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Text no. 225 On Agriculture (Part 1)

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    no, 225 On Agriculture (Part 1)

    Huang Junming finally got rid of Li Chunfeng, who was looking for knowledge, but when Li Chunfeng delayed him, Li Yuanheng's search for Li Shimin was delayed again.  Huang Junming felt helpless and depressed.  But now that he had reached the entrance of the Centennial Hall, Huang Junming was too lazy to look for it himself, so he had to find a trail and let him bring Li Yuanheng over.

    "Yuanheng, you will go down the mountain later. Bring this letter to Your Majesty. Let Your Majesty search for it. If possible, you can also ask Your Majesty to come to Tianxian Palace." Huang Junming has not rushed over to the dusty crowd.  Li Yuanheng said as he stood still, and slipped a letter into Li Yuanheng's hand.

    Li Yuanheng put away the letter. Although he was puzzled by Huang Junming's eagerness, he didn't say much. After bowing to Huang Junming, he walked out of the door.  Went to find Li Shimin.

    About an hour and a half later, two brothers, Li Shimin and Li Yuanheng, came to the Tianxian Palace together.  Li Shimin was walking in Tianxian Palace. If he had any thoughts, he still had some ideas.  The last time Li Shimin came to Tianxian Palace, Huang Junming refused to see him.  But this time, Li Shimin took the initiative to come to discuss the matter with him. Even if Li Shimin didn't take any small revenge, he still had the idea of ??refusing to see him.  But as an emperor, Li Shimin couldn't do it.  Since the last time he learned from Huang Junming's tips bag that there would be a major locust plague next year, Li Shimin had long been thinking about ways to deal with it.

    This locust plague is no different than others. The current agricultural output is not high. If there is a locust plague, then there will probably be no grass growing after the locust plague.  And this year is a leap month, so the weather and climate are inherently late.  Planting late means taking a lot of risks.  Therefore, the first year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty is likely to be a year of food shortage.  In the second year of Zhenguan, Huang Jun clearly stated that there would be a locust plague. Moreover, based on past experience, this locust plague was often accompanied by severe drought. It is said that if there are locusts, there will be a drought.  By then I am afraid that the harvest of the second year of Zhenguan will be close to zero.

    In this way, the harvest in the first year of Zhenguan cannot be guaranteed, and the second year of Zhenguan is another year of consumption but no output.  There is also little grain in the treasury granaries.  If you calculate it this way, I am afraid that the years just after the change of Yuan Dynasty will be very tight.  During the New Year, I wanted to discuss the matter with Huang Junming, but Huang Junming diverted my attention.  Now I suddenly heard that Huang Junming wanted to discuss farming matters with him.  How could you not put aside your identity and come to answer the call?

    "It's been a long time, Your Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty's dragon body is in good health?" Huang Junming saw Li Yuanheng coming with Li Shimin, gave him a light salute, and greeted Li Shimin.

    "Why don't you let Immortal Master use your clever tips to cause trouble?" Li Shimin smiled bitterly and said: "Since last October, Immortal Master, you gave me those three tips, I have been thinking about tea and food, so what about the first tip?  , I have already been fighting with the second tip bag, and the third tip bag is still in my arms and I dare not open it. But having said that, the first of your three tips, Master Immortal, is really  Very useful. I ordered the prisoners to build the road, and promised that those with minor crimes would be relieved of their crimes based on the results of their work. In the past few months, the cement road has been built to Luoyang, except for a few days of rest. The cement road  The road will be open to traffic and people."

    Although Li Shimin came here after reading Huang Junming’s letter from Li Yuanheng.  But if the first thing they talk about when they meet is the locust plague in the second year of Zhenguan, then Li Shimin, as an emperor, will lose a lot of face.  It would be too shameful for Li Shimin to do this in a shameful way for someone from outside the country to ask Li Shimin, the emperor, to visit him in person after hearing the news. It would be too disrespectful to ask Li Shimin to come up and talk to Huang Junming.  Besides, since Huang Junming asked Li Shimin to come over to discuss this matter, Huang Junming will definitely bring the topic to this matter.  There was no need for Li Shimin to ask any more questions.

