prosperous age

Chapter 849 938 Agriculture and Plantation Institute

"Does Master want to establish such a yamen now?"

Zhu Yijun suddenly asked, as if he was very interested.

Seeing Wei Guangde looking at him, the little emperor smiled and continued: "I think the master's strategy is right. The imperial court needs such an yamen.

The imperial court talked about focusing on agriculture every day, but apart from building water conservancy projects, it seemed to have done nothing else.

There have been constant natural disasters in recent years, and I think we should pay more attention to it, especially since the master said that this thing is suitable for northwest and mountainous areas. There seem to be many places like this in my country.

Well, it's necessary. "

Zhu Yijun said seriously now with a straight face, but with the face of a child, Wei Guangde felt a bit of joy.

"As long as the master submits the memorial, I will definitely approve the memorial."

Finally, Zhu Yijun said seriously again.

He felt that the master mentioned this matter for the sake of the court.

What happened today in particular was just for fun. He actually just wanted to tease the master. As a result, the master became interested when he saw this kind of food that he had never seen before. He wanted to understand the growth environment of this crop. This is how he dedicated himself to serving the imperial court. Attitude.

Although royal wheat is a plant that copes with drought and mountainous areas, the current headache for the court is water damage. It can be said that the previous court was also at a loss when faced with drought.

If there are such crops, farmers in various places can be promptly changed to crops that do not require much water during droughts, and the harvests in the fields will be higher, and people can survive.

Zhu Yijun thought he could do this job, and his mother would not object.

“Your Majesty attaches great importance to agriculture and mulberry, and I am here to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the people of the world.

However, when formulating policies, the imperial court needs to consider all aspects and cannot make them based on personal preferences. Therefore, the minister will discuss this matter with other ministers in the cabinet.

This matter still requires assistance from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, so I cannot make a decision yet. "

Wei Guangde said.

"Okay, Master Wei, go down and discuss with the cabinet, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry, and tell me what I want.

It is said that when agriculture flourishes, the people will be rich and the country will be strong; if agriculture is abolished, the people will be poor and the country will be weak. I think the master's suggestion is very good. This is a manifestation of the imperial court's emphasis on agriculture.

Especially this imperial wheat, we can try to promote it throughout the Ming Dynasty. In the past, the mountainous areas had little output, mainly because there were no good crops.

Now that Master Wei has discovered that the growth characteristics of this crop are suitable for promotion in mountainous areas, I think the people living in mountainous areas should benefit from this. "

The little emperor was very excited now. He didn't understand why Wei Guangde said that he had to discuss with the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry first. If the court wanted to do something, couldn't he just issue a decree?

However, the young emperor Zhu Yijun still knew that what Master Wei said should be correct.

In addition, Zhu Yijun also learned from the conversation just now that the plant Yumai is suitable for planting in mountainous areas. In the future, the food of the Ming Dynasty will no longer only be cultivated on the plains, but the mountains can also be used and produced.

"By the way, Master, what does Master think should be the name of this Yamen? Should it be hung under that Yamen?"

Although Wei Guangde said he would go back to discuss it, he did not think Zhang Juzheng would object because it was a policy that benefited the country and the people.

Now he was curious what Wei Guangde would call this new yamen.

"The government office that specializes in the development of agriculture, I think, is called an agricultural plant office, which is under the Ministry of Industry. One or more offices will be built in each of the thirteen roads across the country, and representative official fields will be selected to be included in them to specialize in planting and cultivating drought-resistant crops. Flood-resistant crops and finding new, edible crops."

Wei Guangde said.

In fact, Wei Guangde wanted to say "Academy of Agricultural Sciences" at first. This unit will also be famous in later generations. After all, it has cultivated hybrid rice that can feed a population of 1.4 billion. Otherwise, future generations of China will have a headache in terms of food security.

You know, at that time, the yield of high-quality rice could reach one thousand kilograms per mu, but now in the fertile fields in the south of the Ming Dynasty, the yield of rice can reach four hundred kilograms per mu, even in good harvest years, and the average yield is only two to three hundred kilograms. What a huge gap.

At this point, Wei Guangde pointed to the two gardeners below and said: "They are already familiar with the cultivation of royal wheat. Once the new yamen is established, they will also be transferred from Xiyuan to the Agricultural Planting Station to take care of the royal wheat.

They have to take on the task of preparing large quantities of royal wheat seeds. When branches are built in various places, they must send the royal wheat seeds there in time. They also need to guide the various places to carry the load. "

Wei Guangde would not just build a planting base in the capital. In his consideration, all thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty would build such planting bases to experiment with growing new crops and find planting techniques.

After all, the adaptability of plants is very important. Crops from the south are difficult to grow in the north, and the same is true for crops in the north.

Although Yumai is grown very well in Xiyuan, Wei Guangde is not very confident whether it can really be promoted in other places.

