Chapter 253: Busy Summer Planting
Bai Li could only say a few simple words. If you want to know the details, wait until you go to the field to plant the seedlings.
Xiangyang became interested when he heard the word "highly productive". As expected, if Princess Donghu didn't take action, it would be fine, but once she did, it would definitely be extraordinary.
He controlled his temper and went to the fields. He watched Bai Li instructing the farmers to plant seedlings that had no roots or heads. He asked, "What are those? Will they survive if planted like this?"
Bai Li patiently replied, "These are sweet potato seedlings. The fruit is sweet and filling, and the yield per mu is several thousand kilograms."
Xiangyang swallowed a big mouthful of saliva with a gulp.
"How many, how many thousand kilograms?"
Bai Li thought he wanted an exact number, so he casually replied while teaching him how to plant: "The highest yield per mu is over 5,000 catties, and the minimum is probably over 3,000 or 4,000 catties."
“Snap!”
The wooden stick that Xiangyang was using as a crutch fell to the ground and hit his foot, causing him to hit his tongue in pain.
"Master Xiang, are you okay?"
Xiangyang waved his hand, the surprise in his heart overshadowed the pain in his foot.
When I wanted to confirm again, Bai Li had already walked away.
He ignored the pain in his feet and went after her.
"Master Xiang, slow down, we will support you."
Xiangyang no longer refused, and supported by two subordinates, followed behind Bai Li.
After all, he was old. He had been busy making water wheels all over the country to irrigate crops, and then he was busy fermenting fertilizer and applying it. After finally waiting for the harvest, he watched with his own eyes as bags of grain were stored in the warehouse before he dared to take a break.
Originally, he just had to assign tasks and let the lower-level departments carry them out, but he was used to doing things himself and was afraid that his subordinates would not follow his arrangements in a timely manner, thus delaying the year's harvest.
He traveled all over the Great Zhou before he won this great battle of harvest.
Although Bai Li took the lead in this harvest, Xiangyang definitely made an indispensable contribution.
Before he could have a good rest, he heard that Donghu County had started plowing the soil, applying fertilizer, and other activities again.
He didn't stop for a moment, and rushed over immediately like a cat that smelled blood...
Originally, Da Zhou only planted one crop a year. In previous years, after the summer crops were harvested, wild grasses and vegetables grew in the fields in autumn and winter, allowing farmers to raise chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, pigs, etc.
But Princess Donghu said that the land can be used for another season of cultivation, and the harvest will be no worse than in spring!
When he heard it just now, he was shocked beyond words!
You know, when the time, place and people are right, the common people will not have enough to eat, but at most they will not starve to death.
Because the grain yields in the fields were low, the people had little left after paying taxes.
If there are natural disasters or man-made disasters, like the severe drought this year, many people will not have enough food to eat and may even starve to death.
When the ministers in the court heard Xiangyang's report that crops could be grown in summer, they all said that he was dreaming and it was a fairy tale.
However, with the loyal support of the emperor, he and Xiangyang went against all odds and fully supported Princess Donghu in her summer planting.
Xiangyang was like a curious baby, following behind and asking what it was and how to plant it. Two clerks were taking notes on the spot with pen and paper, for fear of missing a single word.
When Bai Li finished talking about several high-yield crops, several clerks looked at the notebooks in their hands and felt that it was so unreal.
The sweet potato yield per mu is 3,000 to 5,000 kilograms, the potato yield per mu is 3,000 to 2,000 kilograms, and the soybean yield per mu is 2,000 kilograms...
The least produced one is called pepper, and the yield per mu is more than 1,000 kilograms!
My God, if these data are true, the people of Da Zhou will not go hungry!
Even in a year of disaster, no one would starve to death, right?
"Princess of Donghu,"
Xiangyang grabbed Bai Li, who was busy all the time, with stars shining in his eyes.
If Bai Li didn't know what kind of person he was, he would have called him a hooligan.
"Princess Donghu, you can't just care about your Donghu County and ignore the other people, right?"
Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief, secretly blaming Xiangyang for his heavy breathing and stuttering.
"Don't worry, as long as you want to plant, I have seedlings available."
"Really? That's great! I thank you on behalf of the people of Great Zhou!"
Xiangyang was almost crying with joy. The old man in his sixties had red eyes, like a wronged child who had just been coaxed by a piece of candy.
“When will the seedlings be available? Will it be too late to go somewhere else?”
"First, transport them to the areas in Qianxi where the weather gets colder quickly and plant them. It will still be ready in the warmer areas in the south half a month later."
"That's great! Without further ado, let's go pull the seedlings, shall we?"
"So urgent?"
"Don't worry, it will take two days to get back to your residence from here. It will be too late!"
Bai Li thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to go back to the mansion. I previously cultivated seedlings at a secret base in Donghu County. They can be planted in a shorter time than these."
Anyway, the seedlings are all in her space, so it doesn't matter where she takes them out.
She just needs to find an excuse and get through it.
"We have twenty ox-carts and donkey-carts here. If that's not enough, you can find more. I guarantee there will be enough seedlings for you."
"That's great! What are you waiting for? Go find a car!"
Xiangyang, who is always good-tempered, roared at several of his subordinates. His subordinates knew that he didn't want to waste even a minute of time, so they naturally didn't blame him and had to get to work quickly.
Bai Li asked Old Man Sun to entertain Xiang Yang and the others, and she left on the pretext of arranging people to get the seedlings.
An hour later, when dozens of ox carts and donkey carts arrived at the designated intersection, they saw various packaged seedlings on the roadside.
The seedlings with roots and soil are neatly placed upright at the bottom of the basket and covered with semi-dry straw to provide shade and moisture, ensuring that they can survive even when grown in various places.
The rootless sweet potato seedlings are sprinkled with water, stacked together, and placed in large bamboo baskets to keep them moist and fresh.
Xiangyang looked at the baskets of seedlings and immediately ordered people to load them into the car.
There is a shed installed on the car, so there is no need to worry about the seedlings being exposed to the sun along the way.
After the vehicles were loaded, at noon, the long convoy left Donghu County and headed to various places in Da Zhou.
After Bai Li finished her summer planting in Donghu County, she was surprised to find that time had passed so quickly. According to the schedule, her family would soon arrive in Beijing.
Half a month ago, the emperor ordered Bai Zongren to return to Beijing with his family to report on his work.
All the treasures had been dug out and secretly sent to the capital. Bai Zongren was no longer needed in Qianxi, so Zhou Yu took advantage of the situation and let them return to the capital.
Bai Li has already settled down in the capital, so it is not a big deal for her family to stay in Qianxi.
What's more, when Bai Li returned to Beijing, she made a request that her family should be wherever she was.
There was no reason for Zhou Yu to refuse such a trivial request, not to mention that he owed the Bai family before.
So, Bai Zongren returned to Beijing with his family in glory!
When Xuan Yuhao arrived in Da Zhou for the second time, Bai Zongren and his companions also returned to the capital after being away for almost a year.
The Bai family returned to Beijing in glory and became nobles in the capital. The person who was most angry and regretful was Bai Yue.
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