MLMD -Chapter 167 Grand Review at the Drill Ground (Part 1)

“If my estimate is not off, the harvest should come to around five million dan,” Yue Yang’s voice rang clearly into the ears of Lu Xiangsheng and everyone around him.

“Yue Yang, is that really true?” Lu Xiangsheng’s voice was trembling.

Yue Yang thought it over carefully again. “My Lord Governor, I wouldn’t dare to be absolutely certain, but even if it isn’t five million dan, there should at least be four and a half to four point six million.”

“Five million dan… five million dan!” Looking at the bustling scene in the fields all around, Lu Xiangsheng was so excited that his whole body was shaking. He suddenly grabbed Yue Yang’s hand and asked in near-mad excitement, “Zhenghong, tell me—right now you only have about five hundred thousand mu of land. To get five million dan of grain, you’d need over a thousand jin per mu. How did you do it?”

In fact, it wasn’t only Lu Xiangsheng. Xu Dingchen, Chen Xinzhang, and all the generals around them were staring at Yue Yang with their mouths hanging open. Five million dan of grain—at one hundred jin per dan, that was five hundred million jin. The Great Ming was in an age of famine and starving corpses everywhere; refugees roamed the land precisely because people had nothing to eat. At an average of two jin of grain per person per day, five hundred million jin would be enough to feed six or seven hundred thousand soldiers and civilians of Datong Prefecture for an entire year. It was nothing short of astounding.

“This actually isn’t anything extraordinary.” Yue Yang dismounted, walked into the fields, picked up a round object from among the heaps of produce, and brought it over to Lu Xiangsheng. “My Lord Governor, please take a look. The key lies in this. This is called the potato, also known as malingshu. I bought it from overseas at great expense. Not only is it edible, it also grows quickly and yields very high harvests. With careful cultivation, it can easily produce a thousand jin per mu or more. That’s why I ordered it to be planted in large quantities together with wheat, and the results came quickly.”

“Good… good indeed!” As Lu Xiangsheng listened to Yue Yang’s explanation, he trembled with excitement. Holding the potato in his hand as though it were a priceless treasure, he murmured, “Wonderful, truly wonderful… With this, the people of Xuanfu and Datong—no, the people of the Great Ming—can be saved! I must report this to His Majesty and have the court issue an edict ordering the whole realm to plant this crop. Then there will never again be famine in the Great Ming!”

Lu Xiangsheng was wildly optimistic, but Yue Yang was not so naïve. He knew that the spread of any new thing could never happen overnight. In theory, if most of Ming’s regions planted potatoes, the whole population could be fed—but that was an idealistic dream, very hard to realize.

After all, the Ming was still a society dominated by great landlords, wealthy merchants, and the scholar-official class. Nearly ninety percent of the land was in their hands. Even if crops became more productive, ordinary peasants without land would not benefit; instead, it would only accelerate the monopolization of land by the powerful. Just like the imperial estates: the Zhu family owned millions of mu of prime farmland around the capital and in places like Pingjin. In theory, they should never have lacked silver, yet for nearly two hundred years, even in the best harvests, the imperial estates produced only a little over five thousand taels of silver a year—almost the biggest joke in the world. Where had all the grain and money gone? That was the real problem.

Watching Lu Xiangsheng’s excitement, Yue Yang sighed inwardly but said nothing. Even if potatoes and sweet potatoes could not be promoted smoothly, it was still better to plant as many as possible. Any extra grain was a blessing.

At this moment, not only Lu Xiangsheng, but also Xu Dingchen, Chen Xinzhang, and the generals behind them looked at Yue Yang differently. As the saying goes, “whoever has milk is mother”—it summed up the rules of the world. With so much grain in his hands, Yue Yang could no longer be judged lightly.

“If we befriend this young man now, we may need his help someday.”
That was what everyone was thinking.

The change in their gazes and attitudes was obvious. Seeing this, Yue Yang’s subordinates felt a surge of pride. This was Wuli Fort—its seasonal harvest alone was enough to feed tens of thousands of people in Datong.

