In Zhu Houxi's heart, the future of the Ming Dynasty is full of troubles, and it is difficult and difficult.

After struggling for a few days, he also let go. The progress of technology is based on the unit of ten years and a hundred years, and he does not know anything about many professional technologies, and the focus of his thinking is on the vision.

Now the first step, do a good job of summarizing and promoting the existing experience is enough to benefit the Ming Dynasty.

The rest, to education, to time.

The first step is to sum up the experience of extension, which is naturally related to agriculture.

In the Palace of Nourishing Hearts, the old peasants will be ushered in in the next few days, and a reporter from Ming Pao will be present.

This word was naturally proposed by Zhu Houxi, and the reporter who often runs with Zhu Houxi now is Zhao Tingsong, a jinshi in the second year of Jiajing.

He thought it was quite strange: on the one hand, there was the ceremony of worshipping the prime minister on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, on the other hand, there was the Agricultural College of Huangming University, which was called to come to the Yangxin Hall to introduce its experience, and the Shuntian Mansion was called to visit the old farmers who were invited.

Zhu Houxi wants to listen, he has to really understand the actual situation of folk farming today.

In front of the emperor, after they became familiar with the atmosphere and found that the emperor was really listening carefully, these agricultural experts gradually let go of their restraints and dared to say something.

“…… This ridge method is not all easy to use, it depends on what kind of field it is. Now they are arguing, "Tall fields should be planted in the ditch and drought tolerant!" Low fields should be planted on ridges to prevent waterlogging! ”

"Then the south is all paddy fields, what should I do?"

"There are dry lands in the south, too!"

Zhao Tingsong listened and listened, and suddenly said to the emperor: "The minister reads the "Hanshu Food and Goods Chronicle", and Zhao Guo, the commander of the Su Dynasty in the Han Dynasty, once had the method of acting as a field. Zhen Yong intermittently, the following year Zhen Yong replaced, among which there are also the words of abandoning acres in the field and abandoning barking in the field. Sow in the seed, seedlings above the leaves, slightly rake the ridge grass, because of the soil, in order to attach the seedling roots. Each rake is slightly attached to the roots, than the middle of the summer, the ridge is exhausted and the roots are deep, and it can be with wind and drought. ”

The old farmers were stunned when they heard it, and Zhu Houxi nodded: "It can be seen that this method has existed since ancient times, but it has not been taught to the world well." You speak simply, so that these old farmers can understand. ”

Zhao Tingsong nodded embarrassedly.

It's not because I paid attention to Zhao when I saw a Zhao character when I was reading a book, and now I want to show it with my extraordinary memory, but I was beaten a little by the emperor.

“…… Your Majesty, although this method is good, it is very laborious, you have to be lazy, and you have to work hard every year. An old farmer added, "If you don't have iron ploughs at home, it's even more difficult." As long as you can take good care of the crops, if one acre of land is good, you can produce one or two more stone miles. We don't understand the paddy fields, and there is probably another good way. ”

"It's okay, like Lao Pi said, there are dry lands in the south." Zhu Houxi nodded, "Iron plow, livestock, I remember these two things." ”

They are talking about a method of ploughing the ground into ridges and rotating crops on the ridges and furrows every year. It is not only good to maintain soil fertility, but also to prevent drought and waterlogging. The enshrinement of the Faculty of Agriculture even said that if planted on such a ridge, the potatoes seem to be able to bear more fruit, probably because the soil is loose and breathable.

But to intensively cultivate in this way is indeed more labor-intensive.

There is no shortage of hard-working farmers in the Ming Dynasty, but judging from the real situation of the people, not every family can have good farm tools such as livestock and iron plows.

Everyone knows that these are good, and iron farm tools have appeared for a long time, but just look at the Foshan iron pot, the price of a large pot is one or two or five dollars of silver, and you know that the real popularity of iron farm tools in the people is not too high.

Zhu Houxi has a heart for technology and industry, and he also has an account in his mind.

There are many iron-smelting factories in the Ming Dynasty. According to the statistics in the records and the canon, as well as the statistics from the six departments, the Ming Dynasty now produces more than 10 million catties of iron a year in the government-run iron smelting plant.

