June 13th.

Dou Fengjie went to the Director of the Imperial Garden of the Ministry of Agriculture, but Dou Jing, the Minister of Agriculture who was squatting at the Director's place, turned around and left, leaving only Wu Shiling, the Junior Minister of Agriculture, to greet him warmly.

Dou Jing kept her promise not to meet with Dou Fengjie, demonstrating her utmost sincerity.

Li Wei, the director of Jingyuan, was all smiles. The first batch of curved plows had arrived. When they were used to plow the fields, the grass roots were powerless against the plowshare.

"What's even more remarkable is that the curved-shaft plow saves on oxen! A single ox is all it takes to pull one plow!"

Li Wei's beard fluttered in the wind, and his exaggerated gestures made him even more memorable.

The straight-shaft plow was heavy and required two oxen to pull it, making it extremely inefficient.

The curved plow's convenient steering and easy height adjustment are also very beneficial.

In the Tang Dynasty, fields were generally divided into regular fields and departmental fields. The term "departmental field" can be interpreted as "times" or "times," which actually refers to the rotation of farming and rest.

The fields currently being cultivated will be converted to fallow land next year.

Despite Li Wei's vanity, he also personally guided the plow into the fields, whether he plowed straight or not is another matter.

Samurai Ryo sighed, "It's just that this land is too dry; it's too much trouble for the officials to carry water."

Even though a considerable portion of the land belonging to the Jingyuan Director had irrigation canals, drawing water was still not very convenient, and it required a lot of manpower to fetch water to irrigate the wheat fields.

The term "official household" sounds nice, but in reality, it refers to slaves and criminals owned by the imperial court and the government. They needed to be pardoned three times before they could become commoners.

In official households, those who use their looks to serve others are called "official children".

Dou Fengjie smiled and shook his head. These people just don't use their brains at all!

"The dragon bone waterwheels in the Jiangnan area could be improved, and water could be drawn from the canals."

"Bamboo troughs were set up over the wheat fields, and the water brought by the cart was distributed to each wheat field along the bamboo troughs."

"Even small holes can be drilled on the sides and bottom of each bamboo trough to let some water drip into the field, which can save some effort in irrigation."

Dou Fengjie casually offered an idea.

These ideas are not impossible to implement under current conditions.

Li Wei lamented, "Why did the deputy director only take office this year? If he had come a few years earlier, the director of Jingyuan would have saved so much trouble!"

Fortunately, it's not too late now; Dou Fengjie's few ideas have improved the efficiency of Director Jingyuan.

The manure pile, as high as a small mountain, gradually changed color after being exposed to wind, sun, and rain; however, the swarms of flies and insects made people frown.

There's no other way; this is the agricultural era. Without these stenches, there's no way to increase grain production.

Everything smells delicious, and they're hoping for high yields... You can have anything in your dreams.

-----------------

Honglu Temple, Dianke Office.

Dou Fengjie assigned Cheng Chumo a task, and Cheng Chumo turned and left the room with a smile.

"The guesthouse is quite relaxed today."

The Grand Master of Ceremonies, Feng Dexia, made a rare appearance in the office of the Director of Foreign Affairs, his smile radiating warmth.

"Where are you free? Aren't we still having Manager Cheng entertain the guests from Zang Erxia?"

The matriarch of the Imperial Household Department, Zhan Cheng, chuckled.

"The matter of Qiongbo is still far from settled, so let's not mention it."

Dou Fengjie waved his hand slightly.

Feng Dexia frowned slightly.

This surname... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.

After a long while, Cheng Chumo finally appeared in the dormitory with half a cake of tea, his face showing a hint of shyness.

Feng Dexia took a sip of tea: "Has Manager Cheng been entertaining guests from Gaoyuan?"

Cheng Chumo looked completely bewildered: "What are you saying, sir? I'm just going back to the Huai De Fang government office to get some tea!"

Feng Dexia's eyes were full of smiles: "Understood, bring the tea!"

What are you babbling about?

I can't understand a single word!

Cheng Chumo said that these officials were too imaginative. The Duke of Su's mansion has always drunk alcohol but not tea, and they barely managed to find half a cake of compressed tea. How could they even ask about that?

