I am Da Song

Chapter 644 Population Control Doesn't Have to Be Decree

Hanging wind chimes on train carriages has no special meaning.

It was Zhao Huan's unique wish. He always felt that Tongling should be hung on this melodious train.

In the crisp and clear voice of the leader, the rail trains move leisurely and slowly, paralleling the carriages and knights in the magnificent palace, full of steampunk beauty.

But this train was not the route of the grand palace. He boarded the train from the outer city and drove out of the city.

Su Dai introduced to Zhao Huan: "The train takes a circular route, passing between the outer cities and passing through some suburbs."

Zhao Huan looked out from the glass car window, and it was now the winter wheat sowing season in October.

On the farmland outside the suburbs, countless farmers are plowing and sowing seeds on the flat land.

This is a very common scene. Even if every household has cattle, it is only one of the manifestations of the prosperous Song Dynasty.

But soon Zhao Huan was still attracted, and his eyes widened instantly.

After observing for a while, Zhao Huan immediately said to Wei Sheng who was following him, "Give me the telescope."

Opening the binoculars, the distant scene was clearly shown in front of Zhao Huan's eyes. In his sight, a steam-powered four-wheeled vehicle was dragging a row of plows in the field, and a dozen farmers behind them were supporting the planter. sowing.

He quickly turned the binoculars, and found that in the suburbs, this primitive steam tractor was not the only one, and there were several farmlands with this kind of machinery.

Zhao Huan asked Su Dai, "What is this?"

Su Dai followed Zhao Huan's finger and said with a smile, "This is a steam plow."

"The project of the Taiyuan Academy?" Zhao Huan asked.

Su Dai immediately shook her head and said, "This is really not a Taiyuan project, it is produced by a workshop in Tokyo. It is said that the output is very high, and the monthly production of more than 20 units is still in short supply."

Zhao Huan looked out thoughtfully. In the field, steam machinery and handicraft agriculture were mixed together, giving people a visual impact of vigorous development.

The entire Great Song Dynasty is doing its best to increase the value of agricultural output with the most efficient means.

Zhao Huan said: "It seems that there is still a very long time before the dynasty cycle. The production capacity of steam machinery is in short supply, and there is still a lot of room for improvement in agricultural productivity."

Su Dai asked: "The so-called dynastic cycle is all due to the expansion of the country's population, which exceeds the limit of the land. Doesn't the government consider implementing a population policy?"

Looking at the thriving scenery in the distance, Zhao Huan asked casually, "You mean population restriction?"

Wei Sheng also agreed: "When people's desires are endless, but wealth is limited. If the people are allowed to pursue their desires without restraint, will it exceed the limit I can bear?"

Zhao Huan glanced at him and asked, "Restraining desires? How do you control them? From whom?"

"How about starting with you, the commander of the Imperial City Division? You set an example and only have one child?"

Wei Sheng flinched immediately, and said in a low voice: "Just one child, if something goes wrong, our family's incense will be cut off."

"You are not willing, you let the people restrain themselves?"

Wei Sheng asked: "Why don't we just ignore it? Let the common people have six or seven children in every family? Even though the holy dynasty is big, it can't support so many people."

Zhao Huan asked: "Do you think the Holy Dynasty can support hundreds of millions of people?"

Su Dai replied: "There are various new types of crops such as corn and sweet potatoes, as well as various farming equipment. It stands to reason that [-] million people should not be a problem."

"5000 million people. How long do you think it will take me to grow from about [-] million to [-] million people?"

Wei Sheng quickly calculated, and said: "According to the Holy Dynasty, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, and the medical level is constantly increasing. Each family has five children, and perhaps it will increase to 200 million people in [-] years."

Zhao Huan immediately said: "Then if you double this number, it will take at least 400 years to grow to [-] million people."

"Why?" Wei Sheng asked in surprise.

Zhao Huan asked: "Do you still remember Xiaoyi?"

Wei Sheng nodded immediately, and said: "The daughter of the sixth-grade worker wants to be admitted to the Jiaofang Division."

"How many people are in her family?"

"Just a family of four. She also has a younger brother? I can't remember exactly."

"Then why didn't his parents give birth?"

Wei Sheng was taken aback for a moment, and asked, "Why?"

Zhao Huan asked: "Why! According to your theory, her parents should have at least five or six children, and they can afford it anyway."

"Then why didn't the two of them have children?" Wei Sheng asked curiously.

"Because their family wants to ensure that their class does not decline." Zhao Huan replied with certainty.

Wei Sheng, who had never heard of this theory, asked, "What does it mean?"

Zhao Huan didn't explain directly, but asked: "What do you think about letting Xiaoyi go to farm?"

Wei Sheng clicked his tongue immediately, a little unacceptable, and said: "She has received so much education and spent so much effort to cultivate it, so it would be a pity to go to farm, right?"

Zhao Huan said with a smile: "Even you find it unacceptable. Do you think her parents can accept that her child will face the loess all his life and his back to the sky, and stay in a piece of land forever?"

"That's definitely not possible. Didn't many members come to propose marriage, and her parents didn't agree?"

This is the crux of the matter.

When there is a clear upward path in society, the first priority of all social strata is always to ensure that their class will not decline.

Regarding the population control in the Central Plains, Zhao Huan never thought of using any brutal means to restrict the birth of farmers.

It is true that population control is required to avoid dynastic cycles.

But there are two ways to control the population.

One is brutal control, but in the feudal small peasant economy, it is not too difficult to control the birth of a group of farmers.

When it gets dark, the only way for farmers and peasant women without any entertainment life to have fun is to make people.

Moreover, in the small-scale peasant economy, each population is a productive force, and one more child is one more small-scale peasant.

It is simply unrealistic to limit the population in this situation.

Not to mention whether there will be public dissatisfaction, it would be nice if they didn't go all out with the government.

The other method of population control is more sophisticated, ensuring social vitality and giving the common people sufficient channels to improve their social class.

If a commoner has become a worker in a workshop, he will not be able to accept his children returning to the field and earning a living by digging soil.

It is difficult for an educated city citizen to choose to leave the town and let his children return to their hometown in the countryside.

The vast majority of people will do their best to cultivate the next generation, give them better education, and a higher starting point.to prevent the next generation from falling.

In order to ensure all this, they will even take the initiative to reduce the number of children to ensure the quality of education.

It is not obvious at the commander level of the Imperial City Division, but it will be particularly prominent at the middle level, or at the middle and lower levels.

(End of this chapter)