bookrebus Chapter 418: Manager Qiao is back
Chapter 418: Manager Qiao is back
Ye Jintang had the space to grow crops so she never had to worry about it.
"I have very good vegetable seeds. They are strong and can adapt to the harsh climate of Ningchuan Prefecture. This year, I guarantee that everyone will have enough vegetables to eat."
"If I can solve the vegetable problem, I will recruit more people. Now I am still short of people."
"How many people does the prince have now?"
Ye Jintang hasn't paid attention to the private soldiers for a long time. She feels that Xiao Mo is not an honest man and it is impossible for him to just guard those more than 3 soldiers.
"I now have more than 7 private soldiers. Some of them are in Ningchuan City, and some are outside."
"Don't be fooled by the fact that the entire Ningchuan Province seems to be under my control. In secret, those native nobles all have their own forces. If I don't send troops to garrison there, I don't know what trouble they will cause."
"With more than 7 private soldiers, the amount of food and fodder consumed every day is not small."
"It's a lot. If you can solve the vegetable problem, I will expand it and raise 10."
"Of course, if I want to support 10 private soldiers, I will need you to transfer more silver to me. Otherwise, with so many soldiers, it won't take long for me to go bankrupt."
Maintaining private soldiers is an extremely expensive job. Their daily food and drink is a considerable sum. Ningchuan City certainly cannot afford it with its current tax revenue.
"That's easy to say. I estimate that Manager Qiao will be back soon. Once he comes back and takes a look at the profit figures, we can know how many private soldiers the prince can raise in the later period."
Xiao Mo was also quite excited when talking about this matter. This was the first time that Ningchuan City sold goods on such a large scale. In the past, most of the time, Ningchuan City purchased supplies from everywhere.
"Your Majesty, you have more soldiers. Should you raise horses as well?"
"Of course, cavalry will be indispensable for future battles and horses for transporting supplies."
"Our horse farm is still a little small now. I see there are a lot of wastelands in Ningchuan Prefecture that cannot grow crops. Why don't we spread grass seeds and turn them all into pastures?"
"That's a good idea, but can the grass grown on the wasteland be eaten by horses, cattle and sheep?"
"We'll know if we give it a try. I have many kinds of grass here. There must be one that can adapt to the growing environment of Ningchuan City."
"Okay, let's do as you wish."
It is very easy to experiment with growing forage for war horses, cattle and sheep. Just scatter the seeds on the wasteland and green grass will grow in a few days.
Ye Jintang took out a total of 6 types of forage grass, three of which could adapt to the environment and grow quickly, while the other three were eliminated because of their slow germination and slow growth.
So Xiao Mo sent a large number of refugees to spread grass seeds everywhere.
By the time the wheat was ripe, Xiao Mo's ranch had expanded many times over.
The number of horses, cattle and sheep grew rapidly.
Not long after entering July, there were several sunny days in a row and the wheat in the farmlands gradually matured. Prince Xiao Mo could not sit still and went to the farmlands to watch the people harvesting wheat.
After working all day, Xiao Mo came back from outside only when the sun was shining brightly.
Ye Jintang was holding his waist and taking a walk in the garden. When he saw Xiao Mo coming back, he went to greet him.
"Your Majesty, how is the wheat harvest going these days? It rains a lot in the summer, so we need to harvest the wheat as soon as it matures. Don't delay."
"I've asked Shi Bin to send people to keep an eye on everything. As soon as our wheat is ripe, refugees will come over to harvest it. We guarantee that not a single grain of wheat will be left in the fields."
At this time, the importance of refugees is revealed. During wars, they can pick up swords and guns to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, and put down their weapons and pick up farm tools to cultivate the land and grow crops.
Under Xiao Mo's unified management and allocation, almost every acre of wheat outside Ningchuan City would be harvested immediately after it matured, and the mature wheat would never be left until the next day.
Xiao Mo, who had been out for a day, stood directly by the well and took a shower with the well water.
"Butler Qiao gave us a specific time to return. Last time he said he would be back in mid-June, but in the end only some of the carriages returned, and there has been no sign of him, the butler."
"I just received a pigeon message this morning. In two days, the chief steward of the bridge will arrive in Ningchuan City with a master who can make textile machines and looms."
"It was really worthwhile for Manager Qiao to go out this time. He not only brought back skilled loom masters, but also some craftsmen who can make weapons, including quite a few swordsmiths. Even if he comes back late, it is acceptable."
Xiao Mo, who had just been taking a shower, poured a bucket of well water all over himself.
He wiped the well water off his face and looked at Ye Jintang in disbelief.
"Jintang, what did you say just now? Manager Qiao brought back a swordsmith? Is the information reliable?"
"Of course. Manager Qiao said in the pigeon message that he brought back more than 60 people in total. These people were all bought secretly by my cousin. In order not to alert the government, he spent a lot of effort."
When Xiao Mo heard the news, he was so happy that he flew away. If Ye Jintang hadn't been pregnant, he would have picked her up and spun her around.
"Wen Ziqiu did a great job on this. What I lack most right now is a swordsmith. I have mountains and plains full of iron ore, but I don't have a suitable swordsmith to help me make weapons. I have been worrying about this matter for a long time."
Seeing Xiao Mo happily following a child, Ye Jintang also laughed.
With soldiers, war horses, food and fodder, and weapons ready, Xiao Mo can go to war with almost anyone at any time.
"I will have people tidy up the weapons workshop now. With so many craftsmen coming, we need to provide them with accommodation. I will call Lord Cai later. I want to tell him the good news as soon as possible so that they can be happy too."
"Okay, don't worry, just do them one by one."
"How can I not be anxious? I wish every soldier had a sword in his hand."
Xiao Mo changed his clothes and left in a hurry. Seeing how anxious he was, Ye Jintang was very happy for him.
While the capital is in chaos, Xiao Mo must grow up as quickly as possible, otherwise with the troops he has now, he will not be able to compete with King Zheng.
Two days later, Xiao Mo went to the city gate in person to welcome Manager Qiao.
Looking at the huge team, Xiao Mo's mouth was almost stretched to his ears.
When Manager Qiao went out, he not only brought back some talented craftsmen, but also brought back a lot of news.
The cloth produced in Ningchuan City is very popular in other cities because of its low price and good quality. Once the cloth arrives at the shop, it is sold out within half a morning.
The expensive red brocade was originally intended to be shipped to the capital for sale, but it was bought by someone halfway along the way.
Ye Jintang had long anticipated that her cloth and brocade were relatively cheap and would be easy to sell, but she did not expect that they were already in great demand.