When they arrived at the granary, they saw the yamen runners stationed at the entrance.
They held weapons in their hands, standing ramrod straight with their eyes fixed ahead. They looked like sharp blades, constantly on guard and ready to cut down any villain who might appear.
It seemed they had not been like this ten years ago.
Gu Zhongxun hesitated before speaking. “These yamen runners appear to have even stricter discipline than the soldiers in the military camp.”
Song Qiming’s expression remained utterly calm as he replied, as though he were mentioning something completely insignificant.
“When suppressing the bandits, I discovered that the yamen runners of Suining Prefecture were rather lax. So afterward, I specifically trained them for a period of time.”
Gu Zhongxun stopped and stared at him. “As far as I know, you learned martial arts personally from County Princess Linghui.”
Song Qiming smiled and nodded. “My elder sister has always set high standards for the household guards, so I merely imitated what I saw and learned a little of the basics.”
When the granary doors opened, Gu Zhongxun discovered that there were even more yamen runners inside than outside.
After passing through the heavily guarded courtyard, the warehouse clerk calmly used a key to unlock the inner doors.
Inside, they saw heaps of burlap sacks piled in the middle of the room like a small mountain.
Gu Zhongxun walked over with barely concealed excitement. A perceptive servant immediately hurried forward and untied the hemp cord around one of the sacks.
The reddish-brown sorghum grains had a hard, coarse surface and were slightly smaller than soybeans.
Gu Zhongxun personally opened another sack.
It was sorghum again.
“You planted rice. Why is all of this sorghum?” he asked Song Qiming in confusion, turning his head.
Song Qiming stepped forward to explain. “There are five hundred yamen runners in Suining City and more than seven hundred convicts in the labor camp. Digging rivers, farming, and repairing roads all require a great deal of food every day.”
“Furthermore, silver only flows out of the prefectural government treasury and never comes in. So after the rice from the wasteland was harvested, I ordered half of it sold and exchanged all the rest for sorghum and millet, thinking that they would keep longer.”
Gu Zhongxun suddenly understood and nodded approvingly. “I see. Coarse grains are indeed more practical. Eating rice at every meal would be far too extravagant.”
After leaving the granary, they headed next to the cellar beside it.
Thirteen baskets of potatoes sat on wooden boards raised above the damp ground. Gu Zhongxun calculated the amount of potatoes harvested in Songzhou City this year.
“I didn’t give you many potato seeds. How did you manage to harvest so many potatoes?”
The yield was more than double that of Songzhou City. Could there be some method of cultivation that increased production?
Song Qiming naturally could not tell him the truth.
The potatoes Gu Zhongxun had provided would only have produced half this amount. The other half had been added by Song Jinzhao within the bounds of what would not seem too outrageous.
Song Qiming answered with a smile, “There really were this many when they were harvested. Even my elder sister said the potatoes grew exceptionally well this year. It was probably because they received plenty of sunlight and just the right amount of rain.”
“The soil in Suining City is shallow, so my elder sister instructed us to fertilize it more heavily. That may also have contributed.”
Gu Zhongxun drew a deep breath, his chest feeling tight and heavy.
Potatoes had been discovered by County Princess Linghui, so she was certainly the most familiar with them. “Are there any records of the planting process and their growth? I’d like to take them back so the people in Songzhou City can study them as well. If we can increase the yield, that would naturally be ideal.”
The soil in Songzhou City was better than that in Suining City, yet its yield was lower. In Gu Zhongxun’s eyes, that meant they had not done well enough.
Song Qiming readily agreed.
“The agricultural officials have kept daily records. I’ll have someone make a copy for Your Excellency to take with you later.”
Gu Zhongxun fell into thought for a moment before speaking again. “The grain in the granary is not only meant to supply the yamen runners and laborers. Suining Prefecture occupies a strategically important position. In the past, the people were poor and the government was struggling as well, leaving the granaries empty for years.”
“Now that circumstances have improved, you must stockpile more grain in preparation for unforeseen events. I’m sure you understand what I mean.”
The darkness and significance in his eyes made the meaning behind his words obvious to Song Qiming.
“This subordinate understands.” If the southwestern foreign tribes ever raised an army and marched east, grain and provisions would be essential once the two sides went to war.
Song Qiming lowered his eyes to the ground, his thoughts churning.
But who would ultimately use those supplies was another matter entirely...
