After taking Hebei, the most troublesome problem Yuan Shu encountered was still population.

In the war at the end of the Han Dynasty, what was more important in the early stage was not the number of soldiers but the amount of food. Years of natural disasters and frequent wars meant that food could not make ends meet and could not support so many people. Therefore, there were starving people everywhere and refugees everywhere. As long as you had food, you would be ready at any time.

Can raise an army.

During the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao was not afraid of Yuan Shao's large number of soldiers and generals, but he was afraid of Yuan Shao's large amount of food. No matter how powerful the generals and counselors were, without food, the army would collapse without a fight.

In order to prepare food and grass, Cao Cao was even willing to do such unscrupulous things as cannibalism. In order to reduce food consumption, he did not hesitate to massacre the entire Xuzhou people.

In the later stage, the battle is population.

The result of insufficient food is that people cannot survive, and there are not even one out of ten people alive, and the natural population has dropped wildly. At this time, the three-thirds of the world has become stable, and everywhere is vast and sparsely populated. As the people recuperate and recuperate, food has been exhausted.

They are no longer critical resources. Population and territory have become the basis for measuring the war strength and potential of various countries.

Yuan Shu now has a population of more than 30 million, which seems to be a lot. It has half the population of the Han Dynasty at its peak. For a country newly built in troubled times, it is already very good and can be called a miracle. If Yuan Shu's goal is only the Han Dynasty,

In the land of Thirteen States, this population is naturally enough, even more than enough.

But Yuan Shu's goal is not limited to this. The Northeast Plains, Northern Grasslands, Southwest Kingdoms, Western Regions Kingdoms, Shendu, and Guishang are all territories that Yuan Shu has divided for himself. Now the Great Chu is in the period of its rise, and all the soldiers and armors are there.

If you are good enough, you can march westward with just a little cultivation for a period of time.

At this time, what held Yuan Shu back the most was not money and food, military strength, or the scholars who managed the area, but the population.

Today, the wealth of Dachu is unprecedented. The grain in the granary is enough to feed the country for more than ten years. The price of domestic grain has almost reached the lowest point in history. This is the result of Yuan Shu's continuous purchase in the name of the government. With this,

With enough food and grass, livestock breeding has become prosperous. With the improvement of shipbuilding technology, the fishing industry has become more and more prosperous. At least for ten years, there will be no need to worry about food problems.

As for the military strength, Da Chu has a population of 30 million and a million soldiers, all of whom are real elites. All states and counties have militia, reserve, garrison and other forms of auxiliary troops, which are even more numerous. Although not as good as regular troops, they are

They are also physically strong and well-trained, and can be drawn out by Yuan Shu at any time to expand his troops if he wishes.

If objective factors such as distance and logistics are not taken into account, it is enough to have such a large number of elite troops to challenge the three empires head-on. It is a pity that there is no such opportunity.

The long distance from other empires and the terrifying strategic depth made Yuan Shu have no choice but to make trouble with Kushan. Attacking Parthia or Rome is not impossible to win, but it is meaningless. It has no benefit and is a waste of troops. It is absolutely

It is a protracted tug-of-war that lasts for decades or even centuries.

In terms of the scholars who managed government affairs, Yuan Shu had the confidence to drive the aristocratic families out of Dachu, so he naturally had something to rely on. Jinling Academy, Lumen Academy, Yingchuan Academy, etc., large and small academies were all over Dachu, and they cultivated all kinds of scholars.

There are countless types of talents. From the most basic administrative, statistical, judicial and other personnel to managers who are familiar with economics and are well versed in government affairs, they are all numerous.

The largest Jinling Academy alone has been in operation for more than ten years. It recruits thousands of young, smart and talented scholars every year, and the cumulative number is extremely amazing. These people are originally well-educated and talented. After further education,

They are all talented people, and being a middle-level official such as a county magistrate or a prefect in the Han Dynasty would be a bit unworthy of their talents.

