Chapter 140
Time flies. After the spring ploughing, in addition to handling some official business in the county, Lin Shuge also inspected the situation of firearms. The production of muskets has been very mature. Lin Shuge handed over a batch of muskets to Xie Chen and asked him to select soldiers with excellent archery skills in the army to form a musket battalion. After daily training, it has achieved initial results.
He originally wanted to try the firearms of later generations, but due to the current lack of technology, it was easy for the barrel to explode. Xiang Ligu and Fang Yuan tried various metals every day, trying their best to control the danger of the barrel exploding after the gunpowder burned.
Therefore, we have to try harder.
However, what he is most concerned about now is potatoes. Cotton has a very long growth cycle and is still a green plant. Potatoes only need three or four months of growth to mature. Therefore, during this period of time, Lin Shuge runs to the Moshui Valley almost every time he has free time.
As summer approaches, the sun is already very strong. Other people in Qingquan County are preparing to harvest wheat. The people in Moshui Township did not catch up with the planting of winter wheat in the previous season, so they go to the county to harvest wheat and make money.
When Lin Shuge arrived at Moshui Township, Mu Yuanzhou and Lu Fu had been waiting for a long time.
When the potatoes are ripe, the branches and leaves will begin to turn yellow. Most of the green plants that were originally growing vigorously and lushly are now lying on the ground. Lu Fu squatted at the edge of the field and picked up a leaf with his hand, with some distress on his face. After all, he had taken care of these seedlings day by day, but now they seemed to have reached the end of their lives and became dead branches and fallen leaves.
"Why do you have that expression? Come, give me a hoe, dig it out and see how it looks like?" Lin Shuge looked at Lu Fu with amusement, as if his own child was being tortured.
Mu Yuanzhou happily handed the hoe to Lin Shuge and asked, "Sir, why don't you see Sir Wei?"
Lin Shuge replied, "Zhongxuan has something to do today." Then he picked up the hoe and dug a small piece of land. Although there were gaps between the rhizomes when planting, the potato seedlings grew more and more luxuriant. Now that they have reached maturity, the vines and leaves are entangled with each other, and it is difficult to tell which plant they are.
He dug several times with the hoe, and the deep red soil was turned out, which contained a few light yellow potatoes, which were a circle larger than the seeds that Dabu brought at that time. Lin Shuge threw down the hoe, dug up the soil with his hands, and picked out the potatoes hidden in the soil one by one.
Mu Yuanzhou and Lu Fu both squatted down to help, picking out more than a dozen potatoes of different sizes in a row. Both of them had surprised expressions on their faces. They had heard from Lin Shuge that potatoes had a high yield and a short cycle, but they were still shocked when they saw it with their own eyes. If all the land in Dayan was planted with potatoes and one or two crops were harvested a year, how many people would be spared from starvation.
"They are growing really well, thanks to you two. Call the others over, and harvest all the potatoes in this field in the next few days. Although this crop has a high yield, it will damage the soil. We should keep this land for growing other crops and then continue to grow potatoes." Lin Shuge smiled as he held the biggest potato in his hand. Although the yield could not be compared with that of later generations, this year Lu Fu and others took good care of it, and the use of water and fertilizer was better controlled, so the yield was much better than he expected.
Seeing that the two had not spoken, Lin Shuge said, "You can also try this first batch. Potatoes can be boiled, fried, roasted, or deep-fried. You can eat them any way you want."
"Sir, so many things can grow from just a few seedlings. How much must this land have?" Mu Yuanzhou couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.
"We'll know when the time comes. This land can hold a lot of seeds this time. If people want to plant this year, we can plant another crop. But there are too many people and the seeds will be limited." Lin Shuge thought about the grand occasion of more than 2,000 kilograms per mu in the future, and sighed in his heart. It was a pity that he was a liberal arts student and could not make the chemical fertilizers of the future.
Mu Yuanzhou stood up and looked at the potatoes on the ground, his heart restless for a long time. Lu Fu excitedly took out the notebook in his arms and recorded what he had just seen.
"But this thing can't be used as a staple food. But people have wheat and millet at home. If we add potatoes, at least we have one more kind of food. Having food at home can make people feel at ease."
"Sir, I will find someone to collect it right away." Mu Yuanzhou collected his thoughts after hearing his words.
Lin Shuge nodded, tied the potatoes he had just dug up with vine leaves, and prepared to go back and cook some dishes for them.
As soon as he left, Mu Yuanzhou called over several old farmers who worked there on weekdays, and asked them to find a group of hardworking young people in the village to harvest the potatoes. When the people dug them out with hoes and saw the yellow potatoes all over the ground, they were all shocked.
After they went back, word spread quickly, and the entire Moshui Township was in an uproar. Even other townships in Qingquan County heard about the potato yield. Who among the common people would complain about the small amount of food grown in the fields? All of a sudden, the people came to Mu Yuanzhou and Lu Fu, wanting to collect some seeds for planting. The two were so annoyed that they could only tell them that the county government limited each household to only five kilograms of seeds, and that they had to pay to buy the seeds. Only then did the county's enthusiasm for planting potatoes gradually cool down.
Lin Shuge had just gotten some potatoes, so this meal was almost all potatoes. Lin Qingyuan looked at the potatoes of various shapes on the table and looked at his brother, "Brother, what are these?"
"Fried shredded potatoes, stir-fried potato slices, stir-fried potatoes with green peppers, potato meatballs. When I have time, I will make you some foreign French fries." Lin Shuge introduced them one by one.
