I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 314: Agricultural Revolution (6)

The harvest was in full swing in the Rothschild estate’s Mare village.

Galeo, like the others, was focused on reaping the wheat with a large sickle.

With his right hand gripping the lower part of the sickle’s handle and his left hand slightly higher on the handle, he swung the sickle in a semicircular motion, using his arms and waist.

Each time the sickle moved, the wheat fell in clumps.

Compared to the small sickle he used previously, the work was progressing about five times faster.

In fact, it was so easy compared to the old days that casual conversation began to flow naturally.

“Do you remember when the Baron suddenly told us to farm in ways we’d never heard of?”

“Oh, this spring? When the village chief unexpectedly told us to plant beans in the fallow land, I thought the sky was turning yellow.”

Up until last year, the Rothschild estate, like other territories in the Toscana Empire, followed the traditional three-field system.

A fallow field for one year, a spring planting field, and a fall planting field.

It was common knowledge that the land needed to be left fallow for one year every three years.

‘If you don’t leave the field fallow on time, your crops fail. That’s common sense.’

When they were told to break this obvious truth, everyone was understandably anxious.

Though farming seems like something anyone can do year after year, it’s not that simple.

A small mistake could lead to starvation.

“But the beans grew better than expected, and we were really surprised. Thanks to that, we’ll have plenty of feed for pigs, cattle, and chickens this winter.”

“We’ll have more than enough feed, but should we just maintain the numbers? We need to make some babies.”

“We’ll have more babies, and we’ll raise more cattle.”

“Widen the fields?”

“The joy of farming is really something, right? Look at the wheat growing thickly in the field.”

Galeo paused for a moment, looking up from his work and gazing at the wheat field.

Compared to last year, the wheat was planted much more densely.

With this much increase, it was expected that the harvest would be about 30% more than before.

“I was too busy swinging the sickle to notice, but now I see. Thanks to the Baron, we’re having another bountiful year. A good harvest.”

“This must be due to the new crop rotation method the Baron devised.”

“Yeah, Galeo.”

Suddenly, someone struck the heads of the two men engaged in this warm conversation.

“Why are you two causing trouble while working so hard, huh?”

The one who hit them on the back of the head was the village chief.

Even though there wasn’t a strict Confucian hierarchy in the Toscana Empire, there was still a culture of respecting older people.

So Galeo had no choice but to stay silent.

“I’ve taught you the crop rotation method so many times since this spring. And yet, you’re still babbling nonsense. Can you blame me for being frustrated? Can you? You idiots.”

“Well, maybe people like us, who are ignorant, might not understand.”

“If farming is your job, then you should know the methods inside and out. You ignorant fools.”

The village chief hit Galeo on the head again.

Galeo, though feeling wronged, had no counterargument.

The village chief was right, and his words weren’t wrong.

If a farmer doesn’t know how to farm, he’s bound to starve to death.

“To see the results of the crop rotation method with your own eyes, you need to farm for at least four years! The increase in the yield of wheat, beans, turnips, and barley is all thanks to the new farming tools the Baron introduced. The seeds were planted deeper, with enough space between them, so they grew better.”

“Understood.”

“Someone who’s getting married doesn’t even know this?”

“Well, that’s not relevant, is it? Besides, it’s true that planting beans and turnips in the fallow land increased the yield.”

This time, the village chief had nothing more to say.

Having succeeded in planting turnips and beans in the fallow land and seeing the harvest, the crop rotation method was already a practical success.

However, the difference in status between Galeo, a mere serf, and the village chief, who ran the whole village, meant their approaches were different.

The village chief deflected.

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“The harvest isn’t over yet. But even just considering the wheat and barley, we’ve got 1.4 times the yield from last year, and with turnips and beans harvested, we’ll have plenty of feed for the livestock.”

A smile spread across Galeo’s face.

The desire to argue with the village chief was beginning to fade.

“This year, after paying the taxes, we’ll still have excess wheat and barley. It won’t be easy to find merchants to buy it.”

“Well, then we’ll have to eat 10 loaves of bread a day.”

“Are you out of your mind? Are you trying to burst your stomach?”

“At least it’s better than starving to death.”

