Chapter 32 Sweet Potato Movable Type Printing
Yuchi Jingde felt wronged and couldn't hold it in any longer. He even said that Zhou Yu wasn't a gigolo, and that the wages he paid Zhou Yu were almost equal to the wages of both of them.
They even went out of their way to buy hybrid rice for Zhou Yu.
What is this if not favoritism?
It wasn't just the people of Eastern Wu who couldn't get enough to eat; the people of the Tang Dynasty were in the same boat. In all of history, which dynasty's people lived a happy life?
Why did they specifically give Zhou Yu hybrid rice?
Moreover, due to the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the population of the Tang Dynasty had decreased sharply and the land had become barren. After Li Shimin came to power, he tried to attract displaced people back to their hometowns by reducing taxes and providing agricultural tools.
The effect was negligible, better than nothing.
After all, people are starving and have no energy to work, so how could they possibly want to reclaim wasteland?
If the Tang Dynasty had such high-yield crops, things would be completely different. People all over the world would definitely be willing to go home and cultivate a couple of acres of land, grow crops, have children, and live a very comfortable life.
Qin Shubao also realized the importance of hybrid rice, and was deeply moved.
Qin Shubao came from a family of military merit; his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all officials from the Northern Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty. His father, Qin Ai, once served as a registrar.
They could be considered a minor aristocratic class.
Even with such a background, Qin Shubao endured much hardship. During the later years of Emperor Yang of Sui's reign, popular uprisings broke out everywhere, plunging the country into chaos. He successively served under Sui generals Zhang Xutuo, Li Mi of the Wagang Army, and Wang Shichong, among others. These forces were all in a state of prolonged warfare, and their food supplies were often unstable.
A talent like Qin Shubao might only go hungry for a few meals, but it was different for others. Qin Shubao had seen quite a few people starve to death.
Of all the ways to die, hunger is the most unbearable.
Many soldiers on the battlefield had a motto: "Even if we die, we must die with a full stomach." Only by winning could they have a good meal.
They need to eat their fill!
This is also the reason why most ordinary people join the army. They can't get enough to eat at home, so they come to the army. They don't care what they do, as long as they are fed, they come.
In reality, it's impossible to get enough to eat in the military camp. They're all just a bunch of teenagers. If you let them eat as much as they want, they could eat a whole cow.
Something definitely needs to be mixed into the rice.
This is already very good.
Tears streamed down Fang Kuan's chin. Despite being such a big man, he only realized the taste of being well-fed after coming to work in Songyang County.
The Qin state levied heavy taxes, and under such heavy taxes, very few people could afford to eat their fill. Most people struggled to make ends meet, eating only a simple meal of gruel or bean porridge before going to work.
If you're not careful, such as when the weather is bad or you get sick, it's quite common to starve to death.
Even when times are good, family members often don't let their children eat their fill. They firmly believe that the stomach will expand, and if a child eats a full meal once, their appetite will grow, and they won't be able to go hungry in the future.
If you don't eat your fill, tighten your belt and wrap it around your waist several times; that way, you can still stretch out.
That's how He Fu got through it.
"How could I be biased?" Jiang Ge had to reassure everyone.
"Just buying hybrid rice for Zhou Yu is enough to feed us Tang Dynasty people who are still starving! I want to grow hybrid rice too! I want to fill my stomach too! I want a raise!" Why does Zhou Yu, a later generation, have everything?
After Yuchi Jingde's performance of singing, reciting, acting, and fighting, he was no fool and wouldn't do anything useless.
"Isn't the Tang Dynasty still suffering from drought? Planting only hybrid rice won't be enough. I estimate we'll need to add another crop. I'll show you the other crops later. As for raising wages, once Songyang County has a larger population, the yamen runners will have higher positions. If you work hard, I'll consider you first."
A pay raise?
The first consideration?
Yuchi Jingde nodded in agreement without hesitation.
