Chapter 298 The base is in hand, the real Ming Dynasty
In an agricultural society, per-acre yield is the lifeblood of a dynasty.
Since records began, the per-acre yield in the Central Plains has been slowly increasing, and at the same time, the population has also been slowly increasing.
And wealth continues to increase.
It can be said that grain production is the decisive factor in the rise and fall of a dynasty.
Chen Yan thought of many possibilities. For example, Jiang Qingzhi asked people to farm meticulously. He asked an old farmer about this. The old farmer patted his chest and said that he had been farming all his life, and no matter how meticulous the work was, it would only increase the income by a few liters at most.
A few liters, that's a joke!
But who is the joke now?
"impossible!"
An officer screamed and rushed over.
Bah!
The Taoist's bodyguard took action and knocked the guy to the side with one kick.
"No!" the official screamed and continued to crawl forward.
"Is this crazy?" someone asked in astonishment.
"It is said that this guy pawned his entire property and bet all the money he earned on Long Wilbur to lose," said someone in the know with glee.
Gao Yiming shuddered, "Minister Chen, how much did you bet?"
"Not much, just over 7,000 strings of cash." Chen Yan's face turned pale. "Mr. Gao, how about you?"
"Five thousand strings of cash." Gao Yiming's legs were shaking.
This was almost all that the two of them could use at home.
Now it's all gone to waste.
Where will we get the money for our children’s marriages and other important family events in the future?
Jiang Qingzhi looked at those officials who looked like they had lost their parents, took out a cigarette, lit it, and said with a sigh, "Only one stone and three?"
"One stone and three!" Wang Yiqi shuddered, "Your Majesty, one stone and three!"
The Taoist priest had been in a daze, and was awakened by the shout. He could not hide his excitement, "The yield per mu in the capital is only to dan, which is an increase of nearly 20%. If it is implemented throughout the country, it doesn't need to be much, just a 10% increase..."
Yan Song's old eyes were shining, as if countless money was gathered in them. As the Prime Minister, he needed money and food in his hands to regulate yin and yang... A good cook cannot cook without rice.
If the Ming Dynasty's per-acre productivity increased by 10%, Yan Song would be more confident.
"Your Majesty, great joy!" Old Yan couldn't hold back his joy, and for the first time he said to Jiang Qingzhi seriously, "Chang Wei Bo's move is beneficial to the country and the people. I congratulate the Ming Dynasty! Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
"I congratulate the Ming Dynasty and Your Majesty!"
Many of those ministers had secretly bet on Jiang Qingzhi to lose, and now they had to suppress their sadness after losing the bet and congratulate Emperor Jiajing. The feeling in their hearts was indescribable.
Wang Yiqi burst into tears. "In recent years, the number of deserters in various garrisons has increased day by day. It all comes down to the lack of money and food. If the land yields increase by 10%, the officers and soldiers will be able to eat a little more. Lord Wei, I would like to thank those soldiers on behalf of me!"
Wang Yiqi bowed solemnly, but Jiang Qingzhi avoided him and said, "Why do you have to do this?"
The Minister of Revenue did not come today. Instead, it was the Right Vice Minister Lan Qingtian who came. The old man trembled as he walked to the measuring tools and asked, "Have you checked them?"
This time, an official from the Ministry of Revenue was supervising the matter, and someone immediately said, "We have checked it carefully, and there is absolutely no mistake."
Lan Qingtian murmured, "I have always wondered when I could fill the stomachs of all the people in the world, but I couldn't think of a way. Everyone in my Ministry of Revenue has racked their brains and thought hard about it... but today someone has done it quietly. I..."
Lan Qingtian looked up and said, "Chang Wei Bo's actions are of great merit!"
Jiang Qing subconsciously touched the back of his head, but didn't feel the aperture.
"Your Majesty, this is a good omen!" Someone began to praise the emperor. If it were in the past, the Taoist priest would have certainly treated him coldly, but Jiang Qingzhi discovered that the Taoist priest at this moment was actually...
I couldn’t stop laughing!
What the hell!
The Taoist priest who was as cold and solemn as a god was actually laughing without caring about his image.
"Hahahaha!"
Yan Song was also laughing.
At this moment, all positions converge.
Xia Yan sighed, "This Ming Dynasty! How wonderful it would be if it could always be like this." He looked at Jiang Qingzhi and smiled, "This kid... a good kid!"
Jiang Qingzhi still underestimated the amount of grain, which was close to 20%.
When he saw Lan Qingtian in tears, and saw an official grabbing a handful of wheat grains and laughing at him excitedly...
Are you all fucking crazy?
Many people came to the Hanlin Academy today, all of them were waiting to see the joke and give the fallen dog a beating.
But when they saw the results, 30% of the people actually changed sides on the spot.
"Du Fu once said, 'I wish I had thousands of mansions to shelter the poor people in the world. It is our responsibility to ensure that the people in the world have enough food and clothing.'"
An official from the Hanlin Academy said excitedly: "We take this as our responsibility, but what have we done in the past thousands of years?"
He looked at his colleagues and raised the wheat in his hand. "We didn't do anything. I was furious when Long Wilbur said we were just talking big, but today!"
The official's voice became louder and louder, attracting everyone's attention.
His eyes sparkled as he said, "But what did I see today? An increase of nearly 20% in revenue! While my generation was talking big, Long Wilbur was quietly doing this."
Many officials of the Hanlin Academy lowered their heads, as if someone was slapping them in the face.
"That day I said that I would never coexist with Long Wilbur in this life. Today I regret it."
