Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

Before the joy of successful composting had faded, Xiao Chen set his sights on another matter—vegetables.

Hanyuan now has four thousand people, and they consume a large amount of food every day, but what they lack even more is vegetables.

Winters are long and springs are short in the North, so there aren't many vegetables that can be grown.

In winter, people could only survive on salted and dried vegetables, and in spring they mostly ate wild vegetables, which made them pale and thin.

Murong Xue had done a survey at the clinic and found that in the first month of spring, more than 30 people had developed night blindness due to a lack of vegetables, and even more had mouth ulcers.

If things continue like this, we'll collapse before the enemy even attacks us.

"We must grow vegetables."

Xiao Chen said to everyone in the courtroom, "And we must grow vegetables that can survive the winter."

"Your Highness, this...this is too difficult."

Uncle Chen said with a bitter face, "In this northern region, frost comes as early as September and the ground freezes in October. Vegetables can only be grown for two or three months in summer and autumn. Growing vegetables in winter is something only a god can do."

"If the gods can do it, so can we." Xiao Chen had some things brought in.

A thick cloth soaked in tung oil, a few shaved bamboo strips, and a basket of coal ash.

"This is..." Everyone gathered around to look.

"greenhouse."

Xiao Chen uttered two words, "Let's build a greenhouse so we can grow vegetables even in winter."

greenhouse?

This is the first time anyone has heard this word.

Xiao Chen didn't explain further and led his men directly to the vegetable garden outside the city.

The vegetable garden, about fifty acres in size, was reclaimed earlier. It was planted with some chives, scallions, and radishes, but they were not growing very well.

Xiao Chen chose a flat spot next to the vegetable garden and began to work.

"Dig a trench first."

He picked up a shovel and drew a rectangle on the ground, "Ten zhang long and three zhang wide. Dig trenches on all four sides, three chi deep and two chi wide."

Although they didn't understand, everyone did as instructed.

Dozens of people worked together and the trench was dug in half a day.

"Erect a pillar."

Xiao Chen had his men bring over the prepared wooden stakes, placing one every five feet, and burying them along the edge of the ditch, two feet deep, with one foot protruding above the ground.

Once the pillars are erected, the entire framework is complete.

"Erect a crossbeam."

Xiao Chen then had bamboo strips placed on the pillars and tied tightly with hemp rope.

The bamboo strips are flexible and can be bent into an arc shape, where they meet at the top of the pillar to form an arched top.

Once the frame was erected, it looked like a giant birdcage.

"Covering with cloth".

Xiao Chen directed the crowd to carry over the thick cloths soaked in tung oil and cover the frame piece by piece.

The cloth is very large; one piece can cover half of it.

Two pieces of cloth are overlapped in the middle, held down with bamboo strips, and then tied tightly with hemp rope.

Once the cloth was laid on top, the entire structure was complete—an arched greenhouse ten zhang long, three zhang wide, and one zhang high, glistening in the sunlight.

"Leave a door open." Xiao Chen left a door that could be opened and closed at one end of the greenhouse, and also used a thick cloth as a curtain.

"Inside, dig fire tunnels."

Xiao Chen then had two shallow ditches dug along both sides of the greenhouse, and covered them with stone slabs to form enclosed flues. One end of the flue led outside the greenhouse, where a simple stove was built.

"This is..." Uncle Chen understood, "To light a fire for warmth?"

"right."

Xiao Chen nodded, "In winter, we burn coal. The heat from the flue helps maintain the temperature inside the shed. The coal ash can also be spread in the ditches, which not only keeps the soil warm but also improves its condition."

With everything ready, Xiao Chen entered the greenhouse.

Although the spring breeze outside still carried a chill, it was already much warmer inside the greenhouse.

The sunlight shone through the oilcloth, bright but not glaring.

The ground was covered with freshly turned, loose soil, which smelled of earth.

"Let's plant vegetables," Xiao Chen said.

What to plant?

Xiao Chen was prepared.

