1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 808 The Field of Hope

On October 1665, 10, Yongxing.

Compared with the southeast and southwest regions of Hanzhou, the agricultural conditions in Jianye Mansion are actually very harsh.The land here is often unfavorable to farming, generally lacking in fertility. In order to make the crops grow better, the farmers must fill up the potholes all over the place and cultivate them for several years before they can become fertile soil.

Like many other places in Hanzhou, in addition to the lack of rain, the land also lacks fertilizer elements such as potassium phosphate, and the grain production is even less than those barren areas in the northwest of Ming Dynasty.In the past more than ten years, in order to increase the fertility of the soil, hard-working farmers have evenly sprinkled various artificial composts on their land. Year after year, day after day, the barren land in the past has become increasingly Fertile, agricultural output also showed steady growth.

In 1639, the State of Qi occupied Gouer Island (now Christmas Island, Australia), and found abundant phosphate deposits on this small island, all of which were almost pure lime phosphate.Therefore, since the end of the first Han-Dutch war, Qi State began to bring the phosphate mines on the island back to the Hanzhou mainland one by one to improve the slightly barren land.Even, Jianye Shipyard designed a special transport ship for the transportation of this mineral.

However, compared to the unfavorable farming conditions, Jianye Mansion has unique animal husbandry conditions.In the vast area south of Yongxing, in addition to dense forests, there are countless slopes and valleys, among which there are many grasslands, which are natural large pastures.In addition to dozens of government-run large farms, there are many individual pastures scattered here and there.The livestock raised by some farmers also forage freely during the period, and reproduce in disorder.

Large tracts of forests were cut down, and then the reclaimed land was planted with forage crops such as ryegrass, clover, and alfalfa through burning.Despite occasional locust infestation and marauding birds, this simple method of sowing pastures has proven effective for fattening beef and dairy cattle.

After nearly 30 years of development, it is conservatively estimated that there are more than 20 livestock of various types in the entire Jianye Mansion. In addition to meeting the meat needs of the local people, it also supplies a large number of transport merchant ships to and from the Dutch East India Company. .However, due to the lag in freezing and fresh-keeping technology, the entire Jianye Prefecture, including Yongxing County, only exports corned beef and mutton, animal hides and tallow. More than [-] years ago, the Ministry of Health of the Cabinet advocated that children and adolescents drink more milk in order to enhance and improve the national physique, which also made the local dairy industry grow stronger.

Zhu Shanping, a naval officer who is on vacation, leads a cow and a calf behind him, and walks slowly on the country road. From time to time, he looks back at his five-year-old daughter riding on the back of the cow, and his heart is full of infinity. Contentment and happiness.

Arriving at the Yongxing River ((now the Adelaide River in northern Australia)), ready to let some livestock drink some water, the daughter opened her arms and asked her father to carry her off the back of the cattle, and immediately thought of the river. Playing in the water.

"Daya, don't go! There are monsters eating people in the river, it's dangerous!"

Zhu Shanping hugged his daughter tightly.Although this section of the Yongxing River is in a densely populated area, there are very few crocodiles infested, but there is no guarantee that one will not suddenly jump out of it and hurt people.

"Yo, it's Shanping!"

Hundreds of farmers gathered by the river. Taking advantage of the spring plowing break, the river officials in the village are organizing the renovation of the river and digging the reservoir.

In the mainland of Hanzhou, the construction of water conservancy and river improvement is generally done in the winter slack season.However, during the intermittent period of spring plowing, the local government will occasionally arrange for farmers to repair and expand the reservoirs and many rural water diversion ditches to prevent summer rainstorms from causing disasters and destroying farmland.

The hundreds of farmers that Zhu Shanping saw were excavating and expanding a reservoir with a radius of several hundred meters. On the side close to the river, a large amount of cement and flakes were used to reinforce the slope protection.

Along the numerous township farms along the Yongxing River, there are many small reservoirs (ponds) like this for water storage and diversion. The large ones have a radius of several kilometers, and the small ones are only tens of meters long.When the river surges in the rainy season, the diversion channels of the river will be opened to fill up the small reservoirs, so as to prevent the river from flowing into the sea in vain.During the dry season and even the extremely dry season, these numerous small reservoirs will become the most precious water resources for farmers.

The officials of Yongxing County even have an ambitious plan. When the funds and manpower are relatively rich, several small reservoirs in the nearby low-lying areas will be connected together and excavated into a huge artificial lake with a radius of more than ten square kilometers. , to fully meet the agricultural water use in the surrounding areas, and create a land of fish and rice.

