The potatoes were dug up by his undercover agents, who had been lying in wait for several days and finally managed to uncover important intelligence.
This stuff can be a staple food and it's produced in such large quantities. Thinking about it, Lord Liang couldn't contain himself any longer. He quickly got up and went to his study.
"Quickly, grind the ink for me. I need to report this situation to my master as soon as possible."
The days quickly passed until the end of July. The wheat fields were golden, and the layers of plump rice stalks bowed their heads heavily. The autumn harvest was about to begin.
Song Anxin also gave the workers at Dafeng Factory a harvest holiday so that everyone could focus on the harvest. The workers at Dafeng Factory were deeply moved; they were so grateful to have such a good employer.
Under the scorching July sun, the entire village was out in the fields, their faces beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest. They had been looking forward to this day all year.
"My goodness, I've never harvested such good rice before! The grains on every single stalk are so plump and healthy!"
"Not only are they robust, but they're also very thick! Look at all these layers! Oh my God, you've finally opened your eyes!"
"It's not that God has been kind; it's all thanks to Aunt Lin. The rice seedlings planted in the paddy fields are so strong, and with the waterwheel irrigating the fields in time, it would be hard for the rice not to grow well."
The villagers in the fields all agreed, with one villager saying, "But I think our village's rice is the best among all the villages around here."
"That's all thanks to the bumper harvest! During the bumper harvest, he studied agricultural books and figured things out on his own. And let me tell you, following his methods for planting and fertilizing really worked. The rice in our village turned green better than in other villages, and naturally, it grew better too!"
An experienced farmer said, "Yes, Fengnian is really going to surpass us old bones. He's even willing to entrust these things to us. Aunt Lin and her family are all good."
“...……..”
The villagers, while praising the work, busily harvested and threshed the rice. A few days later, all the rice had been threshed...
Meanwhile, in the Ningdu County government office.
"Your Excellency, according to reports from various villages, the average rice yield per mu this year is over 400 jin, with Linjia Village even approaching 500 jin per mu. Your Excellency, this year's autumn harvest is truly a bumper crop!"
As Master Fan spoke, he couldn't help but get excited. He thought about how the yield per mu was only 200 jin last year, but this year it had more than doubled. How could this not make people's hearts surge with excitement?
"I heard that the reason why Linjia Village is higher than other villages is because the eldest son of Madam Hui led the villagers to improve fertilizer and water and promote pollination. Madam Hui's family are really capable people."
Yan Shuping's eyes grew brighter as he looked at the presented data. Finally, when he saw the name Lin Fengnian on the last report submitted by Linjia Village, his smile deepened.
"Yes, this family is indeed full of capable people. Even the sons raised by Madam Hui are quite skilled. Master Fan, please help me grind the ink so that those old fogies in the court can broaden their horizons."
At this moment, someone came to report: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, Your Clerk, Magistrate Lu of Qi'an County, Magistrate Mo of Heyang County, Magistrate Dai of Gaokai County... all the magistrates have arrived."
Magistrate Yan put down his pen, his smile undiminished: "Oh, it seems everyone has had a good harvest and has come to share the good news with me. Tell them to wait a moment, I'll be there in a bit."
Magistrate Lu, Magistrate Mo, Magistrate Dai... sat in the hall with excitement on their faces. How could they not be excited? In the fertile Jiangnan region, the annual autumn harvest was only about 400 catties per mu.
Almost every village in their county has a yield of over 400 jin per mu, and even the few villages with poor soil have a yield of over 300 jin. They really made the right bet this time!
Not only were the county magistrates happy, but from the threshing, drying, and hulling of the rice this autumn harvest, the smiles on the faces of every villager in the villages under the several counties never faded. Some villagers couldn't contain their excitement and even ran around the rice paddies several times, cheering loudly.
"Oh, we've had a bumper harvest! A real bumper harvest!"
Meanwhile, in Kyoto, when the news from Liuzhou arrived, it caused a great uproar in the imperial court.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! You are truly a gift from Heaven to our Great Yin Dynasty! This seed soaking technique and fertilizer-based pollination can so effectively promote high grain yields. If this method is widely adopted, our Great Yin Dynasty will surely have a bountiful autumn harvest next year, with granaries overflowing!"
Minister of Revenue Qin could not hide his excitement.
He had been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for so many years and had always been worried about the grain issue, hoping to make a breakthrough. Now that someone has actually found a way to increase the yield per mu to such a level, the people can finally have hope!
The officials below immediately followed suit with congratulations: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty, for obtaining such a good law to protect our Great Yin Dynasty!"
Among the officials offering congratulations, Lord Liang, standing next to Lord Qin, had a somewhat inscrutable expression.
The emperor, seated on his high throne, had a stern expression, but his eyes revealed joy.
He let out a low laugh: "Hehe, Lady Hui, now we have another Lin Fengnian. It seems that our Great Yin Dynasty has many capable generals."
Minister of Personnel Yan said, "Your Majesty, Lady Hui has made such great contributions, once again serving our dynasty and benefiting the people. Should Your Majesty grant her an official title and reward her?"
Upon hearing this, the faces of the court officials immediately changed. It was unprecedented for a peasant woman to become a titled lady, and now she was to be promoted to a higher official position. Wasn't this too fast? Most importantly, where would these officials and gentry put their faces? They were not even as good as a peasant woman.
Upon hearing this, Lord Liang immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I feel this is inappropriate. The magistrates of several counties have not reported this seed-soaking method to the court and have been implementing it privately throughout their counties. Fortunately, Heaven has protected our Great Yin Dynasty, allowing us to achieve such a bountiful harvest. If there had been any carelessness, wouldn't the grain in these five counties have been completely lost, and the people of these counties would have faced the suffering of famine? I believe that Lady Hui should not be rewarded for such a stroke of luck, and the magistrates of these counties should also be punished."
As soon as Lord Liang finished speaking, several officials stepped forward and echoed, "We agree."
Lord Qin immediately stepped forward and said, "I object. I think Lady Hui should be rewarded. Not only did Lady Hui, a resident of Linjia Village, contribute to Lin Fengnian's improvement of planting methods, but she should also be rewarded."
Agriculture has always been a top concern throughout history. Sowing and hoping year after year has yielded disappointing results. Since ascending the throne, the emperor has been reducing taxes to reduce hunger among the people. However, most people in our Great Yin Dynasty still struggle to get enough to eat. When natural disasters strike, countless people starve to death. The root cause is the low grain yield of our dynasty, which is insufficient to meet the needs of the people.
The imperial court has been researching ways to increase grain yields every year, but what has been the result? It has been confinement, ignorance, and a reluctance to take responsibility and become complacent in their corners of the world.
The new methods of soaking seeds, germinating them, and preparing seedbeds, developed by Lady Hui, and the improved planting methods by Lin Fengnian of Linjia Village, are all innovative and thought-provoking. This should serve as a wake-up call for all officials… While it was inappropriate for several county magistrates to implement these methods across their counties without prior approval, I believe they would not risk the people's food supply; they must have carefully considered and been confident in their abilities before daring to act. The officials below have achieved such remarkable results, and there is no need to be overly critical.”
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