"To be honest, I am very worried that everyone will not have food to eat in the future."
"In Tianjin and Beijing, there are too many people working in factories or workshops. Here in Beizhili, there are many, and many fields are no longer cultivated."
"It's a pity that no one is planting good fields. I'm worried about whether there will be a food shortage in winter."
When Mao Qi heard this, he also said worriedly.
"No one is farming?"
"How is this going?"
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately cheered up and asked quickly.
"Your Highness, the answer is very simple. We farm for the landlords and work so hard all year round that we don't even have enough to eat. If we work in factories or workshops, we can earn three or four dollars a month.
It’s two taels of silver, and many places also include three meals a day.”
"It's the same job. Do you think people will choose to farm? Or work in a factory?"
, Mao Qi replied.
"I don't know about other places. Just in the capital city and around Tianjin, there are large areas here. Large areas of fields are deserted and no one is planting. What a good farmland. In the past, people were rushing to plant, but now no one is planting.
."
"Those wealthy landowners were so anxious that they cried and shouted for people to go back and plant their fields, but no one paid attention to them."
"Everyone is not stupid. If you don't even have enough food to eat, who will do the farming?"
"No one is farming here, what will everyone eat in the future?"
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and frowned.
"That's why I'm worried about whether there will be another famine here in Beizhili in winter."
Mao Qi nodded and said.
"It's not okay to go on like this. We can't panic in the fields. We must grow food. Otherwise, if there is a famine, there will be big problems."
Zhu Houzhao frowned immediately.
No one expected that with the development of capitalism and the large-scale rise of factories and workshops, no one would farm in Beizhili, and a large amount of fertile farmland would be deserted.
"Your Highness, don't worry, there won't be a famine."
Liu Jin smiled and said very confidently.
All this was actually within Liu Jin's expectation. The development of capitalism would inevitably have a huge impact on agriculture.
There are two main aspects of the impact. One is that it will reduce the number of people engaged in agriculture, and the other is that it will change the structure of agricultural planting.
Factories, workshops, etc. require a large number of workers. The cement factories, textile factories, shipyards, coal plants, steel plants, etc. in the Beijing-Tianjin area have very large labor demand.
There are many factories throughout the Beijing-Tianjin area with workers ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands.
Originally, the capital only had a population of one million. In just a few years, the population of the capital has exceeded five million.
The original capital city has long been uninhabitable, and there are a large number of emerging towns around the capital city with a large population.
The same goes for Tianjin. Tianjin, which used to be small, has experienced rapid development in recent years, and its population is even greater than that of the capital.
The scale of Tianjin New Town is already very large.
Where did this increased population come from?
All of them come from places like Beizhili, Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan. Because the income in the Beijing-Tianjin area is higher and life is easier, more people will naturally be attracted here.
Most of these people used to farm. If they no longer farm, those fields will naturally become deserted.
"Old Liu, tell me in detail."
Zhu Houzhao looked at Liu Jin and asked.
"The reason why these fields are deserted is because everyone knows that farming is not cost-effective. The exhausting farming from the end of the year only makes the landlords richer. My family can't even eat enough."
pause."
"But it's different when you go to work in a factory or a workshop. Not only can you eat well, but you can also make money. Anyone would make a choice."
Liu Jin thought for a while and said slowly.
"Yes, I used to farm. It's exactly what Mr. Liu said. I work like an ox all year round, but I don't even have enough to eat."
"Half of the food produced is given to the landlords, and the remaining half is given to the government. What is left is simply not enough to eat."
Mao Qi also followed suit.
"That's it~"
Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly.
"It's not terrible that the fields are deserted. The landowners are most worried. They see their fields being deserted. They either lower their rents to attract people to farm."
"The other thing is to either find a way to farm the fields yourself, or to find a way to farm more fields with less manpower."
Liu Jin continued.
"Farm your own land?"
“More fields with less labor?”
After Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately became confused.
"Maoqi, what did you mainly rely on for farming in the past?"
Liu Jin smiled, turned to Mao Qi and said.
"It mainly relies on manpower. We are all poor people. It is difficult for a village to have a cow. Only landlords have cows."
Moltke said.
"That's right. Farming relies on human power. It is very hard and the key is that it is also very slow. The same piece of land is plowed with and without cattle. The difference is very big."
"If there are cows, one person and one cow can turn it over quickly."