Of course, this kind of costly water conservancy project cannot be completed by a small county with a population of less than 2 people. It may take one or two generations of continuous efforts to complete it.

However, the construction of water conservancy projects has continued for decades, and the entire Jianye Mansion has built more than 800 kilometers of trunk, branch, and bucket canals. Several rivers in the territory cover the basin area, and successively reclaimed millions of acres. The arable land can not only meet the ration needs of more than [-] local people, but also provide a large amount of agricultural raw materials for the booming industrial field.

"Lieutenant Zhu, how leisurely you are!" Lin Qingshan, inspector of the Armed Forces Department of Dushan Township, Yongxing County and captain of the township soldier, saw Zhu Shanping looking around here with his daughter in his arms, and greeted with a smile.As a former marine officer who was injured and retired, he naturally felt a sincere closeness to Zhu Shanping, an active naval officer.

"Inspector Lin, I don't have many days left for my leisure time." Zhu Shanping teased his daughter, wanting her to say hello to Lin Qingshan.But the daughter who accepted the birth buried her head in her father's arms and refused to say hello.

"When are you going to return to the fleet?" Lin Qingshan asked.

"Before the NO.20 of this month, I must rush back to the Jianyegang Naval Base.... I am afraid that it will take more than a year before I can return."

"Soldiers, you have to sacrifice and give something." Lin Qingshan felt the same way, "It is because of countless loyal and brave soldiers in Qi State who sacrificed their homes for the country and fought in the battlefields all over the world, so that the peace and joy of thousands of our people today .”

"That's right, the peace and harmony in our country of Qi were all brought about by your soldiers! The people in the country may have some criticisms about the officials of the cabinet and ministries, but looking at the whole country of Qi, only you and other soldiers have maintained their integrity. Due respect and admiration." Xu Liangbao, inspector of the Farmland and Water Conservancy Department of Yongxing County, bowed his hands to Zhu Shanping, then took out a piece of beef jerky from his arms, tore off a small piece, and handed it to his daughter in his arms.

Since the establishment of Hanzhou, Qi's army has almost never failed in the process of defending its homeland and overseas territories, or in foreign expansion and intervention wars in the Ming Dynasty. Coupled with the deliberate guidance of domestic public opinion, the soldiers are In the hearts of the people, he enjoys a high status.The remuneration itself is extremely generous, and it has always been the career goal that aspiring young people in China are eager to aspire to.

"In the past few years, the northern part of Hanzhou, including my Yongxing County, has been in good weather, and the agricultural development is changing with each passing day. I heard from people in my family that we have had a bumper harvest of various grain crops here for six consecutive years, and the lives of the people are also Crossing over is becoming more and more prosperous. Everything is inseparable from the dedication of you, the parents and officials of your hometown. Only in this way can we, the soldiers, have no worries and proclaim the prestige of our country in the world."

"Lieutenant Zhu is too famous, I'm ashamed and dare not take it!" Xu Liangbao smiled and waved his hands, "This achievement is all due to the concerted efforts of more than ten thousand people in Yongxing County. Of course, there are also countless obstacles in the past 30 years. , the silent contribution of the older generation of pioneers who worked hard. Compared with more than 20 years ago, my Yongxing County has definitely undergone earth-shaking changes. Judging from the county annals, in terms of grain output alone, the total output is more than 20 years ago. It has increased by as much as eight times before, far exceeding the growth rate of the population."

In Hanzhou, including Jianyefu, the improvement of agricultural technology has been carried out since 20 years ago, and the promotion of crop rotation is the most important.

Previously, the farmers who granted the land would put part of the farmland fallow every year to cultivate the fertility of the land.Later, with the reprinting and publication of various agricultural technology books from Ming Dynasty, as well as the training and guidance of many key experts in agricultural technology, the farmland rotation method began to spread in various places.

From the earliest two-year rotation method, three-year rotation method, to the current gradually stable four-year rotation method, large-scale promotion has begun in rural areas of Hanzhou.

In Yongxing County, under the guidance of agricultural technology experts, farmers sow barley (or corn), wheat (or rice), turnip and clover (introduced from the Netherlands) in four-year rotations, and the fields are never fallow.Both turnips and clover can increase the fertility of the land and can also be used as winter fodder for cattle and sheep, and cattle and sheep dung can be used to enrich the field.

This kind of farming system has accelerated the turnover of land use, improved the utilization rate of farmers' land, and also increased farmers' income. To a certain extent, it has met the ever-expanding demand for agricultural products.

Land improvements also included improved drainage and the application of lime, chalk, and marl.By applying marl to the sandy soil, a farmer in a part of Hanzhou quadrupled his income from growing grain within 15 years.

