Two days later, Liu Yan rode out of the city and arrived at a village seven miles north of Qingzhou Fucheng. At this time, the Minister of Agriculture Zhang Lei and his consultant Du Feng had arrived in advance. They and a group of farmers were discussing something in the farmland outside the village. .
Miao Shao led a team of guards to guard the surroundings. Dozens of cavalry rode to the fields. They dismounted and walked into the field ridges for fear of trampling on the seedlings in the ground.
Liu Yan also walked into the field and looked at the planted seedlings, but there was no joy on his face.
All the seedlings in the field looked listless, and the soil in the field was dry and powdery. You could even see a lot of cracks, which showed how little rain there was this year!
"Subordinate, please see the Lord Headquarters!"
Liu Yan waved his hand to tell Zhang Lei and Du Feng not to be polite, and then asked: "Have the sweet potato seedlings been planted?"
"It's planted, right in front."
Liu Yan followed Zhang Lei, Du Feng and others to a farmland ahead, where dozens of sweet potato seedlings had been planted.
Zhang Lei said: "In the main town, Du Feng was used as a serf by the Francois in Luzon. He learned many techniques of sweet potato cultivation. Let Du Feng introduce it to the main town first."
"okay!"
Du Feng began to introduce: "Master of the town, planting this sweet potato is relatively simple. It is mainly divided into four steps: selecting the land and preparing the soil, processing the seed potatoes, planting them into the soil, and post-care."
"Selection of land and preparation means choosing cultivated land with easy drainage and deep soil. All debris on the land must be cleared, and then the soil should be plowed and dried once, and then fertilizers should be applied in advance."
“As for the selection of seed potatoes, you should actually bury the plump sweet potatoes in moist sandy soil first to allow the sweet potatoes to grow.
Generally, sweet potatoes will sprout buds in six to seven days. Then cut the sprouted sweet potatoes into small pieces, with at least two or three sprouts on each piece. "
"When planting, dig a trench in the field, bury the seed potatoes in a shallow trench, and cover it with a thin layer of soil."
"When caring for the sweet potatoes in the future, be careful not to catch the cold and pay attention to drainage."
"In general, sweet potatoes are very cold-tolerant, but not water-logging, as long as they are watered appropriately."
Liu Yan squatted down and carefully observed the sweet potato seedlings that had been inserted into the soil, and said, "You are talking about the method of planting and multiplying sweet potatoes. Are these seedlings inserted directly into the soil?"
Du Feng said: "Yes, in fact, these seedlings are the sweet potatoes that gradually grow after they sprout. In Luzon, the grown seedlings are directly selected and inserted directly into the soil for planting. After planting, the soil is pressed Realize it, and then take care of it and water it regularly.”
Liu Yan nodded and said with a smile: "Just plant them all. From today on, Consultant Du will have to work hard. He and the people from the Ministry of Agriculture will have to eat and live here day and night. This town will also leave some people behind." The new army is on guard here."
"Except for the farmers who are helping with the farming and relevant personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture, no one is allowed to come near this place without a warrant from this town!"
Miao Shao, Du Feng, and Zhang Lei took orders one after another.
Then Liu Yan pointed to the four farmers behind them and asked, "Are those farmers hired by the Ministry of Agriculture?"
Zhang Lei said: "Those four people are a father and son. They are farmers in this village. This farmland belongs to their family."
"My subordinates looked with Consultant Du for a while and found that their land is more suitable for growing sweet potatoes, so I discussed with them
The land was requisitioned. "
"How did you talk about it?"
Liu Yan warned: "Don't let the people suffer because of trying to grow sweet potatoes."
Zhang Lei hurriedly said: "Don't worry, headquarter. This is what my subordinates will do: The land will be acquired for one year, and the four of them, father and son, will participate as helpers. Each person will be given a ration of one stone per month. After half a year, if the sweet potatoes are harvested, The Ministry of Agriculture purchased them at a price that was 20% higher than the price of grain at that time, and they asked for grain, silver coins, and copper coins, whatever they wanted."
