Chapter 553 Sinong Temple needs such talents (please vote and subscribe)
In the wild, saiga antelopes only give birth to one baby each year. Female lambs can reach sexual maturity in eight months, and male lambs need 12 months. In other words, lambs are able to reproduce at the latest at one year old, which is a very strong reproductive capacity among large mammals. However,
even if they can reproduce at one year old, it can only be called "juvenile period", just like a dog's one year old is equivalent to a human's seven years old, and a three-year-old dog is considered a prime age. The same is true for saiga antelopes, because their lifespan is only about twelve or thirteen years old.
So Ying Rui said that the breeder summarized the prime age of antelopes between three and six years old. This statement is correct. Under three years old is called a teenager, three to six years old is a prime age, six to nine years old is middle-aged, and after nine years old is old.
The prime age is the backbone of the antelope race. In theory, it has the ability to produce two babies a year, but in the wild environment, food and safety issues cannot be guaranteed, so they can only give birth once a year, but completely captive antelopes do not have these environmental factors to consider.
Previously, the antelopes raised by the Han tribe were basically raised by the original people of the Sharp Horn Tribe. They were also raised in the original free-range and free-range way. The sheep raised in this way were no different from semi-wild ones. In Luo Chong's previous life, the impression of raising sheep was also the scene of "herding sheep". He had no concept of sheep being raised in pens. He only remembered that pigs were raised in pens.
This time, because the Fuma Pass was busy building the city, there was no manpower to herd sheep every day, so they could only raise them in pens. Unexpectedly, they raised an unexpected harvest.
If this method can be popularized, I don't know how much meat it can add to the Han tribe in the future, as well as other ancillary products, such as sheep horns and sheepskins. Thinking of this, Luo Chong immediately said.
"Write down the name of the breeder who summarized the experience. After this method is verified, I will reward him with not only a title but also an official position. Tell him to raise the antelopes well and summarize them well, including whether the habits of the antelopes will change during the captivity, and what kind of feed they should eat during the captivity. Let him summarize them and say that this is the task I assigned to him.
Well, no matter whether this method can be verified or not, reward him 30 yuan first as a reward for his good discovery and active reporting. Just say that I rewarded him." "
Uh, chief, but he has not learned Chinese characters. What official position can you give him? It's not a good idea to let him be the chief officer of the local area. He has no experience in managing people." Ying Rui asked curiously.
"If he doesn't know how to do it, he can learn it. Didn't you know how to do it at the beginning? If he doesn't know how to manage people, then arrange him to the scientific research department, the Sinong Temple, but it hasn't been established yet. Let's talk about it later." Luo Chong explained briefly.
"Si Nong Si? What is that department for?"
Ying Rui asked in confusion. He had only heard that the leader had set up a Honglu Si some time ago. It was a government agency that was specifically used to entertain guests from other tribes. It was directly under the jurisdiction of the leader. It looked very powerful, but in fact, it had little power. Now there was a Si Nong Si, which he had never heard of. It seemed that the leader had just come up with it.
In fact, this was a department that Luo Chong had wanted to set up a long time ago. Si Nong Si, also known as the 'Zhi Su Nei Shi' during the Qin and Han dynasties, initially managed the country's finances and economy. Later, it evolved into the chief official who managed the country's granaries and encouraged the people to plant crops. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that it was changed to the 'Da Si Nong'.
In later dynasties, the power of the Da Si Nong was constantly deprived by other departments, and the right to manage finances was taken away by the Ministry of Households. However, the management of the country's granaries, as well as encouraging agriculture, water conservancy, and disaster relief and famine relief were still under the jurisdiction of Si Nong Si.
However, don't think that Sinong Temple is just a grain management department. In fact, this department still has its own land. Generally, land is allocated from the imperial farm or the forbidden garden to Sinong Temple for use as an agricultural science experimental field. Moreover, this department also has a certain role in agricultural scientific research. The chief officers and officials in it are the best farmers in the country.