If Yuchi Jingde had ever worked in modern times, he would know that this was a typical rhetoric of a leader making empty promises. However, since Yuchi Jingde had only worked in the Tang Dynasty and Songyang County, Li Shimin was a leader who did not make empty promises to his subordinates but focused on practical work.
Django is different; if he can keep the promises going, he'll keep making them.
Hybrid rice and sweet potato, two high-yield crops, were planted for Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao.
"This sweet potato is highly adaptable and resistant to disasters. It is drought-resistant and flood-resistant, making it suitable for the changeable weather in Datang. Moreover, the yield per mu can reach 3,000 jin."
If only the Tang Dynasty had cellar technology, sweet potatoes could have been stored for even longer.
I originally wanted to choose potatoes, as they are easy to store and can be used as military rations. However, potatoes are susceptible to disease, which is difficult to control once it occurs.
Sweet potatoes are still the best, and they're easy to grow.
The Complete Treatise on Agriculture states, "If the five grains do not ripen, it is better to eat sweet potatoes." Sweet potatoes are the foundation of a prosperous era, which shows how powerful they are.
After buying seeds for two high-yield crops, Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao each only had a little over twenty yuan left. They would have to ask His Highness how to spend this money.
Finally, noon arrived, and Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao returned to the Tang Dynasty with seeds in their arms and braised chicken and rice in their hands.
"Your Majesty! This is an extremely auspicious omen!" Yuchi Jingde shouted as he rushed into the Taiji Hall, nearly tripping over the threshold.
Li Shimin, who was reviewing memorials, looked up and saw his two beloved generals looking travel-worn, yet holding them in their arms as if they were precious treasures. He couldn't help but chuckle: "Jingde looks like he's stolen someone's new bride for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Cheng Yaojin, Li Jing... were all there. Everyone knew that today was payday, and they were all waiting for him.
Qin Shubao had no intention of teasing Yuchi Jingde. He solemnly untied the bundle, revealing two coarse cloth bags: "These two items can save the lives of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty."
Qin Shubao felt that even the number of millions of people was too low.
"Why is Uncle Bao joking too?" What does a million people mean? Even with Magistrate Jiang's help, the combined monthly wages of Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao are only 560, which is far too little.
"Your Highness, I'm not joking. Magistrate Jiang bought two high-yield grains for me today. One is hybrid rice, which yields 1,000 catties per mu, and the other is sweet potatoes, which can yield..." Qin Shubao swallowed hard: "Three thousand catties per mu."
Upon hearing that the yield was 3,000 catties per mu, Li Shimin dropped his brush onto the memorial with a thud, the ink spreading everywhere. He abruptly stood up, his black dragon robe belt knocking over the teacups on the table.
"really?!"
Li Shimin's voice trembled slightly. During the war years, he had personally witnessed the tragic scene of starvation everywhere—women holding emaciated infants, and starving refugees even digging up all the clay they could find.
Seeing Li Shimin's doubt, Yuchi Jingde grabbed a sweet potato and gestured: "It's true! Magistrate Jiang said that this thing can live if you stick a vine in it!" He squeezed so hard that juice came out of the sweet potato.
"Stop pinching!"
Inside the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin's voice suddenly rose, even causing the Imperial Guards on duty outside the hall to turn their heads.
Fang Xuanling stepped forward and snatched the sweet potato from Yuchi Jingde's hand, saying with concern, "What if you break such a good thing?"
"What's the rush? What's the rush? Old Qin, open the sack and let His Majesty see."
Yuchi Jingde wiped his fingers, which were stained with sweet potato juice, on his clothes and grinned, "Your Majesty, Magistrate Jiang said that this is only a conservative estimate. If the land is fertile and the land is well cared for, it could yield four thousand catties."
Qin Shubao untied the large cloth bag, revealing it full of sweet potatoes. He took out a sweet potato covered in dirt and said, "This is it. Magistrate Jiang said that it only needs to be cut into small pieces and buried in the ground, and it can be harvested in three months." He paused, "As for the yield... I believe Magistrate Jiang would not lie."
