Zhao Kuo has been to many places, but this is the first time he has come to Yan State, especially the northeastern region. He originally thought that as a large granary for future generations, this place would have high development value, but when
After seeing the situation in Yandi in person, he felt quite cold. First of all, the climate in the Northeast is very different. In areas such as Shanggu and Yuyang, the climate is still relatively normal and suitable for crop growth.
However, the land in western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning is a bit cold, and the climate is not suitable for farming.
It is difficult to grow crops here. Compared with crops in the Central Plains, the cold resistance is stronger, but the harvest is not very high. The climate is the biggest problem. In areas such as Liaodong, which is too cold, farming is not possible.
The temperature difference here is very large, but the climate in the northern counties is still good, and the wild grass grows very luxuriantly. After investigation and interviews, Zhao Kuo decided in his heart that if he wanted to develop the Northeast, he could only develop the upper valley.
Yuyang and other areas.
The climate in the three counties of Youbeiping, Liaoxi and Liaodong is too harsh, and only a few areas are suitable for development.
Zhao Kuo determined the target, and the farm disciples were also exploring the fertility of the land. It has to be said that part of the land in the northeast is still very fertile. The remains of weeds and forest animals accumulated all year round nourish this land, making the soil here unnecessary.
Although too many improvements have been made, the soil cannot be said to be without problems. It is precisely because of the fertility of the soil that it has become difficult to cultivate and plow the land.
The biggest problem comes from today's technology. If you want to cultivate and plow the land, you must have advanced agricultural tools... Zhao Kuo realized that the reason why Northeast became the largest granary was due to technological factors. Today's industrial level is not enough to fully develop it.
Here. But Zhao Kuo is not disappointed. The area of Shanggu County alone, which is suitable for farming, can exceed that of several counties in the south. If it can be developed, as long as part of it is developed, there will be a lot of gains.
The cost may be huge, but Zhao Kuo's vision has never been limited to the current era. He has a longer view. There are many benefits to developing Northeast China. First of all, with the development of science and technology in the future, after he has set a precedent,
, this place will definitely attract more attention in the future, and perhaps the future Northeastern granary can appear hundreds of years in advance, which is all worthwhile.
In addition, if this place can be developed, it will play a huge role in border security. Think about a county with extremely developed agriculture and millions of farmers. Would the enemies outside the wall dare to look at this place? Dare to rob it?
Well? The farmers of the Qin State became warriors when they took up arms. Considering many factors, developing the Northeast is a good choice. In addition to climate and soil, there is also water source.
This is not something Zhao Kuo needs to worry about. There is sufficient water here, and the melted snow in spring is also conducive to crop growth. In addition, the temperature is low and there are few pests. Generally speaking, some areas here are still very suitable for the development of agriculture, but they are not as good as later.
It's just that level. However, with the development of technology in the future, it will definitely be developed here. Zhao Kuo finally chose the Shanggu Yuyang area as the development target.
Slash-and-burn cultivation is the norm in this era, and crop rotation has just taken shape. The so-called crop rotation is to plant different crops according to different seasons. This is not the agricultural technology tree pointed out by Zhao Kuo, but proposed by the Farmer Exhibition
According to the theory, crop rotation technology was not officially promoted until the Western Han Dynasty decades later, and the time of its emergence is exactly now.
Common crop rotations in later generations include cereal rotation, bean rotation, grain and cash crop rotation, flood and drought rotation, grassland rotation, etc., but not many can be realized now.
Zhao Kuo was thinking about the future development map in his mind. The Central Plains has been developed, the south is vast and sparsely populated with abundant water resources, the northeast is fertile, and the northwest is suitable for cash crops. Food and land issues are affecting China.
The biggest factor is that because of the large population, land distribution and food supply are prone to problems, but the resources China itself possesses are also amazing.
Zhao Kuo and his farm disciples began to assist local officials, promote the latest agricultural technology, teach seed selection and breeding methods, and lead local people to carry out reclamation and development. The Yan people respected Zhao Kuo very much, even in western Liaoning and
The Hu people in Liaodong were so excited that they were speechless when they found out that the person in front of them was Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo's reputation in the local area was extremely high, even comparable to that of Qin and Zhao.
