Chapter 950
: Scolding and High-Yield Grains [4]
Chapter 950: Scolding and High-Yield Grains [4]
"Alright, I'll trust you this once." After reassuring Gao Zhenzhi, Qiong Lao then asked Zhong Baihu, "Please take good care of him, Zhong Baihu."
take care of?
In fact, this was a signal to Commander Zhong that if Gao Zhenzhi continued to be out of control, he should be tied up and taken away immediately without asking for Zhong's opinion.
Old Qiong then looked at Qin Xiaomi: "Master Qin, where are these two high-yield grains? Please take us to see them... I guarantee that I will mobilize all the scholars in the world to protect these two high-yield grains and will never let the villains harm these high-yield grains that can save the lives of millions of people!"
"I will also try planting and tasting taro, sweet potato, and wild yam to dispel the doubts and anxieties of the people about these two high-yield grains!"
Qin Xiaomi smiled; this was exactly what Elder Qiong wanted to hear.
After all, taro and sweet potato have been growing on this land for thousands of years, so why are these two kinds of coarse grains not seen in the north?
Is it really because the temperature in the north is too low to grow them?
Ha, how difficult things have become? They've eaten wild grass and tree bark, how could they not eat these two kinds of coarse grains?
Insufficient growth period?
To put it simply, when food is scarce, even if the growing season is insufficient, the villagers will cut taro stalks to eat as a life-saving vegetable.
There is only one reason for this... The power of the aristocratic alliance is too great. They have their troops in almost every prefecture. They want to transport high-yield grains from the south to the north so that ordinary people can have food to survive and thus not have to sell their children or land.
Ha, stop dreaming.
If you are not so poor that you have to sell everything, how can the aristocratic alliance maintain the splendor of the wealthy and powerful, and how can you have an endless supply of servants?
Qin Xiaomi, who comes from the modern era and was once an empress, knows the ins and outs of the matter, so she doesn't believe the records of the previous dynasty regarding the growth period of taro and sweet potatoes.
These records of powerful clans that control all the world's resources can only be regarded as a catalog of goods.
So Qin Xiaomi and Huang Yanglong's smuggling of taro, sweet potatoes and yams from Lingnan Prefecture had been going on in secret until Gao Zhenzhi came across it today. She took advantage of the anger over the failure of the Changping Granary to stabilize grain prices to expose the fact that the high-yield miscellaneous grains were being transported!
"Thank you for your kindness, Elder Qiong." Qin Xiaomi smiled and said, "Twenty carts of the two high-yield grains, taro, sweet potato, and yam, are already at the camp of Hundred-Household Tang at the outpost outside the town, but there are still 1,200 carts of taro, sweet potato, and yam seeds stuck outside Tai Zhou Mansion, unable to advance an inch!"
Tai Zhou Prefecture is a vital transportation hub connecting the east, west, north, and south of the Great Wei Dynasty. Apart from Jiangnan Prefecture and the capital region, it is the place with the most powerful aristocratic alliances and the strictest control.
So many high-yield grains wanted to come to the Northeast Prefecture from Taizhou Prefecture, but let's put it this way, without an imperial edict, it would be very difficult to do so.
Unfortunately, Emperor Wuxing had to sell himself into servitude to take in four imperial concubines in order to stabilize his empire. Meanwhile, the Duke of Yan said that in this critical moment, it was not advisable to break ties with the aristocratic alliance. Instead, they had to take a roundabout approach. Only after the high-yield coarse grains became a sensation would the aristocratic alliance dare not obstruct the promotion of high-yield coarse grains or do anything to damage them.
Otherwise, it would be tantamount to openly cutting off the livelihood of the people.
Then the alliance of powerful families would be attacked by the people of the world.
No matter how wealthy or powerful the aristocratic alliance is, it cannot withstand the consequences of being overturned and vandalized by farmers from all over the world.
"Twelve hundred cartloads of high-yield miscellaneous grains and potato seeds are stuck outside the Tai Zhou Mansion?" Ying Zilin said with difficulty, his eyes bloodshot with anger, and even filled with tears.
The farmers' high-yield, life-saving grain seeds were blocked from entering, and given the Ying family's power in Taizhou Prefecture and the Taizhou Academy's power in Taizhou Prefecture, did they really not know?
all know.
Who did it?
It's all done.
His family and his teachers at Taizhou Academy are all tainted.
