got sixteen thousand orders in just three days? Should I laugh or cry?...The warehouse... will take a week. Maybe 30,000 pieces ? No, better hope its 25,000 limit, .... How did word spread so fast? Damn merchants, they smell like a fly.... I need to find someone to handle this after I am gone.’

He sighed, thinking about the production rate. ’Hiring 25 more isn’t cutting it... production’s too slow..I got the men but without proper tools and expertise, 600 soaps a day is all we can manage.’

His scrolled the accounts of security. ’Fifty men transferred to guard the warehouse and plant... That’s a lot, but it can’t be helped... Accounts, logistics, ...so many extra work. It’s all piling up.’ he rubbed his temple and put those papers on table.

He sighed, ’Being a prince is suppose to be luxury, but this paperwork after reincarnation is taking my life. damn, I miss those days of computer and here i dont even have a calculator. hmm... I need a break.’

Then his gaze fell on Meenakshi, who was engrossed in the accounts. ’ How she gets so much interest... Nah! she is habituated without calculator...still she deserves better.’

Sensing his gaze, Meenakshi looked up and met his eyes. "Is there anything you need, Your Highness?"

Aditya shook his head. "No, it’s nothing, Princess." After a brief pause, he added, "Sometimes, I feel guilty for dragging you into this. You shouldn’t have to deal with all these."

She smiled as she got surprised, "Why? I enjoy this. It’s a welcome change from the boredom of palace life."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow in scepticism .

"Yes," she clarified, "Being among the people, understanding their lives, and managing these accounts... It’s fulfilling to be part of something progressive."

He interrupted, " I’m glad you feel that way, but I still worry about burdening you."

"Not at all," she reassured him. " I’m happy to be here, building something from the scratch. Besides we are in agreement to stick in official hours."

Aditya stood up, stretching. "Well, care to join me for a walk? We’ve been cooped up here since morning."

She giggled in his openness and gestured to the papers.

He nodded in resignation, "Alright, I’ll be back soon. Let me help with the calculations when I return."

As he stepped outside, Rudra, who had been standing guard, approached. ’Your Highness, do you need anything?’

Aditya responded scanning the village square, "Escort me for a walk. I need to clear my head."

As he went on, the soldiers present on the road saluted him with vigor while the villagers greeted him with respect. To avoid busy market, he chose to stroll outside of village and check on the farms and how the villagers were doing.

As he reached the farm, he was greeted with the sight of farmland and farmers tilling the land with wooden ploughs. Most of the labor was done manually. He noted the need to develop the agricultural tools as he had tons of ideas that could increase the yield tenfold, but not now, as he was very occupied. Without planning it would be a disaster to manage.

He ventured deeper into the farmlands and spotted a small gathering. He asked Rudra, "Do you have any knowledge as why people are gathered there?"

Rudra replied humbly, "Yes, Your Highness. I have witnessed that person meeting with the Sarpanch. He is supposed to be the agricultural official for aiding the farmers in growing their crops in a more structured way."

Aditya got intrigued and decided to check it for himself.

Meanwhile, on the farmer’s side, a 30-year-old man named Rajeev was addressing the farmers at work. He had been assigned from Bawal to help them standardize their production. So far, he had helped them in partitioning their farms based on their requirements, and now he was to teach them the methods that could boost their growth.

Rajeev spoke with a commanding tone, "Listen to me, everyone. I will speak only once, and this is very important. I can see you people using a two-field system and will tell you about an advanced method called the three-field system."

Farmer 1 inquired looking puzzled. "We’ve heard of different methods, but we’re not sure how they work. What exactly is this three-field system?"

Rajeev replied with a smile, as he expected this type of reaction, "The three-crop system involves rotating three different crops throughout the year. By planting different crops in each season, you can enhance soil fertility and increase yields. The key is to divide your field accordingly to manage the timing and types of crops you plant."

Farmer 2 nodded in understanding, but Farmer 1 was still skeptical. Seeing Farmer 2, he chose to stay silent as he didn’t want to be called dimwit. Rather, he decided to question it differently to gain more knowledge, "That sounds promising. How do we start implementing this system?"

Rajeev explained, "This is the same as crop rotation. First, we will have to divide the land into three parts and select the crop based on the season. For winter, we will use wheat so that it can be harvested in summer; for spring, we can go for barley, oats, or beans so that they can be harvested in summer. The third field will be kept to rest so that its nutrients can enrich over time."

Farmer 1 got a clear understanding now, but Farmer 3 asked, confused, "So if we divide the farmland into three parts, then one land will remain uncultivated. Won’t that be a waste in production? We can simply farm one time and leave it till we are able to sell all our produce and then do it later. It takes a lot of time for us to get money and invest again in farming."

Farmer 2 interjected this time, "You fool. This is not what he is saying. He is saying we can cultivate three types of crops in three types of seasons and doing nothing on the fourth season."

Rajeev sighed but remained patient as his explanation got misunderstood. But before he could respond, someone else took the limelight.

