Chapter 361 The More I Listen, the More I Get Excited
"In reply to the emperor, I am here."
The Minister of Revenue Li Shengzhou hurriedly stepped out and stood between the two rows of court officials so that Emperor Yongping could see him clearly.
"You have tasted the sweet potatoes and have seen the production. Do you have any ideas on promoting their cultivation?"
Crop planting will inevitably occupy the people's land, but the land in the hands of the people is all on the books of the Ministry of Households.
If you plant one acre of land, you have to pay agricultural tax for that acre.
If we want to encourage people to grow sweet potatoes, a new crop, we have to involve agricultural taxes.
"Your Majesty, there is one thing I am not clear about. Could you please ask Lord Liu to explain it to me?"
Li Duizhou is a very serious person and is well versed in various taxation systems.
"Can."
Emperor Yongping nodded, indicating that he could ask any questions he had.
Following the voice of Emperor Yongping, Liu Zhiyuan stepped out and stood where the court officials had already spontaneously divided into two rows, waiting for Li Shengzhou to ask questions.
"Lord Liu, is the sweet potato yield really as high as the 6,500 kilograms I just saw?
Is this kind of yield only available on registered land, or can it also be grown on the land of ordinary people? If it is land with ordinary fertility, how many kilograms can the minimum yield be?"
Li Shengzhou's question was sharp, and all the officials were silent after hearing it, waiting for Liu Zhiyuan's answer.
"Sir Li, the acre of sweet potatoes that I just dug in front of all the court officials today is indeed the 6,500 kilograms you saw.
The acre of sweet potatoes I dug the day before yesterday will be used to breed next year. The yield per acre is not as high as this acre today. The reason is that there are differences in the maintenance methods for using it for seeds and for eating.
As everyone knows, grain production is directly related to soil fertility, and even to whether God sends rain or snow. So I dare not guarantee that the people can achieve such high yields.
But I know the minimum yield per mu. If the climate is normal, the land is dry, and the farmers are not lazy and apply fertilizers and weed and remove insects on time, the yield will not be less than 1,000 kilograms. "
Liu Zhiyuan had been thinking about sweet potatoes for more than half a year, and had read the planting information given to him by Emperor Yongping countless times.
However, he had limited knowledge and did not dare to experiment lightly. However, the theories in the book must be the experience of predecessors, so he could try to use them.
"Hiss, one thousand kilograms? If that's true, if a few households in a village grow sweet potatoes, it would be enough for the whole village's food supply."
"That's right. With such a high yield, I wonder how many seeds are consumed?"
"Yes, we don't ask every family to produce 6,000 catties of rice, but even if we only produce 1,000 catties, it's unprecedented."
......
After Liu Zhiyuan finished speaking, all the court officials gasped and the discussions became more and more frequent.
They had just seen the note recorded by Lin Fu, which showed 6,568 kilograms, but they did not dare to take the number seriously.
But they couldn't fake what they saw with their own eyes, so they were filled with both doubt and hope.
"Now that Lord Liu has said this, I know what is going on."
What Li Shengzhou was most worried about was that most of the land in the hands of the people was barren. If they were asked to take the risk of planting an unknown new crop, they would not easily agree.
After all, the land that originally produced 100 kilograms of rice per acre can be used to grow crops. If a few more acres are planted, it will at least be enough for the family to have enough food.
For the common people, having enough water is enough.
"Master Liu, if we promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes, what can Sinong Temple do?"
Li Shengzhou pondered for a moment and then raised a new question.
【Li Shangshu was worried that the people would not accept the new crops, and also worried that the people would not know how to plant them and thus there would be no harvest.】
Chu Qinshu listened carefully and knew that Minister Li was not holding office out of enthusiasm alone.
"Master Li, dozens of people from Sinong Temple can go down to the fields to instruct farmers on planting. They can even give advance instructions on matters such as fertilizing, weeding, and catching insects."
Since Liu Zhiyuan was an agricultural official, he certainly knew the role of agricultural officials.
Isn't the improvement of every crop in Sheng'an Kingdom the result of the hard work of their predecessors in Sinong Temple day after day?
For them, going to the fields to promote new crops is just basic operation and they are not afraid of it at all.
"In this case, I would like to thank Lord Liu and all the officials of Sinong Temple on behalf of the people."
After Li Shengzhou got the exact answer, he knew what their Ministry of Revenue should do.
"Mr. Li, you are too polite. These are the responsibilities of our Ministry of Agriculture and Temple. I dare not trouble you, Mr. Li."
Liu Zhiyuan could see that what Li Shengzhou said came from the heart.
But he was just a worker for the court and did not dare to accept anyone's thanks.
As long as the Ministry of Revenue can come up with a reasonable agricultural tax policy for sweet potato planting and provide some silver to support promotion funds, he will be grateful.
If the amount of money given was large, he would be happy to thank Minister Li a thousand times.
[Ah, the two adults are talking about the main point. ]
[People are exempt from tax for one year when growing sweet potatoes, but each household is limited to planting one acre, and there is a minimum production requirement. If it is reached, it is tax-free, but if it is not reached, tax will be collected. ]
[There is also promotion funds. If the Ministry of Revenue does not have money, doesn't the Fu family still have it? However, it seems a bit inappropriate to let the Fu family pay for all the money. There is no reason to marry into the royal family and then go bankrupt.]
[Well, we can let the Fu family and the Ministry of Revenue compete. One side will be responsible for promoting several counties, and the officials of Sinong Temple will be divided into two groups. One group will use the money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue to go through official channels, and the other group will use the money allocated by the Fu family to go through private channels. Let's see which side has a better harvest next year.]
【As for the locations of promotion, we will start from the periphery of the capital, and gradually expand to other states and counties. This way, the differences between the north and the south will not be obvious, and it will be easier to distinguish the winner. 】
......
Chu Qinshu remained silent, but kept muttering to herself. Emperor Yongping and Chu Chengyi were listening with great interest, and the more they listened, the more excited they became.
The courtiers were silent.
Li Shengzhou had not yet figured out how to formulate agricultural tax policy. He had to go back and discuss with relevant people in the Ministry of Households before making a decision.
As for funding, he certainly thought about it, but it was not something he could decide on his own.
After the Ministry of Revenue discussed it, it came up with the regulations and reported them to the emperor. The final decision on the outcome actually rested with the emperor.
[However, Minister Li will definitely have to go back and discuss this with his colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue. After all, this involves the court's taxation and the expenditure of the national treasury, and he cannot make the decision alone.]
Chu Qinshu had a lot of wild thoughts, but was shocked when she saw that the court officials had quieted down.
[Your Majesty, is the court dismissed? ] Chu Qinshu blinked her big eyes and looked at Emperor Yongping.
"Okay, let's end today's court meeting here. You all go back and think carefully about how to make the people accept sweet potatoes and how to make the people of Sheng'an eat sweet potatoes as soon as possible?"
Emperor Yongping was reminded by Chu Qinshu, and he reacted and spoke immediately.
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