The two returned to the courtyard. Jiang Sheng took the letter and glanced at it, a smile unconsciously appearing on the corner of his mouth: "Brother said that the potatoes in the fields have been harvested. This year, the people in the Northern Wilderness will not suffer from hunger."
"Oh, and there are potatoes to be presented as tribute to the imperial court. Tsk tsk, I wonder if that person will be surprised when he eats them."
"Sir, if the tribute is paid to the court and all the people are forced to grow potatoes, then the people won't starve."
Yang Er felt excited when he thought of that grand occasion.
Jiang Sheng chuckled and narrowed his eyes. "It's not that simple. Just because potatoes can grow well in the Northern Wasteland doesn't mean they can grow well in the South. With so much rain in the South, potatoes are bound to sprout."
"By then, not to mention having enough to eat, many people will die from poisoning. But it also depends on what that person means. Even if I remind him, he won't listen."
"Oh, then never mind the consequences. If we attract more refugees to work, it would be a shame not to cultivate such a large piece of land in the Northern Wasteland."
Yang Er looked at his smile and always felt that someone was going to be in trouble.
In the imperial court of the capital
The Ministry of Revenue submitted a report on the Northern Wasteland's grain production. Emperor Gan glanced at it, his eyes suddenly widening. He stared at the figures in disbelief, muttering, "How is this possible? Could they have written an extra zero?"
"Come here, what's going on in the Northern Wasteland? Why aren't they planting grains in the spring? Why are they planting potatoes instead? Is the yield per mu really 2,000 kilograms?"
The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, Lord Jiang's memorial states that he discovered a crop called potatoes."
"This plant prefers drought to water, making it suitable for cultivation in the Northern Wilderness. During the spring planting season, we will replace all the grain with potatoes."
"The tax is 20%, and the people hold 80%. In this way, the people in the Northern Wilderness will not starve to death this cold winter."
The officials were discussing this matter: "Oh my god, this thing is really so magical! If it is so, if we plant all the crops, the national treasury will be full in two years."
"But Lord Jiang's memorial also said that the plant prefers drought to water. It only thrives in the Northern Wasteland where there's little water, so it might not be suitable for planting elsewhere."
"How can we know if we don't try? It's no small matter if we don't just watch the food disappear."
Emperor Gan listened to their quarrel and was indeed moved. He said, "My dear minister, ask Beihuang to send more seeds, and then arrange for someone to come and teach us how to plant them."
"Let's try it at the manor first, and then we'll talk about it if it doesn't work."
The Minister of Revenue said: "...Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your command."
I thought to myself, this is nonsense. It's just like an orange tree. It's sweet in the south but not in the north. How can Your Majesty be so ridiculous and waste land?
He lowered his head and frowned, not daring to express his opinions.
After the court was dismissed, everyone went back home. As it gradually darkened, a young eunuch took advantage of the dead of night and quietly released the carrier pigeon.
*
Inside the iron smelting room, the old man's loud laughter could be heard.
The blacksmith paused with his hammer, nearly hitting his own hand. He turned around and looked at the old man, saying helplessly, "Master, what's wrong with you? Don't laugh so suddenly that it scares people to death."
"That's right, what are you doing at this time of night? I was so scared that I almost dropped my hand."
The old craftsman's face was full of joy. He waved his hands when he heard their words, his face full of indifference. He was holding something wrapped in cloth in his hand, his eyes full of excitement.
He shouted, "Someone, come down the mountain quickly to find the Third Young Master and ask him to come up the mountain to take a look."
"Ah, it's not appropriate to look for the Third Young Master at this time of night."
"It's suitable. Don't worry, go and call someone. I guarantee that the Third Young Master will be very happy. Haha, if it works, I will really do it."
A figure ran down the mountain. Before he even entered the yard, a knife was placed on his neck. A murderous aura emanated from him: "Who dares to trespass?"
"It's me, Xiaoliu. The master chef said it was done and asked me to go down the mountain to call the third master. I was in a hurry and forgot that you were guarding in the dark."
Upon hearing this, Yang Er retracted the knife, hummed, walked to the door and knocked, and soon a voice came from inside.
"who?"
"Sir, the master chef sent someone down the mountain to tell you that something is ready and he wants you to go up the mountain and take a look."
When Jiang Sheng heard this, he jumped out of bed, quickly put on his clothes, opened the door, and said with bright eyes, "Really? Come on, take me up the mountain to have a look."
The three of them ran up the mountain. The closer they got to the iron smelting room, the hotter they felt. After they went in, the old craftsman came over.
His face was full of satisfaction: "Come on, Third Young Master, let's go to the room over there and take a look. I will explain the principle to you in detail."
The two entered the study. There were books on the shelves in the study, and various writings and drawings were on the table. There were also scattered things on the floor, which looked a bit messy.
The old craftsman felt a little uncomfortable when he saw this. He simply tidied up the things and placed them on the table. He smiled and said, "Third Young Master, take a look at this and see if it is the same as Donglin's Crescent Blade."
After Jiang Sheng opened it layer by layer, the moonlight shone in, and the silver light on the long sword flowed. It was obvious that it was not an ordinary object, and it was impossible to take your eyes off it.
"This color looks brighter than the Crescent Blade. It's a pity I don't have a Crescent Blade to try it out. Otherwise, I'd know which one is tougher."
He picked up the knife by the handle, then paused. "Hmm, how come it's... so light?"
The old craftsman's smile deepened. He stroked his beard, looking like a master: "I've found that the more thoroughly the impurities are removed, the lighter and thinner the weapon will be."
"But toughness and sharpness are even more powerful. So for this long sword, I used more than ten iron swords to fuse together, hammered them thousands of times, and then fused them again, repeating this process over and over again."
"It eventually turned into a silver iron block, shimmering with light and quite unique. I melted this one, but I haven't come up with a name yet. Why don't you come up with one, Third Young Master?"
Jiang Sheng understood that this was because it was necessary to remove impurities and hammer it to increase its ductility. The purer it was, the more powerful it would be. He held it up and looked at it in the moonlight.
He smiled and said, "Master, you've already given it a name. It's so unique with its flowing light, similar to the Crescent Moon Sword but different. Let's call it the Flowing Light Sword."
"You can tell it's special at first glance, what does the master chef think?"
The old craftsman looked at the sword intently, nodded, and agreed, "Okay, that's the name from now on. I'll make some before the end of the year."
"With this thing, other than the black iron, no other weapon can compete with it. As for the crescent moon sword, we have nothing that can compare to it."
Jiang Sheng nodded. The more he looked at the sword, the more he liked it.
"Master, I really like this one, can you give it to me?"
"Well, of course, if you like it, please take it."
The old craftsman thought of something else and said, "Third Master, we're running low on honeycomb coal. We need to make some more. What's the right mix?"
Jiang Sheng smiled and nodded: "Don't worry about the honeycomb coal, just let everyone focus on forging iron. If there's not enough, I'll have someone send it over."
"Since we're already up the mountain, Master Chef, please take me to have a look."
"Yes, Third Young Master, please follow me."
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