Daqin: A buff of incredible comprehension

All we have to do is wait for Gongshu Chou to produce more firearms so we can launch a war against South Korea.

On this day, farmer Tian Fei came to Zhao Chen and told him that the potatoes and sweet potatoes were ripe and could be dug.

"Sir, the potatoes and sweet potatoes are ripe. When do we start digging?"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure. I dug up a few plants and examined them before coming to see you, sir."

"Really? Then get ready. Tomorrow I'll have my father take all the civil and military officials to visit. Only seeing it with their own eyes can make them believe it. No matter how much you say now, it will be in vain."

Tian Fei said excitedly after hearing this: "As you wish, I will prepare it immediately!"

"Sir, aren't you worried that the potato and sweet potato yields won't be good enough?"

"Don't worry. I'll write down the cooking instructions and send them to my dad. From tomorrow on, the people of Qin will no longer suffer from hunger." Zhao Chen said confidently.

In this era when the yield per mu is only three or four stones, crops with a tenfold increase in yield suddenly appear. If people still die of hunger, it can only be blamed on the incompetence of those in power.

"Sir, after hearing what you said, don't you want to go to the ceremony tomorrow?"

"What am I going to do? Listen to all those civil and military officials singing my praises? That's too much trouble. I'd rather be free fishing and playing chess."

Yan Fei was speechless:

The young master's thoughts are really... really puzzling.

If it were another prince or monarch, he would probably want to publicize this matter and let everyone in the world know.

But the young master didn't care.

I really don't know what the master is up to?

After Zhao Chen wrote down the methods of eating potatoes and sweet potatoes, he went to Zhangtai Palace.

"Look who's here! I'm the Sage of Qin. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Ying Zheng saw Zhao Chen and joked.

"Dad, I'm leaving now!" Zhao Chen said and walked out.

"Don't be so hasty to leave, brat. Tell me, what brings you here this time?"

"This is a matter of great importance to the people of Qin. Father, the farmers have performed a great service this time. The potatoes and sweet potatoes we had them planted are ripe. Tomorrow, I'll trouble you, father, to lead the officials and a few respected elders to harvest them!"

"Potatoes? Sweet potatoes? What are they? I've never heard of them. What's the yield like?"

"Hehe, your Majesty will know the exact yield tomorrow. For now, let's keep it a secret. This is how to eat potatoes and sweet potatoes. Your Majesty, after this, the Qin Kingdom will completely eliminate the suffering of hunger."

After hearing this, Ying Zheng stood up immediately.

Zhao Gao next to him also stared at Zhao Chen in shock. Is this a joke?

"You little brat, this is not something you can joke about."

"Please rest assured, Father. I will never joke with the lives of ordinary people. Just wait patiently."

"In that case, tomorrow's morning court session will be postponed. I will summon all the ministers to view these potatoes and sweet potatoes."

"My king is right. I will not go tomorrow. You don't need to call me." After saying that, Zhao Chen disappeared in Zhangtai Palace without waiting for Ying Zheng's reply.

Ying Zheng was stunned:

"Zhao Gao, do you think this news is reliable?"

"I dare not speak rashly, but based on your usual accurate judgment, this should be 100% correct. Moreover, everything you have done so far has been flawless."

"Well, I'll trust that brat just once."

"Zhao Gao, quickly invite the elders in Xianyang City and gather a few skilled farmers. We'll go together tomorrow. I want to see for myself where that brat's confidence comes from."

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Gao left with a dark face.

---

the next day.

All civil and military officials received a notice that they would not attend court today, but would all go to Qinzhuang.

Although I don't know the reason, since it is your Majesty's order, how can I disobey it?

Ying Zheng came to Qinzhuang in a sedan chair, accompanied by civil and military officials, invited elders and skilled farmers, a total of nearly 10,000 people.

"Tian Fei, I pay my respects to the King!"

"Where are the potatoes and sweet potatoes that the young master mentioned?"

"Your Majesty, please follow me."

Tian Fei led Ying Zheng and his party to a well-tended field.

In the green fields, the leaves are slightly yellowing, but there is no sign of fruit.

"Tian Fei, are these the potatoes and sweet potatoes you mentioned? Why can't I see any fruits?"

"Your Majesty, potatoes and sweet potatoes are different. Their fruits are hidden underground and can only be seen after digging. I will start digging now!"

"Okay! Let's dig an acre of land first and let me see the yield."

Although the farmers' planting methods were not quite right, they still had a good supply of potatoes and sweet potatoes. The land covered a total of 30 mu, 10 mu of which were potatoes and 20 mu were sweet potatoes.

"I obey your orders!"

"Follow the king's order and begin digging!"

While busy digging potatoes and sweet potatoes, Zhao Chen was still resting in Haitang Pavilion.

At this time, the Moon Goddess came in and woke him up.

"Sister Moon Goddess, you're out of seclusion."

"Sir, the king is taking all the officials to the farm today to inspect the growth of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Why aren't you going?"

