Short video spoiler history: The beginning of modern warfare

Chapter 57 Sweet Potatoes
During the Hongwu period, Jinling City.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the comment section and kept the name Qian Yongqin in mind.

Although Tianmu's tone was mostly teasing and joking, the descendants of the Qian family made huge contributions to future generations, so it would be harmless to let Qian Yongqin off the hook.

At this time, the sky curtain switched again.

[Sweet potato, also known as sweet potato, is a plant of the genus Ipomoea in the family Convolvulaceae. It is a root crop with a fist-sized fruit, vermilion skin, crisp and juicy core, edible both raw and cooked, high yield, widely planted and drought-resistant]

[This is it. I think everyone has eaten it. ]

[The main advantage of sweet potatoes is their high yield. The yield is so high that about 10 kilograms of sweet potatoes can germinate and plant one acre of land. The yield per acre can be ten times that of rice. The yield also fluctuates greatly due to factors such as the climate, soil, planting varieties, and management of the planting area.]

[Generally speaking, the per-acre yield of sweet potatoes in the northern region is relatively low, and the climate and soil in the south are more suitable for the growth of sweet potatoes, so the yield is higher]

[Like potatoes, it is a must-have food for surviving a nuclear war apocalypse, and it has a fast growth cycle, so it can be used as the first choice in emergencies]

[The Golden Potato Transmission Record and the Complete Book of Agricultural Administration have recorded this. The Complete Book of Agricultural Administration says: People in Fujian and Guangdong rely on it to relieve hunger, and it is of great benefit.]

[With advantages comes disadvantages. The disadvantage is that it has a high water content and is not as filling as rice or wheat. Also, if you eat too much, you may suffer from acid reflux, heartburn, and flatulence. It is not suitable for people with gastric ulcers.]

[But it is not unsolvable. You can reduce this problem by eating it with rice or noodles.]

[Besides, this thing is also good for raising pigs. Mixing sweet potatoes and corn with pigs is a standard good thing for fattening and strengthening the pigs.]

During the Hongwu period, Jinling City
The clerks were writing very quickly, recording everything as they listened.

"Wait! How many kilograms per mu?" The clerk in charge of recording suddenly realized the problem and screamed in surprise. His hand shook and the brush drew a heavy stroke on the paper, crossing out the other words on the paper.

"The yield per mu is ten times that of rice? Is that true?" Hu Weiyong also exclaimed. Although sweet potatoes are not resistant to hunger, they are better than nothing, and they have a high yield. If you are not resistant to hunger, just eat more.

"There is also a new crop, potatoes!" Zhu Yuanzhang was full of expectations. It could be listed as a necessary high-yield crop in the doomsday alongside sweet potatoes, and its yield must not be much worse than that of sweet potatoes.

“Origin, the key point is origin!”

Without his instructions, everyone was watching eagerly, paying close attention to relevant information.

During the Zhenguan period, Chang'an City.

Li Shimin's heart, which had calmed down a little, was lifted up again. It was the news about sweet potatoes!

This sweet potato, which has been extremely famous for a few months, has finally received news!

And it’s breaking news: the yield per mu of sweet potatoes is ten times that of rice.

"Ten times." Cheng Yaojin swallowed his saliva. If he changed the more than 30 hectares of land in his family to plant sweet potatoes, how much grain would that produce?

Which of you here doesn’t have some land at home?

At this moment, when they thought of the huge profits brought by this exaggerated yield per mu, their eyes lit up frighteningly.

Even though its disadvantage is that it is not resistant to hunger, it is at least a good choice in years of disaster. Moreover, sweet potatoes are resistant to barrenness and although the yield is low, they can be planted everywhere.

"So where are sweet potatoes produced?" Fang Xuanling asked the question that Li Shimin wanted to know most.

[Sweet potatoes originated in Mexico and Colombia in Central America, and later spread throughout the world with the great geographical discoveries.]

[It was first introduced into my country during the Wanli period, entering China through three routes: Yunnan, Guangdong, and Fujian.]

[Speaking of which, the introduction of sweet potatoes was also quite tortuous. When sweet potatoes were introduced to Annan, Luzon and other places, the local rulers regarded sweet potatoes as rare goods and "forbad them from leaving the country." ]

[Chen Yi of Guangdong and Chen Zhenlong and Chen Jinglun of Fujian introduced it to China in the 10th and 21st year of the Wanli reign respectively, risking their lives.]

