People in Hongwu, from heavenly master to emperor master

Chapter 193 One sentence saves a hundred years of hard work
After the North and South list plan came out, in order to promote the revitalization of the North, Lao Zhu made a miracle that was unprecedented in history, that is, imperial examination immigration!
If any southern students who are interested in fame and fame feel that the emperor has violated their interests, they can move their household registration to the north!

Those who migrated before Kaienke can apply for northern household registration in the future.

This decision is what Zhang Yi, a time traveler, thinks that Lao Zhu is very awesome.Among the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, Lao Zhu's policy has aroused great discussion.

There are many Confucians and students who attacked Lao Zhu, but everyone is still very honest.

From the plan of the North and South List, many scholars migrated to the north due to the imperial examination.

This is because the majority of the population has not yet been determined, and the population who migrated under the panic of the people at that time, after the Ming Dynasty took the metropolis, many people decided to migrate to the north.

It's already August, and it's September soon.

Winter is about to enter the north, so this trend has not yet reached its peak.

The emperor reckoned that there would be quite a few businessmen and scholars migrating to the north in the spring of next year!

The emperor called this phenomenon the northward migration of the imperial examinations. The northward migration has always been one of his most proud achievements, but Zhu Yuanzhang actually had a headache.

Because of the cold period Zhang Yi mentioned, the north is doomed to lose its status as an economic center.

The economic status of farming society is often determined by the most basic agriculture.

In other words, farming in the north has always been a problem.

As far as grain production is concerned, the main crop in the north is wheat, which is also the staple food.

The yield gap between wheat and rice is too great.

The yield of wheat per mu is worth a stone, and most of the fields do not even have a stone.

In terms of rice, the yield per mu is usually higher than that of wheat, and it is also the best land. Even if Zhang Yi claims that the land has not yet been fully utilized, the yield of 1.7 shi per mu is nearly twice that of wheat. times.

This means that even if the situation in the north and the south are the same, the grain output is half of that in the south, not to mention the current production environment in the north is even worse.

The current situation in Ming Dynasty is that many state capitals in the whole of China can hardly even support themselves, not to mention paying taxes to the imperial court.

The place is difficult, and the court is also difficult.

So even peasant uprisings still happen from time to time.

After the emperor thought about moving the capital to Beiping, he has been doing financial calculations.

The most difficult problem in moving the capital is food security.

Water transportation must be opened.

Shipping can't be left behind either!
But even with these additions, if the entire north needs blood transfusions from the south, it would be too difficult.

Just a few words about rice moving to the north made Zhu Yuanzhang feel like he was struck by lightning.

He hurriedly asked:
"I didn't hear clearly. You said that rice is moved to the north, and rice can also be grown in the north?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Yi took it for granted that rice can be grown in at least part of the north, and this part even includes the Northeast, one of the granaries of later generations of China.

Only before the Ming Dynasty, strictly speaking, before Kangxi promoted northern rice,
Everyone thinks that rice cannot be grown in the north, which is a matter of course.

It is common sense that rice likes heat and humidity, and because of this [common sense], coupled with the fact that the population flow is not frequent, no one has ever thought about it.

Later, during the Wanli period, some people indeed proposed to plant rice to the north to relieve the pressure on the court.

But at that time, the civil service group had long been intertwined and powerful, coupled with the unreasonable taxation of the imperial court, everyone from officials to common people opposed this matter, and the matter of planting rice in the north was put on hold.

It was not until the Qing Dynasty, when Kangxi, the emperor who liked farming, was born that this matter was completed!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked confused, so the matter is so simple?
Don't need some other preconditions?
He repeatedly confirmed with Zhang Yi, and after getting an affirmative answer, Lao Zhu's expression was like that of a dog.

If many preconditions are required, he can probably understand the difficulty of promoting rice.

But just because no one talked about it, no one tried it, then he felt too wronged.

