As we enter July, the busiest summer harvest of the year is here, putting aside the wind-up construction of Twin Bay on Bermuda Island.

As the dry season lasted until the summer, there was almost no rain during this period, and even if there were sufficient water conservancy and irrigation preparations, the farm income of several nearby Delaware villages was inevitably affected, and the yield was reduced by 10~20%.

According to the agricultural support agreement reached with the Delaware tribe, half of the agricultural harvest for three consecutive years will go to the Chinese American Republic, so the reduction of more than 20,000 acres of farms belonging to the Delaware Indians has also led to the beginning of urgent signs of food security. Now in its second year, there is another year to be made of the "exploitation" of the Indian tribes.

Although the final results of the harvest will not be officially counted until the beginning of August, everyone can guess the numbers correctly. The 5,000 acres of state-run farms are basically unaffected by drought and can produce about 1,000 tons of wheat, and about 15,000 acres of wheat are planted in the more than 20,000 acres of the Delaware tribe, and they can get up to 2,700 tons of wheat, of which about 1,300 tons can be shared. Counting more than 3,000 Indian employees, the country's food-carrying population has exceeded 6,000 people, and even if it is not wasted at all, the annual food ration consumption is almost 1,100 tons, not counting the upcoming thousands of Ming Dynasty immigrants. In addition to the other agricultural products that can be harvested before the onset of winter, it can only be said that the basic supply can be guaranteed, and the grain reserves cannot meet the original plan of 10,000 people for three years, as for the plan of 30,000 people for three years proposed in 1622. Now it can only be an idiot's dream.

Since the end of last year, more than 600 tons of wheat have been imported from various sources so far, but it has also paid a cost of 250,000 US dollars. Although the price of grain imports in Europe is very expensive, imports have not been interrupted, on the one hand, to balance a certain trade surplus, and on the other hand, to take precautions to build up strategic grain reserves.

The latest grain import order. It was signed with the Dutch and the Venetians, and the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce in the Azores placed an order for 1,000 tons of South Italian rice from the Dutch and the Venetians in one go, for which they would pay a high price of 450,000 US dollars.

Of course. Food security will certainly not be solved in a short period of time, and in the future, with a larger population, large-scale farms can be considered. So look for more channels for European grain imports. It became one of the important tasks of the current European Consulate General in the Azores.

Friday, July 15, 1622.

It's been the third day of the intense harvest, and not only the Ministry of Agriculture, but also other government departments and many members of the National Assembly who are concerned about the harvest have gone to the fields.

Ren Changle, who wanted to make a big deal in private agriculture, ran almost all the farms before he pulled out Wu Linyun, the Minister of Agriculture, and then pulled Yang Wenwen on, and the three of them sat in the private room of "Yipin Spoon" to eat.

Before the catastrophe, Wu Linyun, graduated from Agricultural University, and was a small technician in a private fertilizer company in a small town in Y City. Because he often goes to the field to personally participate in the research on the use of chemical fertilizers, so an urban young man actually has a good experience in land cultivation. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wu Linyun was jointly nominated by Senator Aunt Hai Huifen and Premier Qi Jianjun as Minister of Agriculture.

Nowadays, in addition to agricultural harvest guidance. He was also working on the agricultural development plan for the year 1623, which included a plan to expand the farms of the state-owned Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery and Animal Husbandry Group.

After more than half a year of training, several managing partners who felt that they had similar experience began to take over Ren Changle to run ocean trade, so that Ren Changle, who had been running for a long time, finally saved some of his leisure. He began to plan his own private farm. …,

After more than a month of hard work and four places of abduction and deception to attract investment, Yang Wenwen finally got bored and agreed to set up a joint venture farm, and finally raised $100,000 in a few clicks. Although the funding problem has not been completely solved, the first phase of a "small-scale" farm like 5,000 acres can still be built first.

According to the procedure, the next step is to obtain approval from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Ren Changle, who knows that it is easy to do things at the dinner table, specially booked such a table of banquets at the "Yipinspoon" hotel today, just to get through this first joint.

"Wu Linyun, what do you think, my plan is good! Not only can it supply the domestic market, but also how much tax revenue can be added to the country by exporting! Ren Changle looked at Xiao Wenqing in front of him with a wine glass, and showed a smug smile to Yang Wenwen, who was absent-minded on the side.

"Brother Ren, Mr. Ren, I won't approve this, even if the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has a pass, it won't work." Wu Linyun closed the above sentence, gently put it on the dining table, and apologized, "At present, the establishment of private farms in China is not yet operable. ”

"Why can't it be operated?! I heard that the second phase of the 20,000-mu farm plan of the state-owned agriculture, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry group has been approved, why can't mine it?! Ren Changle was in a hurry, and his voice was much higher.

"Wu Linyun, do the Congress and the government want to blatantly restrict private capital? I don't think that's the spirit of the founding legislation, right? A lot of words" Yang Wenwen glanced at Ren Changle, who was anxious, and decided to go out in person.