The threshold for graduation from Jinling Academy is very high. In addition to independent arrangements for people from hundreds of schools, other scholars who want to graduate must not only be proficient in Confucianism and be familiar with the classics, but also must meet the standards for the six arts of a gentleman, and must not be a sick person.

In addition, knowledge in government affairs must also be mastered, and one must personally practice farming, business, craftsmanship, etc., and gain a deep understanding of people's lives.

These are Yuan Shu's rigid requirements for top academies such as Jinling Academy and Lumen Academy. Except for some weirdos who are allowed to partial to subjects, the rest must develop morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically. Anyway, the troubled times are over, and Yuan Shu no longer lacks talents.

, it is natural to choose the best among the best. Meritocracy is no longer applicable. Those who have both ability and political integrity and outstanding abilities are the best choices.

There are even many of them who specialize in studying Nanman dialect, Shendu dialect, Kushan dialect, Parthian dialect and other languages. If necessary in the future, these scholars can also control the political situation of other countries at any time. The preparations are not inadequate.

"Your Majesty, excluding the soldiers and population of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei, the current population of Chu is about 34.3 million, and the population has naturally increased by 1.05 million compared with last year. It is expected that this year will naturally

The population will grow to more than 1.3 million. Nowadays, the average couple has about six or seven children, but there is still great potential to be tapped. After all, the world has just been peaceful. As long as the policies are appropriate, each couple can reach the average number of children in their lifetime.

It is not difficult to have eight or nine children." After Tian Feng scanned the statistical information, he reported to Yuan Shuhui.

The execution power of feudal society was much stronger than that of modern society that pursues freedom and equality. After Yuan Shu proposed encouraging childbirth and giving subsidies and medals, the already high birth rate of the people skyrocketed again.

After all, there were not many entertainment projects in this era, and there were no electric lights. Even many families were reluctant to light oil lamps. It was pitch dark at night and there was nothing else to do except to close the door and play the game of giving birth.

It is completely normal for a family to have five or six children. This is because many couples have just started to live a stable life and have one baby a year.

Hearing Tian Feng's words, Yuan Shu frowned slightly. He valued population, but he was not so crazy that he lost his bottom line.

"No, the current policy has reached its limit. Women can only get married and give birth when they are over 18 years old. Otherwise, they will easily suffer from physical problems. Premature birth can easily lead to one death and two lives. Even if I have a large number of doctors, I cannot be so indifferent to human life.

The age of eighteen is the bottom line. Women over the age of forty-five should no longer urge to have children. The same principle applies."

"Your Majesty, why do you care so much about the issue of dystocia? The current medical level of our Da Chu is enough to reduce the probability of death from dystocia to less than 20%. As long as we open the mouth, although some women will be killed or injured, the fertility rate of our Da Chu is at least

It will increase by one to two percent on the original basis." Tian Feng couldn't help but dissuade him.

In his view, it is a woman's duty to give birth, and difficult childbirth can only mean bad luck. There is no need to slow down the speed of national development for the safety and pain of some women.

"The lives of some women are indeed insignificant to a country, but this gap must not be opened. The original intention of our country, Da Chu, is to put the people first. National development and national rejuvenation are important, but we must also ensure that we

The people under Da Chuhui can get the treatment they deserve and live a good life. It is okay to improve the treatment and reward production, but it is not allowed to seek benefits at the cost of human life. I, the woman of Dachu, am also a citizen of Dachu. I can do it for

He will die for his country, but he can only die on the battlefield, not on a marriage or such a cruel and difficult childbirth." Yuan Shu said solemnly.

Whether it is persistence or naivety, Yuan Shu himself has a very strong principle of human life. Yuan Shu never hesitates to regret no matter how many lives are lost on the battlefield. But this kind of unnecessary sacrifice is intolerable to Yuan Shu. Let a woman die at the age of eighteen

Yuan Shu felt that it was too much to give birth between the age of 45 and 45, and he could not extend it for another year.
Chapter completed!