Chapter 162 Extortion

Not long after Li Dechen and the group of tenant farmers departed, Liu Yitiao, accompanied by Old Liu and Liu Hushi, mounted Liu Wuxhen and followed after them.

Upon arriving at the fields, Li Dechen and his men had already begun breaking the earth to dig. However, the surface of the soil had formed a hardened crust. With the crude tools in their hands, they could only scrape away about a meter of the topsoil. Any deeper, and the ground was so dense that each strike could only shave off a tiny bit of earth. At this rate, let alone two months, it was uncertain whether they could strike water in three or four months.

No wonder Li Dechen had been so unglued earlier; attempting to dig a well with such implements within a month was nothing short of a fantasy.

Liu Yitiao looked at the spring millet seedlings in the fields. There were no obvious signs of water shortage yet, and they still maintained a hint of vitality. Fortunately, spring millet was a crop renowned for its drought resistance; at the very least, the crops would not face major issues within a month.

Still, judging by the weather, if this continued for another month, things would become precarious.

"Master," Li Dechen saw that Liu Yitiao had arrived at the fields, handed his tool over to his son Li Biao, and scurried over eagerly. Bending slightly, he said to Liu Yitiao, "Look at the condition of the soil here. The moisture is now less than two feet deep, and it keeps receding upward day by day. If we do not get some rain in the near immediate future, this year's harvest will be severely impacted, and there is even a chance of a complete crop failure."

Li Dechen wore a look of profound worry, appearing even more concerned about the crops than Liu Yitiao himself. He certainly did not want the very first year of farming for his new master to coincide with a total crop failure. If the crops failed or yields plummeted, wouldn't all the grain and rewards promised by the master vanish into thin air?

Liu Yitiao squatted down and grabbed a handful of crumbled soil from the field. Beneath the whitish crust lay some slightly damp, darker earth—this was the "moisture" Li Dechen spoke of. Water, soil, air, and nutrients all worked together to foster the growth of various vegetation in the fields.

"Elder Li need not worry. As long as we can dig the well within this month and then draw water to irrigate the fields, the crops will be fine," Liu Yitiao scattered the crumbled soil from his hand, looked at the lush green crops in the fields, and said confidently to Li Dechen.

"But, Master," Li Dechen said with a troubled expression, "you have seen the situation here yourself. Can a well truly be dug within a month?"

"This afternoon, accompany me to Uncle He's place at the east end of the village," Liu Yitiao stood up, brushed the dirt from his hands, and said calmly to Li Dechen, "Once you see the implement Uncle He has crafted, I believe you will have faith in this one-month timeframe."

"Understood, Master," Li Dechen nodded in acknowledgment. Yet judging by the expression on his face, he still remained utterly skeptical.

Liu Yitiao smiled and shook his head, not minding the reaction. Before seeing the iron shovel, it was only natural for them to doubt. Just as before airplanes appeared, people did not believe humans could fly into the sky.

"Also, take this opportunity to construct some drainage channels in the fields," Liu Yitiao spoke up once more, "Distribute them in a crisscross pattern across every plot of land. When it is dry, they can be used to channel water for irrigation; when it is flooded, they can clear and drain the water."

"Yes, let us do just that," Liu Yitiao nodded, raised a hand, and instructed Li Dechen, "In a moment, trouble Elder Li to inform the villagers that every household must construct a sturdy drainage channel and a small conduit to guide water within their respective fields. The channels must connect to one another and link up with the wells everywhere. The conduits should be built upon a foundation of wood and stone, striving for durability and permanence. Once they are built, each household will receive a reward of fifty cash. Make sure to urge the villagers to put their utmost care into constructing them."

Open-ditch drainage served the dual purpose of irrigation and drainage. While it might fall short of modern underground pipe drainage, it was more than sufficient for the present era.

"Understood, Master." Hearing Liu Yitiao's explanation, Li Dechen's eyes shone with lingering brilliance. Aside from the fifty-cash reward, he was struck by his master's far-sighted vision and ingenious ideas.

When ordinary farming households used water-lifts and norias to draw water for irrigation, they occasionally dug channels, but those were crude affairs that were leveled immediately after use. No one had ever been like Liu Yitiao, who was willing to sacrifice a portion of land specifically to build such long-term water diversion and drainage channels.

Li Dechen bowed slightly to Liu Yitiao, then turned and walked back into the crowd to relay Liu Yitiao's instructions.

Soon, several tenant farmers who were idle by the well began to disperse, returning to their respective fields to carefully start digging trenches.

Drainage conduits were best suited for such large-scale cultivated land for the purposes of irrigation and drainage, emphasizing continuity, intersection, and comprehensiveness. These tenant farmers were clearly experts at digging ditches; they knew best how and where to dig so that the conduits could maximize their utility.

Liu Yitiao nodded. Digging wells with these might not work, but using them to dig shallow drainage trenches was still quite effective. Moreover, these tenant farmers seemed to be putting in a lot of effort. Without needing anyone standing over them to urge them on, they did a wonderful job, saving him a lot of worry.

After staying in the fields a little longer and seeing that everything had gotten onto the right track, Liu Yitiao bade farewell to Li Dechen and rode Liu Wuxhen back home.

