nycdaug Chapter 129 Farming
Chapter 129 Farming
Qin Yu watched helplessly as Yan Wanwan was escorted into the military camp by a group of soldiers, while he himself was left outside alone, with no one paying attention to him.
He couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth into a self-deprecating arc, and after a sneer, he walked into the military camp alone.
At this time, Yan Wanwan was already standing steadily in front of the main seat, surrounded by the crowd. She had a smile on her face and swept her eyes gently over everyone present. She asked softly, "Do you have enough food? If not, I will think of another way."
Her thoughtful demeanor instantly touched the hearts of every soldier present. In this remote area, food supply was already extremely difficult, but Yan Wanwan never complained about the difficulty of transporting food. Whenever the soldiers needed it, she would take care of it without a word. She shouldered all the difficult problems single-handedly, never letting the soldiers worry.
The soldiers were full of gratitude and responded one after another: "Madam, please don't worry. The food you sent last time is enough for us to last for a while."
A few soldiers, emboldened by the wine, couldn't contain their gratitude and stepped forward, saying, "Yes! Thanks to your great powers, Madam, you were able to cleverly avoid the eyes of those barbarians in the Western Regions. And those... Madam, how on earth did you do it?"
In fact, what they really wanted to say was that it was even more difficult to avoid those evil-minded traitors in the court.
But the people in the army know their limits best, and they know what words can be said and what words must be kept in their stomachs. Now is a turbulent time, and they cannot cause trouble for no reason.
Yan Wanwan just smiled and said nothing. How could she easily reveal such a confidential matter?
The most unpredictable thing in this world is the human heart. If you are not careful, you may lose everything. She has to act with caution.
Seeing that she had no intention of talking more, everyone understood what she meant and stopped asking questions. Instead, they continued to eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls. The tent was very lively for a while.
After three rounds of drinks, everyone at the table had flushed faces and was drunk.
At this moment, someone suddenly sighed, breaking the brief lull after the clamor. His voice was filled with worry. "Although our granaries are full now and there's no immediate threat of food shortages, we all know that this is tantamount to eating up all the food we have! We've always relied on food shipped in from outside to survive. If the food shortages of the past return, judging by the current situation, those people in the Western Regions will definitely not let their guard down like before. At that time, successfully transporting food in will be incredibly difficult."
Hearing this, Qin Yu couldn't help but frown and fell into deep thought.
This issue has been weighing on his mind for some time and is a difficult problem that he has been thinking about over and over again.
"Yes! If this matter is not resolved, the city will be gone and the people will be plunged into dire straits."
Yan Wanwan raised her eyes slightly and slowly swept her gaze over everyone at the table.
Some of them were already drunk and had dazed eyes; others looked frightened with beads of sweat on their foreheads.
She opened her red lips slightly and uttered a few words slowly: "Perhaps, you can farm."
These words were like a thunderclap, and the whole place at the banquet fell silent instantly. Most people seemed to have been poured with a basin of cold water, and their drunkenness instantly dissipated.
When they came to their senses and understood what she meant, they were immediately furious.
Many people suddenly stood up and passionately retorted, "That's absolutely impossible! As soldiers, we bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the Great Xia nation. Our destiny is to fight on the battlefield, bow in hand and armor on our backs. How can we retire and tend to our few acres of meager farmland?"
A bearded man's face flushed red, veins bulging on his neck. He slammed his wine bowl down on the table, spilling the wine and wetting a patch of it. He shouted, "We've been practicing martial arts since we were young, learning to march, deploy troops, and fight for our country. How could we possibly understand spring plowing and autumn harvest? Even sorting out grains, let alone tending them, would take some effort. This is just nonsense!"
Someone nearby echoed the words, stamping their feet anxiously. "Besides, even though there's some open space in the wilderness outside the city, there's no guarantee the enemy won't raid. If we all go farming, who'll be responsible for the city defense? If the enemy takes advantage of the situation and sneaks in, not only will we not be able to grow food, we'll even lose our heads!"
Everyone was talking at once, all with faces full of disapproval, their voices growing louder and louder, almost overwhelming the entire house.
Yan Wanwan didn't panic. Her eyes remained calm. After the noise subsided a little, she stood up and said calmly, "Then just sit and wait for death!"
She despised those pedantic people the most. Even if they were almost starving to death, their thoughts were still stuck in the old ways and they were stubborn and unwilling to change.
She was a straightforward person by nature, and since the other person wouldn't listen to her kind words, there was no point in continuing the conversation. She didn't want to be drawn into other people's karma for no reason. As the saying goes, "It's hard to persuade a damned ghost with kind words." She knew the answer well, so there was no point in wasting her words.
Her words were like a heavy hammer, instantly silencing everyone. The surroundings were suddenly so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone couldn't help but wonder, "Yes, if they think about it, if there's another famine in the future, without the relief food that's being delivered to their doorstep, what will they do?" Could they still hope for mercy from the court? But the court's relief has always been extremely difficult and delayed.
Although Yan Wanwan's words were sharp and piercing, they were also true. Everyone racked their brains but couldn't find a single word to refute them. After all, this world is difficult, and the truth is often the most hurtful, but it is also the most sobering.
Qin Yu frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if he were repeatedly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a long pause, he slowly spoke, "Madam, you're right. Farming is a seasonal process, with spring planting and autumn harvest. There's plenty of slack time in between. We can use this time to have the soldiers continue training, and not neglect their martial arts. That way, the fields will be filled with capable warriors, and the army will also have skilled farmers. Truly, all soldiers can become farmers, and all farmers can become soldiers. This will both ensure a good harvest and strengthen the army's combat effectiveness. It's a good strategy."
His words were quickly recognized. "Yes, who says farming isn't training? We have a lot of unused wasteland in the city. Although the soil quality is poor, if we carefully tend to it and improve the soil, we can still grow crops."
Everyone immediately started a discussion, and someone questioned, "How can this be easy? We don't have any experienced farmers. If we make a mistake, all our hard work will go to waste."
Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged, his gaze firm. "If we don't have enough manpower, we can recruit refugees, provide them with shelter, and work to feed them. If we lack experience, we can hire experienced farmers from neighboring counties and teach them our skills. Furthermore, although the Western Regions may be trying to make things difficult, their cattle, sheep, and horses are extremely hungry for our tea and silk. We might as well barter these specialties for grain and farm tools, and at the same time, ease the tension."
Yan Wanwan looked at him in surprise. This guy was quite sensible and his ideas were mature, which coincided with the ancient military farming system.
“I’ll also provide fertilizer.”
When everyone heard what she said, they started talking among themselves, and some of them had hope in their eyes.
You know, Yan Wanwan's magical fertilizer has already spread throughout the Great Xia Kingdom, and even in this remote corner of their country, they can definitely grow crops.
Qin Yu said gratefully: "Thank you!"
Yan Wanwan waved her hand and said, "It's too early to thank you. I'm not giving it away for free. I want money."