Rome Must Perish

In the newly conquered land of Segestica, Nix veterans like Casaridaoa are allocated residences, which are mostly courtyards made of wooden pillars and clay walls. The courtyards are spacious, with at least three rooms, and in addition to sheepfolds and pigsties, some courtyards even have stables for horses and cattle. This is much better than the new houses those veterans lived in by the Kupa River, and they feel very satisfied. The new recruits are not envious, because they all understand that these veterans are now First-class Tribesmen and have higher status in the tribe than they do.

The residences allocated to the Nix veterans are actually the homes of the tribal nobles, and it so happens that the place where Casaridaoa is to live is the Clan Leader's residence under Siris, which leads Casaridaoa to joke with Siris: reminding him not to forget to regularly visit the residence for greetings.

After Pro allocated housing for all the newcomers, it was his turn. He chose a residence near the main house of the village.

Siris was surprised by this, despite Pro explicitly stating at the village meeting that "the village chief is not the leader of a tribe." Nevertheless, he is the manager of the entire village, so it's reasonable for him to reside in the main house.

Pro explained that the main house would henceforth serve as the office for the entire village, and the village chief and his subordinates would handle various village affairs there.

After obtaining new housing, the Nix soldiers who came with Pro didn't stay to live, instead, they each left and returned to their respective Centurions tasked with missions in other villages.

Likewise, some of the Scodisqi slaves also left, going to the main camp by the Sava River to help build a camp for the Foreign Auxiliary or assisting with bridge construction under the guidance of the Public Works Department.

In the afternoon, Siris gathered the villagers by the field on the eastern edge of the village. Pro stood on a small mound and asked them the first question: "Who can tell me the difference between the grain you plant now and the yield you harvest?"

The villagers didn't expect Pro to ask this. Soon someone answered, "Now we plant 10 pounds of grain and can harvest at most 30 pounds."

Another person interjected, "It used to be better; planting 10 pounds could yield around 40 pounds. The reason the difference is so big now is that the soil fertility is lacking."

"You should all know that we Nix people only settled along the Kupa River last year. We started planting wheat only at the beginning of this year. By the autumn harvest in September, did you know how many pounds of wheat we harvested from planting 10 pounds of seed grain?" Pro raised his hands, shook them at the crowd, and answered his own question: "About 70 pounds of wheat."

The crowd was in an uproar.

Soon someone refuted, "That's impossible! I have a relative who joined the newly established tribe along the Kupa River two years ago, and he told me the fields there aren't much different from here. The yield can't be as much as you say!"

"That's because we Nix have better techniques for farming!" Pro confidently proclaimed, "Next, I'll tell you about our Nix methods for enriching the soil and planting crops, and you can judge for yourselves whether what I said is a lie!"

Pro's words successfully captured the villagers' attention. He then bent down, grabbed a handful of soil, and pointed at the person who spoke earlier: "You're right. The fertility of these fields isn't very good. Look, the soil is clumped and a bit hard..."

Pro crushed the soil in his hand and even sniffed it: "And the musty smell is somewhat faint—"

The person who spoke earlier interrupted again: "This soil wasn't like that originally. Just in the past two years, with the tribe constantly at war and needing us to turn in grain non-stop, everyone had to plant wheat twice a year, depleting the soil's fertility!"

His words immediately aroused other people's indignation, and they started complaining.

Pro loudly proclaimed, "You all know the soil's fertility is lacking, so what should be done to restore it?"

Once again, the same person answered first: "Of course, it's to reduce consumption by planting wheat only once a year, and then fertilizing the land."

"Hmm, fertilizing. How do you plan to fertilize?" Pro asked further.

"It's obviously by spreading human or animal manure on the fields to increase the soil's fertility."

"Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough? Do you have a better method?!" the person retorted, unconvinced.

"It's good you know about using manure to enhance soil fertility, but manure must never be applied directly to the fields!"

"Why?"

"Because manure generates too much heat, especially horse manure. When mixed in the soil, it can burn the wheat seeds, preventing them from sprouting. Also, some manure contains insect larvae, which, when hatched in the soil, will also damage our wheat seedlings..."

