Zhao Xi does not need to continue to pay attention to pumpkins. Now Guochao basically has no resistance to new things, but is very interested in them.
Because Gongfang City has been selling industrial renewal technology over the years, now the country, whether it is the imperial court or the local state capital, has some innovative ideas and foundations.
There are very few opportunities like this in Sinong Temple. If you finally catch it, how can you let it go?
As for inspections in central Zhejiang, to be honest, the imperial court now provides subsidies for imperial offices to go out to the state capital, especially for such field inspections, the subsidies are very high.
Zhao Xi is not a historian, and does not need to determine whether the origin of pumpkins has anything to do with eastern Zhejiang. He only needs to see that pumpkins were cultivated and promoted in the country, so that the people of the Song Dynasty would not have to worry about hunger.
Indeed, Zhao Xi was worried about his second son's patience, worried that he would not be able to wait until the imperial court regained Yanyun before he visited Annan.
Regarding the current situation of Annan, it seems that Shenglong Palace has recognized the existence of the two sons in the northern mountainous area... Annan has no choice. He knows that resistance is useless, so it is better to accept the reality.
However, due to the actual situation in the mountainous area in northern Annan, it was difficult to satisfy the ambitions of the second son... Even the eight thousand soldiers felt very uncomfortable.
A large part of the current Second Prince's power comes from selling food to the country, or in other words, taking advantage of the geographical location and eating some food across the water.
It was precisely because of this that the second prince knew the extent of the country's dependence on Annan's food, and therefore refrained from provoking a large-scale war.
No matter what, he is the prince of the Song Dynasty.
Wen Yanbo, or the old guys at Ge Lao Yuan, were right in their analysis. Zhao Xi did have such considerations.
Once the Song Dynasty went to war against the Northern Liao Dynasty, it would never be a short-term outcome. The necessary condition for a protracted war was to ensure the internal stability of the country.
Food stability is the most basic thing.
We can't expect our opponents to be fools. It's impossible for the Annan Shenglong Palace not to know that the country is now dependent on their food exports, and it's impossible to really tolerate the danger on their side.
Once the Song Dynasty starts a war, even if the second prince still endures it, Shenglong Mansion may take the opportunity to regain the lost territory.
The second prince's strength will inevitably lead to a protracted battle against Annan.
The result will be that the entire Annan will be thrown into chaos, the food demand of the country will be affected, and it will eventually affect the overall situation of the battle to recover Yanyun.
Nothing exists in isolation, especially the disputes between countries.
"Ji Fu, has the naval escort done any accounting on the costs and benefits of maritime trade?"
Zhao Xi is aware of the communication between the Ge Laoyuan and the cabinet. After formulating the strategy for the future war against Liao in Gongfang City, it is time for the overall plan to be put on the agenda.
"The first point of profit for officials and maritime merchants is to exchange what they have, and it can even be judged by the availability of rare goods."
"The second point is the issue of shipping volume. Maritime shipping is risky on the one hand, but the key is the large volume of cargo transported by sea ships to ensure profits for maritime merchants."
Lu Huiqing knew very well what the maritime trade was like without even needing to rely on naval escort data.
"Is it feasible if the water transport yamen gets involved in maritime transport and mainly focuses on food trafficking?"
This is what Zhao Xi needs to determine, this is the key.
"Officials, according to the information returned by maritime merchants and what was discovered during this naval escort, in small countries such as Champa, Chenla, and Srivijaya, food is thrown away casually. If you just throw some linen, you will receive piles of it.
Piles of grain.”
"For those small countries in the south, they don't think about food storage at all. The seeds randomly thrown in the soil become food in two or three months..."
Although Lu Huiqing said it was an exaggeration, it was indeed the case.
The climate in South Asia means that they don't have to worry about feeding their stomachs at all.
"In this case, let Fan Ziyuan take the lead in building merchant ships...~"
Zhao Xi looked at the cabinets and saw that no one had any objection...
"As for shipping, the imperial court will not consider establishing a state-owned shipping trading company for the time being, nor will it compete with the people for profit."
"Whether it is prosperous shipping or developed industries, the most important thing for the court is tax revenue."
"As for why the merchant ships were built, everyone must understand. The imperial court must ensure the stability of the country's food supply. This is the foundation of a dynasty."
"Now that the imperial court is ready to regain Yanyun, it must consider it all. Although the traitor still understands the general situation and the major situation, I can guarantee that once the war breaks out between the country and the Northern Liao Dynasty, Annan will not tolerate Langsong and Gaobang.
Continue to be controlled by outside forces."
"The court must take this into consideration. Once the war starts, even if Annan wants to continue to make profits from this part of the grain export, the war will stop the transaction."
"In the war, the country and the DPRK focus on the war situation, and the internal affairs of the country and the DPRK cannot be relaxed. I am not sure whether there will be a food crisis by then."
"Therefore, we must take precautions to avoid a food crisis in the country and the DPRK when the war begins, thus affecting the war situation."
Fighting a war is never simply about the bravery of the soldiers, nor is it even just about armaments. There are many outcomes of wars, and food is definitely a factor that cannot be ignored.
Just like the war between the Guo Dynasty and Xixia, the real reason for victory was that Xixia was in a desperate situation.
"Guan Jia, can the team of the fourth prince be used as a partial army?"
Zhang Dun asked this question, firstly, because in the initial battle against Xixia, partial troops played a considerable role.
The second reason is that, according to the report, the fourth prince's team has now expanded its sphere of influence to the Dengzhou sea area.
In other words, as soon as the war begins, the Fourth Prince's team can go north and land from Suzhou, Kaizhou, or even Laizhou and Jinzhou in Northern Liao, forming a double-team on Zhongjing and Nanjing in Northern Liao.
At the same time, the imperial court can also send a partial division from the former Xixia Heishan and Heishui Town military headquarters to fight from west to east.
In this way, the battle to defeat Xixia can be repeated against Northern Liao.
"That team may be useful in containing some of Bei Liao's troops, but it may not be able to bear the role of a partial division."
"Even if the navy goes north to fight, it may not be effective."
"You elders should know that there are seasonal factors in fighting in the north, and climate factors are issues that have to be considered."
"Once a war begins with Beiliao, it will not end in a short time. As long as Beiliao can withstand the navy's inability to land for a certain period of time, there will be no threat to the naval landing war."
"The key is that the advantage of the Guo Dynasty over the Northern Liao cavalry lies in the chariots, and due to the weight of the chariots themselves, it is difficult for sea ships to transport enough chariots. Then, after the Marine Corps lands ashore, it is impossible to
Face off against the Northern Liao cavalry."
As for sending a team from the northwest, the advantage of chariots may be useful, but from the sea, Zhao Xi did not consider it at all due to the disadvantage of infantry versus cavalry.
But the first strategic goal of the imperial court was to recover Yanyun, so there was no need to send a partial division from the northwest.