They trusted Django; someone with such great abilities wouldn't stoop to deceiving people.
Li Shimin strode down the imperial steps, grabbing the sweet potato covered in fresh soil. The rough skin pressed against his palm, and its heavy weight made his heart race.
"Summon the Minister of Agriculture!" Li Shimin's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Immediately set aside ten acres of fertile land on the imperial estate. I want to see for myself whether these sweet potatoes are truly as described!"
Cheng Yaojin squeezed to the front and poked the sweet potato in Yuchi Jingde's hand with his thick fingers: "Can this ugly thing really be eaten as food?"
He wiped the juice and dirt from the broken sweet potato onto his clothes, broke it in half with both hands, and handed it to Cheng Yaojin.
"Old Cheng, you'd better enjoy these sweet potatoes. I got them by selling my looks." Yuchi Jingde was quite proud of himself when he talked about this.
Did Yuchi Jingde make a living based on his looks?
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin couldn't even bite into the sweet potato anymore, feeling disgusted: "Jingde, I've only ever heard that your appearance can scare children to tears. When did you become someone who can make a living based on your looks?"
If everyone relied on their looks to make a living, Yuchi Jingde would definitely go hungry very easily.
Cheng Yaojin thought that Yuchi Jingde was not bad-looking, but he had a fierce aura that was more frightening than Qin Shubao, and could stop children from crying at night.
"Hahahahahahaha." Qin Shubao laughed loudly, "What do you mean by making a living based on looks? He clearly makes a living by cheating."
Tell me about how Yuchi Jingde acted coquettishly towards Jiang Ge.
Even Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh, "It seems that Magistrate Jiang quite likes Jingde's appearance."
"Your Highness," Yuchi Jingde said to Li Shimin in the same shameless manner.
Li Shimin couldn't stand this behavior.
"Alright, alright, I'm not going to say anymore."
Cheng Yaojin looked at the sweet potato flesh; it was red and smelled faintly sweet. He had never seen this grain before.
"Jingde, can this really be eaten raw? Or should it be cooked?"
Sweet potatoes were introduced to my country during the Ming Dynasty, and no one has seen them since.
Yuchi Jingde can be considered the first person in the Tang Dynasty to eat sweet potatoes.
“It can be eaten raw, and it’s even sweet and delicious.” Yuchi Jingde lowered his voice mysteriously, “If we don’t eat it now, His Highness will realize it and we won’t be able to eat it anymore.”
Cheng Yaojin nodded, "That's right. If we don't eat them now, we'll just leave them for seed later." The two of them munched on sweet potatoes in silence.
This statement was like a spark falling into a haystack; the hall erupted in chaos. It could be eaten raw or cooked, and its yield was high.
Changsun Wuji stroked his beard thoughtfully: "If that's true, it could alleviate the food shortage in Guanzhong..."
"Not just Guanzhong!" Li Shimin suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his eyes gleaming. "Issue an imperial decree: all prefectures and counties must immediately inventory idle official lands and conscript able-bodied men to cultivate them. The Ministry of Agriculture shall select capable officials to go to various regions to guide the planting." He turned to Qin Shubao, "Shubao, has Magistrate Jiang explained the planting methods?"
Qin Shubao took out a small booklet from his pocket: "This is the 'Essential Techniques for Sweet Potato Cultivation' given by Magistrate Jiang. It records in detail the methods of seedling raising, transplanting, fertilization, and so on."
Li Shimin took the booklet, and was taken aback when his fingertips touched the smooth paper. This paper... was even finer than the best Chengxintang paper in the palace! Turning to the inner pages, the neatly printed characters were densely packed together, accompanied by exquisite illustrations, even showing clearly how to plant sweet potato vines.
