Chapter 933, the other side of the grain harvest (supplement)
At the end of October in the fifteenth year of Hongzhi, Nanyang was still as warm as summer. People were drinking coconut juice, nibbling sugar cane, and directing slaves to work. People here in Australia had already begun to put on summer clothes and raise scissors at home.
Wool, for midwifery of cattle and horses.
As for the Beijing-Tianjin area, the ruling center of the Ming Dynasty, as the cold wind howled, the first snow fell in the fifteen years of Hongzhi.
"It's snowing, winter is here!"
Liu Jin, who was wearing a crimson robe, stood next to the glass window, looking at the heavy snow outside and he was in a daze.
Before I knew it, winter had arrived.
Time flies by faster and faster. It has been the fifteenth year of Hongzhi. If I think about it carefully, I don't seem to have done anything. This year is almost over.
Last winter, I didn't have a home to celebrate the New Year. I was originally going to take a vacation, but Emperor Hongzhi sent me to lead an expedition to the Western Regions. This lasted for more than half a year, and I didn't return to the capital until this summer.
I thought I could have a good rest at home for a few months, but Emperor Hongzhi was diagnosed with intestinal carbuncle, and I had to be busy treating Emperor Hongzhi for several months.
Emperor Hongzhi's illness has recovered, and the fifteen years of Hongzhi are about to pass. Time flies too fast.
After sighing slightly, Liu Jin continued to return to his desk.
There are many things to do. Being the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and in charge of the officials of the world, there are too many things to do. Since ancient times, the management of this person has been the most difficult thing to do, let alone an official.
"November is coming soon. At the end of October and the beginning of December, the feudal officials from various provinces in the Ming Dynasty will return to Beijing to report on their duties. This is the most important event since I became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."
"In addition, the official evaluation at the end of the year is also a major event. Now the officials in the Ming Dynasty are still too lazy. Basically, it can be said that many officials have done nothing and are doing nothing."
Liu Jin pondered carefully and began to think about the big things to be done at the end of the year.
Since he became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Liu Jin had to make a difference. Emperor Hongzhi put himself in this position, and he must have hoped that he could innovate the official administration of the Ming Dynasty.
But this is certainly not an easy thing, and it has been this way since ancient times.
After dealing with the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, Liu Jin still had no way to rest. After reaching Liu Jin's position, there were too many things to pay attention to, and all aspects of the Ming Dynasty had to be paid attention to.
"The Ming Dynasty ushered in a great harvest, and grain prices dropped to unprecedented levels. Wheat here in Liaodong can be purchased for five stones for one tael of silver!"
"Chen Xin, the chief envoy of Liaodong, asked the imperial court to purchase a large number of steam harvesters to complete the autumn harvest. There are too many fields cultivated and planted in Liaodong this year."
"There is a great harvest in the rivers in the Western Regions. There is enough food for the Western Regions and the Hezhong area will be fed for several years."
"Sugar cane harvests are coming in various provinces in Nanyang. It is expected that this year's cane sugar production will increase by 40% compared with last year."
"Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Huguang, and Sichuan have a great harvest. The price of rice is about three cents per catty. Coarse grains, corn, and sweet potatoes can be purchased for three catties for one cent~"
"The low price of grain hurts farmers, and grain prices fall sharply, causing farmers to increase production without increasing income."
"Beizhili has always been a province with high production, but in the 15th year of Hongzhi, Beizhili not only had no production, but also had a huge food gap. A large amount of land was used to grow cotton and vegetables."
Liu Jin couldn't help but frown as he looked at the messages coming from various places.
Judging from various information, in the fifteenth year of Hongzhi, the Ming Dynasty ushered in an unprecedented bumper harvest, and grain production in various places doubled.
Not only the traditional rice, wheat, millet and sorghum, but also the yields of corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes introduced from Huangjinzhou have also skyrocketed.
The most direct result was that the price of grain in the Ming Dynasty plummeted, and grain merchants had to become beggars because grain trading was really unprofitable.
There was an endless supply of grain in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, and everyone was worried about how to sell the grain. There were no people buying grain at all, so the life of grain merchants was naturally difficult.
What they like most is naturally like the famine in the three northern provinces. Food was sold at sky-high prices, so they could make money. However, when there was too much food, they stopped making money.
"Immigration in recent years has been effective. A large number of people have moved from densely populated and barren places to Liaodong, Nanyang, the Western Regions, Australia and Golden Island. A large number of immigrants have reclaimed land, and food production has exploded."
"The high-yielding crops introduced from Huanghuangzhou spread quickly throughout the Ming Dynasty under the promotion of the specially established Ministry of Agriculture. Last year, there were outbreaks in various places. This year, they have been promoted on a large scale in various places, and the output of this coarse grain has also increased dramatically.
.”
"It's a good thing to have more food. One year's food is enough for people in the Ming Dynasty to eat for several years."
Liu Jin knocked on the table gently and thought carefully about the cause and effect.
