Time passed, and in a blink of an eye, it was August, and the weather was starting to get colder.

However, it is said that Zhao Jia adopted Zheng Guo's strategy to exterminate locusts, and the military and civilians worked together to greatly curb the spread of locusts and save the few grains in the fields.

In this case, drought and locust plagues have still greatly reduced grain production, and in many places the harvest is not even enough for the people to eat themselves.

Zhao Jia tried his best to admonish, and Zhao Wangyan issued an edict to exempt all the people in the wasteland from paying taxes.

Without the heavy taxes and the money that the people had saved during the locust eradication, they would have been able to survive with great difficulty.

However, as a result, the treasury of Zhao State has almost no harvest this year.

If it weren't for the fact that Po Yan had exchanged a lot of grain from Qi State after that, Zhao State might not have been able to support the grain and grass needed by the army at all.

Fake capital Zhongyang.

Although the new capital has been gradually improved, but this year's harvest is not good, in order to save expenses and stabilize people's hearts, Zhao Jia did not move the capital, and continued to put the administrative center in Zhongyang.

Pingqi Junfu.

Li Si looked at the official documents sent from all over the place, and said with a heavy face: "Your Majesty, Zhao Di is located in the north, and only one season of grain is harvested every year. ”

"After the autumn harvest is completed, the fields are still idle, and the grain will be sown in the spring of the next year, and it will not be harvested until the autumn."

"However, the harvest of the people this year is too low, even if the government exempts the tax, I am afraid it will be difficult to support the harvest next autumn."

When Zhao Jia heard this, he couldn't help frowning.

"There is still half a year between the autumn harvest and the beginning of spring next year, so why not plant the rest of the grain in the fields?"

Li Si said: "Your Excellency doesn't know, most of the land in Zhao is barren, and the harvest is the best in one season every year. ”

Zhao Jia stroked his beard lightly and didn't say a word.

How can Zhao Jia not understand the truth that is too much?

In this era, there are no chemical fertilizers, and only human and animal manure is relied on, and it is basically impossible to keep the land growing food.

On the contrary, proper fallow will not affect the production of the land, but will store the grain in the ground, which is a sustainable development strategy.

"I seem to remember that in later generations, only north of the Great Wall was too cold, so spring wheat would be planted and harvested once a year."

"As for the south of the Great Wall, most of them are planted with winter wheat, and after the grain harvest next year, another season of soybeans can be planted."

Although Zhao is located in the north, it is still south of the Great Wall, and according to the experience of later generations, it is completely possible to plant two crops a year.

Now, the only thing standing in front of Zhao Jia is to keep the land fertile enough.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Jia suddenly said: "In a hurry, the people are ordered to burn the wild grass, mix the grass ash with human and animal manure and sprinkle it in the field, and plant another season!" ”

Li Si's face changed slightly, and he persuaded: "Your Excellency doesn't know, millet has its cultivation season, even if you don't consider the fertility of the land, I'm afraid you can't plant it in winter." ”

It's no wonder that Lees is so.

If you plant indiscriminately at this time, not only will a large number of seeds be consumed, but it will even affect the cultivation in the next year.

Yes, even if he is as calm as Li Si, he is a little anxious at this time.

Zhao Jia asked rhetorically: "As far as I know, it is just right to plant wheat at this time, why do you want to plant millet?" ”

Li Si was stunned when he heard this: "Although wheat is edible, it is extremely difficult to swallow, the people have never planted much, and they are also planted for livestock to eat, the king ordered to plant wheat, I am afraid that the people will not agree." ”

Hearing Li Si's words, Zhao Jia didn't feel strange.

Although wheat appeared in China in the middle and late Shang Dynasty, it was not widely cultivated because it was difficult to swallow, and basically no one would eat wheat.

It wasn't until the stone turntable was popularized in the Han Dynasty that wheat could be ground into flour, and wheat cultivation gradually became widespread.

Now it is the end of the Warring States period, and in the eyes of Li Si and others, wheat cannot be regarded as a staple food at all.

Zhao Jia stared at Li Si and asked, "Sir, do you know the stone turntable?" ”

Li Si wondered: "What is a stone turntable?" ”

Zhao Jia replied: "I went around the country and found that some poor families bought wheat at a low price, and then placed it between two large stones, and turned the stones on them by manpower to grind the wheat into fine powder. ”

"If you mix fine powder with water, you can cook food that tastes good."

"The thing that grinds the powder is called the stone turntable."

Stone turntables, also known as stone mills, first appeared at the end of the Warring States period and did not gradually become popular until the Han Dynasty, which in turn made wheat a staple food.

What Zhao Jia has to do is to improve what is already there, and then promote it hundreds of years earlier.

Zhao Jia believes that as long as the people taste the pasta, there will definitely be no resistance to the cultivation of wheat.

Seeing that Li Si was still a little confused, Zhao Jia immediately took him with him and saw the stone mill that had been improved by the Mo family's disciples.

When Li Si saw the flour of Baihuahua falling from the stone mill, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Especially after tasting the food cooked with pasta, the ecstasy on Li Si's face could not be concealed no matter what.

"I also ask the king to make the method of grinding flour with stone to the world, and the people will be willing to plant wheat after learning that wheat can be ground into flour and the flour tastes very good."

Zhao Jiashen thought so, so he drafted a document, and while promoting the grinding plate, he strictly ordered officials in various places to urge the people to plant winter wheat.

What Li Si didn't know was that after planting winter wheat, Zhao Jia was also going to let the people continue to plant soybeans, so that they could harvest twice a year.

Soybeans are rich in nutrients, and with the advent of stone mills, tofu, soy milk, and tofu skin can also be available hundreds of years in advance.

It's not that hard to make these things.

As long as Zhao Jia informs everyone of his thoughts, there will be corresponding talents to share his worries.

Most importantly, soybean nodules have the effect of nitrogen fixation and land conservation, which can significantly improve soil fertility.

If we add grass and wood ash and human and animal manure, the people in the territory will cultivate two crops a year, and it will no longer be a problem.

Cultivating two crops a year is equivalent to doubling the grain output of the entire Zhao State, which is a strategy for the Zhao State.

However, after the promulgation of the edict, even if Zhao Jia had a high prestige among the people, he still encountered great resistance.

Most people do not dare to try to grow winter wheat without experience.

They did this not only because they were worried that the wheat would be difficult to swallow, but also because they were worried that planting winter wheat would delay the next year's spring planting.

For the common people, even if only one season of grain planting is delayed, it will bring disaster to the whole family.

Not only the people, but even King Zhao and Handan Wenwu were mostly suspicious and unwilling to try it easily.

Fortunately, with the strong support of Fan Zeng and Han Cang, coupled with the fact that Zhao Wangyan already has an inexplicable sense of trust in his son, he overrode public opinion and promulgated the autumn ploughing order to the entire Zhao State.

With the strict supervision of local officials, even if many people were still worried, they had to start autumn ploughing and plant wheat in the fields.

In this way, while the people of the rest of the vassal states were still immersed in the grief of no harvest, the people of Zhao began their vigorous autumn ploughing.

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