Chapter 918: An Eye for an Eye
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“The plantations under Princess Shaoyi’s name verified that through the method of seedling reproduction, the vines of the sweet potatoes that reproduced through seedlings grew faster and were more luxuriant. Every acre of vines was equivalent to planting ten acres of sweet potatoes using the original method. More than 70 acres of vines were planted, resolving the problem of not having enough vines for the large-scale promotion of sweet potato planting. The goal of mass and widespread planting was achieved. Currently, the sweet potatoes have reproduced through two rounds of seedling reproduction. It was discovered that seedling reproduction also greatly increased the survival rate and yield of the sweet potatoes.”
“The best time to cut the sweet potatoes was around the Dragon Boat Festival. However, the Liaodong area was affected by the climate of the grassland in the north. In the second half of the year, the weather was relatively bitter and cold. The sweet potatoes liked the sun, and their growth was affected by the climate. According to inference, late April was the best time to cut them. It took about 20 days for the seedlings to reproduce, and early April was the best time for the seedlings to reproduce. Hereby, the various problems that need to be paid attention to during the reproduction of the sweet potatoes are summarized. Everyone, please take note.”
“The first and second batches of sweet potatoes that were planted through the seedling reproduction method can be inserted into the ground. Princess Shaoyi will join forces with the manors under the Xie family’s name to distribute the first two batches of vines through the government office to the refugees who have already been resettled for free. Thirty percent of the sweet potatoes harvested by the refugees will belong to the government office, the You army, and Princess Shaoyi. The remaining 70% will belong to the refugees. The refugees can go through the household registration to the village chief to register. The household registration reviews, applications, and so on will be sent from the local village to the county government office. The sweet potato vines will be distributed to the various village chiefs in about three days.
“There is also the issue of the locust plague. Due to the drought in the Shanxi and the Shaanxi area, there might be a locust plague crisis in the Liaodong area. The commoners are requested to take precautions as soon as possible and not try to be lucky. Princess Shaoyi has checked a large number of ancient books and found the following ten most common and effective methods to prevent locusts. In addition, Princess Shaoyi and the Xie family’s merchant ships will join forces to buy a large number of adult, young, and incubated ducks and geese from the area of Guangdong. They would be farmed in various farmsteads under her name, and the commoners can buy them through the government.”
Someone stood in front of the notices and read them out loud.
At this moment, there was already a sea of people at the entrance of the government office. It was noisy.
The commoners did not understand great principles, but they were alive. They shouted for Princess Shaoyi and cheered excitedly. Their excitement was simply indescribable.
The actions of the government office were naturally unparalleled.
In just three days, the four notices had already been posted everywhere. All the government offices in the three provinces of Liaodong were busy with sweet potato seedlings, preventing the locust plague, and so on.
At the same time, Princess Shaoyi’s reputation as a “living Bodhisattva” was widely spread again.
Regarding the case of the Bai Residence suing the Han Clan, it had been determined by the state government office that the sixth young master of the Han Clan had colluded with Steward Mu to murder Liu Dagen, so that they could frame the Bai Residence and Princess Shaoyi. He had a sufficient motive for committing the crime.
The case was established.
As soon as the news spread, the entire Liaodong was in an uproar. All the nobles felt threatened and imitated the Xie and Bai Residences. They gritted their teeth and generously contributed money and effort to help the refugees settle down.
Large amounts of food, medicinal herbs, and supplies were sent to the refugee camp in Longcheng, alleviating the predicament of not having enough supplies.
In addition, because the matter behind Liu Dagen’s case was complicated and serious, Ye Xiaoci had already secretly left for Xi’an to investigate this case thoroughly.
The Han Residence, which was far away in Xi’an, was not to be trifled with after all. Liu Dagen’s case lasted for about 20 days. Even though the Han Clan received delayed news, they still sensed the signs in Xiangping City through other channels.
However, before the Han Clan could react, they were surrounded by 3,000 elites of the You army.
King Yue Fei directly issued a military order, and the North was under full martial law.
All the water and land checkpoints were guarded by a large number of troops. No one was allowed to enter or leave.
All the government courier stations were taken over by the You army. All the towers shot when they saw birds. No internal or external news could be sent.
The government office had to cooperate with the You army to seal the city gate and all the checkpoints in the city.
Those who disobeyed were treated as traitors.
The entire North had entered a state of vigilance and preparation for war. King Yue Fei had a good reason. Due to the drought in the north, there were many illegal smugglers at the border, and the conflict at the border was increasing day by day. The war could expand at any time.
In addition, there was a large number of refugees in the east of Liaodong. Due to the poor cooperation of the nobles with the country’s policies, the settlement of the refugees was not progressing smoothly. The conflicts in the refugee camps were increasing day by day, causing many casualties. In addition, the temperature in Longcheng area was rising, and there were more than a million refugees. It also brought many causes of instability to the North, so the North had to be on guard early.
The Han Clan knew that something was amiss.
On the surface, the illegal smuggling matter had nothing to do with the Han Clan. However, the Han Clan and the rest of the land-owning class openly and secretly controlled the trade routes in the Shanxi and the Shaanxi area. They had secretly made many deals with the Di people to obtain huge profits.
This was a serious crime of colluding with foreign countries.
Accepting refugees and settling them down was a national policy issued by the Imperial Court, and it needed the full support of the local nobles. Now that more than a million refugees were still in the refugee camps, it was true that the nobles skimped on the national policy. The direct consequence of the noble’s actions was that the conflicts in the refugee camps were increasing, causing huge casualties. The North would even face a terrifying threat of an epidemic.
The entire North was under martial law to minimize the risk and for the sake of the people of the North.
The commoners understood King Yue Fei’s actions, but their dissatisfaction was directed at the nobles.
Due to the generous donations of the Xie and Bai Residences, the commoners and even the scholars in the world had to morally kidnap other nobles who did not take any action.
Public opinion, condemnation, and criticism against the nobles were launched in the North.
This was almost unprecedented.
When Yin Huaixi heard the report, he smiled faintly. “I’m a vengeful person, especially when it comes to having an eye for an eye. It’s time for the nobles to taste the taste of being criticized.”
In the chaotic refugee camp, there was a rare silence today.
Although the refugees were dressed in rags, they were still clean and looked good. All of them stood in the empty space and waited silently.
Not long after, the sound of uniform footsteps sounded. Teams of You soldiers in armor moved carriages of supplies into the empty space.
Soon, small mountains were piled up on the empty ground.
The refugees were extremely excited and couldn’t help but whisper to each other.
Immediately after, everyone saw the young King Yue Fei walk into the refugee camp. He was wearing black armor, making him look so tall, majestic, and unshakable.
The refugees knelt on the ground and shouted excitedly, “May King Yue Fei live for a thousand years…”
They did not know much about etiquette. They only heard that in operas, they often shouted, “Long live the emperor,” to express their reverence for the ruler of a country. They also wanted to use the same method to express their reverence for King Yue Fei..