Daming One Piece

Chapter 165 The thing that saves the country (first update, please subscribe)
"What reward do you want?"

Facing the emperor's question, Shi Yiwen thought for a while and said.

"I have an unsolicited request."

"Just speak your mind."

All the ministers were envious of the emperor's words. It was almost like telling him to ask for a reward at will, but what kind of reward would this kid want?

When everyone was curious, they only heard Shi Yiwen say.

"I ask the imperial court to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes when promoting water pressure wells."

"Promote sweet potatoes?"

Zhu Youxiao said in surprise.

"What are sweet potatoes?"

Not to mention that Zhu Youxiao didn't know, neither did the others, and they also looked confused.

In fact, in the sixth year of the apocalypse, sweet potatoes, also known as "sweet potatoes", had been introduced to China for decades. It is well documented that it was introduced to China in the 21st year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. Chen Zhenlong, a maritime merchant from Fujian, made it in the Philippines. Business.In Manila, he discovered that there are local people planting a lumpy crop, which is as big as a fist and has a red skin. It is crispy, sweet and juicy. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a high yield and does not pick the ground.So I brought sweet potatoes back to Fujian.

However, this introduction route has also caused controversy. After all, sweet potatoes were also brought to Manila by Spanish galleons as food, and then spread to the hands of farmers near Manila City. The people farming near Manila City themselves were Ming people. In the early years of Wanli, it had already been widely planted in the local area. Whether Chen Zhenlong was the first to bring it back is also controversial. After all, in addition to this line, there are also theories that Myanmar was introduced to Yunnan, and Vietnam was introduced to Guangdong, just like the legend of pumpkins. Just like entering China, it is also imported from multiple lines at the same time.According to the textual research of later generations, the introduction of Yunnan, Guangdong, and Fujian to the three frontiers was carried out almost simultaneously and went hand in hand.It's just that Chen Zhenlong's first-line introduction, the historical records are more clear and detailed, and after many researches and comments by later researchers, the popularity and influence are also higher.

But what is certain is that the most important achievement of Chen Zhenlong's being valued by later generations is not just the introduction, but the promotion.Chen Chuangui, the fifth grandson of Chen Zhenlong, introduced sweet potatoes to Zhejiang.Chen Zhenyuan, the sixth grandson of Chen Zhenlong, brought sweet potatoes with him when he was an official, and went to Shandong, Hebei, Henan and other regions to promote the benefits of sweet potatoes and persuade the local people to grow sweet potatoes.In the end, after hundreds of years of continuous expansion, sweet potatoes became the fourth largest food crop after wheat, rice, and corn.

But now, what Shi Yiwen has to do is to take advantage of this opportunity to spread sweet potatoes to various places, shortening the process of hundreds of years.

"Returning to Your Majesty, sweet potatoes are originally produced overseas. I brought them to Beigang from Luzon. At present, there are people planting them in Beigang and some places in Fujian. The yield of sweet potatoes is high, and it is resistant to drought and floods. ..."

Shi Yiwen unceremoniously took the credit for "introducing sweet potatoes". Credit... is never too much.

Before Shi Yiwen finished speaking, Gu Bingqian said in surprise,

"The yield per mu is ten thousand catties, how is this possible!"

Ten thousand catties per mu!

For a moment, everyone's eyes widened in surprise. After all, even if this is a well-cultivated field in the south of the Yangtze River, the yield per mu is only three or four stones, that is, three or four hundred catties.As for the north, sorghum is good, and the output of millet is at most one stone and a half.

Not to mention that it was an astronomical figure during the Apocalypse Year, even in the 21st century, this output is also very scary.

But this is the truth!

Even in the records of "Jinshu Zhuan Xilu" in the Qing Dynasty, it is particularly emphasized that its yield is extremely high. ”, Of course, this is inevitably a bit exaggerated, but it is a fact that its output is very high.

"Lord Shi, this, this, the yield per mu is tens of thousands of catties, and you are deceiving the emperor by uttering wild words!"

Hearing what he said, Shi Yiwen didn't even bother to talk to him, and he was deceiving the emperor by speaking wildly. Of course, the yield of more than [-] catties per mu is just an exaggeration. Of course, Shi Yiwen's sweet potatoes are varieties from the supermarket. Ten thousand catties is just a normal yield per mu, but that is under the premise of adding chemical fertilizers. If there is no chemical fertilizer, five or six thousand catties should be no problem.

"Huang Shangshu, you are from Fujian, have you ever heard of this sweet potato with a yield of [-] jin?"

When Huang Kezan heard this, he shook his head and said.

"To tell the truth, Mr. Chen, I have been away from home for many years, maybe I was just introduced in these few years."

Listening to Huang Kezan speaking Fujian Mandarin, Shi Yiwen just smiled. It is quite normal for Fujianese who have lived in Tianqi for six years to not know sweet potatoes.

Historically, the spread of sweet potatoes in China was extremely slow. According to the records of "Jinshu Zhuan Xilu", in the 21st year of Wanli (1593), Chen Zhenlong succeeded in trial planting in Fujian, and has been officially promoted since then, and the effect of famine relief is obvious.In the tenth year of Qianlong's reign (1745), his descendant Chen Hongmou was still making great efforts to promote sweet potatoes in Shaanxi to prevent famine.According to the "Shaanxi Provincial Chronicles", although sweet potatoes were introduced to southern Shaanxi during the Qianlong period, they were not introduced to the Weinan area until the Jiaqing period, and they were always planted sporadically.

This is also the reason why Shi Yiwen wants to use the power of the central government to promote it.

"If the yield per mu is [-] jin, it must be a first-class field, and the people are diligent in farming, so they need to apply a lot of fertilizer. Under normal circumstances, there should be no problem with five or six thousand jin."

Shi Yiwen's words were not surprising and he said endlessly.

"Five to six thousand catties per mu!"

Zhu Youxiao said in surprise.

"What does Shi Yiwen's sweet potato look like?"

"I take it with me wherever I go."

While talking, Shi Yiwen took out a sweet potato as thick as an arm, which he kept with him all the time, it was very old.

"Is this the sweet potato?"

Not to mention other people were surprised, even Huang Kezan, who is from Fujian, was also surprised. Although Shi Yiwen said that there are people planting in Fujian, he has never heard of it.

"It's true that Huang Shangshu has never heard of such a good thing?"

Facing other people's questions, Huang Kezan shook his head again and again.

"If I knew about it, I would have promoted it in Shandong long ago when I was an official in Shandong."

Huang Kezan's tone was very helpless, he was a governor in Shandong, if he knew that there was such a high-yield food, how could he not promote it.

He has never heard of it.

"It's normal that Huang Shangshu has never heard of it. After all, it is only grown in a few places, and not many people know about it."

Shi Yiwen took the initiative to rescue Huang Kechan.

Right now, there is absolutely no need to offend anyone because of a sweet potato. After all, we still need to rely on the whole team to promote sweet potatoes.

(End of this chapter)