It can be said that Qi's agricultural farming technology not only far surpassed that of Europe by tens to hundreds of years, even compared with the peak of Ming Dynasty's agricultural cultivation, it was not too far behind.If coupled with scientific agricultural production management and various advanced agricultural machinery and equipment, it will be able to set aside a long distance.

On the other hand, the state of Qi, which has entered the primary stage of industrialization, has led to the formation of Jianye, Weihai, Yunyang, Daxing, Nandu, Guizhou and other "big" cities with tens of thousands of people in Hanzhou.And with the continuous advancement of industrialization and the artificial transfer of immigrant population every year, the urban population is slowly expanding.

Some rural areas in the suburbs began to produce agricultural and sideline products specially produced for cities.They have done a lot of work on the needs of urban residents, and livestock products such as cheese, eggs, and butter, as well as agricultural and sideline products such as fruits and vegetables, have achieved great sales.

It is the "concentrated demand" for agricultural and sideline products in cities like Jianye that has driven the industrial revolution in surrounding agriculture, and the scale of the transfer of surplus rural labor to non-agricultural fields has also gradually increased.Because of the limited manpower required by the animal husbandry industry, after keeping the traditional main industry of animal husbandry, more labor force flocked to household industries such as textiles and sugar refining.

With the steady expansion of agricultural and animal husbandry output, the income of farmers has also gradually increased. In the past few years, there has been a wave of "new rural construction" in Hanzhou. Refurbishment and reconstruction of farmhouses that have existed for more than ten or twenty years.

You must know that unlike the government’s guidance and encouragement measures in other industries, the government has not provided any preferential subsidy policies for rural housing construction. Therefore, it can be seen at least from this that after more than 20 years of development, Qi The standard of living of the people has generally improved.

"How come back so late, it's already dark."

When Zhu Shanping returned home, it was already evening, his wife Zhang Yongdi took her daughter from his arms, and could not help complaining: "The food is already cold, and I have to reheat the fire for you."

"I met a few acquainted friends by the river, and we chatted for a while, but there was no time to look." Zhu Shanping looked at his wife with a reproachful expression, and reached out to wipe her face, "There is no need to heat the food." Alright, let’s just eat it. When I was on the boat, I never had such a delicious meal like yours.”

"Daddy bullied mother..." the daughter standing aside said childishly.

Being called out by her daughter, Zhang Yongdi blushed and said angrily: "Hurry up and wash up, go and eat dinner."

"After dinner, what are you doing?"

"...Coax Da Ya and Er Ya to sleep."

"Wanted these two little ones to sleep?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yongdi bit her lip, gave her husband a shameful look, took her daughter's hand, and walked towards the house.

"In the past few days, let's work hard to make another three." Zhu Shanping said with a smile behind him.

"Why do you want to give birth to Sanya instead of a boy?"

"Boys are too difficult to manage, just like my younger brothers. It is a headache." Zhu Shanping took off his shirt and was about to wash it. "Give birth to a few girls, and they will be as beautiful as their mothers in the future. In the future, we can Receive a few more generous dowries, so you don't have to worry about retirement!"

"How do you know that future generations will like a daughter like ours?"

"Look, here you are again." Zhu Shanping said helplessly: "Although you have some Persian blood, you are slightly different from ordinary Han women, but as long as you are a man, you can tell that your beauty is extraordinary. It's different. If not, how could I have fallen in love with you at first sight ten years ago, and you wouldn't marry me? In the future, our daughters will definitely be as beautiful as their mothers, and let many men in Qi Kingdom fall in love with them!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Zhang Yongdi felt happy when she heard her husband's words, and a strange look appeared on her face.

"...Oh, by the way, when I was having dinner in the courtyard, I heard my father say that he wanted to renovate the courtyard in the winter next year. He asked me to ask what you mean by the way."

"Do you want to live in the country, or do you want to live in the city?"

"Ah?" Zhang Yongdi blinked her blue eyes, "Aren't we living in the country right now?"

"In Jianye City, a commercial company is developing and constructing residential buildings, and it is a two- or three-story building. It looks quite grand and comfortable. I thought, with the salary I got from the army, I should go to the bank to borrow one or two loans. We can buy a place to live in. If that's what you want, we might as well move to the city. What do you think?"

"Ah!" Zhang Yongdi was stunned, "I moved to the city, what can I do?"

"You are at home, help me give birth to three, four, and five. From now on, those younger generations who want to marry our daughter must take a house in the city as a betrothal gift before they can be our son-in-law!"

(End of this chapter)