In a vast wilderness in Yanjiao, the capital city, heavy snow is falling, the ground is covered with snow, and pedestrians are in a hurry.
However, in such weather, several four-wheeled carriages came from the direction of the capital and stopped at the edge of the field.
Emperor Hongzhi, Liu Jian, Zhang Mao, Liu Jin, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Zhang Mao, Zhong Zhong and others in plain clothes got off the carriage one after another and looked at the silver-covered fields in front of them.
"Your Majesty, you see, these fields are all planted with cotton. These are the cotton stalks left after the cotton harvest."
Liu Jian had no intention of appreciating the snowy scenery, nor did he have any interest in reciting poems and lyrics. Instead, he went directly to the fields, peeling away the snow below, revealing some withered and dry cotton stalks.
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he went down to the field directly. He didn't care whether it was cold or not, and he used his hands to remove the snow. He also saw cotton poles.
Behind Emperor Hongzhi, Xiao Jing glanced at him, and the guards around him, including Xiao Huangmen, understood immediately. They immediately got out of the field and quickly swept away the blood in a large field, revealing neat rows of cotton.
pole.
Liu Jin also followed him down to the field, and he picked up a cotton pole and looked at it carefully. He carefully counted the cotton bolls on it, and found that there were only a dozen, which was much worse than the cotton of later generations.
In later generations of cotton, one plant can generally produce twenty to thirty bolls, and some can even produce hundreds of bolls. The yield is very astonishing.
The cotton bolls in front of us are not many, and judging from the size of the cotton bolls, they do not seem to be large. Obviously, compared with the cotton production of later generations, the gap is still relatively large.
"Sure enough, as Liu Aiqing said, there is not a single wheat field in Northern Zhili. There are cotton fields everywhere."
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the huge cotton field in front of him, couldn't help but shook his head and said: "All these fields are planted with cotton, and no one is planting wheat. How can this continue?"
"Beizhili has always been a province with high production. If it suddenly stops producing, I'm afraid there will be a big problem with this food in the future."
"Your Majesty, I think so too. There was a famine that year, and the whole North Zhili was full of hungry people. They exchanged their children for food. Only a few years have passed, and everyone has forgotten that they are all planting cotton, and no one has
Wheat is sown."
Liu Jian also said worriedly: "Food is the most important thing. Only when the people have food will they not panic or be in chaos. Although this cotton can be used to keep warm, it cannot be used to satisfy the hunger. Just grow some appropriately."
Okay, it’s absolutely impossible to plant cotton on such a large scale and in a large area.”
"Is the investigation clear?"
Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly, thought for a while and asked again.
"I have already found out everything."
"The reason why everyone in Beizhili grows cotton instead of wheat is mainly because the price of cotton has remained high in recent years. The textile industry in Ming Dynasty has increasingly strong demand for cotton and wool, which has pushed up the price of cotton.
"
"The common people are short-sighted and for the sake of small profits, they plant cotton one after another and no one grows wheat. This is why it is now difficult to find a wheat field in the entire North Zhili."
Liu Jian also replied immediately.
"Then in your opinion, how should this matter be resolved?"
Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly. He also knew about the rising cotton prices. The most direct reason for Ming Dynasty to send troops to the Western Regions was to obtain cotton from the Western Regions.
Last winter, because of this matter, Emperor Hongzhi specially asked people to investigate the textile industry of the Ming Dynasty. He also knew something about it and knew that the price of cotton was high.
"Your Majesty, I believe that cotton is related to the development of our Ming Dynasty's textile industry. But now our Ming Dynasty's textile industry has tens of thousands of large and small textile factories and workshops, with millions of employees, and millions of employees.
People depend on the textile industry for their livelihood.”
"It is absolutely not possible to be affected by the cotton issue. It is also unrealistic to restrict the development of the textile industry, which will affect the employment and livelihood of a large number of people."
"But the food issue is a major matter related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and is the foundation for the stability of the country and the country. Beizhili is at the core of our Ming Dynasty, and we must not be turbulent because of the food issue, so the fields in Beizhili must be maintained no matter what.
Grow food, not cotton.”
"So I believe that the imperial court should issue a decree prohibiting the planting of cotton in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of our country, the Ming Dynasty. Cotton planting should be carried out as far as possible in the Western Regions, rivers, and overseas, so as to ensure the security of our Ming Dynasty's food.
"
Liu Jian thought for a while and replied very seriously.
"Hmm~"
After hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly, and after thinking about it, he asked Li Dongyang, Xie Qian, Liu Jin, Zhang Mao and others: "What do you have in mind, my beloved ministers?"
"Your Majesty, I think something is wrong~"
Li Dongyang thought for a while and expressed his objection.
"Keep talking."
