Chapter 89.1

After receiving instructions from Lin Beifan, the news of the bumper grain harvest spread quickly throughout the land.

“We have a bumper grain harvest this year!”

“According to the official, the grain we produced this year is enough to feed 10 million people for a year!”

“So much grain, that’s great!”

“For the coming year, we will not be short of food!”

“From now on, we will never lack for food every year! Because I’ve heard that we have a lot of uncultivated land that is fertile soil, ready to be developed for growing crops! In the future, the lands of Great Xia will be filled with grain, and we will be forever free from famine!”

“Long live the Emperor! Long live Great Xia!”

Everyone was overjoyed, cheering and leaping with happiness, singing and dancing.

In contrast, the neighboring An Kingdom was shrouded in gloom.

Their grain harvest had fallen short, and visibly so, it was a very serious shortfall.

Within the imperial palace of An Kingdom, the Emperor of An Kingdom wore a bitter expression: “How much is this year’s grain harvest?”

The Minister of Revenue bowed his head, his forehead dripping with sweat, trembling as he spoke, “Your Majesty, our grain harvest this year is xx jin!”

“How does that compare to last year?” the Emperor of An Kingdom asked.

“This…” The Minister of Revenue hesitated greatly.

The Emperor of An Kingdom’s gaze sharpened: “Answer truthfully, do not deceive, or I will hold you accountable for your crimes!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Our grain harvest this year… the grain harvest has decreased by 70%!”

The Emperor of An Kingdom was shocked and dismayed: “What? Decreased by 70%?”

Although it was known that there would be a reduction in production, he didn’t expected it to be this severe.

Their country was originally situated in a barren land, with few areas suitable for growing crops.

The amount of food produced each year was just enough to barely sustain the nation’s population.

But now, production has been cut by 70 percent!

This means that 70 percent of the common people will face hunger!

The situation is too grave!

If the issue of feeding the people is not resolved, it will lead to serious consequences!

The Emperor of An Kingdom grew paler the more he thought about it, and he asked anxiously, “How much food do we have left now?”

“Your Majesty, we hardly have any food left!”

The Minister of Revenue’s face was all wrinkled with worry. “The last time, the troops from Great Xia came and took away all our food!”

“Only the granaries in the capital city still have some food left, but it is very limited, a mere drop in the bucket, nowhere near enough to supply the whole country, let alone the entire army!”

The Emperor of An Kingdom’s face had lost all its color.

Reflecting on everything, it seemed that all these troubles began with the arrival of Great Xia!

The soldiers and horses were wiped out, the gold, silver, and jewels were plundered, and the food was looted to the last grain.

The fertility of the soil was severely depleted, unable to yield crops, and many of the mineral resources were exhausted…

The entire nation was visibly decaying at a speed observable to the naked eye!

Regret filled the heart, knowing now that provoking the mighty Xia Kindom was a grave mistake, directly leading to the ruin of one’s own nation’s fortune!

Meanwhile, the enemy was thriving more and more each day, growing increasingly powerful!

At this moment, an official hurriedly entered the room.

Emperor An’s eyes lit up: “What is the situation? Has the Great Yue Kingdom agreed to provide us with food aid?”

The official shook his head and declared loudly, “Your Majesty, they say that food is precious and they don’t have much surplus themselves. They refuse to provide aid, only agreeing to sell it to us!”

The Emperor of the An Kingdom exclaimed anxiously, “As long as there’s food, that’s all that matters. How much money do they want?”

“Your Majesty, they say that to purchase food from them, one must pay double the price of the grain!”

“Damn it! They’re clearly taking advantage of our misfortune!” The Emperor of the An Kingdom’s face turned ashen with anger.

Back then, he had sent troops to help the Great Yue conquer the Shang Kingdom.

But now, when faced with a problem, not only did the Great Yue offer no help, they even added insult to injury, kicking him while he was down. Acknowledging them as an elder brother was all for naught!

At that moment, another official hurried into the room.

The Emperor of An Kingdom asked, “What about Peng Kingdom? Have they agreed to provide us with food?”

“Your Majesty, Peng Kingdom has replied that the grain they have grown is not even sufficient for their own use, so they are unable to offer us assistance!”

The Emperor of An Kingdom’s expression darkened; the situation in Peng Kingdom was indeed as such.

They too were situated in barren lands, and the grain harvested domestically was barely enough to feed their own people. To support another nation was absolutely impossible.

Following this, several officials rushed in to report.

Almost no country could offer help except for some noble families that had the capacity.

However, they too were exploiting the situation, selling grain at high prices.

However, their An Kingdom had long been impoverished, barely able to afford to buy grain, let alone at a high price—it was utterly impossible.

At that moment, a thought emerged in his mind.

Perhaps, they should seek help from Great Xia?