For example, whatever seeds Zhang Qian brought back from the Western Regions must be handed over to the Grand Minister of Agriculture for cultivation, and then gradually popularized to the people.
According to Luo Chong's own understanding, this department, which is one of the nine ministers, is equivalent to the modern national food department and the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The optimization and breeding of grain seeds, the field management methods for high-yield crops, the hybridization of excellent livestock, the experimental planting of unfamiliar crops, and the breeding technology of animal husbandry, even the castration technology of domestic pigs, should all be studied by this department and then popularized to the people. Isn't this the work of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences?
Why can a department like the Academy of Agricultural Sciences be ranked among the Nine Ministers? In the ancient agricultural society, agriculture is everything. After all, food is the most important thing for the people. Therefore, it is right for the ancient emperors to value this department and give it a high status.
"The Sinong Temple is an experimental department that studies how to make livestock grow more and how much grain grows. It needs talents who are good at discovery, exploration, and summary. You will know it later." Luo Chong explained it briefly again. It is estimated that Ying Rui will not understand it if he explains it in detail.
"Oh, I know, I will tell him. The reward will be paid from the county's account?"
"Well, let's do it." Luo Chong nodded affirmatively.
After checking the construction of Fuma Pass, Luo Chong set off again to Matan County, 80 kilometers southwest of here, which is a county expanded from the original settlement of the Bian tribe.
Matan County is still in the old place of the Bian tribe, in order to develop the original more than 2,000 acres of ramie fields there, but now there are nearly 3,000 people living here, so a lot of grain fields have been reclaimed.
Planting ramie and planting grain do not affect each other. Ramie only needs to be planted once a year, and the rest is to be harvested repeatedly. It can be harvested at least three times a year, and up to five or six times. This mainly depends on the weather. If the weather is good and the crops grow fast, you can harvest two more times. However, there is basically no need for field management. It is the kind that you don’t need to take care of after planting, so you won’t waste time planting grain.
Since Matan County is a newly established county town and the residents are all immigrants who just went there at the beginning of this year, they chose corn, which is relatively high-yielding and has a short planting time. When Luo Chong came here, the second crop of corn here had just begun to enter the jointing stage, and the trumpet-shaped corn seedlings were rising from the ground at a rapid speed. If nothing unexpected happens, before winter comes, you will definitely be able to harvest another crop.
The person in charge of Matan County is Shitou, one of the original members of the Han tribe. As the western border of the Han tribe, it has been occupied by cannibals before, so the most important construction task is the military defense system, that is, the city wall. The residential buildings are trivial.
The county seat of Matan County is on the original high slope. After expansion, it has become a rammed earth city 800 meters long and 400 meters wide. As for why other places are square cities, but this one is rectangular, Na Luochong has no special explanation. It can only be said that it is restricted by the terrain on the hill. This highland is originally a long strip. In order to maximize land utilization and reserve space for the construction of public facilities, it was built into a rectangular shape. According to the area, it is twice as large as Hanyang City.
But when Luo Chong walked into the wall made of rammed earth, he was worried about the living conditions of the immigrants. With such a thick and tall wall as protection, it was definitely safe enough, but there were not many proper houses. There were many bamboo poles for drying corn, which looked quite decent.
Corn is different from rice. You need to peel the outer skin of the corn cob first, then put several cobs together to make a knot, and finally weave them into a string. Only when it is completely dried can it be threshed. Otherwise, these fresh corns that have just been harvested for a few days will rot if you rub them. How can you thresh them?
In addition to these bamboo poles for drying corn, all you can see are yellow adobe houses with roofs made of thick branches and thatch. A family has only one adobe house, which also has a brick bed and a stove.
This living situation is very crowded. A young couple, or some with several children, with five or six people, are all squeezed into a "multi-functional room" because they have to cook, eat, sleep and rest in this room, and everyone in the family has to squeeze on a large brick bed.
But the good thing is that although the housing conditions are poor, the land is distributed enough, and all the registered population has been issued land in full according to the standard of homestead.
