Chapter 579: Qing Dynasty Spirit Spring System (30)

Counting it up, this is the fifth year the Li family has helped her purchase and transport grain and fodder.

Ten days ago, the grain transport convoy arrived at the Northwest Army garrison, after which the elite female soldiers sent by Xie Yang to meet them took over, and it was only this morning that they were transported back to the camp.

The grain transported this time consists mostly of sorghum, Sweet Potato, and Wheat flour; there is twenty percent less Rice than last year.

It is said that there is a famine in the Fujian region, and the trend of hoarding grain has spread to Jiangnan, making it impossible to receive a sufficient amount of Rice.

On the other hand, there is a higher percentage of dried seafood than in previous years; coastal farmers have no money to hoard grain, so they are desperately rushing to the sea to catch Fish to sell for money.

To put it plainly, it is still because the overall grain production in this era falls short of demand.

In the past few years in the Northwest, Xie Yang has not only led troops in battle, but she has actually spent the most time researching drought-resistant and cold-resistant crops suitable for local Planting. Only when the various tribes are well-fed and warmly clothed will they settle down to pursue a stable life.

She experimented repeatedly and formulated a Seed Improver.

After diluting it according to the ratio and soaking the grain seeds, the seedlings that grow will be more wind-resistant, sturdier, and will not suffer from lodging compared to those that have not been soaked. The rates of insect damage and root rot are also significantly reduced.

This time, she entrusted the convoy to take the formula for this Seed Improver and the Spirit Spring concentrated pills—the most critical component in the formula—back to her maternal grandfather, so that he could first promote it within the jurisdiction under his governance.

If the promotion results are good, she will then memorialize the imperial court.

The Chinese herbal medicines used in the improver formula are all very common; the only thing that could be called the most precious is the Spirit Spring concentrated pill.

Fortunately, she has been stationed in the military camp for many years and has had plenty of opportunities to decoct medicinal agents and pastes to distribute to wounded and sick soldiers, so the quality of her Spirit Spring has long since been upgraded to the maximum level of seven.

Occasionally, she also decocts some Chili Sauce and seafood sauce infused with Spirit Spring to improve the meals for the female soldiers and even the Northwest Army; the extra Spirit Spring rewards she receives add up to the point where they can be measured in tons, so she doesn't feel pained to take some out to make concentrated pills to improve the grain seeds.

Only when grain production increases can the soldiers who guard the borders and gallop across the battlefield have enough energy to protect their homes and country!

It was only because Shisi Ye heard that the Li family had sent grain and fodder to his eldest niece again that he had the thick skin to come over and ask if he could get some dried seafood or other good things that cannot be eaten in the Northwest.

Come to think of it, it is truly heartbreaking; he, a dignified prince of the Great Qing, is actually craving a bite to eat to the point of coming before his eldest niece.

"Of course, if my eldest niece has extra grain, you can also spare some for your Fourteenth Uncle; the more, the better."

It must be said that leading troops in battle is indeed something he enjoys, but the conditions at the border are truly too arduous; in his first year here, if his eldest niece hadn't sent him some food, he would have almost thrown in the towel and fled back to Jingcheng.

Fortunately, he persisted!

If he had really fled back to Jingcheng halfway through, not to mention being severely reprimanded by the Emperor, where else could he experience the sense of achievement of winning consecutive battles for several years, driving the remnants of Galdan all the way to the north of Xianhai Hu, and sweeping through cities and territories like a hot knife through butter?

Come to think of it, this record of winning for several years is still the credit of his eldest niece.

As it happened, in the forty-sixth year, when the Nuzi Bingtuan led by his eldest niece first arrived at the Northwest Army camp, she was so angered by the lax discipline and filthy hygiene in the camp that she immediately brought out the "As If I Were Personally Present" jade tablet bestowed upon her by the Emperor, swiftly and decisively rectified the military appearance and discipline, and set down several iron-clad military regulations that both male and female soldiers had to obey, giving the generals of the Northwest garrison a harsh slap in the face.

Before they could jointly submit a memorial, his eldest niece led the Nuzi Bingtuan to beat the remnants of Galdan until they were terrified and retreated from the border defense line.