Just this small change can bring out the potential of the entire North China, which can indirectly change the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

What a terrifying statistic that nearly a quarter of the food production has been increased out of thin air.

If you add the various small planting methods and improvements in fertilization techniques mentioned by Zhang Yi, maybe it will really work?
Leaving aside technologies such as retting, the emperor was too excited to fall asleep just because the rice could be planted.

"If what you said is true, then the first thing my Huang family will do is to go to Beiping to buy land. I have done this!"

Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fist and was very excited.

"If it weren't for the fact that my Zhang family's roots are in the south, I'd like to buy some... The area in Hebei is used as a pasture by the Mongols, and it's almost gone...

Although it is a bit poor and bad now, the North China Plain definitely has potential to be tapped. It is not as good as Jiangnan, but it is definitely not bad...

Uncle can buy more! "

The capital of the Ming Dynasty must be moved there, at most when Zhu Di ascended the throne.

Uncle Huang may not be able to enjoy these benefits, but the elder brother of the Huang family must be able to enjoy the benefits.

"By the way, uncle, if you have a way in Fujian, go to Fujian to find Champa rice as the main variety to grow. Before hybrid rice comes out, this thing is still very good..."

Fujian?Champa rice?

Zhu Yuanzhang silently remembered that this year is the first year of Hongwu, and Fujian was conquered by Lao Zhu at the end of last year. Compared with Jiangnan, which has been in business for many years, Fujian is also a new territory for Lao Zhu.

It is also because of the attack on Fujian that Daming still has some naval base.

This is also one of the reasons why Lao Zhu dared to build a boat for Muying.

It's just that Fujian is a newcomer, and Lao Zhu doesn't know much about Fujian.

He didn't even know that there was something called Zhancheng rice that Zhang Yi couldn't forget.

After Zhang Yi explained to Lao Zhu, Lao Zhu felt uncomfortable in every possible way.

Because this thing is not a new species, but was introduced to China during the Song Dynasty, but it has not been popularized.

According to Zhang Yi, the popularity of Champa rice can be regarded as an agricultural revolution in China.

But this kind of good thing, if Zhang Yi didn't mention it, it would take more than a hundred years to be popularized.

Zhu Yuanzhang deeply understands the meaning of Empress Ma's words "take the future as a lesson". One sentence can save him a hundred years of hard work. This is the meaning of Zhang Yi's existence.

Champa rice, new technologies and the northward migration of rice are all that Zhang Yi dares to say will double the food in the world.

These things are not difficult at all compared to going to America.

The trip to the Americas, life or death is uncertain.

No matter how confident the emperor is, he dare not say that Mu Ying and the others can come back smoothly.

But things like Champa rice are good things that can really change the fate of the country.

"Maybe I, Ming Guozuo, changed because of one sentence!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suggested:
"I suggest you write a letter to the emperor. This matter is a major event that changes the fate of the country, and it should not be exclusive to us..."

The significance of promotion, after vaccination, neither the emperor nor Zhang Yi can ignore it.

"I'll write something like "Nongzheng Quanshu" in the future, and let my father send another auspicious omen! Uncle, you have to hurry up, these few months are the days when the Champa rice is harvested, and you won't be able to harvest rice seeds this year. , it will be too late to sow seeds next year, I bragged to my tenant tenants, whether the trail will be ashamed, depends on you, uncle!"

What Zhang Yi said was interesting, Lao Zhu was also amused.

It turned out that whether he went to find him or not, he would find himself.

"Okay, I promise I won't embarrass you in front of tenants..."

Lao Zhu was in a good mood at the moment, Zhang Yi was indeed his lucky star.

If Rice's move to the north proves to be reliable, he will have less worries about moving the capital.

And if the grain can be doubled, the recovery of the world's population will also be doubled faster.

As long as ten years at most, or even seven or eight years, Zhu Yuanzhang will probably be able to catch his breath.

