Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Of course, it was impossible for Zhu Guoxiang to send someone to deliver cabbage. He also shipped hundreds of ships of corn.

Except for the Chengdu Plain, Sichuan is all hilly and mountainous.

A few hundred years later, there will be several stages of pumps to lift water. Just build a mountain pond to store water, and you can grow rice in the depressions on the mountains.

At this time, not only growing rice in the mountains, but also growing wheat, sorghum, and corn, you have to find ways to find and store water.

This year Zhu Guoxiang is promoting corn and sweet potatoes throughout Sichuan, mainly planting them on dry land in the mountains. Moreover, agricultural officers and local officials repeatedly warned the people that they should continue to plant corn in places that are particularly difficult to irrigate and in drought weather, because corn is far more drought-resistant than corn.

In autumn and winter, there is a big harvest of corn and sweet potatoes.

Great harvest across Sichuan!

This year has been really good. Not only did the Zhu family and his son successfully survive the crisis, but also the people in the Song Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief. Even the core territory of the Jin Kingdom had alleviated the food shortage.

"These corns are all transported to the reclamation areas and exchanged for beans with the farmers there." Zhu Ming said to Li Hanzhang.

Li Hanzhang said: "There are more than four hundred ships in total, and half of them are sent to Nanyang Mansion. Two stones of corn for one stone of beans. Isn't it a bit too kind to the people?"

Ju Ming shook his head: "Corn doesn't support hunger, and the price is already low. But beans are collected to make military supplies. They can be used to extract oil, fertilize fields, and raise horses. The wounded will heal faster if they eat more beans."

In the case of insufficient meat protein, if you want to ensure the physical fitness of ordinary soldiers, you must supplement them with soy protein.

Especially the wounded!

In the newly occupied Nanxiang Basin, beans were planted in the wasteland, and corn was used in exchange for strategic materials. Moreover, if two stones of corn are exchanged for one stone of beans, the land reclamation people will have more food to survive the lean months next year.

It can also demonstrate the benevolence and righteousness of the Zhu family and his son, and improve farmers' trust in the government.

Something that accomplishes multiple things with one stone.

Since the remaining Chinese cabbage arrived on the ship, Ju Ming and his wife and concubines often ate it during the remaining half of the winter.

Ju Ming was almost sick from eating, but his wives and concubines liked it very much. Because Chinese cabbage has a refreshing taste and a somewhat sweet aftertaste, it was considered a top vegetable in ancient winters.

Next year, Chinese cabbage will also be promoted throughout Sichuan so that ordinary people can eat fresh vegetables in winter.

Naturally, there were winter varieties before, and the most common one was water spinach. This thing is a close relative of Chinese cabbage, but its yield is far less than that of Chinese cabbage, and it is not as easy to store as Chinese cabbage.

Zhu Guoxiang also left himself fifteen acres of rice fields on the outskirts of Hanzhong Fucheng to grow different types of rice across the country.

We definitely cannot develop three-line hybrid rice. That thing uses artificial means to turn chance into necessity and highlight the advantages of hybridization. When farmers plant, the second generation of offspring cannot be consistent with the mother parent, and hybrid vigor becomes accidental again. The yield of farmers' self-saved seeds depends entirely on luck.

With the level of science and technology in ancient times, Zhu Guoxiang was unable to produce seeds for farmers on a large scale.

Therefore, his rice experimental fields followed the traditional path of selective breeding of improved seeds. For example, Kangxi personally selected and bred improved varieties, which became popular in some northern rice areas and were later replaced by improved varieties with higher yield among the people.

In fact, since the introduction of Champa rice in the Northern Song Dynasty, people have also unconsciously selected and bred improved varieties. Today, more than ten branches of Champa rice have been born.

If the government does not interfere with the people's own selection and breeding for two to three hundred years, two-crop rice, or even three-crop rice, will gradually emerge. There will also be early rice, middle rice, and late rice. According to different conditions in different places, planting different rice can be seamlessly connected with other crops.

For example, rapeseed and rice were planted alternately in the same year, which only appeared in the late Northern Song Dynasty.

