Chapter Fifty-Four: The Password

Picking up a small wooden spade, Li Pingyang dug a little hole in the freshly turned earth. He placed a prepared chunk of potato into the soil, then carefully covered it. The layer of earth, neither too thick nor too thin, was about thirteen centimeters deep.

His task complete, Li Pingyang stood, brushed the dirt from his hands, handed the spade to Wuming, and smiled, “Just do as I did—plant all of these!”

With that, Li Pingyang tossed him a sack. Inside were sliced potato pieces. Wuming took the bag, staring for a few seconds, puzzled as to how these were eaten, and why they grew underground.

Wuming distributed the potato chunks among the Black Riders. They each held one, studied it, sniffed it, never having seen anything so strange.

Li Pingyang returned to his seat, picked up a slice of watermelon, took a large bite, and said, “Right now it’s square, but when it grows, it’ll become round!”

At this, everyone’s faces showed interest. One of the Black Riders interrupted, asking how this thing was supposed to be eaten.

Li Pingyang wiped watermelon juice from his face, clapped his hands, and said the question hit the mark. He handed the man a slice of watermelon and began to explain.

The simplest, most straightforward method was to roast them directly over fire—roasted potatoes. When making a fire, just toss the potatoes at the edge, go about other tasks, and after a while, dig them out, peel, and eat.

Or slice the potato, skewer the pieces, brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt—a hearty and delicious meal!

Imagine: enemy soldiers, marching, their best meal just dry millet, choked down with water. Yet our troops could enjoy barbecue right on the spot, and it fills the belly. Two roasted potatoes would be enough; you’d worry not about a lack of food, only about eating too much.

Once the Black Riders had planted all the potatoes, it was time for Li Pingyang’s “magic.”

He limbered up, walked to the first pit, and theatrically reached into a black cloth bag, producing a bottle of growth potion. Then, he reached in again and drew out a duplication card. These items, from the system shop, were invisible to others.

Everyone stared wide-eyed as Li Pingyang appeared to pour invisible things into the earth—dripping a few drops of potion onto each pit.

This sorcery left them all bewildered, uncertain what he was doing. Wuming frowned.

Then, something miraculous happened!

The earth, just touched by the potion, sprouted a green shoot. The shoot broke through the soil, and the Black Riders, faces alight with excitement, pressed their faces close to the ground.

The shoot grew before their very eyes, wild and fast. In the blink of an eye, it gained another inch or two, transforming from sprout to leaf.

All the other potato pits, under the potion’s influence, began to race each other in growth.

Soon, the potatoes in three fields grew together in a wave. From afar, the green potato shoots looked like a lush green forest.

Everyone was amazed.

Even Wuming was shocked, realizing Li Pingyang was more capable than he had thought.

It all seemed so unscientific, but he had done it—and it was no hallucination.

“Bring me a hoe!”

“Yes, sir…”

Li Pingyang ordered. The Black Riders scrambled to hand him a hoe, eager to make a good impression—their attitude had changed dramatically, making Li Pingyang laugh.

Taking the hoe, Li Pingyang dug into the earth, opening it to reveal something with a yellow skin. As he had said, it was round!

He reached in and pulled out the potato. Beneath that single shoot, he found an entire family—six potatoes of varying sizes.

The group was delighted. Some of the Black Riders’ eyes glistened with tears, as if they had glimpsed hope.

Soon, everyone dug up the potatoes, filling three large baskets to the brim. Next, Li Pingyang proceeded to duplicate them.

Unsure how to use the duplication card, Li Pingyang experimented. He first held the card’s back to a basket of potatoes, but nothing happened. Then he tried the front—still nothing. This time, a line of small text appeared, prompting for a password.

Li Pingyang stroked his chin, intrigued. He held the card thoughtfully, trying different passwords.

“Prajnaparamita…” No response.

“Red carp, green carp, and donkey…” Still nothing.

“Come out, Pikachu…” No effect.

“Makapaka…” Still nothing.

Frustrated, Li Pingyang threw the card away and cursed. Wuming glanced at him as one would at a fool, shaking his head.

“Could it be…”

Suddenly, Li Pingyang recalled a classic phrase often used in films. Unsure if it would work, he decided to try.

“Open sesame!!!”

He shouted loudly. Everyone held their breath, watching.

The card’s border flickered, apparently the correct password. On the carriage nearby, the previously empty baskets were suddenly filled with potatoes.

The Black Riders exchanged bewildered glances, unable to fathom how the potatoes appeared—as if conjured by magic, filling themselves at Li Pingyang’s command.

One Black Rider dropped to one knee before Li Pingyang. Seeing this, the others followed suit, kneeling in unison—a scene of great awe.

At last, the northern campaign seemed within reach!

They repeated the process: digging holes, planting potatoes, dripping growth potion, duplicating. Cart after cart of potatoes rolled out of the city.

To avoid exposure, the potatoes were covered with black cloth and sent to Linzhou, working overtime to speed production.

Time flew; they worked from dawn to dusk, from nightfall to sunrise. Li Pingyang yawned constantly, his eyes watering from fatigue, yet he could not sleep.

Through everyone’s efforts, they gathered all the potatoes needed in two days. The issue of feeding the troops was solved; next came provisions for the horses.

From the system shop, Li Pingyang obtained premium oats, duplicating them just as he had the potatoes, ensuring the horses would be well fed.

In Songdu, Minister Lin received the Black Riders’ message, learning the supplies were ready. He was overjoyed, stroking his beard and laughing aloud, praising the news.

With everything prepared, Minister Lin finally returned to court.

At court, all ministers were discussing how to deal with the Jin dynasty, and at a loss for ideas. Minister Lin answered the emperor’s urgent summons, entering from outside the hall, causing a stir among the officials.

Seeing Lin Bowen return, the emperor was delighted, rising from the dragon throne to greet him, visibly excited.

Grand Tutor Li Heyan coughed twice. The emperor realized he had lost composure and sat back down.