After the Emperor finished meeting with the diplomatic mission from the Shuobei Kingdom, an impatient Dongfang Shaoting and the others immediately requested an audience with His Majesty.
"My beloved subjects, there is no need to worry. I have already strengthened the defenses around the imperial estates and granaries, strictly forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. Even if Gong Linjue knows where the potatoes are kept, they won't be able to take them."
Gu Qishan, his face full of solemnity, said, "To reply to Your Majesty, according to the imperial court's original measures, the common people would be able to plant potatoes by next spring. No matter how strictly the court guards them, it cannot guard against everyone in the world. In this humble subject's view, such a high-yielding divine crop should be firmly controlled in the hands of the court, and there is no need to let the common people plant it."
The Minister of Revenue looked at Gu Qishan with an astonished expression. "If we don't let the common people plant them, we still have to let them eat them. The result will be the same."
Gu Qishan: "We can process them into potato starch for sale. Not only will this ensure that the seeds are not obtained by others, but it will also increase the court's revenue."
Dongfang Shaoting stepped forward and said, "The Prime Minister's method is too fanciful. The court does not have that much land, nor that many people, and cannot plant that many potatoes."
Fei Yanzhang: "Today, the common people all over the world know that the court possesses a divine crop that yields a thousand catties per mu, and they are all waiting for the court's seeds. If we do not allow them to plant it, the people's hearts will become unstable, inevitably breeding resentment among the populace, which could even shake the foundation of the state. This is truly the worst possible plan."
The Imperial Study descended into a chaotic argument, and the Emperor felt as if his ears were going to explode from the noise.
But after all was said and done, not a single practical and feasible solution was devised.
That evening, Song Qiming returned home and told Song Jinzhao about the matter.
"Today, Lord Fei and the others argued in the Imperial Study for the entire day, but they couldn't come up with any useful ideas."
"In the end, someone even suggested trading potatoes with the Shuobei Kingdom for warhorses, and at the time, the Emperor actually hesitated for a moment."
Song Jinzhao shook her head and said, "It is impossible to achieve a long-term, comprehensive blockade on food crops. As long as it is planted on a large scale, it will definitely be obtained by people from other countries. It's nothing more than a matter of time, unless we burn it all and no one plants it."
"The comprehensive popularization of a crop takes a very long time. What the court should do now is to quickly seize the advantage."
"The Court of Agricultural Affairs has already been planting potatoes for two years and possesses a very stable potato seed production base. But now, the land of the imperial estates can no longer accommodate that many potatoes, and there is not enough manpower. Thus, we must acquire more land and labor."
"The court's original plan was to sell potatoes to the common people at the beginning of next spring, letting them plant them to solve their food and clothing problems. But in reality, the potato seeds the Court of Agricultural Affairs can sell can only cover the capital; there won't be enough to reach other places."
"The treasury of the Dongzhao Kingdom is empty, and we face internal strife and external threats. If a war breaks out, we would even have to scrape together rations. The very first thing that should be solved is the problem of the army having no food to eat, lest the country perish before the common people can even prosper."
Song Qiming stared intently at Song Jinzhao, his lips slightly parted. "What does Ah Jie mean?"
Song Jinzhao walked over to the wall and used her finger to draw a few circles on the map.
"First, let the armies at the border passes and strategic strongholds establish military agricultural colonies to plant them, achieving self-sufficiency in army rations and alleviating logistical pressure. This guarantees that when others attack, the army will have food to eat, and it won't require long-term transportation."
"Once the seeds are sufficiently abundant, they can then be distributed or sold through local government offices. At the same time, the court can issue laws prohibiting the mutual trade of potatoes with the Shuobei Kingdom, and set up checkpoints to search those heading to the Shuobei Kingdom."
"Although it's impossible to completely prevent it, it can delay the speed of the potato's popularization in the Shuobei Kingdom. By the time they achieve universal popularization, the population and national strength of the Dongzhao Kingdom will have already seen great improvements. When we dispatch troops to conquer them then, our chances of winning will be very high."
Song Qiming stood up and walked over to the map.
"But the border passes and strategic strongholds are all very close to the Shuobei Kingdom. If we plant potatoes there, wouldn't it be very easy for them to be snatched away?"
Song Jinzhao: "Planting at the borders cannot be simple planting; rather, we must construct a defensive military agricultural colony system that integrates military, agriculture, and engineering."
