Zhu Yunying attached great importance to the palm oil issue, and he felt that these matters needed to be arranged as soon as possible.
Those places in Southeast Asia were not under the control of the Ming Dynasty, or rather, were not directly incorporated into its rule. Therefore, planting palm trees in those areas was unrealistic.
However, there's no need to worry too much. Small-scale oil palm cultivation is feasible in places like Guangdong and Guangxi, and Hainan is also worth considering. Further experimentation in these areas, and the successful cultivation of oil palm in these regions, is entirely possible.
This is one of the advantages of having a vast and abundant land; as long as something good appears, there's really no need to worry about not having a place to plant it.
Song Zhong felt triumphant now because he had made other discoveries, some remarkable ones.
"Your Majesty, the Kunlun slaves brought back from the South Seas all say that they don't grow grains, but often plant tree roots in the soil. At that time, there will be huge root tubers that can be eaten. After crushing and pressing them, they can be made into rice flour, which can fill their stomachs."
Upon hearing Song Zhong's words, Zhu Yunying was stunned for a moment before belatedly realizing what had happened.
He had been thinking about oil palms, hoping to add more oil and fat to the meals of the people in the Ming Dynasty. However, oil and fat are not something that can directly fill one's stomach. But there are other things that can.
The African continent isn't just home to Black people; it has many other wonderful things too. Zhu Yunying didn't intend to bring back zebras or giraffes to impersonate Qilin, because those weren't particularly useful.
Oil palm has not yet fully spread from the African continent, and even things like cassava are still native to Africa.
Cassava, also known as the 'king of starches'. Many Africans dislike farming because they can harvest enough cassava simply by planting its roots in the soil.
This plant is drought-resistant and can thrive in poor soil, and its yield is astonishing. It doesn't require much care and can feed people to the point of being full.
Zhu Yunying looked at Song Zhong and immediately said seriously, "Now that we know about this grain, we must bring it back to the Ming Dynasty no matter what!"
Song Zhong naturally accepted the imperial decree immediately. Since he chose to report this matter to the emperor, it was because he had uncovered some information during his investigation. Although he initially found it somewhat unbelievable, believing that the world was full of wonders.
But now he doesn't find anything new or exciting about these things anymore; as long as he can bring back these good things, that's enough. Then he can be promoted and become a henchman of the emperor.
These are the most important things. As for whether his subordinates will be sent overseas because of these matters, that's not a concern. As long as the task is completed well, he will receive a reward, and his subordinates will not return empty-handed.
As long as you do good things for the emperor in a down-to-earth manner, you will definitely receive what you are entitled to.
Zhu Yunying truly hadn't expected this; it was quite an unexpected gain. He had initially thought it would only be oil palm, but he hadn't anticipated finding information about cassava as well.
Although cassava is not as readily available as potatoes and corn, and it seems unlikely to be widely adopted throughout the country, it certainly cannot become a staple food in the Ming Dynasty. However, the characteristics of cassava mean that it can feed a large number of Ming citizens, and that is enough.
Zhu Yunying was actually quite greedy; he never felt he had too much good stuff. He really liked oil palm and cassava. And he always had his eye on things like corn and potatoes.
Fortunately, even though Zhu Yunying was somewhat greedy, he wasn't overly ambitious; he knew to act within his means. He also understood that some things couldn't be forced, and that haste makes waste.
Let's take it slow. We can gradually bring good things back to the Ming Dynasty, let them take root and benefit more people. That's enough. As for the rest, let time do its work. Many people will gradually realize the changes, and some deep-rooted ideas may also change imperceptibly.
This was an era when imperial power did not extend to the countryside. At that time, in many places, the power of clans, family rules, and so on, were even more intimidating to ordinary people.
Therefore, in some smaller places, this naturally meant that imperial power was even ignored, and some people believed that it could be resisted to some extent. After all, in their eyes, these were local strongmen, their power was deeply entrenched, and they might just be able to undermine the power of the government.
For many, the "equalization of land tax and poll tax" was a devastating blow, if not a catastrophe.
In Zhu Yunying's view, this alleviated the economic burden on landless and land-poor farmers, which could also promote population growth. The increased personal freedom of laborers was beneficial to socio-economic development.
The simplification of taxation rules reduced the possibility of the government arbitrarily increasing taxes, allowing the imperial court to collect more taxes.
However, for landlords and corrupt officials, the policy of requiring those with more land to pay more, those with less land to pay less, and those with no land to pay nothing was disastrous, as it shook their very foundations. After all, many landlords were accustomed to concealing their land holdings or shifting the tax burden onto others.
But now, Emperor Ying Shi is no longer giving these people the chance. It is no longer realistic for them to conceal their land holdings, and it is also basically impossible for them to transfer some taxes. The difficulty is increasing infinitely.
Zhu Yunying looked at Bao Zhao and asked with a smile, "Now that you are in charge of the Ministry of Justice, you must know that there have been many cases of local officials and gentry annexing land these days, right?"
Bao Zhao immediately replied, "Your Majesty, such cases have indeed increased, but the court has been suppressing them."
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