"Prince, the fleet is expected to reach Chang'an City around the fifth day of the first lunar month, so the potato seeds can catch up with spring plowing."

Wang Xuance reported to Li Kuan with a smile

While Changsun Chong received the news, the Chu Prince's Mansion also received more detailed information.

However, there is no absolute advantage in time. After all, the pigeon cannot fly faster just because it belongs to the Intelligence Investigation Bureau of the King of Chu Palace.

"Okay! It doesn't matter if you come back later. The crew members have been wandering on the sea for so long, so it's okay to let them take a break in Mingzhou."

After knowing the movement of the fleet, Li Kuan was not in a hurry to see them.

Anyway, it's just a few days earlier and a few days later.

"Prince, these little corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes are probably known to everyone in the future as the high-yield grains in the Americas. Maybe they will be famous for the eternal period because of this."

Cheng Jingwen sat next to Li Kuan with a smile on her face.

Now she is the most beautiful time for a woman in her life.

Every frown and smile is very interesting.

"It's a pity that only peppers and potatoes were found this time, and corn and sweet potatoes have not been found yet. I wonder if Li Geng and his friends can find these high-yield crops in North America with their "Yang Benman" and "Yaoyuan" who are in the grain harvest."

Wu Meiniang said something regretfully.

I originally thought that with the album provided by Li Kuan, as long as the fleet could reach the Americas, I would definitely be able to find these high-yield crops, but I found that it was not that simple.

"The Incas first planted potatoes. It is very likely that corn and sweet potatoes were planted by natives in North America; now they have only arrived in South America, so it is normal for them to only bring back potatoes and peppers. Next year, everyone will see corn and sweet potatoes."

Everyone present is his own people, and Li Kuan is not afraid of others questioning that he is a "king of understanding".

"I heard the prince talk about this potato before, and I always felt like I was listening to mythological stories. I didn't expect that there were such magical crops in this world."

Qing'er couldn't help but sigh.

In the past ten years, she has witnessed the birth of many unheard things, and her psychological endurance has become very strong, but she still finds it strange to hear that the fleet has found potatoes from the natives of South America.

"Not only is this potato mysterious, Li Yixie was able to find gold and silver mountains in a short period of time, and also brought back so many dog-headed gold and natural silver blocks. This is also a very shocking thing. You can find so many gold and silver mines so simply. If you explore it seriously, wouldn't the output of gold and silver in the Americas be a very scary number?"

Cheng Jingwen is also accustomed to gold, silver and treasures, but suddenly she heard that Li Yixie had discovered unprecedented gold and silver mines in the Americas, and was surprised.

"There is gold and silver everywhere in the Americas. This news has spread and is very beneficial for the development of the Americas. We are not afraid of anyone looking for gold in the Americas, but we are afraid that no one will take this risk."

Li Kuan's vision of looking at problems is already one level higher than anyone else.

For him, what he hoped most was that more people in the Tang Dynasty could go to the Americas to explore and develop new settlements.

Instead of just like now, there is only a simple port of hope scattered in South America alone, and I don’t know what the situation is behind it.

"Chang'an City has increased a lot of population in the past ten years, and the population of Guanzhong has also increased by several%, but compared with the vast Australia and the Americas, the increased population is nothing at all. No wonder you have always encouraged Guanshishan Academy Medical College to increase the survival rate of babies and avoid premature deaths as much as possible.

At the same time, we have also continuously introduced maids and slaves from the grassland, Goguryeo, Japan and other places to continuously alleviate the tension in employment in Chang'an City. This manpower seems to be insufficient no matter when it is."

Wang Xuance couldn't help but sigh.

Although no one can tell how many people the Tang Dynasty has now.

However, a big city like Chang'an City has a relatively rigorous population management, and it is generally clear how many people live.

As the first big city with a population of over one million, the population size of Chang'an City is expected to exceed two million in recent years.

At the same time, the population of Liangzhou, Yangzhou and Dengzhou is also rapidly moving towards a scale of one million.

The population size of Jiangnan Road, which has absorbed and assimilated hundreds of thousands of Hu people and was even more rapidly growing.

Especially in recent years, Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje and Japan have flowed into the Tang Dynasty to more than 200,000 young women, which basically means that these people have brought more than 200,000, or even 400,000 babies to the Tang Dynasty.

At this development speed, the population of the Tang Dynasty is estimated to have exceeded 100 million in ten years.

This goal can be accomplished in advance without even needing it.

"The Americas are not only mountains of gold and silver, but also corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and peppers, but also many other precious species. If any fleet can bring back these valuable species first, they can get a heavy reward. Guanshishan Academy can set up a special award specifically to reward the people who brought back precious species from overseas.

Whether it is plants, animals, or other minerals, it is all included. For example, the Steam Engine Institute of Guanshishan Academy, now there is a very need for a kind of gum that may be in the Americas to survive. If someone brings back the finished products or seeds of these gums, they can get a heavy prize."

