After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 28

However, before the leg of lamb was fully cooked, Chu Hechao sent another message.

The soldier delivered the message in a strict tone, saying, "The general says that he already reported your military achievements to the court more than a month ago. As per your request, the general also asked the Emperor to reward your military achievements to your father."

Upon hearing these words, Yuan Li's anger turned into a mix of laughter and tears. He couldn't bring himself to be angry anymore.

First, provoke someone, and right before completely provoking them, make a good gesture. Yuan Li had to admit that Chu Hechao was really skilled at pushing people to the edge without offending them.

Yuan Li couldn't be bothered to send the roasted leg of lamb to Chu Hechao. He simply divided it among his subordinates and enjoyed it himself.

A few days later, Chu Hechao gave Yuan Li five hundred men to escort him and the wounded soldiers back to Jixian.

On the way, Yuan Li discussed the matter of establishing a livestock farm with Liu Jixin.

Liu Jixin said, "If you want to raise livestock, the most suitable animals for rearing in Youzhou are cattle, sheep, and horses. Youzhou has many grasslands, so we can relocate cattle, sheep, and horses there for grazing. On the other hand, pigs are expensive and have a strong odor, so raising them would be a waste."

Yuan Li pondered for a while and said, "You make a valid point."

In Ruyang, cattle and sheep were more valuable than pigs, but he almost forgot that it was different in Youzhou. Because Youzhou had grasslands, grazing cattle, sheep, and horses was the most cost-effective approach.

In that case, can we replace the pig fat used to make soap with other animal fats?

After some thought, Yuan Li shook his head in his mind.

While other animal fats could be added, pig fat couldn't be abandoned.

Among the rewards given to him by the system were agricultural and livestock books like "Postpartum Care for Sows," which provided methods to increase pork production. Once pigs were raised to be fat and robust, their production would increase, leading to a decrease in meat prices. Throughout history, the demand for pork among the common people far exceeded the combined demand for beef, lamb, and other livestock. Cattle and sheep couldn't be possessions in every household, but pigs could.

Pigs eat a variety of food and are not difficult to raise if the taste is not a concern. After all, even the character "家" (home) contains the component "豕" (pig), indicating the significance of pigs to the common people. Even now, the social hierarchy in terms of meat consumption remains as "princes eat beef, nobles eat lamb, officials eat pork, scholars eat fish, and common people eat vegetables."* Common people may not have a chance to eat meat in their entire lives, and cattle are good partners for farming. Not to mention the punishment for killing them, people are also reluctant to slaughter cows. If we want to improve the lives of the common people and have capable soldiers, we cannot give up on raising pigs.

However, Yuan Li didn't mention these thoughts to Liu Jixin for now. After returning to Jixian, he first went to check on the progress of the labor of the captives.

Zhao Ying and Wang Er were in charge of supervising the captives' work. They hadn't slacked off for a single day. Yuan Li had been gone for about a month, but under their supervision, the captives had already built the soap workshop and the livestock farm. In addition to these two places, some wastelands had also been reclaimed.

Yuan Li rewarded them and had them build rows of houses for the injured soldiers, serving as employee dormitories.

Upon hearing Yuan Li's plans, even the regular soldiers who had escorted the injured soldiers back started to envy. The injured soldiers, on the other hand, were overjoyed. Those who were capable of working felt a surge of energy and joined the captives in their work, eager to accelerate the construction of their new homes.