Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 327 A Deep Love for This Land

Inside the post station, the emperor and his ministers held a grand discussion and decided on a major plan to strengthen military preparedness and pacify Liaodong.

Qin Liangyu, a heroine among women, received the command and, with a heart full of excitement, took her leave with a fierce and warlike aura, preparing to temper the 40,000 new soldiers into a tiger and wolf army capable of shaking the world.

With the departure of the civil and military officials, the hall suddenly felt somewhat empty.

Zhu Youjian's initial excitement gradually subsided.

He knew that both the grand ambitions of the "Transportation Bureau" and the lofty aspirations of "pacifying Liaodong" required time to develop and solid national strength to support them.

Ultimately, all of this is based on the word "agriculture".

A nation cannot be stable without agriculture.

Therefore, the imperial procession did not delay any longer and immediately set off, heading north.

This journey home was much faster than the trip south a few months ago.

The procession was simple, the guards were highly skilled, and the rolling wheels seemed to carry a sense of eagerness to return home.

Before long, the carriage entered the heart of the Central Plains—Henan.

In autumn, the heat of summer fades in Henan, and the fields turn golden.

The wind blows, stirring up waves of wheat, and the air is filled with the aroma of ripe crops.

However, Zhu Youjian's gaze did not linger long on those traditional wheat and millet crops.

His heart was drawn to the crops that held even greater hope.

When the carriage reached the territory of Tongxu County in Kaifeng Prefecture, it slowed down.

This place is one of the important farms where, this spring, the emperor personally ordered and the Ministry of Revenue supervised the trial planting of potatoes.

Zhu Youjian did not enter the city, but instead had the carriage driven directly to "Tianzitun".

From a distance, that piece of land looked somewhat different from the ordinary fields around it.

In other fields, neat stubble is left after the harvest, but in this field, rows upon rows are covered with withered vines.

Once the carriage came to a stop, Zhu Youjian was the first to step down.

Today he was dressed in an ordinary blue cloth robe, with a scholar's cap tied around his head. If it weren't for the presence of important officials like Bi Ziyan and Song Yingxing, as well as a group of vigilant Imperial Guards beside him, no one would have guessed that this handsome and composed young man was actually the current emperor.

Zhu Youjian stepped onto the soft paddy field ridge, his gaze sweeping over the fields before him.

The once lush green potato vines now have all turned yellow, and large swathes of vines have withered and fallen, clinging tightly to the ground.

“Mr. Chang Geng,” Zhu Youjian turned to look at Song Yingxing beside him. The newly appointed head of the Agricultural College was gazing at the land with excitement. “Judging from this scene, is it time for harvest?”

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, that is indeed the case! This is the nature of potatoes. Once the vines and leaves turn yellow and the tendrils wither, it means that the tubers underground have stopped growing. Now is the perfect time to dig them up. If it's too early, the tubers will not be large and the yield will be insufficient; if it's too late, they may rot easily after the autumn rains."

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

This scholar, who has devoted his life to "investigating the principles of all things," felt like a candidate about to take the exam—both nervous and full of anticipation.

"Alright!" Zhu Youjian nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Then... let's dig! I want to see with my own eyes what kind of surprise this potato will bring me!"

At the emperor's command, the farmers who had been waiting there, led by students from the agricultural college, carried hoes and shovels and went into the fields.

They were all tenants of this "Emperor's Village".

Farming for the royal family not only exempted them from all taxes for three years, but more importantly, they were able to keep a full 30% of the annual harvest for themselves!
This means that the more grain one grows, the more one's own granary will have.

This is a hundred times better than receiving a fixed monthly wage, so everyone is putting in their best effort, wishing they could use every bit of their strength in the fields.

At a shout, dozens of hoes were raised simultaneously, and then they carefully dug under the withered vines.

"Hey!"

A sturdy farmer turned over a large clod of soil with a single stroke of his hoe.