Not everyone is like Li Geng and Li Yixie, who go to America for the sake of being famous for the past.

For most people, money is mainly what motivates them to risk their lives to voyages.

Even the era of great sailing that began in later generations in the West is essentially for money.

At that time, the waterway to the East was controlled by the Dashi Empire, and European merchants had no way to go to the East to do business smoothly. They could only accept the exploitation of Dashi merchants and purchase sky-high goods.

It is said that in Rome, silk and gold are equivalent.

If this had been heard by the people of the Tang Dynasty, I would probably have no way to imagine it?

No matter how expensive silk is, it is not as much as gold.

However, after experiencing layer by layer of exploitation by Dashimai, the silk produced in the East has been priced at this price after it reaches the West.

The situation of porcelain is not inferior.

In order to break the monopoly of the Dashi merchants over the Eastern trade, European adventurers began to open up new routes.

Even when Columbus discovered the New World, he thought he had arrived in India, so he called the natives of the Americas Indians.

At that time, when Columbus returned to Port Barros, Spain, he proudly announced to the public that he had found a waterway to India.

What does this mean?

This means that he has found a new route to the East, and everyone can go directly to the East without risking the blockade of the Great Food Empire.

As soon as the news spread, the whole of Europe caused a sensation.

The sailing diary, which was originally worthless, was actually snatched away after it was released into a book.

Columbus himself was also treated solemnly by the Spanish king and became a Spanish nobleman.

To be honest, he suddenly changed from an adventurer to a nobleman.

This is very motivating for other adventurers.

Afterwards, Columbus took his fleet three times to sail to what he believed to be "India".

Unfortunately, the new continent he discovered was actually North America, not real India at all.

Naturally, no voyage of Columbus could bring back a large amount of gold and spices to the Spanish king.

These Europeans are very realistic. If you can't bring me value, then you are useless.

The aristocratic aura was also fading at this time.

Slowly, Columbus became famous and sunset, and many seafarers who took risks to sea according to his navigation logs even considered him a liar.

In this way, Columbus, who was famous in later generations, died silently in poverty and disease.

So Li Kuan is planning to use the most realistic money to inspire everyone to go overseas.

To deal with ordinary people, use common methods, and this effect is the best.

Anyway, gold mines, silver mines, or copper mines in the Americas are the world's best, and you can set up a few typical examples without fear of insufficient attraction and impact.

At the same time, the potential significance brought by the discovery of various new species is also extraordinary.

Just like corn, if you bring it back from America to the Tang Dynasty and promote it, how valuable is it?

Not to mention tens of thousands of guan, hundreds of thousands of guan, or even tens of millions of guan, there is no problem.

If high-yield crops were not introduced to the Tang Dynasty, the population of more than 100 million would basically reach the limit. If they continue to increase, the pressure would become great.

Any famine can easily cause national turmoil.

However, with these high-yield crops, the population that the Tang Dynasty could accommodate could be at least quadrupled, making it possible for 40 million fellow Tang compatriots.

In addition, everyone can also live in various ports such as Australia and the Americas. Even if the population of the Tang Dynasty exceeds one billion, there is enough space to accommodate them.

If there is not enough space, just drive the others away.

Anyway, the sky is great and the earth is great, and the Tang people are the biggest.

"This is also a non-sense method, but it is necessary to make the Tang Dynasty's sea ships cheaper and more numerous, so that more people will have the opportunity to go out to sea. Prince, in fact, we can arrange a shipbuilding workshop to make a sea ship specially used for adventure. This kind of ship does not require a particularly large hull, but it must be fast enough and its ability to withstand wind and waves is strong enough.

I think the flying shears of the Dengzhou Shipbuilding Workshop in Donghai Fisheries may be satisfied if you change it slightly.

In this way, the price of sea ships for exploration can be reduced to less than 1,000 guan, or even less than 500 guan, giving more people the opportunity to take risks.

Not only to go to America and Australia, but I actually think there are still many places in Southeast Asia alone that have not been discovered, and there are no people exploring Ryukyu and other places. In addition, there are still 10,000 sea boats in various parts of the West, I think even if there are 10,000 sea boats, it is not enough for us people of the Tang Dynasty to use it."

Wu Meiniang's knowledge and courage are indeed very different from ordinary people.

It is actually very meaningful to make sea boats suitable for adventure.

For example, "If you want to inspect the goods at Yangben Man", it actually has two disadvantages.

One is that because the ships are relatively large, when the water depths in some sea areas are shallow, they cannot be too close to the coastline, otherwise they may easily run into reefs.

Another one is that the cost is too high. Except for powerful noble families like the King of Chu Mansion, few families can afford the new fly-slippers priced at tens of thousands of yuan.

"Mi Niang's words make sense. You can go back and arrange it, so that the craftsmen can communicate more with the sailors who go out to design a cheap and affordable adventure ship as soon as possible."

After Wu Meiniang reminded her, Li Kuan remembered it.

In the era of great navigation in Europe, the tonnage of those exploring ships was generally not large.
To be continued...