"What you're saying... is this true?"

"I see you seem to have quite a bit of farming experience. Think carefully about whether what I'm saying makes sense," Pro responded.

Siris leaned towards him and whispered, "That person is Lerdu, indeed one of the best farmers in our tribe, and he enjoys teaching other tribesmen about farming..."

Pro, intrigued, watched Lerdu contemplate for a while with a somewhat hesitant expression, and asked, "If manure can't be directly applied to the fields, then what method do you use for fertilization?"

"Two methods," Pro confidently announced to the crowd. "One is the Composting Method, and the other is the Composting Method. The Composting Method involves piling up manure and mixing it with soil, leaving it for one or two months in the open air or under a wooden shed until the heat dissipates, after which the compost can be mixed with field soil for use;

The Composting Method involves digging a pit, adding a certain amount of water, and putting in not only manure but also straw, branches, rotten fruits, vegetables, etc. After about a month, the nutrients from the branches, fruits, and vegetables that can enhance soil fertility dissolve into the water, which can then be used to irrigate the fields... In the Nix tribe, we typically mix these two methods.

Besides that, there are other methods to increase soil fertility... I've noticed you've piled many straw stacks in your fields. Besides using it for roofing, bedding, and courtyard walls, what else do you use it for?"

"Besides that, what else can you do with straw?" Lerdu replied seriously. "Before autumn harvest next year, any leftover straw will burn."

"And after burning?"

"Burning it leaves nothing behind when the wind blows it away."

"That's so wasteful, so wasteful!" Pro exclaimed in dismay, stomping his feet. "You must know that the soil growing the wheat consumes much of its fertility on the straw, so you should return the straw's fertility to the fields!"

"How can we return the straw's fertility to the soil? We can't just bury the straw in the fields," Lerdu finally asked for advice, though his tone remained awkward.

"Two methods," Pro replied calmly. "One is the Composting Method I mentioned earlier, though compost pits can't accommodate so much straw. Most of the straw can be burned, but you must mix the ash into the soil to restore some fertility to the fields.

Additionally, you can crush leftover bones from meat meals and scatter them in the soil to increase fertility... These are some ways to fertilize the soil and boost fertility."

Pro noticed that people were listening intently and raised his voice unconsciously: "Next, I'll discuss how to avoid overusing the soil's fertility while ensuring we have enough yield. Leader Maximus, inspired by the deity... the Danu Goddess, has devised the Three-field rotation system for the tribesmen.

The Three-field rotation system divides our land into three parts—1/3 planted with spring wheat, 1/3 with winter wheat, and letting 1/3 rest, using it to plant wheat the following year while resting the other fields... This cycle helps maintain soil fertility.

Additionally, the resting land isn't entirely fallow; you can plant some soybeans and clover, which increase soil fertility and yield, facilitating livestock raising."

"But our land is already scarce. Following your method means leaving 1/3 of the land unused for a year, which means we'll get even less grain," someone questioned.

"That's right, and we have to pay 4-tenths of our grain. Will we still have enough to eat?!" someone seized the opportunity to express dissatisfaction.

"Quiet! Everyone, please quiet down! Listen to the village chief carefully!" Siris quickly stepped in to maintain order.

"The Agricultural Department conducted experiments on the issue you raised and concluded that implementing the Three-field rotation system won't impact your life!"

Pro confidently explained: "After the land is distributed tomorrow, every household will have 50 acres of land, cultivating more than 10 acres at a time, farming over 30 acres a year. This will allow you to devote more energy to tending the fields carefully. If you follow the fertilization methods I mentioned, and the farming methods I'll discuss later, the yield of over 30 acres will more than double. There'll be no problem!

Also, the tribe will collect the 4-tenths of grain from the output of the 30-acre field where you plant wheat. The 10-acre fallow is tax-free, so calculate whether you can sustain your family for a year? As long as you farm well, not only can your family eat enough, but there'll also be some surplus grain to trade for essentials at the market."

The crowd fell silent, with many people counting on their fingers.