The return of Lin Tian's army was a joyous occasion for the entire Great Qin.
Not only had Lin Tian brought back immense wealth, but he had also returned with a large number of enslaved people from Wa.
These individuals could be utilized as labor.
With their addition, the people of Great Qin would no longer have to perform corvée labor.
Furthermore, with Wang Ben conquering regions like Gaoli, a steady stream of slaves was ensured.
Consequently, the happiness index of the people in Great Qin was extremely high; they only needed to focus on their own affairs.
During the busy farming seasons, they could diligently cultivate their land.
As long as their fields were well-tended, their lives would naturally improve.
However, during these busy farming periods, Ye Wushuang also realized a significant issue.
That was the severe shortage of plowing oxen at this time. Without sufficient oxen, it was extremely difficult for the populace to till their land.
The Great Qin had just been unified and was not yet entirely stable. The cultivated land was not extensive, and the people could endure some hardship to plow.
Once Great Qin grew stronger and more prosperous, opening up more wasteland, the situation would be entirely different.
More cultivated land meant a greater demand for plowing oxen. If the supply of oxen could not keep pace, it would also spell disaster for the common people.
Therefore, Lin Tian conceived of another innovation.
The curved-shaft plow.
The curved-shaft plow was more labor-saving and convenient to use than other long plows.
With traditional straight plows, one might only plow one or two mu of land in a day. However, with the curved-shaft plow, the speed increased dramatically.
In a single day, it was possible to plow two to three, or even three to four mu.
It could even be pulled by humans alone, without the need for oxen, and still till the land effectively.
To a certain extent, the existence of the curved-shaft plow greatly accelerated agricultural progress.
Sharing a similar ingenious principle with the curved-shaft plow was the waterwheel.
At this time, Great Qin lacked waterwheels.
If a drought occurred, even with water in the great rivers, many people would be unable to irrigate their fields.
Their only recourse would be to carry water bucket by bucket to their land.
For those living close to the water sources, carrying water was feasible.
However, for those living further away, it was a different story. In a day, they might only manage to carry a few buckets, and those few buckets entering parched land were like a drop in the ocean.
But with a waterwheel, the situation changed.
With a waterwheel, water could be scooped into irrigation ditches, and from there, channeled into the people's fields.
This significantly reduced the impact of droughts.
Therefore, Lin Tian decided to promote the curved-shaft plow and the waterwheel throughout Great Qin.
In the past, before he became the Crown Prince of Great Qin, he dared not promote many things.
For instance, paper and movable type printing. Although Lin Tian knew how to produce them, he had not had them manufactured on a large scale.
This was because, at that time, Lin Tian was not yet the Crown Prince and it was not appropriate for him to push his innovations extensively.
But things were different now. Lin Tian had every right to promote these beneficial inventions for the populace.
Thus, he immediately instructed the Mohist disciples who had pledged allegiance to Qin to begin crafting curved-shaft plows and waterwheels.
The construction of curved-shaft plows and waterwheels was not complicated; the complexity lay in the design process.
Fortunately, Lin Tian had known their exact specifications from a very early age, so he did not need to design them.
He only needed to draw the blueprints and have others execute them.
Upon seeing the blueprints, the Mohist disciples immediately understood how to proceed.
Simultaneously, they became deeply engrossed in the task.
"This, this is a plow? Isn't this plow too short?"
"It is indeed very short, but I feel this plow has unique merits. It seems to require less effort!"
"I feel it too. This plow appears more agile and easier to use. I wonder what the results will be when it's built!"
As craftsmen, the Mohist disciples could immediately recognize the special qualities of the curved-shaft plow.
They could sense that this plow would greatly increase the speed of tilling, filling them with excitement and a desire to fabricate it quickly.
Of course, what excited them even more was the waterwheel.
The structure of the waterwheel was also not complex. However, its appearance felt like the opening of a new world to these Mohist disciples; each of them was immensely astonished.
"This device can automatically scoop up stream water? This is truly incredible!"
"It is indeed incredibly amazing. If only we had known about the existence of waterwheels before, many fewer people would have died in drought-related disasters!"
"Did the Crown Prince invent all of this? The Crown Prince is truly a genius; I even suspect he was sent by heaven to save the common people!"
The structure of the waterwheel was also not complex, so even though it had not yet been built, they could mentally simulate its function to some extent.
The more they simulated it, the more their awe grew.
After the simulations, their reverence for Lin Tian deepened.
However, they also knew that the most crucial task was to construct the waterwheel.
Only by building it could its true function be validated.
Thus, without any hesitation, they threw themselves into the manufacturing process.
With the blueprints in hand, they completed the curved-shaft plow in just half a day.
It took them only three days to construct the waterwheel.
Soon, the curved-shaft plow was taken for testing.
The testing method was straightforward: harness an ox, attach the curved-shaft plow, and proceed to till the land.
The most direct testing method was, naturally, immediate use.
After using it, they discovered that the curved-shaft plow was indeed as Lin Tian had said—remarkably labor-saving and effortless. It even made turning easier.
During the test, they even detached the ox and had people pull the curved-shaft plow to till the land.
Subsequently, they were astounded to find that humans could also pull it to till the soil.
This was truly a momentous occasion for the entire Great Qin.
After all, Great Qin also faced a shortage of livestock.
With such a labor-saving curved-shaft plow, even without livestock, the common people could manage to cultivate their land.
Therefore, the manufacturing of the curved-shaft plow was a resounding success.
When testing the waterwheel, everyone was even more amazed.
The water flowed automatically, with a continuous stream of river water being scooped into the ditches. This held immense significance for land cultivation.
Many even envisioned scenes of Great Qin's populace enjoying bountiful harvests in the future, all thanks to the waterwheel.
Such visions stirred the hearts of many craftsmen.
This, in turn, led the craftsmen to praise Lin Tian effusively.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is truly a divine being!"