Daming: If I find a great-grandson, I will teach an emperor through the ages

Chapter 136 Potatoes and corn can become the staple food!
Hearing Cao Wei's affirmative answer, Zhu Yuanzhang finally felt relieved.

Just make sure you’re not wrong!
That's right...

In other words, these strange-shaped lumps of soil in front of us, as well as these red and green ones, are all high-yielding grains that can produce thousands of kilograms per acre?
Immediately!

In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, this mess of crops covered with soil became much more valuable than gold and silver!
After all, no matter how good gold and silver are, they cannot fill the stomach.

Food is the most important thing for the people. As long as everyone is alive, they must eat and fill their stomachs.

Only with enough food, the people of Ming Dynasty will no longer endure the pain of hunger, and the soldiers of Ming Dynasty can truly eat their stomachs and fight with the enemy!

In this era, most countries are experiencing mild or severe food crises.

The Central Plains has always prided itself on its vast land, abundant resources, and wealth, and this is not a lie.

Although China's past dynasties have never completely solved the problem of insufficient food, even in the 80s and [-]s, most people still relied on the sky to have enough to eat.

It wasn't until the founding of the People's Republic of China, productivity surged, and national strength became stronger that Chinese people gradually no longer had to worry about filling their stomachs.

But compared to the countries surrounding China, their lives are more difficult.

The most simple thing to understand is that throughout the dynasties, different grassland tribes have settled in the north of the Central Plains.

Xiongnu, Donghu, Turks, Uighurs, Mongolia, Khitan, Jurchen, Tatar, Xianbei, Qiang, Dangxiang, Wusu, Rouran...

These nomadic peoples have lived in the desert or grassland for generations. They cannot produce stably and are hungry. Therefore, under the high pressure of survival, they want to invade the Central Plains again and again.

Soldiers in the Central Plains may be three-quarters full or half-full when they go to the battlefield. The situation of these nomadic people will only be worse.

People have no strength if they don't eat. It's impossible for a hungry soldier to defeat a half-fed soldier.

Because of this, whenever a powerful dynasty appeared in the Central Plains, the nomads could not compete with it.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty was another powerful dynasty in the Central Plains that was rising and growing step by step.

The productivity of Ming Dynasty has also been significantly improved compared to previous dynasties.

But productivity is produced by people. Increased productivity means an increase in population. When the population is large, we need to eat more food.

There is still a food crisis in Ming Dynasty that cannot be ignored.

Every time cold winter comes, the situation in the wealthy south is better, while in the more northerly areas, many refugees will emerge, hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands!
Or if there is a natural disaster in the area every year, crops are destroyed, houses are destroyed, and countless refugees will be born.

The imperial court will allocate a certain amount of food for disaster relief, but it will be a drop in the bucket.

There are too many refugees!
While providing disaster relief, the court also had to consider supporting the army and preparing for times of crisis. It could not use all the food in the treasury to provide disaster relief.

The main problem... is still not enough food!

Cao Wei spent 12 years cultivating high-yielding wheat for the Ming Dynasty. This alone was enough for Cao Wei to enjoy the Ancestral Temple and leave his name in history!

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly promoted Cao Wei, making him the pillar of the Ming Dynasty and the top nobleman of the Ming Dynasty in just two years, was precisely because everything Cao Wei did was worthy of him. Give such a commendation!

This time Cao Wei proposed opening the sea. After opening the sea, he asked Ma He to go to the ocean to find high-yielding crops and return to the Ming Dynasty.

If these crops are planted, they can really produce a yield of more than [-] kilograms...

So!

Cao Wei is enough to become a saint!

He is the saint who saves all people in the world from suffering from hunger and cold!
And Ming Dynasty will never be short of food again!

The people will no longer be hungry, and the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will have enough to eat and have enough strength to fight!
The Ming Dynasty, which had no enough to eat, was already so powerful that it destroyed Bei Yuan!Occupy Japan!

How powerful would the Ming Dynasty be when it was full?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang's body was trembling slightly with excitement.

"Quick! Quick! Collect all this food for us and keep it safe!"

Zhao Mian, the Minister of Household Affairs, quickly ordered his ministers and lieutenants to collect the sweet potatoes according to Zhu Yuanzhang's order.

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to remember something.

"Wait!"

He looked at Cao Wei and asked:

"Cao Aiqing, are there any matters that should be paid attention to when planting these crops?"