"Yeah, is it surprising? Isn't this the norm throughout history?" Qin Xiaomi laughed, speaking loudly and sarcastically: "After the world is at peace, after there is no more fighting and killing, after there are no more disasters, the old ways will reappear, sticking together and pulling each other along, starting to discuss and negotiate, each taking a step back and returning to the state of kneading dough."
Emperor Wuxing was indeed fierce, but after becoming emperor and ruling the country, he also had to start weighing the pros and cons.
If you want to break the deadlock by killing, then kill to the very end. If you stop killing when you've won a small victory, you're just wasting your time!
Qin Xiaomi silently cursed Emperor Wuxing. "Master Qin, what do you mean? Didn't you say it's high-yield coarse grains? Why are you saying it's for making dough?" a villager asked. They had never even been to the prefectural city and couldn't understand such talk. They asked again, "But can two kinds of coarse grains be mixed into dough to make steamed buns?!"
Qin Xiaomi: "They can't be made into steamed buns, but they can be made into taro and sweet potato dumplings, taro and sweet potato cakes, etc. In short, there are many ways to eat them, and they are very delicious."
"It's good that it tastes good! Mr. Qin, could you take us to see that high-yield grain? Also, give my family a few dozen kilograms of potato seeds so my wife can help Mr. Qin try planting this grain... It's not for nothing. Next year, after the harvest, we'll return the potato seeds to Mr. Qin!"
"Old hag Liu Jiu, you're trying to take advantage again! Get out of here! This is a matter of life and death, and none of you shrewish women are allowed to interfere!" Pan Laotongsheng shouted angrily.
Dangdang Dangdang!
Zhong Baihu shouted: "The high-yield coarse grain potato seed is of great importance. No one is allowed to touch the potato seed. The seed will be handled by the students led by Qiong Lao, the Qin family, and the Liang family army led by Jiang Baihu. Anyone else who dares to touch the potato seed will be executed by the Wei army without prior notice!"
The villagers didn't understand the full meaning of "execute first, report later," but they understood the word "execute," and they immediately became frightened: "Don't worry, sir, we won't go to check the potato seeds, we're going home right now!"
Zhong Baihu was satisfied. He ordered his soldiers to beat gongs and drive the villagers back to their respective village roads.
"Master Qiong, fellow students, please." Qin Xiaomi greeted Master Qiong and the others, and together they headed towards Commander Tang's camp.
……
"Old Qiong, Master Qin, Lord Qin, Clerk Guan, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, Commander Tang wouldn't have allowed us to enter the camp to see the high-yield potato seedlings!" Master Lu was well-informed and, upon learning about the high-yield grains, immediately wanted to lead the county officials into the camp to see the potato seedlings.
But Commander Tang and the Imperial Guards wouldn't let them in.
He could only wait outside the camp. When he saw Qin Xiaomi and the others, he hurriedly came up to them and said, "Quickly, let's go into the camp and see the high-yield miscellaneous grain and potato seeds!"
As for the villagers from other towns waiting for interviews at the outposts outside the town?
Master Lu didn't have time to deal with it; he told them to keep waiting.
"Commander Wang?" Commander Tang asked Commander Wang of the Imperial Guard.
Commander Wang laughed and said, "Let them pass."
The matter of high-yield coarse grains has been officially approved, and the Qin family has even brought in the entire Shilin to back them up. When Wang Baihu learned that the whole country was promoting taro, sweet potato, and yam, it was all settled, and he was overjoyed, his words filled with smiles.
"Yes, sir!" Commander Tang ordered his soldiers, "Let them pass!"
The soldiers hurriedly put away their weapons and moved the barricades to let Qin Xiaomi and Qiong Lao into the camp.
In the camp, there were dozens more people, all of them tall and fair-skinned, with typical northern features, but among them were native Lingnan people.
For example, Master Chen Nineteen.
The surname Chen sounds very northern, but it is a common surname in Lingnan Prefecture.
Because of this surname, the convoy led by Master Chen Nineteen passed through countless checkpoints with relatively little difficulty.
Why?
Because he impersonated a member of the Chen family of Qingfeng in Zhongyuan Prefecture and even recited the family genealogy, the members of the aristocratic alliance believed him and did not search every box of goods thoroughly.
"I've heard Brother Long mention you all before, and today I'm finally meeting you in person." Master Chen Nineteen performed a standard scholar's bow: "Chen Nineteen of the Chen family of Lingnan greets Lord Qin, Madam Qin, Commander Jiang, Master Qin..."
After meeting the Qin and Jiang families, Master Chen Nineteen bowed to Elder Qiong and the others.