He had heard that this year they had a bumper harvest, producing enough grain to feed the entire nation with a significant surplus to spare.

But as soon as this thought surfaced, he quashed it.

The two sides were like fire and water. Sending someone to ask for help would only bring humiliation upon themselves; it was better not to act at all.

At that moment, someone rushed in hurriedly: “Your Majesty, there’s terrible news!”

“What’s the matter?” the Emperor of An Kingdom asked.

“Your Majesty, due to the poor harvest, our common people are fleeing with their families to Great Xia!”

The Emperor of An Kingdom’s brow relaxed, and he laughed: “This is clearly a good thing. If our grain can’t sustain them, let them go! Otherwise, it will only lead to rebellion if they stay in my realm! Great Xia has plenty of grain, there shouldn’t be a problem!”

In his tone, there was even a hint of schadenfreude.

The official was still anxious: “But Your Majesty, the number of refugees is as many as a million, and many of our places are being deserted! If we don’t intercept them, our An Kingdom will be left with hardly any people!”

The Emperor of An Kingdom was greatly startled: “What? So many people have fled?”

If the common people all flee, then his nation will exist in name only!

The Emperor of An Kingdom exclaimed anxiously: “Quickly dispatch someone to intercept them!”

At the same time, within the territory of Great Yue Kingdom, where the former Shang Kingdom was located, a similar situation was unfolding.

Due to a severe shortage of food, the Great Yue Kingdom could not sustain its population, so millions of commoners surged towards Great Xia.

Two million commoners all flocked to the border.

“Let us through, please! I have been hungry for days, and if I don’t eat soon, I’ll die!”

“Just give me a meal, and I’m willing to do anything!”

“Please, have mercy, I’ll work like an ox or a horse for you!”

There were too many refugees, and the Great Xia army felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, so they immediately reported the situation to Lin Beifan.

Lin Beifan’s opinion was to take them all in, to let them reclaim and farm the land.

After all, they had plenty of food and could support everyone.

Once they had developed all the wasteland, there would be a great harvest, and feeding 20 million people would not be a problem.

“His Majesty is merciful and agrees to accept the refugees! However, you must abide by the rules, line up in an orderly fashion, and undergo our inspection! Only after there are no issues can you be allowed to pass!” An Lushan shouted loudly.

The refugees rejoiced: “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Thus, more than two million refugees were gradually accepted.

Other countries watched this scene and sneered coldly.

Having the heart of a saintly mother is not always good; Great Xia will eventually be ruined by that foolish emperor!

However, at this moment, Lin Beifan was secretly delighted: “An increase of two million in population means our national power will grow again, haha!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of Empire Sandbox rang out.

“Ding! As the player’s national power increases, so does your strength. You are rewarded with the Tathagata Palm!”

“Tathagata Palm is an ultimate palm technique of extreme firmness and positivity! Once executed, it shocks the heavens and earth, makes ghosts and gods weep, and can suppress all evil demons and heretics. It is sacred and inviolable!”

Following that, a set of profound and unfathomable palm techniques flooded into Lin Beifan’s mind.

“This set of palm techniques is good, it can definitely flatten and round out a person!”

……

Time flies like a white steed flashing past a crevice, and soon it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional holiday, not only a day for family reunions but also a day to celebrate the harvest.

Since over 50% of the citizens of Great Xia come from other countries, they have left their homes to settle here, where they have gained a lot and found a new life. Therefore, this festival has been endowed with even more significance by everyone.

Lin Beifan announced a national holiday, allowing everyone to properly celebrate the festival.

That evening, the streets of the capital city were even livelier than usual.

Everyone was dressed in new clothes, carrying lanterns, and eating mooncakes. The sounds of laughter and joyful chatter were endless.

Inside the imperial palace, however, a grand moon-viewing banquet was held.

This was a grand celebration organized by Li Linfu in conjunction with other officials to honor Lin Beifan’s achievements.

To emphasize the importance of this event, Lin Beifan invited many people to attend.

Prime Minister Xiao Guoliang and Grand General Chai Yulang arrived; although they were no longer in the officialdom, they were still highly regarded by Lin Beifan and were seated right below him, just as before.

The two monarchs of the fallen nation were also invited to join in the moon viewing and mooncake eating.

At that moment, Li Linfu pushed forward a mooncake as big as a table.

“Your Majesty, this is a mooncake specially prepared for you by your humble servant. Please have a taste!”

Lin Beifan exclaimed in surprise, “Such a huge mooncake!”

“Exactly!”

Li Linfu laughed. “It symbolizes our Great Xia, growing bigger and more complete!”

“Excellent! Well said!”

Lin Beifan, with great joy, had someone cut a piece of mooncake, and after tasting it, he said, “This mooncake is delicious. Minister Li has put in a lot of effort. Everyone, please have a taste!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

The remaining mooncakes were then shared and eaten by everyone.

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