Although Xuzhou Mansion has a wharf for shipping, but generally speaking, the economy is not developed, and agriculture is not as good as that of the Jiangnan state capitals, Gu Yunji naturally knows how much pressure five thousand taels of silver will bring to the finances of Xuzhou Prefecture, and Chen Xunzhou's attitude is not surprising.

But how much impact this high-yield crop will have in the future, Gu Yunji is very clear, not to mention shrinking clothes and dieting to save 5,000 taels of silver, it is 50,000 taels of silver, and it is worth it.

However, Gu Yunji himself thinks that it is worthy, and it is useless, and Yan Zhengqian and Chen Xunzhou also think that it is worthwhile. In a state capital, the prefect, the same governor, and the general judge are the core of the chief executive, but all major decisions in the government cannot be signed by anyone, and if he wants money, he must convince Yan Zhengqian and Chen Xunzhou.

Gu Yunji had already guessed that this must be very difficult, so he prepared a potato banquet for the two of them to eat, wanting to soften their attitude as much as possible.

Gu Yunji is a person who stretches out his hand to ask for money at this time, he is born a dwarf, no matter how bad Chen Xunzhou's attitude is, he has to suffer silently, and said in a good voice:

"I know that the finances of the government are tight, and I also know that 5,000 taels of silver is a lot. But the two adults also saw that the yield of artichoke per mu is as high as 1,000 catties, and the promotion of planting artichoke is a measure to benefit all the people of Xuzhou. ”

Yan Zhengqian's face was not very good-looking: "Five thousand taels of silver to buy fifty thousand catties of artichoke, one catty of artichoke will cost one hundred yuan, four yuan a pound of local high-grade polished rice, and twenty yuan a pound of pork." No matter how high-yield this artichoke is, it is not as expensive as this, a pound of 100 wen, why not grab money? ”

Gu Yunji patiently explained: "With the artichoke itself, it is naturally not possible to use so much money, mainly because of the freight. Artichoke is produced in the America, and it is not surprising that Francophone merchants have to cross the ocean to transport the seeds from the other side of the ocean, which is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it is not surprising that the freight is more expensive. ”

"And the Franco merchants can only transport it to the coast, and the rest of Fan Li's merchant ships need to be transported to the inland Xuzhou Mansion by the Yangtze River, and it will cost on the way, because I had a little friendship with Fan Li before, and he gave us free freight for the inland waterway, otherwise the cost would be higher."

Chen Xunzhou snorted coldly and sneered: "In this way, I still have to thank you for saving money for the government?" ”

Gu Yunji silently suppressed his anger, and said in a calm voice as much as possible: "Naturally, I didn't mean that. I just want to say that artichoke is a high-yield crop, which can save the people of Xuzhou from famine, and it is cost-effective to spend 5,000 taels of silver to buy seeds. The two adults just said they supported me, why didn't they count now? ”

Yan Zhengqian tugged at the corners of his lips, and smiled without smiling: "I don't say anything, I support you in promoting artichokes, but it doesn't mean that I support you without a bottom line, and it is not necessary to spend five thousand taels to buy seeds from what America." ”

"Didn't you only have more than 100 pounds of potatoes on hand this spring? After a season of planting, it has expanded to 1,000 catties, at this rate, there is no need to buy seeds, we can grow 10,000 catties of artichokes ourselves, it will take two years at most. ”

Gu Yunji took a deep breath and said, "The difference between the two is not just in time. The artichoke I planted last time was not screened, the size and quality were different, and after this planting, the overall quality decreased significantly compared with the first generation of seeds, the size was uneven, and the crooked melon cracked jujube increased. If you continue to plant for a long time, the yield will only get lower and lower, and the quality will get worse and worse. ”

"In order to maintain the high yield of artichoke, we must select good varieties to cultivate, this harvest of 1,000 catties of artichoke, only barely selected 300 catties of seeds, just enough to plant one acre of land. Moreover, strictly speaking, three out of ten selections are still too low in the standard of breeding good seeds, at least one out of ten, or even one out of a hundred, so that layers of screening, after several generations can cultivate truly high-yield excellent seeds. ”

"If we rely on our own selection and breeding in Xuzhou, it will take a long time, and it will not be completed in two or three years. But the artichoke seeds I bought from America were all pre-screened, and the smallest ones were the size of my fist, and they were all in the best condition, so they could be planted immediately after they were bought, and they didn't have to wait that long. ”

Chen Xunzhou sneered when he heard this: "Speaking of which, isn't it still a matter of time?" If it can't be completed in two or three years, then it will take twenty, thirty, forty or fifty years, and it will be completed, right? ”

"If you don't buy seeds, at most it will take more time, but if you pay for seeds, it may paralyze the finances of Xuzhou Mansion immediately.

Yan Zhengqian glanced at Gu Yunji meaninglessly, and said coldly: "Lord Gu, you have only been sent down from the capital not long ago, and you are young, I understand your desire to make contributions." But as the governor of a government, he must be responsible for the people, and he must be down-to-earth in his work, and he must not be eager for quick success and quick profit. ”

Listening to Yan Zhengqian's self-righteous preaching tone, the suppressed anger in Gu Yunji's heart suddenly swooped up, and he said coldly: "Lord Yan talks to me about being responsible for the people?" Who is not responsible for the people? I have read the accounts of the treasury, and the finances are a little tight, but it is not that I can't get out 5,000 taels of silver. ”

"Relying on our own Xuzhou Mansion alone, it takes forty or fifty years to complete the selection of good seeds, but now that there are ready-made seeds in front of us, why wait for those forty or fifty years? The yield per mu of artichoke is as high as 1,000 catties, and the sooner the planting is promoted, the sooner the people can be fed, and one less person will starve to death. ”

"The difference between the two is about time, but also about the lives of ordinary people! Am I in a hurry for quick success, or are the two adults resting on their laurels and refusing to take risks? ”

In the history of previous lives, the last years of the Ming Dynasty ushered in the Xiaoice period, with falling temperatures, continuous disasters, and a significant reduction in grain production. Later, in the war of the change of dynasties, the area of Shuzhong experienced several turmoil, and during the Kangxi period, the population of Sichuan dropped sharply from several million to more than 90,000, to the point where the immigration measure of "Huguang filling Sichuan" was needed to fill the population.

Although the country and the people are peaceful now, according to the law of historical development, it is very likely to usher in the change of dynasties and turmoil after a hundred years. If potato cultivation could be spread as widely as possible before then, tens of thousands of people would be saved, and compared to these lives, 5,000 taels of silver would be nothing?

Before Gu Yunji came to Xuzhou Mansion, he thought that he was going to serve as an official with real power, and he was the third-in-command of a state capital, and he was definitely much freer than in the capital, and he could do it freely. Unexpectedly, it was this third-in-command who pressed the two mountains of the prefect and the Tongzhi on his head, causing him to even do such a harmless thing as promoting potatoes, and he was hindered everywhere.

Thinking of his true heart, and being maliciously speculated by Yan Zhengqian as a rush for quick success, Gu Yunji's anger couldn't be lowered, and he flicked his sleeves angrily:

"If I really just want political achievements, I can write a letter and send it to the Son of Heaven with this high-yielding artichoke seed! Do you still need to talk thanklessly with you here! ”