Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

The days went by as Harsha got used to the position of the Emperor. The new standardized weights have been adopted and began to spread due to the influence of merchants on most of the Empire's craftsmen.

Military reforms and the firing of soldiers that didn't pass the physical standards set by Harsha were relieved from their duties, and the citizens were excited to join the ranks of the Royal Army.

There were no restrictions on the lower castes either this time. He ensured that the recruitment was open to everyone regardless of the caste; the caste tradition in the army was yet to be squashed down completely.

Harsha had a new problem to fix in the Empire. It was to increase the efficiency of the crop production. The subcontinent had a lot of arable land. The traditional methods of the past were still utilized in the planting of crops, leading to the steady scarcity of food supplies.

The old methods were good since there wasn't much population back then. As the population of the Empire rises, the food needs also increase. So he had to improve the efficiency.

He had to introduce an agricultural reform in the Empire.

Harsha was spending his time along with Viswa formulating the necessary rules and regulations along with the new methods of crop rotation to be used in the Empire.

Despite this, he had to prove that this method would significantly yield better results for the farmers to gain their trust in the method.

"Your Majesty. We have to test these methods before showing them to the Council. It seems great on paper, but will it work on the ground like the roads are the best way to convince the council?" He said.

"Although we don't need to convince them to implement these methods throughout the Empire." He mumbled.

"We have to cooperate with the members of the council. Any displeasure within the members can cause problems in the long run." Harsha responded.

"How do we prove this method works?" Viswa shifted the topic.

"We need a farmer to do our bidding, one that is open-minded to change, preferably."

"Farmer? Hmm.." Viswa muttered as he scratched his head. "I think I have a candidate for that."

"Who is it?"

"There is a farmer named Gopalakrishnan. He is an old man in his late 50s. He goes around testing new methods on his farm at his own expense. He even shares the improvements he makes with others for free."

"Hooo… Is he close by? Can you call him here as soon as possible?" Harsha asked.

"I saw him yesterday in the capital while running errands. So I can check if he is still in the capital city."

"Errands? You?" Harsha asked, looking puzzled.

Viswa was the butler; he didn't need to run errands as he could just order some staff to run them in his stead.

"It was my personal errands, Your Majesty," casually lied Viswa.

It was one of the errands for the Royal Palace. The staff did a subpar job again to defame him in the eyes of Harsha. He had to take care of it properly, so he had to do it personally.

He met Gopalakrishan while doing the errand. The old man was an enthusiastic fellow.

Viswa and the old farmer go back a few months when he had helped the old man find a stall in the capital. Despite knowing that he belonged to a lower caste. He didn't care and still talked to him every time he saw him.

He came to know about his farming endeavors from the stories he used to share everytime they met in the capital

So the moment Harsha mentioned agricultural reforms, the old man's name popped up in his mind.

Gopalakrishan was in the capital city, fortunately, and was ordered to come to the royal palace.

Once he reached the Royal Palace, he saw Viswa.

His face lit up at a familiar face. "Young lad.. What are you doing here." He asked in a hoarse voice.

Gopalakrishan was a healthy man despite his age; his work had kept him in perfect health. He wore a white dhoti and an upper robe.

"I work here. Follow me." He replied with a smile.

"Do you know why I have been called to the Palace. Did i do anything wrong??" The old man asked him nervously,

"Don't worry. The Emperor wants to meet you for something." Unlock tales at m-vl-em-pyr

"The Emp-Emperor.?" He stuttered out.

After a while, Viswa and Gopalakrishan arrived in the study room.

Harsha smiled at the old man.

"Sit down; Viswa, get some tea for the guest."

"N-No, Your Majesty. I will stand."

Viswa leaned close to the old man and whispered. "Just do it; he won't harm you."

The old man sat down on the plush sofa, looking around the luxurious room. It was his first time in the royal palace.

Harsha sat on the other side of the sofa.

"So, I heard from my butler that you do a lot of experimentation to improve farming."

"Butler?? That young lad was the butler?" The old man looked surprised. "And yes, Your Majesty. I try my best to make improvements to increase the yield."

"Sorry, I didn't say anything about that before, old man." Viswa said as he put down the tea cup.

"A-Ah ok." He stuttered out.

"I called you here to help me test out the new cropping method I have created." Harsha began. "The cost will be borne by the Empire. I just need to follow the instructions and ensure that it is working."

The old man looked surprised.

"New method? And His Majesty has developed it?"

Harsha picked up a book that detailed the new method.

"This contains the new method. It involves growing certain crops that help improve the soil quality along with the food crops."

"Hoo, crops that improve the soil like legumes?" the old man asked curiously.

"Yes,"

The old man's face lit up and he began explaining his improvements to Harsha

"Ah, I recently found that it improved soil quality along with the root vegetables, which can be a way to combat pests also."

He suddenly realized he was ranting to the Emperor and shook his head in shock. "Sor- Sorry, Your Majesty. I went overboard again."

Harsha just smirked at him. "Don't worry, I just need you to test this and report the results by the next harvest festival."

"But I don't know how to read, Your Majesty." He said, hanging his head in shame.

Harsha thought for a second.

"We will arrange a field for you on the outskirts of the capital city." He began. "Viswa will be assisting you with reading the contents of the book and whatever you need to make it successful."

Gopalakrishan, the old farmer nodded eagerly.

"Understood, Your Majesty. I will try my best and not disappoint you."