Chapter 125 Shanshan visits and discovers
As reports of battles continued to arrive from the border, the issue of border banditry was put back on the agenda.
The atmosphere in the Golden Throne Hall was solemn. The Minister of War, holding the latest military report, reported in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, our scouts have confirmed that the bandits from the northern border are indeed elite Xiongnu troops in disguise. Your Majesty, please make your decision."
The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Huns dare not openly invade the border, but only pretend to cause trouble, which shows that they are not yet ready for a full-scale war. I think it is enough to send a general to guard the border to deter them, and there is no need to start a large-scale war." If a war breaks out, his Ministry of Revenue will bleed.
The Minister of War immediately retorted, "That's wrong! Precisely because the Xiongnu are still testing the waters, we should strike hard. If we allow them to continue their advance, it could lead to great harm!"
Xiao Yuancheng frowned and glanced at the princes: "What do you think, my Lords, should we do?"
The ministers of King Wen's faction immediately stepped forward and said, "I still believe that His Highness King Wu should be sent to fight immediately!"
King Wu sneered, but even if King Wen insisted, he had no intention of arguing with him. That would only be a waste of words. Turning to King Ning, who was standing in the ranks of civil officials, he said, "My third brother has been in the court for many years. Why not have him accompany us on the expedition and intimidate the northern border? He could personally oversee military supplies and allocate food and fodder."
In the past, he could have made some money by dispatching food and grass, but King Ning was not a fool. If he left the capital for money now, he would most likely end up losing the big picture while gaining the most.
Xiao Fei lowered his head, silently cursing the person who had implicated him again, and hurriedly stepped out. "It's wheat harvest time right now, and the Ministry of Revenue is fully focused on preparing for the summer tax collection. I'm simply too busy to handle everything. Furthermore, I've never been on the battlefield before. I'm not as skilled as my elder brother, nor as strategic as my second brother. If I were to go, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to act as a deterrent."
When the other princes heard these words, they couldn't help but spit in their hearts. Everyone knew that Xiao Fei used to be the most stubborn and always claimed that he was not inferior to his two elder brothers in literature and martial arts, but now he humbly admitted it.
Seeing that the emperor above had a puzzled expression and did not answer, Xiao Fei's heart trembled and he looked at his brothers.
The brothers all looked uneasy, but Prince An had a smile on his lips. This was because he was born weak, and even if all the generals in the court died, it would not be his turn.
Prince Ning looked depressed. Finally, Xiao Fei noticed Prince Ying in the corner and immediately clasped his fists, recommending, "I think your fifth brother is young and strong, both talented in civil and military matters. He has just come of age and entered the court for the first time. Why not send him to the border to gain some experience? He will be able to help relieve our father's worries in the future."
Who made his mother come from a humble family and be only a Zhaoyi?
Finally hearing these words, Xiao Ting didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Although he had long anticipated that if his father delayed making a decision, the war would surely fall on his head, this was only the second court meeting.
But this was also an opportunity. He had been dormant for many years, and now was the time to make his mark. The King of England didn't think his current strength could overpower his more established brother. It would be better for him to go to the border and gain some experience. Maybe he could reap the benefits upon his return.
King Xiao Ting of England stepped out calmly and said, "Your Highness is willing to share your father's worries."
But Xiao Yuancheng was still dissatisfied. How could he not see that Lao Wu was forced into this situation? The emperor glanced gloomily at the courtiers below him, but he finally agreed to this matter.
He was already over fifty years old. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew that he could not be emperor for many more years. If some scandalous incident occurred during his last few years in power that resulted in the loss of national territory, how could he be recorded in history as a wise ruler?
Therefore, since the banditry on the border is actually the Huns in disguise, it is necessary to dispatch famous generals and important officials to the border to deter them.
"allow."
On this side, the King of England was selecting his troops and preparing to set off with food and supplies. On the other side, it was time for Xiao Ji, who was farming, to breed seeds.
The head of Hedong Village had good coordination skills. He organized the villagers to weed and plow the land before they figured out how to divide the land. Because both men and women could share land, the enthusiasm of the women in the village was high. In less than half a month, the villagers had plowed over dozens of acres of land.
Xiao Ji was not idle either. The villagers of Hedong Village wanted to plow their own land, so he invited the villagers of Hexi Village, which was farther away, to help them plow their land.
Since they had previously promised to provide seeds to the villagers, raising seedlings on one acre of land would require at least six to eight kilograms of seeds. Since Champa rice only yielded three hundred kilograms, they would have to use two hundred kilograms to grow their own crops, leaving them with little to share. Xiao Ji then had Fugui buy two thousand kilograms of high-quality seeds to distribute to the villagers of Hedong Village. After the harvest, they would return the corresponding weight of seeds.
Seeing the villagers of Hedong Village working hard, the villagers of Hexi Village murmured to themselves. Although they were a little jealous, who knew whether the words of these powerful people would count?
In the end, everyone kept their thoughts to themselves and decided to see if Hedong Village could really grow crops and harvest its own food.
The weeds in most of the land could be turned over later, and the few acres of land that had been prepared first needed to be used for seedling cultivation. On the day of the seedling cultivation, Shanshan happened to be visiting from the capital. As soon as she entered the palace, she saw several large water vats placed in the courtyard. A look inside found them filled with rice seeds.
Qingwu was directing Fugui to pour rice seeds into the water tank. When he saw Shanshan coming, he asked her to go in and sit down first.
"It's sunny outside, don't let yourself get sunburned, go in and sit down first."
Shanshan shook her head and said curiously, "I usually grow flowers at home, and I've never seen how to grow rice. Let me take a look, maybe I can learn something."
Hearing this, Qing Wu stopped urging her to go in. Thinking about what Xiao Ji had said to her, she told Shan Shan, "This is Jiaozhi Champa rice that we requested from the Ministry of Revenue. It's a high-quality variety with a short growth period, drought and flood tolerance, and high yield. I heard it's also less susceptible to pests than the rice we have here. Previously, the Ministry of Revenue only gave this rice variety to the wealthy and powerful, but my husband plans to promote this fine variety throughout the country."
Shanshan squatted down, picked up a few rice seeds and examined them carefully, then spread them out and looked at them. She couldn't help but ask, "Qingwu, is this Champa rice really that good?"
Hearing her say this, Qingwu paused, "What do you mean?" Fugui, who was pouring seeds into the water tank, also stopped.
"Although I don't grow rice, I grow flowers." Shanshan put the rice seeds back into the cloth bag and stood up.
"Take roses, for example. There are dozens of varieties. Some have many flowers, but their fragrance is weak and their blooming period is short. Some have large, fragrant flowers, but are susceptible to disease and are not cold-resistant. Still others have large, fragrant flowers, are cold-resistant, but only bloom for one season... In short, there's no such thing as a perfect variety. Is Champa rice really that good? Is it suitable for cultivation everywhere?"
Seeing Qingwu seemed lost in thought, Shanshan continued, "You said before that Champa rice was only supplied to the wealthy and powerful, and that the wealthy were greedy. But this rice is not popular in the capital, so there must be a reason."
After hearing Shanshan say this, Qingwu also remembered that she had traveled to many places and the taste of the rice she ate was indeed different.
"You're right. We really only see the benefits." She turned to Fugui and said, "Go and ask my husband to come over." She didn't know much about grain seeds, so it would be better to ask Xiao Ji to come and listen.
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