This year, the military farms harvested 10% more grain.
Chapter 6: This year, the military grain harvest increased by 10%.
Chu Huaibei met with his deputy general in his study, having previously instructed him to investigate the patrol routes. The deputy general had meticulously recorded the names of the patrol officers and their whereabouts for the past two weeks. From the booklet alone, it was unclear who had leaked the route. The list contained six names, three of whom were accompanying the generals: Deputy General Qin Feng, General Guo Jun of Huaihua, and General Yang Sui of Xuanwei. The remaining three remained in the barracks: General Li Guyan of Guide, General Xue Zhan of Yunhui, and General Song Shoujie of Zhongwu.
The accompanying generals had always eaten and lived together, never out of sight, and never behaved out of the ordinary. The three generals who remained behind in the barracks also followed a normal daily routine, never leaving the camp, and no correspondence was exchanged. Even their toilet breaks were witnessed by soldiers, and they all ate from a common pot; no one ate alone.
Chu Huaibei couldn't imagine how the spy could have transmitted this information. Birds like carrier pigeons and goshawks were forbidden to anyone except the messenger officer in the barracks. Any bird flying without permission would be shot. And the messenger officer was an elderly man left behind by his father and the husband of Wang Mama in the mansion; he would never betray him. The spy's methods were so meticulous that he couldn't find any flaws. Chu Huaibei had no choice but to let it go for now and remain vigilant, fearing that he would reveal his true intentions.
In addition to delivering the inspection information, the deputy general also brought last year's harvest book of the military settlement. The agricultural officer of the military camp had just calculated the harvest two days ago. Since it was 10% more than in previous years, he hoped that the prince, who was still recovering from his injuries, would feel better after reading it.
Chu Huaibei opened the booklet and looked carefully at the grain output of this era. Winter wheat was planted at that time, sown in autumn and harvested in summer. The climate in the north only allowed one season of planting. He first took a look at the total harvest of 1.84 million dan. One dan here is about 60 kilograms in later generations, which is a total of 110.4 million kilograms. At first glance, it seems like a lot, but the military settlements have a total of 80,000 hectares of arable land. Even if one hectare of land at that time is 50 mu, there are still 4 million mu of arable land. Now the military fields are taxed at 60%, and the soldiers keep 40% for themselves, which means that the yield per mu is not even one dan, only 46 kilograms, which is 10% more than in previous years. Isn’t this output too low!
Chu Huaibei recalled the wheat yield in his previous life. The least was about 300 kilograms, and in high-yield areas it could reach about 500 kilograms. Although the newly developed wheat varieties in later generations greatly increased the yield, it is now less than one-fifth of that. Oh my god, no wonder people in ancient times were not well fed. I pay tribute to all the scientists in New China who have contributed to agriculture.
The deputy general looked at Chu Huaibei, frowning and staring at the booklet. He didn't look happy at all. No way, shouldn't he be happy about this? The deputy general fell into self-doubt.
After a long while, Chu Huaibei came back to his senses from the shock in his heart. He put down the booklet and looked at his deputy general, but saw that the deputy general had a solemn expression. "Qin Feng, what's wrong? Did something happen to you?"
Qin Feng immediately came back to his senses and replied, "I have nothing to say. It's just that the prince seems unhappy. The agriculture official told me that there was 10% more grain last year, so I should be happy."
"Well, I'm not unhappy. Increased production is a good thing. Last year, the northern border had good weather and harvests. It was a blessing from God. It was pretty good." Chu Huaibei saw that the deputy general was worried and hurried to comfort him.
"Go back to the military camp and tell Guo Jun to give the soldiers two more steamed buns for dinner tonight, as the harvest was good last year." Chu Huaibei gave the order according to the original owner's previous plan.
"As you command, I would like to thank the prince on behalf of all the soldiers." The deputy general said with a smile.
