After finishing all this, half an hour had passed.
Yong'an carried his little sister on his back and was surrounded by his brothers as they ran to the west room to talk about the latest news at the border.
The old man was left with his three sons, accompanying He Xiong to drink strong tea to sober up.
He Xiong didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Uncle, have many people been concerned about our crops recently? On the way back with Yong'an, I saw quite a few villagers on patrol."
The old man nodded, pointed at his dark circles and replied, "That's right! We villagers are so anxious to keep watch day and night, we dare not close our eyes, for fear that someone will have evil intentions. We lost a year's harvest, which is not a big deal. We are just worried that someone will be cruel and destroy the crops and ruin our good things!"
Tai Jizu also frowned and agreed, "We're not just worried about someone doing something bad, we're even more afraid of the wild animals on the mountain coming down en masse. These creatures have sharp noses and know which food tastes good better than anyone else!"
"We patrol day and night, and while we can keep out thieves, we can't keep out birds and small animals. If wild boars or bears come down again, it would be a disaster!"
Tai Jiye is more astute and has a unique perspective on issues.
"Back in the spring, I brought back some corn seeds and gave some to friends and family. Although I told them the yield, no one believed me. Now that the corn cobs are clearly growing in the fields, even a fool would know that this is a good thing!
"I'm afraid someone will come and force us to exchange seeds because they're shameless. After all, we're a small family, and even if we don't want to, we'll always have to fight to get what we want.
"For example, city officials and clerks, whenever they come to ask for money, they always have to give them several dozen kilograms of corn to send them off. If they divide it up like this, even if we harvest a lot of corn, it won't be enough."
Everyone nodded. Old Master Tai looked at He Xiong and asked, "Those corn plants I gave to the general have grown up, right? Does the general have any plans?"
He Xiong immediately responded, "Thank you for the gift of corn, uncle. The general also understands your intention and has decided to take his brothers to reclaim wasteland and plant corn next year. Even if the court is unwilling, even if there are obstacles, as long as we persist for a year, we will no longer be afraid of going hungry in the autumn!"
The old man breathed a sigh of relief. He had actually been afraid that the general would not agree to the military farming. After all, this decision was related to the future of the entire border army, and it also meant that the confrontation with the court had to be brought to the surface.
He wanted his brothers in the border troops to have enough food and clothing, but he was also afraid that the court would treat the border troops even less favorably, and even cause trouble for the general!
Now that the general has made his decision, he must have weighed the pros and cons, or has already come up with a plan to deal with it.
"Okay, since the General has decided, let's talk about the seeds. I can take half of our village's harvest, and together with our family's, we'll have a total of 30,000 kilograms. The neighboring Liujia Village, Zhangjia Village, and Sanchahe Village can also contribute another 10,000 kilograms.
"For newly reclaimed land, more seeds must be sown. Assuming eight kilograms per mu, these 40,000 kilograms of seeds can plant 5,000 mu, or 500 mu. Besides spring planting and autumn harvest, the army only needs to allocate 10,000 men to manage daily operations. Of course, these matters will be handled by the general, so I won't be involved.
"Let's just talk about seeds. Our family's seeds can be donated to the army free of charge, but the seeds from the rest of the clan and villagers need to be paid in triple the amount of sorghum or silver. This is already a very low price, and I'm sure someone will offer a higher price.
"I've sacrificed my dignity and allowed everyone to sell some of their seeds to the border troops, but I can't completely block everyone's path to wealth.
“Everyone respects the border troops and is willing to support them, but what they want more is for their wives and children to have enough food to eat and live a good life.
"I hope Brother He can go back and explain things to the general. If he agrees, it would be best if we could send someone to help us preserve the autumn harvest, that is, to preserve the seeds for the border troops."
The old man spoke a lot in one breath, and everyone heard it clearly. Although He Xiong frowned, he nodded.
"Old man, on behalf of the general, I thank you for your unwavering support. I will speak to you after I return. Even if you have difficulties and want to give up farming, I will find a way to help protect the autumn harvest."
He Xiong looked sincere and did not make any big promises. His pragmatic approach reassured the Tai family.
"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Brother He." The old man toasted He Xiong with tea instead of wine.
"The autumn harvest is the most important time of the year for farmers. An extra handful of food may mean an extra life! You have been to our village two or three times, and you can see that every family is doing well. Even the villages in front and behind are bustling. In fact, this is all thanks to my Ji Ye, who has been organizing a lot of work since the beginning of the year. He brought back a lot of work and made a living for everyone. Later, he brought back corn seeds and invited the villagers nearby to stay.
"Otherwise, every village would be deserted by now, with everyone fleeing famine. Life is about people, and without people, even the best places will decline."
The old man sighed, and He Xiong nodded. In recent years, there have been constant natural disasters and man-made disasters. Not to mention the common people, even the border soldiers have starved to death. It is really too difficult.
Tai Jiye rarely heard his father praise him, and he didn't want his father to be sad, so he quickly laughed in exaggerated surprise, "Oh my god, my father actually praised me? Am I dreaming?"
After saying that, he put his face close to Tai Jizong and shouted, "Second brother, pinch me!"
Tai Jizong immediately met his request and pinched him without hesitation, causing Tai Jiye to cover his cheek and cry out in pain.
"Second brother, you are so cruel. You pinch me without hesitation! I am your own brother!"
Tai Jizong replied proudly, "You offered yourself to me, how could I, as your elder brother, refuse you?"
Everyone was amused by the two brothers and even the boys and girls playing in the west room ran out.
He Xiong was fond of Zhuzhu, so he held her in his arms and asked her all sorts of questions. The fat girl responded in a baby voice, and the scene was very harmonious.
While we were chatting and laughing, it was getting dark outside.
Liu Dongniang came in and asked, "Dad, can I make dumplings for you tonight?"
"Okay, prepare some more noodles and stuffings and send them to the platoon room so that He Shan and the brothers at the border can have a good meal."
The old man was as generous as ever and refused to treat guests who came from afar unfairly no matter what.
Liu Dongniang quickly agreed, "Auntie next door is helping out over there, and Captain He and the others can also make dumplings. Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely not neglect the brothers."
After hearing this, Yongan couldn't sit still anymore and took his brothers to join in the fun in the row house.
Yongning and the others were naturally happy. They took the big black horse and the big white horse with them when they went out, intending to let the couple play with the foal in the stable for a while.
Zhuzhu was very conflicted. She wanted to go out and play with her brothers, but she also wanted to stay at home and help make dumplings.
But soon she didn't have to worry about it anymore, because the boys who had just walked out of the yard came back!
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