Sister Han is good at farming

Chapter 191 Shen Zhi returns to Qingshui County drunk

"Has the border become so difficult?" Ruan Qingqing was stunned.

"This is not the hardest part!" Shen Zhizui sat down boldly in the seat made available for him.

"When we first arrived at Xiyuguan, didn't you give us some sweet potatoes? Maybe they all sprouted due to improper storage. We didn't think too much about it at the time. We thought that since we had food, we might as well open up some wasteland and plant the sweet potatoes. We can harvest some sweet potatoes in the fall, and roast some to eat in the winter when it's too cold to bear. It's also good for warming up our bodies."

"What happened next? You actually planted it? But do you know how to plant it?" Yan Yikuan looked Shen Zhizui up and down with a suspicious look on his face.

"How can we not know how to plant? Miss Ruan taught us when we were working in Zaoziling in the early spring of last year. I never thought that what I learned casually at that time would play such a big role in the near future." Shen Zhizui said with emotion.

"What happened next?" Shi Anzhi's curiosity was also aroused.

"Later, our military rations were robbed on the way! Although the food was delivered a month later, it still made people in Xiyu Pass feel the crisis. After General Ling found out what we were doing, he ordered all the soldiers who were resting to learn how to open up wasteland from us, and asked us to teach everyone how to grow sweet potatoes. I heard that last winter, the soldiers in Xiyu Pass relied on the sweet potatoes on the sixty acres of land to get through the winter.

At Jialing Pass, the conditions are even worse. Our General Ruan even proposed a strategy of using farming to support the army. As long as we don't have a mission, we have to join in the work of clearing wasteland. However, we went too late, and now we can only grow some crops such as barley. There are no crops to harvest for the time being, so we still have to rely on the court to allocate grain. "

Shen Zhizui let out a long sigh.

Everyone was silent for a long time.

"I'll send you some potatoes this time. You can eat some and plant some. Potatoes have a short growth cycle, high yield and can fill your stomach, which is the best for you. Moreover, potatoes are not delicate, easy to take care of, and not very picky about the soil. They can grow on ordinary sandy soil and are suitable for planting on newly reclaimed land."

Ruan Qingqing frowned.

"Well, Miss Ruan must give us more potato, sweet potato and corn seeds this time. On the one hand, our soldiers need to plant them, and on the other hand, General Ruan wants to use these high-yield seeds to attract more civilians to settle in Jialing Prefecture and Xiling Prefecture. I heard that you have also developed a magical seed that can produce 12 stone of rice per mu..."

"Other things are easy to deal with. I don't have many hybrid rice seeds, so I can't give them to you for the time being." Ruan Qingqing refused before Shen Zhizui could finish his words.

The attitudes of Mr. Ruan, Clan Leader Ruan, Village Chief Li and even Fu Yuanhao towards hybrid rice made Ruan Qingqing feel a strong sense of crisis.

Hybrid rice may not be a rare thing in China, but it is not an exaggeration to consider it a miracle here.

It is undeniable that there are many people who hate others for what they have and laugh at others for what they don't have. Moreover, the surrounding countries of Yunqing had previously attacked Yunqing because of food problems. This time, a hybrid rice with extremely high yield per mu has appeared. Who knows what crazy things they will do?

Therefore, Ruan Qingqing wanted to take things slow. The planting of hybrid rice would be centered in Zaoziling and would slowly radiate out to the surrounding areas, rather than planting it here and there. It was even more impossible to plant it at the border before it was popularized throughout the country. This would allow neighboring countries to actually witness the grain production, and who knows what radical actions they might take.

Shen Zhizui was stunned for a moment, "I heard that you have an output of 12 dan per mu! How come you don't have enough seeds?"

"You don't know, this hybrid seed is a little complicated. Although it can produce high yields, it has a fatal weakness: the harvested hybrid rice cannot be used as seeds for the next year. All hybrid rice seeds must be newly cultivated."

Ruan Qingqing said with a serious expression.

"Ah, this? Can't you cultivate more seeds at once?" Shen Zhizui was extremely anxious.

Ruan Qingqing shook her head calmly, "Because it was in the trial stage before, in order to reduce waste, it is not easy to cultivate on a large scale. The situation should be better later."

Shen Zhizui's thick eyebrows twisted again and again.

"Can we gather the 100,000 shi of grain we need this time?"

Shi Anzhi pondered for a while, "Although our grain production has increased. General Dingyuan also knows that the legendary divine seed is not widely planted. Only Miss Ruan and her grandfather's family plant it in the whole county. In this case, the grain tax will be doubled. If we follow the previous tax payment method, I am afraid that no one in Qingshui County can afford it even if we don't eat or drink. What's more, our Qingshui County suffered a disaster before, and the population decreased sharply."

"So I may not be able to bring enough food back to Jialing Pass?" Shen Zhizui was impatient to listen to Shi Anzhi's various excuses and asked directly.

"We can guarantee the amount of grain, but the way to pay grain tax must be different from before. People should pay tax with what they grow, instead of exchanging it for wheat, rice, etc." Shi Anzhi sat up straight and looked at Shen Zhizui seriously. "Otherwise, the double grain tax will scare away countless people who want to settle in Qingshui County. It is also not conducive to the prosperity and sustainable development of our Qingshui County."

Shen Zhizui heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that the quantity could be guaranteed. He didn't care how the tax was paid.

"We are aware of the difficulties faced by Qingshui County. Let's just leave it this way this year! We have no objection."

Shi Anzhi was worried that Shen Zhizui would make things difficult for him, so he prepared a lot of truths in his mind, but he didn't expect that he would agree so readily.

"Thank you General Dingyuan and others for your understanding!" He stood up and bowed deeply to Shen Zhizui.

"Haha! You scholars are so fussy! No need to thank me. County Magistrate Shi, don't you think about who is the top general in Jialing Pass? General Shang Guide! General Shang Guide is Miss Ruan's younger brother, and he is from Qingshui County. How could he kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? I have also been in Qingshui County for a while, and I hope that Qingshui County will get better and better!"

Shen Zhizui smiled brightly.

"It's the righteousness of the two generals!"

"I won't talk about whether it's righteous or not, but you have to manage Qingshui County with all your heart. If you dare to oppress the common people and enrich yourself, not to mention that Fu Yuanhao and the others don't agree, General Shang Guide and I will not let you off!"

Shen Zhizui seriously warned the officials present.

"We dare not!" Everyone stood up and apologized.

"It's best if you don't dare! And you should be polite to Miss Ruan. From now on, you will depend on her for the patches on your official uniforms. Look, you have just arrived for a few days, and the emperor has issued a reward, and I brought it all here."

"We also have rewards?" Everyone was a little surprised.

"There are rewards throughout Qingshui County!" Shen Zhizui glanced at everyone, "Tell me, how did you get such an honor? Isn't it because of Miss Ruan's creation of the divine seed?"

"Thank you, Miss Ruan, and thank you for the emperor's grace!" Shi Anzhi led everyone to thank Ruan Qingqing first, and then bowed in the direction of the capital.