Poor family mother and son

Chapter 170 Hu Hengqiu Wants to Talk to the Emperor

Hu Hengqiu: "Then you..."

"My lord, cotton is different from food. The land suitable for growing rice may not be suitable for growing cotton." Chu Qing pursed his lips, talking about this topic was a bit complicated.

"My lord, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the secret investigation department, and even the Duke's Mansion have all given me so much help. It is all thanks to everyone's support that I have gradually become capable of doing things from an ignorant widow.

The subordinates are now a little thin, and they also want to do something for the court and the people, which can be regarded as giving back to the country.

For the cultivation of cotton, the subordinates originally wanted to experiment on a small scale by themselves, and expand the scale after gaining experience.

But from the perspective of the common people, one more way to keep out the cold is to protect health, promote population growth, and it is also an urgent matter for the country.Generations of kings have worked hard for this, which illustrates this point.

But the main problem of the lack of harvest should be the conflict between cotton and grain. Using grain-producing land to grow cotton does affect the grain harvest.

After returning from the country of Voss, his subordinates have been thinking that the fact that cotton can be produced under such poor planting conditions in Voss can only mean that cotton is not as delicate as rice and does not require a lot of water and fertilizer.

Moreover, if people change the water and soil, they will not accept it, let alone cotton?Past efforts will not produce a single cotton boll. It can only be said that without long-term persistence, cotton has no chance to adapt to the climate and soil of Daxuan.

We can find a similar environment to grow cotton and gradually adapt to it.

There are two retired veterans in the subordinate family: Lao Yu and Lao Zhao. In order to raise the Voss horses they brought back, they even bought Voss pasture out of their own pockets.

Then given similar planting conditions to cotton, it should be able to survive. "

Hu Hengqiu listened carefully, nodding his head from time to time, but he had different views on "long-term" and "persistence": "Daxuan doesn't have the extra manpower and land to do this."

"Yes!" Chu Qing said, "Farmers can work in my workshop during the slack season, which means that manpower is available."

"What about the land?" Hu Hengqiu asked.

"Cotton doesn't need very good land, especially if it rains, the bolls will rot.

So we can use wasteland.Xinlunzhou and the areas bordering Xinlunzhou have higher terrain, as well as the northern part of Daxuan, which are places with little rain and plenty of sunshine.

Cotton is a light-loving crop, which is suitable for growing in an environment with sufficient light conditions. It needs water but is afraid of rain, so it is more important to irrigate cotton fields.

So to sum up the previous words, manpower can solve it, and the adaptability of cotton can be slowly improved. The only problem is the land. The subordinates don't know about the use of barren hills and wasteland. Does the imperial court have a policy? "

"Barren hills and wasteland are not a problem, but I think the problem is why the common people have to work hard to reclaim them." Hu Hengqiu said.

In anything, the human factor is the most critical.

"They have money to make!" Chu Qing replied: "As long as they can grow cotton, I'll take as much as they plant, and at a high price! Who doesn't do profitable things?"

Hu Hengqiu saw clearly that his eyes were full of admiration, and then changed again. He patted the table and stood up abruptly: "You take it! What money do you take? Where is my money? Ah, the money for the Secret Service Division ?”

………………

When Chu Qing told Hu Hengqiu these things, one was to send a message to the emperor through Hu Hengqiu. She herself was not qualified to meet the emperor unless the emperor wanted to summon her.

The second is to try to escort herself to buy the emperor, she has no backstage, she is guilty, today's scene is so big, who knows what "adverse reactions" will happen in the future?
As for the righteousness of the world, alas, what should be said on the occasion, the benevolent see the benevolent and the wise see the wisdom.

Hu Hengqiu really lived up to the entrustment, and went to the emperor to "talk" the next day.

Last time I didn't help Chu Qing with "good words", so I have to do my best this time.

When the emperor learned of this, he was quite moved.

The Empress Dowager also told him a few days ago that Chu Qing seemed to intend to plant cotton extensively in Daxuan, which coincided with the thoughts of the emperors of all dynasties.

Jiangnan is a "land of fish and rice", with fertile soil and water, and the highest grain output.And the land is in the hands of the great families.

In the past several generations of emperors tried to grow cotton, and the aristocratic family did cooperate and allocated land for farming, but the result was that they suffered a lot of losses.

Now what Chu Qing meant was that there was no need for the fertile fields in the south of the Yangtze River, so there was no conflict with the aristocratic family, and she dared to make a promise to buy cotton by herself.

Without spending from the treasury, you need some barren mountains and wasteland. This is a good deal!
"What do you think of what Chu Qing said?" the emperor asked.

"I think it's very good in terms of wish. This is a man with a conscience. I have received the emperor's favor and I want to repay it." Hu Hengqiu said while watching his words.

It's good to say that the place needs to be beautiful.

At this time, the emperor's expression looked relatively calm, and he couldn't tell if he agreed or despised Chu Qing's "whimsical".

Because he didn't see anything, Hu Hengqiu had no choice but to say tentatively: "But after all, it's just her family's opinion, and she's the only one who went to Voss to investigate on the spot. Whether it's feasible or not has not been verified by the agricultural officials."

"I think Chu Qing can be a farmer!" The emperor was a little dissatisfied with Hu Hengqiu's mention of a farmer.

If the agricultural officials can go out and see more like Huang Zhong did, can the agriculture of Daxuan be the current situation?
On the contrary, it is clear that they are extracting oil and making steel, and now they are raising horses and weaving. By the way, this year they also ate peanut oil, which is really delicious!This practical spirit, can't afford a farm official?
Hu Hengqiu's eyes rolled straight: What does the emperor mean by this?Give Chu Qing another false job in the household department?
The emperor did not pay, but he could issue a decree: "Since it is a barren mountain and wasteland, you can try it, not nationwide, but first select a few suitable places to plant.

The common people are not allowed to work in vain. For every acre of wasteland in the experimental areas, the common people can keep half an acre of wasteland for themselves. They will not pay taxes for five years, but they must grow cotton and cannot be used for other purposes. "

Hu Hengqiu didn't dare to answer. This needs to be discussed in the court, and it can't be done by just saying a few words here.

"Your Majesty, Chu Qing said that there are three difficulties in trying to grow cotton:

[-]. Manpower.Chu Qing said that since the common people can go to her to work during the slack season, it means that there is enough manpower;

[-]. Land.Your Majesty, you need to have decrees on the use of barren mountains and wasteland;

Three, enthusiasm.Chu Qing said that any labor needs a certain reward to promote the enthusiasm of the people and bear the cost of purchasing cotton. "

The emperor compared the three points summarized by Hu Hengqiu, and only the land item needed to be included in the court meeting.

The last discussion is a discussion, the other is not a problem.

The matter was resolved at the court meeting the next day.No one objected to the development and utilization of barren mountains and wasteland. It is a good thing that all major forces can benefit from using it.

As for the common people reclaiming half an acre of wasteland, this is not a problem. What belongs to the common people is theirs, isn’t it?

(End of this chapter)