[Growing sweet potatoes is also simple, just throw them directly into the soil, or put them directly in a plate with some water underneath, and wait for them to sprout.] [Wait until it grows into a 30 cm tall seedling, choose a good day with plenty of sunshine and little wind, break off the seedlings directly in the morning or evening, and soak them in water to increase their survival rate.]

[Then dig a small hole in the ground, and then insert the sweet potato seedlings vertically into the ground, slightly tilted, compact the soil, water it a little, and wait. That's it. It's that easy to keep.]

During the Hongwu period, in front of Wuying Palace in Jinling City.

"Hahaha, good! Good!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily and said several good words in a row. He also felt more pleasing to the flattery of Hu Weiyong and others.

Although he didn't know where Colombia was, Zhu Yuanzhang knew where Mexico was. The problem that had been bothering him for almost three months finally had an answer. The next step was how to cross the ocean.

After laughing, Zhu Yuanzhang started thinking about the candidate in his mind. The first candidate he chose was: Zheng He?

The fourth prince ascended the throne more than 30 years later. It is unknown how long it took for Zheng He to sail to the West. At that time, Zheng He was probably still a young boy, right?
Another question is whether the treasure ships built by the Ming Dynasty at that time could support such long-distance voyages?

Late Han Dynasty, Nanjun.

"Central America. Are you here to make fun of me?" Zhang Fei said with some displeasure.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang couldn't help but smile bitterly. No, it's just that we are not strong enough.

China is thousands of miles away from the American continent, separated by the sea. Not to mention the problem of the ships, if the problem of the routes alone cannot be solved, it would be tantamount to suicide.

Besides, the lord had only been in Jingzhou for a short time, so where could he get the money to build a fleet large enough for the trip? Who should take on this important task? Who was willing to travel thousands of miles to look for the elusive sweet potato?
During the Zhenguan period, Chang'an City.

Cheng Yaojin has stepped forward to ask for the mission, expressing his willingness to go to the American continent to bring back sweet potatoes for His Majesty and the Tang Dynasty.

When the other generals saw this, they thought to themselves that Cheng Zhijie, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, was so capable of handling things, so they also joined the team to petition and made bold promises one after another.

In three years, no, in one and a half years, we will definitely be able to find the sweet potatoes.

Li Shimin helplessly praised several people for their loyalty, but the matter still needed to be discussed. Let's try the quality of the current tower ships first. He already had a rough plan in his mind.

It would be better to learn from Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty and go to the Western Ocean for trade first. On the one hand, he could test the quality of the tower ship in preparation for the future, and on the other hand, he could accumulate some funds and try to improve the tower ship.

【除此以外，比如数量如果多的话得起垄垄高20-25厘米，垄宽60-80厘米，垄距15-20厘米】

[The spacing between each seedling should be kept at about 33 cm. After the sweet potato seedlings are inserted into the ground, they can be fertilized with water fermented from feces and urine, which can effectively increase the survival rate of the sweet potato seedlings.]

[In fact, the main principle can be summed up in one sentence: just stick the sweet potato vines in the soil and they will survive. Just water and fertilize them and they will grow well. But don't water them too much.]

[Sweet potatoes prefer sunlight, are drought-resistant, and are particularly worry-free]

[The storage of sweet potatoes requires some thought. When harvesting, they should be dug, loaded, transported and unloaded gently to prevent the sweet potato skin from being bruised. Just store them in a ventilated and cool place.]

[In addition, you can also cover the sweet potatoes with dry wood ash, which can effectively prevent the sweet potatoes from rotting and sprouting. ]

[Or you can wash and steam the sweet potatoes, then dry them in the sun so they can be stored longer. The only problem is that the dried sweet potatoes are hard and a bit hard on the teeth, and they have a high sugar content, so they will stick to the teeth when eaten.]

"Dig a cellar to store it. People in the countryside know it."

"Even if you dig a cellar, it's hard to store more than a year. If the cellar is too small, the storage capacity is too small. If it's too big, it can't bear the labor."

《Slice the sweet potatoes, dry them, and grind them into powder! 》

Potatoes are relatively better than sweet potatoes

"Eating too much sweet potato can cause acid reflux, and eating too much potato can make you feel weak all over. You must eat sour soup with it."

Potatoes require low ground temperature

(End of this chapter)