Lao Zhu originally wanted to use his imperial power to suppress this matter. Now that Zhu Su had come forward, he just stood aside and watched with cold eyes. When Zhu Su announced that he would bet with Lian Zining and others, he looked at Prince Zhu Biao with a gloating smile on his lips.
Over there, the censors had begun to whisper. Lian Zining turned around, discussed with his conservative colleagues for a while, and said to Zhu Su: "Can your Highness really guarantee that if the corn output is insufficient, you will teach me not to talk about maritime affairs?"
"As a gentleman, a horse is hard to catch. But if I win, all the princes will be willing to go to Fengming Continent."
"By what criteria will victory or defeat be determined?"
"How does the yield of corn compare with the grain produced in ordinary fields?"
"Okay, we will have a bet with His Highness. If we lose, we will go thousands of miles away to open up Fengming Continent for the Ming Dynasty. Your Highness may not believe it, but we also hope that what His Highness said is true. There are really gods in this world. , so that the people of Ming Dynasty will never be hungry again..."
What Lian Zining said is true. Among the problems that still exist in the Ming Dynasty today, population and grain production are the two most critical ones. The growth of population is closely related to the adequacy of food. If there really was a divine seed in the world that could increase the Ming Dynasty's yield, they would be happy even if they were sent to the barren land of Fengming Continent.
It's a pity that Lian Zining doesn't believe it, not to mention the "magic seed" with a yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu, but even a new crop like corn, whose yield per mu slightly exceeds that of traditional crops. Chinese people have been cultivating rice for thousands of years. During this period, they have experienced countless explorations and improvements in farming methods, and they have figured out many tricks and methods for handling crops. Farmers have passed these methods down orally from generation to generation, and the court and officials have People of knowledge have exerted great efforts to pass on and promote these methods, and this has led to the current yield of China's fields.
How is it possible that a new crop randomly obtained from a barbaric land can produce more than the traditional crops that have been accumulated for thousands of years in China?
In their eyes, this good-looking "corn" is just like a pig with gold foil pretending to be a unicorn.
It's just a trick to deceive the king, it can't really be a treasure.
Lian Zining, on behalf of the conservative censors, high-fived Zhu Su three times, which meant that the bet was completed. Throughout the whole process, Lao Zhu just watched from the sidelines and could not comment on the bet. At the end, he only said that he would temporarily put aside the rewards of Zhang He and Tie Xuan until the outcome of the bet was known.
If the corn yield per acre is indeed better than that of traditional crops, Zhang He Tiexuan and the soldiers who went to Fengmingzhou will naturally be greatly rewarded. But if the corn is just an illusion, it means that these two people are suspected of deceiving the emperor. If they reward them now and punish them later, they will lose the dignity of the court.
A court meeting was quite anticlimactic. When Yang Shiqi walked out of Fengtian Hall, he was quite downcast. He asked Zhu Su in a low voice: "Your Majesty already intends to punish those pedantic censors, so why do you need to step forward?"
"This, isn't this an extraneous problem? If the corn yield is really insufficient, wouldn't it be..."
"Besides, it will take at least four or five months to wait for the corn to mature..."
He wanted to prove himself so much that he wished that Ming's fleet would go to sea for the second time tomorrow. If I wait another four or five months, I really feel that it is too long.
"Shiqi, you are too anxious." Zhu Su smiled and said to Yang Shiqi. Yang Shiqi was a man of extraordinary talent. Historically, he was depressed in his early days and traveled widely to study and make a living by teaching apprentices. By the time he was in middle age, he was admitted to the Hanlin Academy. His anxiety had already calmed down during his study tour, and he had acquired the demeanor of a prime minister.
But now Yang Shiqi was appreciated early in the Imperial College and had an official status early due to the reform of the imperial examination system. However, due to the lack of tempering, there is still a big gap between Yang Shiqi, the prime minister of the Five Dynasties in history. In order to allow this great talent to transform as soon as possible, Zhu Su was also happy to give him a few more tips. "What do you think His Majesty's main purpose is to establish the Maritime Safety Bureau?"
"It's to... to bring overseas places such as Fengming Continent under our Chinese control as soon as possible." Yang Shiqi replied. As soon as he finished speaking, he himself was stunned for a moment, and then he was thoughtful.
"It seems you understand?"
"Yes, the student understands." Yang Shiqi bowed to Zhu Su, and the anxiety in his body had dissipated a lot. "Your Highness wants to trick these censors into going to Fengmingzhou so that they can spread education there..."
"...I was just about to compliment you, but a dog can't spit out ivory." Zhu Su laughed and scolded Yang Shiqi. "What is cheating? Can it be called cheating if something is planned for China?"
As he spoke, Zhu Su continued: "Whenever we want to open up territory and change barbarians into summer, we can't leave behind the four words 'Wenzhi and Wugong'. Use force to defend the land, use culture to promote religion, and the word Wenzhi comes before martial arts." .”
"It would be fine if it were just around my Ming Dynasty, but the barbaric land of Fengmingzhou is not even a 'barbarian land', but a 'barbarian land' with nothing. In such a place, more scholars must be sent to educate the place. , making it our Chinese land for generations to come is actually the most difficult thing.”
"Lian Zining and others are not treacherous people, but they are somewhat rigid in their thinking. They are not a danger to the country. If my father is convicted for his words, it will chill the hearts of his ministers. It is better to find a reason to send them to Feng. Mingzhou, shine and heat.”
"With their efforts in Fengmingzhou, your Maritime Safety Administration will be able to achieve more achievements, right?"
Yang Shiqi nodded, remembering that Lian Zining and others were sent to Fengmingzhou to teach and teach, and they were transformed into officials of the Maritime Safety Administration. He wanted to laugh in his heart. He lowered his head and said, "His Highness said, Shiqi has been taught."
"It's just that Shiqi still doesn't know something. What if the corn comes from afar and is not acclimatized to the soil?"
"His Highness's bet was too risky after all, and the teaching students were really worried. It is imperative to go to sea, and there is no room for any discrepancies..."
Zhu Su knew that Yang Shiqi had little confidence in corn. He wanted to tell him the advantages of corn, but he also knew that he might not listen easily. After thinking about it, he changed his direction and said, "What do you think should be done about going to sea?" Promote? Is it the emperor's golden words or the princes in the court who have made a final decision that can promote this matter? "
Yang Shiqi was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment, looked solemn and said to Zhu Su, "Isn't it true? The students are ignorant, please help the students clear up their doubts."
"Actually, I made it very clear in the palace just now on how to promote going to sea." Zhu Su said. "As the saying goes, the general trend of the world is overwhelming. If you follow it, you will prosper; if you go against it, you will perish."
"To implement a national policy, it does not necessarily have to be based on temples. It should be based on reality and promote the tide of the times..."
(End of chapter)
