Although Liaodong was pacified, the Ming army's weapons and equipment were still being strengthened.
Some are not very necessary, such as artillery. Not to mention the Jiannu and Mongolian tribes, they are probably ranked number one in the world.
There are also windproof goggles, which are very useful when the wind is cold. But even without them, the Ming army still has a strong fighting force.
But the emperor was not satisfied. Since it could be produced, why not equip the troops to save money? Soldiers defended their country and fought on the battlefield. Their efforts should be respected and rewarded.
The logic is the same. Although the Jiannu no longer poses a threat, the emperor will not tolerate the continued ills of the Ming Dynasty and stop the pace of reform and revitalization.
The Ming Dynasty was far from what the emperor had envisioned, and the army that had been built with great expense was not playing its due role.
The army and navy are the same. They have not become a sharp sword for expanding territory, nor have they won enough living space for billions of people.
Despite the vast territory of the Ming Empire, its population continued to grow while the amount of land remained stagnant. The saying "few produce, many consume" was not an unfounded worry in ancient times.
A large-scale population census is necessary. If we don’t even know the country’s population, we can’t formulate a scientific development strategy.
According to the emperor's estimate, the current population of the Ming Dynasty is at least 150 million, and this is still an inaccurate average. At most, it is possible that it exceeds 200 million.
Based on the amount of arable land, planting levels, and per-mu yield at the time, it was already difficult to feed nearly 200 million people.
What's more, there is an impending major disaster, and the food shortage situation will become even more serious.
Of course, the early promotion of planting of crops such as potatoes, corn, rye, and sweet potatoes can solve big problems.
However, during peacetime, the population growth rate basically remained between 5% and 10%, or even above 10%.
Now, there should be no more wars like those at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and measures have been put in place to deal with major disasters. The emperor is also improving health and epidemic prevention. Therefore, the population will not decline significantly, but will increase significantly.
But, isn’t this population growth rate a little scary?
The emperor patted the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration" on his desk and asked doubtfully, "Mr. Xu, is it accurate to say that 'the birth rate generally doubles every thirty years and will not decrease unless there is a major war'?"
Xu Guangqi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is the conclusion I reached after studying the population of the imperial clan. There may be some errors, but they shouldn't be too large."
"Xu Qing, please tell me in detail." Although the emperor asked, he already felt that something was wrong.
Xu Guangqi said: "During the Hongwu reign, there were only 58 men and women below the rank of Duke. By the Yongle reign, there were 127, a figure that doubled in just over 30 years. At the beginning of the Longqing reign, there were 45,000 registered officials, of which 28,000 are still alive."
"In the Jiawu year of the Wanli reign, there were 103,000 registered, but only 62,000 are still alive, which means that the number doubled in more than 30 years. In the Jiachen year of the recent reign, there were 130,000 registered, but no fewer than 80,000 are still alive, which means that the number increased by one third in ten years, which means that the number doubled in more than 30 years."
The emperor blinked slowly, thought for a long moment, and shook his head, saying, "Xu Qing, you are wrong! Imperial family marriages often involve multiple wives, which is very different from commoners."
After a pause, the emperor continued, "Thirty years may just be an average. A little less, a little more, or some fluctuation is normal."
The population growth rate varies, and the growth rate varies. This is normal.
Although Xu Guangqi's calculation of the population of the royal family doubling in 30 years based on an example is not accurate, it still serves as a good reference.
Whether it was more than 20 years or more than 30 years, the emperor believed that during his lifetime, he should be able to witness the population of the Ming Dynasty exceed 300 million.
There are only over 100 million people now, and the land is not enough; if the population doubles, one can imagine how serious the situation will be.
In fact, with the promotion of new crops, it is still possible to support 300 to 400 million people. But is it just a prosperous era where people only drink corn porridge and eat sweet potatoes and potatoes?
Moreover, three hundred million or four hundred million could not satisfy the emperor.
Malthus's Essay on the Principle of Population, forget it. A large population means more labor, more soldiers, and more tax revenue.
While population size doesn't always equate to national strength, it's a good indicator in most cases. More people means more things get done, and the idea of "populationism" makes sense.
Xu Guangqi accepted the teachings in person, although he did not really agree with them in his heart.
"Next year, conduct a census in each county," the emperor said thoughtfully. "The population should be roughly equal to the cultivated land. This will help us better resist major disasters."
Xu Guangqi thought for a moment and said, "I believe we can introduce a policy regarding immigration. Those who are landless and struggling to make a living will naturally respond. There's no need to go far away; perhaps relocation from nearby provinces would be the most acceptable option for the people."
I still want to be rooted in my hometown!
The emperor was also somewhat helpless. Leaving their hometown, or moving far away, was the last choice for many ordinary people.
In fact, the emperor preferred to call long-distance migration adventurous exploration and would vigorously promote it for a considerable period of time.
As Xu Guangqi said, only when one cannot survive will one actively respond. History clearly shows that the journeys to Guandong, the Western Pass, and Southeast Asia were all adventures seeking survival from the brink of death.
However, the effect of adjustments from nearby provinces is still very limited. Provinces like Henan, Shaanxi, Northern Zhili, and Shandong have almost no idle land or uncultivated wasteland.
Liaodong is fine, but it would be better to wait for a year for recuperation. If a large-scale migration were to take place immediately, the burden on the court would be too heavy.
"Submit the memorial and let the cabinet discuss it first!" The emperor reluctantly agreed. After all, it was a solution. Even if the effect was small, it was better than nothing.
Patting the books again, the emperor added, "Also, this Complete Book of Agricultural Administration, please complete it as soon as possible, revise it as soon as possible, and publish it as soon as possible!"
The three "as quickly as possible" show the emperor's urgency about agricultural policies and are also an affirmation of this book.
Although there are already several large-scale agricultural books, such as "Qimin Yaoshu" by Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty and "Nongshu" by Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty, etc., their focus is on production technology and knowledge, and they can be said to be purely technical agricultural books.
The Complete Book of Agricultural Administration contains some unusual contents such as land reclamation, water conservancy, wasteland management, etc., which occupy nearly half of the text.
Taking "Famine Policy" as an example, although other large-scale agricultural books occasionally talk about one or two crops to prepare for famine, and even "Theory of Famine Preparation" began to appear in Wang Zhen's "Book of Agriculture" in the Yuan Dynasty, the content is very small.
In the Complete Book of Agricultural Administration, "Famine Policy" is listed as a section with as many as eighteen volumes, which is the most among the twelve sections in the whole book.
The book also summarizes the discussions and policies on famine preparedness throughout the ages, makes statistics on floods, droughts and insect disasters, analyzes disaster relief measures and their pros and cons, and finally includes 414 kinds of plants and wild vegetables that can be used to satisfy hunger.
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