Wei Zeng sent a new cotton-padded jacket

Chapter 48: Wei Zeng Sends New Cotton-padded Clothes

After Chu Huaibei inspected the wheat seedlings in the military settlement, he felt relieved. The situation was not serious. He had previously asked Chen Sinong to organize the fermentation of fertilizer. When the time came, he would spread the fertilizer and let the seeds grow. It should not affect this year's grain production.

After returning to the camp and communicating with Chen Sinong about the subsequent fertilization of the wheat fields, I was somewhat surprised to hear Chen Sinong asking the remaining Sinong craftsmen if she still needed more manpower. Several of them were now willing to work for her.

Chu Huaibei refused. Now that the two teams in the mountains were already familiar with each other, if she arranged for more people to go in, some things might be difficult to reconcile. However, she was also curious and asked the reason.

Chen Sinong's wrinkled, sunburned face was covered in embarrassment; it was difficult for him. "Your Highness, I heard that these people were scolded by their parents or wives. You know, in the countryside, a lot of things will leak out. The craftsmen Sinong sent before all chose to have their monthly wages sent directly to their homes. Your Highness, you asked me to handle the payment of their monthly wages. To avoid attracting attention, I always go out in the middle of the night and deliver them door to door. Even if no one has ever revealed the information, when a family has money, they will always buy some things. If there are too many things, then the neighbors who are interested will find out. They know that the dozen or so people who are not at home are working for you and the monthly wages are quite high. Now the remaining families have started to put pressure on you. They have come to me many times to ask for your help. I just have to be thick-skinned and test your opinion."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Tell them that there will be opportunities in the future. Hopefully, they'll be able to make their choices more easily then. Also, remind those people not to spread the story anymore. It concerns the safety of the entire northern border." Chu Huaibei didn't expect that the news of this matter would still leak out. It had to be suppressed, otherwise no one would benefit.

"Yes, Your Highness, I have strictly forbidden them from discussing this matter. I will go back today to silence them once more. However, they are aware of the seriousness of the matter and have not shared any information with anyone outside of the Ministry of Agriculture."

"Well, that's quite smart. I'll trouble Chen Sinong to handle this matter. In addition, the successors to the remaining craftsmen's families also need to be trained. I have a feeling that they will be needed soon." Chu Huaibei had a premonition that she would have to start doing something within a year.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your orders."

Chu Huaibei was lost in thought the entire way out of the Sino-Agricultural Office, only coming to his senses once he reached his tent. Damn! Why are the military documents piled so high on the desk?

I'll deal with the urgent issues first, then begin writing about the measures to treat frozen wheat seedlings. Regardless of whether it's too late, I need to share the methods with the people first so they have a solid foundation. The last heavy snowstorm damaged the fields across the northern border to varying degrees, and the people will surely worry about this year's harvest when they see the yellowing wheat leaves.

He called his personal soldiers to deliver the written rescue measures to Chen Sinong and asked him to spread them. Chen Sinong is still a very reliable person in the hearts of the people in the northern border. Letting him do this will be more efficient, especially since he knows how to ferment fertilizer. When facing the questions from the people, he can answer their questions in a more targeted manner.

It was the annual Dragon Raising Day on the second day of the second lunar month. Chu Huaibei wore the dragon tails Aunt Wen had prepared for the family portrait to the military camp. That's right, this year, not only did the three of them wear them, but everyone else in the palace wore them: Mother, Aunt Wen, Uncle Deng, both mothers, and Mr. Du. Ever since Du Jiping became Hengheng's master, he'd been dining with everyone in the main courtyard's dining hall. He looked at the dragon tail Aunt Wen had given him, feeling a bit overwhelmed as he held it in his hands.

It's normal for Hengheng to wear it, and it's understandable that the prince and Shi wear it, as they are considered the younger generation in the family, just a little older. But he is already an old man in his forties, so it wouldn't be suitable for him to wear it.

Seeing that the concubine had already hung it up, the others smiled and hung it around their waists. Deng Ran also gladly accepted it. After all, the palace had been in turmoil in recent years, so it was good to seek some comfort.

Seeing his master still in a daze, Hengheng tied the dragon's tail around his waist himself, smoothing it out after he'd tied it, feeling very satisfied with his craftsmanship. Du Jiping looked up and saw that everyone was wearing it. He patted Hengheng's head, smiled, and agreed to their request. He took the child's hand and returned to Lancao Courtyard to begin the day's class.

As soon as Chu Huaibei arrived at the military camp today, she found that the deputy general had already circled back and forth beside her three times. Tsk, just to show off his dragon tail. How childish. Last year she was saying that dragon tails were for three-year-old children and he didn't need them.

Xue Zhan didn't feel anything about this. There were many children in his family, and his mother took the nanny to do a lot of work every year. He just felt that it was very hard work.

Jin Hongye watched in amazement as the prince freely walked around the barracks wearing the dragon tail, not at all aware that it was inappropriate for him at his age. General Qin was wearing one too! What was going on? Were the customs in the northern border so different from those in Yangzhou? He had stopped wearing the dragon tail after he turned five! It was only worn by children under three!

Qin Feng saw Jin Hongye's look of disbelief and said, "Hmph, you know nothing, kid."

A few days later, Chu Huaibei finally waited for Wei Zeng, who was escorting the cotton-padded clothes. It was already late February, but seeing Wei Zeng's tired appearance, he knew that he had tried his best to deliver it as quickly as possible.

