Sweet potatoes and potatoes are not picky and extremely adaptable.

The requirements for water and fertilizer are not high, and barren land can also be planted, and in the prosperous years, a variety of ridges and ridges can also be planted.

In the modern famine era, if there are no sweet potatoes and potatoes, I don't know how many people will starve to death.

"However, both types of crops have a problem, which is that they are not easy to store and transport." Zhao Si said seriously.

Compared to grains, sweet potatoes and potatoes have higher storage conditions.

In ancient times, it was not impossible to solve it, and it was not impossible to store sweet potatoes and potatoes by digging cellars, but the storage period was far from that of grain, and it would germinate and deteriorate if you were not careful.

Sweet potatoes are fine, they can be eaten after sprouting, and potatoes can even produce toxins after sprouting.

In terms of transportation and circulation, it is obviously inferior to grain, and it has higher requirements for transportation conditions, and it is difficult to carry out long-distance circulation.

"These two types of different grains will sprout if they are stored carelessly, such as this sweet potato, which can still be eaten after germination, but after the potato sprouts, it will be poisonous. And long-term consumption of sweet potatoes will also cause heartburn and flatulence. Zhao Si opened his mouth to explain.

Zhao Si only vaguely remembered that the yield of sweet potatoes was much higher than that of potatoes, but potatoes seemed to be about to become the fourth staple food in later generations, and sweet potatoes could only be used as agricultural and sideline products.

Zhao Si doesn't know the specific reason, but it is certain that long-term consumption of potatoes will not be as uncomfortable as long-term consumption of sweet potatoes.

When Zhao Si was a child, he really ate sweet potatoes for half a month, and he was really uncomfortable, sweet potato leaves, sweet potato vine stir-fry, sweet potato dry stew, roasted sweet potatoes~~

And the taste of potatoes is much better than sweet potatoes, most of the modern honey potatoes are improved varieties, and the sweet potatoes that have not been artificially cultivated have a lot of fiber, and they are stuffy to eat.

In comparison, there is still a certain gap between these two crops and staple foods.

The gap between potatoes is a little smaller, and the gap between sweet potatoes is a little bigger.

However, sweet potato yields are higher, and potato yields are slightly lower.

As for how to choose, that is the matter of the First Emperor.

The First Emperor's brows furrowed slightly when he heard this, it was not easy to store, and the transportation conditions were relatively harsh.

These two conditions alone will make the evaluation of these two crops much lower.

In ancient times, transportation was already extremely slow...... Back and forth, it is cumbersome to store and time-consuming to transport, and it is obviously not suitable for cultivation as a staple food.

But that's 500 catties per mu......

Even as a supplement to agricultural products, it is excellent.

From the perspective of Qin Shi Huang and the market economy, the status of staple food is irreplaceable.

Once the grain is circulated, it has commodity attributes, and the commercial value of potatoes and sweet potatoes is very low, but their high yield can be used as a backstop in ancient times.

That's enough!

The people live on food!

Although this era has not yet put forward any words about the people as the water king, the first emperor also understood that the lower class tends to be stable, and the upper class can rule more conveniently.

Taking a step back, when a large amount of manpower and material resources are waged, such as forced labor, war, and so on, there are crops with a yield of more than 500 catties per mu, and the bearing capacity of the lower strata is also greatly increased, and it is less likely to cause chaotic changes.

From a long-term perspective, this is something that increases the foundation of Great Qin and even mobilizes power to strengthen Great Qin's rule.

Although Zhao Si has said less, although Zhao Si has said the disadvantages of sweet potatoes in advance, the first emperor still looks very solemn.

"What about this thing? What is the yield? The First Emperor pointed to the corn, and there was a little more expectation in his tone.

"Slightly higher than the grain ...... It can be used as a staple food. Zhao Si said after pondering for a moment.

Zhao Si really didn't know how much the yield of corn was, he just roughly knew that under the ancient production conditions, corn could be higher than the yield of wheat and rice and other crops, and he really didn't know how much higher.

"However, this thing grows more than wheat, and the climate is suitable, and it can grow in 100 days." Zhao Si opened his mouth to answer.

At first glance, after hearing Zhao Si say that the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes per mu was 500 catties, the first emperor was a little disappointed when he heard that the corn was slightly higher than wheat.

However, when he heard that it would only take a hundred days from planting to maturity, the First Emperor immediately became interested.

The first emperor is not a person who does not know the five grains, Daqin is a country of cultivation and warfare, as the king of a country, if he does not know the time of farming, he can laugh and be generous.

At present, the five grains, hemp, millet, millet, wheat, and soybean. Wheat is the most widely cultivated.

The ripening period of wheat is basically more than 200 days, which is more than that of corn.

Under normal circumstances, it is three crops in two years, and in a few areas with pleasant climate and convenient irrigation, it is two crops in one year.

Or maybe it's just a year of wheat planting followed by a few other crops.

In Zhao Sikou, although the yield per mu of corn is only slightly higher than that of wheat, the growth time is only half that of wheat.

What does this mean? This means that most regions can do it twice a year.

Plant one crop of wheat and another crop of corn, and the harvest will be harvested twice a year.

The two supplement the planting and popularize, and the annual grain output of Daqin can at least increase by half, not to mention double.

"Hmm...... What's the flaw? The First Emperor subconsciously looked at Zhao Si.

He subconsciously thinks that such crops also have certain defects, and nothing in the world is perfect.

"Hmm...... Not so tasty? Zhao Si spoke.

But if you think about it, in this era of limited hulling technology, it seems that husked wheat may not taste better when boiled than corn......

Before the advent of rice polishing, it was a sure thing that corn became the mainstream crop.

The First Emperor smiled slightly.

Not so tasty? Where can the food be delicious?

Easy to store, not sick to eat, able to be transported over long distances, and sufficient yield, in this era, has met the rigid criteria for becoming a staple food.

"What about this thing?" The First Emperor looked at the red chili peppers.

"What is the yield?"

Zhao Si shook his head.

"Your Majesty, this thing is not food, but spices, compared to the pepper, the flavor is even worse, the food is very beautiful, I can't stop it!" Zhao Si said.

The origin of hemp pepper is near the Qinling Mountains, which belongs to the Zhuxia cultural circle, but the output is limited, and it is an extremely valuable food, and the price is even higher than that of real money.

However, in ancient times, spices were not cheap.

For a long time, the price of spices was a gold peg.

Historically, some countries in the Middle East have launched national wars because of the ownership of a few pepper trees.

In the face of a cart of spices, the monarch of a small country in the Middle East can even tear off his face and seize it on the spot, like a bandit.

However, as a person who is not spicy or happy, compared to other spices, chili pepper is Zhao Si's favorite.

(Note: rice is more abundant in the south, the south has not been developed during the Qin Dynasty, so at this time, there are hemp but no rice, to the Song Dynasty, the south has been developed, rice has become the mainstream grain, rice has replaced the status of hemp as one of the five grains.) ）