Farmer 1 grinned at the explanation as he realized he was the only wise one among them. He took the lead, "I am telling you what he meant. He is saying we need to divide the land into three parts. The first two will be cultivated, and the other one will remain non-cultivated. We will have to set the crop we will be farming for specific seasons. In this way, all our lands will be cultivated but in specific periods of time."

Rajeev felt relieved as he was in a hurry to leave and it seemed his explanation wasn’t wasted. He agreed with excitement, "Yes, that’s right. That is the way."

But then Farmer 3 again asked, being confused about the benefit, but Farmer 1 hushed him down, "I will explain it later. Let’s concentrate; he won’t be here all the time."

Rajeev smiled and explained the process in detail, and then Farmer 4 raised a thoughful question, "We have four seasons here. Is there a way to adapt this method to get even better results?"

Rajeev replied, "There isn’t a strict rule about seasons. You can choose crops based on what suits your land best. For example, if you plant wheat in winter, you might consider rice for the monsoon season. "

A young voice from the back of the group suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. "What if we divide the land into four parts?"

As the farmers turned, they were surprised to see Prince Aditya standing there with his royal guard. They quickly greeted the prince, who acknowledged them with a gesture and continued, "I was passing by and couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. It seems interesting, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on this."

Rajeev’s expression paled slightly, and he bowed, "My apologies, Your Highness. We haven’t yet developed a method for a four-field system."

Aditya smiled warmly. "There’s no need to apologize. I’m learning just like everyone else. I’ve heard that legumes and green manure crops can enhance soil fertility. So, instead of leaving a field fallow, why not use it for these crops? We have four seasons, so perhaps we can utilize them all to boost production."

The farmers fell into deep thought until the older, wiser farmer 1 spoke up with excitement, "Yes, it could work. We can plant kharif crops(rice) in the monsoon, rabi crops(wheat) in the winter, legume(beans) in the spring, and green manure(clover) in the fallow period."

The others nodded in agreement, but all eyes turned to Rajeev for validation. After a moment of contemplation, he also grew excited. "Yes, that’s possible! If this works, it could revolutionize our farming practices."

Admiration filled the eyes of the other farmers as they looked at the older man.

Aditya, impressed, asked the wise farmer for his name which was Tularam. He then encouraged Tularam to experiment with this method on his land. Rajeev, also inspired, promised to visit on his off-duty days to check on the progress and provide guidance to the best of his ability.

Aditya, sensing the optimism, added, "If you try this method, I will waive taxes for this year for everyone involved." Few more got excited and decided to try this new system.

After this, Aditya spent more time with the farmers, knowing their feedback on the new policies implemented. As he ended the discussion, it was getting dark, and he returned to his temporary office.

Upon returning, he saw Meenakshi getting ready to leave by placing everything in order. She notified, "I have taken care of everything. Shall we leave?"

Aditya felt pathetic for not being able to help her, but it couldn’t be helped. Regarding her question, he declined politely and expressed his wish to stay.

Meenakshi inquired, "Why are you staying here? Aren’t you afraid of rumors? People are misjudging you as lowborn."

Aditya chuckled, "I will let it pass until I hear it myself. Other than that, anything new going on in the palace?"

Meenakshi replied, "Yes, there are rumors that the king is going to abdicate his throne in favor of the crown prince, but nothing is official yet."

They talked about their soldiers’ group training and the need for mutual exercise when the Sarpanch’s daughter, Jaya, came with a thali. It was chapati with some chana masala (cheakpeas curry). Aditya was used to having his early dinner, so his hands were washed. Thanking her, he began to dig in, holding the thali, and with that she left while giggling with gratitude.

Meenakshi got angry with the sudden interruption and inquired, "You are a prince, and you are eating this?"

Aditya felt amused with the typical nobility mindset. In his past life, he had been through street foods, and their quality was worse; here, this was actually good, where vegetables were still purely organic.

He replied, "Palace food is good, but it’s too rich. Sometimes, plain food has a good taste."

Meenakshi got jealous, "Give me a bite."

Aditya was surprised. He suggested, "Well, I can order another one. I am used to pay them."

Meenakshi shook her head, "No, I only want to taste. You better feed me yourself, or else I will have to wash my hands."

Aditya felt skeptical. Feeding was a bit intimate, but passing one bite wouldn’t hurt, probably. Luckily, he hadn’t eaten yet. He passed the one he broke for himself, and Meenakshi’s eyes lit up. It tasted different. She looked more interested as she opened her mouth for more, and Aditya reluctantly fed her.

A few meters away, behind the wall, a girl was watching them with interest. Bula came and embraced her from behind, catching her waist.

He inquired, "What are you doing, dear?"

She replied playfully, "Helping a girl get closer to the dense head she likes," and nudged him, "Just like you."

Suddenly, the Sarpanch’s voice came looking for his daughter, and she ran, pushing him away, leaving Bula puzzled. "Did she call me a dense head?"