After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

Chapter 236 Spring plowing is coming soon

"Everyone knows that the soil in the border region is barren. In fact, the most serious problems are drought and cold. Water is scarce here, and the region is in severe cold for most of the year. That means that planting can only be done for half the year. Some crops cannot withstand even a little drought and cold, so we have to deduct the other time. What can we grow in the remaining time?"

Otherwise, why would these soldiers on the border receive grain supplies from the imperial court every year?

"That's why we went through so much trouble to transport these superior seeds!"

Ye Yuwu explained the benefits of potatoes and sesame seeds to Su Wangyan.

After listening to Ye Yuwu's account, Su Wangyan fell into thought.

Unlike the civil and military officials, he did not show shock and anticipation when he heard about the uses of potatoes and other similar items; instead, he was very cautious.

Faced with the unknown, he remained unmoved no matter how much Ye Yuwu praised the potato.

He may not have seen or eaten potatoes in Bianjing, so he couldn't have the same "filter" for potatoes as the civil and military officials in the capital.

Therefore, he held a cautious attitude towards these two improved varieties.

Whether the potatoes and sesame seeds are as Lord Ye said remains to be seen until they are planted.

“That’s natural,” the Minister of Agriculture chimed in.

Little did they know that the Minister of Agriculture was already eager to make a name for himself on the frontier.

"Zhengde, go to the military camp and select a few capable and strong men to assist the two lords."

"Yes!"

Ye Yuwu knew he didn't believe her, so she didn't explain further. In short, it was already quite good that he supported them.

"General Su, I'm afraid you've never eaten potatoes before?" Ye Yu looked at his dark eyes with a half-smile.

Su Wangyan raised an eyebrow indifferently, "What? Does Lord Ye want me to taste this potato?"

Ye Yuwu's eyelashes were closed, making it impossible to see her expression. "When the latest batch of potatoes is planted, the first one will be given to General Su to try."

"Then this general will wait and see."

He suppressed his carefree smile, looking at the woman's slender arms and legs, which he could easily break without much effort. However, he did not underestimate her, but instead spoke to her with a rather serious expression.

After Su Wangyan said those words, Ye Yuwu didn't say anything more and left with a calm gait.

Not long after, Su Wangyan sent people to select several soldiers from the military camp, and Ye Yuwu accepted them without any politeness, ordering them around to do things.

Su Wangyan hadn't expected that the group of people would have such energy.

Logically speaking, officials who arrive at the border should rest for a few days before starting their work.

Why did Su Wangyan think this way? Because every official who came to escort grain supplies had to rest for a long time after entering the city, so Su Wangyan looked down on the officials from Bianjing.

But these two were like they'd been injected with adrenaline; they didn't even rest for a day before rolling up their sleeves and getting to work.

This changed Su Wangyan's opinion of the two people from Bianjing somewhat.

On the first day Ye Yuwu and the Minister of Agriculture arrived at the border, they ordered the potatoes in the military camp's granary to be cut into small pieces, and these pieces had to have one or two buds.

Then place the chopped potatoes in a cool, well-ventilated place to dry for one to two days. They are then ready to be planted.

Since crop rotation is required, sesame seeds must be planted in the fall. Therefore, the sesame seeds must be dried and carefully stored away before being planted in the fall.

Potatoes can only be planted 1-2 days later, so Ye Yuwu and the Minister of Agriculture decided to discuss with Su Wangyan the planning of an experimental field.

After discussing it, the group decided to allocate a piece of farmland in the southernmost part of Youzhou to them.

The land there is relatively fertile, and there is a small river that facilitates irrigation.

But how do we manage to plant so many potatoes?

Su Wangyan was willing to transfer a few soldiers from the military camp to help with the planting, but that would increase the burden on the military and civilians.

"Aren't there several villages to the south? Didn't we previously decide to pilot the equal-field system at the border?"

"What do you mean?" The Minister of Agriculture immediately understood her intention.

Su Wangyan stood to the side with a furrowed brow, but remained silent.

"Isn't this a good opportunity? Take back several villages and the surrounding unclaimed land, and then let the farmers register with the government to obtain land according to population."

After the land is allocated, potatoes will be distributed to them for planting, and when the harvest is plentiful, all the potatoes will be harvested.

“If the potatoes are distributed equally among them for planting, then the land used for planting potatoes will not be much, and there will inevitably be a large amount of land left over. How can we ensure that they will plant potatoes diligently?” The registrar next to him asked, taking Mao Ying’s hand that had stopped writing.

The grandfather's question hit home. What he said made sense. These farmers had potato seeds and new land, so they would naturally treat their other crops better. They wouldn't take good care of the potatoes, and if they were asked to grow potatoes, how could they be willing to do so?

After pondering for a while, the Minister of Agriculture came up with a good idea.

"That's not difficult. Anyone willing to plant potatoes can be exempted from a year's corvée labor. And when we harvest potatoes, we can set a range for the harvested grain. This way, they can plant more potatoes themselves or eat them next year."

The method suggested by the Minister of Agriculture is indeed an excellent one. I believe that as long as we explain to these farmers that planting potatoes can exempt them from a year of corvée labor, many people will be eager to plant potatoes.

By accepting only a portion of the potatoes, they can freely use the rest, which greatly increases their enthusiasm and makes them take the potatoes more seriously.

Everyone agreed that the law enforcement was excellent, but since Su Wangyan was now in charge of Youzhou, he naturally had to give his consent.

So after they finalized the plan, they all turned to look at him.

Su Wangyan tapped the table with his long fingers. "You can decide for yourselves."

With his consent, the group immediately beamed with joy.

However, he quickly poured cold water on their enthusiasm, saying, "But I must remind you that there are only a few days left before spring planting."

As soon as Su Wangyan said that, the group's eyes and brows immediately drooped.

Spring planting only lasts a few days, meaning they only have a few days to allocate the land and distribute the potatoes.

Otherwise, once the spring planting season arrives and farmers have sown the seeds, they will have missed the best time to distribute them.

The allocation of land will inevitably be met with resistance from the farmers, so this process will have to wait until the autumn.

"There's no time to lose! We need to hurry."

After saying this, they each assigned their tasks.

The registrar wrote a new notice and sent someone to summon the village chiefs of several villages in the south to the government office immediately.