Zhang Qian didn't walk fast.
Following Ning Que, step by step.
The island is heavily guarded and has many fortifications.
Although it is just an island, some clues can be seen.
As far as he knew, Baengnyeong Island originally belonged to Goguryeo.
It should have just been captured by Dafeng.
When he arrived in Liaodong, he received a lot of news.
First, there was a letter from Wan Sanqian, instructing him to leave from Bailing Island and meet Ning Que. Then, it was announced that Dafeng had officially declared war on Goguryeo and had captured two cities, ready to march south to attack the royal city at any time.
As a businessman, you need to understand the trends of various countries.
Especially when war breaks out, the prices of many goods will increase.
Food, cloth, copper, iron, leather...
Buy low, sell high.
This is also the foundation of Babao Trading Company.
"Come in, please."
"The island is short of supplies, so please forgive me if the hospitality is not good enough."
"Your Highness is very kind."
Zhang Qian didn't care. He smiled and sat on the ground, saying, "Compared to the endless desert in the Western Regions, this place is already quite good. When I was in the desert, I almost thought I was going to die. Fortunately, I met a herdsman who led us out of the desert and finally found the Western Regions."
"You have made great contributions this time."
Ning Que raised his wine cup and said with a smile, "If you were an envoy from Dafeng, I would have the historians write you into the history books, or at least give you a separate place in the family tree. Then your achievements would be passed down through the ages, so that everyone would know about them."
"Uh, not that exaggerated, right?"
Zhang Qian scratched his head.
He didn't think he was doing very well.
After all, he has been traveling all over the place over the years.
To him, the Western Regions were just a little far away.
"Haha, what I said is not an exaggeration at all."
"Come, let's have a drink first and then we can talk slowly."
"I wonder what you brought back this time?"
Zhang Qian quickly drank it all in one gulp, and before he even tasted the food, he said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I've sent people to find everything you requested. Honestly, Your Highness is truly remarkable. He's never been to the Western Regions, yet he knows the local specialties like the back of his hand. Grapes, walnuts, alfalfa... Oh, and those potatoes you mentioned so often!"
“There are really potatoes?!”
"ah?"
"Ahem, nothing." Ning Que coughed weakly and explained seriously, "I just read a lot of books. I remember seeing these when I was in Kunlun Mountain, so I thought I'd give it a try."
Of course, he was talking nonsense.
As a time traveler, Ning Que knew that Kyushu was different from any other era he had known. However, some countries and powers shared similarities. For example, Japan, Goguryeo, and the Western Regions... these were all largely similar.
He actually didn't hold much hope for potatoes. After all, they weren't originally from the Western Regions, but were introduced there later. It took another hundred years or so for them to reach China.
He didn't expect that there really was one!
"The things are all on the boat. Your Highness, are you going to transport them back to Linzi?"
"No need."
"ah?"
"You don't need to unload these things; just ship them directly to Lingnan." Ning Que raised the wine jar and said with a smile, "I know you have many questions, but you'll know once you get to Lingnan. Also, you must protect the potato seeds. They're incredibly important. I'll teach you how to grow them later. You can start preparing while you're at sea."
"Remember this: other things may be destroyed if not properly stored, but potatoes and alfalfa must be preserved. Even if it costs you your life, it will be worth it. If you can bring the potatoes safely to Lingnan, I will personally carve a stone in your honor and confer the title of Potato Duke on you!"
"ah?"
The more Zhang Qian listened, the more confused he became.
Is this potato so powerful?
He could even be named Duke?!
"What I said is not an exaggeration. Not to mention the title of Duke, even the title of King of a different surname would not be too much. From now on, the people will burn incense for you during their spring sacrifices."
“…”
Ning Que stared at the dishes before him and said calmly, "This king is testing you today, and you'll understand in a moment. Do you know how much grain we produce per mu in Dafeng? Even if we're optimistic, it's considered top-quality farmland!"
"I know." Tie Niu stood up excitedly. "I don't know about other counties, but in Jingyang, if you grow corn, the yield per mu is only two dan at best. And that's only if God gives it to you, and the farmers are still busy weeding and catching insects."
"If it's rice in the south, we might get a little over three dan. If we cultivate it carefully, we might get over four dan. And wheat, the yield is probably around two or three dan."
"good."
Ning Que nodded with satisfaction.
Although Tie Niu was from Xiliang, he knew that food was the most important thing for the people. He had been in Jingyang for many years and had often come into contact with this.
"Yes, that's basically right."
Ning Que nodded with satisfaction.
One stone is about 120 kilograms.
Take corn, for example. That's about 240 kilograms. Of course, one kilogram in Kyushu is equivalent to half a kilogram today, or about 250 grams. In other words, Kyushu's corn production was roughly equivalent to about 120 kilograms today.
Don't think it's too little; this is already a lot. In Kyushu, there are no chemical fertilizers or pesticides; everything depends on nature. Even basic irrigation is quite difficult. Don't think 120 kilograms is too little; many places don't even produce that much.
"Then do you know how much potatoes yield per acre?"
"No... no matter how high the yield per acre of potatoes is, it's useless." Zhang Qian looked embarrassed. "They all said that these potatoes are for the royal family to enjoy. They are usually planted in the garden. No matter how high the yield is, it can't be eaten as a meal."
"You're wrong. They can actually be eaten as a meal." Ning Que laughed. "Potatoes are both good for eating and for food. Whether they're roasted, boiled, or even eaten as a side dish, they're delicious. The key is the high yield of potatoes. As long as they're cultivated carefully, no one in this world will ever starve to death again."
"ah?"
“How high is the yield per mu?”
"Could it be more than five stones?"
"Seven or eight stones at most?"
"Both are wrong." Ning Que smiled and shook his head. "If nothing unexpected happens, the potatoes can yield at least 15 stone."
"How many?!"
"Ten...fifteen stones?!"
Tie Niu and others all exclaimed in surprise.
They even forgot their status and stood up.
Ning Que was very calm about their performance.
The number he gave is actually not high.
Fifteen dan is equivalent to 1,800 jin (approximately 900 jin) in modern times. Modern potatoes weigh far more than this. However, Ning Que considered that Jiuzhou lacked such favorable conditions, and that potatoes were still relatively primitive and had not undergone years of refinement, so he gave the figure of fifteen dan.
But even 15 koku is more than enough. The increase in productivity is a multifaceted improvement. If people can't finish eating all the potatoes, they can still be used as feed.
Ning Que smiled.
With potatoes, the military food problem can be solved!
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