"If you rely on people, even several people can't be successful."
Liu Jin nodded and said.
"Yes, yes, cows are much stronger and more precious than humans, but cows are too expensive. We used to be poor and couldn't afford them."
Hearing Liu Jin mention the key point, Mao Qi nodded quickly and said with deep understanding.
"Your Highness, if there are fewer people in this field, then these landowners will use more cattle and horses to farm, and they can cultivate more fields with less manpower."
"And since our people here in Beizhili no longer farm, we can also move people from other places here."
"For example, places like Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan."
"In the high loess slopes of Shaanxi and Shanxi, where there are few fields and, more importantly, very little rainfall, the imperial court can completely move the people from these places to Beizhili and let them farm."
"Henan has less land and more people. Whenever there is a disaster, Henan is prone to problems. Relocating people here on a large scale and allowing them to farm here in Beizhili can greatly alleviate the problem of people and land in Beizhili.
question."
"When the time comes, and with the promotion of the use of cattle and horses for farming, the fertile farmland in places like Beizhili will definitely not be left barren."
Liu Jin smiled and continued.
The ecology of Shaanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan is very fragile because these places have a long history, too many people, and the contradiction between man and land is very acute.
It's okay to say that the weather is going smoothly, but if something goes wrong like this, war will definitely break out.
The peasant uprisings in the late Ming Dynasty basically started in these places, and they came in waves, never ending.
Ultimately, the contradiction between man and land in these places is too acute.
Now there happens to be no human race in the fields here in Beizhili, so the population from these places will be moved here.
And in the future, with the colonial expansion, the Ming Dynasty can continue to migrate more people to the world outside the Ming Dynasty to alleviate the contradiction between man and land.
"This is a way~"
Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly after hearing this.
The last time Liu Jin and I went to reward the three armies, he had been to Shanxi and Shaanxi and had seen the poverty in these places.
The land here has thousands of ravines, is very dry, and the land is very scarce.
But in a place like this, the population is very dense, and everyone is vying for land to plant.
At that time, Liu Jin told Zhu Houzhao that the people here would be moved out if possible in the future because the environment here was too harsh.
"In addition, we can also mobilize food from other places."
"This year we have good weather in the Ming Dynasty. There will be a bumper harvest of food in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. There is no need to worry about lack of food."
"What's more, now that our maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty is so developed, we can also purchase food from places like Korea, Japan, and Nanyang."
"Especially here in Nanyang. The climate in Nanyang is very suitable for rice cultivation. The yield is very high and it can be harvested several times a year. In the future, we can immigrate to Nanyang on a large scale and we will not be able to eat all the food we grow casually."
"There is also Ryukyu Island. This year, with Ryukyu City as the center, several new cities have been built on Ryukyu Island, and a large amount of land has been reclaimed. The yield of rice grown here is also very high, enough to easily meet the needs of the Beijing-Tianjin region.
Food needs.”
"In addition, the high-yielding sweet potatoes, corns, and potatoes we brought back from Golden Continent are already being planted. After large-scale promotion in the future, there is no need to worry about food problems."
Liu Jin is very confident in this.
If this still leads to famine, then there is really nothing to say.
There are high-yielding crops, increasingly developed maritime transportation and trade, and the development of Ryukyu Island, Southeast Asia, etc. There is absolutely no need to worry about food.
"This puts me at ease. I always feel bad when I see these fertile fields being laid waste."
After listening to Liu Jin's analysis, Zhu Houzhao felt relieved.
"Don't worry, these fields will be planted with crops soon. Now that the price of cotton has soared, isn't it a good time for them to plant cotton?"
Liu Jin smiled and said.
How could the fields be barren?
It may be possible in other places, but it is absolutely impossible in Daming.
The talent for farming that is deeply ingrained in one’s bones and soul cannot possibly watch these fertile fields go into waste.
There are always more solutions than difficulties, and these anxious landlords and wealthy people will always find ways to solve this problem.
"Mao Qi, some of the crops brought back from Golden Continent are already mature. How are you going to sell them here?"
Liu Jin soon returned his gaze to the pepper fields and corn fields in front of him, thought for a while and asked.
This is very important. These crops brought back from Golden Continent will eventually be promoted on a large scale, so this first batch is still very important. We must find a way to make everyone like these crops from Golden Continent.