He pulled out several small cloth bags from his pocket, with the words "spinach," "rapeseed," "bok choy," "cilantro," and "garlic sprouts" written on them.

These are all cold-resistant vegetables, which were commonly grown in greenhouses in northern China during winter in my previous life.

"Plant spinach and rapeseed first."

Xiao Chen grabbed a handful of seeds and scattered them evenly on the turned-over bed. "After sowing, cover them with a thin layer of soil and water them thoroughly."

Murong Xue, along with several women, carefully sowed the seeds, covered them with soil, and watered them.

"Plant garlic here."

Xiao Chen took out a few more cloves of garlic, broke them into individual cloves with the pointed end facing up, and pressed them into the soil. "Garlic is cold-resistant and grows quickly. You can eat garlic sprouts in twenty days."

"We grow cilantro here."

Xiao Chen continued, "Cilantro prefers cool temperatures; it doesn't grow well in high temperatures. Our greenhouse is just right."

Xiao Chen planned ten such greenhouses on his fifty acres of vegetable fields.

Each greenhouse grows different vegetables, using crop rotation and intercropping to make full use of the space.

It took a long time to build the ten greenhouses.

The materials were all readily available—the wood was cut from the mountain, the bamboo strips were cut from the riverbank, the tung oil was bought from Yulin Town beforehand, and the thick cloth was brought back from Jiangnan by the caravan.

The cost is low, but the effect is amazing.

The day after it was built, Xiao Chen made another improvement.

"Add straw mats."

He had thick straw mats woven, which he rolled up during the day to sunbathe and covered the greenhouse at night to keep it warm.

A layer of oilcloth and a layer of straw mat provide better insulation.

"Add another layer."

Xiao Chen wasn't satisfied yet. "We strung ropes in the shed and hung old clothes and tattered sheets on them. That would block the wind and increase the humidity."

Although everyone felt that the prince was going a bit too far, they all did as he said.

Ten days later, the first miracle occurred.

The spinach that was planted sprouted tender green shoots.

Although it was only the size of a fingernail, that tiny bit of green stood out strikingly against the brown earth.

"They're out! They're out!" the woman in charge of managing the greenhouse shouted excitedly.

A crowd gathered around to look, their eyes wide with astonishment.

It's really out!

In this chilly February, before the grass has turned green and the trees have sprouted, the spinach in the greenhouse has already sprouted!

"Water it, but don't water it too much."

Xiao Chen instructed, "Just keep it moist. Lift the straw mat during the day to let it bask in the sun, but make sure to cover it up at night."

"yes!"

Five days later, the rapeseed also sprouted.

The tender yellow leaves are crowded together, like a green carpet.

The garlic sprouts are growing the fastest; they're already an inch tall, lush and green. If you pluck one and smell it, the aroma of garlic is irresistible.

The cilantro is slower, but it has also sprouted tiny shoots.

Ten greenhouses, a vibrant scene of life.

The news caused a sensation throughout the city.

People of all ages came to see this rare sight.

"My God, it's really grown!"

"How could that be in this freezing weather..."

"Your Highness is truly amazing!"

"We'll have vegetables to eat in winter now!"

Xiao Chen stood outside the greenhouse, looking at the lush greenery inside, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

These ten greenhouses each occupy three-tenths of an acre, totaling three acres.

According to his estimate, one mu of greenhouse can produce 2,000 jin of vegetables per crop.

Three mu equals six thousand jin.

Planting three crops a year yields 18,000 jin (approximately 9,000 kg).

Although it's not enough for 4,000 people to eat every day, it can at least allow the elderly, children, patients, and the injured to have a meal of fresh vegetables every few days.

More importantly, this is a beginning.

This proves that vegetables can be grown in the North during winter.

This proves that human will can overcome nature.

"Your Highness," Murong Xue said, picking a garlic sprout, smelling it, her eyes sparkling, "this garlic sprout smells so good. The garlic sprouts I ate in the Northern Yan Palace in winter were all transported from Jiangnan, and they were wilted, not as fresh as this."