In addition, there is also private iron smelting represented by Foshan, Guangdong.

Daming's iron class today is three cents of silver per 10,000 catties. Last year, the amount of silver collected from Guangdong was more than 10,000 taels, more than 2,000 taels more than in previous years.

On the one hand, the new law makes Guangdong iron smelting people dare not evade more taxes, and on the other hand, it can also prove that the output of private iron smelting in Guangdong Province is more than 30 million catties.

In order to truly achieve the popularization of iron farming tools in the whole country, how much iron is needed in total?

There are also weapons and other places where iron is used...... There is not too much steel.

Livestock is one of the most important assets of a farmer's family, didn't Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang do cattle herding work in his early years?

"Let's talk about fat." Zhu Houxi asked about a new topic.

"This old man knows!" Someone enthusiastically said, "In addition to manure, grass ash, river mud, and wall skin can all be composed into fertilizer!" There is also manure, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, but few people can be so patient. ”

"Guano is the best! At home, when the baby goes up the mountain to find firewood, I will definitely tell them to scrape the guano and bring it back! ”

Zhao Tingsong was dumbfounded as he listened to them talking about all kinds of dung in this hall of the Forbidden City's Heart Nourishing Palace, and the heart of the Jinshi was greatly impacted.

But the emperor listened carefully, and then sighed: "My people of the Ming Dynasty have worked so hard!" ”

The reason why these old farmers can be visited and recommended here is that every family is very hardworking.

In addition to the farming experience, the whole family is really conscious of collecting and using fertilizer. Listening to them, this is not uncommon in rural areas, and many families are already doing everything they can to collect all kinds of products used as fertilizer. Even try to and pee in your own manure pit, and if you have to find a way to bring it back outside, you will never cheap other people's fields!

"The raw manure is very dry, and it can't be used directly, so you have to soak it!"

Zhao Tingsong felt like he was about to be dipped into a dung pit, but the emperor's attitude was too upright.

"When the Tartars sit in the world, there is also a way to steam fertilizer, faster! Bran, stalks, fallen leaves, and grass roots can all be burned together, and then the dung is mixed in and covered with soil, so that it is faster! ”

Zhu Houxi nodded again and again, and said to the reporter comrades: "All good methods must be written down, and then published in a simple and understandable manner." ”

Zhao Tingsong felt that he was about to write a very flavorful article.

"And then there is the ...... in the city. A wolf. This person said a word that made Zhao Tingsong feel quite elegant, after all, this title came from Zhou Li.

The wolf is a "sanitation worker", and now he is actually digging out manure.

The man sighed: "It's fat in the city, and ordinary people have no way to use it." These good things are controlled by people all the way they come and go. ”

Zhu Houxi asked for a while and realized that in the city where the population is concentrated, the large amount of manure produced is now also an industry.

There were already dung merchants, and they knew better how to make manure and then supply it to the wealthy households who helped the gentry take care of the fields.

Those people have better fields and a stable supply of high-quality fertilizers, so the harvest is naturally better.

Ordinary people have to collect fertilizer as a family, but they don't have to worry about it.

“…… Nor can they be forced. Zhu Houxi could only say, "If you can find these ways to make more fertilizer outside, that is the cure for the root cause." ”

In fact, an important purpose for him to ask these old farmers to come over was to see if there were any clues to fertilizer.

Now nature is still in the stage of organic fertilizer, and about chemical fertilizer, Zhu Houxi has no clue.

But when they mentioned guano today, Zhu Houxi remembered the "rich country" Nauru who sold guano in his memory.

In addition, it was Jin Kela's magic advertisement, which let him know that this fertilizer was probably related to nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and synthetic ammonia. At the same time, there is also an indelible memory - urea.

It's just that he doesn't know the principle of this, and these chemistry things are all returned to the teacher.

Professional things have to be handed over to professional people, Zhu Houxi turned his head and said to Huang Jin: "Go back and check, which is the biggest dung merchant in the capital." He has made a career out of this, and he must have some experience in fertilizer. ”

“…… The slave and the maid are commanded. ”

Zhu Houxi was still in his professional thoughts, and he didn't think that the order directly issued by the emperor was outrageous, and he was still pondering: It seems that there is ammonia in the fart?

