It was still autumn when I left, but it was early spring when I came back.
In another month or two, it will be the best time to plant potatoes. We should quickly let experienced farmers start raising seedlings and trial planting.
It was still unknown whether these seeds could adapt to the soil in the north of Dayong. The distance was so great that the planting experience in Qimeng might not be completely copied. I was afraid that there would be many changes due to the different weather and environment in the two places. There were only one or two months left, so time was of the essence.
"There is a farm nearby that I asked someone to build. I will ask someone to grow this batch of seeds first. If successful, I will allocate half of the seeds to you in a few days and send them to the south." Wei Yunlan said to Zou Yun.
This was also what she had agreed upon when she first started working with Tianshu Pavilion.
If new crops can be found, we will inform and share them with Mr. Xiao.
To be specific, in the south, the famine situation in the three states of Tan, Qian, and Yi where the deposed crown prince was located was not necessarily much less severe than that in Huangzhou. After all, they had just experienced a flood half a year ago.
However, the south is much warmer than the north. According to an experienced farmer in Qimeng Country, if potatoes are planted in a warmer place, it is possible to shorten the maturity time. If cultivated properly, it is not impossible to plant two crops a year!
The yield of potatoes per acre is already amazing enough. If we can plant two crops a year and harvest them twice...
Wei Yunlan couldn't even imagine it.
But she knew that if she could successfully grow it and spread it throughout Dayong...
From now on, the people of Dayong will no longer have to endure hunger!
…
Near the Dan River Dam, next to the newly built dock.
An exquisitely decorated carriage was parked on the newly paved flagstones at the dock. Beside the carriage stood four or five maids and two rows of guards.
Quite grand.
The sun rose higher and the sunlight shining on the water seemed a little dazzling.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a graceful and beautiful woman with extraordinary temperament walked down with the help of her maid.
Looking at the still calm and empty river, he frowned deeply: "Why haven't you come yet?"
The dazzling light beside the water surface made people squint their eyes.
However, the beautiful woman still looked towards the south stubbornly. Seeing that there was no movement on the river, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
The maidservants and nannies beside her whispered to her, "Maybe you were delayed on the way, Princess. Why don't you go back to the carriage first?"
"You have been outside all the time these days, and your skin has become very dark. When you return to the capital, the prince will see you in such a state, and I wonder how distressed he will be..."
The prince that the nanny mentioned was Prince Duan who was far away in the capital.
The beautiful woman standing by the river is none other than Princess Daning from Prince Duan’s Mansion.
"Okay." She interrupted the people around her and shook her head, saying, "I'm just a little tanned, how can that be considered suffering? The children and the elderly who can't get enough food and have to eat tree roots and soil to fill their stomachs are the ones who are really suffering."
"The people sent by my father clearly said that the food would be delivered by this morning at the latest, but half a day has already passed..."
Princess Daning ordered the guard beside her, "Go and ask Commander Xue's people where this princess's grain has been transported to."
As soon as she finished speaking, before the guards could even say "Yes, sir," they saw a group of people hurriedly running over from a distance.
Judging from the direction they were coming from the dam, the one leading the group was not Commander Xue whom she just mentioned, so who else could it be?
"Greetings, Princess." Xue Lian, the commander of Huangzhou, dismounted from his horse, knelt on one knee, and apologized respectfully.
Looking closely, you can see that his expression looks a little ugly.
Princess Daning had recently stayed in Huangzhou to comfort the victims, and had dealt with the new commander a lot. When she saw his expression, her heart skipped a beat.
"Commander Xue, there's no need to be so polite." Princess Daning asked hurriedly, "What happened? Is it the grain that my princess sent..."
Xue Lian smiled bitterly and nodded slightly, "I just learned that the grain ship of Prince Duan's Mansion was hijacked by a group of roaming bandits before entering Huangzhou..."
The batch of food that Princess Daning was waiting for was destined to never be delivered.
Among the food on that ship, rice and flour were secondary. The main things were some medicinal herbs, which she prepared specially for the elderly and children among the refugees.
Perhaps it was because there had been several snowfalls in the past few days, many people, even if they had survived, had suffered from the cold. The young and strong could still bear it, but the young and old could only watch their bodies weaken day by day.
At the place where Princess Danning gave out porridge every day, you could hear constant coughing, and someone would leave every day...
This shipload of food and medicinal materials can be said to be both emergency and life-saving.
Princess Daning sighed deeply, "What should we do? Although it is already the end of winter, the situation in the north means that it will take a long time for the land to thaw, plant crops, and harvest food. We cannot be self-sufficient, so how can we solve the problem of food and clothing for these disaster victims?"
"Wild vegetables will grow in the fields after spring begins, and the government will organize disaster victims to reorganize the land and prepare for spring sowing... After all, no matter how difficult the winter is, it won't be miserable." Xue Lian advised.
But in reality, due to the flood last year and the subsequent famine, everything in the ground had been uprooted by the hungry victims. How could anything be left to grow?
The grain allocated by the court was given priority to the border areas and those more important states. For places like Huangzhou, which were remote and had little presence, it was impossible for them to wait for the relief grain from the court.
"I'm afraid that after the spring, a large number of old people, children, women and children will starve to death." Princess Daning sighed and lowered her eyes.
Xue Lian could not refute her words.
In fact, if it weren't for the food collected by Miss Wei, the food transferred by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and Princess Daning who had stayed in Huangzhou to call on the dignitaries of Huangzhou to help with disaster relief and provide porridge, the situation in Huangzhou this winter would have been much worse than it is now.
At least, it would never be as peaceful as it is now. The victims would have surely started making trouble long ago.
The Dan River Dam is about to be repaired and completed...
Once those strong young men have nothing to do, they may have to stay outside to avoid the chaos in Huangzhou.
The two looked at each other and sighed.
Princess Daning sighed, "It would be great if there were more crops that can be grown in the wasteland regardless of the season or the land. This way, we can continue to arrange for disaster victims to reclaim wasteland and exchange their labor for food."
Who says it’s not?
But where can we find crops that grow so easily?
Xue Lian had just finished expressing his feelings when his deputy, who came hurriedly on horseback, handed him a letter.
The letter was from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, asking him to fully cooperate with Miss Wei in trying to grow new crops in Huangzhou.
At the same time, the servants that Princess Daning had left behind in her temporary residence also rushed over and whispered in her ear, "My Lady Princess, the Miss Lan who saved you earlier sent some seedlings over. Please organize the victims to plant them."
Xue Lian and Princess Daning looked at each other.
This is really a timely rain!
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