There are two main reasons why Ming Dynasty's grain has experienced explosive growth. One is that more land is cultivated, and the growth is fertile land, and the other is the introduction of high-yielding crops.
For these two reasons, it was difficult for the Ming Dynasty not to increase its food supply.
"Sir, Your Majesty has sent someone to announce that you have entered the palace to discuss matters!"
At this time, the servants of Liu Jin's house hurried to Liu Jin's study and said.
"Well, prepare the car~"
When Liu Jin heard this, he quickly said.
I hurriedly took a car to the study room of Emperor Hongzhi's Qianqing Palace. In the study room, there were not only Emperor Hongzhi, but also the elders of the three cabinet cabinets, Zhang Mao, Shangshu Zhong of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zhang Mao, the minister of the Ministry of Agriculture (a homonym for Zhang Mao, but not the same person).
) and others were also present.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty, congratulations to Your Majesty, the weather is going well in our country this year. We have a bumper harvest in the north and south, inside and outside the customs, and overseas. This year's grain output is enough to feed our country for five years!"
Zhang Mao reported this year's grain output to Emperor Hongzhi with a smile on his face. The grain output of the Ming Dynasty had increased. He, as the Minister of Agriculture, also had merit, and his promotion was definitely indispensable.
It's just a pity that Liu Jin took the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel first. It is estimated that he will take over Liu Jin's original position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and in the future, he will take over the position of Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
"How much food are you sure you have?"
Emperor Hongzhi nodded with satisfaction. Since ancient times, all dynasties have attached great importance to farming, and food production is even more important. As long as the people have enough to eat, the country will be stable.
"Your Majesty, the news coming from the government offices at all levels in the Ming Dynasty can also confirm this. This year, the grain tax collected by various places in the Ming Dynasty is more than five times that of last year. You must know that Your Majesty has also exempted Liaodong, Hezhong, Hexi, and Nanyang.
The provincial grain tax for several years, despite this situation, is still able to collect more than five times that of last year. This shows that the grain harvest is indeed a bumper harvest. The official warehouses in various places can no longer hold it, and more grain warehouses have to be built.
.”
Zhong Zhong also stood up and said that he was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and was in charge of the world's money and grain. He was in charge of the court's taxation. Every year in autumn, the grain paid by various places must be counted and randomly checked. The numbers must not be wrong.
of.
"Okay, okay~"
"Of course, the more food, the better. Only when the common people have food to eat and have enough to eat can I, the emperor, sleep well."
Emperor Hongzhi nodded happily. The importance of food is self-evident. A bumper harvest means that the people have more food to eat. At least on this day, they will have food to eat no matter what.
"Your Majesty, it is certainly a good thing to increase the grain harvest, but judging from reports from various places, although there is a bumper grain harvest this year, the price of grain has dropped to an unprecedented level. In Liaodong, five stones of wheat can only be sold for one tael of silver."
"In Nanyang, six-stone rice can only be sold for one tael of silver. Farmers have increased their production without increasing their income, and grain prices have plummeted."
"In addition, because in the past two years, our Ming Dynasty's grain output has increased significantly year after year, and grain prices have fallen year after year. In addition, due to the influence of the Beijing-Tianjin area, Beizhili, which was originally a major grain-producing province, has no grain to harvest this year.
"
“Almost all the land in Beizhili is planted with cotton and vegetables, and there is also a large amount of fertile land used to raise cattle, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, fish, etc.”
At this time, Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, also stood up and reported the other side of the great grain harvest to Emperor Hongzhi.
"Five stones of wheat can only be sold for one tael of silver?"
"This six-stone rice only costs one tael?"
When everyone present heard this, they couldn't help being dumbfounded. The price of this food must be too low.
“All the fertile fields in Beizhili are planted with cotton?”
Emperor Hongzhi looked at Liu Jian and asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty~"
"If your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can go out of the capital and have a look."
"In the entire North Zhili, the closer it is to the Beijing-Tianjin area, the less people grow food. Almost all the land is used to grow cotton, vegetables, chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, sheep and horses. The entire North Zhili can
They say there is no food to harvest."
"If things continue like this, wouldn't it be a pity that fertile farmland will be left barren?"
"In addition, if Beizhili does not produce grain, it means that large-scale grain transportation from various parts of the Ming Dynasty will be needed to come to Beizhili. It will not matter in the short term. Over time, a dependence will inevitably form. If the grain transportation is no longer available,
If it goes in time, it is very likely that the great famine of a few years ago will occur again in Beizhili."
Liu Jian said very excitedly.
During the Ming Dynasty, great harvests were ushered in everywhere, but in Beizhili, no one was growing food. The best land was used to grow cotton. Can this cotton be eaten?
If these people have no food to eat, then there will be another famine in Beizhili. I don’t know how many people will die. The tragic scene of the great famine that year may happen again.
Hearing Liu Jian's words, Emperor Hongzhi frowned immediately. This food is a major matter, related to the national economy and people's livelihood. It's not okay that no one in Beizhili is growing food.