Thinking about chemistry, it is inseparable from the famous "chemists" in Chinese history - Taoist priests in alchemy, and Zhu Houxi asked Huang Jin to find some Taoist priests who are quite well-known in alchemy.

Because of this "Agricultural Planting Technology Seminar", the two types of people were inexplicably pinched together by the emperor, which also triggered a wonderful reaction from the court and the people......

……

Who is the big dung merchant in the capital, there is no need to alarm many people at all - Jin Yiwei can handle it himself.

The boss of Jinyi Wei is the commander of the capital, and the north and south towns under him are naturally important, but there are still some military and political affairs at the Wei level, and those who serve here are called hall officials.

Among the officials of the Jinyi Guard, there are three people as the head, namely the Admiral's East Division, the Admiral's West Division, and the Admiral's Street Room.

The east secretary visited the traitors inside and outside the capital, and the west secretary arrested thieves inside and outside the capital, and the street room was ...... Repair streets and dredge ditches inside and outside the capital.

This sounds outrageous, but the rank of the Admiral Street House is not low, and his identity is the commander of the Jinyi Guard, ranking third among the officials, and in terms of official qualities, he is higher than the envoys of the North and South Towns.

The reason why a street house is set up in Jinyiwei is also simple: there are many dignitaries and nobles in the capital, and their construction of houses will naturally cause some damage to the infrastructure in the city. It stands to reason that this matter is also under the control of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses, but the officials of the Jinyi Guard Hall with sufficient grades can easily suppress them.

Since such a department has been established, it will be handed over to them to deal with the filth of the residents of the capital.

It even includes firefighting and other miscellaneous errands.

The east and west divisions each have their own seals and customs defenses, operate independently, and each can report to the emperor. What about street houses?

Jinyi Wei in the edge of the pension department.

Now, the Admiral Street House is an old man.

Wen Tingwei heard Wang Zuo's order, and his expression was very strange: "Your Majesty wants to find a dung merchant in the capital?" ”

"You know this best." Wang Zuo looked serious, "This is Your Majesty's personal decree, first find and find all the people!" ”

“…… Commanded by humility. ”

Wen Tingwei returned to his official office, and found the secretary in charge of specific affairs in the street room, and ordered: "Call all the 136 people in the east, west, south, north and south cities and outside the city, and wait for Your Majesty to dispose of them." ”

He also thought something was wrong, so he used the word disposition.

When the secretary heard the words "Wait for His Majesty's disposal", his hairs stood on end: "Admiral, is there a basket in our street house?" ”

“…… I don't know, Lord Wang is very solemn. ”

"I see! I'll send somebody! ”

There are a total of fifty people in the Jinyi Banner School in the street room, and the secretary in the hall quickly found all the five small flag officers who led the team, and they were also very serious: "Your Majesty has a decree to arrest the dung merchants in the capital." The Admiral's order is to bring all the people with one hundred and thirty-six dung tracts first! I'll give you half a day, and you must bring them all! ”

“……”

The order is inexplicable, but everyone is a mature brocade guard, just listen to the order.

Since the street house is in charge of the filth of the capital, it naturally knows where to find whom.

Naturally, they do not personally engage in sanitation and street ditch cleaning, they generally only start from the perspective of the clean and tidy etiquette majesty of the city at the feet of the Son of Heaven, and put forward supervision pressure on the urban management work.

The same is true for filthy work.

After many years of "competition", the dung workers in the capital, known as the "Wolf Clan" or "Foot Tilters", are now basically divided into 12 dung merchants.

According to the experience accumulated in many years of excrement work, many streets and alleys in the capital have been divided into 136 dung lanes according to the footsteps and "contract relationship".

Each manure pipe belongs to a manure merchant who is in charge of the manure diggers he hires.

The one with the most dung passages is the boss of the dung merchants in the capital. The name is not good, and the rivers and lakes are respectfully respected.

Now, Song Hu, the Taoist of the capital, is at ease in the mansion of the capital.

