It is safe to say that rice does not come from the South Asian subcontinent.
The cultivation of rice in the Central Plains has a long history and can even be traced back to the ancient times of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
However, due to technical and environmental reasons, the yield has never been high, so it has gradually become the favorite of the nobles, while corn, which has no so many planting restrictions, has become the staple food of the general public.
For example, after Li Po joined the army, he ate an unknown amount of corn. It wasn't until he entered Chang'an that his rations were changed to softer rice.
Don't think about the life in this world so romantically. The basic necessities of food, clothing, and daily necessities are very rough. If people come here for a few days later, most of them will probably starve to death here.
Therefore, Li Po has been racking his brains to increase grain production. On the one hand, he has the craftsmen who will serve as supervisors improve agricultural equipment. In addition, he also raises cattle, selects seeds, etc., etc., and has never been idle.
With.
Rice cultivation in the south can be said to be the top priority.
Rice is divided into rice and upland rice. It has been improved a lot in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is discussed in Jia Sixie's Qi Min Yao Shu. However, how to promote it on a large scale depends on Li Po's work.
He plans to plant rice in suitable places in the south in the next few years, and then gradually promote it to the north, and many improvements will be made.
With the strong promotion of the imperial court and mature planting experience, it is not too difficult to think about, as long as the yield is not much worse than that of corn.
After all, the Tang Dynasty only has such a small population to support now...
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In addition, the revision of the text is also in progress this year. Li Po plans to make it into a dictionary and publish it all over the world for people to consult.
This can also support the imperial examination to a large extent and promote the spread of knowledge to a certain extent. He does not expect that the farmers working in the fields will be literate, but it can help to increase the number of scholars in the world.
When movable type printing is used, the boosting effect will be even more obvious.
Once there are more scholars, the imperial examination can better screen talents. Now there are too few scholars, and the nobles are about to monopolize it, which is why the imperial examination will be so difficult.
I kept choosing and choosing, but those same characters were almost becoming involution, so boring...
An interesting thing is worth mentioning, that is, the sentence reading finally appeared in the memorials of his ministers. What interested Li Po was not this, but that he found that he could understand the character of his ministers from it.
At this time, most of the people who could read the sentences and use them in memorials were younger officials. Their character... To be honest, I don't dare to compliment.
Most of them are flatterers and wallflowers. They are very willing to solve problems for His Majesty the Emperor.
Li Po feels that it is really easy to distinguish between "loyalty and traitor" using this method. Isn't it interesting?
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There were many things like this, and Li Po couldn't take them all into account. To sum up, this year was not in vain, and he did a lot of things.
The fourth year of Emperor Yuanzhen of the Tang Dynasty is about to pass, and we have to continue our efforts next year. There is no need to think about living a leisurely life.
In the evening, he left Wen Yanbo, Xiao Yu, and Feng Deyi in the palace to have dinner.
After drinking for three rounds, Li Po said during the dinner: "The Turks and I have an alliance. Although we still have to be careful, it is no longer possible to fight with swords. Next year, we will gather together in the northwest, and there won't be much war."
Please tell me, sir, where is the use of force?"
Feng Deyi was a bit too drunk. He was the oldest during the dinner and was in poor health, so his drinking capacity was much lighter than before.
In the past, he always had to look at the scenery before speaking. Now he drank too much and said before Xiao Shiwen: "Your Majesty has no intention of running Hexi, so it is only Goguryeo."
This is the great hatred of the country. If this revenge is not avenged, how can your Majesty and your ministers sit still?"
Wen Yanbo and Xiao Yu wanted to laugh when they saw his drunken appearance, but they both nodded. Although it sounded like drunk talk, what he said was not unreasonable.
The emperor's intention was probably the same, otherwise he would not have sent Du Fuwei and others to sea to Silla.
It would have been fine if Du Fuwei and others had not opened up the situation, but now that Du Fuwei has led his people to destroy Baekje, and then Silla sent people to the Tang Dynasty to proclaim themselves ministers, then they can take this opportunity to have a good fight with Goguryeo.
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So Xiao Yu said: "This autumn, all the guards are going to eliminate Wu Cunjing. It would be a pity if such a battle-hardened division is not used. I have also discussed that the elite cavalry can be used to defend against the Turks or to attack the rebels in the northwest."
The infantry... As Your Majesty said, there is much to be done overseas, so it is better to send people to supervise the construction of ships and conquer Goguryeo, Japan, Ryukyu, etc.
In the past, when the king of Wu was traveling on the sea, he was very wealthy. Now he can also imitate his example."
Although Feng Deyi was a little drunk, he did not forget his natural skills, and then said: "Your Majesty should look far ahead and make preparations early. Otherwise, how could the navy go to Silla so easily?"
Li Po couldn't help but smile, feeling quite proud of himself. The entire solar system is in our head. Am I afraid of scaring you to death if I say it?
He raised his glass and had another drink with a few others, and then smiled and said: "Since you also think so, then build ships, ports and the like next year.
The elite infantry troops from all the guards, except those stationed at key points, have all gone to the south to practice. What do you think?"
The three people nodded in agreement. Everyone understood that the emperor was about to make strategic adjustments, and the attack on Goguryeo would also be put on the agenda.
Moreover, except for the war with Tubo, there were no major wars last year and this year, and the national treasury was somewhat abundant, which also laid the foundation for the attack on Goguryeo.
In fact, everyone did not object because Du Fuwei led his army to go to sea this year and the battle went smoothly, and there were cases of children coming to protect him, so when we talked about Goguryeo, everyone no longer had so much resistance.
Du Fuwei's good news reached the capital. Although everyone didn't say it with their mouths, they were actually in turmoil in their hearts, and it showed at this time.
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At this time, Wen Yanbo said: "Since your Majesty has made up his mind, I have no objection. I just think that all the generals of the Wei Palace should be transferred back to the capital for a serious discussion. What do you think?"
As soon as this statement came out, the other two people immediately agreed.
Li Po also smiled. He knew what this meant. Once the generals of the Wei Mansion returned to Beijing, it would be difficult to leave the capital to lead troops.
According to the old practice of the pre-Sui Dynasty, the generals of various guards were stationed in the capital. Once there was a major war, they would be ordered to go out of the capital to lead troops.
In order to appease them, there was also the saying that generals would become prime ministers. Therefore, the generals of the former Sui Dynasty were all versatile in both civil and military affairs, and they also held multiple positions.
In those days, it was common for even those in the Ministry of Rites to go on expeditions with the army, so there were countless famous ministers and generals in the former Sui Dynasty, because the system gave them room to display their talents.
Things are different now. Even if the generals promoted by Li Po are full of meritorious service, they have a lot of mistakes. If they are all recalled to the capital, it will be very lively...