Yu Fan heard that Liu Xin had a way to solve Jiangdong’s problems, and quickly asked: "I don’t know what magical method the lord has to enable the people of Jiangdong to live and work in peace."
Liu Xin did not answer immediately, but beckoned to Jusui, asked him to come closer, and whispered a few words in his ear. Only when Jusui smiled and hurried out, Liu Xin turned his head to face. Yu Fan said: "Zhong Xiang, if you want to make the people wealthy, you must increase their income, and if you want to increase income, it is definitely not enough to grow food alone. You must find ways to make use of all the hills and mountains."
"Using the hills and mountains," Yu Fan didn't quite understand.
Liu Xin said affirmatively: "Yes, the hills and mountains should be used. The climate in Jiangdong is humid. In addition to being suitable for cultivating tea trees, you can also grow mulberry and sericulture in large numbers."
Tea was discovered and used as early as in ancient times. According to the legend, "Shen Nong tasted a hundred herbs, met 72 poisons a day, and got tea and solved it." Although tea was discovered and used very early, it was mainly used at that time. As a kind of herbal medicine, although some people start to drink it, it is only confined to a few areas in the south. Mulberry and silkworm rearing are also very common in Jiangnan.
I heard that Liu Xin came up with a way to make the people rich by developing tea and sericulture. Yu Fan felt disappointed and said: "Although tea has a detoxification effect, it does not require much daily needs. Although sericulture can be woven into silk, it cannot be filled. To be full, just relying on these two things to make the people wealthy, my subordinates thought it was a bit difficult."
Liu Xin laughed and said: "Zhong Xiang, you only know one thing about tea and sericulture, but you don't know the other. I don't know the truth. I have appointed Jia Xu as the general manager of Liangzhou, responsible for calming Xiliang, and waiting until Xiliang settles down. In the next step, I will restore the Protectorate of the Western Regions and rebuild the Silk Road. At that time, will the sericulture still worry that there is no way out?"
After a pause, Liu Xin continued: "If tea is only used for medicinal purposes, naturally there is not much needed, but if the status of tea is raised to the same level as food, the situation will be very different."
Since seeing the topographic map of Liangzhou hand-painted by Jia Xu, Liu Xin has used his brains. If the country and the people are prosperous, it is difficult to focus solely on the domestic market, but it is a shortcut to develop foreign trade. If you want to make a lot of money in foreign trade, you must have competitive products. It would be great if you can do it without others.
Although Liu Xin came from later generations and was accustomed to seeing many high-tech products, he was not so ambitious because he understood that in this era dominated by handicrafts, no matter how advanced scientific theories are, it is difficult to turn into productivity. Take artillery as an example. From the day of the establishment of the research institute, he and Ma Yun explained the development of gunpowder and firearms as a key project. Ma Yun even provided the gunpowder ratio of "one nitrate, two sulphur and three charcoal". However, so Many years have passed, and progress is still very slow. Therefore, Liu Xin did not hesitate to set his sights on the ancestors when it comes to choosing which products to use in foreign trade.
In the past dynasties of China, three products have long been monopolized in foreign trade, namely silk, tea and porcelain. Liu Xin remembered that the technology of sericulture and silk reeling would not be introduced to Europe until hundreds of years later. The silk fabrics loved by European aristocrats can only be obtained from China through trade. Therefore, the commercial road through the Western Regions is called the Silk Road. As for the introduction of tea and porcelain technology to Europe, it is more than a thousand years later. What happened, these three things eventually became essential luxury goods for European aristocrats and upper class society. As long as they were manipulated properly, they would bring endless wealth to the Han Dynasty.
Yu Fan also understands that as soon as the Silk Road opens, mulberry and silkworm rearing can naturally bring more wealth, but how to make tea rise to almost the same status as food, he racked his brains and couldn’t imagine it. Yu Fan still has a bigger worry. He couldn’t help but put his hand over and said, “I’d like to give my lord, even if these two things are done, it can bring a lot of wealth to the people of Jiangdong, but if there is not enough food, the people Even if you can’t eat enough to eat, no matter how much money is there any use?"
Liu Xin smiled and caressed his palm: "Yes, my husband is really thoughtful. This is what I will mention below. Whether we develop tea or sericulture, we can only use hills and mountains and some low-yield fields, and we must ensure the cultivation of food. The public is back, let’s see what he brings us,"
When Yu Fan heard the words, he turned his head to look, and saw that Jushou walked in with a smile, carrying a cloth bag in his hand, and the cloth bag was gently opened, but there was yellow rice in it, and Yu Fan picked up a grain of rice in his hand, forbearing. I couldn't help but let out a "Huh" exclamation,
The rice in the cloth bag is obviously much fuller than the rice that Yu Fan usually sees. I grabbed a handful and held it in the palm of my hand, feeling heavy.
Jushou smiled and said: "Zhong Xiang, have you ever seen such a rice, the yield of this kind of rice is much higher than that of the northern wheat, if a large number of such rice is planted in Jiangdong, there is no need to worry about the food problem? "
A flash of excitement flashed on Yu Fan’s face, and then he said anxiously: “I’d like to ask my lord, if we can have this kind of rice, of course, it’s just that this kind of rice is so precious, where can I get that many rice seeds? How can we afford these rice seeds,"
Liu Xin stood up, patted Yu's shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about this. All the rice seeds will be provided by the government for free. When the time comes, people only need to pay 10% more food, and I will let you People cultivated some farms in the Jiangdong area and improved these rice seeds to adapt to the local climate and environment and obtain higher yields."
