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Chapter 88:
Chapter 88:
Chapter 88:
Li Er was not an upstart after all. Because of his extreme excitement, it was understandable that he blurted out something thoughtless.
After hearing Su Lis words, Li Er finally managed to calm down. He could tell that the shortcomings of the new grains that Su Li had mentioned earlier werent meant to discourage him but to make him more aware.
Thinking it over, Li Er sighed softly. Regardless, its still something that yields a thousand catties per acre. With that advantage, its as if Heaven has bestowed a benevolent virtue upon us.
In this moment, Li Ers face suddenly revealed a touch of nostalgia.
You might not know, being young. During the earlier Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang Guang pursued grand projects and waged campaigns, causing taxes and labor levies to soar annually, burdening the common people beyond words.
At that time, the Crown Prince was stationed in Taiyuan. The once prosperous Fen River Valley was abandoned due to excessive taxation, labor, and natural disasters. The people had neither enough clothing nor food, leading to widespread starvation. These are things Ive personally witnessed. Theres no need to elaborate on the details recorded in history.
The impact of these two new crops on Li Er was profound. He rarely reminisced about the past in front of his juniors, let alone showed a hint of emotion.
Empress Zhangsun walked over and gently held Li Ers hand.
Li Er smiled at her and then turned to Su Li.
I said I want to introduce these two new crops to the realm, not for immediate gains. I just feel that the people are suffering greatly. For the past four years, whenever I think about people toiling day and night yet still unable to have a meal, Im troubled and unable to sleep. When you presented these two new grains, it filled me with joy. Because it signifies that from now on, the people of the Great Tang wont suffer as they used to. Even in times of great disaster, there will be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, fewer deaths from starvation!
Li Ers genuine emotions caught Su Li off guard. He didnt bring out the potatoes and sweet potatoes just to amuse Li Er. The intention was to shift Li Ers focus, hoping he wouldnt bother him.
The peoples lives in this era were tough, and Su Li could empathize with them. After all, he had spent six years as a peasant before this, facing the soil daily, relying on the lands yield for sustenance.
However, he didnt realize that compared to the common people of history, the hardships he had experienced were relatively good. No matter how you look, the early Zhenguan years of the Great Tang Dynasty were relatively stable without major natural disasters.
It wasnt until now that Su Li realized he lived in a feudal era with low productivity. Due to this low productivity, the common people had no means to resist natural disasters or calamities.
Drought would lead to starvation.
Floods would lead to starvation.
And if war broke out, it would be even worse.
The line from Cao Caos poem, A thousand miles without a rooster crowing, white bones exposed in the wild, was not an exaggeration.
History books were filled with countless records of disasters, both natural and man-made. The reality was far from being encapsulated by a cold statement like a year of great famine, people resort to cannibalism.
Behind each recorded event lay the loss of millions of lives.
With these thoughts in mind, Su Lis mood became heavy. Su Li finally realized that this was indeed the true nature of ancient life.
Cold, unforgiving, and harsh.
And he felt that it was time for him to do something for this era. Even if it was for the 20 million people of the Tang Dynasty, he was willing to bring out these two things.
Promoting the new crops would be time-consuming and require effort. It must be done through official channels to spread quickly.
Li Er would undoubtedly gain significant achievements from this endeavor. But these matters didnt concern Su Li much.
If it could ensure that no one in the realm would suffer from hunger again, what would Li Ers reputation matter? Realizing this, Su Lis expression turned serious.
At this point, Li Er asked, You made valid points earlier. So, according to you, how should these new crops be cultivated?
Su Li thought for a moment, speaking earnestly, Sweet potatoes and potatoes are not particularly picky about soil. Take potatoes, for example. They can grow in even poor, saline-alkali soils, although the yield might be slightly lower. They yield remarkably well in sandy areas. Using good farmland to cultivate these would be wasteful. These two crops are best suited as supplementary crops in agriculture.
Planting some in the less fertile corners of farmland can meet the yearly needs. Both sweet potatoes and potatoes are relatively drought-tolerant but not flood-resistant. Planting them on slightly elevated terrain ensures a good yield. Even in the face of natural disasters, the people wont be without sustenance.
Li Er nodded, evidently taking Su Lis words to heart. After all, Su Li was the one who knew these two crops throughout the entirety of the Tang Dynasty and thus had the most expertise in this area.
Li Ers mood visibly improved. He washed his hands, then contentedly sat by the stove, unabashedly picking up a roasted sweet potato and a handful of fries.
Ah, such good crops, yet theyre eaten like this. What a waste!
Su Li couldnt help but roll his eyes.
Out of the five of us, you eat the most. Youre the least qualified to complain about wasting things. Seriously!
How could you, out of the five of us who are the most, be the least qualified to complain about wasting things?
The emperor, speaking nonsense with open eyes, didnt even mind losing face?
Well, if we had used all the food were eating today for planting, the promotion across the realm could be accelerated by a bit Li Er muttered.
Li Er wanted benefits, but he wasnt straightforward about it. Instead, he sighed and seemed fishing for something from Su Li.
On this matter, Su Li didnt want to speak. He even felt tempted to throw a sweet potato at him.
Never mind, there are still five catties in the kitchen, Su Li said. He wasnt ignorant, after all. The scale of the promotion of new crops was crucial. With just over a hundred catties of sweet potatoes and potatoes, even if you were in a rush, you couldnt promote them all quickly. Each extra catty would make a significant difference.
Besides, sweet potatoes and potatoes in Su Lis hands were food, while they could be used well in Li Ers hands. Simply put, food promotion couldnt be achieved by merely saying a thousand catties per acre without any actions.
If the people were so easily accepting of the new food, sweet potatoes, and potatoes wouldnt have spread across the land over a hundred years, allowing mites to take advantage of it. Li Er was naturally extremely pleased with this outcome.
After being satisfied with a full meal, the attendants from the Princess Mansion brought in the kitchens inventory, totaling five catties of sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Li Er was even more delighted, directing the eunuchs to load the sweet potatoes and potatoes onto the carriage himself, leaving in high spirits.
In front of the Princess Mansion, as he watched the carriage grow smaller in the distance, Su Li let out a sigh of relief.
He had finally managed to get rid of Li Er!
Su Li was sure that in the days to come, Li Er would be less active.
Discovering an invincible general was important, of course
But priorities matter, and no matter how impressive a great general might be, they must take a backseat to the new crops.
After all, for an emperor, eliminating the threat of starvation to the people was just as significant as expanding territory, or perhaps even more so.