Chapter 436: Food's Life Will End Soon
County Magistrate Wu tried to calm down the knife-wielding "madmen": "Sir Shen, gentlemen, weren't you going to demonstrate potato planting to us? Why are you suddenly holding up knives? Why don't you put your knives down first?"
As he spoke, Magistrate Wu's mind was racing, quickly recalling everything he had done during his years in office.
Whatever, he is not to the point where His Majesty would kill him.
Could it be that these people are not officials from the capital, but fakes? ?
If they are fake, then where are the real Lord Shen and those officials of Sinong Temple? ?
Could it be that he has been silenced?
It’s terrifying when you think about it, it’s terrifying when you think about it!!
However, they clearly followed General Xie from the capital to the northwest.
If there was a problem, General Xie should have discovered it long ago.
Besides, those imperial guards who were protecting Lord Shen closely didn't look fake.
Is it true that His Majesty wants to kill them?
But they really didn't do anything, so why were they silenced? ?
He hasn't lived enough.
The others were also trembling. It wouldn't be so scary if only these officials from the Sinong Temple were holding knives.
Even if a fight really breaks out, they have a considerable number of people on their side, so at least they can end up in a draw.
However, there are still several imperial guards who are eyeing them covetously.
Even if they all put together, they still can't defeat him.
What is going on? ?
It was fine just now, why did it suddenly become weird? ?
Just then, the man who had been sent to burn the straw came back.
The man came to Shen Huazheng and said respectfully, "Master Shen, this is the wood ash you requested."
County Magistrate Wu: !!!
Wait, Lord Shen just said that this wood ash is useful.
Could this be used to force them to eat it?
Chen Huazheng didn't know that County Magistrate Wu had already played several big dramas in his mind. She smiled slightly: "Master Wu, don't panic. I will demonstrate it to you now."
As she spoke, she picked up a potato with two or three sprouts, gestured to the officials from Ru'an and Yuzhang counties, and asked the clerk to record all the details.
The people from the Sinong Temple also picked up potatoes, intending to set an example for the agricultural officials in the northwest.
Shen Huazheng neatly cut the potatoes into three pieces with a knife, making sure that each piece of potato had at least one sprout.
Then he covered the cut surface of the potato with wood ash and held it high up to ensure that everyone around could see it clearly.
A group of Northwest officials: …
He really demonstrated it to them using a knife.
County Magistrate Wu opened his eyes wide, feeling relieved for having survived the calamity, yet also a little ashamed.
Fortunately, I didn’t say what I was thinking just now, otherwise I would have brought shame to the capital.
He calmed down and looked at the potato in Shen Huazheng's hand again: "Master Shen, why do you have to dip the cut potato surface in wood ash?"
The people at Sinong Temple had the same doubts, as this step was not included in the previous planting in the capital.
"Wood ash is used to prevent pests and diseases, to stop those insects in the soil from eating the potato seed potatoes."
Another official asked: "Does this ash have to be made of straw?"
Chen Huazheng shook her head: "Of course not, the ashes from other burned plants and trees will do, they all have the same effect, you don't have to use straw."
Xiangyang stood aside and nodded repeatedly. So that's it.
Lord Shen is so amazing. I can really learn a lot from him.
County Magistrate Wu and other officials also suddenly realized what was going on.
I didn’t expect straw ash to have such a function. It really broadens my horizons.
I used to think that only sulfur could prevent insect pests.
The clerk at the side was writing furiously, afraid of missing any details.
Potato planting is a major matter concerning people's livelihood and cannot be taken lightly.
After splitting the sprouted potatoes and coating them with wood ash, you can officially start sowing them.
Chen Huazheng had people dig a pit every one foot on the ridged land.
Then place the potato pieces with the sprouted part facing up in the pit, cover them with soil to restore the ridge, and finally water them with enough water.
"Follow these steps, and the potato plant is complete."
Xiangyang and his companions did not just stand there and watch. They also picked up shovels and used the potatoes in their hands to demonstrate to everyone.
Soon, all the potatoes that had just been cut were planted.
County Magistrate Wu and a group of officials watched without blinking, and the clerk's pen never stopped moving.
Chen Huazheng looked at County Magistrate Wu and the others: "By the way, you must remember. Sprouted potatoes cannot be eaten, and the people must not be allowed to eat them by mistake."
County Magistrate Wu was stunned: "Why is this?"
Sprouted potatoes can be planted but not eaten? ?
Chen Huazheng said seriously, "Sprouted potatoes will produce toxins. If you find them, you can't eat them. Otherwise, you will be poisoned, and in serious cases, you may die."
When they were in the capital, Shen Huazheng also emphasized this matter to everyone.
Any potatoes with sprouts cannot be eaten.
If anyone is brave enough to try the taste of sprouted potatoes, be prepared to lose your life.
