Chapter 132

"Hehe," Song An chuckled and said, "The Chancellor is truly the Chancellor, your vision is unparalleled."

"What do you mean, Song An?"

"I meant no offense," Song An said. "I heard that a commoner woman named Li Yao found a crop in the mountains called sweet potatoes. If properly cultivated, just one mu could yield 2000 jin!"

He turned to face Liu Ling and bowed with hands clasped, "Your Majesty, how much land does our Daling Country have? Let's not even say 2000 jin per mu, even half of that could feed ten times more people than now! By then, how could our Daling Country not prosper? How could we not support an army of one hundred thousand?"

"Song An, is this true?" Liu Ling was also intrigued and asked, "Can these sweet potatoes be harvested this year?"

"Not yet, we'll have to wait until autumn."

Zhu Zilin said, "Taking credit for things not yet accomplished, Prime Minister Song, aren't you a little impatient?"

"Indeed I am impatient," Song An said. "But besides the sweet potatoes, this Li Yao also invented a new well that allowed the people of Yizhou Prefecture to overcome the drought last winter."

"She remodeled the seed drill, increasing farmland productivity several times over."

"The medicinal cream, soap, fragrant soap, cologne, and golden sore medicine she made are now sold all over Daling."

"Last winter, countless refugees flooded into Baichuan County, causing an epidemic outbreak. It was her foresight to stock up on herbs beforehand and guide people to wash their hands with soap that extinguished the epidemic in days."

"Using her own money, she allowed the magistrate of Baichuan County to provide work for relief. Just last winter, she built over twenty large reservoirs and thousands of li of gravel roads!"

"The cement she invented can make city walls as hard as bedrock!"

"Most importantly, she also redesigned the stirrups."

Song An turned to the Grand Marshal and asked, "Grand Marshal Xu must be very interested in this."

"What can stirrups be changed into?" "I'm just a scholar, I can't explain clearly," Song An said. "Why don't you take a look yourself, Grand Marshal?"

As he spoke, Song An had someone lead over a warhorse equipped with a saddle with a pair of stirrups.

Everyone took one look and shook their heads.

"It just has an extra one," said the Crown Prince Liu Chen. "What's the use? You can only mount from one side, how is that different from being able to mount from both left and right sides?"

But Grand Marshal Xu's eyes lit up.

Having spent his life on horseback, he immediately saw the advantage of this pair of stirrups with one glance.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to try riding it."

"Go ahead."

Xu took off his official robe, went to the warhorse, calmed it briefly, then nimbly mounted the horse and put both feet in the stirrups.

"Marvelous! Hiya!"

Xu highly praised and spurred the warhorse into a gallop, simultaneously performing various battle maneuvers on its back.

Still not satisfied, he rode the warhorse out of the garden, fetched a sword and bow and arrow, and demonstrated in the field before returning sweaty and exhilarated.

"Your Majesty!" Xu charged in excitedly. "This Li Yao deserves a reward! A grand reward!"

"Oh?" Liu Zhan was also surprised and asked, "Just an extra stirrup makes you praise her so?"

"Your Majesty is unaware," Xu said, "Previously in mounted combat, we had to grip the saddle tightly with our legs to avoid falling off. But with two stirrups, the feet gain purchase and mobility on horseback is as flexible as on level ground! If the whole army uses this, the combat power of our Daling cavalry will at least double, one can beat ten!"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Just an extra stirrup could achieve a tenfold increase in power?

If anyone else had said this, no one would believe it, but since it came from the Grand Marshal who had spent his life with horses and now commanded all the armies, even if there was exaggeration it couldn't be too much.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Zhu Zilin, seeing the situation was not in his favor, immediately followed suit, "With this, our Daling will have a huge advantage against the barbarians. This commoner woman Li Yao indeed deserves a grand reward."

"Not so fast," Liu Zhan said. "Chancellor Zhu, first bring all of Baichuan County's records of Li Yao's achievements for me to review." "Yes, Your Majesty."

It wasn't that Liu Zhan didn't trust Song An or Song Feng.

But this matter was too important, important enough to impact the entire world, so he had to be prudent.

After reviewing the records, Liu Zhan contemplated for a long while, then called several ministers together.

"Li Yao's deeds deserve reward," Liu Zhan said. "But We think there should still be a thorough investigation. Let's do this - We will send someone to Baichuan County and, with the autumn harvest imminent, also check if the sweet potato yield can really exceed a thousand jin per mu. If so, We will reward her accordingly."

"Your Majesty is wise!" "But who should We send?" Liu Zhan asked. "Esteemed ministers, do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"

"Your Majesty," Chancellor Zhu Zilin said, "Your subject believes that for agricultural matters, someone should naturally be dispatched from the Ministry of Revenue."

"Father, your son concurs."

Song An's brows slightly furrowed. He naturally knew the Ministry of Revenue were all Zhu Zilin and the Crown Prince's people.

If they were really sent, things would be difficult. With last year's huge scandal in Yizhou Prefecture, all suppressed by the Chancellor, who's to say they wouldn't misappropriate Li Yao's achievements this time, with the emperor far away?

"Your Majesty, your subject believes...an important minister should be sent."

"That's unnecessary," Liu Zhan said. "Agricultural affairs are the Ministry of Revenue's responsibility. Let the Minister of Agriculture personally go investigate."

The Minister of Agriculture was one of the Nine Ministers, in charge of taxes and money of the realm, with lofty status and power.

Although sending him was a case of overqualification, he could be fully trusted to represent their interests. The Crown Prince and Chancellor Zhu Zilin were naturally delighted.

"Your Majesty," Grand Marshal Xu spoke up at this time, "This subordinate also wishes to go take a look."

"Foolishness, what business do you have going?"

"With no battles at the border, this subordinate is bored to death," Xu said. "The new recruits in Yizhou Prefecture these last few years are no good. This subordinate might as well go see what the problem is?"

Liu Zhan was about to reject him, but Chancellor Zhu Zilin was overjoyed and quickly spoke in support: "Your Majesty, the Nanzhao Kingdom nearby has been restless the last two years, with decreasing tributes year after year, and it seems Yizhou Prefecture is unable to contain them. It would be perfect to have Grand Marshal Xu personally go supervise."

The Crown Prince also chimed in, "Your son concurs."

The displeasure in Liu Zhan's eyes flickered and disappeared. After pondering for a bit, he said, "We grant this request."

Seeing the emperor had nodded, Song An had an ominous feeling.

Sending the Minister of Agriculture to investigate Li Yao's deeds gave him some worry that he might make trouble and steal her credit. Now the Grand Marshal was going too, the Minister naturally wouldn't dare be too overt.