They were also willing to listen to Zhao Kuo's words, change according to what he said, and do things according to what he taught.
Although Zhao Kuo set his development target in the north, he did not give up on areas such as western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning. Due to the climate here and today's underdeveloped technology, there is no way to grow too much food here. Zhao Kuo proposed that the forestry industry could be developed here.
The idea is that trees are also a very important resource, especially since they can be regenerated. The forests here are dense and suitable for the development of the forestry industry.
There are also parts of Liaodong that are suitable for the development of animal husbandry and mining.
This is a land of treasures.
Zhao Kuo came here not only to explore agriculture, but also to check the situation of the people. The people of Yan State were doing well. When most people think of Yan State, they think of heavy snowfall and poverty. In fact, the people of Yan State are living well.
The land is very fertile, and the people here live a pretty good life. Relying on backward agricultural technologies and tools, their grain production has exceeded that of some countries, and they can even send grain to other countries.
The Yan State has almost never encountered the problem of food shortages. The common people have enough food at home, of course, excluding the Liaodong Hu people. No wonder the Liaodong Hu people are so happy to accept the rule of the Qin State. The Yan State does not regard them as human beings at all.
Zhao Kuo even felt that if various countries rated per capita income, the Yan State would be among the best, because he did not regard Western Liaodong and Liaodong as human beings at all. Although the Hu people here tended to be Chinese in terms of culture and language, and even wore the clothes of the Yan State
, intermarry with the Yan people...
The life of the people in other parts of Yan is still very good, and they do not have much resistance to the Qin State, because many areas of the Yan State were taken over by General Qin Kai, who was the same as Zhao She.
People at the same time... Therefore, the people here do not have much identification with the Yan State, and naturally they will not resist the Qin State that came to destroy them. They are even a little happy because the taxes of the Qin State are lower.
Among the current countries, Qin's taxes are the lowest, which has a strong temptation for the people. Even if other countries know about it, they cannot follow it, because Qin's national power is so strong that even a low tax can
Asking him to feed his army, Qi Chu couldn't do it.
Zhao Kuo stayed in Yan for a while, and then waited for his old friend. Yes, Dong Chengzi came. Because of his research on law, he was recruited into Xianyang, met with the King of Qin, and got
Zhongyong, because he was familiar with Yan culture and had very good abilities, was sent to Yuyang as the governor. The two old friends met again, and the governors from other places also arrived one by one.
The governor of Shanggu is called Feng Quji. He is the eldest grandson of Feng Ting, the former governor of Shangdang in South Korea.
The prefect of western Liaoning was called Uncle Le, who was Zhao Kuo's proud disciple and the grandson of Le Yi. Le Jian died of illness in Zhao State. The grief-stricken Uncle Le did not lead the army to fight anymore.
After the fall of the country, he was recommended by Han Fei and became a minister of the Qin State. The prefect of Liaodong was called Wang Wan. This was also a talented minister and was highly valued by the King of Qin.
With these people coming to help, it was much easier for Zhao Kuo to do anything he wanted to do. He met his old friend Dong Chengzi in Yuyang. He looked much stronger than before, and he pulled Zhao Kuo in with a smile.
In the mansion, after greetings, the two talked about the development plan for Yuyang, and Zhao Kuo also told him all his thoughts during these days. Zhao Kuo said seriously: "The land here is fertile and the weather is cold. There is no need to
Conscript corvees to build canals..."
"You must think more before doing corvee work, otherwise problems may easily arise."
Dong Chengzi listened carefully to what Zhao Kuo said about the local situation, and asked the officials to record it.
Zhao Kuo then went to visit several other prefects and discussed with them the development of the Yan region. Zhao Kuo was busy in the Yan region for nearly a year, exploring the situation, appeasing the people, mobilizing the people to cultivate land, and rapidly promoting agriculture.
Technology, during this period, Yandi also experienced an autumn harvest. After experiencing the devastation of a war, this year's grain output was higher than the previous year. This shows the huge advantages of the system.
Zhao Kuo participated in the reclamation, farming, harvesting, and even liquidation here, and wrote a letter about the local customs, development conditions, and future trends, and sent it to Xianyang. This letter became a very important document for future generations to study the Yan land.
