"How many?"

Fang Xuanling stared at a guard and asked. .

"More than 800 kilograms."

"How many are eight hundred?"

"Eight hundred and thirty-eight kilograms," Ma Zhou told Fang Xuanling excitedly.

In the southern suburbs, in the experimental farmland of Sinong Temple, today the potatoes are harvested. These are potatoes planted in February, and now the potatoes are harvested in June. Today, the emperor and the prime minister led many important officials to come in person.

I watched the pieces of soil being turned open and potatoes were picked out from the soil.

Remove mud and put them in baskets, weigh them, and record the numbers in detail.

When the yield per mu was released, everyone was still a little scared.

The yield per mu is more than 800 kilograms, which is amazing.

"The yield of the second acre of acre has also come out, 917 kilograms!" Chu Suiliang came over happily and reported a higher number.

This potato test field in Sinong Temple is 100 acres.

Fang Xuanling and Ma Zhou happily reported the yield per mu to the emperor in the field. Cheng Qian walked in the field and looked at the potato eggs with joy.

"Your Majesty, you have counted the yield per mu of ten acres, with an average of more than 830 kilograms per mu."

More than 800 kilograms per acre, which was a surprise to the prime ministers. In the past, wheat and millet were planted in ordinary fields, and one acre was more than 100 kilograms per acre. Later, intensive farming and fertilization were carried out, which greatly increased the yield, and the per acre yield reached an average of more than two stones per acre. If it was high-quality fields, it was possible to produce three stones per acre.

Those good paddy fields can produce rice with enough fertilizer and can even produce an average of three and a half to four stones.

But the yield per mu is more than 800 kilograms is still very scary.

In order to make the numbers more desirable, this potato test field is just ordinary farming and does not have excessive fertilization, but it still harvests so many potatoes.

"Sinong Temple has tried to grow potatoes in all states in the world. The yield per mu in various places still needs time to report it, but I believe it will not be too bad." Fang Xuanling smiled.

"Your Majesty, even if potatoes are different from ordinary grain, even if you pay four kilograms of potatoes per kilogram, this mu is at least more than two hundred kilograms of grain, which is equivalent to producing two stones of grain per mu."

Ma Zhou also smiled and said, "Potatoes are not more expensive than rice, they must be paddy fields. They are even more drought-resistant than wheat and millet. Even in sandy land and slopes can be planted."

He was holding a few potatoes in his hand, and he didn't care about the mud on the potatoes at all. He held a few potatoes, just like holding a treasure. "Potatoes can be planted for two seasons, planted in February, harvested in June. You can plant another crop in July. Even if you harvest less in the second half of the year, you can harvest at least 1,500 kilograms per acre a year."

"It is quite strict to pay a pound of grain for four kilograms of potatoes. In fact, for ordinary poor people, potatoes can also fill their hunger and can also be used as staple food. If you grow potatoes on land that are relatively barren and drought and are not conducive to growing other grains, the harvested potatoes can all be eaten by one family. If you eat them with other staple foods of wheat, rice, and millet, then the people can save at least half or even 60% of the original staple food a year. The saved foods can be sold for a lot of income."

Several prime ministers were very happy, even though the imperial court's grain reserves continued to increase in recent years.

But people regard food as the most important thing, and food will never be too much.

There are still many places in the imperial court now, which are relatively poor. For example, Shuofang, Longyou, Loess Plateau in Guanzhong, and many hills and droughts. For example, Daibei in Hedong is also the same. There is a drought and rain, and there is a serious lack of land. The land is also barren, and there is very little harvest for planting grain. There is even one liter of seeds, but only two or three liters of grain can be harvested.

The imperial court had previously removed many people from these areas because they could live there and could not even have enough food to eat.

The land left behind has finally increased, but it still produces very little, and it has a wide range of seeds and harvests.

Nowadays, the per mu of potato yield is so high. At least, people in these poor areas will be much better in life, and at least they can solve the problem of food and clothing.

