In Lin'an City, in the palace, Emperor Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty was sitting on the dragon chair with a gloomy face. He had just received two battle reports, one was about Liu Guangshi's defeat of Chenzhou, and the other was about the defeat of Wanyan Zonghan's army. Both battle reports shocked him.
He understood that his imperial sister Zhao Yingluo had grown up and was no longer the weak woman who could be manipulated at will. He once tried to suppress her with force, but failed. Now, he had to reconsider his relationship with Zhao Yingluo.
"Your Majesty, the current situation is extremely unfavorable to us." A minister said worriedly, "Princess Zhao Yingluo has a heavy army and is assisted by generals such as Xue Mang. I am afraid it will be difficult for us to compete with her."
Zhao Gou was silent for a moment, and then said slowly: "Pass my decree and send an envoy to Kaifeng to tell Princess Zhao Yingluo that the court is willing to make peace with her and no longer attack her."
The envoy quickly arrived at Kaifeng City and conveyed Zhao Gou's wishes to Princess Zhao Yingluo. After Zhao Yingluo heard this, she smiled slightly and said, "Go back and tell Brother Huang that as long as he no longer interferes with my affairs, I can guarantee that I will not invade Lin'an."
The envoy brought Zhao Yingluo's words back to Lin'an City. Zhao Gou sighed after hearing this. He knew that he had completely lost control of Zhao Yingluo. But he also understood that under the current situation, reaching a reconciliation with Zhao Yingluo was already the best result.
The war was temporarily extinguished, but Princess Zhao Yingluo did not relax. She knew that the long-term war had exhausted the people, left the land barren and caused food shortages. In order to restore production and protect people's livelihood, she decided to start research on expanding corn cultivation.
As a high-yielding and adaptable crop, Princess Zhao Yingluo believes that corn has huge planting potential in the vast area north of the Yellow River. So, she summoned her confidant Jiang Laosi and gave him an important task - to go to the north of the Yellow River to acquire land.
"Jiang Laosi, you must be cautious during this trip." Princess Zhao Yingluo warned, "Although the area north of the Yellow River is vast, the land is scattered in the hands of various owners. It is inevitable that you will encounter various difficulties and resistance during the acquisition process. You must Be good at using strategies to acquire as much land as possible at reasonable prices.”
Jiang Laosi took the order and left. With the important task entrusted by the princess and a batch of funds, he embarked on a journey to the north of the Yellow River. On the way, he kept thinking about how to better complete this task. He knew that this was not just a simple land acquisition, but also the princess's deep concern for the livelihood of the people.
After months of running and hard work, Jiang Laosi finally lived up to the princess's expectations and successfully acquired a large amount of land. He immediately organized farmers to cultivate and sow corn seeds on this fertile land.
In order to allow farmers to farm with peace of mind, Princess Zhao Yingluo also formulated a series of preferential policies: reducing agricultural taxes, providing agricultural tools and seeds, etc. These measures have greatly stimulated farmers' enthusiasm for production, and they have invested in corn planting.
With the care of the princess and the hard work of the farmers, the corn is growing well. During the autumn harvest season, the area north of the Yellow River presents a scene of golden harvest. Looking at the plump corn cobs, the farmers showed long-lost smiles on their faces.
And all of this is inseparable from Princess Zhao Yingluo's foresight and Jiang Laosi's hard work. They used practical actions to benefit the people and contributed to the stability and development of the Song Dynasty.
After the initial success in corn cultivation north of the Yellow River, Princess Zhao Yingluo was not satisfied. She knows that to truly achieve national food self-sufficiency, we must make full use of land resources in various places and plant more high-yielding and adaptable crops.
So, she turned her attention to the Jiangnan region. Jiangnan has fertile water and soil and a suitable climate, and has always been an important land for rice cultivation. However, due to the impact of war and famine, rice production in Jiangnan has been unsatisfactory. Princess Zhao Yingluo decided to promote high-yield hybrid rice in the Jiangnan area. She summoned Jiang Laosi again and gave him this new task - to go to Jiangnan to purchase land and organize farmers to plant hybrid rice.
After Jiang Laosi received the mission, he rushed to Jiangnan without stopping. Relying on his wisdom and experience, he quickly established contacts with local landowners and farmers and successfully purchased a large amount of land.
With the support of the princess, Jiang Laosi also introduced advanced hybrid rice planting technology from other places. He organized farmers to learn new technologies and provided necessary production materials such as seeds and agricultural tools. Farmers responded positively and invested in the cultivation of hybrid rice.
With the joint efforts of the princess and Jiang Laosi, hybrid rice cultivation in the Jiangnan region has achieved remarkable results. When the autumn harvest comes, the rice fields are golden and the rice is heavy. The output has doubled compared with previous years.
Looking at this harvest scene, the farmers cheered and were grateful. They know that all this is inseparable from Princess Zhao Yingluo's wise decision-making and Jiang Laosi's hard work.
Princess Zhao Yingluo was also extremely pleased. She knew that by promoting high-yielding hybrid rice, it not only increased food production, but also improved farmers' lives and laid a solid foundation for the country's stability and development.
With the harvest of hybrid rice in the south of the Yangtze River, Princess Zhao Yingluo's reputation became more and more popular among the people. People praised her as the "princess of salvation" because her decision not only brought farmland back to life, but also allowed countless farmers displaced by war to regain hope in life.
Deep in the palace, Emperor Zhao Gou also heard these praises. He began to realize that his imperial sister was not only a female general who could lead troops in war, but also a state-governor with far-reaching vision and firm will.
Inspired by the successful experience in Jiangnan, Princess Zhao Yingluo decided to further promote the cultivation of hybrid rice. She ordered the establishment of agricultural experimental fields in various places, encouraged farmers to try planting new varieties, and provided technical guidance and financial support. At the same time, she also sent people to neighboring countries to learn their agricultural technology and management experience in order to better serve the country's agricultural production.
Over time, the planting range of hybrid rice gradually expanded, extending from the south of the Yangtze River to the Central Plains, Southwest and other places. Pieces of golden rice fields roll like waves, heralding the arrival of another bumper harvest.
Under the advocacy of Princess Zhao Yingluo, a trend of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business emerged in the Song Dynasty. The princess believes that agriculture is the foundation of the country, and only by ensuring an adequate supply of food can we stabilize people's hearts and consolidate the foundation of the country. Therefore, she strongly advocates that farmers should focus on farming and provides them with various preferential policies and incentives.
These measures have greatly stimulated farmers' enthusiasm for production. They have invested in agricultural production one after another, watering the fields of hope with their hard work. With their joint efforts, the grain output of the Song Dynasty increased year by year, and the living standards of the people also improved significantly.
This series of measures taken by Princess Zhao Yingluo not only won the love and respect of the people, but also laid a solid foundation for the prosperity and stability of the Song Dynasty. Under her governance, the Song Dynasty gradually entered a new era of prosperity.