These rice seeds were cultivated by the research institute over many years, and the yield per mu has reached more than 300 catties. If more intensive cultivation is carried out, the yield can continue to increase. The yield of more than 300 catties per mu may seem pitiful now. , But it was already a remarkable progress at that time. At that time, the output of rice was less than that of wheat, and the yield of wheat in the north was only a little more than 100 catties per mu. Don’t underestimate the wheat yielding more than 100 catties per mu. It is precisely because of wheat. The output of rice was higher than that of corn, which brought about a substantial increase in the population during the period of Emperor Han Jing.
In fact, the contradiction between population and land was not prominent at that time. It is entirely possible to meet the needs by reclaiming a large amount of wasteland. However, since Liu Xin took charge of Jingzhou, he has been committed to increasing grain yields so that the same land can feed more. Because Liu Xin from later generations understands better than anyone else, the consequences of excessive reclamation are soil erosion and ecological damage, which in turn will make a large amount of land unsuitable for human habitation.
Of course, Liu Xin also knows that there are several crops that can be grown on barren land, and the yield is surprisingly high, that is, potatoes and sweet potatoes, but they are the same as corn and peppers, and they are all far away in South America on the other side of the ocean. Liu Xin I guess I won’t be able to eat them again in my life. Naturally, I can’t count on them. Only working hard to increase the yield of existing crops is the right way.
In terms of increasing grain yield, the research institute did a lot of hard work. In addition to improving rice seeds, it also conducted many experiments in improving farming tools and farming methods. It should be known that people still used a more extensive way of farming at that time. It’s not surprising that you can’t always improve. As for fertilization, it’s good to sprinkle a few handfuls of plant ash. Not to mention chemical fertilizers, even farm manure is rarely used. In Jingzhou, because of the large number of pigs, chickens and other poultry and livestock, It has also increased a large amount of very good fertilizer for the farmland. Therefore, the yield of wheat in Nanyang and Nanxiang counties is much higher than that of the northern states, which are more suitable for wheat growth.
Yu Fan heard that Liu Xin was able to provide this kind of high-yield rice seeds to the people for free. Those who have a minor illness or calamity are now able to seek medical advice."
Liu Xin smiled and helped Yu Fan up, and said: "Why do you have to wait until you are sick to seek medical advice? Why can't you take preventive measures? The reason why people in Jiangdong get sick easily is due to the humid weather. Sitting on the ground causes moisture to invade, Zhong Xiang, the thing you just sat on is called a chair, and there is also a simpler called a stool. Using this kind of thing as a seat, you don’t need to sit on the ground anymore, and you stay away from the moisture on the ground. Naturally it’s not so easy to get sick."
Yu Fan stretched out his hand and patted his head fiercely, and said annoyedly: "Oh, how could I not think of such a simple thing,"
Jushou said with a smile, "Hehe", "These furnitures are not what everyone wants, but they were invented by my head of the house after thinking hard."
When he said this, even Liu Xin felt embarrassed and said modestly: "It's nothing, it's just a flash of light, it's nothing. Don't worry too much about the health of the people in Jiangdong, Zhong Xiang, you can listen. Said Xiangyang Medical School,"
Yu Fan was now impressed with Liu Xin. Hearing Liu Xin's question, he hurriedly said: "The name of the Xiangyang Medical College was heard by his subordinates in Kuaiji, and Hua Tuo, the genius doctor, is an old acquaintance with his subordinates."
Liu Xin nodded and said, "Zhong Xiang, since you know Hua’s medical skills, you should know that he is superb. The medical school has not only Hua’s doctor, but also Zhang’s, but no matter how brilliant the medical skills of the two doctors are, there are only two people. , Even if you don’t sleep, how many patients can be treated by the whole body, Liu established Xiangyang Medical College for the purpose of letting the two genius doctors succeed. Over the years, Xiangyang Medical College has successively cultivated many doctors and doctors. At present, most counties and counties in Jingzhou and Yizhou have hospitals established by the government. It will not be long before these hospitals will be opened to all counties and counties in Jiangdong. With these disciples of genius doctors treating illnesses and saving people, the people of Jiangdong will have a little sickness. Do you still need to worry?"
In fact, in addition to training a large number of medical experts, the medical school also trained a lot of people in emergency care for the army. This time Zhu Ding was seriously injured in the battle. He was first treated by a doctor in the barbarian army and then transferred to The hospital in Kangke County was sent to Xiangyang after some bandaging treatment. Otherwise, Zhu Ding would have suffered such a serious injury and it was in such a hot season. Not to mention excessive blood loss, just a small infection. Was able to kill him,
But now, after Hua Tuo and Zhang Ji’s careful treatment, Zhu Ding’s face has recovered some blood, and his spirit has been much better. He just saw his daughter hear the sound of footsteps outside the room, and couldn’t help running over to look at him. , Couldn't help but shook his head,