The main foods of the Ming Dynasty, wheat and rice, had different cultivation methods.

For example, wheat is cold-resistant and can be grown all over the country, but rice is far less cold-resistant than wheat. Sub-zero temperatures can easily affect yields and even freeze seedlings to death, so be very careful when planting.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's opinion, valuable crops with extremely high yields such as sweet potatoes may require more sophisticated planting methods.

Cao Wei took two steps forward and came to a pile of crops on the ground.

"This sweet potato prefers a soft sandy soil environment with good air permeability and drainage. You can plant it directly and apply more manure after planting."

"This potato needs to be cut into pieces and planted when planting. Unlike sweet potatoes, potatoes require a lot of water to grow and require frequent watering to keep the soil moist. The seedling stage is the stage with the greatest water demand, but it is not suitable for the later mature stage. Too much water applied.”

"In addition, potatoes are a crop that can replace wheat and rice as the staple food. They require more nutrients. However, when applying fertilizer, be careful not to let the stems come into direct contact with the fertilizer to prevent the stems from being burned."

"This corn can also be used as a staple food. Planting needs to be done at the right time. Generally, corn is sown in spring, but it can also be sown in autumn. But be careful not to do it too early in spring and not too late in autumn. This can avoid freezing damage or high temperatures in summer. Influence,

In addition, attention should be paid to the storage of seeds. Under suitable temperature and humidity conditions, it should not be stored for too long, so as not to prevent the improved seeds from surviving and reduce the yield..."

"This chili pepper is not a staple food, but a spice and condiment. It is extremely spicy and has an appetizing effect..."

Pineapple, pepper, pumpkin, bitter melon, sunflower, peanut, strawberry, papaya, apple, cauliflower, cabbage, onion...

Cao Wei pointed at the crops on the ground one by one and talked like a treasure trove. The staff from the Ministry of Household Affairs had already taken out a booklet and hurriedly recorded every word of what Cao Wei said.

When Cao Wei looked at the weed-like thing on the ground, he was stunned.

"This tobacco cannot be eaten..."

"Huh?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly wondered, "It's not edible? What's the use of it?"

"Although this tobacco is not edible, it is just like spices and condiments, which makes people want to stop. It also helps people relax when they are mentally tense. There is a saying: A cigarette afterward is better than a living god..."

When everyone present heard this, their lips twitched.

Better than a living god...

Does this tobacco really have such miraculous effects?
afterwards.

After what?

However, it was Cao Wei who said this, so everyone still believed most of it, and the Ministry of Household personnel copied this sentence exactly.

"A cigarette afterwards is better than a living god."

Cao Wei looked at the next person and his pupils suddenly shrank.What I saw next to the tobacco was a poppy with a bulging top.

"This...poppy, I will explain the details of this thing to Your Majesty later. Whether to keep it or not, it is up to Your Majesty to decide."

So far,

Cao Wei gave detailed explanations of all the crops that Ma He brought back, so that the Ministry of Revenue personnel would not be blinded during subsequent planting.

Yan Zhen looked straight at the melon and fruit, which was not much bigger than his fist, and asked Cao Wei.

"Master Cao, what is this? Why don't you tell me?"

Cao Wei smiled, "Watermelon at this time."

Everyone immediately understood that it was no wonder they looked so similar.

"Watermelon? Why is it so small? The color is also very weird." Yan Zhen was puzzled.

Watermelon has been introduced to China since the Tang Dynasty. Its juice is sweet and its sugar content is high. If it is lightly chilled in a well, it is a great way to relieve the heat in the summer.

Cao Wei thought for a while and explained:
"Watermelon was introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty, and it is possible that it spread to other places earlier. If it is not domesticated, it will always maintain its original appearance."

Ma He spoke up at the right time,
"Master Cao is right. I discovered this fruit in an island country in the west. The indigenous people on the island were in tattered clothes and their farming was even more backward. Because of this, the fruit has high water content, so I brought it back. But I didn't expect it to be a watermelon. The villain said at the time that the fruit looked familiar..."

When Ma He said this, he scratched his lush head in embarrassment.

When everyone heard this, they probably understood that maybe someone had brought watermelon to the island country, but the people there did not effectively cultivate and domesticate it, so the watermelon still retained its original appearance.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been listening to Cao Wei with his ears pricked up, and suddenly asked,

"Cao Aiqing, just now you said that potatoes can replace wheat and rice as the staple food, and corn can also be used as the staple food, but you didn't mention these potatoes. Why?"