Another thing is that if there are such high-yield crops, the imperial court will open up borders, such as the Western Regions, Liaodong and other places, then it will be able to grow less and harvest more.

Even if you only plant one season a year, the harvest is extremely gratifying.

For the prime ministers of the court, how to make the poor eat a full meal is actually quite important. For the rich like Zhang Chao, the court doesn’t have to care about it at all. They can also create a lot of tax revenue for the court every year. And those middle-class landlords, middle-class merchants, and even self-cultivated farmers can live a better life.

The most burden on the court were the poor people in poor areas. How to make them have enough food and live a life of food and clothing is very important.

If you are poor, you will be in chaos.

Only when the granaries are full can you know etiquette; only when the food and clothing are enough can you know honor and disgrace.

Why is it that at the beginning of the country, the country is always cohesive, and at the end of the dynasty, there are many contradictions and the country is in chaos. At the beginning of the country, it is often the redistribution of wealth, or even the redistribution of land. Land is an important productive material. In an agricultural society, there is wealth and there is also food and clothing.

If the people can have enough food, and fewer poor people will be less likely to get into chaos.

On the contrary, at the end of the dynasty, land annexation was serious, and a large number of people lost their land, becoming tenants, and the poor increased greatly. If the famine occurred again, the poor would not even have the ability to resist. If the court had a little more and the rescue was not effective, the hungry people would rebel.

So after all, whether the country is in chaos depends on how many rich people there are, or even how many treasury there are in the court, but a large part of the reason is how many poor people there are.

What is a poor person?

Those who cannot eat enough food are poor people, those who cannot live in a stable place, and those who cannot eat enough food are poor people.

"The corn is going to be harvested, and it is estimated that the yield of corn will not be much lower than that of potatoes. There are also sweet potatoes, and the yield is probably higher than that of potatoes."

Sweet potatoes are not as good as potatoes, but sweet potatoes can be used to raise cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, and can be used as feed.

"Your Majesty, potatoes can be processed into starch and can be made into vermicelli for storage. Corn is better stored, and can be directly threshed and stored, or processed into corn flour for storage."

Food is the most important thing for people, and it is always a big deal when it comes to food.

"The state-owned grain can be called stable, the state-owned grain can be called rich, and the state-owned grain can be called strong only when the state-owned grain can be called strong!" Fang Xuanling sighed, "With the crops brought back from this America and vigorously promoted it, the barren land of the Tang Dynasty can also be turned into granaries. In those places with rain and drought, there is no need to worry about insufficient food."

In the past, the imperial court tried every effort to make food. Not to mention the beginning of Zhenguan, the country's granary was empty, the war had just stopped, and there was a severe drought and locust plague. In the end, they tried every means to catch the locusts and make a disaster relief cake. But even so, more than 100,000 people starved to death in those two years.

Even the imperial court moved its capital to Shannan, which was a big reason because Guanzhong was difficult to supply food from so many people in the capital, and transporting grain from the southeast into the pass was too expensive and it was difficult to transfer the goods.

After moving the capital, the imperial court even had to order to ensure the food needs in Guanzhong and ensure the security of military food in Longyou Shuofang, and the court had to prohibit the grain from leaving Guanzhong from leaving the customs. The grain was only prepared to enter the customs and not leave the customs.

Hebei, Hedong, and other northern military important areas have successively implemented this food policy, and are not allowed to leave the country, only entering and not leaving.

In recent years, the imperial court has not been embarrassed about grain in Jianghuai, Lingnan, Liuqiu and other places. However, there are still many poor areas in land, and grain has to be transferred in every year to ensure the use of grain in cities.

If you have food in your hands, you are not panicked.

"From this summer, all prefectures and counties in the world should promote the cultivation of potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes, and promote the planting of these new crops in relatively barren sandy land, dry land, mountainous land, and slope land to increase grain production and ensure food security." Cheng Qian also happily gave instructions.

