"Have you tried which of these barks is needed by the imperial court?"

"Back to Your Highness, I haven't tried it yet."

On the 24th day of the first lunar month, against the background of Zhu Di's northward march and Zheng He's southward journey, Zhu Gaochu finally obtained most of the American crop seeds he needed.

There are more than 10 boxes of large and small boxes in the Chunhe Palace, among which the seeds and fruits of various vegetables and fruits such as corn, potatoes, pumpkins, peanuts, sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, kidney beans, lima beans, pineapples, custard apples, pomegranates, avocados, cashew nuts, American ginseng, papaya and so on are placed.

Many of these fruits were still contaminated with soil, apparently because the seeds were not stored for enough time, so they could only be planted in the large vat on the ship to maintain their growth, so they persevered until the Ming Dynasty.

"The seeds and the fruit are fine, the main thing is to find out which bark works."

Zhu Gaoxu put down a piece of bark, he didn't know the cinchona tree, so he could only tell it by human experiments.

Standing beside him, Cao Yi, the official of the 100 households of the advance team, was only 20 years old, and this was his first trip to the West, but he succeeded in bringing back most of the crops.

"Wang Qianhu communicated with the local natives, and the local natives stripped us of all the bark they thought was useful, and there were 300 boxes of various types of bark in the hold of the returning ship, but it was not clear which one would work."

Cao Yi explained, and Zhu Gaoxu also withdrew his gaze and looked sideways at the dozens of ministers holding wat boards on his side.

There are more than 30 officials at all levels, such as the Six Shangshu and the Six Ministers, as well as the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Governor's Office of the Six Armies.

At this moment, they stood behind them, curiously looking at the crops in the box.

Zhu Gaoxu walked to the first box and showed the bunch of fruits that had just been taken out of the soil for everyone, and at the same time introduced:

"This is a potato, and the yield per mu in Dongzhou is about 200 catties, which is not much, but it does not compete with grains for land, and the requirements for land are not high, but it is better to be sandy loam."

Zhu Gaoxu showed to the ministers, and the potatoes in his hands did not look like what later generations recognized.

As long as the potatoes in later generations are cleaned of soil, they are basically full, but the potatoes in Zhu Gaoxu's hands grow very bumpy, not only with small stems, but also with very irregular shapes.

Because of this, the spread of potatoes in Europe has not been smooth.

For a long time, potatoes were only grown on a small scale as ornamental plants or animal feed, and some people even thought that they would carry toxins when they turned black.

If it weren't for the lack of food in the prison at the time, some of the prisoners were forced to eat potatoes, and the potatoes would probably have survived as ornamental objects.

As for the spread of potatoes, it is also inseparable from the background of the decline in global food production during the Xiaoice in the seventeenth century.

Whether in the East or the West, under the background of the Xiaoice Age, severe famine occurred in many parts of the world, and it was under such an opportunity that potatoes really entered the people's table and became the staple food of ordinary people.

Zhu Gaoxu showed everyone around, and at the same time said to a Ministry of Industry official standing in the crowd: "The waiter from the Department of Agriculture has come forward. ”

"Minister of Agriculture, Wang Bendao, see Your Highness." Wang Bendao, the Department of Agriculture, hurriedly stepped forward, and Zhu Gaoxu introduced some things about potatoes to him.

"You graduated from agriculture, you should understand what I said."

"The tuber food to which potatoes belong has a special way of breeding, which is asexual reproduction."

"If you throw away the uneaten potatoes, they will sprout and take root after a while, and new potatoes will be produced."

"Therefore, the method of planting is relatively simple, before sowing, the potatoes are placed in a well-ventilated place and cannot be exposed to direct sunlight to promote germination, and when the potato sprouts grow to the length of fingernails, they are sun-dried."

"After the planting is finished, the potatoes are cut into three or four pieces, each of which must have sprout eyes, and then they are planted in the soil."