He knew that in later generations there would be many varieties of corn seeds, which were very complicated, but he didn’t understand them anyway.

There are suitable seed varieties for every place. If you get the wrong one, the harvest will be reduced or even rare. So he must take these into consideration to avoid the government's promotion. As a result, the seeds will not survive, and good governance will turn into bad governance, which is unlucky. It's the common people.

Nowadays, various regions are enclosing official fields for trial planting. If successful, they will be promoted. You can also use official fields to prepare the seeds needed for promotion in various places.

Prudence, the court must first be cautious when formulating policies, and cannot just make them casually.

After coming out of the Wenhua Hall, Wei Guangde returned to the cabinet, holding a few ripe corns in his hand, which were the real objects he wanted to show Zhang Juzheng and others.

It was too troublesome to just rely on words, so Wei Guangde directly asked for a few corn fruits so that Zhang Juzheng and Lu Tiaoyang could see the real ones and know what the so-called Royal Mai was like.

Then set up a pot in the cabinet and cook it for everyone to eat once.

According to the gardener in Xiyuan, his family has been eating this imperial wheat for more than ten years because Emperor Jiajing only ate it once and stopped eating it because he thought it tasted bad.

I heard that this time some of the waiters in the imperial kitchen stole corn because they were hungry and threw corn into the soup. Unexpectedly, they found that the soup was very delicious and the cooked corn tasted better than boiled corn, so I took the idea. Make a dish and serve it to the emperor's table.

Otherwise, the few baskets of royal wheat harvested by Xiyuan would be cheaper than those gardeners, so they would take them back and deal with them themselves.

According to Deacon Xiyuan's plan, he originally planned to increase the planting of royal wheat in the coming year, but unexpectedly it suddenly became a plan to promote it to the world. For this purpose, the imperial court may also add a new Yamen, Agricultural Plant Research Institute, to specialize in researching and promoting new crops. of planting.

Corn can be used as staple food or feed in later generations. It is also very convenient to store. It can be stored for a long time by drying and threshing.

However, Wei Guangde doesn't plan to say it out loud this year. He still lets them think of a solution on their own. If they can't think of it next year, he will mention it in this direction again.

In fact, Wei Guangde doesn't think these people would have imagined that rice and barley, the staple foods of this era, were dried and processed. Rice would also be stored as millet, and then peeled when needed for consumption, so that the storage time would be longer.

The wisdom of the people is infinite, and I believe they will soon find a way to store royal wheat for a long time.

After entering the cabinet, Wei Guangde did not go back to check his own room. It was already lunch break, and other people in the cabinet had just finished their meals and were all resting in their own rooms.

After calling a person from Zhongshushe next to him, Wei Guangde said to him: "You go to Luge Lao to check the room, and ask him to go to the first assistant to check the room. I have important matters to discuss with them."

"Yes, Mr. Wei Ge."

Zhongshu agreed and went to Lu Tiaoyang's duty room, while Wei Guangde took Yu Mai directly to Zhang Juzheng's place.

"Shaloan, I heard that your Majesty will give you a banquet today."

Wei Guangde entered Zhang Juzheng's room and heard Zhang Juzheng's words, which seemed to make him feel a little sour.

"Haha, your Majesty is being naughty today and wants to play tricks on you."

Wei Guangde explained with a haha.

"Oh?"

Zhang Juzheng was slightly surprised, but at this time his eyes had already seen what Wei Guangde was holding.

"What's that in your hand?"

Zhang Juzheng asked in surprise.

Corn may be familiar to people in Yunnan, Guangxi and other places, but for Zhang Juzheng, who was born in Huguang and has stayed in the capital for a long time, it is something he has never seen before.

"This thing is called Yumai, have you never seen it before?" Wei Guangde asked with a smile.

"Yamai?"

Zhang Juzheng just repeated it and then shook his head.

"This thing is now only grown in Xiyuan in the capital. It is said that it was a tribute from the Yunnan chieftain when he came to Beijing for an audience."

Wei Guangde continued to explain.

"That's no wonder. It's a tribute. What's the use of it?"

Zhang Juzheng knew that Wei Guangde brought this thing here and must have his own plans, so he asked directly.

"Wait a minute, wait until He Qing comes. Maybe he recognizes this thing."

Wei Guangde just replied.

He Qing, of course, is talking about Lu Tiaoyang. In Wei Guangde's view, he grew up in Guangxi since he was a child, so he might have seen him.

Not long after, Lu Tiaoyang arrived here, but when he saw the thing in Wei Guangde's hand, he shook his head, "Uncle, don't be too pretentious. I don't know this thing either."

"This thing also had a name in the Yunnan-Guizhou generation, called Fanmai. I wonder if Brother Heqing has heard of it?"

Wei Guangde was curious. Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi are geographically very close. It is said that this thing exists in Yunnan, and it is impossible that it has not spread in Guangxi.

