Tibet.

Chapter 1405 Zhang Ping Recommends Talent
In the imperial study, Li Ye paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, feeling quite heavy-hearted. Ten years had passed since the An-Shi Rebellion ended, and the population of Hebei had hardly changed. A flood in the Yellow River swept across four states, but only 300,000 people were affected, indicating that Hebei was still desolate. What exactly was the problem?

The problem still lies in food. There is an insufficient labor force, a large amount of land has not been restored, and the total grain output is low. There is also the problem of population ratio. Almost all the young and middle-aged people died in the Anshi Rebellion, and those who remained were the elderly and weak. It was unrealistic to expect them to have children, so too few children were born.

At the door, Wei Gao reported, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Wei is here!"

"Invite him in!"

Not long after, Wei Jiansu came in. Seeing that Li Ye was worried, he smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, are you still blaming yourself?"

Li Ye shook his head. "I am worried that Hebei has too few people. It has been ten years since the An-Shi Rebellion ended, and the population has barely grown. It is certainly a good thing that 300,000 people were affected by the disaster. If a million people were affected, I would be very happy in another way!"

"Your Majesty, the An-Shi Rebellion caused too much damage, and it will take longer to recover. Especially the population growth needs to be accelerated. Fortunately, the 70,000 families affected by the disaster are almost all young and strong. If another two or three years pass, I believe that the 300,000 people will become 600,000 people."

After a pause, Wei Jiansu smiled and said, "And the population growth, Your Majesty cannot just look at Hebei, but also the whole world. Since the end of the Anshi Rebellion, the population of the Tang Dynasty has recovered to 42 million. Before, it was only about 36 million. In the past ten years, the population has increased by 6 million. Of course, this has something to do with the abolition of slavery. But in the first year of Tianbao, the population of the Tang Dynasty was only 45 million. I am confident that in another three or four years, the population of the Tang Dynasty will be able to recover to the level of the first year of Tianbao, or even exceed it."

Li Ye nodded and smiled, "The Prime Minister is indeed good at persuading people. I feel much better. But there is still a thorn in my heart. This time the Yellow River burst its banks and formed a large flood area. I wonder when it will recover?"

Wei Jiansu smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, you need to look at this issue from a long-term perspective. Over the past thousand years, the Yellow River has burst its banks countless times, forming countless flood areas. Cities and villages have been destroyed, but they have recovered time and again, forming new farmland and cities, and gaining new residents. So the recovery of the flood areas is only a matter of time. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about it. The key is the resettlement of these 70,000 people. Have you considered it?"

Li Ye smiled happily, "I have already decided. I will use this opportunity to settle them in Liaodong. Each household will be given 200 acres of land and tax-free for 50 years. This way, their descendants can settle down in Liaodong with peace of mind. Through them, we must develop Liaodong step by step."

"Your Majesty is right. In many cases, you lose something in one place but gain something in another. The flooding of the Yellow River is a misfortune for Hebei, but it is also an opportunity for Liaodong. The key is people."

Wei Jiansu handed Li Ye a report, "This is just received. It is about the planting situation of Jiaozhou rice in the eastern part of Jiangnan. It is very good. The yield has been stable for three consecutive years, and the yield is high. One kilogram of seeds can grow 15 kilograms of rice. Previously, one kilogram of rice seeds could only produce 12 kilograms. It has increased by 20%. This has led to a rice yield of more than 500 kilograms per mu. If it can be fully promoted, the annual grain output of the entire southern region can feed the entire population of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Ye nodded, "Are all farmers willing to plant it?"

"Your Majesty, the key lies in guidance and subsidies. The court can purchase Jiaozhou rice at a price slightly higher than the market price, and then sell the seeds at a fair price. Driven by profit, a large number of farmers will plant Jiaozhou rice next year, as well as Jiannan Road and Shannan Road, these three affluent places. If Jiaozhou rice can be promoted on a large scale, this place will definitely become the fastest growing population place in the Tang Dynasty."

Wei Jiansu left. Li Ye carefully read the report on the planting of Jiaozhou rice in the eastern part of Jiangnan. At this time, Wei Gao reported at the door: "Your Majesty, the Lingnan Road Pacifier Zhang Shijun wants to see you!"

Li Ye was overjoyed when Zhang Ping arrived and said quickly, "Send him to the emperor for an audience!"

Soon, the tall and fat Zhang Ping walked in and bowed, "Your Majesty, your humble servant Zhang Ping is here to see you!"

The last time Li Ye saw Zhang Ping was when he was inspecting Fujian Province. Three years have passed in a flash.

Li Ye asked with a smile: "When did you return to Chang'an?"

"Your Majesty, I just got back yesterday!"

"I heard that you are very good at giving birth to sons. You already have nine sons?"

