The Farm Life Of a "Fool"

Chapter 149

Food may still be found in the highlands throughout the winter. Xu Ran used to run up the mountains in his spare time while he lived in Xu Village. Occasionally, he'd come upon some edible wild veggies. Gradually, he became acquainted with a broader range of them.

Despite how desolate Yanzhou was, certain edibles could still be discovered on the mountain. Xu Ran shared his ideas with everyone in great detail. Because King Yan and the beggars didn't know anything about them, they were skeptical of Xu Ran's statements.

Xu Ran said, "Now that the situation is already like this, let's just go to scour thoroughly. Besides the loss of physical strength, maybe we can really find something, right?"

King Yan thought about it carefully, then nodded. "You're right. We really don't have much to lose. So be it! After we returned, I will send some soldiers, together with a few farmers who often went up the mountain, to go and scour around. Some wild animals might be caught in winter."

Xu Ran did not have any objections and just waited for King Yan's arrangement.

As soon as King Yan finished speaking, the beggar next to him said, "Your Highness, let us go with them! If we have learned to know those wild vegetables, we can go up the mountain ourselves in the future."

Because these beggars had been begging in Yanzhou since they were children, they were unfamiliar with wild plants. Everyone nodded in accord when the beggar said it. When King Yan noticed their excitement, he consented. Self-sufficiency was preferable to being dependent on the whims of others.

After discussing this with the beggars, King Yan discovered a few more facts. Yan Chuan returned to his house after bringing people to bury the three deceased bodies. But halfway through, King Yan changed his mind and brought Xu Ran to the camp.

There were many tents in the camp. King Yan pointed to the tents and said, "The 50,000 troops that protect the Yanzhou reside there. They can only live in tents in the winter and summer. You're familiar with Yanzhou's weather. Summer is nice, but you can image how difficult their lives will be throughout the winter. Furthermore, the Barbarians prefer to launch surprise attacks in the winter. I had intended to construct them dwellings, but building houses for 50,000 soldiers will be prohibitively expensive, independent of personnel, material resources, or money resources, all of which Yanzhou lacks."

When he stated this, King Yan was overcome with grief and remorse. Xu Ran couldn't help but worry about Yanzhou's first impressions. The present Yanzhou appeared to be quite nice, but there were still a lot of issues. What will the decrepit Yanzhou look like? What did the residents of this town eat?

Xu Ran considered Lu Qi's remark of Yanzhou's limited land covering. He reasoned that King Yan might not think Yanzhou was tiny, and that he needed to locate a better area for the people to reside.

You can't create a fist if you don't have a hand. Even if King Yan was capable, he couldn't accomplish anything because of the pressure from the Emperor above and the load of the people and the country below. While Xu Ran was immersed in contemplation, King Yan crossed the bridge.

He called him after traveling for a time and seeing that Xu Ran had not followed him. Xu Ran regained his composure and swiftly followed. This time, King Yan's destination astonished him. The vista revealed a wide meadow, like an oasis among the unending snow peaks.

However, there were few green grasses on the grassland in the winter, and all that could be seen was dried up grass. Xu Ran, on the other hand, understood that the next year, in the spring, a large area of green grass would sprout in this location, allowing numerous cows, sheep, and horses to graze.