"If the trial planting of sweet potatoes fails and there is no harvest, the Ministry of Agriculture will use the harvest amount of the land in a good harvest year, plus 20% plus the current grain price, to compensate."
Liu Yan nodded with satisfaction and said: "Very good, officials must put the people first, otherwise they will harm the people!"
Zhang Lei, Miao Shao and others clasped their fists and said, "I will teach you!"
Then Liu Yan called the father and son to the front. The four people had obviously never seen such a battle, and they all knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Liu Yan.
Liu Yan ordered people to pull the father and son up, and then said with a smile: "This time you follow Minister Zhang and Advisor Du and work hard. This town will never treat you badly. In the future, if this potato promotion is successful, your family can be the first batch." Plant it. This town can assure you that sweet potatoes are absolutely high-yield and very delicious. They will be an important ration for our Qinglai Town in the future and can save the people from hunger!"
The father and son thanked him repeatedly.
Then Liu Yan, accompanied by Zhang Lei and Du Feng, came to a house not far away.
In order to test the cultivation of sweet potatoes, the Ministry of Agriculture specially sent people to rent a private house near the farmland as a residence for Zhang Lei, Du Feng and others.
Place.
Liu Yan entered the house and took a look. He saw a few wooden beds, some daily necessities and cooking utensils, but nothing else. It was very simple.
"I have wronged you. After the sweet potato trial is over, this town will host a banquet for you."
"Thank you, Lord Mayor."
Then Liu Yan said to Zhang Lei: "Okay, Minister Zhang, go and do your work first. There are some things in this town that I need to ask Advisor Du."
Zhang Lei was stunned for a moment, then he clasped his fists and accepted the order. When he went out, he even closed the door behind him.
Du Feng was a little overwhelmed and stood aside not knowing what to say.
"Haha, relax and sit down first. This town is asking questions, not interrogating."
"yes."
After Du Feng sat down, Liu Yan asked, "Tell me about little Lu Song and Fo Langji. Be more detailed. Tell me everything you know and are familiar with. This town is very interested."
Little Luzon is actually the city of Manila. At this time, the Ming Dynasty used to call it Little Luzon, and the entire Luzon Island was called Great Luzon.
In fact, Liu Yan is quite familiar with Luzon.
Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Chinese merchant ships have often come here for trade. There are special descriptions in "Xiyang Kao" and "Ming History Foreign Biography".
The distinction between Greater Luzon and Little Luzon in Luzon during the Ming Dynasty began when Hanzhu Island in Luzon Prefecture was invaded by Spain in 1571 AD. Therefore, "Hai Lu" was translated as "Little Luzon" and "Little Luzon". Song called the entire Philippines under Spanish rule.
Since ancient times, Luzon has been rich in gold, with abundant products and prosperous trade. From the fifth year of Hongwu to the eighth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, three envoys were sent to visit the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty court also sent envoys to apply for employment in 1405.
In the third year of Yongle's reign in the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Guarantees, commanded a huge fleet to Luzon.
, that is, following the imperial edict of Emperor Yongle, Xu Chailao, the leader of overseas Chinese in Jinjiang, was appointed as the governor of Luzon, taking charge of the country's political, economic, military, and cultural powers, and began the period of Ming Dynasty's overseas jurisdiction over Luzon. Although it only lasted for about 20 years during Xu Chailao's reign, it is indeed true that the Ming Dynasty once controlled Luzon and cannot be refuted.
During this period, Xu Chailao spared no effort to promote Han culture, implement the rule of Confucianism, etiquette and benevolence, spread the advanced technology of agriculture, fishery, industry and commerce in southern Fujian, and develop shipbuilding, textiles, pottery, and tea planting and wedding industries, which contributed to Luzon's social stability, economy and trade. development and the prosperity of literature and art.
It was also during this period that the number of Han people in various parts of Luzon began to surge. Unfortunately, sweet potatoes did not receive attention during this period and did not spread to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty.
Then in the 16th century, Spanish colonists invaded the northern Philippines and encountered stubborn resistance in the Manila area. After Rajah (King) Suleiman fought bravely against the Spanish invasion and was defeated, Luzon was gradually conquered by Spain.
