Chapter 337: Harvesting 10 Million Jin of Potatoes, Shocking Officials
Ning Yuanze couldn't believe it.
Although the visitor did not tell us how much grain was left in the treasury, since they had already set their sights on potatoes, it must not be much.
I thought that with high-yield crops like potatoes, no one in Yue Kingdom would suffer from hunger in a few years. Unexpectedly, before the crops were widely promoted, Jing Kingdom came knocking.
He stared at the newcomers with a serious expression. They were two officials from the Ministry of Revenue, one of the fifth rank and the other of the sixth rank, both of whom held higher positions than him.
The two men are named Shi Haoyan and Shi Hua, both in their early thirties.
In order to reach Yun'an County as soon as possible, the two men had been riding horses all the way, and their buttocks were almost broken in two. Now they were shivering in pain when sitting, but they dared not complain.
Shi Haoyan sighed softly and said, "Natural disasters have been constant over the past two years, and the country has indeed been in a difficult situation."
"It was only when the Prime Minister mentioned potatoes that the Emperor remembered this high-yield crop, which can produce 6,000 to 7,000 kilograms per mu, and ordered us to come and investigate in detail."
"County Magistrate Ning, I'm sure you're very familiar with the potato issue. I wonder how many acres of potatoes are planted in Yun'an County? And how long until the harvest?"
Ning Yuanze knew all about this, and his expression became much calmer after hearing this.
He immediately understood his father's good intentions, which was to bring him credit.
"Master Shi, Master Shi, I have planted potatoes twice in Yun'an County."
He said methodically:
"The first planting took place from late August to early September, and a total of 387 acres were planted."
"We expect to harvest by the end of this month, or at the earliest, early next year. If we calculate based on 6,000 catties per mu, we should be able to harvest over 2.3 million catties."
"The second planting was in mid-to-late October. This time, we planted more, about 1,300 acres."
"But the harvest won't happen until at least late February next year, and we should be able to produce nearly 8 million kilograms."
He was quite regretful at this time. If he had known earlier, he would have planted all the more than 400,000 kilograms instead of giving half to his third brother for business.
But at that time, no one could have predicted that Jingguo would invade. It could only be said that it was fate.
Shi Haoyan and Shi Hua's eyes widened instantly, their eyes filled with disbelief.
What? Yun'an County actually planted two batches of potatoes, and the second batch produced so much more than the first?
As for the fact that the harvest will not take place until at least late February next year, they simply ignored it. It is only a little over two months.
This amount of time is nothing when it comes to raising food and supplies.
That’s eight million kilograms!
It is said that this is all there is in the imperial granary now.
And a small county like Yun'an can reach this number with just one season of potatoes. How can they not be shocked?
Thinking of this, the two of them, who had been anxious all the way, suddenly felt relieved. The pain in their buttocks seemed to subside, and they couldn't wait to go and see it with their own eyes.
"Master Ning, please don't make up a lot of money just to gain credit. Are you sure what you said is true?"
After Shi Haoyan became excited, he quickly calmed down and looked more serious than ever before.
"If His Majesty demands food and you can't provide it, it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor!"
Ning Yuanze also looked solemn: "My Lords, I can guarantee with my life that Yun'an County has indeed planted over 1,600 acres of potatoes."
"As for the yield, I'm not sure we can still reach 6,000 kilograms per mu, but I'm sure it won't be much less."
"If you two adults don't believe me, you can go with me to each village to check. Especially in Yingfeng Village where Xiao Yiren is, every household grows potatoes."
"Some have one or two acres, and some have more than ten acres. This will definitely prove that what I said is true."
He cannot guarantee the yield, but he can guarantee the planting area.
He personally monitored the entire planting process during both times, so he was very confident.
After hearing what he said, Shi Haoyan believed it 80% of the time and couldn't help but smile and get excited again.
"Without further delay, let's head to Yingfeng Village and take a look at the potatoes there first."
He stood up immediately and couldn't wait to go and take a look.
"You two adults are exhausted from the journey. Why don't you rest for a night and continue your journey tomorrow?"
Ning Yuanze saw that they looked pale and exhausted, so he made a suggestion.
The two men shook their heads in unison, "This matter cannot be delayed. We need to find out as soon as possible so that we can report to the Emperor as soon as possible."
"In that case, I will take the two gentlemen there right away."
Ning Yuanze looked at him with admiration, and was also deeply aware of the urgency of the war.
Along the way, he introduced the potato-growing area to them in more detail, and they then realized that Yingfeng Village was the original Chenjia Village.
Xiao Yiren, who discovered the potatoes and reported them, lives in Yingfeng Village.
When they arrived at the village entrance, a yamen runner immediately went to summon the village head Chen Jie, and a sensible villager immediately ran to tell Xiao Ying.
As soon as Xiao Ying heard that Ning Yuanze was coming with two adults, he guessed what was going on.
Seeing that the other party went to the fields, he became more certain.
"Xiao Yiren, you're here too?"
"Greetings, Your Excellency the County Magistrate. I wonder who these two are..."
After greeting Ning Yuanze, Xiao Ying looked at the two officials beside him, thoughtfully.
Ning Yuanze immediately introduced: "These two are officials from the Ministry of Revenue. This one is Master Shi Haoyan, and this one is Master Shi Hua. They are both here to inspect potatoes in Yun'an County."
"So it's Master Shi and Master Shi. My name is Xiao Ying, nice to meet you two."
Xiao Ying greeted him with a look of courtesy, and looked at him secretly without leaving any trace.
The emperor sent officials to inspect the potatoes so quickly, it seems that the court is seriously short of food.
It’s a pity that there are not many potatoes in the entire Yun’an County. The total output of these two seasons is probably only tens of millions of kilograms.
It is enough to promote its planting, but it is definitely not enough if we want to use it as military rations.
As she looked at the two officials, they also looked at her. When they saw her appearance and demeanor clearly, they were all surprised.
They originally thought that this Lady Xiao was just an ordinary woman from the mountain village, but unexpectedly, she was in no way inferior to the beautiful ladies and noble girls they had met in the capital, and was even more beautiful than them.
Such a person actually stayed in this small mountain village. I personally feel that the pearl was covered in dust.
"You're too polite, Xiao Yiren."
Although they were surprised, they looked very calm and bowed to her.
"We are here on the emperor's orders to conduct a detailed investigation into the potato cultivation situation in Yun'an County. We didn't expect to alarm Lady Xiao."
Xiao Ying smiled and said, "You two gentlemen have come from afar with important responsibilities. It is I who failed to welcome you."
"If you want to know more about potato cultivation in Yingfeng Village, it's best to ask my villager Chen Jie."
Chen Jie, standing by, immediately stepped forward, flattered. "Gentlemen, if you have anything you want to know, please feel free to ask. I will tell you everything I know!"
Shi Haoyan and Shi Hua looked at each other, both showing satisfaction.
Shi Haoyan smiled and said, "In that case, please tell us how many acres of potatoes are planted in Yingfeng Village? When will they be ripe?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com