I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 196 Raising Chickens and Ducks

Tang Zhao left Wu Yier to supervise the craftsmen in continuing to dig the well, and then rode back to Wuwei City on horseback.

"Your Highness, these are freshly steamed buns. Would you like to try some?"

"Why eat steamed buns on such a hot day?" another vendor retorted. "Your Highness, I have some mung bean porridge that I've been keeping chilled in the well. It's the most refreshing and cooling thing to beat the heat. Would you like a bowl?"

"The ice cream cakes from this little shop are both refreshing and filling. Your Highness must be hungry, having gone out of town with the craftsmen to dig a well early this morning," the pastry shop owner said, quickly wrapping up some pastries and stuffing them into her mouth. "Have some to tide you over."

Tang Zhao declined, saying, "I didn't bring any money with me."

"It is an honor for our shop that Your Highness can eat our pastries. How could we ask Your Highness to spend money?"

"Yes, if it weren't for the Princess insisting that we plant soybeans and potatoes, the crops would have died long ago due to the drought. We don't know how we would survive after the autumn harvest."

Not to be outdone, the steamed bun shop owner picked up seven or eight meat-filled buns, filling the large lotus leaf so much that it could barely hold them all before stopping. "Your Highness's great kindness is deeply appreciated by my family and me. These buns are just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't find them offensive."

Tang Zhao could not refuse such a kind offer, so he accepted the gift and thanked her.

Seeing that the owners of the steamed bun shop and the pastry shop had successfully fed the animals, the others offered their own gifts.

Tang Zhao returned to the Protector General's Mansion with a full load of goods, only to find that the area in front of the mansion was also filled with all sorts of things, and Granny Song was directing people to sort and categorize them.

"Girl!" Wu Bingsan turned around at the sound of horses' hooves and saw Tang Zhao holding a chicken in her left hand and a duck in her right, her hands full of packages that were about to fall over, and even a string of garlic hanging around her neck. He hurriedly stepped forward to take them.

Tang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the mess on the ground, asking, "What happened?"

“The people have been bringing these things over and over since early this morning,” Qiu Yu said in a rapid-fire manner. “Wu Bingsan and his guards were initially trying to refuse, but then those people just dropped off the things and left without even knowing who sent them.”

Wu Bing apologized three times, saying, "There were just too many people who came; I really can't remember them all."

Tang Zhao's gaze swept over the things scattered all over the ground, including food, household items, and toys.

Tang Zhao picked up the nearest wooden basket, lifted the burlap lid, and looked inside. "Shoes?"

Old Granny Song, with her sharp eyes, said, “Although the fabric and sole of these shoes are made of ordinary materials, the stitching is fine and there are several layers of fabric, so they must be sturdy to wear.”

As she spoke, Granny Song reached out and touched the shoes, then smiled and said, "The shoes are made of cotton, so they're comfortable and breathable. It's a thoughtful touch."

Tang Zhao was a little moved and felt that she could do it again.

Spring Breeze inquired, "Miss, these things..."

"Put everything away. It's hot now, and things won't keep well. Take them out and share them with everyone. Put the rest in storage and file them down."

Spring breeze goes down to make arrangements.

Tang Zhao casually opened a package of pastries, eating as he entered the mansion, saying, "Go and invite Lord Lu here."

"Yes!" Wu Bing turned and left.

Lu Ying arrived quickly, accompanied by a handsome and refined young man.

Tang Zhao had never seen this person before. "And who is this?"

Lu Ying introduced, "This is the newly appointed Vice Magistrate of Wuwei Prefecture, Shen Jiawen."

Lu Ying leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Lord Shen is exceptionally talented. He was originally the Vice Magistrate of Lanzhou Prefecture, but he voluntarily applied to be transferred to Wuwei."

Shen Jiawen bowed and greeted, "This humble official, Shen Jiawen, pays respects to Your Highness, the Princess."

"No need for formalities, Lord Shen," Tang Zhao said curiously. "Wuwei is remote and close to the Turks. Ordinary people would rather avoid it than come here. Why did you, Lord Shen, come here?"

