Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 16: Agriculture Experiment and Police Trouble: Part 1

On the outskirts of Shimoga, the Vijayanagar Empire

In a Large Wooden Hut, Vijay is sitting on a chair, thinking about his next move.

Which he considered to be food production.

Even though the land of Vijayanagar is very fertile, the food produced was barely enough to fill everyone's stomachs. even when the food is surplus, it can be exchanged for money with the neighbouring kingdoms, So, Vijay decided to improve the agricultural technology of the Empire. He came to this small village to conduct an experimental trial on the four-field crop rotation method. Despite having all the necessary knowledge to implement the plan throughout the Empire, he knew that theory means nothing without practice and experience.

The four-field crop rotation system is a traditional practice that involves dividing a field into four sections and rotating different crops through each section in a specific order. The goal of this rotation is to improve soil fertility, reduce pest and disease pressure, and increase overall crop yields. The typical crop planting in the four-field crop rotation includes barley, oats, and peas in the spring; corn, wheat, or ragi in summer; turnips and beets in the autumn; and rice or leaving the field fallow in the winter.

Vijay chose to play it safe by selecting this village to test out his theory so that even if the plan does not work, no one will be harmed on a large scale.

"Knock knock."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Vijay Said.

An old man, around 50 years old, entered the room. His hair was grey, and his hands were calloused from years of working in the fields.

Vijay discovered this old man while searching for a suitable location for his experimental planting. He saw the old man planting the same type of crop in different parts of the field. When Vijay asked, the old man explained that he wanted to know which crop grew best in different conditions.

Vijay was astonished. He couldn't believe that someone was conducting experiments similar to the pea experiment in this day and age.

"I have found a gold mine," Vijay thought to himself. Without any delay, he invited the old man to run his experiments, He also thought if the old man accepts his invitation, he would transfer all his knowledge about the four-field crop rotation method to the old man.

Narasimha, the old man, was shocked beyond belief. He didn't know Why his little Gimmik would impress His Majesty the King. But without any hesitation, he agreed and came to the experimental village.

"Your Majesty, the crops are ready to be planted," he said excitedly.

Vijay nodded and left the room to watch the planting.

As he arrived at the fields, he saw the farmers ploughing the land with bull tongue ploughs. Vijay Himself introduced these ploughs, Although these types of ploughs were first used in the 19th century, they were still commonly seen in rural India in the 21st century. Vijay had invited a skilled blacksmith to make a plough blade and asked a skilled carpenter to assemble the blade with a horizontal piece of wood that connected the plough blade to the hitch where the oxen could then pull the plough through the land. The plough increased the efficiency greatly.

Then, he saw a group of young children holding ragi seeds in their hands and planting them on the ground as the plough moved forward. Some farmers also used organic animal waste as fertilizer, planting it alongside the seeds.

Vijay was very satisfied with this arrangement and asked the old man beside him, "Narasimha, when will it be time for harvest?"

The old man replied, "Your Highness, normally the seeds are planted before we're ready for harvesting in about four months. But since we are doing it differently this time, we will have to wait until the results come. However, according to my personal experience, it won't take more than that."

Vijay nodded in understanding. He still wanted to introduce water conservancy projects, but due to limited funds, he couldn't do it. "What a pity," he thought.

"Your Majesty, there seems to be urgent news for you from the palace," said the messenger.

Hearing this, Vijay quickly made his way back to the palace. Inside, he found two important figures - Logananda Senapati, the current army Marshal, and Director Arjun, the head of the internal security department.

"Long live Your Majesty, long live," they said, saluting in a military manner.

Vijay asked with concern, "What seems to be the problem?"

Lokananda was the first to respond, "Your Highness, because of more candidates than expected for the army, we are unable to feed them all. In our current condition, the army's finances can only last for one year."

Vijay frowned, as he didn't anticipate this situation. Rubbing his head, he replied, "I'll see what I can do."

Lokananda nodded, understanding the weight of the situation.

Vijay looked at Arjun and asked, "What seems to be the problem, Arjun?"

Arjun began with a bitter tone in his voice, "There was an accident in Bengaluru town, Your Highness. A member of a noble family raped a common girl, and he was caught by the police. However, due to his noble origin, his family caused a big mess. They raided the police station, beat up the police officers, and the situation escalated quickly. Even though the officers were trained veterans that can handle five people by one person, there were just too many goons, and the officers couldn't handle the situation." Arjun looked visibly troubled as he reported the incident.

Listening to this, Vijay was furious and yelled, "Idiot! Stupid! Why don't you just kill them all?"

He was fuming with rage as he said those words, and Yogananda, standing next to him, was also somewhat angry, glaring at Arjun.

Arjun quickly replied, "Your Highness, we can't do anything in this situation. They seem to have the backing of most of the nobles and higher landlords in the country. If we make a move on them, it will anger all those big nobles and landlords."

Vijay quickly gathered his thoughts and realized, "Oh, so this is their response to me opening the police station, is it?"

Vijay had always known that the nobility would not take kindly to his interference in their interests, but he did not expect such retaliation to come in this way. The incident in Bengaluru town was a stark reminder of the power and influence they held, and it made him realize the magnitude of the challenges he would face in bringing about true reform in the kingdom. Nevertheless, Vijay is determined not to be scared by these obstacles.

"Logananda, at what time will the army be fully functional?" Vijay inquired.

Listening to His Highness' words, the Marshal was stunned and replied, "Your Highness, it will take up to the end of this year to have the army combat-ready."

Vijay asked, confused, "What about the 50,000-man army that is already combat-ready?"

Logananda replied with a wry tone, "Your Highness, we are already treading on thin ice by reducing half of the army. The remaining soldiers are stationed on the borders of our lands, and if we withdraw any more, we risk leaving ourselves vulnerable to attacks."

TO BE CONTINUED...