Cheng Qian was in a good mood and simply announced that he would have dinner at this farm at noon today.

There is no need to prepare anything else, just make it with potatoes and corn.

What are fried shredded potatoes, fried potato strips, roasted potato slices, fried small potatoes, steamed mashed potatoes, stewed potato cubes, steamed corn, and boiled corn. I’ll eat these today.

The chef's craftsmanship is pretty good. He is the imperial chef of the palace, with potatoes and corn, which made them make dozens of dishes.

The spicy and sour potatoes are made of shredded potatoes, and the fried small potatoes have a taste, while the tender corn soup is very sweet.

Cheng Qian was very happy to eat, and the prime ministers were also very happy. This potato and corn is really a rare thing to be used as a meal and cook.

"Sir Fang, I am thinking about something recently. I am preparing to restore the past three guards and five palaces of the three guards and five palaces of the noble officials. I will select some young children from the children of noble officials to form the three guards and five palaces, serve as palace guards, and accompany me around me."

Fang Xuanling picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth.

"Your Majesty, the emperor has already had 80,000 troops in the fourth army, and his Majesty personally takes charge of the capital and the palace guards."

The implication is that it does not support the emperor's plan.

Cen Wenben also said on the side, "Now that the imperial examination is booming, the country takes the imperial examination as the right way to win the imperial examination. Moreover, the civil and military rule are divided, and many noble officials' children also want to enter the imperial examination through study, but are not willing to be said to be a member of the family. Young people are busy studying."

People are busy studying, and those who are interested in the military have entered the military school early.

Why should the emperor let the children of noble officials serve as your palace guards? Will this not delay others' future?

Cheng Qian's smile slowly solidified, and his eyes were filled with anger.

Changsun Wuji has been paying attention.

Seeing that things were going to be dead, I hurried out to smooth things over.

"What Fang Xiang and Cen Xiang said is not unreasonable. There is no need to restore the old system and let the children of nobles and high-ranking officials enter the palace to serve as guards. It is better to give a compromise and let the children of nobles and high-ranking officials voluntarily register. Those who are willing to enter the palace to serve as guards will register, and then the Majesty personally selects them, and those who pass the qualifications become court guards."

"What about the specific situation?" Chu Suiliang asked.

"Aristocratic children over the age of 18 and children of officials above the fifth rank or above can register."

“Where is the quantity?”

"How about three thousand?"

Chu Suiliang said bluntly, "Three thousand is too much, not as good as three hundred."

"Two thousand." Changsun Wuji said.

"Are you eight hundred." Chu Suiliang smiled.

Changsun Wuji nodded, "Yes, only eight hundred."

"I think these guards should be resigned for five years after five years. After all, soldiers are now full of three years. Even the palace maids in the palace will enter the palace for sixteen years and will be released after five years."

Changsun Wuji nodded, as he agreed to Chu Suiliang's condition. "After serving as a palace guard for five years, he can be transferred to the emperor's guards' personal army."

"The officers in the emperor's personal guards' army are public offices, and that is a state official weapon. How can this be done?" Chu Suiliang opposed.

Fang Xuanling came out to smooth things over.

"You can conduct an assessment after the palace guards are full, and then select the best in the guards' personal army to serve." This adds an additional restriction. Not all palace guards can be transferred to the guards' personal army after serving for five years, but are admitted to the best, which means that only a part of the people can be transferred to the guards' personal army.

Cheng Qian was very dissatisfied.

The three guards and five palaces of Qin Xunyi finally became eight hundred palace guards. He could even serve for five years, and only a small part of him could be transferred to the personal guards' army after five years, which was seriously inconsistent with his original plan.

Changsun Wuji nodded, "Okay, that's it."

He was worried that if he continued to talk, things would change again, so he might as well agree first, and he could talk about the others later.
Chapter completed!