"Alas... not everyone can see their benefits like you do, Miss Amy. It's normal for farmers to be skeptical because they have never grown them before, so I can only demonstrate it myself. As for the lords or consuls... to be honest, they know nothing except fighting wars and collecting taxes!"
When mentioning the lord and the archon, Dean had a look of disdain on his face. It was obvious that he was a man who was very proud of his profession, but obviously a little too straightforward.
"You are the lord here, can't you ask the farmers to plant more?"
Amy could see that Dean's research on agricultural products was not taken seriously - otherwise there would be potatoes and corn everywhere.
But Amy also didn't understand. Dean was the village's top manager. Why didn't he enforce the promotion of these high-yield crops?
"Baccus is... different, Miss Amy. I didn't become a lord by fighting, but by building water conservancy projects in the south. Most of the people who own land in the empire are Baccus people, and they are all descendants of legionnaires. They are not willing to obey a lord like me who has no military merits... But my father doesn't understand me. He only wants me to get married and have children..."
Dean's face was full of helplessness.
A person who has the ability to improve crop varieties on his own is certainly not a fool; on the contrary, he is even a genius.
But his character is too straightforward and he is not a qualified bureaucrat, which makes him not very persuasive, and he has not learned to use other means to promote practical work.
Dean's private land was only two hundred acres, which was far too little for a lord - probably just enough to maintain a relatively decent life, and he didn't even dare to keep more servants.
Fortunately, the troops are provided with equipment, food and pay by the state, otherwise Dean would not even be able to support the soldiers.
Of course, he was not very good at leading troops in battle.
The small lords of the Bacchus Empire are actually not rich, especially the descendants of the newly-ascended Pendor people.
This is because Bacchus is different from other countries.
The feudal logic of this country belongs to dispatched governance, and the territory is not the private property of the lord.
The lord is only an official dispatched, and will be transferred according to actual conditions. It is completely different from the fiefdoms of other countries.
The land of Bacchus nominally belongs to the 'people', but since the 'people' of this country twenty years ago referred only to the Bacchus nation, most of the land is still in their hands.
Although Emperor Marius' reforms gave the Pendites equal status, most of them are still proletarians - there is nothing that can be done about it, twenty years is too short, and there are not many new Pendites coming to power.
In fact, the mere faction-based struggles that allowed the two nations to have equal status had already led to constant reforms, with many high-ranking consuls disagreeing with the reforms. If Emperor Marius had dared to touch the land of the Bacchus, he would have been dismissed long ago, not to mention pushing for reforms.
General Cleon and Lord Dean are descendants of the natives of Pendor, or in other words, they are the new Pendor people who came to power in the past twenty years.
Cleon was the sergeant-major of the Knights of the Radiant Cross. He became a general because he led the Plague Repellents and made great contributions in the fight against the Snake Cult. His family was not originally wealthy.
Dean also benefited from the academy jointly established by Emperor Marius and the Knights of the Radiant Cross. After graduating from the Royal Academy, he would become a "Knight of the Imperial Guard", and he has been a lord for only a short time.
Therefore, the father and son were not actually wealthy, and there was a huge difference between them and descendants of the old Bacchus such as Kairos or Agathon.
Dean's land is not as much as that of the common people of Bucks. Fortunately, as a lord, he does not have to pay taxes, so he can devote himself to research all day long.
In the Bacchus Empire, in order to allow the lord to have no worries, the lord's private property is completely exempt from tax.
But this preferential treatment is not very effective for a descendant of the Pende people like Dean...
Bacchus elder nobles like Kairos owned countless pieces of land. Many of the common people who owned land would take the initiative to donate their land to the great lords, making themselves their retainers or tenants. This way they could avoid taxes, and more land would end up in their hands.
This situation will of course lead to large-scale mergers, and land mergers have always been a big problem in the Bacchus Empire.
Of course, this is also a world-class problem. The internal conflicts in every country are ultimately caused by land annexation.
After all, food is the most important thing for people, and food - whether it is meat or vegetarian, ultimately comes from the land.
But descendants of the Pendor like Cleon and Dean would find it difficult to obtain such land donations even if they became generals or lords - most Bacchus could barely accept the nominal equality of the two nations, but were still unwilling to voluntarily submit to the natives of Pendor, as they would be looked down upon by their own people.
So not only is Dean not rich, his father Cleon is also extremely poor.
Even though Cleon became a general, he still wore the Plague Repellent's uniform 'Imperial Youth Infantry Armor' all day long. In fact, it was mainly because he was poor - the equipment of the Glorious Cross Knights was now provided by the Empire, just like the other legions, free of charge.
"I don't have much land myself, and I can't issue mandatory orders to those who own land, because the tribune will reject them... So I planted dozens of acres of various crops, so that I can compare them under the same conditions and let people discover their benefits for themselves."
