Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 247 Let Me Give It a Try

Hearing this, Jiu Que was actually very happy that General Yu Chi cared about him, so he smiled and shook his head.

"It's alright, Uncle. His Majesty doesn't care about this. If I leave this time, I may never have the chance to come back again. Please let me stay here a little longer. Uncle, is that alright?"

His little nephew was being affectionate, so how could General Yuchi possibly refuse? He sighed and could only helplessly agree. After all, since the child had come here, he had rarely made any demands on him, except for learning martial arts. As a caring uncle, he naturally wanted to fulfill all his little nephew's wishes.

"However, you must also know that although your uncle is very happy with your achievements, the civil officials in the court do not think so. Even some military officials will look down on you because you are a woman who can stand above them. So you need to think carefully about whether returning late will affect your position in His Majesty's heart and your status in the court. In this era, nothing is more important than your own ability and His Majesty's favor."

These were all heartfelt words, and Jiu Que naturally wouldn't overestimate herself, so she nodded heavily.

She realized that General Yuchi had been keeping these words in his heart for a long time, and now he had finally found a suitable opportunity to tell them to her. She looked at General Yuchi with a smile and felt that this uncle was not only kind-looking but also kind-hearted.

She had been at the military camp for over half a month and had a pretty thorough understanding of the Northern Frontier Army's situation. Now, she felt she needed to remind her uncle of something: the Northern Frontier Army's daily expenses were so high, and the imperial court's funding was often delayed. If the court's funding was postponed, they would go hungry—a vicious cycle. What if one day they encountered a protracted war with the nomadic tribes of the grasslands, and the court's funding was delayed again?

Although such a situation should be rare, no one can guarantee it won't happen. Just like before, no one knew that the salt wells and salt lakes in Yancheng would be poisoned and polluted.

"Uncle, I'd like to ask, doesn't our Northern Frontier Army have any income on a regular basis?"

"Income? What income? We're supported by the imperial court; all we need to do each year is submit a petition to urge them to pay our wages, isn't that enough?"

"Uh... but now the Great Jing is plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities, and the grain in the national treasury is gradually decreasing. Uncle Yuchi, haven't you noticed that the Northern Frontier Army's provisions are being delivered later and later?"

"It is indeed getting later and later, but we are busy with training on weekdays. Where do we have the energy to find income? And what way can we support 200,000 people?"

Indeed, that's 200,000 people, not 200,000 ants. Even if it were 200,000 ants, the amount of food needed to feed them every day would be considerable.
Moreover, they are now His Majesty's army. If they were to bypass the court and find their own ways to make money, wouldn't that be considered treason? We can't set a precedent for this. Even if His Majesty doesn't care now, he might hold a grudge later.

Hearing this, Jiu Que was also a little worried, but she still managed to calm General Yu Chi down.

“Uncle Yuchi, don’t worry. I will explain the situation here to His Majesty. It’s not good if the court keeps delaying the allocation of grain. If His Majesty agrees that we can find a way to earn grain ourselves, we can give it a try. After all, if we can help everyone eat and drink better, that would be our good intention.” “This…”

General Yuchi quickly gave up thinking about it and prepared to pass the problem on to Jiu Que, who had brought it up. Since Jiu Que was able to bring it up, it meant that she had already thought about it.

"how do you want to do it?"

"I can't do anything about the others, but let's at least improve everyone's meals first. I've been eating and living with everyone these past few days. Although we can barely get enough to eat, there's no oil or fat in everyone's food. We work so hard every day, how can we manage without oil or fat? So I'm thinking of leading the military households and their families to raise a batch of chickens and ducks, so we can give everyone a special meal from time to time."

"Raising a dozen or so of those things isn't too difficult, but do you know how many people there are in our Northern Frontier Army? Although some have retired due to injuries, illnesses, or old age in recent years, there are still nearly 200,000 people. How many chickens and ducks would you need to raise to feed so many people? If you raise too many chickens and ducks, a slight mishap could lead to mass deaths. You may not have raised them before, so you don't know that our Northern Frontier Army actually considered this idea. But that year, we finally managed to gather a thousand chicks, but for some reason, even though everyone took great care of them, they still died in large numbers. We got scared, fearing that these diseases would spread to people, so we quickly slaughtered and burned all the chicks. That year, we spent an unknown amount of time, money, and everyone's energy, and in the end, it was all for nothing. Since then, no one has mentioned raising chickens, ducks, or fish for meat again."

General Yuchi still felt melancholy when he mentioned this sad thing. If they had been able to successfully raise the animals that year, everyone could have gained some weight for winter and wouldn't have had to freeze to death in the winter.

In the end, it all comes down to his incompetence as a general; he couldn't provide a better life for his brothers. If General Ying were still alive, he would certainly have done a better job...

“Uncle Yuchi, leave this matter to me. You know, I lived on the estate for several years and I happen to know how to raise chickens and ducks in large numbers and prevent them from dying from disease. Anyway, I’m just sitting here doing nothing, so let me give it a try.”

"Of course you can try, but where are we going to find so many hens with chicks right now? Without hens to incubate the eggs, the chicks won't hatch at all. You know that our northern border is remote and desolate. Only ordinary people raise a few chickens and ducks, just to exchange the eggs for daily necessities like needles and thread. It's unlikely that we can gather a large number of chicks in a short time."

"You don't need to worry about that. As long as you agree, I'll submit a memorial to His Majesty first. Once His Majesty approves, I'll get started. Anyway, I'm just idling around, so I can't let time just pass by like this, can I?"

"Okay, I trust you."

Although General Yuchi didn't know how to raise chickens and ducks, he knew that Jiu Que wasn't one to make empty boasts, so he figured she must truly know. Thinking of this, General Yuchi felt a surge of anticipation. If Jiu Que could really raise a large number of chickens and ducks, wouldn't they be able to satisfy their appetites every now and then? Ah, putting everything else aside, in this harsh and cold northwestern frontier, being able to eat meat every now and then would be an absolute delight.

(End of this chapter)