The deputy general reported some other trivial matters one by one, and after letting Chu Huaibei make a decision, he prepared to bow and leave. Chu Huaibei waved to stop the deputy general: "Qin Feng, bring the Minister of Agriculture with you next time you come. I have something to ask him." "Okay, Your Highness, I will take my leave." Watching the deputy general stride out, he suddenly remembered that this man was three years younger than him, already twenty years old, and he hadn't heard any rumors of an engagement. His family was surprisingly not in a hurry, which was rare.
Chu Huaibei left the study and headed to his mother in the backyard. It's true, no matter the era, time flies when one is working hard. It's almost evening, and I haven't kissed or hugged Hengheng yet, he thought as he walked quickly forward. After entering, he greeted his mother and then moved into the side room. Hu Zhi and Hengheng were on the couch, studying the Luban lock together, their heads touching. Hengheng sat cross-legged, fiddling with it. Hu Zhi leaned forward, half-sideways, leaning against the soft pillow, so that their eyes were exactly on the same level.
The two of them were so focused on the Luban lock that they didn't even notice Chu Huaibei enter. It wasn't until she sat next to Hengheng and put her arm around him that they both looked up at her. "Hengheng, did you miss your dad today?" Chu Huaibei asked with a smile. Xiao Yiheng jumped up and kissed her on the cheek, but what he said was, "Hengheng didn't miss your dad today. I had so much fun playing with Mom~"
Chu Huaibei touched his chest pretending to be sad, "Daddy is sad, I need Hengheng to kiss me again~" "Bo~~" Little Yiheng obediently pouted his little mouth and tried hard to smear his father's face with saliva. After interacting with his son, Chu Huaibei looked at Huzhi who had already sat up, his eyes rolled around, and he put his other face in front of Huzhi and said: "Hengheng has apologized, and I want Huzhi to kiss me too~"
Sun Mingsi looked at the bright and charming face in front of her, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she quickly moved closer and gently touched her cheek. Chu Huaibei was really surprised for a moment. She just wanted to tease the beauty and had no hope of getting a kiss. In two seconds, she would withdraw and tell her son that your mother doesn't want a kiss, so Hengheng can give you another kiss. In her thoughts, she turned her head to look at the beauty, and saw that the smile on his lips had not yet disappeared. She was dazed. The beauty cried beautifully, and laughed even more beautifully!
To conceal his panic at being tempted by beauty, Chu Huaibei picked up Hengheng with his left hand, stood up and walked out while urging, "Huzhi, it's getting late, let's get ready for dinner."
Sun Mingsi watched her back, which seemed to be fleeing in panic, a smile flashing in his eyes as he followed her slowly towards the dining hall. Sun Mingsi's mental picture of Chu Huaibei became increasingly detailed and endearing. He had always described the Zhenbei King as a warrior, skilled in battle, and a man of extraordinary valor. The more he interacted with her, the more he discovered she was more interesting in private, and her personality wasn't the stern and imposing nature of a military commander. The more he saw of her, the more reluctant he was to let her go.
During dinner, Chu Huaibei kept picking up food for him, hoping that he would eat more and gain some weight. In Chu Huaibei's opinion, it is not good to be too thin, as the body's resistance is poor and it is not resistant to weight loss. In her previous life, she could not gain weight and had a bad stomach since childhood. She often saw colleagues who were of standard body shape but insisted on eating grass every day to lose weight. Chu Huaibei did not understand at all.
After dinner, the two returned to the bedroom. As usual, Sun Mingsi helped Chu Huaibei clean up first so that she could go back to bed and rest. Then Sun Mingsi washed up and cleaned up himself. After finishing, he walked straight to the bed, lifted the quilt, and lay down quietly. Chu Huaibei thought he would have to act like a spoiled child again today. After all, the scene of waking up this morning was still vivid in his mind. Unexpectedly, the beauty gave in first. He was secretly delighted. Just like last night, he held her hand and fell asleep with a smile on his face.