At this point, Dean frowned and sighed: "But there are still many difficulties..."
"How could that be? I've only been here for a while, and I've already seen their huge benefits. With such a large output, why can't they be promoted?"
Amy looked at the two kinds of grain with shining eyes. Everything she had experienced with the lord these days was related to grain. She could easily judge the huge value of these two things.
"The yield is obvious... the main difficulty is that they all taste a bit bad..."
Dean scratched his head and pointed at the potato with some green sprouts in Amy's hand. "Fresh potatoes are delicious, but potato seeds that have been stored in the cellar for more than half a year may cause poisoning. A while ago, a villager stole one and was poisoned to death... Although it was his own fault, no one is willing to plant it now..."
After all, food needs to be stored. If eating potatoes after storage will cause poisoning, then it will definitely not be promoted.
But Amy thinks this can actually be solved, just calculate the proportion of planting...
When fresh potatoes are harvested in the summer, we rely on the potatoes from a small amount of land to fill our stomachs. In the autumn and winter, we rely on corn and wheat to store food. After all, the huge yield of potatoes can cover most problems.
"What about corn? Is corn also poisonous?"
"There is nothing wrong with the corn, and it can be stored easily. It's just that after being dried and stored, the corn has a hard shell, so it doesn't taste very good. I have been trying to improve the variety. But at least it is edible..."
Dean is just an agricultural expert, not a chef or gourmet, and it is not easy for him to solve these problems alone.
Amy also realized that Dean had no interest in matters between men and women and was completely focused on his research. General Creon would definitely not understand Dean, so it was normal for a gap to arise between father and son.
Amy wondered what her teacher would do if he were here.
Will he kidnap Dean?
I think so...
If he could do so well at Bucksdean, what about places like White Hart Castle and McLaren?
Autocratic fiefdoms sometimes have many advantages over territories like Bacchus that are managed by a trilateral agreement among the military, the government, and the people - of course, that is when there is an outstanding leader.
"Mr. Dean, are you willing to sell me some of these seeds? But I have to be frank, I am not a Bacchus..."
Amy is testing Dean's attitude.
"Of course, I can give you some. No matter where you come from, feeding people is the ultimate will of the Damia Goddess... But I can't give you too much. I only planted this much..."
Dean agreed readily and seemed happy that someone recognized his research.
Such people are truly devout to the goddess Damia...
Develop water conservancy projects to protect the land and ensure good weather and good harvests in the south;
Improve and promote high-yield crops, so that no one, regardless of nationality, will go hungry;
——His behavior is the goddess Damia herself.
When most people only know how to pray and ask for things, such people appear extremely noble.
"Mr. Dean, if... I mean if, if there is a place where you can promote your research results without any scruples, are you willing to try it? This may save tens of thousands of people, millions of people, or even the entire continent from famine..."
Amy looked at Dean with admiration and started recruiting people just like the lord.
"No scruples? Is there such a place?"
Dean's eyes widened. It was indeed difficult for him to promote these two crops in this place. It was not only a problem with the crops themselves, but the conflict between the two ethnic groups was also one of the reasons.
The Bacchus who owned the land were not very happy about the change - the vested interests certainly didn't want any changes, and the landowners wouldn't starve.
"Please follow me, Sir Dean, I will take you to see my teacher, he will definitely be able to give you such a place."
Amy held the two potatoes and corn tightly in her arms, not caring at all that her half armor and clothes were stained with mud.
Dean looked at Amy and laughed. "Your teacher must be a learned elder. Of course I would like to meet him. But you don't have to do this, Miss. I can see that you are the one who truly understands their meaning. I can send you a large car later..."
Amy was not polite either: "Okay, then I won't be polite! I'll send a carriage over to take the seeds away."
Dean nodded honestly: "No problem, I also know that Mettenheim has been plagued by famine. It is a good thing to let the goddess Damia bring blessings to everyone."
Sarah thought for a moment, whispered something to Amy, and then walked towards General Cleon who was waiting in the center of the village.
"General, we can indeed persuade Lord Dean to come out..."
Sarah bowed to Cleon, which was the etiquette for noble girls.
Cleon was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly: "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a noble... I'm sorry. Is he really willing to come out?"
“It’s my fault for not revealing my identity first. I’m a traveling poet… General, Lord Dean seems to be quite opposed to you. If you force the arrangement, he might be scared.
I suggest you stay away for now, and we can try to get him to go with my caravan to the southern coastal area - there are his achievements there, which can help him relax a little.
This way, he can avoid the punishment of the law and try to change his attitude. At least it is better than sending him to the mine to move stones. Even if it doesn't work, at least this year's problem has been solved..."
General Cleon sighed, "You have a point, but is he really willing to travel with you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Dean sending Amy out and walking towards this side. The two seemed to be having a good chat.
