My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 150 The Prince Wants Power

The cows were brought by Liu Ju when he entered the palace, and the two different sets of plows were also brought by him when he entered the palace. However, the site needed for the experiment was temporarily found in the Weiyang Palace.

A flower bed by the Cangchi Lake.

The emperor watched the prince holding the plow and indicating that he was going to move forward. His mischievous expression became serious and he asked suspiciously, "Did you make any changes to the plow?"

As he asked this question, he was staring at the other unharnessed curved plow.

See Liu Ju nodded.

The emperor's serious expression became even more serious. 'Agriculture-based' is not just an empty talk nowadays. Anything related to agriculture needs to be taken seriously.

The prince had indeed invented many new tools before, but when it came to farm tools, the emperor instinctively wanted to say:

'Don't mess around.'

Liu Ju saw the emperor's doubts, but he didn't explain. He just gestured with his hand and said, "Father, can you try to take a few steps first?"

"Is the new plow I built good? Let's talk about it with facts!"

Seeing the prince's solemn promise, the emperor raised his eyebrows and immediately rolled up his sleeves, not caring whether it was appropriate to plow the flower garden at the moment.

Wang Heng was leading the ox in front, and he took the plow and left.

It may seem an incredible scene that the emperor is plowing the land himself, but it is actually not something that should be too surprising.

The grandfather of the current emperor, Emperor Wen of Han, personally went to the fields to cultivate the land many times, and this tradition was also continued during the reign of Emperor Jing.

Although these two emperors still did some showmanship by tilling the fields themselves, they would also provide real benefits to the people of the world while not doing so.

such as.

From time to time, the land rent and taxes that the people should pay were reduced or exempted, and even the land tax was exempted for more than ten years in a row!

The reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing was not just empty talk...

When it came to Emperor Liu Che, tax exemption was no longer possible. The emperor would still plow the fields, but only during the spring sacrifices.

The emperor expressed his emphasis on agriculture by having him personally till the fields.

From this point on, the emperor went to the fields mainly for show. Liu Che had done many such shows before, so he knew how to do it at the moment, but his movements were not very skillful.

In order to make him deeply appreciate the value of his invention, Liu Ju waved his hand to stop the palace servant who was about to come forward to help.

There is no one to help.

The emperor's plowing movements were not unskilled, but rather hesitant and flustered, and the furrows he plowed were crooked and messy.

"Straight-beam plows are like this. They are heavy, difficult to turn, hard to control, and require a lot of effort to plow the land. Come on..."

Liu Ju did not let his emperor father be in a difficult situation for too long. After Wang Heng finished experiencing the difficult version, Liu Ju immediately waved his hand and asked Wang Heng to switch to the curved plow.

The emperor took a deep breath and stared at the prince for a while without saying anything. After the plow was replaced, he held the plow handle and walked away again.

while walking.

Feeling the difference in the feel, the emperor's calm face suddenly brightened, and he shouted to Wang Heng, who was deliberately slowing down the oxen in front of him, "Speed ​​up!"

In the past, when using a straight-beam plow, if the oxen plowed too fast, the emperor would definitely make a fool of himself.

But right now.

He said to speed up, and Wang Heng did as he was told. Even though there were people leading the ox in front, the furrows plowed by the emperor were still not in a straight line.

But it is much better than before, which was like a dog gnawing, with one foot deep, one foot forward, one foot east, and one foot west. At least it can form a complete curve.

this time.

It was Liu Ju's turn to smile and remain silent. Facts speak louder than words.

After a while, Liu Che exhaled and shouted to the front: "Alright, stop."

While the eunuch was handing the emperor a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, Liu Ju gave Wang Heng a wink, and the other party immediately understood.

When Liu Che turned his gaze back to the curved plow at his feet, Wang Heng squatted down and explained: "Your Majesty, please see, the biggest difference of this plow is the plow shaft."

"The original straight and long shaft was changed to a curved and short shaft, and a plow disc was installed at the shaft head for flexible steering."

talking.

Wang Heng gestured the size of the curved-beam plow and compared it with the straight-beam plow next to it.

"The new plow is smaller, more flexible and easier to operate. It can handle slopes and small plots of land that were previously inconvenient to cultivate with a straight-beam plow."