"The planting process is to dig small pits in the prepared soil, plant the budding parts of the potato pieces facing up, take care to keep proper spacing, and place farmhouse manure around the potatoes."

"After sowing, cover with a layer of soil and keep it slightly moist, water it regularly, keep it moist but not too wet, and avoid standing water."

"After the potato seedlings have grown to a certain height, the plant can be fixed with bamboo strips and other things to prevent lodging."

"After about three months of planting, the potatoes are ready for harvest, at which point the size and ripeness of the potatoes can be checked by peeling open the soil layer."

"But the potatoes are also susceptible to fungal diseases, which thrive in warm, humid environments and rely on the wind to carry spores to multiply."

"Therefore, once the fungus starts to spread, it is extremely easy to cause widespread famine, and the Department of Agriculture needs to pay more attention."

When it comes to potatoes in Europe, it must be inseparable from the historical Irish famine, so Zhu Gaoxu naturally will not forget to explain.

Wang Bendao, the director of agriculture, kept taking a brush to record on his wat board, but the ministers were not very concerned about potatoes, a crop with a yield of only 200 catties per mu and a bad look.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't care about their opinions, but continued to pick up the next crop and introduce it.

"This is corn, and the yield is about one hundred and twenty or thirty catties, and it does not occupy five grains like potatoes."

The corn he introduced was not the size of a young man's fist, and the corn kernels on it were only about a hundred, less than one-tenth of the size of later generations.

"Corn and potatoes need to pay attention to different things, I wrote it myself and handed it over to you to experiment."

"This corn can be burned and eaten, or it can be peeled off and stir-fried, cooked, and after peeling off the corn kernels, it can be dried and burned as firewood, which is very flammable."

The yield of potatoes and corn is not high, and the ministers looked at Zhu Gaoxu's introduction, and they all felt a little lacking in interest.

Zhu Gaoxu also noticed it, so he picked up the last unattractive sweet potato.

After he personally cleaned the soil on it with his hands, he said: "This is a sweet potato, although its appearance is not good, but after detoxification treatment, its yield can reach 800 to 1,000 catties......

"Eight hundred to one thousand?!" Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's words, everyone gasped.

But before they could get excited, Zhu Gaoxu struck: "Although the yield is high, it contains more water, and if it is actually used to fill the stomach, it is about the same as two hundred and forty or fifty catties of rice." ”

"Of course, it has its own advantages over rice."

"Like potatoes and corn, it does not compete with grains for land, and can grow in all barren sand fields, allowing the people to open up some land that cannot be planted with grains to grow these crops."

"Of course, before that, we still have to let the Department of Agriculture and Taixue experiment for a few years, and select grain varieties from them."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he introduced pumpkins, peanuts, sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, pineapples, pomegranates, avocados and other crops one after another, but he did not understand these crops very well, so he could only hand them over to the Department of Agriculture and Taixue for research.

In order to facilitate their research, Zhu Gaoxu took the initiative to divide the fields of the rich households who opposed the New Deal and incited riots in the six prefectures of Jiangdong in the previous period, and set aside 3,000 mu of land outside Nanjing as experimental fields, and handed them over to the Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural College in Taixue.

After explaining everything, Zhu Gaoxu began to glance at the ministers.

At this moment, their eyes did not have the absent-mindedness at the beginning, but curiosity and amazement.

They watched as the boxes full of crops were carried away, and then Zhu Gaoxu sat back on the main seat, and the ministers came to the chairs one after another, and when they saw Zhu Gaoxu pressing his palm to signal to take a seat, they took their seats one after another.

After they were seated, Zhu Gaoxu also spoke: "The imperial court has been eating grain in Yin all these years, but the gold and silver brought back by Zheng He when he went to the West, as well as the gold, silver and copper mining in Japan, the southwest and the South Sea, can subsidize a lot. ”

"A few days ago, I have discussed with the Duke of Qianguo and the Duke of Cao Guo, and the imperial court must change the land of Guangxi and solve the problems of those who are not subject to the management of the imperial court."

