717【Country of Pig Raising and Cultural Prosperity】
Chen Xisong showed his identity card, and the Imperial City guards immediately let him go and took him in to drink tea and wait.
The female officer quickly went to report, and within half an hour, Chen Xisong was allowed to meet the emperor.
There are currently less than ten officials with this kind of treatment. Among them, Chen Xisong is the only fifth-grade official. He can go to the Forbidden City to meet the Holy Spirit at any time.
"Your Majesty, Dr. Chen is here."
"Let him in."
Chen Xisong quickly entered the side hall and said with a joyful face: "I pay homage to Your Majesty!"
"Sit down." Zhao Han said with a smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Chen Xisong was already familiar with the traffic. He sat down on the bench as if he had come to drink tea with an old friend.
Zhao Han asked curiously: "What else is there to receive?"
Chen Xisong couldn't wait to say: "Your Majesty, it's a pig...ah, no, I'm trying to persuade the Agriculture Department to breed good pigs."
The original Agricultural Promotion Office has been upgraded to the Agricultural Promotion Department, which has three offices: Animal Husbandry, Fruit and Vegetables, and Grain. It is responsible for cultivating improved varieties and guiding local officials to promote high-quality crops and livestock.
Zhao Han asked: "What's a good way?"
Chen Xisong said: "This new type of pig is large, matures early, grows quickly, is docile and is easy to fatten."
"Then it's a really good pig. How did you breed it?" Zhao Han asked with great interest.
Zhao Han seemed particularly happy every time Chen Xisong entered the palace. The female officials and maids also liked to see Chen Xisong. The emperor must be very talkative today.
Chen Xisong said: "After arriving in Nanjing, it was still the Agricultural Encouragement Office, and we were already cultivating pig breeds. Jianghuai pigs have big ears, Hebei pigs have thick skin, Shandong pigs have short feet, Liaodong pigs have white heads, and Henan pigs have a light taste (
The pigs in Jiangnan have small ears, and the pigs in Guangdong are fat and white... Pig breeds in different places have different characteristics. Therefore, I conducted crossbreeds and selected the best offspring for breeding."
Chen Xisong spoke faster and faster, and continued: "The best pig breed to cultivate is the cross between Taihu's big flower-faced pig and Jintan's rice pig.' Big flower-faced pig has a big body and thick bones.
They have thick skin, moderate fatness and thinness. The disadvantage is that they grow slowly. They are also called "sand pigs" or "thick-skinned pigs" among the people... The offspring of big-painted-faced and rice-pig pigs retain the advantages of big-painted faces and large bodies, become fatter, and give birth to more offspring.
More. After three or four generations of cross-breeding, the characteristics became stable, and Chen et al. called them 'Misha pigs'."
Suddenly, Chen Xisong stood up in excitement, paced back and forth and said: "Misha pigs are already very good, but there are better ones! Crossing Misha pigs with Guangdong gray and white pigs will show results in the first litter. This kind
New pigs grow very quickly and are quite large. Sows can be bred after half a year of raising them. The first litter will produce at least ten piglets, and more will be born from the second litter. The maximum number of litters is one sow, and one litter will last
Eighteen piglets were born! And the characteristics are also very stable. Compared with the big-faced piglets, the pigskin becomes thinner and the fatter is much longer!"
Having a lot of fat was not a disadvantage in ancient times, but a very pleasing advantage.
Chen Xisong took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Zhao Han from the female officer: "Your Majesty, please name the new pig!"
Zhao Han finally read the paper and saw that the pig name column was empty, and the rest were the characteristics of the pig: big body, thin skin, fat meat, short feet, small ears,
Black and white, pure white, pure black. It matures quickly, has many litters, and is easy to fatten. It is actually the top grade of pigs.
Zhao Han commented with a smile: "If things are prosperous and the people are prosperous, and the country is peaceful and peaceful, let's call it 'Cathay Pig'. We can promote it in Jinling Prefecture first, and let the big pig farmers around Nanjing buy a few piglets and try it out."