“We’ll leave enough food for the village, but the rest we’ll sell. You’ll have to buy Emma one or two nice dresses. Get her something decent, and at least a simple ring.”

Though the Rothschild estate had remarkably low taxes, last year this village wasn’t this prosperous.

Buying new clothes for a wedding was something that had never been considered before.

“If we do that, there’ll still be money left, so feel free to save or do whatever you want with it.”

The village chief looked up at the sky, and a tear fell.

“It’s all thanks to the Baron. I never imagined such a thing when I was young...”

“Why are you crying again?”

“I’m not crying, you fool!”

“I can see the tears.”

“It’s just moisture in my eyes.”

The emotional moment was broken, and the village chief hurriedly moved along.

“I’ll call the village women to slaughter a few pigs, so finish your work.”

“Can we slaughter pigs even though it’s not harvest time?”

“It wasn’t allowed last year, but this year it’s fine.”

That day, in Mare village, everyone enjoyed the luxury of eating pork, even though it wasn’t harvest time.

The same thing happened in other villages across the Rothschild estate.

**

“Sebastian, look at this.”

Sebastian, buried in the pile of documents on the desk beside me, responded.

“You look happy, is something good happening?”

“They say that thanks to the crop rotation method, food production across the entire estate has increased by 130%.”

“That’s almost a 50% increase in the harvest. The experiment in Sorros was very successful, and the additional farming techniques we introduced have had a very positive effect.”

We had mass-released worms into the fields and even created tools like seeders, making sure to plant the seeds with great care, and this had made a huge difference.

For me, I only deal with the numbers and have never had to worry about starving.

But for the people who used to worry every day about whether they’d have food or not, this increase in the harvest will be incredibly meaningful.

It’s like the difference in quality of life when your salary goes from 2,000 to 4,000, versus when it goes from 200 million to 400 million.

“I heard that even though it’s not harvest season, they’re already slaughtering pigs. They can all clearly feel how much better things are.”

“The serfs, who make up most of the estate’s population, won’t be hungry anymore, and the amount of food available to sell to merchants will increase. The serfs’ income will rise dramatically, and commerce in the estate will develop very quickly.”

Before introducing the four-crop rotation method, let’s assume the serfs in our estate harvested 100 units of grain per year.

Since the tax rate is 30%, 30 units are taken as tax.

They «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» consume about 40 of the 70 remaining, and 10 go as tithe.

The remaining 20 is sold to merchants to buy various necessities like farming tools, clothes, etc.

But now, they’re harvesting 200 units, giving 60 as tax, and 20 as tithe.

However, just because a person’s salary doubles doesn’t mean they eat twice as much, so the amount of food they consume will be around 60.

The remaining 60 will be sold to merchants for consumption.

‘The economic impact the serfs generate has tripled.’

No, considering the ripple effect of the serfs’ increased consumption, the effect will be even greater.

“Commerce will develop quickly. It’ll be beyond what we could have imagined before.”

Sebastian sighed as he listened to me.

“I’m worried that with the rapid increase in serf incomes, some will start overconsuming, gambling, and indulging in leisure.”

“That’s not something we need to worry about. What are we supposed to care about?”

If economic development policies led to the oppression of farmers, making their income decrease to the point where it’s hard to survive, then I would get angry and find alternatives.

But we increased their income, and they’re going bankrupt due to overspending?

‘Not my problem.’

“We just need to keep an eye on the moneylenders to make sure they don’t overstep. Also, we need to find a market for the surplus food.”

I could buy all the surplus food and set up a modern-style pig farm or something...

But there are more profitable businesses than pig farming.

Why should I bother with pig farming?

I can just sell wheat and barley to the neighboring countries and make money.

“The Kingdom of Lyon, the Kingdom of Granada, the Sultanates of the Heathens, the Maasai Union, and the Holy Empire... there are many places that need food.”

“What we have now is only a small amount on a national scale, so we can just sell it to the Holy Empire.”

“Smart thinking.”

And with that, we’d fan the flames of war and plant a few Easter eggs.

While talking, the door opened.

And then, a royal envoy arrived.

“His Majesty has urgently requested your presence.”