Zhang Ximeng invited Zhu Yuanzhang to eat fat sheep from outside Gubeikou. The mutton was really good, fat, tender and juicy, and it didn't smell fishy at all.
Whether it's grilled or served in hot pot, it's all top-notch.
Zhang Ximeng simply prepared a whole-sheep feast, which was much better than Lao Zhu's water radish and wine.
Sure enough, rich people are thick-backed and courageous.
Lao Zhu doesn't have much of a temper either, so he'll eat until his mouth is full of oil first.
Zhu Yuanzhang worked hard for a while, and when he was 70% full, Old Zhu said: "Mr. Zhang, you said this sheep seems to be much better than Yingtian? Especially the meat, which is fat and thin, how on earth are they fed?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "If I guess correctly, it should be fed with high-quality concentrate, which is similar to that of a war horse."
When Lao Zhu heard this, he was immediately stunned, "It's really a waste of grain concentrate to feed sheep."
Zhang Ximeng can only helpless.
This kind of behavior is indeed excessive in other provinces.
In fact, very early on, Zhang Ximeng encouraged people to raise poultry and livestock and increase meat production.
However, due to feed issues, farmers still use cereals mixed with wild vegetables to raise pigs and sheep.
Many people have never seen a large pot with wild vegetables cooked underneath and a hard pancake attached to the edge of the pot. After the pot is boiled, the hard pancake is taken out and is eaten by humans. The cooked wild vegetables are mixed with corn bran, which is
Feeding pigs.
People and pigs come out of one pot.
Although this seems a bit silly, it can save firewood and is convenient and fast. Many people like to do it. Only during holidays, they will specially cook vegetables and rice to treat themselves.
In addition, people in rural areas also grind rice. At this time, there will be some broken rice, which is stained with straw sticks and stones. It cannot be eaten by people, but it is also used to feed chickens and ducks.
Pig grass, corn, wheat bran, and broken rice are the best things that livestock and poultry can eat. If you want to do better, you will not be willing to part with it no matter what.
In fact, in the Yuan Dynasty, these things were all eaten by people. When Zhu Yuanzhang recalled his childhood, he almost only had one thought, and that was hunger!
Whatever I see, I want to stuff it into my stomach.
Loach, cicada, dragonfly, stuffing it into your mouth is like a piece of meat.
During the disaster years, at the worst time, we didn’t even have these things, we could only eat grass roots, tree bark, and gnaw Guanyin soil...
Zhu Yuanzhang knew all this, so he strictly prohibited the use of grain as fodder to feed livestock.
But the situation in Peiping is a bit special.
At this moment, Beiping is still a vast and sparsely populated area. It stretches from Yanshan to Liaodong, with thousands of miles of fertile fields and vast land that can be cultivated.
Zhang Ximeng proposed earlier to establish large grain companies and give them enough power to farm, produce grain, resist risks, and meet national needs.
By now, there has been a harvest.
Fortunately, there was a bumper harvest of grain this season, and several reclamation companies made a fortune.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the news, he was in a pretty good mood, but he felt that feeding grain to sheep was too much.
"Why not save it? This is the first harvest, and they are just wasting it like this? Can this be a good business?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled helplessly and said: "My lord, they don't have that many warehouses to store food now!"
"If you don't have a warehouse? Then ship it out! Aren't those provinces short of food?"
Zhang Ximeng shook his head again, "Then we also need to build roads! There are not so many roads now,"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned, "Then, then use it to raise sheep?"
Zhang Ximeng said: "Without adequate infrastructure, these grains will only rot and deteriorate. Therefore, the Tuntian Company purchased lambs from some Mongolian tribes, fattened them in their own hands, and then transported them to Beiping." Zhang Ximeng explained: "Beiping's
The price of meat is very high, and fattened sheep are easy to transport, at least more convenient than grain. Those farming companies have made money this year, and they can build roads and build granaries to store grain when they go back."
Zhang Ximeng said to Lao Zhu: "In fact, from my observation, selling sheep is not the best choice. If the court can allow them to sell cattle, it would be great."
"Cow?" Lao Zhu's voice became louder, "Sir, are you talking about cattle?"
Zhang Ximeng was helpless, "It's beef! It's for food!"
"no!"
Lao Zhu was anxious and immediately refused. The authority he gave Peking was not unlimited.
Such behavior as killing cows and eating meat is absolutely unacceptable.
In any agricultural society, cattle will be regarded very seriously. Although it is not as good as the third brother who regards cattle as gods, killing cattle and eating meat casually will also have to bear the consequences, and it may even be a serious crime of beheading.
But this does not mean that there is no beef on the market.
For example, cattle that died from falls, died from dystocia, or were struck by lightning cannot just be thrown away. As long as they are reported to the government and confirmed, they can still be eaten.
Of course, if there are enough cattle in a certain area and the land is no longer used for farming, no one will insist on cutting off your head if you are secretly pushed down the mountain, beaten to death, and slaughtered for meat.
All in all, the principles of nature, state law, and human relations need to be handled carefully.