Zhu Guoxiang has now begun to engage in "auspicious" activities, asking local officials to donate ripe, high-quality rice ears. It is not allowed to have two ears per plant or three ears per plant. It must be the kind with large ears, many grains, plump, and free of diseases and insect pests. The place of production, planting and harvest time must also be indicated.

Under scientific breeding, stable and improved varieties can be cultivated much faster than private luck.

If it takes a hundred years for the private sector, Dean Zhu can probably get it done in a few years.

…

Regarding the playwright, Wei Tai recommended a little old man.

"I pay my respects to the Generalissimo!"

This person's name is Zhang Juhou. Zhang Shixun, who paid homage to the Prime Minister three times during the Renzong Dynasty, was Zhang Juhou's great-uncle.

In terms of seniority, Zhang Juhou is also Chen Yuyi's distant uncle.

Zhang Shixun accumulated a lot of money as prime minister, but he moved to Tokyo long ago. The eldest son is an upright official, and the second son is an otaku. Especially the second son, who had not been an official for thirty years, stayed at home and practiced calligraphy. He was evaluated by Song Shenzong as the best cursive script in the dynasty.

The Zhang family's ancestral home was in Laohekou, and the family property was inherited by Zhang Juhou's grandfather.

Zhang Juhou's father was a concubine and did not receive much when the family was separated. He moved to Xiangyang with his wife and children and bought several shops for business.

It can also be considered a small wealthy family.

Zhang Juhou's elder brother went to be an official, but he himself failed to pass the imperial examination, so he stayed in Xiangyang to take care of his family property. He especially liked listening to operas, and gradually began to create his own works.

"Did the old gentleman bring the play?" Zhu Ming asked.

"Reporting to the Generalissimo, I have brought them all." Zhang Juhou quickly held up a stack of scripts.

"Wait a moment."

Ju Ming asked the old man to sit down and wait while he read the scripts himself.

Only read one script carefully and skim through the rest.

All adapted from historical stories, the content is relatively serious, promoting the idea of ​​loyalty and filial piety, and occasionally satirizing reality. The reason why this old man's script is so popular in Xiangyang is that in addition to the well-written arias, he also adds a lot of slang and jokes, which can be said to be suitable for both refined and popular tastes.

"Excellent writing." Ju Ming commented.

Zhang Juhou has always wanted to seek an official position, but unfortunately he has no other skills except writing scripts.

Probably thinking that Ju Ming liked to listen to operas, Zhang Juhou quickly said: "The old man has some actors at home. If the generalissimo likes to listen to operas, he might as well select a few to stay at his house."

Zaju in the Song Dynasty is a fusion of song and dance dramas and military dramas in the Tang Dynasty.

Joining the army opera is similar to ancient sketches. After being integrated with musicals, it established the basic form of ancient Chinese opera. That is to say, there are songs and dances, lyrics and narration. Later generations of operas are the descendants of Song and Yuan dramas.

Ju Ming asked: "Can you write the drama in a more popular way?"

Zhang Juhou said: "Old Zaju has become very popular in the market, so people in Xiangyang like to watch it."

Zhu Ming shook his head: "I want the soldiers to watch the drama, not only for the entertainment of the army, but also to gather the morale of the soldiers. I also want to teach the soldiers to know loyalty and to teach them to treat the people well. You can understand that the drama is to show the ignorance and incompetence of the Zhao and Song royal families. The people all over the world are miserable. I am raising the flag of righteousness to lead the army and the people to live a good life. The army and the people are one, and the soldiers come from the people. If the people are not living well, the soldiers will not be living well. If the soldiers are not living well, the people will be. They also have to suffer the hardships of war. Most of these soldiers come from the countryside, and the drama must be written to be close to the farmers."

Zhang Juhou opened his mouth and hesitated to speak. This was probably too high a request.

After sorting out his words, Zhang Juhou said: "Generalissimo, I have lived in Xiangyang City since I was a child. Even if I go out of the city, I only visit the mountains and rivers. I am very familiar with the common people in the city, but I don't know about farmers and farming. Suddenly I am a farmer. It would be difficult for soldiers with a good background to write miscellaneous plays, and they would not like to read them after writing them."

Ju Ming asked: "Mr., is your age this year?"

