Chapter 19: The Gift of the Curved-Shaft Plow

Present were Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who both felt genuinely happy for Tian Yu and Zhao Yun.

At this moment, the Second Lord was far from the arrogance he would display in later years, when he would boldly confront Ma Chao and Huang Zhong, carrying the pride of being the foremost figure of the Liu family.

In fact, although he ranked second at the time, his actual status was not as high as Zhang Fei’s. Whether in terms of closeness to Liu Bei or the investment he had made in him, he was inferior to Zhang Fei.

It was precisely because of this that Liu Bei later left Zhang Fei to guard Xiapi while taking Guan Yu to confront Yuan Shu. And it was the loss of Xiapi that began to shake Zhang Fei’s position as the second most important figure in Liu Bei’s faction, gradually being replaced by Guan Yu.

However, the bond among the three was genuinely sincere. Zhang Fei himself bore no resentment, showing that he truly regarded Guan Yu as his second elder brother and sincerely respected both Guan Yu and Liu Bei.

“Come, come, let us all drink to this cup, wishing Guo Rang and Zilong to display their great talents, bring peace to the people below, and repay the court above.”

The entire hall responded with a thunderous agreement, the atmosphere growing lively.

Pan Zhang was also very active among them, his sincere heart evident, eager to risk everything for Liu Feng and Liu Bei at once.

In short, he was incredibly eager to advance.

And who could blame him, with the Liu family father and son being so generous?

Interestingly, Guan Yu surprisingly held a favorable impression of Pan Zhang, who had been a tough opponent in their previous lives, while Zhang Fei somewhat looked down on him, finding Pan Zhang too coarse.

Tian Yu and Zhao Yun shared a common trait: they were calm and deeply concerned for the welfare of the people.

Historically, Tian Yu served Cao Wei guarding the northern borders, imposing light taxes and duties, valuing production, and never wasting the strength of the people.

After Liu Bei entered Shu, Zhao Yun was the first to advise on military discipline, even offending various military leaders and the morale of the troops, which cost him his prominent general title.

Both truly cared for the common folk.

Now, having taken charge of two counties devastated by war, with everything in ruins, they couldn’t help but think about how to restore the livelihood of the people.

Tian Yu and Zhao Yun exchanged a glance and, seizing upon Liu Bei’s good mood, hoped to gain some assistance from him.

To say nothing else, recruiting displaced people required vast amounts of grain; their troops also needed food; restoring cultivation needed seeds, farming tools, and draft oxen.

On top of that, there were expenses for repairing the ruined city walls and houses, recruiting officials, and reviving production.

In short, they lacked money, grain, and manpower.

Liu Bei himself had very few loyal followers; aside from a few young men they had brought from their hometowns, Tian Yu and Zhao Yun had almost no one to call on.

Zhao Yun was the first to speak, appealing to Liu Bei for aid.

Liu Bei smiled mysteriously without a word, leaving Zhao Yun puzzled.

Tian Yu, watching from the side, was equally confused by Liu Bei’s strange reaction.

Yet, with their interests aligned, Tian Yu forced himself to speak up and help.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei still remained silent, smiling as he turned his gaze to Liu Feng.

Seeing his father’s look upon him, Liu Feng understood that his father intended to show off his son’s talents in front of the others.

Present were Guan, Zhang, Zhao, and Tian—all the most trusted confidants of Liu Feng, the cream of the crop among the loyalists.

At thirty-four or thirty-five years old—already considered middle-aged in the Han era where the average lifespan was around forty—Liu Bei instinctively wanted to expedite establishing Liu Feng’s prestige.

Liu Feng roughly understood his father’s intentions and, putting aside his mixed feelings, respectfully cupped his hands and said, “Father, the gifts I prepared earlier may now prove useful.”

“Oh?” Liu Bei was momentarily surprised. Amidst the lively gathering, he had completely forgotten about the gifts.

“Very well, Feng’er, present them to your father quickly.”

Liu Feng agreed, but before he could rise, Pan Zhang, seated nearby, tactfully stood and left.

Shortly after, Pan Zhang returned, carrying several attendants and bringing in a curved shaft plow, placing it in the center.

For a moment, all eyes focused on the plow.

“This… seems to be a plow?”

The Second Lord, born of humble origins and fond of martial adventurers and trading, was no stranger to agriculture.

The others, also from humble backgrounds, recognized it as a farming tool but were puzzled by its complexity.

In the Han dynasty, the commonly used plow was a straight-shaft type—with a long shaft and a straight blade.

By contrast, this curved-shaft plow had a much shorter shaft and a curved blade, with many additional components, evoking the feeling of a bicycle transforming into a motorcycle.

All eyes turned back to Liu Feng, who naturally took center stage, demonstrating the operating techniques and carefully explaining the plow’s advantages and usage.

As Liu Feng spoke, the eyes of Liu Bei and the others brightened.

They realized the utility of this agricultural tool. Frankly, the efficiency of plowing with the curved-shaft plow was five to ten times that of the straight-shaft type.

This meant far fewer hands could cultivate much more land.

For the war-ravaged counties of Cheng and Lanling, with their sparse populations, this was undoubtedly a godsend.

Zhao Yun, unable to contain his eagerness, fixed his gaze on Liu Feng, his intensity making the latter somewhat uneasy.

“Master, may I ask how many of these curved-shaft plows there are?”

“Only this one.”

Liu Feng’s words disappointed Zhao Yun and Tian Yu. No matter how precious the treasure, a single piece was hardly sufficient.

Yet Liu Feng continued, “Though the curved-shaft plow appears complex, its manufacturing process is not difficult. The greatest challenge lies in forging the plowshare and moldboard from iron; the remaining materials are readily available.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, and even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei eagerly looked toward Liu Bei.

The Second Lord was moved and resolved without hesitation.

“This is easy. I will soon summon craftsmen and order them to produce the curved-shaft plows with all their effort.”

After a pause, Liu Bei added, “Before spring planting, we should be able to produce a batch. At that time, I will allocate a hundred pieces each to Guo Rang and Zilong.”

Tian Yu and Zhao Yun were overjoyed, rising to express their gratitude.

Liu Bei ordered his attendants to carefully store the plow before resuming the banquet.

Having seen the treasure and received Liu Bei’s personal promise, Zhao Yun and Tian Yu felt completely reassured and immersed themselves in the festivities.

The midday feast was lively and lasted two full hours.

It began just past noon and ended as the sun was nearly setting.

Tian Yu and Zhao Yun felt the weight in their chests lift entirely, leaving only boundless enthusiasm and excitement.

Though Liu Feng drank quite a bit at the banquet, he fared much better than the others.

The Second Lord, in his great happiness, drank himself into a drunken stupor.

The others were no better off; Pan Zhang, even drunk, performed a sword dance for Liu Feng and Liu Bei in the hall, eliciting cheers from all and creating an atmosphere of warm revelry.

In the end, everyone was thoroughly drunk, and it was Liu Feng who directed the servants to settle them all.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei naturally stayed with their father, while Zhao Yun and Tian Yu, unable to return to their official residences, were given fine rooms within the provincial government.

After ensuring Pan Zhang was safely sent home, Liu Feng, still pushing himself, went to pay respects to the Wu and Tian families.

The two women, feeling for Liu Feng, did not detain him long and urged him to rest promptly.