"In this way, Guangxi will be able to contribute to the imperial court like Guizhou, and in the long run, the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages."

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes swept over the ministers, and his face showed a look of satisfaction.

I have to say that after driving Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi away, this temple is really quiet.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu also said in detail: "This time, Guangxi will first implement the new policy, and then pacify the non-ministers. ”

"The household department counted and transferred 2 million yuan of new money to escort Guangxi, and the military department cooperated with the Guangxi political envoy to recruit 200,000 people first."

"In addition, in the matter of Japan, the lord of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshiji, discussed with the Marquis of Hirae a few days ago, and decided to station 5,000 troops in Tsuruga in Wakasa so that he could rush to help at any time."

"In addition, Mutsu will allocate a piece of land to the imperial court as an officialdom to facilitate the supply of the fleet to the East Ocean in the future."

"I have thought about it again and again, and I am going to station Tsuruga in Whale Haiwei and Mutsu in Toyoe, with a total of more than 10,000 soldiers and horses in the south and north to protect Japan."

Zhu Gaoxu said that he was sheltering Japan, but in fact he was helping Ashikaga Yoshiji maintain his rule, after all, the emperor's severance could not be ignored even by the guardians of the Kansai countries, who loved to make money, and he couldn't bear the fact that Ashikaga Yoshiji cut off the title of emperor and claimed to be the king.

More than 10,000 soldiers and horses, one in Gyeonggi and one in Kanto, are enough to block the protection of the countries of Kansai and Kanto.

In addition, Chen Chang is stationed in Donghai Mansion, once something happens in Japan, Jiangnan and Northeast China can cross the sea to Japan, and the reins of Japan have been firmly grasped in the hands of the Ming Dynasty.

"Garrison two guards in Japan, this is His Royal Highness Takamiya!"

"In addition, Guangxi is also the main road to Jiaozhi in my Celestial Empire, and now Jiaozhi's annual field endowment is getting higher and higher, and maintaining the peace of Jiaozhi is also needed by the imperial court."

After all, Japan can produce silver and copper coins worth 2 million guan every year, and the cost of maintaining the two guards and horses is nothing in comparison.

As for the relationship between Guangxi and Jiaozhi, needless to say, in the era when there were no steam engine ships, only when Guangxi was stable could Jiaozhi be stable.

Last year, Jiaozhi handed over more than 4.8 million Shitian grain, and except for 30 percent of the grain that was left for his own use, the remaining 70 percent was escorted to Yunnan and Guangxi.

"The official roads of Guangxi and Yunnan, the Ministry of Industry has to send people to take a look, if it needs to be widened, calculate the money and food needed, and I will make a decision after reading."

"In addition, how is the post road from Kunming to Jingding built, and what is the post road from Kunming to Manmo?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked about Huang Fu, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry who he valued, and Huang Fu also said with humility or arrogance when he heard this:

"The post road from Kunming to Manmo is 1,400 miles long, since Hongwu 30 years to repair, the once five-foot road, now has opened up two zhang wide."

"In the case of sectional construction, there are still about 400 miles of roads that have not been built, and millions of catties of gunpowder are consumed every year."

"As for the post road from Kunming to Jingding, because it was only built in the Nanzhao and Dali periods, it took a long time to be abandoned."

"Although it is only 1,000 miles, since the start of the Yongle four years, it is now only repaired and widened for more than 700 miles, and it will take four years to complete."

The Ministry of Industry is a big project to eat money, and the annual canal dredging, the Yellow River embankment, and the maintenance and repair of the post road require millions of dollars and grains.

Huang Fu is as incorruptible as Xia Yuanji, and he can also rectify the administration of the yamen where he is located, which makes Zhu Gaoxu very relieved.

With the two of them here, at least there will be no problems with the money and grain in the process of leaving Beijing.

