Chapter 81: A large sum of money for a solution

No fertilizers, no pesticides, no good seeds, no farm tools.

There is room for maneuver no matter which one to start with. Zhao Huan directly chose the hellish difficulty hybrid rice.

Zhao Huan scratched his head in distress. The problem of productivity was too difficult to solve and it would definitely not produce any results in a short time.

In comparison, changing the dietary structure is easier to promote. I don't know when this bad habit was formed, but the scholar-official class is proud to eat mutton and ashamed to eat pork.

Although Dongpo pork, invented by Su Dongpo, is very well-known, not many people actually eat it.

Su Dongpo invented Dongpo pork out of helplessness. He couldn't afford mutton, so he had to eat pork instead.

Ordinary people don't care about food, but they can't afford it. After finally waiting for the New Year and working hard all year, they finally have a few dollars in their hands. They think of buying a piece of pork to improve their lives, but they also need to buy sugar, wine, onions and ginger. So they just boil the meat in plain water.

In the 21st century, pork is the undisputed king. Zhao Huan is well aware of this, so it's not difficult for him to set his sights on pork farming.

This also has a prerequisite, which is that there must be enough food to feed the pigs. Although pigs are omnivorous animals, you can't expect them to eat leaves every day and then provide you with meat.

Zhao Huan suddenly realized that everyone liked to eat mutton because sheep were easy to feed because they ate grass.

After some careful analysis, the problem returns to the starting point: productivity is the fundamental issue.

"Shao'er, come in!"

Shao Chengzhang was also very miserable. As the chief steward of the emperor, his work and rest schedule was exactly the same as Zhao Huan's, and he was forced to work overtime.

"Is there anyone in the court who understands agronomy?"

Shao Chengzhang scratched his head and thought seriously for a long time, then said uncertainly: "Si Tianjian?"

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau is in charge of the calendar and farming, so it does make sense to say that they understand farming, but your current state is not very convincing.

"They say there are experts among the common people. Do you think it will be effective if I pay a large sum of money for advice?"

“…”

"This, perhaps, might be effective. All the smart people in the world are in the court. The key is that no one in the court is engaged in farming."

"Then let's give it a try. As usual, we'll post notices at the sixteen city gates and in the square in front of the Bianjing Palace, calling on the common people (farmers, merchants, etc.) to actively contribute ideas. The court will dispatch dedicated personnel to collect feedback, compile it into a document, and send it to the palace. Even those who can't write won't have to worry. If His Majesty finds the advice reasonable, he'll reward you with ten taels of silver."

"Also, we'll set up a roll of honor to honor those who have made suggestions. The names and suggestions of those who have made effective suggestions will be recorded there for everyone to see. This will also embarrass our scholar-official class."

On the second day, the general public did not make any movement, but someone in the court offered some advice.

Zhao Huan opened it with great anticipation and was almost vomiting blood in anger. It turned out to be a beautiful article with a lot of nonsense. Zhao Huan didn't quite understand it. In short, it was all nonsense.

Book to Encourage Farmers

In the distant ancient times, there were the ancestors of mankind.

Free and easy, with enough food and clothing, a simple mind and a true nature.

Once cunning and treacherous are born, lack of food and clothing will lead to hardship.

Who can provide for abundance? It all depends on wise and sage people.

Who is this, the wise and virtuous man? It is the agricultural sage named Hou Ji.

How did Hou Ji make the people rich? He taught them to farm and grow rice.

Emperor Shun personally tilled the fields, and Dayu also practiced farming.

It was recorded in ancient books of the Zhou Dynasty that food was ranked first among the Eight Political Affairs.

Our ancestors lived in harmony, were virtuous, and had lush crops in the fields.

The flowers, plants and trees are all lush and flourishing, and the weather is peaceful and the breeze is gentle.

Men and women take advantage of the farming season, rushing around to work.

The silkworm-raising women get up in the middle of the night, and the farmers sleep in the fields while working on the fields.

The seasons pass by so quickly, and the gentle breeze and rain are hard to stay.

Ji Que and his wife worked together, Chang Ju Jie Ni farmed together.

Look at these wise men, they are still working hard in the fields.

What's more, ordinary people like us can't just put our hands into our sleeves.

One must be diligent in life, and diligence will ensure you have food and clothing.

If you indulge in pleasure and comfort, you will find it difficult to make a living at the end of the year.

If there is no food reserve at home, hunger and cold will come one after another.

Looking at the hardworking people around me, how can I not feel ashamed!

Confucius was obsessed with morality and despised Fan Xuwen's farming.

Dong Zhongshu enjoyed playing the zither and reading books, and he did not go to the countryside for three years.

If you can transcend the world, emulate this person's noble virtues.

How dare we be disrespectful to him? We should pay homage to him and praise his virtue.

What I'm asking about are specific agricultural policies, not flattering articles. Furthermore, the article opens with the reigns of Yao and Shun. To be frank, during their time, the lives of the people were ten or even a hundred times more miserable than they are today.

They say that one must be diligent in life and that diligence will ensure food and clothing. This is all bullshit. Have you ever seen any common people not getting up at noon or going home to rest? No, the point is that the common people work hard day and night and still can't eat. This is all bullshit.

A book encouraging farming? I think it's a book that harms farming. It's so nagging and nagging that ordinary people get annoyed by it. In their hearts, they probably laugh at what these guys are writing.

By the way, whether you can understand it or not are two different things.

On the third and fourth days, Zhao Huan still didn't come up with any useful strategies, so he simply took his men out of the palace and went to Bianliang City to find people inside and outside to find out what the situation was and why they were not willing to make money.

After dressing up in Qiaozhuang, Zhao Huan changed into farmer's clothes and blended into the team collecting the reward.

There were quite a few people watching. A quick glance showed that there were about fifty or sixty of them, including ordinary people and farmers. They gathered together and chattered, having a lively discussion.

Zhao Huan looked curious. It was unscientific. With so many people watching, no one had made any suggestions for several days. It was simply unbelievable.

"This land belongs to the landlords. We just earn enough to feed ourselves. Even if the yield increases, it won't be of any use."

"Who says it's not true? The landlords are so selfish. To satisfy their own selfish desires, they use the best farmland to grow grass and raise sheep for meat. They eat their fill every day, so who cares about our lives?"

"That's right, that's right. With the increase in production, what should they do if they want to raise more sheep? For example, Mr. Zhou, the landlord in our area, kills dozens of sheep every day."

"There are dozens of sheep. They can't eat this much anyway."

"Landlord, how can that be the same as us? I heard that this week the landlord only eats the tenderest part of the lamb leg."

"You beast! Poverty has limited my imagination. I was already in my thirties, and one year, when the landlord's family had a son, I happened to see them slaughtering a sheep, and they gave me the spine of a heretic. After stewing it into soup, it was really delicious."

Zhao Huan gradually understood what was going on. This was a case of sheep killing people, just like the enclosure movement in Britain hundreds of years later. The only difference was that one was a trend of interests, and the other was a matter of power.

Has the Song Dynasty's land annexation become so serious?

Also, who is Landlord Zhou?

He's so arrogant, I have to get to know him.

It opened today and I received a monthly ticket. Thank you for your support.