Yang Wenwen smiled and took the Wen Jiàn on the table, stared straight at the little Minister of Agriculture who was still very tender in her eyes, and sacrificed a big killer: "In the "Enterprise Law" promulgated after the founding of the People's Republic of China, there is no provision that private capital is not allowed to participate in the same industry of state-owned enterprises, and it is said that Lin Youde is already considering investing in private mines, and he can get support there, why can't Ren Changle and I operate?" ”

"Theoretically, this is the case, but Sister Yang, just last week, the cabinet submitted the "Agricultural Development Supplemental Bill", just yesterday, the House of Representatives of the National Assembly passed the preliminary review, and the Senate will finally review the bill in a few days." The honest Wu Linyun tried his best to make himself neither humble nor arrogant, but he still maintained considerable respect for Yang Wenwen.

"Oh. I just had it with me! Faced with the doubts of the two, Wu Linyun quickly took out a copy of the article from his briefcase and carefully handed it to Yang Wenwen.

“…… Before 1626, private agriculture was forbidden? After that, the scale of private farms established by a single legal person shall not be less than 20,000 mu...... Why is the threshold so high? Yang Wenwen finished reading carefully, confused.

"Disgusting, bullshit bill! What stupid idea? It is obvious that the monopoly of state-owned enterprises should be strengthened. Anyone can see it! Now that the whole world is short of food, and the profits from agriculture are huge, those fucking people who don't have the ability to do it themselves are afraid that we will take a bite! Spending a lot of money on importing grain. Reluctant to give it to others? ”

Ren Changle slapped the table, splashing a piece of soup, and his face was ugly.

"Brother Ren. You listen to me......" Wu Linyun hurriedly pulled the napkin and wiped the soup on his chest, his young face was embarrassed, "It's not what you think, it's the bill that Brother Su proposed in the cabinet before he left last month!" The Council of Ministers has discussed it! ”

As soon as he heard Su Zining's name, Ren Changle choked up.

He was not convinced by anyone, but even if he didn't understand what Su Zining was thinking about for a while, he would repay Cheng Dù's trust to the greatest extent, in his eyes, Su Zining was not the kind of person who was idle and had nothing to do.

Now I heard that this bad idea was proposed by Su Zining. I didn't know where the fire was going, and Yang Wenwen was also puzzled.

Wu Linyun saw that the two of them seemed to be suppressed, he smiled, quickly took out the pen and paper, and calculated the account at the dinner table: "Look." Counting the cost of land acquisition, infrastructure construction, seed and fertilizer supply, personnel employment, various taxes, etc., the average annual cost per mu is 20 US dollars, and the average yield is 200 kilograms. The domestic grain purchase price is equivalent to $30 per mu of grain, but the export price is at least $70 or more. ”…,

He crossed out that figure again: "Even if the grain export is 50% tax, the net profit per mu is at least 15 US dollars, and the return on capital in a year can be nearly doubled!" I think Brother Ren and Sister Yang have also counted. You say, what will this number lead to? ”

Ren Changle and Yang Wenwen are both smart people, and after glancing at each other, they both nodded slightly: "People with little technical content, low entry threshold, and a little capital will come to get private farms, and it is better to sell them to the country than to export." ”

"Hmmm! Su Ge said that in this era, agriculture can make a lot of money, so it is bound to lead all domestic capital and labor to flock to agriculture, and this country will become a big agricultural country and a grain exporter, even if it makes money, it is to help Europeans to farm and raise people! The number of people employed in our other industries will inevitably decrease, and industrial development will stagnate or even shrink. Seeing that the two of them listened attentively, Wu Linyun finally breathed a sigh of relief, "We have the huge advantage of the difference between industrial raw materials and product scissors, and it is not a problem to make money from exports, and we also have the ability to ensure basic self-sufficiency in the food problem. More importantly, if we want to achieve industrial development, we need to train skilled workers with high input, long time and large quantities, rather than a large number of high-level farmers who cultivate land and sell grain for a lot of money. ”

"Well, before the scale of our industrial and commercial development and the group of industrial workers are really formed, there is not much manpower invested in agriculture, and it must be carefully regulated. There was also this initial understanding before the founding of the People's Republic of China, but at that time it was a committee decision, and there was no concept of private capital......"

Yang Wenwen finally understood Su Zining's original intention and nodded frequently.

"Hey...... Encounter such an era and a broken place! Ren Changle slapped his thigh fiercely, looking unwilling, "It seems that I can't be a big industrial country, and a big agricultural country has to be sidelined, do you want me to invest in mines?" ”

"We now have a slow growth in the immigrant population, and we have managed to have as little manpower as possible to convert into industrial workers, and this national policy will not be shaken until at least 1626. Anyway, state-owned enterprises are also everyone's, and the profits earned by the unified national planning are not also everyone's share? ”。 Wu Linyun finally smiled at this time, and he had always had a stern and old-fashioned expression before, "I am also the Minister of Agriculture, of course, I wish agriculture would also develop in great strides, Brother Su persuaded me at that time It took a lot of words, haha!" ”

"Yes, he is the protagonist of worrying about the country and the people, and we are a supporting role who only knows the immediate interests." Ren Changle sighed, and he didn't have the heart to continue eating, "But I'm bothering you today, come, drink this cup!" I'll keep running the boat! ”

And Yang Wenwen. On the contrary, there was no trace of displeasure, and he actually took out a piece of paper from his small bag: "Hey, why are you frustrated!" Business isn't just that! Come, Wu Linyun, you can also take a look, the garment and tanning equipment I ordered is almost ready, and it will be shipped to the Azores Herosmo Concession next month at most. As long as you have the confidence to invest, I can guarantee that this expansion will ...... in the future."