"The construction of Beijing City, the Yellow River's water and sand washing, has it been effective?"

Zhu Gaoxu continued to ask, although he was in the name of the prison country, he had the posture of a human king.

"The construction of Beijing City has gradually come to an end, Kuaixiang has started to play, His Majesty has moved into Beijing Palace City five days ago, very satisfied."

"In about July, Beijing will be able to complete the ......"

Huang Fu's voice fell, the hall was silent, and many people began to think about what would happen after the construction of Beijing.

Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu had already announced that they would move the capital after the completion of Beijing, which was very unfavorable to Jiangnan.

Because of this, many officials have been dismissed, believing that the relocation of the capital should not be carried out in a hurry.

Zhu Di didn't bother to pay attention to this group of people, so he explained to Ji Gang and Chen Ying before leaving Beijing, and investigated these people who prevented the relocation of the capital.

Although he said that he was investigating, these days, what Ji Gang and Chen Ying have done is obviously not an investigation, but a real impeachment and detention.

Zhu Gaoxu also turned a blind eye to their actions, after all, he didn't bother to deal with this group of civil officials who prevented the relocation of the capital.

It is inevitable to move the capital to Beijing, and the current population in Hebei is sparse, even if Zhu Gaoxu vigorously migrated from Shanxi and Shandong into Beizhili in recent years, the population of Beizhili is only more than 3 million.

Because of the sparse population, the current Hebei river network is vertical and horizontal, and the water source is abundant.

If we compare the data of later generations with the population of Hebei in this era, the per capita water resources of Hebei in this era are undoubtedly more than 30 times that of later generations.

The potential of Hebei was not developed in the Ming Dynasty in history, or even if it was developed, it increased the difficulty of collecting taxes in Beizhili in disguise due to the occupation of land by nobles and eunuchs.

After moving the capital to Beijing, Zhu Gaoxu had to start the development of Beizhili, and at the same time better control the northeast region.

Now sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes have been discovered, as long as grain seeds can be cultivated in the future, the northeast will become the granary of the north in advance.

Even if the level of science and technology is not reached, the grain produced by the Northeast is enough to fill the North Zhili, and the North Zhili will avoid competing for grain with the south of the Yangtze River.

Without the concern of food, the development of Beizhili would be better than in history.

Of course, the main reason why Zhu Gaoxu insisted on moving the capital was that there was a box of natural rubber and rubber tree seeds in the more than ten boxes just now.

In addition to that box of rubber, the remaining nine boxes have been sent to Taixue.

Compared with Eucommia ulmoides rubber, the rubber that is more suitable for steam engines has been obtained, so the topic of steam engines, which has been unable to advance for a long time, can also begin to develop rapidly.

Once the steam engine is successful, the mineral resources of the north will continue to be exploited, and the vast and flat terrain of the north will be connected by the railways in the future.

Once there is a railway in the north, even if only one railway is built from Jilin to Hailaer, the situation in the Ming Dynasty will change dramatically.

This means that the Ming army can organize more than 100,000 troops from the Hulunbuir steppe to strike at the Mobei Mongolian Plateau at any time, and the living space of the Mongols will gradually be forced from Mobei to a corner of Moxi, and even move westward to Central Asia.

Without the threat of the Mongols, Shanxi, Beizhili, and Shanxi can develop with peace of mind, and the military investment of the Ming Dynasty can be reduced a lot.

"There are more than 7,000 sluices on both sides of the Yellow River, which can wash away a large amount of sediment into the sea during the rainy season."

Zhu Gaoxu was still thinking about the future steam engine and trains, but Huang Fu briefly explained the matter of the Yellow River.

Zhu Gaoxu bowed his head after hearing this, and he was not ready to let the Yellow River be diverted.

The tragic experience of the Northern Song Dynasty's Sanyi returning to the river is still vivid, and Zhu Gaoxu still feels that he can not move the Yellow River.

