No one knew better than Zhao Huan the impact of these grain crops on the Song Dynasty. These crops could achieve a population explosion and bring the Song Dynasty's national strength to its peak.
Everyone in the fleet received a reward. Each person was promoted two levels in rank, and each person was allocated 50 mu of land. In addition, each person received a reward of 2,000 taels of silver.
The treatment was so generous that it was unparalleled. The crew members were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes. They all felt that this life-threatening adventure was worth it.
Zhao Huan was not in a hurry to return to the palace. He wanted to watch the crops grow.
In the early spring, corn, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. were planted in the fields one after another.
The effect was surprisingly good, and the government's farming amazed the people, as they had never seen such crops before.
Zhao Li's wife, Jiali, can now speak fluent Chinese. She is now the consultant of this royal farmland, and she personally teaches the habits and planting methods of each crop.
In the blink of an eye, it was the harvest season, and fields of corn had a bumper harvest in this foreign land.
Although the output was not as high as that of later generations, it was still enough to make the people of the Song Dynasty dumbfounded.
The output of potatoes is even more amazing. This thing can be used as a staple food and is easy to store, and is deeply loved by the people.
Peanuts also allowed people in the north to experience the aroma of vegetable oil, but the most terrifying thing is sweet potatoes.
The yield of sweet potatoes can be described as incredible. The yield of several stones per acre of land is unbelievable.
However, sweet potatoes are difficult to store and eat as a staple food. This did not pose a problem for Zhao Huan, who personally invented the method of slicing and drying sweet potatoes for storage.
The Military Equipment Bureau also invented a hand-cranked sweet potato slicing guillotine in accordance with Zhao Huan's wishes, which is the sweet potato guillotine in later generations.
Sun-dried sweet potatoes are easy to store and can be used to make porridge and refine sugar.
The greatest invention is the sweet potato pancake invented by Zhao Huan. Fresh sweet potatoes are ground with a stone mill and then fried on a griddle.
This kind of sweet potato pancake can be stored and eaten for a year. What's more, it can be used as a staple food and will not cause acid reflux after eating it.
The incredible yields of these crops, coupled with the government's vigorous promotion, quickly led to their widespread popularity.
The promotion was not smooth at the beginning, but later the wealthy Song Dynasty court decided to distribute these crop seeds for free.
At first, some brave people began to try to grow it, and the result was an incredible yield. The next year, people started to buy it like crazy, and every household started to grow it.
It takes time for any crop to become popular. It took more than ten years for crops like sweet potatoes and corn to become popular throughout the Song Dynasty.
More than ten years later, Crown Prince Zhao Xin was already twenty-two years old, and he had grown into a handsome crown prince.
The crown prince was kind and generous, and often had his own unique views on things. Zhao Huan occasionally left the palace to travel around the country and ordered the crown prince to supervise the country.
The prince also managed state affairs in an orderly manner, which made Zhao Huan very pleased.
Zhao Huan did not interfere too much in his children's emotional affairs. Crown Prince Zhao Xin married He Li's daughter as his crown princess, and Tang Wan'er's child Zhao Rouer had already married Li Gang's youngest son.
In addition, the princes and princesses born to Nangong Lian'er, Li Sisi, Tian Yingying, Princess Yanran and others are still young.
He Li was one of the four regent ministers. His strict family education made the Crown Princess very reasonable and praised by the world.
That morning, civil and military officials gathered for the morning court. The Song Dynasty was at an unprecedented height of national strength, with a treasury surplus reaching hundreds of millions of taels of silver. Granaries across the country were frequently overflowing, often with last year's grain still significantly more than the previous year's grain reserves had just been delivered.
Therefore, local governments focused on developing animal husbandry so that the people could eat meat. With surplus grain, they could make wine, which in turn could be used to raise livestock.
Later, Zhao Huan gradually delegated power to Crown Prince Zhao Xin, to his great satisfaction. The Crown Prince handled every state affair in an orderly manner, sometimes even better than Zhao Huan.
Today's morning court brought together all the civil and military officials, even those who had long since retired. Emperor Zhao Ji, though old, was still in good health.
Zhao Ji was now completely free and no longer under any surveillance. Because he was no longer a threat, the entire Song Dynasty only knew about the deification of the wise Emperor Zhao Huan and the benevolent and kind Crown Prince.
Not many people remember the retired emperor Zhao Ji anymore, and the old ministers from Zhao Ji's time have all died of old age.
In the Purple Palace, Zhao Huan, who had already entered middle age and had a mustache, looked at the empire he had created with satisfaction.
All the ministers knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor". Zhao Huan smiled and gently picked up an imperial edict on the table.
"Cao Dongsheng, announce the decree."
Cao Dongsheng took the imperial edict from Zhao Huan and read it aloud: "By the grace of Heaven and the blessings of the gods, the Song Dynasty has established its eternal foundation. Our ancestors worked diligently to govern the country and created great achievements. During my lifetime, I destroyed the Great Jin, conquered the Western Xia, and pacified the Mongols. I conquered Goryeo, laying the foundation for a prosperous era and ushering in an eternal harbinger. In my time, the country has prospered, the four seas have submitted, and we have become the greatest nation in the world. Crown Prince Zhao Xin, carrying on the legacy of his ancestors, wields the long whip to rule the world. Now I abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince. I, Emperor Zhao Huan, shall be posthumously named 'Shengzong'. The whole nation shall celebrate for three days and a general amnesty shall be granted. I decree this!"
This is the edict of Zhao Huan's abdication, he wants to pass the throne to Crown Prince Zhao Xin.
Zhao Huan was only in his forties, still in the prime of his life. But he also knew that he had failed in his role as emperor.
The Crown Prince was a humble and hardworking man, a hundred times better than himself. When he was regent, he managed state affairs in an orderly manner, earning praise from all the ministers.
So in the end he decided to abdicate and become a carefree emperor.
All government affairs were handed over to the prince, and he was finally free and no longer had to worry about endless government affairs.
The world belonged to him and his son anyway, so it was only a matter of time before he passed it on to his son. It would be better to hand it over to the prince while he was still alive and let him gain experience.
The ministers had long known about Zhao Huan's abdication, and today's court meeting was a preparation for this. With Zhao Huan becoming the retired emperor, Zhao Ji would be named the supreme emperor.
Although he had retreated to the background, Zhao Huan still made the final decision on many major issues. After all, Zhao Xin was still young, so Zhao Huan had to proceed step by step and gradually delegate power to him.
Emperor Zhao Huan abdicated to the crown prince, a cause for great celebration throughout the land. Envoys from various countries came offering tribute and congratulating the new emperor on his accession to the throne, and the Song Dynasty was in an uproar.
The treasury was now well-stocked, and there was no place to spend the excess money. Therefore, the court built another temporary palace for Zhao Huan as the residence of the retired emperor.
This day was Zhao Huan's birthday. Zhao Huan was drinking and having fun with the concubines in the harem. Queen Zhu Lian brought Nangong Lian'er, Li Sisi, Tang Wan'er, Princess Yanran, Tian Yingying and others to celebrate Zhao Huan's birthday.
Suddenly Cao Dongsheng ran over in a panic, overjoyed: "The Emperor is so happy, so happy!"
Zhao Huan picked up the golden cup and drank it all in one gulp: "Cao Dongsheng, what's there to be happy about?"
Cao Dongsheng said happily, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and the Empress has given birth to a little prince. Your Majesty will have a grandson!"
Zhao Huan was stunned for a moment, his hand trembled, and the wine glass fell onto the table. (End of Book)
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