Lonely non-good minister

"If someone told me a few years ago that I could live a good life in a place like the northwest, I would never believe it. But since Yuan'er left, I have truly believed it. There are so many important things to open up wasteland and build water conservancy projects. It was almost started from scratch and it was done beautifully. I have to say that Yuan'er's ability is really good."

"I heard that the grain harvest in the northwest has been bumper this year. In previous years, most of them had to rely on merchants to transport grain in and exchange grain for cotton. This year, the situation has improved a lot. Not only that, the production of cotton has also increased so much. It is also land reclamation. Why is the difference so big?”

"To open up wasteland in the northwest, we just need to find a fertile area, dig it up, remove weeds and pile compost to nourish the soil. But when we open up wasteland there, we have to cut down trees, burn grass and level the ground to nourish the soil. We also have to make sure we don't cross the border. It's a lot of trouble. Naturally. Different."

Their conversation all revolved around the northwest. This was the first time Song Yuan knew that a group of royal children who had lived in the southern part of the Wei Dynasty for a long time were so concerned about the bitter cold northwest.

After they finished speaking, Song Yu immediately brought the topic to Song Yuan: "These are all real experiences. To be honest, if Yuan'er hadn't helped us when we were planting sweet potatoes in Leping, I'm afraid our food supply would have been lost." The yield is not going to increase, although sweet potatoes are a coarse grain, the yield is really good.”

"My original intention is also for the people. The young prince must not attribute this credit to me alone." Song Yuan smiled modestly and did not accept their compliments.

Song Yu continued: "I have always believed that no matter how sophisticated your political skills are, they cannot compare to real political achievements. You are a person who started from the grassroots and has accumulated experience. You are better than those who sit in the court and can only talk on paper." If there is a problem, only people like you can solve it."

"Having lived in a corner for a long time and having short-sightedness, how can I compare with the big shots sitting high in the court?" Song Yuan was very cautious.

Song Yu's eyes were playful: "Yuan'er is so cautious, I really can't bear it."

Song Yuan smiled: If you can't bear it, just shut up. Are you showing off to me?

"I heard that Princess Taiyuan requested an order to move to Jincheng County to build a government office." Someone suddenly mentioned it.

Someone immediately replied: "As soon as the imperial court decided to plant cotton in the northwest, Princess Taiyuan opened a textile workshop in the northwest and won the cotton textile rights of two counties. This was a big business and was directly supplied to the army. The profits are very impressive, and I have accumulated a lot of wealth in the past few years.”

"She has no children, what is the use of accumulating so much wealth?" Some people are dismissive. Even the royal son who flaunts his education will still have people who look down on women.

Others joked: "With so many good things, I don't know who will be cheaper in the future."

"This princess's behavior has always been absurd. It depends on who can make her happy."

Seeing that they were about to say stupid things, Song Yu, who was the host, brought the topic back in time: "Cotton in the northwest has benefited many people. As far as I know, small countries in the south have also had the idea of ​​contamination, just to protect the silk. status, so we have not relented. Now that the small southern country has decided to convert rice into mulberry, the status of silk is considered stable."

"Silk is expensive, but it is sought after by people. Even with the cotton harvest now, silk fabrics are still favored by the rich and powerful. After all, cotton cannot compare." Someone else said this and immediately looked at Song Song with an apologetic look on his face. Yuan: "Don't worry about it, Yuan'er." Song Yuan shook his head: "This is the truth, and there is nothing wrong with it. The original intention of growing cotton was not to compete with silk, but to solve the problem of the common people keeping out the cold in winter. It is sought after by the powerful. Silk is a good thing for the people. Without the powerful people driving up the price, the price of cotton can come down. When cotton becomes cheaper, the people can afford it."

These words made the man's face look awkward for a while, and he had to smile.

"Yuan'er is worthy of being an official in charge of the affairs of the party. What he said is very knowledgeable." Someone else started to praise him.

Song Yuan took the opportunity to take over the words: "I don't dare to take it. I am just seeking my position. Since the imperial court appoints me to be in charge of the civil affairs of the northwest, I must put the people first in everything. Otherwise, I will betray the trust of the imperial court. "

"I wonder what Yuan'er thinks of the small southern country's conversion of rice to mulberry?" It was Song Yu who pulled him back again.

As soon as he asked, everyone looked at Song Yuan. Song Yuan thought about it seriously: "The farming conditions in the south are good, the fish and rice are abundant, and the people have no worries about food and clothing. It is natural to pursue silk with higher returns. Change Rice for mulberry is still very beneficial to increase the tax revenue of the small southern countries. After all, with the grain production of the Wei Dynasty, it is no longer necessary to purchase a large amount of grain from the small southern countries every year, and they do not need to reserve too much grain to free up excess. Using land to plant mulberry trees and develop textiles is another way out.”

"Yuan'er's words are very reasonable." Song Yu first affirmed: "The tax revenue from the textile industry is much stronger than the tax revenue from farming. Once the silk production of the small southern country increases, it will definitely be shipped to the Wei Dynasty in large quantities. By then, the silk production of the Wei Dynasty will All the real money went into the pockets of the small southern country."

A group of people nodded in agreement, all with solemn expressions, and they all looked concerned about the country and the people.

Song Yuan looked at them again and asked: "But they also have to spend money to buy food from Wei. Silk cannot be used as food."

"Is Yuan'er confused?" Someone said dismissively: "Don't you say that the south is rich in fish and rice, so how can it still be short of food?"

Song Yuan smiled and said: "There is no shortage now, but there is no guarantee in the future. Let's talk about growing cotton in the northwest. At first, the court wanted to draw land to grow cotton, and the people repeatedly opposed it. But after seeing the benefits in the first year, the people immediately started planting it voluntarily. Cotton, and even the vacant land in front of and behind the house, is not wasted. This is why the cotton output in the northwest has increased year after year.

Similarly, a small country in the south is now converting rice into mulberry. Even if the area is designated, once considerable profits show up, people will flock to it. At that time, the tax revenue will increase exponentially. If the court is greedy for temporary small profits, it will definitely let it go. In five years, grain production in the south will decrease.

Moreover, droughts and floods in the south are uncertain, and grain production cannot be guaranteed every year. Once a natural disaster occurs, who will buy grain if not the Wei Dynasty?Furthermore, if you want to vigorously develop textiles, you will definitely need to invest a lot of manpower. Once the wages from textiles exceed the income from farming, how many young people will be willing to pick up a hoe?
Farming is a manual labor that requires young and middle-aged people to work hard. Once the number of young and middle-aged people willing to engage in farming decreases, the grain yield will be lower. No matter how fertile the land is, without careful management, the yield will not be good. As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury. It is difficult to be extravagant and frugal. The core of this principle is the same. "

She spoke a lot in a calm tone, but Song Yu and the others didn't speak immediately. They were used to being royal children who enjoyed their dignity, so they had to take some time to digest such troublesome words.