Once the population problem is alleviated, he can start to build the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal that Zhang Yi said, and add the Xuanwu Army to the sea to ensure the safety of shipping.

The relocation of the capital was also a matter of course.

What is a smooth wind, Lao Zhu felt that since he met this stinky boy, except for a little bit of anger, he has almost been smooth sailing.

If Zhang Yiduo gave him some surprises, he wouldn't mind being blackmailed by Zhang Yiduo a few times.

"Everything is going well!"

Looking back at the boundless fields, the emperor felt emotional.

Zhang Yi nodded silently. Although he doesn't like this era, he also knows that everything will be fine.

And this good change is due to his hard work.

It feels so good to quietly change the world behind the scenes!
"By the way, I heard you say hybrid rice just now. What do you mean? Is this rice better than Champa rice?"

"It's not necessarily better, but hybrid rice can provide more possibilities..."

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and said:

"Has uncle ever seen a mule?"

He made a very vivid analogy.

mule?

If it weren't for Lao Zhu's knowledge and knowledge, I'm afraid he really didn't know this species for a while.

Mules existed in the Spring and Autumn Period and have a history of thousands of years in China. This species is not common.

It's just that in the history books, there are detailed records about mules, which are a hybrid product of horses and donkeys.

And it is a relatively rare species.

"You know, the species produced by mating donkeys and horses!"

Now that Lao Zhu has mastered this new term proficiently, Zhang Yi nodded. This Uncle Huang is quite well-informed.

A mule is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey. The hybrid born of a male donkey and a female horse is called a horse mule, or mule for short;

Unlike the flooding of later generations, mules were considered rare items before the Ming Dynasty, or the playthings of rich people.

It was not until after the Ming Dynasty that the people discovered the value of mules as livestock and began to breed them in large numbers.

Therefore, Huang He, a southern businessman, was well-informed if he could know mules.

"How do mules compare to horses?"

"Not as good!"

"What about a donkey?"

"It's too much!"

"and many more!"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know what hybrid rice meant, but when Zhang Yi talked about mules, he seemed to understand.

"The so-called hybrid rice, like donkey and horse hybrid, is also...?"

"That's right!"

Zhang Yi admired Lao Zhu's reaction very much, he revealed the answer with a smile:

"Let's talk about mules first. Uncle said that mules are inferior to horses because they cannot fulfill the war value of military horses. They are worse than donkeys because they are bigger in size and stronger than donkeys.
Horses are livestock, but at the same time they can be used as military horses. This is the greatest value of horses!
But in fact, I want to correct my uncle’s idea. In fact, as livestock, mules are a bit stronger than horses. They have stronger vitality and disease resistance, high feed utilization rate, strong physique, strong limbs and hooves, rich endurance, easy to control, and long service life. It can be as long as 20 to 30 years, and its service value is higher than that of horses and donkeys!
Of course, it is not good to be a military horse, but it is much better than a horse when it is a livestock!
In fact, the same is true for hybrid rice. If you say that it must be better than native rice, you can't talk about it!Strong has many concepts, is it delicious?Or high yield, disease resistance?Still hardy?

The benefits of hybrid rice are the same as mules. It sacrifices some of the characteristics of the original species in exchange for the improvement of another characteristic, so it is difficult to say who is good and who is bad!
For example, if I combine a variety with large rice spikes with a cold-resistant variety, the resulting variety will have smaller rice spikes, but it can be planted farther north. This is a good variety for the north. !

Because it turns out that varieties with large ears of rice cannot be grown in the north!
For another example, I used two early-maturing rice varieties to hybridize a faster-maturing rice variety, which is meaningless for the north!

Because of the bitter cold in the north, you can only grow one season of rice no matter how quickly, but if you put it in Guangdong, Guangxi and Qiongzhou, you can harvest two crops a year..."

Zhang Yi said it lightly, but what he said sounded like a fairy to Lao Zhu and the others.

