At dawn, the Jin City Plain was shrouded in a thin mist, resembling an unfinished traditional ink wash painting. Standing on the newly built crop-viewing platform, Xia Huai'an held a single-barrel bamboo telescope in his hand. The three-zhang-high timber and earth structure trembled slightly in the morning breeze, emitting a faint creaking sound. Ten thousand such platforms were planned to be built, scattered across the Jin City Plain like stars, designed specifically to coordinate the millions of agricultural workers.
As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Xia Huai'an could not help holding his breath.
As far as the eye could see, countless farm workers spread across the vast plain like a rising tide. Organized by "li," with teams of a hundred people each, they labored among neatly planned farm ridges. In the morning mist, countless hoes rose and fell in unison, the sound of iron striking earth merging into a single continuous rhythm, much like the heartbeat of the earth. Sweat dripped onto the freshly turned soil, instantly absorbed by the thirsty ground.
Chapter 185