Important reference. Until the end of the year, there was heavy snowfall in Yanxia, and the whole world was shrouded in white snow. The snow here was so heavy that in some places, the snow on the ground could reach people's knees.
Zhao Kuo walked out of the courtyard. Even though he was wearing thick clothes, he could still feel the bone-deep cold.
He has never been so cold, maybe because of the problems here, or maybe because he is really old... Zhao Kuo walked out of the courtyard anyway. He wanted to know about the cold protection in Yandi. People here would prepare firewood in advance.
, I basically don’t choose to go out in winter because there is no such thing as cotton to keep out the cold. But now there is coal. Coal has been used as early as the Spring and Autumn Period.
Zhao Kuo vaguely remembered the briquettes, but he didn't know how it was made, so he could only go back and discuss it with the Mo family.
As for cotton, you can probably find it in the Western Regions.
Zhao Kuo felt that it was necessary for him to go to the Western Regions and bring back things that he knew did not exist in the Central Plains, including cotton, various crops, fruits, etc. Because there was no road to the Western Regions,
There were many things that had not been introduced to the Central Plains. Zhang Jian went to the Western Regions as an envoy and brought back a lot of things. The Han Dynasty even opened up the Silk Road. Zhao Kuo felt that it was necessary for him to go to the Western Regions and introduce those good things.
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Zhao Kuo traveled around several places. When he returned to his mansion, he suddenly fell ill.
Probably because of the cold outside these days, Zhao Kuo started to have a fever and headache. Speaking of which, Zhao Kuo rarely got sick because he was very strong, and fever was even more rare. He suddenly fell ill, but he was so frightened.
Many ministers from the Yan region and medical officers from various places also came quickly to treat Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo was still very strong, and after a few days of recuperation, he returned to his original condition.
However, the local officials did not dare to keep him anymore. The cold winter here was too cruel, especially for the elderly. Therefore, when the King of Qin sent officials, he did not dare to send too many old people. If
Something happened to Zhao Kuo here, and no one could bear the wrath of King Qin. After Zhao Kuo recovered, he did not risk going out again. When the weather improved, the imperial doctor sent by King Qin had arrived.
Zhao Kuo didn't want his family to worry about him for no reason. It happened that the things here were almost finished, and the rest could be handed over to local officials, so he left like this.
Zhao Kuo suddenly fell ill this time, which indeed scared many people. Zhao Kuo sat on the carriage, looked at the people preparing to farm along the road, and rushed towards Xianyang in a hurry.
In the seventeenth year of the Qin Dynasty, this year in history, the Qin State officially destroyed South Korea, thus kicking off the destruction of the six kingdoms. Now, the Qin State has basically completed the unification, and only the surviving countries are left.
Chu State and Qi State. When Zhao Kuo's carriage came to Xianyang, it was Zhao Kang who came to greet him. Zhao Kang also looked very worried. Seeing his father's thin appearance, he was really worried.
Only Ying Zheng and Zhao Kang knew about Zhao Kuo's illness, and no one else knew about it. This was also a good thing.
"The land of Yan was pacified faster than expected. Unexpectedly, the people of Yan had no intention of resisting Qin. Every place was quickly pacified, and many local people were willing to serve as officials. Therefore, the king is considering using troops against Chu.
General Liao insists on asking you to come back and discuss it later." Zhao Kang talked about the domestic affairs. The people of Qin originally thought that it would take several years to appease Yan and arrange officials.
Unexpectedly, Yan State's own behavior was unpopular with the people, and with the officials trained by King Yan, the pacification work here was very smooth. The farming last year was also very smooth, and the officials recruited from Yan State were very useful.
Yes, Qin should thank King Yan. This caused Qin to focus on the big country in the south, Chu. Chu had always been a powerful country.
Over the years, he has also brought a lot of trouble to the Qin State. With its vast territory and large population, it is really not an easy task to destroy the Chu State.
Coupled with Zhao Kuo's previous intimidation, the Chu State felt a sense of crisis. Xiang Yan continued to train his troops, and the entire Chu State continued to strengthen its military strength. The King of Qin did not want to give them such a chance, and was prepared to destroy them quickly.
ps: The destruction of Chu will definitely be the most important part of this book, so stay tuned.
By the way, Lao Lang is a little busy these days, dealing with family matters, so the next chapter may be later.
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