Each with their own thoughts, the group followed Lu Xiangsheng and Yue Yang toward Wuli Fort. The closer they came, the more they felt its prosperity: smooth, wide roads; endless streams of carts; merchants everywhere; and hawkers’ cries filling the streets, forming a scene of bustling vitality.

When they entered the fort, Lu Xiangsheng suddenly veered to the right. Though puzzled, everyone behind him followed.

Turning back with a smile, Lu Xiangsheng said to Chen Xinzhang and Xu Dingchen, “Gentlemen, you must be wondering why I came this way. When I first arrived at Wuli Fort, I didn’t understand its rules either. Only after watching for a long time did I figure them out. Guard Yue understands them best—let him explain.”

With no choice, Yue Yang explained the traffic rules he had copied from the modern world, and then added, “I’ve been rather mischievous—please forgive the joke, my lords.”

Chen Xinzhang and Xu Dingchen stroked their beards, pondering it carefully. The more they thought about it, the more meaningful it seemed. After a long while, Xu Dingchen said, “Lord Yue, at first this seems frivolous, but on closer thought it has great merit. Everyone has their place and their duty—doesn’t this perfectly accord with the teachings of the sages?”

Chen Xinzhang nodded. “Indeed, it does.”

The generals behind them murmured among themselves. Some felt it was unnecessary—people walk however they like, so why force a side? Others felt it created order and discipline.

Setting aside their debate, Yue Yang said to Lu Xiangsheng, “My Lord Governor, you’ve traveled a long way and must be tired. Would you like to rest at Yue Manor first?”

Lu Xiangsheng, however, declined sternly. “Guard Yue, our purpose in coming to Wuli Fort is not just to inspect the people’s livelihood. More importantly, we want to see the elite troops you’ve trained. I very much wish to witness the force that took over two thousand enemy heads.”

“…Very well.” Yue Yang hesitated briefly, then bowed. “Since Your Excellency has such interest, I will assemble the troops for your review.”

He gestured invitingly, and the group soon arrived at the drill ground beside Yue Manor.

After several expansions, it had become a vast parade ground capable of holding over ten thousand men. Most recruit training and live-fire drills were conducted here.

Yue Yang led Lu Xiangsheng, Xu Dingchen, and Chen Xinzhang onto the central reviewing platform. Lu Xiangsheng stood in the middle, Xu and Chen to his left, and Yue Yang, by permission, to his right. Around them stood over a hundred guards from the Governor-General’s own elite, old veterans of the Tianxiong Army, all with swords drawn and arrows nocked, instantly turning the atmosphere solemn.

Lu Xiangsheng turned to Yue Yang. “Guard Yue, you may summon your troops.”

Yue Yang glanced at Hu Laosan and Shunbao. Understanding, they ran down to two great drums, raised their mallets, and struck together.

Boom… boom-boom… boom-boom-boom…

The deep drumbeats quickened rhythmically and echoed far and wide. After a full round, the two men set down their mallets and stood ten paces before the platform, hands at their sides, eyes forward.

Yet the field remained empty. Not a single soldier was in sight. The generals from Xuanfu and Datong exchanged amused glances. By Ming regulations, once the assembly drums were sounded, all troops had to gather within a quarter of an hour. Several minutes had already passed—was this not a joke?

Just as they were smirking, a steady, rhythmic sound began to come from the distance. Their expressions shifted to confusion. What was that? How could it be so perfectly synchronized?

Suddenly they all sucked in a breath. From beyond the field, lines of soldiers came running in—fully armed, clad head to toe in iron armor. Though so many men were moving, their formation did not waver in the slightest; only a thunderous, unified rumble filled the ground.

Most were musketeers holding firelocks; the rest were shield-bearers with heavy shields. Unit after unit entered, each led by a company commander. Reaching the front of the platform, the commander barked an order, and all the men stopped at once.

Only then did everyone realize: from every angle, the ranks were perfectly straight, without the slightest need for adjustment—a sight that left all onlookers stunned.