Chapter 87: Buying Seeds (1)
When Bai Hanyun asked the question, Feng Xiyan lowered his eyes, deep in thought.
’According to the law of the Yu Empire, each family is granted two mu of farmland. But after the Yuezhi Tribe besieged the city, many citizens died, and the land was returned to the country. Now, much of the farmland is left unattended.’
’In this situation, I can only allow the remaining citizens to cultivate their own fields and have the soldiers manage the ownerless ones. As for how to report this to the imperial court, everything will have to wait until the war is over.’
With this in mind, Feng Xiyan looked at the bronze mirror and replied, "There were over 100,000 families living in Xiqiang City before the war, and about 70% of them were farmers."
"By law, each family was granted two mu of farmland by the government. However, after the Yuezhi Tribe attacked the western border, less than 20% of the population remained."
"Based on rough calculations, the remaining citizens currently possess around 28,000 mu of farmland, while the rest is ownerless. With the war ongoing, we must guard against the Yuezhi Tribe and spies at the same time."
He paused for a moment, then added, "At most, we can cultivate 2,000 mu of farmland for now. We don’t have enough soldiers to guard more than that."
After listening to Feng Xiyan’s explanation, Bai Hanyun nodded and said, "If you plant sweet potatoes, 2,000 mu should be enough to feed everyone."
"With an average yield of 12,000 jins per mu, you could harvest at least 24 million jins within 3 to 4 months. If you combine the sweet potatoes with the other food I have sent, the harvest of the sweet potatoes from 2,000 mu should last you at least half a year."
Feng Xiyan nodded in agreement and said, "Then I will follow Fairy Bai’s suggestion."
"Good. I will prepare enough sweet potato slips for 2,000 mu of farmland and include fertilizers as well." After saying that, Bai Hanyun paused before asking, "Do you need anything else?"