At this time, people were already planting sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn in the northern region. Corn was already considered a common crop! However, due to the taste of these crops and the inability to withstand taxes, the people did not like them very much.
Planting these things, sweet potatoes and potatoes, can only be regarded as a last resort, and it has not been widely popularized among the people.
Zhu Youjian's idea is to first open the way for the popularization of these high-yield crops through the planting of Huangzhuang this year, and then use two to three years to quickly spread them across the North China Plain.
In this era, the yield per mu of sweet potatoes and potatoes is about one thousand kilograms, and the starch obtained based on 15% starch is about 150 kilograms. But now the yield per mu of wheat is only about 150 kilograms. Excluding the bran, it can be about 100 kilograms.
A kilogram of flour is already pretty good. From this perspective, their yield is better than that of wheat.
In addition to being used to produce luncheon meat, starch can also be mixed with flour and eaten directly as mixed noodles. Sweet potatoes and potatoes are more drought-resistant than wheat and can be grown on a wider range of land. This is why Zhu Youjian vigorously promotes the cultivation of these crops.
one of the reasons.
Later studies found that by the mid-Qing Dynasty, potato crops accounted for only more than ten percent of the food consumed by the Chinese people. Therefore, it was concluded that sweet potatoes and potato crops did not contribute much to changing the food supply pattern. Zhu Youjian felt that
This conclusion is a bit too arbitrary. In addition to human consumption, potatoes can also be used to raise livestock in large quantities. With these things, the scale and efficiency of raising livestock will be greatly improved. These contributions cannot be ignored.
The process of crushing sweet potatoes and potatoes into powder is not difficult. It just requires crushing these things as much as possible, then adding water to precipitate them, and filtering them to precipitate the starch.
Although there was no more professional equipment, there were many people in the palace who could use it. They found a thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes, and then after two days of pressing, sedimentation and drying, more than a hundred kilograms of starch were finally obtained.
These starches were mixed with one-third of the flour and then made luncheon meat. After the luncheon meat was ready, Wang Chengen and others tasted it. They were all conquered by the taste. After making the canned meat, Zhu Youjian struck while the iron was hot.
, mixed noodles with 30% starch and 70% flour, and made noodles for everyone to try. They also loved the strong flour.
"Daban, it will take time for you to wait for news about brewing wine! I think the powdering process will explain the problem, right? Do you still think that growing these grains is useless?"
"Your Majesty, this old slave is so stupid. He didn't know that these grains have such great benefits! I almost delayed the Lord's important event. I will be punished by death." Faced with the facts, Wang Chengen admitted his mistakes obediently and had a good attitude towards admitting his guilt. Sweet Potato
He knew a little bit about the yield of potatoes and knew that it was not difficult to produce eight hundred and one thousand kilograms of these things per mu, and the land requirements for planting were not too high. Since one thousand kilograms of this thing can produce more than one hundred and fifty kilograms of flour, how could it be
This is definitely a breakthrough. The canned meat made from this powder is better than that made from flour and rice flour. It can also be mixed into flour and eaten as a staple food. This is simply great.
"Hey, this matter is so confirmed! This year, the planting area of sweet potatoes, jade, wheat and potatoes in Huangzhuang is no less than 60%. You are in charge of the internal affairs department, and all Huangzhuang stewards will be the first responsible person.
I will blame you for not being able to harvest enough grain after autumn. In addition to the proportion of growing these miscellaneous grains, there are also matters related to the water conservancy facilities of each imperial village and the re-cultivation of abandoned fields. We must allocate 100,000 from the palace.
The two silver coins are specially used to build water conservancy projects and restore the people's fields. I will give you the money, but you must achieve results."
"We will live up to the divine grace! We will definitely take care of the farming affairs of the imperial village and complete the goals assigned by the emperor."
"Daban, in addition to the current farm work, you also need to make some preparations. First, you have to ask the palace craftsmen to complete the flour crushing tools and processes so that these things can be used immediately during the autumn harvest. The other is
In the main palace, we need to run some factories for raising pigs and sheep, and prepare some cubs. When the autumn harvest comes, we can use these grains to raise more meat animals. After this autumn, the palace will also open a large winery.
, Make more wine and alcohol. Alcohol is a good medicine for healing. Keep more alcohol, which will be of great use in war. The extra wine can also be mixed with water and sold outside, which will also be a big income for the palace."
This year, the emperor's arrangements made Wang Chengen very excited. He began to have great expectations for this year! According to these arrangements, as long as they are implemented in place, by the end of this year, the palace will basically not need food from outside. The situation
The good thing is that we can also have a lot of food for takeout.
In addition to food, there are also wineries for making canned meat, which will be a big business. This year, I made a batch of canned meat on a small scale, and it was very popular in the Beijing market. It was originally put on the market as emergency food, but it turned out that
The sales volume of this thing has exploded, and the supply exceeds the demand, and it has even become a hot commodity for people in the capital during the Chinese New Year. If we can make a large amount of this thing after autumn, it will definitely sell well and make a lot of money.
As for wine, let alone it. If what the emperor said is correct, there will be a large amount of wine in the Qiuhou Palace that can be sold on the market, and it will be easy to make money.
In other words, as long as the grain planting plan is completed, the money earned by the palace this year is likely to be double that of last year. Thinking of this money scene? Even Wang Chengen, who has seen big money, cannot calm down!
"Everyone knows the plan of the emperor! Now I will make it clear to you. When each family goes back, they will keep a close eye on their own stalls. When the performance evaluation comes after the autumn, if there is not so much food, the brains will not be saved.
It's light. The Za family has thought carefully about the task given by the emperor, and it is not difficult to achieve. The key is to see whether it is done carefully. This time the palace is spending real money to do things, and the Qian Za family will keep an eye on each stroke.
Anyone who doesn’t need the space will be beaten to death with sticks. When the task is completed, the emperor and the Za family will not suffer any loss from you. Please do your best for the sake of the great things of the country and for the sake of your own heads."
With both kindness and power, Wang Chengen also assigned this year's production tasks to the eunuchs in charge of the palace after speaking with murderous words. As the de facto chief supervisor of the inner palace, Lao Wang's power was overwhelming in this part of the palace.
The land is quite big. In the hearts of many eunuchs, they feared him more than the emperor.
Wang Chengen understood in his heart that the emperor arranged these things not just to make money for the palace. He did not panic when he had food in hand. As long as the palace could produce a large amount of food this year, making money would be a small matter. The key was to stabilize the increasingly chaotic situation.
The situation of the country. With the emperor's arrangement, there will be at least one million more grains in the palace. With this extra grain, more than one hundred thousand troops can be raised and hundreds of thousands more people can live!