Naturally, his house could not be overrun, but the house was now burning with fine charcoal, the stove was warm with fine wine, and he had a fine concubine in his arms.

Song Hu alone dominates 38 dung roads, how much money can he make every year?

He felt that he was even more powerful than the Tang Dynasty predecessor Luo Hui that his literati friends told him. It is said that Nara would do this business for generations, and his family fortune was huge, and he was written into a book because of this.

There were many people in Chang'an back then, and now there are a lot of people in Beijing!

Besides, there are many more ways to make manure and fertilizer than before.

Song Hu has been doing business better and better for so many years.

The most telling point is: now the fat of His Majesty's Imperial Village is also paid by him!

The gentleman is a royal fertilizer merchant!

Song Hu's name is very arrogant, but he is very rich and fat.

It's almost the New Year, and now he is kneading the concubine with great interest and asking, "Where did you buy the incense burned in the official room last night?" ”

"Oh sir! If you like that taste, you'll use it after the concubine! ”

"Serious business! The lord wants to buy some and give them away! ”

Dung merchants should naturally pay attention to gifts. You can't look too extravagant, but you also have to take into account your identity.

In order to remove the smell when it is convenient, large families have the practice of burning incense on the side.

The dung merchant sent this, which is not only in line with the identity, but also expresses the care for the cleanliness and hygiene of the big customer's house.

The price of good fragrance is not cheap.

can dominate the thirty-eight dung roads in the capital, how can Song Hu not have some capable friends?

At least he thinks of it as a friend.

Now, a friend of his came to his house.

You're welcome.

"Song Hu, come back to Jinyiwei with me."

“…… Brother Qi, what's going on? The little one has been working hard......"

From the face of this brocade-clothed flag officer who kept smiling in the past, Song Hu saw the awe-inspiring righteousness of cutting off the robe and cutting off the righteousness of official affairs.

You are the Taoist of the dung road on the rivers and lakes, Song Hu is a personal essence, and he instinctively breaks out in a cold sweat.

The master monopolizes the business of the thirty-eight dung roads, even if he gets in the way of his peers, he can't afford to bring people with brocade guards, right?

These things can be considered big if they can make trouble to the county government!

"Your Majesty's will, if you know each other, you don't have to talk more, and it won't be decent to go with me now!"

Song Hu's face turned pale.

What did you say?

Do you need His Majesty's will to arrest me?

Last year, because of the rebellion, the capital was very nervous.

But I'll just dig out some dung, is it all wrong?

Dao Zun was panicked, but Dao Elders were pleasantly surprised.

Zhu Houxi officially intersected with the Taoist priest, and he took the initiative to visit.

You don't need to go through anyone to find a dung merchant, but if you want to find a famous alchemy, you have to rely on the power of the government.

As soon as the news broke, private discussions began.

On the occasion of the upcoming ceremony, many people can't help but feel strange: Could it be that after His Majesty put down the rebellion and stabilized the throne and set up the prime minister, at the age of just a weak crown, is he going to start seeking immortality?

Daolu Si Zuozheng, who had just been assigned to the Ministry of Rites, was very excited.

Although the Daolu Division was nominally under the Ministry of Rites in the past, it had officials but no officials.

Now, although the official name has not been changed, there is actually a yatang in the Ministry of Rites, and the monks and Taoists are combined into one division, and the general division is the fourth product, and the left Zheng of his Daolu Division has also been set from the original six products to the five products!

The yatang is not yet hot, and is pondering the intention of His Majesty's restructuring, thinking about where to make meritorious contributions, and His Majesty's will will come!

"Invite the right right, the law, the spirit, the Xuanyi and other officials, Your Majesty has a will!"

This time, we must do a good job of the first mission that His Majesty gave to the Daolu Division.

Your Majesty wants to be an alchemy master, so there will be no one less alchemy masters in the Ming Dynasty!

In the face of this news, before the 15th day of the lunar month, before the Japanese court meeting, some officials were reluctant to express their thoughts on serving the country with loyalty.

The new law has not been completed, the Ming Dynasty has not become rich, what does Your Majesty mean to cultivate the mysteries?

(End of chapter)