Chapter 259 Zhou Ru'an was lifted up to fight Zhou Ru'yuan in a contest!
Zhou Ru'an returned from inspecting the military camp, drenched in cold sweat.
If a large camp only had a dozen or so bags of grain left, the person guarding the granary told him that the Zhenbei Army needed to eat at least thirty dan of grain a day, and the amount here was not even enough for a day!
The thought that he had sent Shen Lanxi to recruit soldiers as soon as he arrived sent chills down his spine.
A gust of northwest wind woke Zhou Ru'an up completely.
This is a mess I can't take on!
We can't accept it for now; we have to resolve the issue of supplies first, and then send Shen Lanxi away.
He had already come up with a reason: he was new to the Northwest, unfamiliar with the place and people, and knew nothing about it, so he needed time to adapt.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned to the camp, he was lifted up by Shen Lanxi.
Shen Lanxi: "That's great! Dongchuan has a third prince, and we in the Northwest have a second prince. The third prince is the Prince of Zhennan, the God of War of the Great Zhou. Once the second prince drives out the foreign tribes, His Majesty will definitely appoint him as the Prince of Zhenbei. At that time, the second prince will be another God of War of the Great Zhou!"
"The times create heroes, that's certainly true!" Shen Lanxi said, nodding sincerely.
Zhou Ru'an was carried directly to the roof by Shen Lanxi; the ladder had been removed. Now, getting up and down was difficult for him!
"I'm not familiar with military affairs in the Northwest yet, and I still need General Shen to guide me properly!" Zhou Ru'an only knew how to pick on the weak, believing that Shen Lanxi was easier to manipulate than Wei Dongzhu.
Shen Lanxi: "General Wei knows the Northwest better than I do, and I haven't been here long. If the Second Prince wants to learn more, he can ask General Wei. You are all men, so it's easier for you to talk to me, a woman!"
Zhou Ru'an felt a lump in his throat upon hearing this, but he did not refute it.
In his view, Shen Lanxi's willingness to relinquish power must stem from her fear of imperial authority and her status as a prince.
This is a good thing for him.
On his way here, he was still thinking about what measures he would take if Shen Lanxi coveted power and refused to hand over the responsibilities.
As a result, he did nothing, and Shen Lanxi was about to step down.
Women are just women; they lack any sense of responsibility or courage. Perhaps they're just waiting for someone else to take over their mess.
But what about supplies?
Zhou Ru'an was still undecided.
After receiving Shen Lanxi's signal, Liu Yanhui immediately said angrily, "Why should Your Majesty give the grain to Dongchuan? We clearly won the battle here. Did Dongchuan also win the battle? Did they kill and capture the traitors there?"
Che Mingyuan chimed in, stamping his foot in indignation: "The Northwest had retreated time and again, losing several cities. After we arrived, we used a few clever tricks to rout the three tribes and even recapture a city. How can such a great achievement go unrewarded with food and provisions?"
Wei Dongzhu looked at Zhou Ruan: "Second Prince, I wonder if His Majesty has given any reward after learning that our Zhenbei Army has recaptured a city?"
Zhou Ru'an lowered his eyes, lost in thought. After a while, he said, "I will submit a memorial to the court requesting provisions. The army is running low on provisions. Does anyone have any solutions?"
Wei Dongzhu blocked Shen Lanxi's way and said directly, "We can borrow grain from Xiling City, but we must ask His Majesty for permission!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruan thought it would be easy; his father had agreed to let him act as he saw fit.
"Take my warrant and borrow grain from Xiling City in a moment."
"yes!"
Shen Lanxi quietly left the tent, and Ban Sicao, Qian Feng, Cheng Zheng, and others followed silently.
The Zhenbei Army had experience in land reclamation. When Shen Lanxi arrived, the army was in charge of dividing the land and distributing grain.
“General, the Northwest is arid, and military farming is probably not as ideal as in Dongchuan!” Qian Feng said.
Shen Lanxi already has a plan.
"We'll divert water from Qinglong Lake for irrigation, and then plant crops that are suitable for the soil, depending on the local conditions!"
Cheng Zheng already has a plan for what crops to plant on what land, and he will submit a list later.
Then there's the matter of diverting water from Qinglong Lake. On second thought, the land was frozen before, but now that it's thawing, it's indeed a good time to start construction!
Shen Lanxi continued, "The distance between each city is too long. If a foreign tribe attacks, it will be difficult for troops in another city to quickly provide reinforcements."
Qian Feng: "General, are you going to continue building military fortresses?"
Shen Lanxi nodded: "The Northwest is vast, with large tracts of land that can be utilized. I previously had someone buy a lot of watermelon and cantaloupe seeds from the Western Regions, which can be planted in sandy and stony soil!"
Unexpectedly, the general had such expertise in land reclamation. Cheng Zheng quickly wrote it down and then added, "Can cotton be grown here?"
Shen Lanxi glanced at it: "Dongchuan can only plant one season, but here we can harvest two or three seasons!"
Cheng Zheng clicked his tongue, inwardly sighing that the years he spent in Dongchuan had truly made him stupid.
High-yield crops such as cotton, corn, wheat, sweet potatoes, and soybeans are indeed not picky about the location, but Qi Minyaoshu still needs to take a look at them more.
The task of diverting water from Qinglong Lake has been handed over to Qian Feng, and Shen Lanxi now only has one job on the surface.
Recruit soldiers!
There are very few soldiers left to recruit here, so she thought of one possibility.
Relocate the household!
Che Mingyuan's current position is very awkward. As a newly arrived prince supervisor, his status is what it is. Although he has not been officially assigned to another post, it is impossible for him to continue to hold the title of supervisor.
After discussion, Shen Lanxi pointed Che Mingyuan in a direction.
"You'll oversee the relocation of people. As long as it's within the Northwest and Dongchuan areas, I'll give you the maximum authority. Anyone who dares to obstruct it or causes trouble, I'll take responsibility!"
After thinking for a moment, Che Mingyuan understood what Shen Lanxi meant.
"Tomorrow I'll go to Zhou Ru'an to ask for a new position. He'll definitely be eager to send me off from the army in a grand sedan chair!"
Shen Lanxi chuckled.
Che Mingyuan continued, "There have been frequent battles in the Northwest these past two years, so it might be difficult to relocate ordinary people. I suggest we start with the prisoners in jail."
"Some petty thieves can be exempted from some punishments if their families are willing to move here!"
Shen Lanxi nodded and reminded, "There should be a limit! Don't bring all sorts of random things to the Northwest."
Che Mingyuan: "We can also apply to the imperial court to send some exiled prisoners to build the city walls."
Shen Lanxi glanced at Wei Dongzhu, who said, "I'll bring it up with Zhou Ruan tomorrow. He's a prince, so it'll be easy for him to ask the court for him!"
Shen Lanxi gave a sarcastic smile: "Then we should make good use of his prince status!"
Everyone finally understood what Shen Lanxi meant.
To outsiders, Emperor Renxiao's decision to send his son to supervise the army was a power grab, but little did they know that it could also be a case of sending lambs to the slaughter.
If this were between two different countries, Zhou Ru'an would be considered a hostage.
Just as they were about to continue discussing the specific details of the relocation, Chunxue came to report.
"General, the Second Prince has arrived. His words imply that he wants to see Lady Zhou."
What Zhou family?
For a moment, everyone was in a daze, and then they finally remembered the fifteenth princess, Zhou Yunyue, who had been removed from the royal family.
Then, all eyes fell on Shen Yuanjing!
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