Chapter 51: Send off
The people the Iron Duke sent had arrived in the afternoon, and once they did, Lucen immediately made them get to work. For now, the supplies they brought needed to be conserved for them to last a few days until the village’s food situation could stabilize.
***
The following day, Lucen stood before a group of villagers, most of them weathered farmers with calloused hands and skeptical eyes.
The sun was high, and the scent of fresh soil lingered in the air. A few children lingered at the edge, curious. Lucen cleared his throat.
"Everyone here knows that if you plant the same thing in the same soil year after year... the harvest gets worse, right?"
The villagers nodded slowly.
"That’s because the plants drink the same things from the ground until there’s nothing left. The land gets tired. But what if we gave the land a chance to rest... and even fed it back?"
Some exchanged glances.
Lucen took a stick and drew in the dirt.
"Look here. Say we divide the land into three parts. One we use for wheat. One for beans or peas, plants that help feed the soil. And one we leave empty or use for animals to graze. The next year, we rotate. Wheat goes where the beans were. Beans go where the animals grazed. Like that, the soil never goes hungry."
A few farmers murmured in interest.