Sheng Lengshuang understood at once why the other two countries had rejected the proposal from the Southern Jin Dynasty: "These two countries are not foolish. Our Eastern Jin Dynasty's army is currently in high spirits, and the Southern Jin Dynasty's army has been unable to conquer them, suffering heavy losses. At this time, if the other two countries were to join forces with the Southern Jin Dynasty, it would be tantamount to breaking ties with the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
"At that time, if the Eastern Jin Dynasty were to renege on its promise to gift sweet potatoes to the other two countries, the common people would be dissatisfied with the court. Furthermore, without absolute certainty, these two countries would not dare to oppose the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
Mo Lingxi hummed in agreement: "These two countries are currently preoccupied with the matter of sweet potatoes. What could be better than strengthening national power? Once national power is strengthened, wouldn't it be better to attack slowly?"
Sheng Lengshuang expressed some worry: "Has there been any progress on the grain matter we discussed before?"
Mo Lingxi understood her worries, and he was also troubled by this matter. With the actions of the Southern Jin Dynasty, the other two countries were restless, all looking for the best opportunity to wage war against the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
"We are short of grain, and it's temporarily impossible to allocate so much grain."
Sheng Lengshuang crossed her arms, thinking of the grain in her spatial medicinal garden, and pondered if she could, through some channels, sell this grain to Mo Lingxi at a low price, or even give it to him.
"I do have some grain..."
The problem was, how could she do it without Mo Lingxi discovering that she harbored such a big secret?
Mo Lingxi had long suspected that Sheng Lengshuang was hiding a secret, but he had never pressed her for it, nor did he dwell on it. "How much grain does my wife have? What kind of grain is it primarily? If there's enough grain, I can manipulate things from the shadows."
Sheng Lengshuang asked in return, "How much grain do you need?"
Mo Lingxi held up one finger: "Ten thousand jin. I have some grain on hand, and if I can gather another ten thousand jin, it will be enough."
The grain in Sheng Lengshuang's spatial medicinal garden was far more than ten thousand jin. Since her relationship with Mo Lingxi had grown stronger, the area of her spatial medicinal garden had expanded, and its produce had become increasingly abundant.
"I can provide it. Where would you like me to put it for you? The most important thing now is to deal with the other two countries. If Mo Lingxi really suspects me, I'll deal with it then."
Mo Lingxi thought for a moment: "I'll clear out a warehouse for you. You can have those people put the grain in the warehouse."
Sheng Lengshuang really wanted to perform a magic trick of producing grain out of thin air, but she knew she couldn't do that. "Alright, you clear out a warehouse for me, and I'll make arrangements. I'll have the grain delivered to the warehouse in a few days."
"With this batch of grain, you'll be able to proceed with your plan."
Mo Lingxi held her hand: "With my wife here, I am sure I can resolve the matter with the other two countries, and then there will be no more trouble."
Sheng Lengshuang was not so optimistic: "If they truly want to go to war, they will fight even if it means internal conflict. Look at the Southern Jin Dynasty. Of course, it's best if they don't fight."
Mo Lingxi assured her: "Don't worry, the example of the Southern Jin Dynasty will not happen again, and I will not allow it to happen again."
A hint of coldness tinged the corners of his eyes. The Southern Jin Dynasty was an exception, and he would not allow such an exception to occur again.
...
In the afternoon.
After finishing her work, Sheng Lengshuang went to the newly reclaimed land to check on its progress.
The old man Sun, carrying his granddaughter on his back, saw Sheng Lengshuang and immediately put down his work and bowed to her: "Miss Sheng is here. I've just finished reclaiming this piece of land and was thinking of planting some cold-resistant crops like potatoes. The border is very cold in winter, and ordinary crops can't withstand it."
Sheng Lengshuang no longer wanted to correct old man Sun. She had repeatedly asked him not to do this, but he insisted. "We can't just plant potatoes, can we? Eating potatoes every day, no one can stand it."
Old man Sun nodded repeatedly: "I've already thought about it. This piece of land will be planted with potatoes, and the other plots will be planted with other vegetables and fruits, such as radishes, daylilies, and cabbages. Garlic can also be planted. As for fruits, autumn pears and wild grapes, to let the soldiers in the military camp have a taste."
Sheng Lengshuang wasn't knowledgeable about farming, so she smiled and said, "I'll leave all the farming matters to you. Just do as you think best. Also, do you have anyone to recommend? You can manage by yourself now, but when there's more land, you won't be able to handle it alone."
Old man Sun wanted to say he could manage, but he understood that this was not his place to say. He was already extremely fortunate to find such good work and be able to care for his granddaughter; he couldn't ask for more.
"Does Miss Sheng have any other requirements? I do know quite a few people who are good at farming."
Sheng Lengshuang thought for a moment: "Firstly, they must not have any messy family affairs. Secondly, they cannot be overly kind-hearted, the type who would help relatives and friends as soon as they ask. Thirdly, they must be diligent and hardworking, people who do their jobs properly, not those who are thinking of causing trouble in the military camp."
"That's all for now. See if you have anyone suitable. If you do, tell me."
She didn't want to hire people who would cause trouble, with people constantly coming to the military camp looking for them. She was hiring people to farm and work, not to cause trouble.
Old man Sun thought of everyone he knew and found suitable candidates: "I know a few people who are diligent workers, but their families are quite large, and there might be some arguments."
"Miss Sheng also knows that for people like us, when there are many people, if there's any good thing, all the branches of the family will fight over it, everyone wanting to get this good thing. If someone gets this good thing, the other branches will try to sabotage it."
Poor families are all like this. Everyone wants their own family to live better, everyone wants to earn more money, and filling their own stomachs is the main thing.
Sheng Lengshuang nodded: "If they can manage their family affairs well and are diligent and hardworking, they are acceptable. There's no rush for this matter. Take your time to think, and wander around the military camp when you have time to see which areas are suitable for farming, but the farming areas must not interfere with the soldiers' training."
Old man Sun had already considered this and explained it in detail: "There are a few smaller plots of land that I plan to plant with some fruits. For the larger plots, I plan to plant more vegetables. I'm also thinking of fencing off an area to raise chickens, ducks, and geese."
"This way, we'll not only have eggs to eat, but also meat from time to time, killing several birds with one stone."
Sheng Lengshuang thought this was a good idea: "These are all good ideas. Go ahead and do it. If you need to buy chickens, ducks, and geese, tell the accountant."
Old man Sun repeatedly waved his hands: "No, no. My family has chickens, ducks, and geese. I can just bring them over. Why would I spend money to buy them? It's not cost-effective."
Sheng Lengshuang was unwilling to take advantage of this: "Then go to the accountant to get the silver."
She raised her hand to stop old man Sun from speaking: "This is what you deserve. You spent a lot of silver buying chickens, ducks, and geese. We cannot take advantage of you for free. We must settle it properly."
Old man Sun was deeply moved. He raised his hand and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Yes!"