"I have tested it and found that one man and one ox can plow nearly 30% to 40% of the land per day using a curved plow compared to using a straight plow."

This ratio will gradually increase as time goes by.

The increase in efficiency is directly related to output. The land tax in the Han Dynasty was levied on a proportional basis, that is, one in thirty.

If a household produces more food, the imperial court will have more taxes.

Liu Che was not good at farming, but he was good at governing the country and doing accounts. It didn't matter if he didn't know how to do some things, he could just recruit people who knew how to do them.

He raised his chin and asked Wang Heng, "Did you make this new plow?"

"I dare not take credit for it." Wang Heng quickly stood up and said, "This plow was made by us according to the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Eh."

Liu Ju shook his head and said, "Don't be modest. You have also made great contributions."

It was he who came up with the idea of ​​the curved plow, but it was Wang Heng, a farmer's son, who figured it out bit by bit through experimentation and fine-tuning, relying on his experience and hands-on experience.

Liu Ju had no intention of taking credit for other people's achievements, and he didn't need that much credit, so he pointed it out directly in front of the emperor.

Wang Heng's face flushed when he heard this, and he was filled with gratitude.

The emperor looked at him, then at the prince, waved his hand, and all his followers retreated a few feet in tacit understanding, leaving only the father and son.

"Is he the guest you recruited for the Hundred Schools Debate that day?"

"Correct."

Liu Ju replied: "Wang Heng is a farmer and was previously an agricultural official. However, he is different from other petty officials and is indeed familiar with farming."

The emperor noticed that the man's skin was rough and his hands were covered with calluses, which were obvious signs of years of farm work.

The shore of Cangchi Lake.

The emperor stood in front with his hands behind his back, the prince followed by his side, and the palace maids and ministers followed far behind.

"The new plow you made this time is a good tool." The emperor looked back at Liu Ju, who was a little tanned, and raised his eyebrows and said:

"You complain that you don't have a summer palace, don't you want me to build one for you?"

"Don't!"

When Liu Ju heard this, he knew that his father the emperor was going to give him some fancy rewards again, so he quickly refused. What palace did he need? When he took over, everything yours would be mine.

What Liu Ju wants now is something tangible.

"Father, I offer this curved plow to you. First, I want to benefit the people. Second, I want to work harder on farming."

"Farmers have the saying of 'five disasters' and have done in-depth research on floods, droughts, insect disasters, etc., and have also made achievements in promoting food production."

"I think that such talents should not be buried. They should be given a more appropriate position to display their talents, which will not only help the court but also benefit the people!"

Speaking of the latter.

Liu Ju responded seriously.

The curved plow he presented today was similar to the printing technology of the past, and both were used as a stepping stone to let the emperor see the professionalism of farmers.

First present the facts, then discuss the ideas.

When Qin Mo's lineage made a comeback, the emperor specially set up a Shuiheng Commandery to be in charge of construction matters. Liu Ju's current idea is the same.

Let farmers focus on agriculture.

But the difference is.

Last time, it was the emperor who proposed to establish the post of Water Conservancy Commander and took the initiative to delegate power to the Prince's Palace. This time, it was Liu Ju who asked for it first!
His words "I want to put more effort into farming" are very well expressed.

"Ah."

For some reason, when the emperor heard from the prince for the first time that he wanted some power, he was not angry but rather happy.

Liu Che stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sparkling lake in the distance, and said with a smile: "I have fought wars in the past few years, and only recently have I had the opportunity to recuperate. I just want to do this."

“The new plow was first tested in the imperial farm, and once it was confirmed to be truly effective, it was gradually promoted.”

"By then..."

He turned to look at Liu Ju and nodded, "Let Wang Heng from your palace be appointed as the commander of the grain-collecting army, responsible for promoting the new plow and teaching how to prevent pests and diseases."

If the prince wants power, the emperor can let him go.

but.

You have to first make sure that the person you promote has the real talent.

Emperor Quyuanli tried it and found it to be indeed good, but the emperor also knew his own limitations.

He is only half-baked at farming. He says it is not good enough until it goes through large-scale trials and sees an increase in yield. Only then will it be considered truly good!

(End of this chapter)