"First, concentrate the planting within the army's defensive perimeter instead of spreading it out. If conditions permit, planting can even be done inside the city walls. If the army of the Shuobei Kingdom wants to snatch the potatoes, they must dispatch troops to fight, which will exact a heavy price. Before plundering, they will have to weigh whether it is worth it."
"Second, potatoes are buried underground and are difficult to dig up in large quantities in a short amount of time. While they are digging, we can turn around and attack them."
"Third, the soldiers will not tolerate foreign enemies snatching away the potatoes they worked so hard to plant, so their fighting will to defend their fields will become stronger."
"Previously, the food for the border armies had to be transported from other places, and after a war, more than half of the men had to return. But with fields and the ability to be self-sufficient, they can station at the borders long-term, forming a permanent, stable stronghold capable of long-term garrisoning."
"By that time, a defensive military agricultural colony system integrating military, agriculture, and engineering will be complete. We can also rely on these strongholds to slowly expand our territory outward; it won't be easy even if the enemy wants to attack."
Song Qiming remained silent in front of the map for a long time.
After figuring it out, he turned to look at Song Jinzhao, his expression shocked as he said, "Ah Jie, how did you think of all this?"
"I could rack my brains and still never think of these things."
Song Jinzhao walked over to the table and poured herself some tea to drink. "Read more books and you'll be able to think of it."
"Read more military strategy books in the future; just knowing literary classics is not enough."
"It's getting late and I need to sleep. You can write these contents into a memorial and submit it to the court for them to handle."
Song Qiming nodded vigorously. He stayed up all night to write the memorial, even revising it twice.
Having not slept all night, he went to Ye Liangyu's house before dawn and blocked him there.
After reading the contents of the memorial, Ye Liangyu looked at Song Qiming in a daze. "Are all these thought up by County Princess Linghui?"
Song Qiming nodded vigorously, the admiration for Song Jinzhao in his eyes still undiminished after an entire night.
"Yes, Ah Jie said it's impossible to completely blockade food crops from being obtained by others. The only superior strategy is to utilize the head start to seize the advantage."
Ye Liangyu lowered his head and read the contents of the memorial from beginning to end once more.
"I knew County Princess Linghui was smart, but I didn't expect her to also possess the talent to govern the world."
"Skilled in both pen and sword. If she could enter the court as an official, her achievements would surely surpass yours and mine; even being enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed as prime minister wouldn't be impossible."
"When you go to the Hanlin Academy, give this memorial to Lord Fei. He will take you to see the Emperor."
It was exactly as Ye Liangyu had anticipated.
After the morning court assembly ended, Song Qiming handed the memorial to Fei Yanzhang. After reading it, he didn't say anything and directly took Song Qiming to the Imperial Study.
After being brought into the Imperial Study, Fei Yanzhang bowed and offered the memorial with both hands.
"Your Majesty, this is the memorial that Compiler Song just showed to this subject. This subject was greatly shocked and benefited immensely from it. I beseech Your Majesty to take a look."
Xiao Chengjing glanced at Song Qiming standing next to Fei Yanzhang, then signaled Eunuch Zhao to bring the memorial to him.
Fifteen minutes later, Xiao Chengjing put down the memorial with slightly trembling fingers and looked up at Song Qiming.
"Compiler Song, did you write this memorial?"
Song Qiming raised his head, looked into the Emperor's eyes, and said, "To reply to Your Majesty, the memorial was written by this subject, but the contents within were spoken by my Ah Jie."
Like a sudden clap of thunder, Xiao Chengjing's voice spiked as he blurted out in sheer disbelief, "County Princess Linghui?"
Song Qiming's eyes burned with fervor as he nodded emphatically and spoke with solemn earnestness.
"Last night, while I was racking my brain in my study at home, trying to figure out how to keep the potatoes out of the hands of the Shuobei Kingdom, Ah Jie brought in some ginseng soup. She saw what I had written on the paper and told me that once potatoes became widely cultivated, it would be impossible to keep them contained. That is how the words in this memorial came to be."
Xiao Chengjing slammed his hand onto the table, stood up, and let out a hearty laugh.
"She is truly worthy of the title County Princess Linghui that I personally bestowed upon her! Such insight and strategic thinking are remarkably brilliant. This is exactly what it means for a woman to be no less capable than any man."
Song Qiming bowed with cupped hands. "Thank you for your high praise, Your Majesty. Relieving the court's urgent crisis is precisely what Ah Jie wished to do."
Xiao Chengjing sat back down, sighing with deep gratification. "If all the people in the world possessed County Princess Linghui's loyalty, patriotism, and devotion to the state, I would finally be able to rest easy."