If he hadn't known that this kid could see into the future, Lao Zhu might have regarded him as a true immortal.

After Zhang Yi finished speaking, he looked at the father and son and realized that hybrid rice was difficult for them to understand.

After all, the first person to discover hybrid rice dates back to Kangxi 300 years later.

Kangxi discovered hybrid rice, but he did not breed it himself, but raised it in the form of raising Gu.

True hybrid rice only gradually started after modern times.

"Is this thing difficult?"

Zhang Yi shook his head when he heard this. The entry threshold for hybrid rice is difficult. If it wasn't so difficult, Grandpa Yuan's status would not be so high.

But it's easy to say, and it's relatively easy to start with. It's just that what is cultivated and how it is specifically requires a lot of time to observe and experiment.

What Zhang Yi can cultivate is purely a matter of luck. Even if it is cultivated, it is also a problem that the hybrid rice cannot be kept.

Unless there is a special seed production organization in Ming Dynasty, and the country is used as a force to promote a certain variety.

If not, it is not as good as Kangxi's royal rice.

"Flowers have male and female..."

Zhang Yi popularized the knowledge about hybridization to the emperor and his son. When they heard about flowers having male and female and similar theories, the father and son were confused.

"Hybrid rice is still not as good as Champa rice in terms of cost performance, but it's not that hybrid rice can't do it, it's that Daming can't do it!

Some things are destined to be supported by advanced productive forces, just like the future is also in this land, we have a country in China, which feeds 14 billion people! "

This number made Lao Zhu's skin tingle. What is the concept of 14 billion people?
"How many people are there in my Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and asked Zhu Biao, Zhu Biao moved his mouth, but couldn't answer!

"About three to four thousand to five to sixty million..."

As for how many people there were in the early Ming Dynasty, it is estimated that Lao Zhu himself did not know.

According to historical records, it is probably also the census in Hongwu 14th year. In the 14th year of Hongwu, the population was about 1000 million households, about 5000 million to 9000 million.

Zhang Yi reckoned that it would be about [-]% off for Hong Wu's early years!
"If the American fetish you mentioned enters China, how many people can it carry?
If not, how many people can Huaxia probably carry? "

Zhu Yuanzhang asked another question, and Zhang Yi remembered the Qianlong period and said:
"If you take five to ten people as a household, and take the average of eight people, the number of households that China can support is about 800 million. If there are gods, it can be doubled. If other factors are added, 6000 to [-] million. The household is almost at the limit..."

There is no harm without comparison,
When the data given by Zhang Yi was in front of him, Zhu Yuanzhang was completely silent.

He was looking forward to Muying and his trip to the Americas, and Zhang Yi's statistics were also worthy of Lao Zhu's expectations.

If the population that "Tianxia" can carry increases, it will theoretically extend the time for the demise of a feudal dynasty, which is equivalent to continuing the national destiny in disguise.

The number of 5000 million households is worthy of Lao Zhu's expectations.

But what kind of existence is the dynasty in Zhang Yi's description that can support 14 billion people.

"Productivity..."

The emperor had an infinite desire for the productivity that Zhang Yi talked about.

Without going to sea, can Daming be turned into a true kingdom of the heavens only by changes in productivity?

This is the real powerhouse!

"I've seen enough, Uncle, let's go back..."

According to the data obtained from the tenants, Zhang Yi has roughly understood what he should do?
Seeing Lao Zhu lost his mind, he tugged on his sleeve.

Lao Zhu, who came back to his senses, nodded and followed Zhang Yi to the direction of the carriage.

Zhang Yi was covered in mud, so he accused Zhu Yuanzhang of a crime, and went to wash himself while running.

When Zhu Biao and his son were left behind, Zhu Yuanzhang said:

"Have someone open a field in the palace and find someone to lurk beside Zhang Yi! Let's do what he has done!
I want to see if the grain output can really be doubled? "

(End of this chapter)