A Millennium Aristocratic Family Starting from the Shang Dynasty

Chapter 347 The Agricultural Revolution
Daqian had a large amount of land suitable for farming, as well as mines that produced iron tools, and tens of millions of subjects, so it was able to occupy this land and drive out the barbarians and assimilate them.

But one day, land development will stop, and more food will need to be grown on a piece of land.If one day Daqian has a population of hundreds of millions, what a powerful country it will be.

Oxen for plowing, iron tools, manure, and more accurate calendars all made agriculture progress.With more food, more people can be fed.

Daqian will be more stable, and then rely on strong national power to annex the four directions.

"Nowadays, there are very few wars, and the people live in peace. The land is vast. If the continuous cropping system is successful, the population will increase even faster!"

"If the continuous breeding system is really successful, you will all be famous in history!"

"In ancient times, the Suiren family spread fire, the Chao family built houses, and the Shennong family tasted hundreds of herbs. It was the sages from generation to generation who overcame thorns and thorns to open up the way for the people of Xia."

Outside Luoyang City, there is a specially designated manor in Shanglin Garden. Wang Ke and Wang Ce came here under the protection of Yulin Guards.

In the manor, the farmland was neatly trimmed. A group of people were gathered in the center. Half of them were wearing short brown linen clothes and looked like old farmers, while the other half were younger.

If the ministers of the DPRK see it, they will find that the vast majority here are actually adult clan children.

Dust and grass clippings were flying and falling on them, but no one cared about it. Farmer children were accustomed to this. They just worked in the fields and were not so particular about it. As for the clan children, they were also required to participate in labor since they were young. These are required courses.

"His Majesty!"

"Homeowner!"

Seeing Wang Ke and Wang Ce coming, everyone bowed and saluted, and then a group of people looked at the stone rollers that were rolling around in the sun drying yard.

The harvested bean sprouts have been spread out and dried, and now it's time to grind out all the beans.With constant crackling sounds, the beans in the pods rolled to the ground.

The dust was flying and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, but no one paid any attention to this.Wang Ke is also a man who knows farming, and immediately asked: "How much does one acre of land produce now? After using the continuous cropping system, will the fertility of the farmland be weakened? Will long-term farming make the land barren and need to be left fallow?"

Wang Ke asked about key points one after another.

"Your Majesty, these lands have been cultivated for the fourth consecutive year, and are not left fallow every year. After each cultivation, manure is applied. It seems that the fertility of the land has not weakened."

"Is that true?" Wang Ke asked quickly.

"Your Majesty, we found that the land that was cultivated with bean sprouts one year and then planted with millet the next year, when harvested, the yield of millet was much higher than that of the land that was not cultivated with bean sprouts."

"So we began to cultivate bean sprouts and millet alternately, cultivate better seeds, and test the planting season. Finally, we started to try spring plowing to plant millet, and then plant bean sprouts after the millet harvest. In this way, we can cultivate twice a year."

"At the beginning, we were also worried that the land would not be fertile enough under continuous cultivation. After adjustments, although the grain yield was slightly reduced, the fertility of the land can fully support continuous planting."

While everyone was talking, the bean sprouts on the open ground were finally crushed. Everyone worked together to collect all the beans that had just been crushed, and then weighed them.

After some weighing, a total of more than 33 shi of beans were harvested from the twenty acres of land in front of me.Dozens of stones of beans were piled up on the drying ground, and the eyes of everyone watching were filled with excitement.

Wang Ke then checked the corn planted on these lands this year. The numbers above clearly recorded that the yield per mu was two stones, six to seven bushels.Calculated in this way, if one acre of land is cultivated twice a year, about four stones and three buckets of food can be harvested.

In this way, the yield per mu of land directly increased by more than one-third.If such a big improvement is promoted across the country, Daqian's food supply will increase by millions of dan per year. How many more people can be fed with this much food?
It can be said that Daqian's strength has improved by leaps and bounds.

"Your Majesty, although the continuous cropping system has been successful here, it does not mean that it can be promoted in all places in the world. You are familiar with farming and you also know that the climates in the north and the south are different. Millet is grown in the north and grain is grown in the south. The continuous cropping system may not be suitable for the north. Perfect for the South.”

Li Yu, the leader of the contemporary farmer next to him, saw Wang Ke's excitement and hurriedly stepped forward and said that he was also worried that if Wang Ke got excited and ordered the promotion of continuous planting regardless of the climate in the north and south, problems would definitely arise in the south.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ke immediately calmed down and said, "Thank you Li Qing for reminding me, otherwise I would have made a big mistake."

"Your Majesty is wise. Even if you don't remind me, you will think of it." Li Yu said respectfully without taking credit.

"Hahaha, Li Qing has made a great contribution in inventing continuous seeding technology this time. I have made great efforts to make the world full of granaries. Today, I grant Li Qing the title of Marquis of Anyang and a food town for [-] households!"

"Your Majesty, Li Yu, thank you!" Li Yu quickly saluted and paid homage.

"Others will be rewarded based on their merits. Prince Wang Ce and Anyang Marquis Li Yu will report to them, and then they will be rewarded based on their merits. Everyone in this trip has made great achievements and will all be rewarded!" Wang Ke said happily.

Everyone also thanked him one after another.

"Li Qing, now that the continuous planting system of millet and sudan has been successful, you will be responsible for promoting it."

"Your Majesty, I have compiled a book on the continuous cultivation of sudan and at the same time selected people to learn from it. After their training is completed, they will be promoted to the world!"

Wang Ke nodded very satisfied.

"Your Majesty, I have one more request!" Li Qing said again.

"Let's talk!" Wang Ke said.

"Your Majesty, rice is grown in the south. Since the north can continuously plant millet and sudan, there must be continuous planting in the south that is adapted to the south. Your Majesty, please allow me to go and experiment!"

Wang Ke said with a smile: "I have already thought of what you said. Li Qing can go if he wants. Now they are experimenting in Jinling, and you can go and give guidance."

"No!" Li Yu quickly said with his hands in hand.

"But you still need to train the sudan seeds first." Wang Ke said with a smile.

The emergence of the agricultural continuous planting system greatly increased the food production in ancient China, and the increase in food also caused the population of the Qian Kingdom to grow rapidly.

In the classical period, the size of the population represented the strength of the country.This allowed the Qian Kingdom to gain a sufficient population and provide sufficient soldiers, and other surrounding countries and the Huns in the north could no longer compete with each other.

It was not until the seventeenth century that the continuous cropping method of agriculture appeared in Western Britain.

Objectively speaking, the continuous cropping system was another agricultural revolution after cattle farming and iron farm tools. It promoted the development of human civilization and was a key step in human history. This made Daqian the overlord of the East. ——"General History of the World·History of Asia·The Influence of Productive Forces on the Development of Human History"

(End of this chapter)