"What's so good about it? Anyway, the people of Daqin will never go hungry again."

Hearing this, the Moon Goddess was at a loss for words. "Sir, are you truly calm, or are you simply lazy?"

"Sir, I speculate that this winter may be the coldest in nearly a hundred years. The people must be warned in advance to prepare for the cold!"

As the imperial teacher of the Qin Dynasty, the Moon God not only had to calculate celestial phenomena, but also had to formulate a calendar and predict the weather, just like the later Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

"Winter?"

Zhao Chen frowned slightly.

This is no small matter.

There is currently no cotton in Daqin, so the only way to keep warm in winter is to wear more cotton clothes.

But faced with such a severe winter, many people may not be able to survive.

Suddenly, an idea flashed upon him: although there was no cotton, there was still a solution.

The kang should come in handy.

In addition, charcoal is also a good choice. Nowadays, coal resources are very abundant in the world and can be fully utilized.

"Sister Moon Goddess, don't worry. The people of Daqin will definitely be able to safely survive this harsh winter."

Zhao Chen said confidently.

"Oh, have you found a solution, sir?"

"Of course, sister, wait and see!"

Zhao Chen immediately got up, washed up, ate, and went straight to the study.

He began to draw how to build a kang and how to make a small heating stove.

These are excellent heating devices.

Although heating stoves are still a luxury for ordinary people, kangs are not. They are easy to make with mud bricks and almost every household can build one.

After drawing the two pictures, Zhao Chen began to think about the distribution of coal.

Although Zhao State had the largest coal reserves, after all, that place would later become Shanxi Province, which had extremely rich coal resources.

But Daqin also had coal mines, not far from Xianyang City, near present-day Yongdi.

If mined, it would be enough to support the current Qin Dynasty for many years. After unifying the six kingdoms, Zhao's coal mines would also belong to Qin.

However, it was a bit far-fetched to talk about these things right now, so Zhao Chen took out the map of Daqin.

Relying on his memory, he marked the possible locations of coal mines on the map for mining.

At present, the role of coal is unknown and everyone thinks it is useless.

After marking the map, Zhao Chen wrote the production process of anthracite.

By the time all the preparations were completed, more than three hours had passed.

Meanwhile, at Daqin Farm, Tian Fei was digging potatoes and sweet potatoes.

The officials were filled with curiosity about these crops. They had never heard of them growing underground, even for the elderly villagers. They stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, their eyes fixed on the fields.

When the first potato plant emerged from the soil, everyone's eyes widened. It was bearing clusters of golden, spherical fruits. Could this be the legendary potato? If a single plant could produce so many fruits, how much could one acre of land yield?

The sweet potatoes next to them were equally astonishing, their fruits also growing in long clusters, looking incredibly abundant. At that moment, everyone was filled with shock. If these crops could actually be put to good use, it would be a miracle.

Looking at the bountiful harvest, Ying Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He almost wanted to dig in the fields himself, but in order to maintain his dignity as a ruler, he barely suppressed the urge.

However, some people couldn't wait any longer. Nei Shiteng was the first to rush into the fields, and without hesitation, he began to examine these new and unusual crops. With one man leading the way, the others followed suit. Wang Jian, Feng Wan, Meng Wu... everyone present joined in the digging.

Before long, the two acres of land were thoroughly turned over and every potato and sweet potato was dug out.

"My lord, one acre of land has been completely excavated."

"Well, weigh them!" Ying Zheng looked at the piles of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Even without weighing them, he knew this was a huge success, a victory for the Qin Dynasty and a blessing for the people. Just as Zhao Chen had said, from now on, no one in the Qin Dynasty would die of hunger again.

The weighing results came out quickly, and everyone waited with bated breath for Tian Fei's report.

"Your Majesty, the potatoes total 41 stone, and the sweet potatoes 48 stone."

Hearing this number, everyone was stunned, as if they had heard incredible news. This amount is usually the output of ten acres of good farmland. Now the output of just one acre of land exceeds that of ten acres. How is this possible?

After regaining their composure, everyone started discussing the matter.

"Is this number true? The yield per mu is over 40 dan."

“It’s unbelievable.”

“Are these potatoes and sweet potatoes edible?”

"It might work."

"If we can eat it, we won't have to worry about going hungry anymore."

"God bless the Great Qin!"

Many elderly people were so moved that they shed tears.

"My king, are these potatoes and sweet potatoes really edible?"

"Of course, Zhao Gao, make potatoes and sweet potatoes for everyone according to the cooking method provided by Zhao Chen." Ying Zheng taught Zhao Gao the cooking method written by Zhao Chen.

Zhao Gao immediately arranged for people to start roasting potatoes and sweet potatoes, which was the simplest and most direct cooking method, while Tian Fei continued to direct people to dig potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Soon, a peculiar yet enticing aroma filled the air, whetting everyone's appetite. Some people even swallowed a few times.