"Your Majesty is so meticulous," Cao Wei flattered him, neither lightly nor heavily.

After saying that, Cao Wei suddenly raised the corner of his mouth and smiled alone, and he remembered a sentence:

One pound of sweet potatoes is three pounds of shit. Looking back, it’s still more than just...

"Although the yield of sweet potatoes is higher than that of wheat and rice, and the pulp is sweet and delicious, people who eat too much will easily suffer from stomach discomfort, bloating, farting, and burping. And because the pulp of sweet potatoes is like hemp rope, it cannot be eaten. Digestion does not stop hunger."

After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he frowned and pondered for a moment before asking.

"Can eating too many sweet potatoes endanger your life?"

Cao Wei was startled and then understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant.

He asked if eating too many sweet potatoes will kill you...

In this era, people often go hungry. What's more, if they encounter bad luck or various natural disasters, they will starve to death without eating.

For these people, what they want is not bullshit health. They don’t care at all whether they burp or fart. All they want is to have something to eat so that they can survive!
It is better to hurt your stomach than to lose your life, and sweet potatoes are always easier to chew than tree bark...

Cao Wei cupped his hands and said seriously,

"Your Majesty, as long as you don't accidentally eat spoiled sweet potatoes, your life will not be endangered no matter how much you eat."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded happily.

"That's good."

"When these crops are planted next year, we will suddenly have so much high-yield food in Ming Dynasty. Great!"

"Zhao Mian, we have asked your household department to be responsible for planting these crops. You have to keep an eye on us. If these crops are skinned, we will blame you!"

Zhao Mian also knew the importance of this matter, so he respectfully replied:
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, civil servants will do their best to cultivate you!"

"Yeah!" Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Zhao Mian's attitude and said again:

"If there's anything you're not sure about, you have to go to Cao Aiqing. These crops are the future of our Ming Dynasty!"

Zhao Mian cupped his hands and bowed in response, "I will remember your Majesty's words."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the piles of crops on the ground reluctantly, and then waved to everyone.

"Back to the palace!"

It was November weather, and everyone had been blowing cold wind on the river bank for a long time. Their whole bodies were already cold and their lips were a little white.

Zhu Yuanzhang wore two layers of cotton-padded clothes and a large cloak on the outside. Even now, his hands and feet are cold.

Only Cao Wei, who only wore two layers of linen clothes and a layer of court clothes, stood there for a long time without any change in his expression.

Holding hands with Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Yuanzhang entered the emperor's chariot and began to walk slowly towards the palace.

The officials followed to the palace and dispersed, and Cao Wei also turned around and came to the manufacturing bureau.

Recruitment continues.

Upon learning of Cao Wei's arrival, Song Ping came over to report that the three thousand craftsmen assigned to the shipyard had greatly improved their efficiency in manufacturing muskets after frequent training during this period.

Previously, Song Ping asked ten craftsmen to work together to build a repeating musket and gave them more than ten days. That was because the craftsmen were learning from scratch and had to lay a solid foundation.

After learning it, Song Ping gradually raised the requirements.

Now those [-] craftsmen can already make a repeating musket with three people working together. It only takes four days, and the yield rate is over [-]%!

Cao Wei nodded after hearing this and patted Song Ping on the shoulder.

"Good job, keep up the good work."

Song Ping immediately puffed up his chest,

"Don't let the adults down!"

"By the way, the craftsmen inside and outside our manufacturing bureau are busy day and night. We can improve the food a little. If there is not enough money on the books, just come and tell me."

Cao Wei knew that from the beginning, ten people made a musket in ten days to three people now making a musket in four days, with a yield rate of more than [-]%, both Song Ping and the craftsmen must have They all put in a lot of effort.

Cao Wei didn't have the heart to be a shady boss. When everyone below was busy, he wanted to give everyone better treatment.

Cao Wei, who was a cow and horse in his previous life, did not want others to become cows and horses under his own hands.

Song Ping grinned.

"Brothers all say that being able to serve the court and make muskets with the Lord, even though they cannot go to the battlefield, they already feel honored. Being able to work under the Lord, they are already satisfied, and they don't dare to ask for anything else."

Cao Wei shook his head helplessly and smiled,
"Just do as I say."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)