However, for the Ming Dynasty, which was founded ten years ago, it was far from being overrun with cattle and horses. It was absolutely unacceptable to kill cattle and eat meat casually.
Even if you are a high-ranking official in the DPRK, if someone really catches you, the evidence is solid, and you get into trouble, you will have to pay a price.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very insistent on this point. I really doubted that he was an old cow in his previous life!
But nothing remains the same.
First of all, beef is definitely an excellent source of protein. Eating more meat, eggs, and milk will make Ming people strong. If some beef can be provided appropriately, Zhang Ximeng still agrees.
Secondly, there is another problem here, that is, five kilograms of grain can be converted into about one kilogram of beef... In other words, after proper conversion, it will be much more convenient to transport live cattle.
Of course, this does not mean that we can relax the restrictions on killing cattle and do whatever we want.
But this is Peiping!
Close to Monan and Liaodong, a number of farming companies have been established. In the long run, food will be abundant.
Now Zhang Ximeng had a new idea.
"Lord, think about it, if you let the Mongolian tribes raise more cattle and sheep, and then we buy them and fatten them, consume the excess grain, and then transport the fattened cattle and sheep to the south to provide them to the sons of the Ming Dynasty.
People, wouldn’t this be profitable and allow our people to eat better?”
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, he was not so easily deceived now.
"Sir, there are still many places in the provinces of the Central Plains that are short of cattle. Secondly, there is not that much food in Peiping. Furthermore, even if there are such good cattle and sheep now, if they are sent to Yingtian, they can only be eaten by rich people.
Come on. The people still need food, especially affordable food, and we cannot agree to your suggestion."
Zhang Ximeng said helplessly: "Is there no discussion at all?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a sullen face, "No!"
"Is that just research? It's not possible to study which cattle have a high meat yield, grow fast, and are less susceptible to diseases, or which cattle are suitable for farming?" Zhang Ximeng asked rhetorically.
Lao Zhu was stunned. He thought again and again, "This matter can be discussed, but no buying and selling is allowed!"
Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Anyway, cultivating high-quality cattle is not a matter of a day or two... By the way, my lord, you said that cattle can be cultivated, but how about horses? We need fast horses now, and we also need heavy-bearing drafts.
Horses, if you plan to build a horse breeding farm, your lord will not object?"
Lao Zhu had a dark face. He now knew very well that as soon as this hole was opened, the days of raising cattle for meat would not be far away.
Zhang Ximeng has always done things like this.
Make a plan from a small start, and then it will take care of itself little by little, and you can't stop it even if you want to.
But having said that, if he can make some people eat beef and live better and better lives, it will naturally be his achievement.
"Mr. Zhang, let me ask you, is there really going to be a day when our people can not only eat meat, but also beef?"
Zhang Ximeng pondered for a moment, and then said: "I believe there will be such a day. But right now, here in Beiping, there will indeed be a bumper harvest of food that cannot be digested. It is logical to let go of the cattle and sheep. As for the next step, naturally we will take more food.
Land, produce more grain, eat more beef, and feed our people to be strong, strong and powerful!"
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered over and over again, "We can let go of this matter appropriately, but we are absolutely not allowed to do anything random. We also don't allow people here to be so hungry that they can't eat enough, but there are big fish and meat over there. This is absolutely not allowed."
Zhang Ximeng nodded, "Actually, my lord, you don't have to worry so much. I'm just having random thoughts for a moment, and we're still far away from this step! We won't be able to develop in another ten or twenty years."
Lao Zhu thought again and again and finally nodded, "Okay, I hope we can live to see that day."
Zhang Ximeng breathed a sigh of relief. It was not easy to persuade Lao Zhu. In fact, from his son's letter, Zhang Ximeng had clearly realized that with the population expansion, he must turn to industry and commerce. No accident, cities everywhere will
Expansion, more and more people are concentrated in cities.
With so many citizens, it is natural that they need corresponding food, meat, and animal husbandry must also be put on the agenda.
Moreover, the development of animal husbandry can also absorb a large number of working people.
Of course, with the current output of the land, it is absolutely impossible for everyone to eat meat... So what can we do? Naturally, we should develop outside!
Zhang Ximeng was careful, step by step, and started from all aspects to direct the huge population and young labor force overseas to solve the biggest crisis facing the Ming Dynasty.
But everything still needs a proper opportunity to completely open up the situation... Just as Zhang Ximeng was planning these things, Zhu Di suddenly came over excitedly.
He also held a piece of good news in his hand.
"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang! Mr. Lan won a great victory!"
Zhang Ximeng was startled, Lan Yu won? So quickly?
He hurriedly took it and took a look at it, and couldn't help laughing.
The strategy adopted by Lan Yu was very simple, but also very effective. He did not assist Goryeo and allowed the Japanese soldiers and horses to march straight in and approach Seoul. Then Lan Yu mobilized the navy and landed at the rear of the Japanese pirates, cutting off the Japanese pirates' return route.
About 50,000 people fell into the blue jade circle. What a big dumpling, just wrapped!
(End of chapter)
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