"The Huzhou compressed tea was obtained from His Majesty!" Dou Fengjie sniffed it and said decisively.

"Shangguan is amazing! Father tricked this from His Majesty before the New Year," Cheng Chumo exclaimed in admiration.

Of course, he didn't know that Dou Fengjie had just tricked Li Shimin out of the same ten cakes of compressed tea, and was very familiar with the smell.

Unfortunately, the Cheng family wasn't very interested in tea. After drinking it a few times, the compressed tea was left to gather dust on the shelf.

Feng Dexia smiled but remained silent.

Dou Fengjie's attempt to cover up the truth only makes things worse; the fact that Gao Yuan was a guest is now irrefutable.

The officials in the Bureau of Foreign Affairs are shrewd, but not very shrewd. They still have a lot to learn from me.

Given the leaky and unreliable secrecy of the Tang Dynasty, what could possibly remain a secret for more than a month?

Just as the Crown Prince's fondness for Chengxin was already common knowledge throughout the capital.

After Feng Dexia left, Mu Zhancheng belatedly glanced at Dou Fengjie, and Cheng Chumo unknowingly called for double tea at the North Gate.

"The envoy of King Xiang Dunshan of the Black Party recently arrived at Sifangguan to express his intention to submit to the Tang Dynasty."

"But King Dunshan had one condition: he would not help Tuyuhun, but he also could not help the Tang Dynasty deal with Murong Fuyun."

Bei Menshuang slowly opened his mouth.

He wouldn't utter a single word if Feng Dexia were present.

Those engaged in diplomatic relations, regardless of their official rank, should have a certain awareness of confidentiality.

Dou Fengjie exclaimed in admiration, "A brilliant man! You've already decided not to die with Murong Paopao, yet you're still unwilling to use your old friend's head as a stepping stone to advancement?"

These days, there aren't many people with such principles.

King Dunshan was desperate when he saw that Tuyuhun was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and he begged for a way out.

He himself may not be afraid of death, but the Black Tangut people cannot be driven to despair because of this!

Mu Zhancheng added leisurely: "Yesterday, Fei Tingdanji of the Dangxiang Qiang brought Tuoba Xidou, the young chieftain of the Tuoba clan, to the Sifangguan to discuss the treatment of the Tuoba clan after their submission to the Tang Dynasty."

Dou Fengjie raised an eyebrow and took a sip of the tea brewed with Huzhou compressed tea: "Has Tuoba Chici come to his senses, or has his nephew Tuoba Sitou risen to power?"

The truth is that it has both.

When the seven tribes of the Dangxiang Qiang suppressed the Tuoba clan, and Murong Xiaojun and Che Kunchi Ding blocked their connection with Tuyuhun, Tuoba Chici knew that the situation was hopeless.

The surprise attack by Jiu Qie Luosheng, the governor of Shanzhou, was merely adding insult to injury.

While he still retained some prestige, Tuoba Chici cleanly and decisively handed over the position of chieftain to his nephew, and then went sightseeing with the Tuyuhun princess.

The younger generation, including Tuoba Sitou and Tuoba Xidou, had never enjoyed the benefits of having Tuyuhun as their backer, and they had no goodwill towards Tuyuhun. They had long wanted to submit to Tang like the Seven Clans.

Therefore, they immediately agreed after Fei Tingdanji's casual persuasion.

"Has Tuyuhun lost all its support?" Even the slow-witted Cheng Chumo saw the situation clearly.

Now, Busabo Khan Murong Fuyun was trapped, with little room for maneuver.

With the combined forces of the three armies, no, with the assistance of the two armies plus the Qiang tribes, Tuyuhun could be completely wiped out!

"Don't be careless, the three tribes of Tianzhu are still capable of fighting," Dou Fengjie reminded softly.

The more desperate the struggle, the more careful one must be to avoid being devoured.

Moreover, the Battle of Tuotuo River proved that the Tibetans could come down from the mountains at any time to seize the spoils of war, and did not necessarily have to fight to the death with Da Yang.

The situation has long since become absurd, and who can guarantee that history will still follow its original course?

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