"This..." Du Ruhui leaned over for a look and immediately gasped, "Such an exquisite agricultural book is probably unmatched by the entire collection of books in the Jixian Academy!"
The planting method is very clear.
Even someone who has never farmed before can grow sweet potatoes just by looking at a picture.
Yuchi Jingde finished half of the sweet potato in a few bites: "Your Highness, Qin and I bought water purification tablets, hybrid rice and sweet potatoes, and we still have a few dozen yuan left. What else do we need to buy?"
I was so busy introducing the sweet potatoes that I got carried away.
They even forgot about hybrid rice and water purification tablets; those two things are pretty powerful.
Upon hearing that water purification tablets could purify water sources of bacteria and prevent epidemics, Li Jing's eyes lit up instantly: "Your Highness..."
Although the words were left unsaid, everyone understood.
All you want is a few bottles, right?
However, only four bottles were purchased in total, and the allocation of these bottles is up to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin took a look, and not only Li Jing's eyes lit up, but everyone else's too. Such a good thing! If you put it in your own well, it can even prevent dysentery. What a wonderful thing!
"Let's figure out how to spend the rest of the money first."
How should it be allocated?
Li Shimin himself also needed it, so the matter of allocation should wait.
"How did everyone else spend their money?" Li Shimin asked, his brow furrowed as he ran his fingers over the curled-up booklet. He had read it over and over again at least ten times, unable to afford the expensive items and unsure about the cheaper ones.
Yuchi Jingde scratched his head and counted on his thick fingers: "That kid Zhou Yu had Magistrate Jiang help him choose. He bought water purification pills, which you can just throw into muddy water and drink; there's also something called a telescope, which is said to be able to see things a mile or two away; a loudspeaker that can carry sound far away; and some kind of drug called amicillin, I don't even know what it treats; oh right, and hybrid rice seeds."
"A telescope?!" Li Shimin slammed the booklet shut, his eyes gleaming. "This is a must-buy!" As an emperor who had conquered the world on horseback, he knew all too well its value on the battlefield. Then, he frowned and said, "The megaphone can wait..."
As he pondered, Fang Xuanling stroked his long beard and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I believe that the remaining silver should be used to purchase movable type printing technology." His eyes were bright. "The reason why the five surnames and seven noble families have been able to hold high office for generations is simply because they have tens of thousands of books in their collections. If we obtain this technology, within three years, all the poor scholars in the world will be able to read the classics."
He had been waiting for his wages ever since he saw movable type printing in the pamphlet.
Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui immediately echoed, "Xuanling is absolutely right. It currently takes three years to copy a single book; copying is no easy task. If we had movable type printing..."
During the Tang Dynasty, the five prominent families and seven powerful clans (such as Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang) controlled a large number of books. Poor students had difficulty borrowing books and even had to mortgage their land. It was already difficult for poor students to study, let alone encounter such powerful clans.
Movable type printing can effectively break the knowledge monopoly of powerful families.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui had no direct kinship or political alliance with the Five Clans and Seven Families, and because they promoted the imperial examination system and suppressed powerful clans, they objectively stood on the opposite side of the Five Clans and Seven Families.
Movable type printing also facilitated the dissemination of government orders.
Li Shimin's gaze swept across the faces of several trusted ministers. Some avoided his eyes, but could not look away. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! As you two ministers say." He turned to Yuchi Jingde, "Jingde, this movable type printing technology..."
Yuchi Jingde came from a humble background and had no connection with the Five Families and Seven Clans.
"Alright!" Yuchi Jingde clasped his hands in a fist salute. "I'll go find Magistrate Jiang right away, and I guarantee I'll get that... movable type printing press back for His Majesty!"
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Author's Note: From now on, updates will be at 12 PM. [Rainbow praise emoji] Please don't miss your updates. I didn't really understand before, and I didn't know about time and word count. I thought three updates a day was enough. I will try my best in the future. Thank you all for your support. [droopy-eared bunny head emoji]
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