The next day at the hour of Mao, Chu Huaibei woke up on time and noticed that the person next to him was sleeping in the same position as yesterday, with the corners of her mouth raised and her eyebrows curved. He thought that the beauty really liked her, which was also good, and his heart was filled with joy. Chu Huaibei waited until the time was almost up, and called the beauty to get up, clean up and have breakfast. Today, Sun Mingsi accepted the sleeping position when she woke up well, and no longer blushed. It was as if her Ren and Du meridians were opened. Her behavior was full of elegant rhythm, as if they had been an old couple who had lived together for more than 20 years. Chu Huaibei watched with relish, but did not make any casual words to tease her.
Chu Huaibei had nothing to do today, so after breakfast, he took Hengheng to his study and began his elementary education, starting with learning to read. After his third birthday, he began physical training. This was how all the children in the Chu family went through life. After a whole morning of study, it was clear that the child was truly brilliant, almost possessing a photographic memory. Chu Huaibei dug up his childhood memories and realized that while he was not bad, he was still far from that level. It seemed that Huzhi's intelligence had neutralized the child's abilities, raising his level. If he hadn't been born into the Chu family, perhaps in the current dynasty, taking the imperial examination and becoming a civil servant would have been the best option. The Great Xia Dynasty valued civil servants over military service, and the treatment of civil servants was significantly better than that of military officers.
Meanwhile, in his bedroom, Sun Mingsi finally sent a message to summon his subordinates, whom he hadn't seen in two days. Ever since he'd been in danger while on his own three years prior, his guard leader, Jin Yi, hadn't allowed him out of their sight, never leaving their side. But the day before yesterday, he'd been carried into the palace, and Sun Mingsi had ordered him not to follow. Jin San was torn, ultimately forced to wait outside the palace until his master called. The Zhenbei Palace had always had a good reputation, so it should be alright—it should be alright. Jin San had waited anxiously for two whole days, finally receiving a summons from his master, finally calming his racing heart. Tears streamed down his face. If Jin Yi knew about this, he'd surely be punished again. He observed a three-second silence for himself.
Sun Mingsi stood by the window he'd first climbed through, waiting quietly. A moment later, Jin San appeared, swooping in, closing the window, kneeling, and paying his respects, all in one go. Hmm, he looked quite skilled, having climbed through windows many times before.
"Master, it's time for you to take your medicine." He untied the canteen from his belt and handed it to the person before him. Sun Mingsi took it, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp. Jin San stood up, walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and handed it to his master to rinse his mouth. He then stood aside, waiting for his master's words.
Suppressing the bitter taste in his mouth, Sun Mingsi opened his mouth and delivered a powerful punch to Jin San, who was stunned. "Jin San, I have a child, a boy who looks a lot like me."
Silence permeated the air. Jin San even forgot to breathe until his face flushed red from holding his breath. Then, he shamelessly reached out to touch his master's forehead, but was slapped away by his master. Coming to his senses, he immediately knelt, "Master, please forgive me. I have overstepped my bounds. It's just... it's just... where did this child come from? I have never seen any woman near you."
"The Prince of Zhenbei's daughter." Sun Mingsi admitted that he was a little impatient and liked to see these steady subordinates lose their composure and show expressions of disbelief.
Jin San thought he was hallucinating. Hearing such terrifying words in broad daylight, what did "Zhenbei Wang's child" mean? When did the Zhenbei Wang acquire such extraordinary abilities? And why was the master's child the Zhenbei Wang's? They were completely unrelated! Wait, was it the Zhenbei Wang who saved the master when she was in danger in the Northern Territory three years ago? The master had only been to the Northern Territory once! No, was the master so powerful that he could even make the Zhenbei Wang have a child? The more Jin San thought about it, the more confused his mind became. A mess of thoughts kept pouring out of his head. His expression changed from fear to nodding and then to a mysterious smile, which made Sun Mingsi's eyes almost burst into laughter.
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