Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 223 How to solve the Ming Dynasty’s food crisis!
Zhu Yunhuan had long had the idea of establishing the Ming Academy of Sciences.

Even from the very beginning, what he wanted to establish most was not the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, but the Ming Academy of Sciences.

But the problem is that it is easy to set up the Ming Manufacturing Bureau.

After all, you can provide creativity and ideas, provide development direction, and after making things, let the craftsmen mass-produce them.

But it is difficult to establish an academy of sciences...

First of all, where to recruit talents, how to do scientific research after recruiting them, and how to evaluate their results.

So Zhu Yunhuan didn’t know any of this.

He had a feeling that he had no idea where to start.

There must be many scientific talents in the Ming Dynasty.

But under the feudal dynasty system, Zhu Yunhuan had no idea how to find these scientific talents.

Unexpectedly, the founding of Science journal inadvertently led me down this path.

Aren’t there a large number of scientific talents that he is looking for among those who submit articles to Science journal?

Even the selection criteria are ready-made.

Recruit the best among them and let them serve as editors for Science magazine to conduct cutting-edge scientific research...

Didn’t the Daming Academy of Sciences just get built naturally?
This is truly the road under your feet.

As time went by, the road to science became clear.

The more Zhu Yunhuan thought about it, the more excited he became.

"Okay!" He slapped his thigh suddenly, startling Lai Wen'an and Yang Shiqi beside him.

"It's good to do experiments. We should do experiments." Zhu Yunhuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Everyone in the editorial department, except those who are purely engaged in mathematics and physics theory, should do experimental verification."

“We need to combine theory with practice.”

"Also, from today on, the journal Science will be officially renamed the Ming Academy of Sciences."

"You will serve as the first president of the Daming Academy of Sciences."

“The mission of the Academy of Sciences is no longer limited to just receiving and reviewing manuscripts.”

“You need to select valuable information from the submitted articles, conduct experimental verification, and make up for and correct their shortcomings.”

"Or, if you have any good ideas, you can also do experiments to verify them."

"If you want to make any experimental equipment, you can ask the Ming Manufacturing Bureau to make it."

"For contributors who write well and at a high level, you can hire them to join the Daming Academy of Sciences."

"How much silver do you need? The court will allocate funds to you."

"One million taels a year is nothing. Two million taels is no problem. As long as it can promote scientific development, the court can allocate any amount of silver."

Zhu Yunhuan rubbed his hands, still unable to suppress the joy and excitement in his heart.

Stepping through the iron shoes, there is nowhere to find it, and it takes no effort to get it.

Once the Ming Academy of Sciences is established, talents from all over the country will flock to the academy. Why worry that Ming Dynasty’s science will not take off?
At that time, it was more than just about making a steam engine.

There are countless inventions and creations that will erupt like a volcano.

The Ming Dynasty will soon usher in a completely different era.

Lai Wen'an's eyes couldn't help but light up.

He had already had this idea in mind as the journal Science developed.

The end of the paper is so shallow that I know that this matter must be carried out.

It is far from enough for the editors in the editorial department to just read and review manuscripts every day. They must verify them themselves.

However, the task given to him by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was to publish a journal, not to make anything on their own, which restricted Lai Wen'an.

We can only do a little bit in the name of review and verification.

Now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has decided to transform the Science journal into the Ming Academy of Sciences, and he will be able to do whatever he wants in the future.

Science is a discipline created by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself.

Daming Academy of Sciences, just by hearing the name you can tell that it will definitely play an important role in the future.

"I obey your command!" Lai Wen'an knelt down hurriedly and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your promotion. I will do my best to repay you even if I die."

Yang Shiqi suddenly interjected, "After the establishment of the Daming Academy of Sciences, we should not focus all our energy on making steam engines and the like, but should invest more in agriculture, such as developing pesticides."

"A country is based on its people, and people depend on food for their survival. The foundation of the world still lies in food."

"If the Ming Academy of Sciences can develop medicines that can eliminate pests and diseases for the people of the world, it will be a great achievement."

Yang Shiqi didn't understand much about other things and didn't care much about them.

He only got the two items "Agriculture" and "Medicine" from the "Science" journal, and he read through them carefully without missing a single word.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "farming and reading" can be passed down from generation to generation.

Scholars look down on all kinds of trades, but they never look down on farming and growing crops.

After all, everyone knows that food is the foundation of everything.

As for studying medicine and practicing medicine, it is also the dream and ambition of many scholars.

As the saying goes, "If you advance, you can save the world; if you retreat, you can save the people; if you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor."

In this era, all educated people will read medical books to some extent.

"Yes!" Lai Wen'an said, "I understand. I will pay more attention to this matter in the future and urge the development of good pesticides as soon as possible to benefit the people of the world."

Then he said goodbye and left.

Zhu Yunhuan looked back at the letter from Old Zhu in his hand and said to Yang Shiqi, "You just mentioned that the Ming Dynasty is facing a food shortage crisis. Now that the emperor has also written to mention this matter, it seems that you two have the same idea."

Yang Shiqi stood up quickly, bowed his hands and said: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and your plans are far-reaching and meticulous. I am far inferior to you."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled faintly: "Okay, you don't have to be so humble. Tell me, how can we solve the food problem in the Ming Dynasty?"

As he spoke, his expression became noticeably more serious.