"Greetings, Your Highness. These are 200,000 cotton-padded clothes. Please take a look." After Wei Zeng saluted, he took out the booklet and handed it to Chu Huaibei with both hands.

"Thank you for your hard work, Censor Wei. It's really hard to travel in winter," Chu Huaibei said to comfort him. This task was not originally his, but now there was no other way, the emperor had to send him as an escort.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. After the handover, I will return to Fengjing to report on my work." Wei Zeng saw that although Chu Huaibei had a calm attitude, he didn't want to stay any longer.

"Okay, I'll notify someone to move it right away. I won't keep Censor Wei any longer today."

"Lu Shun, call more people to move the clothes to the warehouse and distribute them tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go right away."

After two hours, all the clothes were unloaded and stored in the warehouse. Wei Zeng immediately bowed and took his leave, not wanting to stay a moment longer. He couldn't stand the looks some of the soldiers gave him. Even though they knew it was none of Wei Zeng's business, they couldn't remain calm in front of the court. When a soldier died at the hands of the enemy, his comrades would only admire him, but when he died at the hands of the people they risked their lives to protect, only hatred would remain.

Chu Huaibei asked Lu Shun to escort Wei Yushi to the nearest post station, as a gesture of accepting the court's apology. Wei Zeng indicated that he understood everything and knew how to write a report.

On the second day, Chu Huaibei personally supervised the distribution of cotton-padded jackets. This year's winter was coming to an end, and many people would probably send their reed flower cotton-padded jackets back together with the new ones distributed today. He instructed his personal guards that if any soldiers asked someone to write a letter, they should write down the difference between the two cotton-padded jackets for them. A skillful woman could make two thinner ones from one cotton-padded jacket, so it would be good to have one more piece of clothing at home.

For the next month, the atmosphere in the barracks was more lively than usual. Almost all the personal soldiers who weren't on duty were drafted into service as letter writers, free of charge. The King of Zhenbei had issued an order, and it was free! The prince provided paper and pen, but limited each person to writing only one letter. Those who wanted to write multiple letters had to go out and find a letter writer and pay for them.

The guards were surrounded by people. Although there were so many people that it was a headache, they also had a different experience. Someone called them "sir"! Although they were frightened and kept shouting "don't shout nonsense", they were happy in their hearts. They began to praise the prince for his wisdom in their hearts!

Chu Huaibei didn't know the inner drama of these personal soldiers. She just felt that instead of spending a few cents to find a letter writer to write an obscure letter home, it would be better to let the personal soldiers write a letter home in plain language with emotion. It is estimated that few of the families of those who can serve in the army can read it, and they have to go through the trouble of finding someone to read the letter. This plain language can be sent back and directly asked to the children in the village who have attended private schools to understand it, saving time and effort.

Not to mention that some people later received letters from their families. When they opened them, they found that they were obviously written by a child who had just started school. But it didn't matter. They asked their personal soldiers to read them out. The local dialect and slang and family matters were so heartwarming. The soldiers gathered together to listen to the letter and their eyes were red. Each of them thought of their relatives at home. For a time, such letters spread rapidly among the Zhenbei Army, and the soldiers became more in touch with their families.

By March, the frozen soil in the northern border had completely thawed, and the military settlements began to fertilize the wheat fields. The fermented fertilizer wasn't enough to cover the 80,000 hectares of land. Later, Chu Huaibei asked, "With so many people in the barracks, aren't there any dry toilets?" He then realized that because there weren't enough dry toilets, many soldiers, unable to wait, simply emptied themselves into the surrounding areas.

Chu Huaibei had her own fixed dry toilet in the camp, which she used alone, so she had never thought about this problem. She even went to the collective dry toilet in the camp once. Oh, she wasn't the only one who could say it, but the smell was really terrible.

I quickly called Chen Sinong and had him dig three feet deep, removing all the soil that had been watered daily and sending it to the military fertile fields. I also emptied all the dry toilets at once. When I went there again, the strong smell of nature was no longer there.

The large pit left by the excavation was renovated. Stone slabs dug from the mountain were laid around the pit, and craftsmen from the Ministry of Agriculture surrounded it with a meter-high wall of bricks and stones, leaving only a small hole for the manure scoop to enter and exit. A thick plank cut from a single log was placed on top of the bricks and stones, with square holes dug at regular intervals. These planks were placed only on the north and south sides, leaving the east and west sides untouched, creating an open-air latrine capable of accommodating dozens of people simultaneously. After the original stinking soil was removed, more than a dozen such latrines were built, and with the existing ones, they were sufficient.

After it was built, the soldiers used it for the first time and found it very convenient. It was even better than the original dry toilet. They could finally sit down to use the toilet. The prince was really a genius. He could think of such a method.

Well, Chu Huaibei didn't want to be a genius. Besides, this was not her idea. In her previous life, some places in rural areas still had similar dry toilets, but they were not so big. Ordinary people's homes only accommodated three or five people.

After solving the problem of the source of fertilizer for the military farmland, Chu Huaibei breathed a sigh of relief. She had done everything she could to increase grain production. All that was left was to hope that the northern border would have good weather and no disasters.

While Chu Huaibei was doing these tasks in the military settlement, the aristocratic families in the northern border were also following suit. Facts have proven time and again that if you want a good wheat harvest, you can't go wrong by following the King of Zhenbei.