Although the "Da Ming Forum" newspaper has predicted the coming of a major disaster, it is doubtful how many people believe it.
Even Xu Guangqi and Chen Zilong were not very sure, so you can imagine what ordinary people are thinking.
But the emperor was very serious and kept issuing orders to local governors, asking them to make plans for disaster prevention and mitigation and to vigorously build water conservancy facilities.
Even when the war to quell the rebellion was extremely costly, the emperor was still able to use the treasury to invest in infrastructure, which shows how much importance the emperor attached to it.
In addition to converting corvée labor in northern provinces to water conservancy and road construction within the provinces, the emperor also assigned tasks to agricultural experts such as Xu Guangqi to experiment with early-maturing, short-season crops, select suitable varieties, and summarize planting experience.
The Little Ice Age was a long-lasting disaster, but it wasn't confined to just one province or region. First, Shaanxi, then Henan, then Hebei and Shandong, even affecting the Jiangnan region.
Such a large-scale disaster requires preparation in many aspects. Immigration is one solution, but we can't evacuate all the people from the affected provinces, right?
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao's idea was to plant whatever could be planted, whether it was vegetables or crops, as long as they were edible. Short-season, early-maturing crops, because they require less time to mature, are relatively less affected by disasters.
Just like the current resettlement of the Liao people, the spring farming season has passed. They can't just sit there guarding the wasteland and wait for relief from the court, right?
Plant and replant crops quickly, including radishes, cabbages, corn, mung beans, edamame, peanuts, alfalfa, and other crops that can be grown in summer. Even if they can't be eaten by humans, they can be fed to cattle and horses.
Despite his anxiety, the emperor still trusted the agronomists. The crops they selected were all short-season crops that could solve some problems.
Chen Zilong, a disciple of Xu Guangqi, also participated in this work. In a few days, once the buckwheat seeds were purchased, he and several agronomists would travel to Liaodong to guide planting and keep detailed records.
That’s right, buckwheat is also a short-season crop selected by Xu Guangqi and others, and it is also an edible grain crop.
A farmer's proverb goes: "In the first dog days, plant radish; in the second dog days, plant mustard; if you don't plant buckwheat in the third dog days, plant some." If your land is idle for various reasons, or you're rushing to plant crops but don't want them to sit idle, then now is the perfect time to plant buckwheat!
The reason for the widespread cultivation of buckwheat is simple: its low yield makes it uneconomical to grow. Therefore, farmers rarely plant it on fertile land, but only on poor land.
But it was a year of severe drought. There was no water in the river or the well. It didn't rain until the beginning of autumn, so we could only grow buckwheat.
If sown before the beginning of autumn, buckwheat will mature in two months. It is considered to be the field crop with the shortest growing period that can be sown directly.
What? Buckwheat doesn't taste good. Then go chew on grass roots or tree bark. Even if buckwheat doesn't taste good, it's still better than Guanyin soil for survival!
Chen Zilong and others went to Liaodong, and also planned to experiment with the fresh crops that the emperor mentioned.
According to what the emperor said, the corn may not have enough time to grow after it was planted, and the weather turned cold before it could mature.
That's okay, don't wait until it's ripe, just harvest and store it quickly, artificially shortening the growing season. The tender corn harvested this way is called fresh corn, and the plants can also be made into silage for cattle and sheep!
In addition to fresh corn, there are also fresh soybeans, fresh peanuts, etc.
Agricultural experts such as Xu Guangqi were also confused by this strange name at first, but after thinking about it carefully, it did make some sense. No one knew how the emperor came up with it.
Oh, the ones that are not yet ripe and can only be eaten immediately are called fresh food. They are quite tender and can be eaten.
But this doesn't conform to conventional farming practices. In normal years, no one would do this. Not only would the yield be low, but it would also be difficult to store.
"Your Majesty always has unique and ingenious methods, but upon closer inspection, they're not random. It's quite strange." Xu Guangqi, puzzled, shook his head gently, and said to Chen Zilong, "On this trip to Liaodong, you should conduct thorough experiments and observe carefully. If a major disaster were to strike, your valuable experience might save countless lives."
Chen Zilong gave a wry smile and shook his thoughts off. A few of his good friends had finished their work and gathered to give him an early farewell party.
The management of the Academy of Sciences is no longer as strict as it was at the beginning, and there are no secret military weapons. That is the work of the Ordnance and Gunpowder Bureau and does not need to be closed.
But you can't just come and go as you please. Outsiders have to be picked up by someone inside, and if they want to go out, they have to wait until the break time.
Everyone walked through the courtyard and headed towards the gate.
Chen Zilong heard the noise and turned around curiously, and saw a group of people surrounding a large and heavy wooden frame. Some were shouting, some were turning the capstan, and they seemed to be doing some work.
Xu Fuyuan explained with a smile: "This is a test of the crane. It looks like there has been some progress. Only two or three people are needed to turn the winch."
The use of movable pulleys to lift heavy objects existed in ancient times, but was rarely used. Zhu Youxiao believed that it should be developed and used in docks and warehouses, saving a lot of manpower and increasing efficiency.
Chen Zilong was surprised. It was shocking to see a huge rock being slowly lifted by two or three people turning the winch.
"We're about to start manufacturing a gantry crane with wheels that can be moved!" Xia Yunyi said with a smile, "It can be used at the docks, and it will not be a problem to lift and move thousands of kilograms of cargo at once."
"Brother Shen drew a simple blueprint." Wang Jizhong smiled and said, "He is lazy. He just draws a random picture and everyone has to test it over and over again."
"But there's definitely no major problem." Xu Fuyuan shook his head, feeling a little unbelievable. "He always has some original ideas, but they're not random. How strange."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