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he was slightly surprised. Li Dongyang and Liu Jian had always had the same political views, but he did not expect that they had different views on this matter.
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the rapid development of factories, workshops, trading firms, etc. in the Beijing-Tianjin area has attracted a large number of people to work in the factories, workshops, trading firms, etc. in the Beijing-Tianjin area."
"This year alone, according to statistics from major factories, workshops, commercial banks, etc., the total population in the cities in the Beijing-Tianjin area alone has exceeded 10 million."
"Most of such a huge population comes from the Beizhili area around the Beijing-Tianjin area. In other words, farmers who used to farm in the fields have now worked in factories, workshops, trading houses, etc.
, or maybe opening a shop, setting up stalls, and doing small business in the Beijing-Tianjin area.”
"The main reason why farmers choose to give up farmland passed down from generation to generation and go to work in cities is because of income."
"Now in the Beijing-Tianjin area, hiring just one person will cost you at least four taels of silver a month. Even a female worker will need at least three taels of silver to hire."
"If a couple works together in the city, they can earn at least seven taels of silver a month, and their total income can exceed eighty taels of silver a year. Moreover, in factories and workshops, food and accommodation are usually included.
If you come down, you can earn dozens of taels of silver this year."
"But if they farm at home like this, even if the couple works hard for a year, they can only farm a few dozen acres of land. Even if the land is their own, after paying the land tax, they will only be able to farm a few dozen acres in a year.
There are only a few dozen shi of food left."
"Food prices are very low now. After all, you can't even afford to work in the city. What's more, most farmers don't actually have their own fields. They are farming for landlords, so their income is even lower."
"This has resulted in fewer and fewer farmers farming in the entire Beizhili, and even in surrounding Shanxi, Shandong, and Henan. People either choose to immigrate outside the customs, overseas, or choose to work in factories, workshops, trading firms, etc.
"
Li Dongyang thought for a while and then spoke slowly.
He is a very talented person, and he is also good at thinking. He observes things and thinks about the causes and consequences. If Liu Jian can be the chief assistant, it is because he is lucky. He was the teacher of Emperor Hongzhi, and Li Dongyang can be regarded as his own
Really learned.
"I also remembered that at the beginning of this year, officials from various provinces wrote a letter saying that the imperial court moved a large number of people overseas and outside the customs, resulting in the loss of population and the phenomenon of no one cultivating the land."
Emperor Hongzhi thought for a while and said.
"Yes, Your Majesty~"
"Because there are better choices, better ways out, and a better life, farmers naturally know what to do."
Li Dongyang nodded and said.
"Because no one is cultivating the fields, the gentry, who used to rely on rent from landowners, can no longer live the same life as before."
"But this land cannot be left abandoned, so these landowners and gentry who control a large amount of land began to grow cotton, because cotton cultivation is relatively simple and does not require the same meticulous care as wheat."
"Relying on a steam cultivator, you can plow the land very well to grow cotton, and growing cotton is more profitable than growing wheat. Naturally, this naturally leads to the reason why it is difficult to find a wheat field in Beizhili."
"This is also the reason why steam cultivators are the best-selling ones in the North Zhili region."
After talking a lot, Li Dongyang explained the reasons for this matter in detail.
He went deeper and more detailed. Liu Jian just said that because cotton prices are high, everyone is growing cotton. This is just a superficial phenomenon.
The real phenomenon is that the farmers no longer allow the landlords and wealthy people to farm the land, and the landlords and wealthy landlords who own the land have planted cotton that is more expensive, more profitable, and easier to manage.
After all, this is a market phenomenon.
"That's it~"
After hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi nodded immediately, and he suddenly understood the reason behind this phenomenon.
"Your Majesty, I also think what Mr. Li said is reasonable."
At this time Liu Jin also stood up and said.
"Yeah, let's talk about it."
Emperor Hongzhi smiled and motioned for Liu Jin to continue.
"Actually, this principle is very simple. It's nothing more than that people go to higher places and water flows to lower places."
"Common people feel that farming is no longer cost-effective, so they go to work in factories, workshops, and commercial firms in the city, or they open small shops, set up stalls, etc., because this way of life is simpler and easier, and they earn more money.
The money is also more."
"This also shows that under His Majesty's wise leadership and with the virtuous assistance of the princes in the court, our Ming Dynasty is prosperous and the people's lives are getting better and better. We no longer need to face the loess and back to the sky like our ancestors have done for generations.
Live better, eat better, wear better clothes, and live a more prosperous life."
Liu Jin thought for a while and said it in very simple and easy-to-understand terms.
Whether this is because no farmers are willing to farm anymore or the fields that were originally planted with wheat are being planted with cotton, in the final analysis it is still an economic behavioral trend.