Xu Guangqi's vigorous promotion of new crops encountered resistance and ultimately failed.
Why is this so?
Those who are hungry are the common people, not the scholar-bureaucrats and the landlord class.
The Ming Dynasty was managed in a rough way, and it was impossible to do as well as later generations, only at the county level.
The vast countryside is controlled by clan gentry.
Whenever natural disasters reduce food production, the scholar-bureaucrats and landlords hoard and annex land on a large scale!
If the people in Shengdou plant high-yielding sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn and no longer starve to death, who will sell their land at a low price?
The peasants had no voice and could be ignored. The gentry not only did not support the promotion of new crops but also obstructed them. Xu Guangqi's efforts were of course in vain.
Huang Yi is different. His purpose is to obtain food as soon as possible, the more the better.
Therefore, he was considering whether he could ask Li Dong's family to send people to Gyeonggi to find Xu Guangqi's servant who was responsible for cultivating new crops.
No matter what varieties the Xu family cultivated, they had to buy some seeds and copy down the methods for growing new crops.
It's just that the capital is currently being ravaged by slaves and is in chaos. Whether Dong Li's family is willing to send someone there is another matter.
We have to find a way to trick Li Dong's family into helping with this matter.
One thing Huang Yi didn't know was that Li Dongjia was eager to find him.
In the twelfth lunar month, servants and assistants were dispatched to write the five characters "Pagoda Town River Demon" on conspicuous places on several main roads outside Zhangjiakou.
Li Dongjia's Li Weida used the heads of Jiannu and Tatars in his hands to seek promotions for several civil servants and military generals. He not only made money, but also gained connections.
There is no airtight wall, and scarce supplies such as the heads of slaves can be obtained, and the Li Dong family has become a legendary businessman.
Someone actually found out about the magic of Li Dongjia, and came to Zhangjiakou to ask Li Weida for customization.
Both of them have the surname Geng. They come from Taiyuan and are the two sons of the former governor of Shanxi.
Something big happened to the family of Mr. Geng and his two sons, and they urgently needed military service to rescue their father Geng Ruqi, who had been sent to Zhao Prison.
Lao Geng was very impressive before he was imprisoned. His official positions were Taipusi Qingqing, Youqiandu Yushi, and Shanxi governor.
The territories of Shanxi and Xuanda overlapped, so of course the merchants in Zhangjiakou had to give face to the governor of Shanxi.
The Li family is a family of officials and is familiar with the Geng family.
Therefore, the two young masters of the Geng family, Geng Zhangguang and Geng Zhanghua, took a detour to Zhangjiakou when they accompanied their mother back to her hometown.
I came to ask for help that day.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, including the eunuchs, can be compared to the fact that there were fewer people and more animals.
Officials and merchants were in collusion, and most of the nobles and high-ranking officials had nephews or sons who were doing business.
Li Weida's father and ancestors were also feudal officials who came from the imperial examination, and there are still several elders and peers who hold court officials.
Of course he has to receive the two young masters.
After all, Geng Ruqi was once a high-ranking official of a certain party, and he was a third-rank official.
The two young masters were surrounded by seventeen servants. Each of these servants was dressed in bright clothes and equipped with fine iron chainmail.
Li Weida didn't know what was going on and warmly received the two Geng masters. After listening to the Geng Zhangguang brothers explaining their intentions, he smiled bitterly.
Geng Zhangguang is the eldest son of Geng. He is twenty-seven years old and has a reputation as a scholar. He will definitely be able to take the imperial examination and become an official in the future.
The same could not be said for Li Weida. He failed to pass the exam many times and had to spend money to become a supervisor.
With the title of supervisor, the status is different. At least you don't have to kneel down when meeting the county magistrate.
Three months ago, it wouldn't have been easy for Li Weida to invite Geng Zhangguang for a drink. The eldest son of a feudal official had a great reputation and was very noble.
It was impossible for Li Weida to pass the imperial examination and become an official. He could only become a big businessman.
Merchants in the feudal dynasty must have good hands and eyes, and it is necessary to make good friends with officials.
Geng Ruqi's imprisonment does not mean anything.
The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was very interesting.
Today the civil servants who are in prison today and tomorrow the feudal officials are still in jail yesterday. Today there are many generals commanding thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.
Something happened to the Geng family, and lending a helping hand at this time was like helping the Geng family turn around. The rewards in the future would be limitless.
Of course Li Weida is willing to help.
He knew how urgent the Geng family was at this time and did not dare to overdo it. Tell the truth:
"To be honest with Brother Geng, I did get dozens of heads of Buddhist slaves and Tatars last November.
It's a pity that the hero who can conquer slaves and Tatars is missing and cannot be contacted. "
The Geng family is a wealthy family, with four sons and three daughters. The eldest, Geng Zhangguang, and the third, Geng Zhanghua, are legitimate sons.
In fact, they were not sure that Li Weida could get the heads of Jiannu and Tatars.
It's entirely because the situation is serious and the family can't think of any good solutions.
Based on hearsay that Li Weida, the owner of the Li family's business in Zhangjiakou, could obtain the heads of Jiannu and Tatars, he came here with the idea of giving it a try.
He just sought medical treatment because of his illness. Unexpectedly, Li Weida readily admitted it. Both of them were very happy. Geng Zhangguang said:
"Brother Li, nothing is difficult in the world, as long as you are willing to look for the hero with your heart, you can always find him!"
Geng Zhanghua is six years younger than Geng Zhangguang. He is 21 this year and is also a scholar. However, his grades are far inferior to those of his elder brother and he has no confidence in winning the exam.
He has an active temperament. He has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, riding and shooting, and he thinks he is proficient in bow and horse.
He said: "That strong man was able to obtain the heads of so many Buddhist slaves and Tatars, so he must have many men under his command, so the movement is bound to be huge.
Please tell Brother Li the general scope of the hero's activities. I will take a few servants to search for him tomorrow. "
Geng Ruji is a high official in the border area, and of course he has many servants with strong military skills.
Most of the servants who serve as guards are relatively good at fighting. They only recognize the family master and not the court, and they dare to fight to the death to protect the family master.
This is no lie. The governors in the late Ming Dynasty had much more power than the senior provincial officials in later generations. They were in charge of military affairs, civil affairs, and judiciary.
With such power, in the Ming Dynasty where corruption is common, it is natural that he can make a lot of money.
For your own safety and for the availability of your confidants, you must support your servants.
Geng Ruji's servants all came from Geng Ruji's hometown in Liaocheng, Shandong. Most of them were sons of the family and nephews of tenant farmers of the Geng family.
There is no way of knowing whether the servants are very powerful in combat, because they have never really fought.
But their loyalty is certainly not in question.
Therefore, Geng Zhanghua wanted to take a dozen of the strongest armored servants to find heroes who could defeat the slaves and Tatars.
This is actually the main reason for corruption among civil servants and military officers.
It is very expensive to support a household. The monthly income is no less than two taels of silver, and the food for a month requires at least one tael of silver.
Rewards for festivals, clothes for all seasons, etc. It would cost forty or fifty taels of silver a year to raise a servant.
The cost of a servant soldier is even more. Armor and weapons cost sixty taels of snowflake silver, and a good-quality bow and arrow cost ten or twenty taels of silver.
There are many officials who support dozens or hundreds of servants. Their salaries are not enough. Where does the money come from?
Of course you have to reach out everywhere!