"This..." Cleon smiled in surprise.
But his smile soon turned into anxiety: "Look at him, there is such a lovely girl next to him, but he doesn't even look at her..."
Sarah smiled and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. At least he's out and willing to talk to girls."
That's true. Cleon nodded and agreed to Sarah's suggestion: "If you are traveling in Bacchus, that's fine. I'll send a few people to escort you."
At this time, Dean, who was walking towards this side, saw Cleon standing near the statue of the goddess. He stopped and frowned, looking at him, as if he was unwilling to move forward.
Cleon sighed and shook his head, asking a few plague repellents to follow Dean, while he walked in the other direction of the village.
After seeing his father leave, Dean moved towards the village entrance again. The Mettenheim people were already waiting there with their convoy.
Li Ang was in a car in the convoy - it was a van that he had modified before setting off, specially designed to carry people. It was pulled by two horses and could seat four people. The roof and the cargo box at the rear were used to store luggage.
This is the common four-wheeled carriage with seats facing each other in modern times.
The driver was Klose, and Sarah and Amy had also come in this car before.
This is for use when it is inconvenient to show up. The other vehicles are trucks.
"Teacher, I think you should meet Lord Dean."
Seeing Leon coming out of the carriage, Amy walked forward happily, like a child showing off her grades.
Dean looked a little suspicious: "This...is this your teacher?"
Obviously, the young appearance of the lord is not convincing... He doesn't look like a learned elder at all.
But Leon completely ignored what he was saying. His eyes were fixed on the potatoes and corn that Amy took out.
"Amy...where did you get these?"
Amy held it out and pointed at Dean.
The lord held the two crops in his arms almost as if they were being robbed, and the action was exactly the same as Amy had done before.
Dean looked at Leon's drastic reaction, and his expression changed from suspicion to joy: "You seem to know these things?"
Li Ang looked at Dean with eager eyes: "Of course I know, these things can change the world! Mr. Dean, I am Li Ang, I need to talk to you..."
Then he dragged Dean into the carriage violently and with an agitated look on his face.
Several plague exorcists were following behind and thought Dean had been kidnapped. They were very anxious and just as they gathered around, they heard two people chatting animatedly in the carriage.
“…”
"...What? I have to take you away. Someone like you shouldn't be sent to carry rocks in the mines!"
"That is a legitimate law after all. I violated the law, so I deserve to be punished..."
"No, you just don't want to waste time talking to idiots, and you don't want people who know nothing to interfere with your research. I understand, and I often think so..."
"Ha, that's right...but I always don't know how to say it. I'm not very good at expressing myself..."
"That's what all geniuses do. Yes, I'm talking about you, Dean. You're the one who can change the world... By the way, I know what the toxicity of potatoes is. After they sprout..."
Several plague expellers looked at each other in bewilderment. Did these two people hit it off so well right away?
Amy smiled and shrugged, "Gentlemen, get in the car, we're about to set off."
Then he got in the car with Sarah.
The convoy slowly drove into the village, heading to Dean's house to get seeds.
Several people in the carriage were still chatting and laughing.
The plague-killers were relieved. They sent one person to find Clion to report the situation, and the others followed the convoy.
After unloading the goods in the truck and towing away a large truck of seeds, the convoy left Yimei Village.
Dean's butler was so happy that his face was beaming with joy - for the same cartload of leather products, the value of the products was much greater than that of grain. The butler felt that Lord Dean had made a fortune and become wealthy.
The lord was also very happy, smiling from ear to ear, because he was the one who really made a lot of money.
Amy is really a lucky girl to have picked up such a treasure on the way.
Potatoes! Eating this single food alone is enough to meet most of the body's needs, and it is the highest-level high-yield crop;
Corn is one of the most adaptable crops and can be grown almost anywhere.
If you can spread these two things...
My Lord feels that the future is bright.
With those plague drivers traveling together, the rest of the journey became smooth. In the Bacchus Empire, no one would stop the convoy with the Glorious Cross plague drivers traveling together.
Even bandits avoid them unless they encounter snake worshippers.
The Knights of the Glorious Cross do have this reputation in the south, and this reputation is not gained through fighting, but earned by doctors who have cured and saved lives over the past few hundred years.
Although the Plague Drivens are not healers, they are a force that protects healers and fights against the Snake Cult. They are a true civilian army and are highly respected by the people.
The convoy traveled thousands of miles southward, stopping at some small villages for supplies along the way. With Dean and the plague fighters traveling with them, they did not encounter any trouble during the five or six days of journey until they arrived near Buyulin Village.
This is a village in the southern part of the Pande continent. More than a hundred miles further south is Dilingang Port.
It was already late at this time, and the convoy had originally planned to rest for one night in Buyulin Village.
But the village was full of wailing villagers, as if some disaster had occurred.