    "Oh? The cement road between Chang'an and Luoyang is about to be built?" Huang Junming didn't care much about this matter at first, but he still looked interested.  He said to Li Shimin: "If Pindao had that free time, he would definitely walk in a circle between Chang'an and Luoyang. Since Pindao came to the Tang Dynasty, Pindao has never left Chang'an City."

    Hearing Huang Junming’s unhurried words, Li Shimin was secretly anxious in his heart, and said dryly: "Master Immortal has been walking around a lot when he has time. There are still many beautiful places in our Tang Dynasty."

    "Haha, when I have time, I will definitely appreciate the worldly scene of the Tang Dynasty." Huang Junming was tired of staying in Chang'an City for a long time. If it weren't for the unfinished business at hand, I'm afraid Huang Junming wouldn't have done it early.  I went to a certain corner of the Tang Dynasty to enjoy the mountains and rivers.

    "Your Majesty, Pindao called you here this time because he has something to trouble you." Huang Junming didn't want to waste any more time with these idle chatter, so he said straight to the point.

    Hearing Huang Junming’s words, Li Shimin’s heart trembled. He knew that business was coming. He looked straight at Huang Junming and replied: “The immortal master has something to say, but there is no harm in saying it.”

      "Okay, let me just say it." Huang Junming had already considered his words, and then continued: "I wonder if Your Majesty has considered the locust plague next year.  I'm afraid a large number of people will die in this situation, right? Of course, the officials of the aristocratic families and so on are just a little more miserable, but the common people below may not be able to survive. I believe that immortality is precious, but we must also know that heaven is healthy, and a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement  . Pindao cannot avoid the locust plague, nor can he create food out of thin air, but it can make the common people have more food surplus. However, Pindao alone cannot do anything, so I hope that your majesty can give you great help and  support."

    "Okay! I have also been thinking about what to do next year. Since the immortal master has already made a plan, I will ask the immortal master to come together one by one. As long as it is beneficial to the country and the people, I will approve it one by one." Li Shimin also knew that  Huang Junming told the truth, but Huang Junming did not tell all the specific measures he had thought of. Naturally, he was waiting for Li Shimin to express his stance.

    "So, that's what Pindao said. In Pindao's mind, the locust plague can be divided into three parts: before the disaster, the beginning of the disaster, and the aftermath." Huang Junming gestured to Li Yuanheng to record and said: "The beginning of the disaster  Let’s not talk about the post-disaster. Let’s talk about the pre-disaster first. The so-called pre-disaster refers to the preparations that need to be made when knowing that the locust plague is about to occur. Often, we did not know the specific time when the disaster will occur, but now that we know it, we will  If a locust plague occurs, you must make plans in advance."

    "First of all, let me start from now on. This year is late spring. Although it has disadvantages, it is also advantageous. This is advantageous because this late spring gives us enough time to prepare for farming." Huang Junming said with certainty.

    "If grain production increases this year, the disaster situation next year will be much better. But how can we increase grain production this year? Pindao thinks we can start from these aspects." Huang Junming asked and answered himself.  Li Shimin was not given more time to think about it.  "First, change the farming methods of farmers. Now our farmers in Datang cultivate a relatively single crop, which is nothing more than corn and vegetables. Although Pindao knows some crops that can increase food production, it is too late now.  Therefore, we can only work on farming methods. The first is the use of fertilizers by farmers. Now most farmers have land in their hands. Precisely because they farm the land for themselves, they are more motivated. This is a good thing. But now farmers farm the land.  The method used is nothing more than plowing, sowing, weeding, and harvesting. However, due to farmers' low awareness of farming, the farming time is often long, resulting in a smaller harvest. This is the reason  After years of cultivation, the land lacks fertility. How to increase the labor intensity of the land and increase the yield is actually a very simple question. The best fertilizer for crops is manure. Although farmers know this, but because of their own  The output of manure was relatively small and could not meet their own needs. And those official families, even the army, businessmen, scholars, etc. were quite disgusted with the manure, so Ye Xianglang found a place to bury it outside the city. This  On the one hand, farmers lack manure, but on the other hand, other people do not care about manure. This contradiction has caused a situation where farmland production cannot increase due to lack of fertilizer. How can we make this contradiction disappear? Only Your Majesty can guide it through the efforts of the government.  No. A poor person can't do this."