After the big farmers have tasted the benefits, they will definitely take the initiative to breed them next year. Ordinary farmers will definitely be jealous when they see it, and this Cathay pig can be promoted. "
"Your Majesty is wise!" Chen Xisong immediately flattered.
Zhao Han thought for a while: "You have worked really hard these years. If Datong can have abundant crops and prosperous livestock, you will also have a great contribution to it. I can't treat you badly, so I will name you as the Guanong Bo and the Guanong Secretary.
If you make a list of those who have made meritorious deeds, they will be rewarded as appropriate."
I had also given rewards before, but this time I was so generous that I actually made an earl directly.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"
Chen Xisong was overjoyed that the pig farming land actually gave him the title of earl.
The reason why Zhao Han is so generous is that pigs are too important. The second senior brother has long been the main source of meat for the Chinese people.
Castrating pigs did not start in the Song Dynasty, but existed as early as the Pre-Qin Dynasty. It was only popularized on a large scale during the Song and Ming Dynasties.
"The Book of Changes" says: "The teeth of the pig are auspicious."
In human terms, even if a castrated pig has a docile temperament, it will not cause any harm even if it has sharp teeth.
"Book of Rites" says: A pig is as strong as a rat, and a dolphin is as strong as a shield.
Uncut pigs, with thick skin and thick hair, are called pigs. Castrated pigs, with fat and round buttocks, are called pigs.
The word "home" refers to an uncastrated pig (hog) with a roof on top. If there is a roof and pigs, it is considered a home.
In a small farmer's home, build a pigsty and raise two or three pigs. Pour the leftovers in and add some pig grass. You don't have to worry about taking care of it. They can be sold in half a year. Pigs poop a lot and can be used as farm fertilizer.
, there is also enough fertilizer for growing food.
With all these benefits, small farmers have benefited so much that it’s no wonder that pigs were called “black gold” in ancient times (mostly black pigs in China).
China's pig raising technology and pig breeding technology have always been world-leading.
The Roman pigs in Europe are hybrids of pigs introduced from South China during the Tang Dynasty.
The Yorkshire pig in the UK has not yet appeared. It was introduced to the UK in the early 18th century from Cantonese pigs and was crossbred with Thai pigs and British pigs. The Large White pig, which is the most widely distributed in later generations, almost dominates the world's pork market. That thing
Er is a cross-breeding of British Yorkshire pigs and is a hybrid offspring of Chinese Guangdong pigs.
The "Cathay pig" named by Zhao Han combines the characteristics of Taihu sand pig, Jintan rice pig and Guangdong gray pig, but its appearance is more like Taihu sand pig.
The more Zhao Han thought about it, the more comfortable he felt. He took up his pen and wrote down the words "The grain is plentiful and the livestock are prosperous" and said: "Hang it in the Yamen of the Agriculture Department and find a craftsman to carve the sign!"
Chen Xisong bowed and stepped back, walking with a wind in his eyes.
If you go to the Agricultural Persuasion Department with your imperial pen and calligraphy treasure, who the hell dares to make a mistake?
Ministry of Rites.
Chen Maosheng has joined the cabinet as prime minister, and the Ministry of Rites is now in charge of Wang Tiaoding.
The emperor's decree came, and the canonization of an earl was a big matter, and it had to be handled personally by the Minister of Rites.
"Persuading the farmer?" Wang Diaoding felt strange.
Liu Mai, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, smiled and said: "I heard that Mr. Chen raised good pigs, and His Majesty was so pleased that he made him a count. This is rare in ancient times and modern times.
I’m afraid it will spread throughout Nanjing in a few days.”
Wang Tiaoding said: "The Agricultural Bureau has made great achievements. They promoted Chinese cabbage. Now it is a winter delicacy for high-ranking officials and ordinary people. In the past two years, I heard that after corn and sweet potatoes, the Agricultural Bureau is promoting it again.
Potatoes. This must be a good pig. A new breed of pig has been bred. Pork may be cheaper in the future."
