I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 28 Where is it, where is it!
Almost at the same time.

All the students stood up at the same time!

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just beaten Zhu Qizhen violently at the back of the classroom, dropped his belt and rushed to the front of the classroom in three or two steps, staring at Song Shen on the podium.

Food is so important.

Emperors like Ying Zheng and Liu Che reacted strongly when they heard this because they needed to expand their territory and vigorously develop their military to achieve their ambitions of conquering the world, and food and logistics are an equally important part of war as military strength.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao had already begun handling government affairs for his father. He naturally knew that the Central Plains, which had experienced a hundred years of devastation during the Yuan Dynasty, was in a state of disrepair after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. They needed to allow the people to recuperate for decades before returning to the prosperity of the Song Dynasty.

If high-yield grain could be available at this time, this process would be greatly shortened and the Ming Dynasty could quickly gain a foothold.

As for Zhang Liang, there is no need to mention him. He was originally a civil official and knew very well the importance of food.

But Zhang Liang suddenly thought of——

If Xiao He was here today, would he be so excited that he burst into tears after hearing this? After all, when Your Majesty was conquering the world, Xiao He almost turned gray countless times because of worrying about food.

Finally, it is Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang's old face was tense and expressionless, but everyone could see that his hands were shaking.

Everyone else is thinking about their own kingdom, their own ambition, and their own work needs, but he is the only one who cares about the four words "high-yield grain" themselves.

After a brief silence.

Zhu Biao forcibly pulled his father's sleeve and asked him to calm down and not get excited.

Then, he cleared his throat, suppressed his surging emotions, and asked as calmly as possible:

"Sir, are those things you just mentioned all food? Foods like rice and wheat?"

"But why have students never heard of them... Do they have other names?"

Song Shen shook his head:

“It’s normal that you haven’t heard of it.”

"Among the things I just mentioned, only hybrid rice is what you know as food, that is, rice. The rest are called cash crops, which can fill your stomach and relieve hunger, but if you eat them as staple food for a long time, you will suffer from malnutrition, sallow complexion, and other reactions."

"I won't go into too much detail about the yield per mu, because the planting environments and climates of different crops are different, so the yields will vary. You just need to know that their starting yield is 1,000 kilograms per mu."

"Except for hybrid rice, which is cultivated artificially, the rest of sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn are all products of natural growth. They are just like the corn discovered by primitive tribes in my country. They were wild at first, but were gradually discovered to be edible and domesticated, becoming high-yield cash crops."

"As for why you haven't heard of them... well, because their origin is not in China, but far away across the ocean, in another new continent far away."

Everyone was silent, with different expressions.

Zhu Yuanzhang was held tightly by his son, but Zhu Biao was unable to stop him in the end.

After a few breaths, Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his excitement and said:

"Where, where are those things?"

"Let alone overseas, even if it is in heaven, we must bring this thing back to Ming. In this way, there will be no more famine, and no one will starve to death!"

Ying Zheng, Zhang Liang and Liu Che all looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in surprise, wondering why he was so excited.

I heard that it was normal to be excited about high-yield crops, but Lao Zhu didn't look like he wanted to take something. Instead, he looked like he had seen the murderer of his father. His ecstasy was mixed with...sorrow, regret? In short, he was very excited.

Among the people present, Zhu Biao and Song Shen, who knew the inside story, and even Zhu Qizhen, who had just been beaten up, were silent for a moment.

Song Shen, who always attached great importance to classroom discipline, did not get angry this time. Instead, he patiently comforted him:

"Student Zhu Yuanzhang, I know you value food because of your childhood experience, but you can't rush this matter. The main thing is that although your Ming Dynasty already has the conditions for sailing to the sea, and there is indeed a precedent of Zheng He's voyages to the West, it requires a lot of preparation time, and it is difficult to complete it in three to five years."

"You still have at least twenty years to live. Take your time and don't get excited."

Song Shen knew that even if these people were just replicas and it was impossible for them to really go out to sea to dig potatoes, he still had to take care of the students' emotions.

As a teacher, you need to use both kindness and strictness to convince your students.

Especially for someone with a background like Zhu Yuanzhang's, it was more than just miserable.

Modern people have never seen such tragedies around them. Perhaps only our ancestors... had experienced similar incidents.

Liu Che asked Zhu Biao curiously in a low voice:
"Why is your father so anxious?"

He had just arrived, and besides Zhang Liang, the person he liked the most was this so-called young squad leader. He was very measured in his speech and easy to get along with. Except for his sharp words to his unworthy descendant Zhu Qizhen, he seemed to be quite easy to talk to at other times.

Although Ying Zheng and Zhang Liang did not ask, they also pricked up their ears quietly.

Zhu Biao sighed and was about to reply.

Unexpectedly, my father spoke first.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked back at everyone and said slowly:
"Before, you only heard from the master that I was the emperor of the humblest origin, but you didn't know how humble I was."

"It's absurd, but I might be the only one among this group who has ever been hungry."

"Back then, I was just an ordinary farmer's son. There were many children in my family and I didn't have money to go to school, so I just herded cattle every day. Although it was a bit hard, my parents and brothers were by my side, so life was still very enjoyable."

"Until I was fifteen, there was a drought, then a locust plague, and then a plague. In less than half a month, my father, my eldest brother, and my mother all died. Only my second brother and I survived."

He took a deep breath and laughed bitterly:
"Do you think that our family members died because of the plague?"

"No, they are not sick. Otherwise, if the plague spread, my second brother and I would not be left alive."

"They all died of starvation... all of them."

"Mom and Dad left food for the three of us, and my eldest brother left food for me and my second brother, so in the end only the two of us survived. They paid for it with their lives."

"Back then, my family couldn't even afford a coffin, so we could only wrap him in a straw mat and bury him. Then my brothers each found a way to make a living. I was a monk and begged for food, I was a rebel and killed people, and finally I sat on the throne."

"Everyone, if it were you, would you want these potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn?"

"When people are starving to death, they won't care whether this thing tastes better than rice or has any disadvantages. They can eat dirt, so why would they care about this?!"

The classroom fell into silence for the umpteenth time today.

[Congratulations, new products have been triggered: hybrid rice seeds, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. Students can redeem them with accumulated points.]

[The prices are: 10, 9, 8, and 7 points. ]

(End of this chapter)