"From now on, we'll grow our own, and we can eat as much as we want," Xiao Chen said.

"Your Highness," Uncle Chen rubbed his hands, hesitating to speak, "can these greenhouses... be promoted? I mean, can ordinary people build them for their own homes too?"

"Yes, it's possible," Xiao Chen nodded, "but there are conditions. First, it needs to be near a water source for easy watering. Second, it needs to be sheltered from the wind and sunny for good warmth. Third, it needs fuel, as it will need to be used for fire in winter."

"Then...then shall we teach the people how to build it?"

"Teach," Xiao Chen said confidently. "Not only should we teach, but we should also encourage. Whoever builds a greenhouse will have half the cost of materials subsidized by the City Lord's Mansion. Whoever grows vegetables will have their first crop tax-free."

"Yes!" Uncle Chen exclaimed excitedly.

The notice was posted that afternoon.

"For all the people of Hanyuan who voluntarily build greenhouses to grow vegetables, the city lord's mansion will subsidize the timber, oilcloth, and straw mats. The first crop of vegetables grown will be tax-free, and from the second crop onwards, one-tenth of the harvest will be taxed. Those with questions may consult the Agricultural Affairs Department."

The whole city was in an uproar.

Build it! It must be built!

Who wouldn't want to have food to eat?

In no time, the threshold of the Agricultural Affairs Department was worn down by visitors.

Uncle Chen, along with several elderly men knowledgeable in farming, went door-to-door to guide households on site selection, greenhouse construction, and sowing.

In just ten days, hundreds of greenhouses sprang up inside and outside Hanyuan City.

Although not as large as the government-run ones, the scattered trees, connected together, create a magnificent sight.

Xiao Chen then had "agricultural technology classes" opened in the school, specifically teaching the children how to build greenhouses, how to grow vegetables, how to fertilize, and how to prevent pests.

"These children are the future of Hanyuan."

He told Han Lie, "What they need to learn is not just literacy and arithmetic, but also how to live, and how to live better."

Han Lie wholeheartedly agreed.

The success of the greenhouse brought not only vegetables, but also confidence.

The people discovered that miracles could be created even in this harsh and cold land.

Life can be better, as it turns out.

This kind of confidence is more important than anything else.

That day, Xiao Chen was checking on the growth of spinach in the greenhouse when Zhao Tie rushed over.

"Your Highness, Night Owl has news."

"explain."

"The Prince of Yong has made a move."

Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed.

"What action?"

"Prince Yong submitted a memorial to the court, saying that Your Highness was "engaging in large-scale construction projects in the northern border, causing hardship to the people and wasting public funds by building such a 'greenhouse,' which was purely for the purpose of currying favor and wasting national treasury."

Zhao Tie's face was grim. "The memorial has already been submitted, and we expect a response soon."

Xiao Chen smiled.

"He's getting anxious."

"Your Highness, we..."

Ignore it.

Xiao Chen waved his hand, "Let him speak. Once our vegetables have grown, we'll send them to the capital for Father Emperor to taste. We'll see if it's just 'making a scene' or 'benefiting the country and its people'."

"Yes."

"Also," Xiao Chen thought for a moment, "have the caravan bring back more vegetable seeds next time they go to Jiangnan. Cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes—bring everything they can. Let's try and see if we can grow them in the Northern Territory."

"Tomatoes?" Zhao Tie was taken aback. "What's that?"

Xiao Chen then remembered that tomatoes had not yet been introduced to China at this time.

"A kind of red fruit, sweet and sour, very delicious."

He described it simply: "In short, bring back more seeds. Our greenhouse is going to grow all kinds of vegetables from all over the world."

"yes!"

Zhao Tie accepted the order and left.

Xiao Chen stepped out of the greenhouse and gazed at the distant, rolling mountains.

As the sun sets, its afterglow spills onto the greenhouse, making the tarpaulin gleam with a golden light.

Inside the greenhouse, new green shoots dot the landscape, brimming with life.