Moreover, the Yellow River can bring a large amount of sediment every year, constantly creating land for Nanzhili.

In terms of the climate of this era, the increase in land in Nanzhili was a good thing, and it was enough for the imperial court to maintain the Yellow River and avoid bursting the embankment.

"Okay, since it's okay, let's all step down."

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand to signal that the ministers could retreat, and the ministers got up and sang when they saw this.

After they left, Zhu Gaoxu set his eyes on Yishiha, and specially explained to him: "Rubber and Dongzhou crops have been brought, and you have people planting rubber trees in Luzon and Ryukyu, and I will let Hu Lun keep an eye on the crops." ”

"In addition, once the steam engine of Taixue has progressed, you remember to notify me as soon as possible."

"Slave and maid to teach." Yisha replied, and after a moment of silence, he saw that Zhu Gaoxu had nothing else to say, and then he spoke:

"Your Highness, I'm afraid that the end of Beijing's construction will spread quickly, should we make some preparations?"

"No need, you just keep an eye on the steam engine of Taixue, as long as the steam engine can be on the right track, the first to benefit must be the North Zhili and Jiangdong regions, but the biggest benefit is definitely the north."

Zhu Gaoxu is very confident, after all, railway technology cannot be achieved overnight, and it can only be carried out in places with relatively favorable terrain conditions at the beginning.

The six prefectures in Jiangdong meet this condition, and Jiahang Lake also meets them, but it can't be when you look at the whole of Jiangnan.

This is an innate condition of geography, and no one can change it.

Expecting this group of scholars who resisted the New Deal to supervise railway technology is as outrageous as asking Confucius to study high mathematics.

The more they resist the New Deal, the more they will fall behind the times.

At least for the time being, except for a small number of students, most of the students in Jiangnan are very resistant to the new policy.

By the time they accepted the New Deal and changed their views, they were already more than a decade behind the North.

Of course, such backwardness will not allow the north to surpass Jiangnan, after all, the current era is mainly the ocean age, and Jiangnan occupies too many opportunities, which the north cannot compare.

However, as long as the steam engine and railroad began to be laid in the north, and the construction of the northeast continued to deepen, the gap between the north and the south would never be as deformed as that of the late Ming Dynasty.

That's all Zhu Gaoxu can do.

Touching the mustache, Zhu Gaoxu felt that the future was quite clear, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and asked about Yishu:

"My eldest brother and third brother, what have you been doing lately?"

"Back to Your Highness, the two Highnesses are still the same as before, but there are some problems on the Han Shizi's side."

"Han Shizi?" Zhu Gaoxu frowned, isn't the so-called Han Shizi his eldest nephew Zhu Zhanji.

"What is that kid doing in Junki?" He asked Yizha, and Yizha also replied in a low voice:

"As the prince grew up, he began to learn the art of war this year and began to take over the power of the Han Palace's guards."

Zhu Zhanji is now fourteen years old, and it is nothing to take over the power of the palace guards at such an age.

After returning to Nanjing last time, Zhu Gaochi took the initiative to hand over a lot of guards, and now there are less than 3,000 guards in the Han Palace, and there are Mu Chun, He Fu, and Wang Xuan in Yunnan.

With them there, Zhu Gaoxu is not worried that Zhu Zhanji will make any trouble.

However, if Zhu Zhanji really has the ability to lead troops to fight and become an outstanding cavalry general as in history, it will have a certain positive effect on the stability of Yunnan in the Ming Dynasty.

"Look at him for the time being, and if there is any violation of the rules, report to me in detail."

"Yes......"

Zhu Gaoxu is not worried about Zhu Zhanji, as long as Zhu Zhanji is not a fool, it is impossible to do anything stupid.

He was more curious about whether his eldest nephew would become an excellent cavalry in history, or whether he would become his god-of-war son.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu touched his mustache: "It's a little interesting......

(End of chapter)