“I think Wuwei is excellent,” Shen Jiawen said, recalling what he had seen and heard since arriving in Wuwei. “The officials are diligent and conscientious, the people are simple and happy, the Northwest Army guards the border, and the Princess governs the region. Wuwei has a promising future.”

"Lord Shen is joking. Although Wuwei is my fiefdom, I am a woman. How can I participate in court affairs?" Tang Zhao disagreed. "As for governing a region, that is utter nonsense."

Lu Ying hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. "Your Highness, I am from the Shen family of Lanzhou. My younger sister joined Miss Gu's Northwest Army as a military doctor a month ago."

"Oh," Tang Zhao countered, "So?"

Shen Jiawen remained unfazed. “Therefore, I will always be loyal to the Princess and Lord Lu, and treat the people and the Northwest Army with utmost devotion, even unto death.”

Tang Zhao clapped his hands, "What a coincidence! There's a very important matter that requires Lord Shen's utmost dedication."

"Please speak, my lord."

"Does Lord Shen have any ideas on how to deal with the locust plague?"

Locust plague? Lu Ying and Shen Jiawen's expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly asked, "Where did the princess get this news? Has the Great Yu region been hit by a locust plague?"

How come they haven't received any news at all?

Tang Zhao drank her tea in silence; she couldn't very well say it was a system warning.

"That's none of your business. Just tell me how to prevent it."

There are many ways to prevent locusts from hatching, but "it's already July, and the locust eggs have already hatched. Even if we wanted to kill the eggs, it would be too late!"

Tang Zhao put down his teacup. "So, there's no other way?"

The two men exchanged a glance, stood up, and apologized, saying, "Your humble servants are incompetent."

“Alright, then listen to me,” Tang Zhao instructed, “Raise chickens and ducks on a large scale.”

Lu Ying: . . . .

Shen Jiawen: . . . .

Do they have tinnitus? What does this have to do with raising chickens and ducks?
Tang Zhao popularized the science, saying, "Chickens and ducks are the nemesis of locusts."

Lu Ying hesitated, "Once locusts become a plague, their numbers will be in the tens of millions. How can chickens and ducks alone resist them?"

“A few won’t do, but thousands or tens of thousands will,” Tang Zhao waved his hand to interrupt their confusion and questions. “Time is of the essence, and I don’t have time to explain in detail. Remember, this is not a discussion, it’s an order!”

Lu Ying and Shen Jiawen exchanged a glance, stood up, and bowed to receive the order.

"From this day forward, no one may eat chicken, duck or eggs, and every household must raise chickens and ducks."

Tang Zhao continued, "Gather the people who are skilled in raising chickens and ducks to form a breeding farm, and start raising chickens and ducks on a large scale from now on, raising as many as you can."

"Furthermore, immediately send people to other prefectures and states to purchase chickens, ducks, and eggs—the more the better!"

"Yes!" The two men accepted the order and left.

Back at the government office, Lu Ying felt increasingly uneasy, but out of trust in Tang Zhao, she insisted on finishing the notice and posting it.

"You're saying there really will be a locust plague? Can tiny chickens and ducks really control a locust plague?" Lu Ying found it more and more absurd. If a locust plague were so easy to control, how could the previous dynasty have perished?
Shen Jiawen put down his pen and ordered the yamen runners to copy the notice recruiting people skilled in raising chickens and ducks and post it out.

“Since Your Highness says so, there’s a high probability that a locust plague is inevitable.” Before coming to Wuwei, Shen Jiawen had conducted a detailed investigation into the actions of Princess Zhaoshan. This princess was by no means someone who made a mountain out of a molehill. The fact that she was so cautious about the locust plague speaks volumes.

"Now that things have come to this, we can only hope that the Princess's method will work."

“If we inform the people about the locust plague, will it shake their morale?” Lu Ying became increasingly uneasy. “No, I have to retrieve the notice and rewrite it.”

Shen Jiawen stopped him, "If even someone as sir is so uneasy, he still obeys the Princess's arrangements. How much more so should the common people, who have always regarded the Princess as their savior?"

Lu Ying was taken aback.

"I'm afraid the people of Wuwei trust the Princess more than you and I do."