The Beijing officials looked normal, but the expressions of the Northwestern officials, including County Magistrate Wu, changed.
Some people were so frightened that they trembled all over. Can eating sprouted potatoes kill people? ?
This is too scary!!
Fortunately, they did not steal and eat the sprouted potatoes before Lord Shen arrived.
Otherwise, he might be dead now.
County Magistrate Wu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It seemed that if he wanted to grow potatoes with Lord Shen, he had to have a strong heart.
"Don't worry, Lord Shen. I will definitely pass on the order on this matter. I will definitely not let anyone eat it by mistake."
This matter indeed needs to be taken seriously. Tomorrow he will have someone post a notice to inform the people of this matter.
It would be bad if someone ate potatoes with sprouts without knowing it.
Potatoes are to be used to save people, not to harm people.
If someone really got poisoned as a result, he would no longer be able to serve as the county magistrate.
The clerk waved his pen again and wrote a sentence on the paper: "Potatoes with sprouts are highly poisonous and cannot be eaten."
He thought for a moment and added: "The food will not last long."
It is said so seriously that future generations probably won’t dare to try it easily.
After watching the demonstration by Shen Huazheng and the officials of the Sinong Temple, County Magistrate Wu and several agricultural officials also tried it according to the steps Shen Huazheng said, and the process went quite smoothly.
Next, just have people follow these steps and plant all the sprouted potatoes.
After everyone tried it, County Magistrate Wu suddenly asked, "Sir Shen, what should we do with the potatoes that haven't sprouted?"
At that time, Prefect Lin had specifically instructed that the potatoes sent from the capital were to be used as seeds and must be carefully cared for according to the methods prescribed by the Sino-Agricultural Ministry.
County Magistrate Wu has always treated these potatoes with great care, as if they were treasures, fearing that they would not be cooked in any way.
But now, there are still some potatoes that have not sprouted.
Although the number was not large, County Magistrate Wu still felt that he might not have done his job well somewhere.
He had no choice but to ask the adults in the Sinong Temple for help.
After hearing what Magistrate Wu said, the others remembered this and looked at Shen Huazheng, waiting for her answer.
You can't just eat those potatoes that haven't sprouted.
Shen Huazheng smiled. It seemed that County Magistrate Wu was quite concerned about this batch of potato seeds.
"The potatoes that haven't sprouted yet will naturally need to continue to sprout."
An agricultural official asked, "Sir Shen, are we still using the same germination method as before?"
Shen Huazheng: "We have to use a different approach this time."
This time, Sinong Temple has made very thorough preparations to promote potato cultivation across the country.
The number of potato seeds required for each place has been strictly calculated.
The quantity shipped to various places in advance is just as much as possible to prevent any mistakes from delaying the completion of the task.
These potatoes sent to Yuzhang County were naturally intended for planting.
For the remaining potatoes that have not yet sprouted, the germination must be accelerated.
Chen Huazheng asked someone to find some of the thicker sprouts from the sprouting potatoes, and then asked someone to bring a pair of scissors.
Her next action frightened everyone present.
Shen Huazheng was seen holding a pair of scissors and ruthlessly cutting along the roots of the potato sprouts.
County Magistrate Wu was horrified and rushed forward: "Master Shen, what are you doing?"
He looked at the potatoes that had been cut bare with a heartache. They were clearly talking about how to help the potatoes that had not sprouted to sprout, so why did they cut the ones that had sprouted bare?? ! !
Shen Huazheng: "I'm germinating."
Everyone: ???
Isn't Mr. Shen cutting the buds? Why do you say he is accelerating the germination?
Before they could ask the reason, Shen Huazheng put the cut sprouts in a large basin, picked up a wooden stick, and pounded them to extract the juice.
In a short while, a large pot of sprouts turned into half a small pot of dark green juice.
After the sprouts in the pot turned into dark green juice, Shen Huazheng asked someone to find a large piece of cotton cloth and filter all the juice to remove the impurities, leaving only the juice of the sprouts.
Seeing this, everyone still didn't understand. Could it be that the juice in the sprouts could accelerate germination? ?
The clerk had a head full of questions, but he didn't stop writing.
Shen Huazheng asked people to find several large basins, which were large enough to hold all the unsprouted potatoes.
Pour clean water into each pot, and then pour the filtered sprout juice evenly into each pot.
After being diluted with clean water, the originally dark green juice turned into light green.
Chen Huazheng asked someone to soak all the unsprouted potatoes in a basin. About half an hour later, he asked the servants to find a ventilated place, sprinkle a layer of wet sand there, and then spread the unsprouted potatoes on it.
The last step is to cover the potatoes with straw to keep them warm and moist.
County Magistrate Wu: "Sir Shen, is this all right?"
Shen Huazheng smiled and said, “Let’s come back and see in a few days.”
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