Liu Mai nodded and said: "If this is true, it will be beneficial to the country and the people."
Liu Mai also belongs to the veteran faction. He was originally a boy from Yongyang Town, Luling County. Not only did he have profound qualifications, he also had outstanding political achievements. He was the first right-hand chief envoy in Guangdong and was fully qualified to hold the post of minister.
Liu Ziren, who had just joined the cabinet as prime minister, was the first left-wing political envoy in Guangdong. Both of them had the surname Liu, and their hometowns were not far away. After recounting their genealogy, they could be said to be distant brothers.
Isn’t there a relationship?
There are many such situations, so they become entangled. Jiangxi officials not only have three major factions, but also various small groups.
Wang Tiaoding said: "Let the people below engrave Mr. Chen's earl seal. Before Mr. Chen Ge (Chen Maosheng) joined the cabinet, he had already decided to advance the school age. I think there is no need to discuss it anymore and just go directly to His Majesty.
."
The entry age for primary school was originally set at 7 to 10 years old, and anyone can enroll during this period.
Chen Maosheng plans to advance the school entrance age to six years old, which will benefit poor children.
Wealthy families who value education often start their children's education at the age of five. By the time they start primary school at the age of seven, they already know a lot of words, and their academic performance immediately puts them ahead of poor children.
In recent years, many scholars from the previous dynasty who were not qualified to be officials have begun to learn new courses on their own. Then, they were invited by wealthy families to work as private tutors and paid high salaries to make up lessons for their children. As a result, the academic performance of wealthy children has also deteriorated.
Throw away the poor children as a whole.
Compared with before, the results of entrance examinations in various provinces now show that more and more students come from wealthy families.
What Chen Maosheng can do is to advance the school age so that poor children can gain enlightenment earlier.
There is another phenomenon that makes Chen Maosheng very helpless.
Local officials are becoming more and more lax about the issue of children's schooling. Not to mention mountainous areas, even in county towns, many children do not come to study because of the cancellation of free lunches. The local officials completely turn a blind eye.
When Chen Maosheng was the Minister of Rites, in addition to formulating general strategies, he could only take charge of the specific matters inside and outside Nanjing.
He often travels incognito, wandering around the city and outside. Once it is found that school-age children are not studying, officials will be blamed. The chief of the etiquette department of Jiangning and Shangyuan counties was ordered by Chen Maosheng to abort three of them.
This matter made the local officials in Nanjing complain endlessly. The first thing the etiquette section chief in charge of education did when he took office was to check out the children who were out of school. Those over ten years old did not need to be concerned, but those under ten years old must study. Who doesn't let their children study?
, let the magistrate punish his parents severely.
Today, within and outside Nanjing, the enrollment rate for school-age children under the age of ten is certainly not 100%, but 70%.
But the quality of education is getting worse because there are too many students.
In the city of Nanjing, the number of schools continues to increase, and classrooms are overcrowded. There are dozens of people in a class, and teachers can't take care of them at all. Many schools in low-level neighborhoods are purely herding-style teaching, and teachers are too lazy to care if they sleep in class.
But, no matter how much I mess around, after three years of primary school, I can still write letters in vernacular, and read vernacular novels.
The direct result of such education is that popular books in Nanjing are selling like hotcakes.
After finishing elementary school, most of the children went to work as apprentices or find other jobs. They finally made some money, but they didn't have a family yet, and they didn't have any other entertainment projects, so they just read some novels and newspapers.
Book rental shops have appeared in Nanjing. You can rent novels back by paying a deposit.
You can even rent newspapers, and the rent is very low. They are all tabloids, full of vernacular articles, and even serialized popular novels.
Throughout Jinling Prefecture, tabloids have grown rapidly. Including those that have gone bankrupt, more than 40 have been opened one after another. There are also gossips about celebrities, whether a certain brothel has elected an oiran, and who has become a famous actor in the bar or theater.
This is a genre that young people who don’t read much but are literate like to watch.