Since traveling through time, Zhu Yunhuan's attention has been on various inventions and power struggles in the court.

He made mimeograph machines, guns, cannons, steam engines, etc. He wanted to seize the crown prince position, etc. It was not until he started a financial war with local gentry because of the tax commissioner's affairs that the food problem came into his sight.

It’s no wonder Zhu Yunhuan acted like this.

In fact, in his opinion, it is still the early Ming Dynasty, the once war-torn areas are still sparsely populated, and the per capita arable land area is still large.

Normally, there would be no food shortage.

In addition, in later society, most people's attention was focused on the manufacturing and production of industrial products, and no one paid too much attention to food issues.

Thinking about it now, I suddenly realized that even in later generations, the No. 1 document issued by the country every year is about the "three rural issues" and food issues.

Food is the foundation for the normal operation of society!
The country must always pay close attention.

However, for the general public, the best thing would be to make them not feel the existence of food problems.

If we wait until the public realizes that there are problems with food production and supply, then things will get serious.

Given the productivity level of the Ming Dynasty at that time, the grain yield per mu was very low.

Even though the people put in a lot of work, the grain they harvested was not much, just barely enough to eat.

This is barely enough to eat, but it is based on the assumption that a considerable number of people are half-full.

Ordinary people could eat as much as they wanted and as much as they wanted, which was something that could only be achieved in modern society.

For thousands of years, feudal society could not achieve this, no matter how prosperous the era was.

No matter how prosperous the Ming Dynasty is today, it is still a feudal era.

At present, he is using the method of deliberately lowering food prices to increase the income level of workers in disguise. This also means that the lower-class people who used to make a living by doing hard labor and could only eat half-full can now have enough to eat.

The amount of food consumed will naturally increase significantly.

The crisis of food shortage may break out at any time.

"Since the establishment of the Daming Bank, more and more money has been circulating in society. It is impossible to lower the wages."

Yang Shiqi has been in charge of the Ming Bank for so long that he is no longer as ignorant of financial knowledge as before and has gradually understood many of the principles involved.

At first, he only applauded the Ming Bank's measures in amassing wealth and making loans, and admired His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's superb methods.

Later, I gradually discovered that the role of banks and the impact they brought were very complex and far beyond my expectations.

The deeper I go, the more I feel that the various relationships and influences are intertwined and vast like the ocean.

There are many questions that I have never thought about before.

Only His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seemed to have foreseen everything, which made Yang Shiqi's admiration for him increase day by day.

I even have some doubts as to whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the legendary "one who is born with knowledge".

Otherwise, how could he be so insightful about all this at such a young age?
Reading?

Yang Shiqi had read countless classic books since he was a child, and also read countless miscellaneous books in his spare time, but he had never seen relevant records in any book.

After working for Zhu Yunhuan, he was also able to enter the royal library and read the books inside.

I have also never seen any books that record this kind of knowledge.

If he was not "born with the knowledge", then where did His Royal Highness learn it from?
Only when he heard Zhu Yunhuan asking him did Yang Shiqi feel relieved.

After all, there are things that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't know.

"If we allow food prices to rise, it will inevitably cause huge problems."

"We have just established trust between the new banknotes and the Ming Bank, and now the grain price has risen..."

Zhu Yunhuan shook his head and said firmly: "Grain prices must remain stable and cannot rise."

Yang Shiqi smiled and said, "This is difficult. If it were in the past, no one would be able to do anything about it."

When Zhu Yunhuan heard him say this, he knew that he had an idea in mind, so he didn't say anything and just listened to him continue.

"Let the Daming Academy of Sciences develop pesticides to eliminate pests and diseases. Not to mention whether it can be developed, even if it is developed, it will take until next year for it to be effective. Large-scale promotion will take several years or even decades."

“Far water cannot save a near fire.”

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly.

Although pesticides can significantly increase food production, their inherent toxicity means that they must be repeatedly tested and ensured to be safe before they can be promoted.

This is no joke.

Besides, no one can predict when the Ming Academy of Sciences will be able to develop pesticides with significant effects.

The autumn harvest has passed and the grain has been stored in the warehouse.

That’s how much food is supposed to be given.

But under the premise that the amount of food remains fixed, how is it possible to make a large number of people go from being half-full to being fully fed?

Unless you can perform magic and create food out of thin air.

Otherwise, this is an unsolvable problem.

Zheng He might have brought back sweet potato and potato seeds when he went to the New World, but it would take a long time, or even a year or two, for those things to take effect.

It will take a long time to promote planting.

Otherwise, how many acres of land can be planted with that little bit of seeds?

Increasing the grain production in the Ming Dynasty, is that a joke?
The more Zhu Yunhuan thought about it, the more he felt that the matter was extremely difficult.

It is impossible to find a way to feed the people in a short period of time.

Historically, after the Industrial Revolution began, didn’t most poor people still not have enough to eat?

What's more, the Ming Dynasty had not yet started the industrial revolution.

The problem is that his previous policies have already been implemented and he is in a difficult situation!
If the working people continue to go hungry at this time, it will be a big trouble.

"Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invented cement."

Yang Shiqi changed the subject and said, "With this, we can solve the food crisis in Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but be stunned. How could cement be related to solving the food crisis?
Yang Shiqi noticed that he looked strange, so he asked with a smile, "Your Highness, have you ever heard of 'sparrow rat'?"

……

(End of this chapter)