The Scent of Grain Self-Sufficiency

"Dou Wuxing is an expert in seasonal astronomy and agriculture. For anything concerning farming, consult him often." "..." "..." The master's plans and demands came one after another—at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight directives laid out without the slightest hesitation. Everyone scribbled furiously in their little notebooks, scarcely finding a moment to ask questions. It had been a long time since He Lingchuan felt this spirited, pointing across the sand table as though laying claim to rivers and mountains. In the past, he had been dirt-poor, forced to bottle up all his grand designs for later. Today, he could finally let them all out. Spending money like dirt, commanding great endeavors with a wave of the hand, relishing this unrestrained thrill—this was what being a grand lord was supposed to feel like! Midway through, Lei Ni glanced up. Seeing the dazzling light gleaming in her lord's eyes, she ducked her head back down in alarm. Once a man had wealth backing him up, even his whole demeanor transformed. "Min Tianxi, the watchtowers, beacon towers, barracks, and armories across these reef isles must all begin construction." He Lingchuan singled out seventeen or eighteen small reef islands in rapid succession. Uninhabited and uncultivated, they were nonetheless scattered along the archipelago's outer perimeter, carrying immense military value. Min Tianxi hastily accepted the orders. "Qiu Hu." He Lingchuan turned to Qiu Hu. "Recruit men, and recruit plenty of them. Before late spring ends, the guard must expand to over three thousand five hundred men. We'll hold a full-force drill when the time comes. If you need arms and armor, coordinate with Songyang Mansion." Maintaining an army was the single greatest expense. Rations, pay, armaments, medicine, supplies of every kind—not even a taotie could devour so much. That was why the Yangshan Guard had originally been capped at fourteen to fifteen hundred men. Throwing money at an army didn't guarantee an invincible force, but an invincible force was utterly impossible without money. Now, He Lingchuan possessed the capital to expand his troops. "Understood." He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together and gave his subordinates a beaming smile. "That finishes the assignments. I have only one demand for all of you—" "Go all out, and get it done fast!" *** In the blink of an eye, late spring gave way to early summer. Six months had passed, and the Yangshan Archipelago had undergone a total transformation. The archipelago entered the busy farming season once more. From Bailie to the Yangshan Archipelago, the main event of late spring was always the harvest of palm oil. Oil palms were harvested twice a year, in spring and autumn. In previous years, half a month after the red silk was tied in the palm groves and the ceremonial first cut was made, oil-buying merchant fleets and great ships would arrive, lining up to dock at Blade Harbor. This year, however, things had changed. Some merchant ships chose to bypass Blade Harbor entirely and dock directly at the Yangshan Archipelago for designated direct purchases. The archipelago offered docking discounts to palm oil buyers. Thanks to offshore tax avoidance, there was no need to clear customs at Blade Harbor, allowing merchant fleets to purchase various local specialties in the Yangshan Archipelago at even lower prices. Blade Harbor was naturally displeased, yet powerless to stop it. This year brought another bumper crop of palm oil. Compared to the frantic, disheveled scramble of their first harvest last autumn, the Yangshan Archipelago operated with far greater poise this spring. Personnel organization, tool allocation, and logistical transport were all handled in flawless order. Over the past several months, the archipelago had built seven medium cargo vessels of its own and purchased another five medium ships and twenty-seven small craft to ease the shortage of transport capacity. As for large cargo ships, their lengthy build times and labor-intensive construction meant they could only be assembled gradually. No sooner had the palm harvest concluded than early summer brought the winter wheat harvest! Harvest season in this region thus unfolded in one relentless wave after another. Through April and May, work never stopped, and everyone had their hands full. The Yangshan Archipelago had sown its first wheat seeds the previous autumn. Although the farming methods had been crude and the fields lacked proper layout—amounting to what Dou Wuxing called "a waste of fertile soil"—the land itself was undeniably rich. Yields approached nearly three hundred and fifty jin per mu. Heaven favored them, bestowing clear skies for half a month straight. Bathed in sunlight, the islands shone with golden splendor. Everywhere lay yellow fields of wheat and threshing grounds, with farmers bustling through the fields and hired birds of prey driving off feathered thieves above the grain yards. Yellow dogs and small minks dug into burrows along the field ridges to hunt mice. When the first sack of wheat was brought before He Lingchuan, and the first handful of grains slipped through his fingers, he lifted his head, closed his eyes, and exhaled a long, heavy breath. His islands had finally begun producing grain! In the nine long months since He Lingchuan purchased the Yangshan Archipelago, virtually all the food consumed on the islands had relied on external purchases. Bought from Blade Harbor, bought from foreign merchants, bought through every channel the archipelago could find—even Fang Canran had pulled strings to connect him with major grain dealers. To ensure that so many mouths across the islands were fed every day, the Yangshan Archipelago had tangled with unscrupulous merchants hoarding grain and driving up prices more times than anyone could count, trading blow for blow against the backstabbing and underhanded tricks of Blade Harbor and Bailie. All of this had taken place against the broader backdrop of the ongoing war between Beijia and the Mou Kingdom, which kept food prices stubbornly high in Mou's rear territories. How much silver had been spent and what price had been paid, He Lingchuan knew to the copper. The hardships along the way were truly beyond words. Having endured through it all at last, the Yangshan Archipelago was finally producing its own food! The others cupped the hulled wheat berries in their hands, brought them to their noses, and inhaled deeply, faces glowing with intoxicated delight. So fragrant. This was the scent of satisfaction; this was the scent of a bountiful harvest. This was the scent of grain self-sufficiency! He Lingchuan nearly threw his head back and laughed aloud to the heavens: Starting today, the Yangshan Archipelago would join the ranks of those profiteering merchants! Before He Lingchuan could finish laughing, however, Dou Wuxing came over to remind him, "Your wheat fields were planted haphazardly. Managing yields over three hundred jin per mu is mostly thanks to those several falls of Emperor's Flowing Dew. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth grew abundantly rich, and plant life was the very first to benefit. It's not just the Yangshan Archipelago; other places have seen bumper yields as well." Indeed. Over the past year alone, Emperor's Flowing Dew had descended three times, and twice more in the two years before that. When Emperor's Flowing Dew soaked into the soil, crops were the first to reap the rewards, followed by the broader resurgence of spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Cultivators like He Lingchuan could clearly perceive the rising concentration of spiritual energy in their surroundings. "We can't go on with such crude planting methods later, lest we waste heaven's gifts!" Dou Wuxing continued. "The wheat harvest must be rushed. Good weather will last a month at most before the flood season sets in. We still have to redraw the fields, dig irrigation ditches, and turn wheat straw into the soil to prep for transplanting rice. Time is precious; not a single moment can be wasted!" Intensive cultivation across the Yangshan Archipelago had to begin with the summer rice, and Dou Wuxing had been itching to get to work for a long time. "...You call the shots." Now that hands were plentiful, He Lingchuan had assigned Dou Wuxing a dedicated team to monitor and direct the archipelago's astronomy, water management, and agriculture. As the Yangshan Archipelago made a name for itself, it had drawn quite a few capable figures to join its cause. Cultivating talent had to be pressed forward without delay; this was an insight He Lingchuan took to heart. With comprehensive development underway across the Yangshan Archipelago, the farmland had expanded, making it impossible for Lei Ni to oversee everything on her own. He Lingchuan had thus reassumed organizational authority over agricultural production from her, dividing the island's farming into several zones, each managed by dedicated personnel. The Yangshan Archipelago had become like an increasingly sophisticated machine. After its previous expansion, it had clattered along with occasional hitches, but now, day by day, it was finally running smoothly.