"Banmai? Is this Banmai?"

When Lu Tiaoyang heard Wei Guangde's words, he immediately became interested. It seemed that although he had never seen corn, he should know about wheat.

At this time, Lu Tiaoyang had already taken a piece of corn from Wei Guangde's hand and looked at it repeatedly, rather than holding it in front of his nose to smell it.

"Does He Qing know this?"

Zhang Juzheng said curiously.

"I have never seen it, but I have read it in my family letters. It is said that this thing was introduced from the ancient thorns, so it is also called Western wheat. It doesn't taste good, but it can be grown on the hillside. Many mountain people in the southwest rely on it. This is used as a staple food to make a living.”

Lu Tiaoyang explained.

"hillside?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately grasped the key point. Knowing that this thing could be grown in the mountains, he couldn't help but asked, "What's the yield of this thing?"

"I don't know about that."

Lu Tiaoyang replied immediately.

Of course he didn't know. After all, he only knew from letters home that there was this thing in his hometown. He originally wanted to bring some here for him to try, but it was a long way and he didn't make it in the end.

"According to the gardeners of Xiyuan, the yield of this plant is about one stone per acre. After all, Xiyuan is an imperial village, and they only use this plant as an ornamental plant, so it is just an estimate."

Wei Guangde answered at this time, "And this plant does not require too much water. It is really a good agricultural crop in areas where water is scarce."

"Really? I don't know that."

Lu Tiaoyang said immediately after hearing it.

"I finally understand the meaning behind Shan Loi's bringing this thing."

Zhang Juzheng made another signature move, stroking his beard and said.

Lu Tiaoyang also realized later why this thing appeared in the cabinet. "Is Shandai planning to promote this thing to Duoshan Prefecture?"

"I have this plan."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, there is no need to hide it.

"How do you eat this?"

Lu Tiaoyang asked curiously.

"Just cook it thoroughly with water. The outer particles are the oyster meat. The oyster core in the middle is not delicious. But try mashed Weiwei poultry or something."

Wei Guangde really didn't know whether corn cobs could be used as feed, so he casually said that livestock wouldn't eat them.

In later generations, corn cobs were indeed used as feed, but they were not the main feed, but added as an addition, generally not exceeding 10%, mainly because the nutritional content of corn cobs was relatively low.

"Then let's have a taste first?"

Zhang Juzheng said jokingly.

"Right on my mind."

Lu Tiaoyang also became interested now and wanted to taste what this wheat tasted like.

In fact, whether this thing tastes good or not is secondary. What they are most concerned about is that it is suitable for planting on hillside. It is really great.

You must know that the land of Ming Dynasty is vast, but the plain terrain is limited, and it is mostly mountainous. For crops such as royal wheat that can be used as staple food, it is naturally a good choice.

"That's why I brought you here, someone."

Wei Guangde shouted to the door. Not long after, scribes came in. Wei Guangde ordered them to find a stove outside to light a fire, boil the corn with water and bring it in for them to taste.

"I asked about this matter in the Wenhua Hall today. I also told His Majesty the strategy of the Jiangxi Examination. Your Majesty was very interested and asked me to talk to you two and ask for your opinions."

Wei Guangde continued.

"Can you try strategies?"

Lu Tiaoyang didn't know what Wei Guangde meant, but Zhang Juzheng had a lot of contact with Wei Guangde. They had nothing to chat about when they were in Yuzhuan, but he heard Wei Guangde talk about the imperial examination.

After all, his and Wei Guangde's imperial examination paths were somewhat similar. They both failed in the provincial examination once, and then went smoothly all the way to the capital.

Wei Guangde also told interesting stories about his stay in Nanchang, and Zhang Juzheng immediately understood the meaning of his words.

"What Shandai means is that he wants to build a new yamen in the imperial court, specifically to find and cultivate drought- and flood-resistant crops? Select the best and promote them all over the world?"

Zhang Juzheng asked.

Wei Guangde nodded and said: "Exactly.

In fact, this new yamen may not only be looking for drought-resistant and flood-resistant crops. For example, foreign crops such as royal wheat can be considered as long as they are suitable for growing in our Ming Dynasty land. "

Wei Guangde didn't say that he had been looking for this thing for a long time, he just thought it was an accidental gain from this banquet.

"I think it's feasible to establish a new government office specifically to serve crops. Our government is based on agriculture, so this matter should be done by the imperial court."

Lu Tiaoyang just thought for a moment and nodded in support.

"Your Majesty also had the same idea after hearing this. He asked me to come back and discuss it with you two. He also has to discuss it with the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry. Once the matter is settled, we can report the matter to the public."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, since Lu Tiaoyang didn't object, the matter was basically settled and they were just waiting for Zhang Juzheng to show his attitude.

(End of this chapter)