"Actually, hotpot is best eaten in winter. It's freezing cold. Not only can eating this satisfy your cravings, but it can also keep you warm-"
"Keep warm?"
When Qin Shi Huang regained his senses and picked up his chopsticks, he was stunned once again.
Winter! Keep warm!
This hotpot…seemed to be very suitable for the soldiers of the Northern Frontier!
Although the grass was green in summer, it was quite cold in winter.
With this pot and the cattle and sheep on the plains, Great Qin's soldiers could eat fresh and hot food even in winter.
Wasn't this better than eating dry rations that were as hard as rocks?
Most importantly, they could even save a lot of grain from the national treasury.
After all, the grasslands were rich in cattle and sheep. If the soldiers wanted to eat meat, they only needed to plunder from the grassland tribes.
As such, wouldn't it speed up Great Qin's conquest of the Central Plains?
Thinking of this, a rare trace of anticipation appeared in Qin Shi Huang's eyes.
Then, he looked up and saw something familiar.
"This is…a sweet potato?"
Under Ying Chu's instructions, the peeled sweet potatoes were cut into thick slices of the same size by the imperial chef.
They were placed on a plate.
It looked very appetizing.
"That's right. The vegetables over there can be cooked into the hotpot, and the taste is not inferior to meat at all!”
As he spoke, Ying Chu picked up a sweet potato with his chopsticks and put it into the pot.
After a while, he scooped the cooked sweet potato into an empty plate and placed it beside the emperor's hand.
"Would you like to try it?"
Qin Shi Huang took a bite. Although it didn't have the unique fragrance of chili, it tasted different from the roasted sweet potato he had eaten in the pot before.
The sweetness of the sweet potato combined with the spicy pot soup base made people's eyes light up.
Spicy to the point of enjoyment, sweet to the point of intoxication.
The spiciness rushed straight into his taste buds, and then it became slightly sweet again, making Shi Huang unable to resist eating another piece.
"This item is indeed not bad. After a large number of it ripens, Great Qin's granary will be filled!”
To be able to make the First Emperor personally nod his head was enough to show his satisfaction and importance.
But after hearing this, Ying Chu suddenly thought of something.
"Father, you have to be careful about planting sweet potatoes!”
Ying Chu put down the meat in his bowl and said solemnly.
"This sweet potato is extremely simple to grow and does not require any special conditions. Therefore, if it is sold to other countries, it will be tantamount to stealing chickens and losing rice.”
"Especially the Xiongnu. They say that the land is small and barren, and there's nothing to show for it, but how bad can the land that can grow grasslands be?”
He had said so much, but Qin Shi Huang remained indifferent.
Seeing this, he panicked." If you don't believe me, you can ask General Meng Tian and Brother Fu Su!"”
"Their land is more suitable for sweet potatoes than our Central Plains!”
"The land is fertile and sparsely populated. Once the sweet potatoes fall into their hands, the Xiongnu will not lack food. At that time, it will be a protracted war if we want to fight the Xiongnu again.”
"The gains do not make up for the losses!"
He said firmly, as if he was disappointed that the iron did not live up to his expectations.
This matter could not be taken lightly at all. If such a thing really happened, it would definitely make people regret it for the rest of their lives.
After all, at this moment, only Great Qin could produce 1,000 acres of crops.
If other countries found out about the existence of the sweet potato, they would definitely treat it as a divine item and might even send their entire countries to attack Great Qin.
No matter how strong Great Qin's army was, it would definitely feel troubled by this.
At that time, not to mention fighting the Xiongnu, even self-defense might become a headache.
But in fact, the First Emperor had already reacted when he said the first sentence.
There was no one more proficient than Qin Shi Huang in the affairs of the court.
Therefore, he was much clearer than Ying Chu about the twists and turns in this matter.
Other than what the other party had said, he still had to be on guard against the officials in the court.
It was necessary to be wary of others. In this day and age, there were many people who were willing to be traitors for money or benefits.
However…
If it weren't for today's morning court session, he would probably really be troubled.
However, there was no need for that now.
After all, the sweet potatoes were not ripe yet, and the ministers were currently focused on attacking the grasslands. They did not have the time to think about other things.
As long as he made a law specifically targeting sweet potatoes, he would order people to guard the border fortress and prevent anyone from trading with foreign merchants.
As for when sweet potatoes were finally planted all over the country, even if a portion of it flowed out, it would not be a big deal.
After all, it was still unknown whether the Xiongnu were there at that time.
"Don't worry, I know what to do!"
Qin Shi Huang said it with confidence, Ying Chu's heart instantly calmed down.
"Oh, that's good!"
With that, he picked up his chopsticks and focused on eating the hotpot.
Anyway, this was the case. Since the First Emperor had an idea, he should hurry up and get down to business-eating hotpot!
The meat that had just been cooked would be old if he didn't eat it!
Once he returned to his usual appearance, the First Emperor did not speak anymore.
The two of them competed as if they were in a competition and finished all the food on the table.
"Burp! Aiya, I'm so full. I have to go out and digest my food.”
Ying Chu rubbed his round tummy that was as big as a rubber ball, then jumped off the chair and walked out.
Qin Shi Huang did not linger.
After all, there were still a bunch of old ministers waiting at the entrance of the royal study.
……
Smelling the unique fragrance that wafted out of nowhere, the ministers who had just eaten felt hungry again.
Because of the morning court session, everyone left the court a little late.
When the First Emperor saw the large group of old ministers following behind him, he understood that the matter of attacking the grasslands today had really roused the blood of these old ministers.
Ying Chu had run over just when he was thinking of having a meal with the old officials.
Qin Shi Huang left with him without a word.
Firstly, it was Chu 'er. Secondly, it was because he was indeed interested in hotpot. Thirdly, he wanted to calm the old ministers down.
They were all generals. What would happen if they started fighting in his royal study?
Of course, even if the two of them left, there would still be people who would worry about the food of the old officials.
This was…
Shi Huang, who had returned with the smell of hotpot, happened to bump into a group of people who had just finished eating but were still craning their necks to sniff something.
"Dear ministers, come in with zhen. It just so happens that zhen has something to announce to everyone!”
"Yes!"
"This is a sweet potato. My dear ministers, why don't you try it?”
As soon as he sat down on the dragon throne, the First Emperor ordered a few lunch boxes.
There were cooked sweet potatoes inside.
This was something he had specially ordered the imperial kitchen to do before he left. His goal was to open the eyes of the old ministers.
So that he could support the many orders he would issue next.
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[PS: Freshly released pink novel, author kneels in a 360-degree spiral, requesting recommendation votes, requesting all support!]
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