Most of Liangzhou has a desert climate, with long sunshine and large temperature differences. There are often droughts, so there are not many crops suitable for it.
But the advantage is that the sunshine time is long and the sunshine resources are sufficient, so it is more suitable for the cultivation of wheat and flax. At this time, Yinzhou did not even have corn.
single!
It’s still too single! Not only are they single, but most of these crops are annual crops, that is to say, they can only be planted and harvested once a year.
Under such circumstances, coupled with the barren land in Yinzhou, the biggest problem has naturally become the people's hunger.
"How is the reclamation going?"
Liu Zheng asked Liang Erfu while riding his horse.
Liang Erfu said respectfully: "Sir, reclamation is a century-old plan. The people, regardless of the wind and snow, have reclaimed thousands of acres of new fields in Yinzhou!"
Thousands of acres...
Liu Zheng nodded and said with a smile: "Do you have any other questions?"
Liang Erfu smiled bitterly and said: "Of course there are difficulties. The young master knows that it is a good thing to have land, but there is a problem of insufficient manpower... Recently, those noble families have left a lot of farmland idle because of the resignation of tenant farmers, and they have bought slaves from other places."
"Oh? Is there such a thing?"
Liu Zheng was happy when he heard this.
In the past, because of the liberalization of the reclamation policy, it would be strange if the noble families did not come to the county to put pressure on the county government. Now, the noble families do not dare to disobey the county government, but due to the excessive cultivation of farmland,
The tenant farmers who had been cultivating the land for these noble families quit their jobs, forcing these noble families to start buying slaves to farm their fields.
Of course, this is not a bad thing for Yinzhou.
In this era, population is the biggest dividend! Slaves can also consume and give birth, and Yinzhou will naturally develop accordingly.
but.
We can't just see the good side, we must also see the several problems that this matter has highlighted.
First of all, there is the problem of too few people in the sky, and this is what Liu Zheng needs to solve next.
Secondly, there are a series of follow-up problems that will occur due to the influx of a large number of slaves into Yinzhou. For example, how to manage this, this must be a warning to the noble families. Also, will the entry of slaves bring plague? This is also a priority
What's more important! In this era, there are no vaccines or immune systems. People who have lived in each place for a long time have different antibodies in their bodies when they go to another place, and it is easy to breed different viruses. This is the phenomenon of acclimatization.
In ancient times, there were several large-scale deaths caused by plague.
It seems like we should set up a medical department!
Liu Zheng rubbed his temples. Only then did he realize how troublesome it was to manage a territory.
"After the heavy snow, we have to consider farming matters. Erfu, you can't stay in Yinzhou during this period."
Liu Zhengdao.
Liang Erfu was stunned: "What do you mean, Master?"
Liu Zheng nodded and smiled: "You need to go out to purchase some crop seeds. Especially this time, I want you to go to the central Sichuan area and help me find things called red potato and potato!"
"Red potato? Earthy potato?"
Liang Erfu had never heard of it.
Liu Zheng laughed and explained what the red potato looked like. In fact, this red potato is a sweet potato! According to Chinese historical records, sweet potatoes are imported products that were introduced from overseas to the country in the Ming Dynasty. In fact, this is not the case! Liu Zheng once worked in the Song Dynasty in the Song Dynasty.
Tao Yi's "Qing Yi Lu" has seen, "There are many potatoes in the south of Wuling. They are connected in pieces and weigh dozens of kilograms. They are very sweet and fragrant. But because they are mostly in deep mountains and deep valleys, people mostly eat by themselves.
It has never been sold outside."
In other words, sweet potatoes have always been available in China!
It's just that this crop has not received people's attention, let alone large-scale cultivation. Currently, it is still a wild vegetable.
As for Tuya, Liu Zheng actually didn't have much hope.
Because this is a potato, that is, a potato.
This is something that is truly native to South America. Liu Zheng cannot guarantee whether he has ever come to this land at this time. "Taro, also known as Huangdu, has creeping leaves like beans, a root as round as a chicken egg, and a white inside with yellow skin.
...It can be cooked or steamed. It can also be boiled in taro juice and washed, and the greasy clothes are as white as jade." The first record of potatoes in "The Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs" was already in the Ming Dynasty.
I don’t know when potatoes came to this dimension.
But there is no doubt that these two crops are suitable for planting in Yinzhou! There is no other reason. There is only one crop in Yinzhou, which is wheat. It is planted once a year and harvested once. But potatoes and sweet potatoes can be grown together.
Twice a year, and the output is amazing!
The production cycle of sweet potatoes is 160 to 200 days, but Liu Zheng can use his own technology to achieve two harvests of sweet potatoes in four years!
The most important thing is.
Sweet potato is a crop that is relatively drought-resistant and rich in protein, starch, pectin, cellulose, amino acids, vitamins and various minerals. In other words, it is a crop with very balanced nutrition, even more than wheat. It is absolutely possible.
Prepare as the main food!
Nowadays, the situation in the world is becoming more and more subtle, and there are many vassal kings.