I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 211 Human hearts are made of flesh and blood
Having received the news a step ahead, Prince Xuan waited with Gu Xuan at the entrance of the military camp.

The carriage stopped, and Prince Xuan took the lead, personally helping Princess Xuan out of the carriage.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Princess Xuan said, glancing at her son as she got out of the carriage: "Take note."

Helpless, Gu Ci dismounted and walked to the carriage. Before he could even raise his arm, Tang Zhao jumped down from the carriage.

Gu Ci: ...

Princess Consort Xuan: ...

"Father, has the army made arrangements for the autumn harvest?" Tang Zhao asked impatiently. "How was the harvest?"

"Good, very good," King Xuan laughed heartily. "This year we suffered from drought and locust plagues one after another. I thought it would be good if the harvest was the same as in previous years, but I didn't expect it to be 30% more!"

"Those potatoes are a real treasure. The seedlings on the ground don't look very tall, but they can grow into seven or eight fist-sized fruits underneath."

"Yesterday, I personally tilled three acres of land, and when I weighed it, guess how many kilograms it weighed?"

Princess Xuan cooperated, deliberately guessing higher, "Two thousand catties?"

King Xuan shook his head, "Too few!"

Gu Ci had heard Tang Zhao boast about the potato yield before, and looking at the exaggerated smile on Xuan Wang's face, he guessed, "Four thousand catties?"

"Guess again!"

Tang Zhao recalled the potato yield per mu in his previous life, taking into account factors such as water and fertilizer, and estimated, "Seven thousand jin?"

"Hahaha, Zhaozhao really knows her stuff!" King Xuan had never been so pleased. "A full seven thousand two hundred and thirty catties!"

The army planted thousands of acres of potatoes. To put that into perspective, the Northwest Army could eat potatoes until they were sick of them this year!
"Father, potatoes can be fried, stewed, boiled, steamed, or stir-fried. If we change the way we cook them, the soldiers will be more willing to eat them. Otherwise, they will get tired of eating potatoes every day."

"Why be so fussy!" King Xuan didn't care. It was already good enough for soldiers to have enough to eat. Who would dare to complain? They would behave themselves after being starved for three or four days.

Gu Xuan, who had been starved for two days because she complained that boiled potatoes were tasteless: ...

"Mother, I miss you," Gu Xuan said, clinging tightly to Princess Xuan's arm.

Upon first meeting, Princess Xuan noticed that Gu Xuan had lost weight; her round face had become oval, and her exposed skin had tanned several shades darker.

Next to Tang Zhao, who is naturally fair-skinned and never gets tanned no matter how much sun she gets, he looks like a piece of charcoal.

Princess Xuan, overflowing with maternal love, asked, "How about I come home with you, Mother, for a while?"

Gu Xuan instantly stopped crying. No, that's not what she meant.

"My daughter wants to eat braised food, roasted whole lamb, and lotus flower cake."

"Wouldn't it be better to go back to the manor with Mother for a meal?" Princess Xuan teased her daughter deliberately. "At the manor, you can have as much food as you want."

Gu Xuan was tempted, but after struggling, she still refused, saying, "No, there are too many things to do in the military medical camp, and my daughter can't leave."

"Tell Mother, what is it that I can't do without you?"

"Mother, you have no idea how troublesome those people Fifth Sister-in-law brought in are!" Gu Xuan complained. "They have absolutely no medical knowledge, and they keep screaming and fainting. I don't know whether to save the patient or save her!"

"The worst part is that not a single one of them can read!" Gu Xuan was practically going crazy. "How can they read medical books if they can't read? I've been teaching them to identify medicinal herbs and perform sutures during the day, and I have to teach them to read at night!"

"Not only are you illiterate, but you're also stupid!" Gu Xuan's eyes were filled with tears. "Mother, can you understand the despair of not being able to read the words you finally learned yesterday?"

Princess Xuan suppressed a laugh, "Be patient and teach slowly, he will eventually learn. You must never scold him."

Gu Xuan felt wronged. She wanted to curse, but before she could even open her mouth, her master's bamboo cane would be placed in front of her.

"Your Highness, please go ahead with your business. I'll go with Xuan'er to take a look," Princess Xuan smiled at Tang Zhao and Gu Ci. "You two should go too."

The father and his two sons watched Princess Xuan leave, then turned and went to the military fields.

In the military field, some soldiers were wielding hoes to turn the soil, while others were picking up potatoes that had been turned over and rolled around everywhere.

"The autumn harvest will be over in twenty days at most," King Xuan asked. "Should we fertilize again?"

“It would be good if we could apply it once, but the land still needs to be nurtured,” Tang Zhao said curiously. “However, Father, how come you have so much free time? Haven’t the Turks caused any trouble?” King Xuan slapped his thigh. “That’s right! Not a sound at all.”

It's such a pity.

Beset by internal and external troubles, according to the conventions in history books, the Turks should have shifted their domestic conflicts abroad and, incidentally, seized grain and wealth to get through the winter.

Is the history in the books fake?
Gu Ci was also skeptical. "Father, have you received any battle reports from other prefectures?"

“You’ll have to ask Jiang Yiming,” King Xuan said, shrugging. “But he’s been living a life of debauchery lately and doesn’t talk to anyone.”

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow.

King Xuan secretly said, "The day before yesterday was the anniversary of Yingde's death."

Tang Zhao expressed his understanding.

After spending the whole day in the military camp, Tang Zhao had a general idea of ​​Wuwei's harvest for the year. Upon returning to his residence, he ordered people to prepare money to buy grain.

Twenty days later, the autumn harvest in Wuwei ended, and all the shops under Tang Zhao's name suspended business. Employees wore uniform grain collection armbands and greeted people who came to sell their grain with standard eight-tooth smiles.

However, after waiting all day, not a single person came to sell grain.

The employee, rubbing his face stiff from smiling, asked, "Boss, are we supposed to keep smiling like this forever?"

The shopkeeper was also puzzled. Why was no one interested in buying soybeans and potatoes at the price of wheat?

This unscientific!

"Wait a little longer. The farmer's house may be far away, and it may take time for him to walk here."

The employees looked up at the crimson sunset and continued to wait.

They waited for three days.

"Shopkeeper, are we going to wait any longer?"

The shopkeeper was completely dumbfounded and hurriedly ran to the Protector General's Mansion, where he encountered seven or eight other shopkeepers who had come with him.

"No one from your family is going either?"

No! Where's your home?

"not a single one!"

The shopkeepers inquired among themselves in the front hall and learned that since the autumn harvest, not a single person had come to their door to sell grain.

"That shouldn't be the case. This year's harvest is so bumper, how come there are no people selling grain?"

“It’s not that we don’t have any,” Song Sheng said coolly, “they’ve all gone to sell them elsewhere!”

For the past three days, Song Sheng sat on the doorstep, watching helplessly as customers flocked to the grain shop across the street, so angry that he couldn't sleep.

"Other grain shops are offering higher prices than us?"

“You’re dreaming,” Song Sheng said, his hands tucked into his pockets. “It’s the regular price; soybeans and potatoes are both three copper coins a pound.”

This price was set by the princess, and the government also supervised the market, preventing merchants from lowering prices. Otherwise, it would have been common for prices to be two coins per pound or even three coins per pound.

In the backyard, Tang Zhao was also troubled by this matter.

"Young lady, I've talked myself hoarse, but the tenants and renters absolutely refuse to sell us grain, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless it is bought or sold at market price."

Tang Zhao was taken aback and looked up at Song Kai.

Song Kai sighed, "People are all made of flesh and blood. The young lady has tried her best to help everyone live a better life. How can the people let you suffer losses?"