Zhang Ping smiled bitterly and said, "In fact, I want a daughter more, but my wives and concubines are not good enough and have not given birth to a single daughter."

"Perhaps it is easier to give birth to sons in places with hot climates. Next time I transfer you to Liaodong, your daughter will be born."

"I couldn't ask for more!"

Li Ye was startled. "Why, Lingnan is not doing well?"

"No! I mean to give birth to a daughter."

Li Ye laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Please sit down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Ping sat down, and Li Ye smiled and said, "Just now, Prime Minister Wei and I discussed the population issue. What is the population situation in Lingnan Road?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Han people in Lingnan are mainly concentrated in Guangzhou and Shaozhou, followed by Chaozhou and Jiaozhou, and then scattered in various states. The total population is probably over one million."

"Does the Han population have a million people?" "Yes, there were about 400,000 Han people in the pre-Qin period. After the development of the Han Dynasty, and the migration of people from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, plus the immigration wave caused by the An-Shi Rebellion, the population must have exceeded one million. I also met Li Xian before I left."

"how is he?"

"He led the people in Duanzhou to build farmland around the marshes and treated the people well. Originally, Duanzhou's population and grain production were not as good as Chaozhou's, but now they should have surpassed them."

Duanzhou is the area around Foshan today. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Pearl River Delta has been initially formed. A large amount of silt accumulated by the Xijiang River and the Beijiang River formed the Pearl River Delta. Due to the fertile land, the Pearl River Delta began to be developed from the middle to late Tang Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty, the Pearl River Delta has gradually become a densely populated area.

Now is the early stage of development of the Pearl River Delta. Even if the imperial court attaches importance to it, it cannot be accomplished overnight. It will take a long process.

Li Xian was originally demoted to the Sima of Duanzhou, but later, after Wei Jiansu's persuasion, Li Ye promoted him to the Governor of Duanzhou.

Li Ye hesitated for a moment and said, "Have you seen the steamship built in Quanzhou?"

"I saw it in Guangzhou. If we have enough supplies, we can sail thousands of miles."

Li Ye smiled and said, "Now everything is ready, only the east wind is missing. I want to find an official who can sail thousands of miles. You have been in Fujian and Lingnan for a long time. Do you have any recommendations?"

Zhang Ping thought for a moment and said, "There are two people I can recommend to Your Majesty. One is Yang Liangyao, the former Guangzhou Maritime Customs Commissioner, who is from Yunyang County, Jingzhao. Although he is a famous eunuch, he has sailed to Southeast Asia many times and even to India. He was implicated in the eunuch party case and was dismissed from office. He is currently in his hometown of Yunyang County.

The other person is someone I met in Quanzhou. His name is Du Huan. He has been to the more distant Qin. I met him a few years ago when he had just returned from the Qin Empire by boat. They should both be in Chang'an now."

Li Ye was overjoyed. If Zhang Ping had not told him, he would not have known that Chang'an was full of hidden talents. There were actually two navigators hidden there. He did not know about Yang Liangyao, but he knew about Du Huan. He had once served in the army under Gao Xianzhi and participated in the Battle of Talas. Historically, the Tang army was defeated in Talas and Du Huan was captured and taken to the Arabs, but history has changed. The Tang army won the Battle of Talas. Du Huan had served as Gao Xianzhi's special envoy to Mulu to negotiate with the Arabs. Li Ye did not know what happened afterwards.

After talking with Zhang Ping for a few more words, Zhang Ping stood up and left. He would have to make a formal report on his work in two days.

After Zhang Ping left, Li Ye pulled the rope, and soon Wei Gao came in, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please give your orders!"

Li Ye said: "Go and get Du You for me!"

Du You is now serving as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, responsible for drafting imperial edicts. He will soon be appointed as the Governor of Beizhou and follow Liu Yan to Hebei to provide disaster relief.

Wei Gao left in a hurry, and soon Du You arrived, bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty!"

"When are you leaving?"

"Your Majesty, I will set out with Minister Liu tomorrow morning!"

"Fortunately, is your clansman Du Huan in Chang'an?"

"In Chang'an, I heard that he was going to Japan."

"Go back quickly. I want to see him this afternoon."

Du You was startled. "Your Majesty wants to summon him?"

Li Ye asked with a smile: "He once served as a military officer under Gao Xianzhi, right?"

"Exactly!"

Li Ye nodded, "That's right, I want to meet him this afternoon, go back and make arrangements now."

"I will go find him right away!"

Du You left in a hurry, and Li Ye said to Wei Gao: "You arrange for someone to go to Yunyang County to find a eunuch named Yang Liangyao. He was once the Guangzhou Maritime Customs Envoy. I also want to see him."

Wei Gao quickly agreed, "I'll arrange it right away!"

(End of this chapter)