In other words, although the houses are poor, the yards are large enough, so the adobe houses all look very sparse. Some people have built animal sheds or pig pens in the yards, adobe houses for storing food and firewood, rabbit cages and chicken coops, and a vegetable plot for each family. The fences outside are uniformly made of branches as courtyard walls, but most of the courtyards have no gates. In the alleys and courtyards in front of the houses, there are still many puppies running around with their tails wagging. These are puppies brought by immigrants when they moved in from other places. Most of them are only a few months old now, and some were bought from Hanyang City later.
Although the houses are relatively poor now, the people do not have much resentment. Most of these people are newcomers who have just been accepted by Liuyang County and have not lived in the brick houses of the Han tribe. Therefore, they simply think that the houses now are much better than the tents of the tribe before. At least the earthen kang can keep warm now. It is a question whether the houses before can be burned in the fire.
And those who used to live in brick houses are young people who do not have children for the time being. They understand the policies of the Han tribe better. They have greater ambitions and a more distant future. At least if they move to the new city outside, the chief will promise tax exemption and a larger homestead. In short, there are many benefits after moving out. Otherwise, even if Luo Chong is the chief, he can't force people to move out. He can only use benefits to induce, otherwise something will happen, and it will be bad if it arouses public anger.
"How is it, is there any problem in winter? Do you need material assistance from the county? If you need it, tell me as soon as possible. I will go to count it this time and start preparing for you when I go back." Luo Chong and Shitou said as they walked.
"Well, we don't need food or anything like that. The corn we grow here is enough to last until the beginning of next summer. We don't need meat either. We raise enough to eat. Besides, we are close to the mountains here. In winter, we can arrange for the people to go out hunting on their own. It's just one winter, no problem.
But, that's right, maybe there are not enough winter clothes. We need the county to provide some animal skins or thicker woolen cloth." Shitou said a little embarrassedly. After all, he was asked to manage it by himself, but he didn't manage it well. He had to go back to Luo Chong for assistance. Doesn't this mean that he didn't do a good job?
"Okay, I'll find a way to arrange it for you when I come back. By the way, you didn't build the houses this year because you have to build a city. I don't blame you for this, but you can't do this again next year. You must let all the people live in brick houses, otherwise these immigrants will have objections. This is what we promised them before. Without this, who would agree to immigrate? I hope that when I come again next year, Matan County will look different." Luo Chong warned Shitou.
"Oh, yes, I got it. I will definitely build houses for the people next year." Shitou straightened up and promised.
"Well, remember, before all the houses for the people are built, you should not build the government office or your own house, otherwise the people will hate you and no one will listen to your orders." Luo Chong continued to educate him.
"Yes, thank you for teaching me, Chief."
"Well, you are not the smartest and most capable one in our tribe, but you are honest and the most obedient. As long as you study hard according to what I say, you will be able to accomplish great things sooner or later. It is not impossible for you to be a county governor." Luo Chong still encouraged him.
"Yes, thank you, Chief."
"Okay, that's it. I still have to go to Danshan County to take a look. Time is tight, so I won't stay here any longer."
After Luo Chong left, he was worried about the animal skins and woolen cloth that Shitou wanted on the way.
In this era, before cotton was invented, humans could only use animal skins to keep warm in winter. There was no other way. This led to restrictions on population. After all, if you don't have enough animal skins, even if you have people, they will either freeze to death or stay in the house all winter. So Luo Chong is in great need of cotton.
"It seems that I need to write a letter to remind Youfu that guy to pay special attention to whether there are plants similar to cotton when he explores outside. If the Han tribe wants to develop, it will urgently need this kind of material." Luo Chong rode on Huishan's back and muttered as he walked on the road.
What Luo Chong didn't know was that Youfu's fleet's exploration journey was not so smooth. They finally encountered a strange "powerful" tribe, and they didn't look very friendly. They occupied a large amount of land suitable for farming, but they only knew how to hunt there, treating it as their hunting ground, and expelling any tribe that dared to approach. Even the Han tribe fleet that brought them advanced and civilized was not welcome.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