Xie Chen chuckled and took the lead in picking up the chopsticks to taste it. "It's really good. It's worth it for my brother to work so hard for so long."
"Really? Then I'd like to try it." Lin Qingyuan also picked up a piece of potato chips. The outer layer had a peppery aroma, and the potato inside was dense and soft, with a subtle grainy texture. Lin Qingyuan fell in love with it as soon as he ate it, "Brother really didn't lie to me."
"Eat quickly, this is the first batch, no one else can eat it." Lin Shuge added several slices, and the long-lost taste surged into his taste buds. He used to like eating all kinds of potatoes, and taking a bite in this era, this taste may not be understood by others, but he had mixed feelings.
"You can try it next time when you have barbecue or hot pot. It's different from today's. There is also a kind of potato cake, which is perfect for barbecue."
"Are there so many ways to eat potatoes?" Xie Chen looked at him with a smile.
"Of course." Lin Shuge said proudly.
"By the way, Zhongxuan, you haven't harvested the potatoes in Pingxiang yet, right? If you are short of manpower, I will transfer Mu Yuanzhou over to help." Lin Shuge thought that the military camp had been training intensively recently, and many officers were busy training soldiers, so there might be a shortage of manpower.
Xie Chen said softly: "Okay, let him come over."
…
It was a hot summer day, and the heat in the northwest was enough to make people feel a little irritated. Lin Shuge sat in the lobby looking at the grain taxes reported by various townships. The table was piled with the files that Yan Zhubu had just brought over. The more he looked at it, the more annoyed he became, so he simply got up and walked out.
Xie Chen has been going out early and coming back late these days. He is asleep when he comes back every day. When he wakes up in the morning, Xie Chen has already gone out. He is so busy that he can't even see him. Lin Shuge is going to Pingxiang to visit him. No matter how busy he is, he must pay attention to rest.
"Sir, where are you going?" Lu Yuechuan came over holding a bunch of things.
Lin Shuge felt a headache when he looked at the book in his hand. "Ah Chuan, what's the matter? Just handle the small matters. You don't have to come to me for everything."
"My lord, don't worry about these. I have already taken care of them. Just stamp it after reading it. I came here to tell you something." Lu Yuechuan put down the book in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up the kettle on the table and poured a glass of water, then drank it all in one gulp. "I told you that there is something good here. This sour plum soup is icy and cold. Add some ice, please?"
"Didn't I tell you how to make ice? If not, why would you come to me?"
"I'm too lazy to do it. There's nothing for me to do when I look for you, sir. But I received news from the court that the Ding family suffered a great loss this time. I don't know which master instructed the imperial party to report all the usurpatory behaviors of Ding Wenbo, the eldest son of the Ding family, from traveling to clothing, in court. They also united the remnants of the families that were persecuted by the Ding family in the past, and accused the Ding family of being jealous of talented people and persecuting loyal people. Your Majesty has imprisoned Ding Wenbo and is awaiting trial." Lu Yuechuan had a gloating expression on his face.
"Really? But I don't think things are that simple. Such a powerful official must be killed with one blow. As long as the head of the Ding family is still alive, the Ding family will still have power. I'm afraid they can't hurt Ding Wenbo at all." Lin Shuge thought for a long time before speaking.
"What you mean is that this is a dirty trick. Alas, it has alerted the enemy. It's a pity to waste such a good opportunity. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find another chance to put Ding Wenbo in jail in the future." Lu Yuechuan sighed heavily.
Lin Shuge also sighed with him and said nothing more.
"But I think to deal with the Ding family, we need to have troops. Unfortunately, the governors of Nanjun and Yongjun are all members of the Ding Party. If we can control these two places, we can march into Yandu to defend the king. Alas, the most unfortunate thing is the Xie family. If the late emperor had saved Mr. Xie, the Ding family would not be as prosperous as it is today."
"Ah Chuan, every time you mention the Xie family, your tone is full of regret and sadness. What kind of person is Mr. Xie?"
"Mr. Xie became famous at a young age. At the age of thirteen, he fought against the Qiang people. He led his army deep into the Qiang tribe and killed three thousand enemies, making him famous in one battle. Later, he eliminated border troubles, guarded Longxi, and destroyed small countries that invaded the border. He was promoted to the position of Taiwei. He was a courteous person and many people in the court benefited from his kindness. Therefore, after Mr. Xie died, all the upright people in the court were indignant..." Lu Yuechuan said with admiration in his tone.
"I have never met Lord Xie, I have only heard my father talk about him. However, Lord Xie rose to prominence through military exploits, and his eldest son and grandson both studied literature. Only the young master resembles his grandfather, but he was too young when the Xie family met with disaster. If the Xie family had not met with disaster, I wonder what young master Xie would have achieved."
For some reason, Lin Shuge had an inexplicable feeling towards Young Master Xie. He had heard a lot about the Xie family in the past. He sighed in his heart that if Young Master Xie were still alive, he would be a young hero like Zhongxuan.
Lin Shuge sighed with him for a few words, and the two of them talked about potatoes. Ever since Lu Yuechuan had eaten it once, he had become very fond of this novel food and asked Lin Shuge for many recipes.
"I'm going to Pingxiang. If you have nothing to do, would you like to go with me?" Lin Shuge asked.
"I won't go. I have official business to attend to. What are you going to Pingxiang for?"
"It's been too hot these days. I'll have someone send some ice over."
"Are you afraid that Lord Wei will get too hot?" Lu Yuechuan said with a smile after drinking the last sip of sour plum soup.
"You're talking nonsense." Lin Shuge ignored what he said, stood up and called the officers to go to Pingxiang.
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