The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 135

When Xu Tian heard the prefect say this, he was stunned and didn't know what was going on.

He looked at the prefect and asked, "What do you mean?"

The prefect stroked his beard, laughed heartily, and ordered his men to close the door.

Now, only two people remain in the room.

The prefect then spoke up: "I can't handle this matter myself, let alone investigate it. So, I deliberately let you overhear my conversation with my subordinates in your courtyard, hoping you would lend a hand, thus saving me the trouble of running around."

Xu Tian asked, "Why me?"

"Grand Tutor, you are wise." The Prefect smiled kindly. "In Jinzhou, there are bound to be cases of officials protecting each other, and there are many people who want to replace me as Prefect. If I am wrong this time, they will definitely use all sorts of reasons to force me to step down. And I cannot leave for the time being."

"The reason I'm doing this for you is because you have no connection with the various official factions in Jinzhou, and you were sent by the Emperor, so there will be far fewer troubles."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tian understood.

"I see." He nodded and said, then, remembering his business, he changed the subject, "Now that Sima Liang has been captured, may I go and see how the fields and crops are doing?"

The prefect smiled and said, "Of course, please follow me."

As he spoke, he walked out of the room, and Xu Tian naturally followed.

Under the blazing sun, the group marched in a grand procession to the cultivated fields.

Now, seedlings have sprouted in the fields.

"Is there any harvest yet?" Xu Tian asked.

After thinking for a moment, the prefect said, "Yes, there is one, in Jinliang County."

Where is Jinliang County located?

"Grand Tutor, Jinliang County is located north of the city, not far from here," the prefect said.

Xu Tian nodded and followed the prefect to Jinliang.

In Jinliang County, everyone looked quite prosperous, and there were many food shops along the streets, with plenty of grain.

"It seems this year's harvest is good," Xu Tian said.

The prefect smiled and nodded. "Indeed, this year's harvest is many times greater than in previous years, which may be related to the abundant rainfall this year."

The two arrived at the field while they were talking.

At a glance, the village is situated, with large tracts of fields planted with various things on one side.

Xu Tian then asked, "Approximately how many people are there in Jinzhou?"

The prefect was somewhat puzzled as to why Xu Tian was suddenly asking this question, but he still answered, "More than 59,300 people."

Xu Tian then did a quick calculation in his mind: was this much grain really enough to feed the people of Jinzhou?

He was puzzled, so he asked the question: "Is this food enough to feed everyone in Jinzhou City?"

"It's a bit difficult, so some of them were also bought from Chang'an."

Xu Tian nodded, "If we do it this way, the expenses will be enormous."

The prefect looked somewhat helpless. "Therefore, we must cultivate the wasteland."

“Even if we cultivate the wasteland, the yield will still not meet my expectations,” Xu Tian said, frowning.

"What do you think?"

Now, Xu Tian wants to use modern knowledge to improve yields and grow more filling and high-calorie crops.

High-calorie foods...

Xu Tian suddenly remembered a type of grain.

potato.

He then asked, "Do you have any potatoes?"