    Li Shimin was quite depressed when he heard Huang Junming's words. He also understood the matter of fertilizer.  Although I have never operated it myself, I have lived for thirty years. If I have never seen pork, have I never seen pigs running?  Regarding what Huang Junming said about the conflicts between farmers and people in other industries regarding manure.  Li Shimin can also understand.  But it sounds awkward for him as an emperor to order the government to collect manure and then give it away or sell it to farmers.  In his mind, excrement was extremely dirty, and it was a bit outrageous to associate government and excrement with each other.  But what Huang Junming said is also true. The problem has been found and the solution has been shown to you.  The rest can only be done by himself as the emperor.

    "In addition to fertilizer, the second point is the farm tools used by farmers for farming. The farming tools used in the Tang Dynasty now are nothing more than a straight plow, a few cows, and a large family. But you must know that many people do not have cows at home.  Plowing can only be done by people pulling a straight plow. But your majesty must know that the straight plow is quite laborious to operate. If you want to take full advantage of its efficiency, you should use at least two oxen to pull it. Families without oxen must rely solely on manpower.  , how long does it take to cultivate the land? Your majesty must have a general idea, right? So Pindao thought if he could make a simple, easy and practical plow. So Pindao found a few people who had more research on agricultural tools.  Taoists came out. After hearing Pindao's idea, they all thought that this method was feasible, but this research could not be done in a day and a half. At this time, a Taoist claimed that in "Tiangong Kaiwu"  records a kind of comparison?The simple plow is called Jiangdong plow, but it is not recorded clearly in Tiangong Kaiwu and cannot be copied by the Taoists under Pindao.  So Pindao thought, could you please send someone to the south of the Yangtze River to find a Jiangdong plow, and let Pindao's Taoists study it and improve it to make it the best plow suitable for the entire Tang Dynasty?  Furthermore, this year is late spring, so there is still some spare time before farming. If we take this opportunity to successfully research and then distribute it to the entire Tang Dynasty, wouldn't it be able to reduce the time for farming?  Once the farming time is reduced, won’t there be time to cultivate more fields?  As a result, the fields increased and fertilizers were supplied.  When the time comes, people will be encouraged to develop water conservancy projects, and just use Jiangnan-type drum trucks.  Even if the weather is not perfect this year, we can still get a very good harvest.  If the harvest is good this year, the locust plague will be much less severe next year.  "

    Huang Junming's rapid-fire words gave Li Shimin a deep sense of pressure and urgency, which also forced Li Shimin to think hard about every word Huang Junming said.  Yes, this farm tool is also a very serious problem. The suitability of the farm tools completely limits the size of the cultivated land. The less land is cultivated, the less the harvest will be.  There is so much harvest per acre of land. If you want to increase the harvest, you can only work hard to cultivate the fields.  However, congenital conditions do not allow it, and this can only be maintained until now. The reform of agricultural tools is also necessary.  However, Li Shimin felt a little relieved when he heard that Huang Junming had already started working on the reform of farm tools.

    "Master Immortal, don't worry. When I return to the palace, I will immediately find someone to search for the Jiangdong plow, and the barrel cart. I will try to send the actual objects and drawings as soon as possible. However, Master Immortal, since Tiangong opened the things to the place  The Jiangdong plow is better than the straight plow and has many advantages, so why not popularize the Jiangdong plow to farmers for the time being? Instead, modify the Jiangdong plow?" Although Li Shimin knew that the reform of this agricultural tool was necessary, but modified and developed one  New farm tools, even if they have the foundation of Jiangdong plow, are not guaranteed in terms of time.  Since the Jiangdong plow is good, let’s use the Jiangdong plow for the time being.  After this difficulty is overcome, wouldn't it be okay to develop new plowshares?

    "Your Majesty, do you know that it has been eighty years since the book Tiangong Kaiwu came out? Since it has been eighty years, Jiangdongli is a good thing but it has not been spread?" Huang Junming is a little more clear.  Li Shimin's thoughts were tempted a little: "It's very simple. Your Majesty, please think about the difference between the fields in Jiangnan and Guanzhong? Jiangnan is mostly paddy fields, and the land in paddy fields must be different from the land in our dry fields. The land in paddy fields is softer than that in dry fields.  There are many. So the Jiangdong plow must be suitable for working in paddy fields and cannot be used for farming in dry fields. That is why it did not spread."

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    Today’s first chapter, there are two more updates.  Stay tuned.  (To be continued)

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