Yang Wenwen started her great career plan with a smile, and the two big men looked at each other. Yang Wenwen, a wealthy woman, is now a household name throughout the American Republic of China. Her level of fooling people and her business ability can be regarded as a perfect match.

At the same time that Ren Changle was finally choking at the wine table, a meeting attended by a few people in a conference room in the government was also in a hurry.

Theme of the conference. It is the problem of the wave of newborns and the stock of antibiotic drugs in the capital state hospital.

Since last fall, the number of European immigrant families has increased rapidly. At the beginning of summer this year, the first wave of newborn births began. Hundreds of people, nearly 100 families, so far a total of less than 20 pregnant women have given birth, and in July, in just half a month, the number of women in European immigrant families has exceeded 100! …,

In order to ensure the safety of newborns, the national health law has set out special health regulations for the delivery of babies in the national hospitals of the capital whenever possible. But at present, this number includes intern medical staff. The Capital State Hospital, which has less than a hundred people, is stupid at once.

Almost all the hospital beds have to be converted into obstetric and gynecological beds, the obstetrics and gynecology operating room has become a "workshop" with a roller, and all modern medical staff have thrown themselves into this battle, and almost every day at least six pregnant women are sent to the hospital to give birth amid the sound of crying and feeding.

The probability of dystocia is unavoidable, and it is not possible to perform caesarean section in the case. More complex birth canal surgeries are necessitated. As a result, the consumption of drugs has increased at an alarming rate, especially the precious stock of antibiotics, which has reached an extremely dangerous warning line, even if the amount used in this era is small.

If antibiotics that can be produced in-house are no longer available, this can be up to one month. The National Hospital had to stop supplying precious antibiotics because the safety of medication for "its own people" needed to be guaranteed.

For this reason, Qi Yu, the wife of the acting captain of the light cruiser Delaware, Captain Wen Tuo, and the minister of education and health, had to submit a report to the government together with Wang Suhong, the director of the National Hospital in the capital, explaining the serious problems facing the government at present.

This report has even been highly valued by the old medical expert and the supreme mascot President Chen Yuanyuan, and Premier Qi Jianjun has been approached for two consecutive days to discuss solutions.

In the course of the discussion, the director of the Medical Research Institute under the Ministry of Health, the lover of the Supreme Judge Zhong Jinshan, and the biologist Huang Nian, was also called, and then the person in charge of the drug research and development project was also summoned.

"Today, we have carried out more than 1,000 penicillin strain selections and extractions, and the amount of strains that can be found is very low, and only 10,000 units of penicillin were obtained throughout June, and the cost is high. In this era, 10,000 units can get excellent results, but until high-yielding strains are discovered, this real yàn room level production simply cannot cope with the needs of the entire country. The synthesis of sulfonamides is progressing well, and small-scale production has been distributed to the military, and the results of preliminary feedback are very positive. As long as the raw materials are guaranteed, mass production can be tried in September, but the scope of application is relatively limited, and the side effects and toxicity are also large, especially for pregnant women. ”

The honest person in charge of the antibiotic R&D research group, Wen Qing, who was wearing a pair of big glasses, said carefully.

"How do you get a high-yielding strain of Penicillium?" Qi Jianjun's hands kept clenching and loosening, and he could see the anxiety in his heart.

Glancing at his mentor Huang Nian, Xiao Wenqing lowered his head: "It's completely up to luck......

"Let me tell you, the large-scale mass production of penicillin requires the search for high-yielding strains, which completely rely on taking samples from various moldy substances in nature and cultivating them. Let's just say that we have too few samples of natural mold that we can come into contact with. Historically, all those who have studied this have gone through many years of screening and cultivation in the real room to obtain high-yielding strains, in which the accidental luck component always takes the first place. ”

The old man Huang Nian in the wheelchair also looked helpless.

"Mobilize the whole country! Provide natural mold! Premier Qi Jianjun knew that this issue could be almost equal to life and death, and his tone was very decisive.

As a result, an executive notice from the cabinet was plastered all over the city within a few days, and even the newly established town of Silver Valley, which had a population of just over 200, posted a few sheets. This is currently the only way that seems likely to speed up the mass production of penicillin.

In addition, the expansion of the infrastructure of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute's laboratory has also received the support of the National Assembly, aiming to produce more than 100,000 units of penicillin per month before the high-yielding strains are released. The corresponding plan for the establishment of a directly affiliated pharmaceutical factory is also being formulated, and it has been moved around for $100,000, and a "Medical Security Promotion Tax" bill has to be promulgated, and the nouveau riche capitalists have to pay an extra 1% corporate tax every year.

This is probably the most concerted thing Congress and the administration have done so far. Your support is my biggest motivation. )……，