As the soil tumbled, a cluster of bright yellow, round "fruits" rolled out.

The larger ones were as big as an adult's fist; the smaller ones were as big as eggs. There were as many as seven or eight in one nest.

"It's out!" the farmer exclaimed in delight.

His shout was like lighting a fuse.

In an instant, exclamations of surprise rose and fell along the ridges of the field.

"My goodness! There must be at least ten in this litter!"

"Look at mine over here! They're huge, each one probably weighs at least half a pound!"

"Good heavens! How can so much grain grow underground?"

The farmers dug and exclaimed in amazement.

They carefully parted the soil with their hands, holding the potatoes, each one still smelling of fresh earth, in their hands as if they were holding gold ingots, not grains of rice.

Zhu Youjian also walked down the ridge and came to a newly dug pit.

He squatted down, picked up the largest potato from the soil, and weighed it in his palm. It felt heavy and substantial.

He wiped away the dirt with his fingers, revealing the yellow outer skin.

A faint, earthy, fresh plant fragrance wafted into the air.

This is a potato!

This is the miraculous crop that can feed hundreds of millions of Chinese people!

An indescribable excitement welled up in Zhu Youjian's heart.

Behind him, Bi Ziyan, Song Yingxing, and a group of accompanying officials from the Ministry of Revenue and teachers and students from the Agricultural College were dumbfounded at the sight of the bountiful harvest. In particular, Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, an old minister who controlled the Ming Dynasty's purse strings, had tears streaming down his usually stern face.

He walked forward shakily, and like the emperor, squatted down and picked up a potato from the ground.

He repeatedly stroked the smooth surface with his hands, which were slightly thin from years of reviewing official documents, feeling its heavy weight.

“Yield per mu…yield per mu…” His lips trembled as he muttered to himself.

Song Yingxing also came over at this moment, his eyes also glistening with tears, but more than that, they were filled with the ecstatic joy of a scholar's dream coming true.

He replied loudly to Bi Ziyan, "Lord Bi! The students have already made a rough estimate! Judging from the current situation, this acre of land will definitely produce no less than two thousand catties of these immortal beans! If it is well tended and the weather is favorable, four thousand catties is not difficult!"

“Four…four thousand jin?” Bi Ziyan suddenly raised his head, his wrinkled face filled with shock and ecstasy. “Mr. Chang Geng, is this true?!”

You should know that in the fields of the north today, in a year with favorable weather, a harvest of three or four hundred catties of wheat per mu is considered a great bumper year!
The yield of potatoes is ten times that of wheat!
This is hardly grain.

This is clearly a life-saving elixir bestowed upon the people of the Great Ming by the heavens and His Majesty!
With a thud, the Minister of Revenue could no longer control his emotions. He knelt down in the direction of Zhu Youjian and burst into tears, crying out, "Your Majesty! Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! With this divine object, the millions of people of our Great Ming are saved! Saved!"

His kneeling and weeping seemed to be a signal.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the teachers and students of the Agricultural College, and even the farmers in the fields behind him all seemed to be infected by the spirit.

Looking at the mountain of potatoes, they thought of their hungry children and the hard times of lean season, and were overwhelmed with emotion.

"Thump, thump..."

A large number of people knelt down on the ridges and between the paddy fields.

They didn't use fancy words; they simply expressed their gratitude in the most basic and sincere way.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

The roaring shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, echoed across the fields for a long time.

Zhu Youjian stood there, deeply moved by this unexpected scene.

Looking at the officials and common people kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, he truly understood how deep and fervent the people of this land felt for the word "harvest"!
It is a deep-seated attachment to the land and a yearning for food, etched into one's bones and flowing in one's blood.

China's foundation lies in agriculture.

At this moment, it felt so real, so heavy.

He quickly stepped forward and personally helped Bi Ziyan up, saying gently, "Minister Bi, please rise. Everyone, please rise. This is Heaven's blessing on our Great Ming, and also the result of your hard work. Why perform such a grand ceremony?"

