October, the golden autumn season, has arrived in the blink of an eye.
Han Zhongyu stayed at the mountain villa for one night that day, and returned with Xuan Yuanche the next day. Moreover, because it was the first year of experimenting with biogas fertilizer, on-site inspection and data collection were necessary to avoid misreporting, concealment, or errors in statistics that could affect the livelihoods of the people.
So Han Zhongyu was extremely busy again.
When it comes to matters of great importance to people's livelihood, he dares not relinquish all responsibility and personally visited many places.
Seeing the golden corn, millet, and fiery red sorghum, all with their stalks bent low, Han Zhongyu knew that this year would be a bumper harvest.
The people were so excited when they saw that this year's corn cobs were big and plump, and that the corn grown in the fields where biogas fertilizer was used was half a meter longer than the corn grown in the fields where it wasn't used, that they shed tears of joy!
Some were so emotional that they even knelt down and kowtowed, thanking heaven and earth for allowing them to fill their stomachs.
In no time, the fields were bustling with people, with every household mobilized. Young, strong laborers cut straw, while women and children husked corn, then packed it into baskets and carried it home like ants carrying house.
Even though they were drenched in sweat, they were overjoyed.
With just a slightly larger harvest, these simple farmers spoke louder and their eyes brighter; the extra few hundred kilograms of grain were their greatest source of confidence.
Xie Yushu's villa has also begun its autumn harvest.
Since three large plots of land were added this year, and they were still quite far away, Xie Yushu asked Wang Wu to take people to collect the grain from the outside first.
Finally, collect the ones in front of your house.
Emperor Qingyuan bestowed only the best land. After Wang Wu and his men took it back, a rough estimate showed that one mu (unit of land area) would yield about 800 jin (unit of weight) of corn and 600 jin (unit of weight) of sorghum.
Compared to the previous grain yield here, the yield per mu has increased by about 300 jin.
But it is still far inferior to that of later generations.
In later generations, the average yield of corn per mu could reach 1,500 to 2,000 jin, which is still a huge difference!
Firstly, there are no high-quality seeds, and secondly, there are no fertilizers available in later generations, so this is the best we can do for now.
Although Xie Yushu still felt a little regretful, Han Zhongyu, Emperor Qingyuan, and a group of ministers in the court were overjoyed. The court had also compiled data, and by adding up the grain from the damaged land and the good land, and taking the average, they found that the yield per mu had increased by 230 jin!
It wasn't widely used this year, but it will definitely be used everywhere next year. Imagine how much more grain the entire Qi Dynasty will produce each year!
This is the foundation of the nation. Not to mention those who are already concerned about the country and its people, even corrupt officials who have lost their conscience are overjoyed.
This time, the court and the government all spoke with one voice, praising Xie Yushu for her intelligence, kindness, and righteousness, and for being a role model for women!
So, Emperor Qingyuan waved his hand and directly bestowed upon Xie Yushu a plaque inscribed with the title of "Loyal and Righteous Woman," which was then sent to Yuquan Manor in a grand manner.
The inscription, personally written by the emperor, is extremely precious. With this plaque, even princes and princesses would not dare to act recklessly. Xie Yushu liked it very much; this was much more practical than gold and silver jewelry!
Xie Yushu happily accepted the imperial decree and gave the messenger a large red envelope.
He immediately burned incense and washed his hands before hanging the imperial plaque in the inner courtyard's reception room.
The large golden characters made the entire reception room look magnificent.
Based on this production increase standard, Emperor Qingyuan raised next year's tax revenue by another 10%.
With production increasing by 30% and tax revenue rising by 10%, the people could easily afford it, so the news didn't cause much of a stir.
Only by increasing grain production can the fundamental problem be solved, which will not only meet the needs of the people but also enrich the national treasury.
A true win-win situation.
Xie Yushu also had a bumper harvest this year.
Not only was business booming, but grain also filled two large warehouses, conservatively estimated at 1.5 to 1.6 million catties. After more than two years here, Xie Yushu finally felt truly at ease.
Unbeknownst to those basking in the joy of the harvest, a premeditated war of plunder had been brewing for a long time and was poised to erupt.
As the saying goes, "an army marches on its stomach," and the grasslands were short of supplies. Northern Yan was not a rich land either. Therefore, for more than three months after deciding to attack Da Qi, they had been constantly collecting grain and supplies to replenish various military provisions.
At this time, the Great Qi Dynasty had a bumper harvest, and even though their food supplies were still not very plentiful, they were determined to take a gamble.
Seeing that the Great Qi not only had a lead in weaponry but also significantly increased grain production and income, and that national prosperity and strength were just around the corner, what chance would they have to turn the tide once the Great Qi had developed?
Once we capture a few cities in Daqi, there's no need to worry about supplies; Daqi is a ready-made granary.
Thus, the Tatar, Rouran, and Northern Yan armies, with their troops ready to march, set off from their respective units, hiding by day and moving by night, silently heading towards the border of the Great Qi, waiting for all of them to arrive before launching a full-scale attack.
In order to achieve a decisive victory, all three kingdoms have spared no effort this time.
Not only did they send their most elite troops, but their generals and vanguard officers were all carefully selected capable warriors, each renowned for their military exploits in their respective countries.
Needless to say, the Tatars dispatched their great general Sukhbaatar, known as the "Tiger of the Steppe," leading 100,000 steppe cavalry straight to the outside of Hangu Pass.
Prince Fuguang of Tatars, who boasted that he had traveled to the Great Qi and brought back firsthand information about the repeating crossbow, was appointed as a deputy general and sent to the army to accurately predict the enemy's weapons on the battlefield in order to gain a thorough understanding of both himself and his enemy.
The Rouran's commander-in-chief was Abuzan, known as the Wolf King of the Steppes. In addition to leading an army of 80,000, he also had 300 wolf riders.
Our destination is Yixiantian (a narrow gorge).
These three hundred wolf riders are all tall and strong adult male wolves, specially trained, agile, good at jumping and biting. They can attack and retreat on their own at the sound of the wolf trainer's whistle, making them a special presence that strikes fear into the hearts of people on the grassland.
This was also the biggest advantage that allowed the Rouran to stand firm on the grasslands for many years without being swallowed up by other tribes.
The Northern Yan army, led by Yuwen Jiannan, the eldest son of the Yuwen family, the first military family of Northern Yan, and his second brother Yuwen Tao, led 100,000 Yanbei troops, traveling lightly and simply towards Changbozi Ridge.
Subsequently, Li Ci, the crown prince of Northern Yan, led an army of 50,000 to press the rear.
The three kingdoms were of one mind and shared the same goal: since they were going to send troops, they were determined to win decisively and not give the Qi Kingdom any chance to react.
This time they launched a surprise attack, so they avoided places with large armies defending them and instead chose the weakest point between two armies. Their plan was to break through first, seize a city in one fell swoop, and then defend the city while the border troops launched a pincer attack from both inside and outside.
Although the Qi army was large, its border was also long. They could easily cut the Qi army in half and devour it piece by piece.
If they act quickly and smoothly enough, they can strike at the capital before the Qi state can react.
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