At this time, the grain and fodder transported by the Li family arrived, and his eldest niece set aside a portion, letting the female soldiers of the service battalion make it into dry rations and boil it into warm ginger milk tea to share with the Northwest garrison. Even the Eight Banners soldiers he brought were each allotted a pancake and a bowl of hot tea.

Afterwards, his eldest niece also sent over a hundred sets of cotton military uniforms to the Northwest Army, rewarding those soldiers who had complied well during the military discipline rectification.

How could the Northwest Army generals jointly submit a memorial after this? The soldiers below had already started praising the Nuzi Bingtuan.

They said that with their addition, their enthusiasm for fighting had increased, and their personal hygiene was better than before. Isn't this a good thing?

The Emperor is not blind or deaf; if he just sent someone to investigate, he would know what the Nuzi Bingtuan had done. Not only would he not punish them or order them to leave, but he would even commend them!

Just like that, the Nuzi Bingtuan led by his eldest niece integrated into the Northwest Grand Army camp at an extremely fast speed, faster than he had adapted!

Not to mention that the soldiers under his command envied the female soldiers, even he wanted to be stationed in the Nübing Ying permanently.

Not to mention the food that could keep the female soldiers full, just the hot soup that never went out for twelve hours—drinking a bowl would wipe away one's fatigue; it must have been infused with many nourishing medicinal herbs, and he didn't know how much of her own private Silver his eldest niece had spent on it.

"Here, your Fourteenth Uncle doesn't have as much money as your Ninth Uncle, take this banknote!"

Shisi Ye fished a banknote out from his bosom and handed it to his eldest niece.

Xie Yang pretended not to see the reluctance in his eyes, smiled, took it, and tucked it into her bosom: "Fourteenth Uncle, you came at the right time; my maternal grandfather entrusted the convoy to send the new grain harvested this autumn, but there isn't much fine grain, so I can spare you fifty catties at most. There is a bumper harvest of Sweet Potato this year, so if you like eating them, take more. I can also spare you a few catties each of Preserved Chicken, Preserved Duck, salted meat, and sausages; there is more dried sea fish, Shrimp, and octopus this year, do you want them?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I want them all! But Sweet Potato is dry and doesn't taste like much, no need to give me too many."

Xie Yang smiled: "Shall I treat Fourteenth Uncle to taste the Sweet Potato I made in a while?"

Shisi Ye was noncommittal.

No matter how you make Sweet Potato, it's still Sweet Potato; could it possibly be made to have the fragrance of meat?

Xie Yang smiled, took the ground plum powder, went to the kitchen, chose a few large Sweet Potato, and planned to make a dish of plum-flavored French Fries for Fourteenth Uncle.

But thinking about it, since she had already started the oil pan to fry, she might as well fry more for everyone to taste.

The convoy also sent Wheat flour, so she could fry some more sweet potato balls.

When pouring the oil, she quietly mixed in some Edible Oil she had hoarded. Later, the oil used for frying could still be used for stir-frying vegetables, so it wouldn't be wasted.

She also boiled several large pots of sweet potato sweet soup; a combination of dry and wet, both salty and sweet!

At noon that day, the entire military camp was filled with the sweet scent of sweet potatoes.

Both the plum-flavored French Fries and the sweet potato balls received unanimous praise from the male and female soldiers.

Shisi Ye, who had previously complained that Sweet Potato was dry and tasteless, didn't say a word while eating one after another.

"Fourteenth Uncle, is the Sweet Potato delicious?"

"It is indeed delicious when made this way!"

"Do you want to eat it often?"

"How can I eat it often? Your maternal grandfather only sends this one shipment a year; it'll be good if we can eat it until the beginning of spring."

"It is indeed not easy to eat Sweet Potato from Jiangnan often, but Sweet Potato from the Northwest can be!"

"Where would there be Sweet Potato in the Northwest?... Wait! You don't mean you want to grow Sweet Potato here, do you?"

Shisi Ye was almost choked by the plum-flavored French Fries in his mouth; he drank several mouthfuls of warm sweet soup before he recovered, widened his eyes, and asked Xie Yang in disbelief: "Eldest niece, are you serious?"