Of course, these are just general historical situations. Even if Liu Yan still remembers them, he does not understand the real situation in Luzon at that time.
Du Feng thought for a while, organized his words, and then said: "In the main town, the current Little Luzon is being squeezed to a great extent by the Folangji people. Both the local natives and the people of the Ming Dynasty who migrated there are all being squeezed. The Flemish people were enslaved and shouldered very heavy taxes and corvees.”
"The old man is like this over there. He works for the Folangji people almost for more than 20 days every month. If he slacks off even a little bit, he will be beaten. The old man once saw with his own eyes that my daughter from the Han family was beaten.
They were gang-raped in the street, and their family members were executed not far away. It was horrific! "
Liu Yan frowned, with anger lingering in his heart, and said: "How is the city defense of Manila, that is, Little Luzon, now, and what is the situation at the seaport?"
"Little Luzon was built by the Folangji people later. It was expanded and reinforced on the basis of the Royal City of Luzon. The city is different from the square city walls of the Ming Dynasty, but is similar to a rhombus, with many turrets, both inside and outside. There are two walls, several trenches outside, and countless artillery deployed in the city.”
"Little Luzon City is backed by a harbor, and in the harbor is the Franconian fleet of ships. Each ship is equipped with dozens of artillery pieces, plus the artillery stationed in Little Luzon City, as well as the stone city walls. Those Buddhas The Langji people once boasted to Haikou that no one could conquer the city of Manila unless their gods came!”
"snort!"
Liu Yan was also unhappy.
At this time, the Francois entrenched in Luzon were actually Spanish colonists. Liu Yan asked about the Spanish military strength.
Du Feng said: "I don't know about this young man, but there are a lot of Folangji people in the city, and most of them use fire blunderbuss. They are very sharp, no worse than the new military bird gunmen under the command of the main town."
"In addition, the Folangji people also pulled up a group of native soldiers and horses. Although the equipment was poor, the number was large, it is said that there were hundreds of thousands of people. Those natives were good at using bows, arrows and poison darts, and they were very brave."
Liu Yan nodded. Although he was very angry with the Spaniards and was not afraid at all, he had to admit that with the current strength of Qinglai Town and the situation inside and outside the Ming Dynasty, Liu Yan was not able to make a fuss about Lu Song.
"
well! Originally, I wanted to wait until the fleet was built, find a way to remain friendly with Zheng Zhilong, and then trade with the Spanish. Now it seems that this idea is a bit too wishful thinking. These two are man-eating wolves, one is a separatist warlord and the other is a colonist. It is impossible for them to have friendly relations with the generals of the Ming Dynasty. "
Liu Yan sighed and said: "This town is clear. If you think of anything in the future, this town will ask you at any time. Consultant Du should go and do his work first."
"yes."
After Du Feng went out, Liu Yan also came out and looked not far away, and saw people working in the fields. Although there was a severe drought, the farmers in the village were still working hard, even if there was only a little harvest, or even no harvest. .
The people of the Han family are so industrious and even work hard without complaint. As long as there is a chance of survival and a chance of living, they will work like old scalpers.
It can be said that the Han nation is the most perfect, hard-working, wisest and bravest nation in the world. But this nation, which is comparable to the silver man in the sky, is so troubled.
For thousands of years, various disasters and foreign enemies of the Hu tribe have taken turns to crush the Han nation and suck their blood! However, the Han nation has persisted tenaciously for five thousand years and remains standing!
"Only this time, can I prevent the Jiashen national disaster from happening and bring the Han family back to its peak?"
Liu Yan still lacked confidence in his heart. After all, under the majesty of history, no matter how strong an individual's ability is, he will inevitably be crushed into the dust of history.
But when Liu Yan saw the farmers working hard on the dry land ahead, those
With the officers and soldiers of the New Army holding their heads high and alert, Liu Yan was filled with fighting spirit and confidence: "With such people and such soldiers, there is no need to worry about failing to accomplish a great cause!"