Upon arriving home, he discovered that there were actually two horses tethered there—and not ordinary horses at that. Realizing that distinguished guests must have arrived, Liu Yitiao secured Liu Wuxhen and entered the main hall.

Meeting his eyes were two strangers dressed as servants, one old and one young. At that moment, they were seated in the principal seats of the large living room, crossing their legs, tilting their noses to the sky, and wearing an arrogant, overbearing expression.

Standing below them with lowered heads and silent demeanor were Old Liu and Liu Ertiao, looking as though they had done something wrong.

Liu Yitiao frowned slightly; the atmosphere in the room was somewhat off.

He strode over to Old Liu and Liu Ertiao, glanced briefly at the two men in the seats of honor, and asked Old Liu in a soft voice, "Father, what is going on here? Who are these two gentlemen?"

"Yitiao, you're back." Old Liu raised his head, a flash of relief crossing his eyes, and hastily gestured to introduce them to Liu Yitiao, "These two are Brother Zhang and Little Brother Li from the Zhao family in the county town."

The Zhao family? Liu Yitiao pondered briefly, finding no recollection of them. However, judging by the military horses they rode and the haughty demeanor of the two servants, their background was bound to be substantial.

"You must be the current head of the Liu family?" The middle-aged man surnamed Zhang glanced at Liu Yitiao. Seeing how young he was, he could not conceal his utter disdain. Without even cupping his hands in a salute, he sat there broadly and said to Liu Yitiao, "So you're the one who calls the shots in this Liu household?"

Liu Yitiao cast a disdainful look at the servant surnamed Zhang and ignored him. Having been in the Tang Dynasty for so long, this was the most flagrantly abusive lackey wielding borrowed power that he had ever laid eyes on.

He walked straight over, pulled Old Liu and Liu Ertiao to sit down at a table, picked up a teacup to take a gentle sip, and then asked Old Liu as if no one else was in the room, "Father, what on earth is going on here?"

"Yitiao," Old Liu glanced at the two men surnamed Zhang and Li, continuously signaling Liu Yitiao with his eyes to treat them cordially. It was evident that he held a deep dread for these two individuals.

"Eldest Brother, it's all because—"

"Crack!"

A crisp sound cut off Liu Ertiao's words, startling both Old Liu and Liu Ertiao into a shudder.

Liu Yitiao turned his head to look and saw that the servant surnamed Zhang had shattered a teacup. Tea spilled all over the floor, and shards of porcelain splattered everywhere.

"Didn't you hear me talking to you just now?!" The man surnamed Zhang stood up, glaring arrogantly at Liu Yitiao as he demanded an explanation.

"Oh?" Liu Yitiao made a soothing gesture toward Old Liu and Liu Ertiao, gently stood up from his chair, strode over to the man surnamed Zhang, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask how this gentleman is addressed?"

"My surname is Zhang, given name Shuo. Favored by my master, I was bestowed with the courtesy name, Anshan." Zhang Anshan lifted his chin with a smug expression, as if his courtesy name were a supreme honor.

"Zhang Shuo, is it?" Liu Yitiao nudged the porcelain shards on the floor with his foot and asked Zhang Anshan, "Do you know the provenance of this teacup from our household? This was a black-glazed ceramic piece used by the First Emperor himself, Emperor Qin Shi Huang. It was passed down through our ancestors and has survived for nearly a millennium without a scratch, kept specifically for receiving distinguished guests. It is valued at five hundred pieces of gold. Yet now, it is broken—and it was broken right in your hands, Zhang Shuo. What do you suppose we should do about this?"

Regardless of what business they had come for, Liu Yitiao decided to pin the blame on them first. Was the property of the Old Liu family so easily smashed?

"You! You dare try to extort me? I'll beat you to death, you bastard!" Zhang Anshan had never been mocked like this before. Driven mad by humiliation, he swung his fist straight at Liu Yitiao.

"Hmph! Seeking your own demise!" Liu Yitiao shifted his right leg slightly backward, grabbed Zhang Anshan's right arm with his left hand, and gave a sharp upward jerk at his scapula with his right hand. Zhang Anshan's arm popped out of its socket.

"Ah!" With a blood-curdling scream, Zhang Anshan clutched his right arm and collapsed to the floor, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. The technique Liu Yitiao used this time was far from gentle.

"Ertiao," Liu Yitiao brushed his hands together and instructed Liu Ertiao, "Go find something to clean up the shards on the floor and keep the evidence. This is worth five hundred pieces of gold; handle it with care."

"Right, Eldest Brother," Liu Ertiao replied, joyfully rising from his chair to carefully gather the broken pieces of the bowl.

"Young Master Liu, this humble servant, Li Tiexian, pays his respects to you," the younger servant hastily stood up, stepped forward to bow to Liu Yitiao, and said, "It was us who lacked manners just now and committed grave offenses. Might I ask Young Master Liu to be magnanimous and spare Old Zhang this once?"

Recognizing the unfavorable situation, he chose to yield first.

This fellow certainly knew how to trim his sails. Liu Yitiao glanced at Li Tiexian and said indifferently, "Repaying a debt is only natural and just. Since this Elder Brother Zhang shattered the heirloom treasure of our Liu family, he must provide fair compensation. Five hundred pieces of gold, not a single cash less."