Zhang Juhou replied: "Two out of fifty."

"Is your body still healthy?" Ju Ming asked again.

Zhang Juhou said: "It's pretty good. I can eat, sleep, walk and sing."

Zhu Ming said: "Then ask the old gentleman to visit the army and record the life and experiences of the soldiers. First, write two dramas, one is about the uprising in Hanzhong, and the second is about the refugees reclaiming wasteland. It is necessary to show that the government is unjust and the people are in poverty. The reason for the uprising is Comply with public opinion. It should also be reflected in the fact that under the rule of my father and son, the people live a better life. It is best to have some love, because of government exploitation, it is difficult for lovers to get married, and it is the kind of separation between life and death."

"Let me go to the military camp to deal with the soldiers?" Zhang Juhou found this task very difficult.

Ju Ming said temptingly: "I will set up a special official position in the Grand Marshal's Mansion to be in charge of military entertainment. He is the fifth rank!"

Positive fifth grade?

Zhang Juhou understood what Ju Ming meant. As long as he handled things well, this position would be his.

"The general has entrusted him with an important task. I dare not refuse, but I will devote myself to it!" Zhang Juhou quickly stood up and bowed to accept the order.

The old man braved the wind and snow to take a boat north to the reclamation area. Not only did he visit the military camp, he also went to contact the refugees from the reclamation area.

The refugees provided the most material. There was no need for Zhang Juhou to make up stories about life, death, and death. Every household was forced to death by the government.

"Do you have a crush in your hometown?" Zhang Juhou asked a farmer from northwest Beijing.

The farmer fell into memories, sweetness and pain mixed: "When I was fourteen years old, I got engaged to Du Erniang in the village. Erniang was younger than me, and she was only eleven years old when we got engaged. After the engagement, she looked at me She blushed and showed off her purse to me..."

The farmer took out his purse, which was already worn out: "My second mother always shouted, Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother. She said that Fourth Brother was really strong and could carry such a heavy load. She said that Fourth Brother turned the soil quickly and grew wheat better than other families." Quick. She said Fourth Brother...wuwuwuwu..."

As he talked, the farmer's voice began to choke, and then he burst into tears.

Zhang Juhou also felt a little sad when he heard this. After the farmer cried for a while, he asked, "What's wrong with Du Erniang?"

“The official farmland is said to be an order from Mr. Cai,” the farmer said, wiping his tears. “My second mother’s family had a few acres of thin farmland, but somehow it turned into more than 60 acres. The government also turned her family into a third-class household. Throughout the year, there is either this tax or that tax. How can she afford to pay the tax on more than sixty acres of land? Her father first sold the land and became a tenant to the landlord's family. But he still couldn't afford to pay the tax he owed, so he was forced by officials to I have to sell my daughter..."

"Alas!" Zhang Juhou sighed.

But the farmer continued to talk: "Four years later, the second mother returned home, begging for food all the way back. Her legs were crippled by the evil wife of the owner's family, and she became seriously ill again, and the owner's family refused to buy her any medicine. , threw it in the alley and told her to leave quickly. I had already married another wife. Seeing that Er Niang was pitiful, I secretly brought her food to visit her. God bless, Er Niang recovered from her illness, and her father married her to a man from a neighboring village. The old widower. The old widower was very kind to his second mother, but all the money he saved was used to marry a wife, and life was difficult. There was a severe drought again, and the old widower took his second mother to flee..."

"I was also fleeing the famine at that time, and met Er Niang on the way. She was lying on the roadside with a big belly, as thin as firewood, and two wild dogs were still gnawing at her... just gnawing at her, one hand was already After gnawing, half of the neck was gone... I picked up the stick and went to beat the dog... I... I am her fourth brother... Wow, oh, oh, oh..."

The farmer could not go on and cried heartbrokenly.

Zhang Juhou sat silently, waiting for the farmer to finish crying before asking.

He had heard too many stories like this in recent days, and his whole outlook on life was being reshaped.

In the past, Zhang Juhou did not care much about farmers. He simply felt that they were hardworking and ignorant.

What was displayed in front of him now were vivid and emotional people, as well as countless joys and sorrows in the world.