The official walked up to Jiang Qingzhi and said seriously: "No matter how knowledgeable Chang Wei Bo is, this alone is a great merit. I was wrong."
Wang Yiqi's eyes were filled with tears, "This Ming Dynasty!"
Dao Ye turned around and asked, "What does Qingzhi want?"
Yan Shifan's eyes narrowed, "Your Majesty is too happy."
How can an emperor ask his subjects what they want?
All eyes instantly focused on Jiang Qingzhi.
Various guesses.
Take advantage of the situation and give the Hanlin Academy a blow!
Or it may be to seek benefits for Xiao Zhuo and others under his command.
Jiang Qingzhi barely thought about it, "Your Majesty, would you like to give me a few hundred acres of land?"
Hey!
For all your great contributions, you only want the land as a reward. Are you crazy?
Dao Ye's ecstatic heart calmed down, but the relief in his eyes became more and more intense.
He knows when to advance and when to retreat, and is not greedy. How can I not be happy with such a cousin?
"There is no land to be found outside the capital." The Taoist said with a smile.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "I don't want good farmland, I just want wasteland, the kind that can't be cultivated. The more the better."
The Taoist was startled. "Why do you want to come here?"
Zhu Xizhong stepped on Jiang Qingzhi's heel from behind and whispered, "Change your words!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "I have some ideas, but I lack a place to put them into practice."
Emperor Jiajing frowned, but then he thought that there was still a long time to go, and there would be plenty of opportunities to compensate Jiang Qingzhi in the future, "Is there such a place?"
An official said, "Your Majesty, there is such a place five miles outside the capital, but the land is barren and cannot be cultivated."
"How big?"
"About two thousand acres."
Dao Ye said: "In this case, I will give it all to you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Amidst the crowd's looks of people looking at him as if he were a fool, Jiang Qingzhi could hardly hide his ecstasy.
He had countless ideas in his mind, but he needed a place to put them into practice, and this place had to be controllable.
The capital is overcrowded, and other places are too far away and easily out of control.
Two thousand acres of land five miles away from the capital!
He accidentally saw Gao Yiming and thought of the horse bet.
Gao Yiming stood there in a daze, his mind filled with regret.
"Your Majesty, it's almost noon, how about we have lunch here?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
He just mentioned it casually, similar to the polite words a neighbor would say when visiting, but the Taoist nodded, "Yes!"
There are hundreds of kings and ministers who came today, and there are also guards accompanying them, which adds up to about three hundred people!
How to prepare food for so many people?
I told you not to talk too much!
Jiang Qingzhi wanted to slap himself.
He called Han Shan over, and Han Shan was also dumbfounded, "Master, if we cook the food at home, I'm afraid the nobles won't even want to smell it."
Jiang Qingzhi was suddenly startled, and patted his shoulder, "Go back and ask every household to prepare some food. Remember, prepare the same thing today as you normally eat."
Han Shan hesitated for a moment, and Jiang Qingzhi waved his hand, "Go quickly!"
When it was time for dinner, Jiang Qingzhi led the emperor and his ministers into the village.
"The curling smoke from the cooking stove is so refreshing!"
"Yes! If you can take a break from your busy life with a few bottles of wine and a plate of vegetables, it will be a beautiful sight in the world."
"I have it."
"Mr. Chen has it? I'm all ears."
The sound of reciting poems and writing lyrics is endless.
"The food is here."
The open space in the village is filled with tables, most of which are old and some are even shabby.
"It's a bit simple, please forgive me!" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
"This is the fun of the wild, isn't it?" Wang Yiqi felt it was particularly fresh.
Yan Shifan sat down with his butt, and with a crack, he actually broke the bench.
This guy was fat and actually said there was something wrong with the bench, so Jiang Qingzhi had someone make him a wooden stool.
The food was served.
Each table has two plates of vegetables, a plate of fried bacon with tofu, and finally a bowl of egg soup.
There is no alcohol.
"Yes, it's interesting."
The officials ate with gusto. For them, a light meal once in a while was a change of pace.
The Taoist priest usually eats light food, and this kind of taste is just what he likes.
He inadvertently saw a few children looking at him eagerly, so he waved at them. The children hesitated for a moment, and Huang Jin walked over and said with a smile: "Come, there will be candy later."
A few children came over, and Daoye asked, "Have you eaten?"
Several children shook their heads and nodded.
The Taoist pointed at the food on the table and asked, "Maybe you eat meat on weekdays?"
One child said, "You can eat it once a month."
"My family is rich, and we can eat twice a month."
The Taoist's smile gradually froze.
"Is it possible to eat enough?" Xia Yan was at the table next to him.
"Yes!" A child sniffed, "I can eat enough these days."
"What about other days?" Xia Yan asked.
"Mom said that I should eat solid food when I need to work hard, and on weekdays... eat liquid food." The child rubbed his stomach and growled.
Is this the Ming Dynasty?
Everyone looked at each other.
The Taoist priest ate his meal in silence, and then the emperor and his ministers left.
When we reached the entrance of the village, the Taoist suddenly said, "Go back and take a look."
Everyone followed him into the village again.
I saw the villagers sitting where they were sitting before, eating the leftovers with all their family members, enjoying themselves...
"I haven't eaten meat for a long time. This bacon is really delicious."
"I used to be reluctant to add oil when cooking, but today I finally understand how much more oil can make a meal taste better."
"This meal is treated by the uncle." Han Shan said, "Eat more."
Everyone praised the master's kindness, but they didn't notice that the Taoist priest not far away had a gloomy face.
"This is the Ming Dynasty under my rule!"
……
It’s the last three days of the month, please give me votes!
(End of this chapter)