He looked around at the crowd, his voice echoing across the entire field: "Today, I, along with all my officials and elders, celebrate this bountiful harvest!"

Once everyone had calmed down, Zhu Youjian issued an imperial decree.

"Minister Bi," he said to Bi Ziyan, "transmit my decree. Most of the potatoes planted this year, whether from here or from Tianzitun in all parts of Beizhili, should be used as seed. The Ministry of Revenue should purchase them and store them properly. I want these life-saving seeds to be sown throughout the northern provinces next spring!"

Bi Ziyan quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I obey! I have already inquired with the teachers at the Agricultural College. I have also consulted some miscellaneous records and heard that in the early years, a few people in Henan had obtained this plant and cultivated it."

According to their experience, if we plant spring potatoes next year, we can generally harvest them around June or July. This way, the soil will still be fertile enough to plant another crop in the second half of the year, without missing the planting season. Two harvests from one plot of land—the benefits are immense!

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Song Yingxing: "Chang Geng, although this trial planting yielded a bumper harvest, there must be areas for improvement."

I hereby order your Agricultural Academy to immediately conduct a comprehensive review of this planting process, from seed selection, seedling cultivation, fertilization, pest control, to the final harvest and storage.

All the gains and losses were recorded and compiled into a book.

"I want you to perfect the methods of potato cultivation, and improve them all next year! I don't expect a yield of 4,000 catties per mu, but I do hope that the yield per mu will be consistently three to four times that of wheat. Is that possible?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing's spirits lifted considerably.

His Majesty's pragmatic, truth-seeking, and perfectionist attitude is what he admires most!

He bowed deeply and said loudly, "Your Majesty, rest assured! Your subject and colleagues from the Agricultural College will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations! After this battle, we have gained confidence!"

"Good! I await your good news!" Zhu Youjian was overjoyed.

He turned to Bi Ziyan again, his tone becoming solemn, "The Ministry of Revenue can now begin preparations for next year's spring planting! Survey all suitable land for potato cultivation, register it, and plan ahead for the necessary seed potatoes, tools, and manpower. I want next year's agriculture to be like a military campaign—we must not fight unprepared battles!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Bi Ziyan quickly replied.

He is now completely accustomed to the emperor's governing style, which emphasizes preparation, planning, setting goals, efficient implementation, summarizing experiences, and promoting best practices after achieving results.
This approach, while keeping lower-level officials extremely busy, also yields tangible results.

Compared to the old style of constantly changing policies or engaging in empty talk and discussions without any practical approach, this is infinitely better.

Looking at the mountain of potatoes before him and at the excited subjects around him, Zhu Youjian was also filled with overwhelming emotion.

He knew that with this, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty would truly be solidified.

He brought down countless corrupt officials and confiscated billions of dollars in wealth, but none of that could compare to the sense of security this bountiful harvest brought him.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Youjian's gaze unconsciously turned to the northwest again, towards the Loess Plateau—the direction of Shaanxi.

For the next few years or even more than a decade, that place will remain a bottomless pit that will continue to devour lives and money!

Zhu Youjian knew that although he had temporarily stabilized the situation in Shaanxi over the past year through a series of measures such as transporting grain to Shaanxi, recruiting refugees into the army, and establishing "Emperor's Villages," he had not allowed the prairie fire to spread completely throughout the north.

However, this is only a temporary measure.

The natural disasters during the Little Ice Age were continuous and devastating.

Drought, locust plagues, and epidemics will follow one after another like maggots clinging to bones.

Without more and more stable food sources as the most solid guarantee, the continuous disasters will likely cause countless people to die.

In this way, whether he wants to free up his hands to deal with Liaodong or to implement other new policies, he will inevitably be severely hampered by this fire in his backyard.

The devastating disaster in Shaanxi, and indeed throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, remained the sharpest sword hanging over his head.

(End of this chapter)