At Linhe City Pier, Yang Fan and the master met and prepared to board the ship.
The five thousand lama army has been divided into ten battalions and boarded the ship one by one. They serve as the internal guards to escort the master into the army. These lamas have undergone rigorous military training for a year, and their current combat effectiveness should far exceed that of the local nobles of Zangba Khan.
army.
In order to escort the master, Yang Fan has mobilized fifty small steamers.
Each small steamer tows thirty large inland river cement ships. A fleet of ships can transport three thousand people. In addition to personnel, there are also a large number of supplies and Uzbek horses.
These Mongolian lamas have excellent riding and shooting skills. They are equipped with riding bows provided by Yang Fan, Mongolian scimitars, chain mail, hooks and sickles, and the Us Tibetan horse queen is even more powerful.
The master is satisfied with Yang Fan. Marquis Dingyuan did what he said. Although it took a long time, it was also due to the fact that there was sufficient time and adequate preparation of personnel and materials.
Seeing the bustling scene of people on the pier, he became more confident about going back to the snowy area and overthrowing Zangba Khan.
"Master, look, these are the new highland barley seeds I got." Yang Fan grabbed a handful of highland barley seeds from his pocket, and the golden seeds slipped from his fingers.
These seeds have plump particles and are of excellent quality. They are very pleasing to look at, and they are considered to be high-quality seeds at first glance.
The master immediately attached great importance to it.
If he wants to gain a foothold on the snowy plateau, food crops are indispensable. If he brings more high-yielding seeds, he will definitely gain the support of the people. After all, food is the most important thing for the people everywhere.
Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the climate in the snowy areas has plummeted, becoming colder and drier. This change has lasted for thousands of years. Many places have gone from densely populated to deserted to barren of grass.
The population also dropped from more than 10 million to only 7.8 million.
Agriculture depends on the weather, and this is especially true in snowy areas where the ecology is extremely fragile.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences once cut a one-meter square piece of moss and turf in the southernmost part of Qinghai for research purposes. When they came back the next year, they found that the vegetation on the entire mountain was dead and turned into a large piece of bare desert.
This fragile ecological environment and severely interdependent survival model are shocking.
"Agriculture has been fragile in snowy areas since ancient times. Before the Tang Dynasty, only some corn (millet) could be grown. The yield was also pitifully low, and one acre of land could not yield more than four or five bushels," the master said.
During the Tang Dynasty, Tubo's crops developed greatly, and it was a warm and rainy period.
Crops include highland barley, wheat, buckwheat, and beans (also known as deer beans and wild mung beans). Agricultural tools include plows, yokes, mills, mills, axes, saws, knives, sickles, etc.
The oxen are the main farm animals, and the "coupled farming method" is used. The Tibetan word is "tordai", which means two oxen plowing the land. The land plowed by two oxen in one day is also called "tuo", which gradually became a unit of land area.
Livestock raised include yaks, oxen, oxen, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, pigs, donkeys, camels, etc. In some places, the habit of grazing in designated areas has been formed.
Generally, cattle are herded in fields, sheep are herded in grasslands, goats are herded in forests, horses are herded in swamps, and pigs are raised in caves.
Horses were the main commodity traded between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty, and other livestock products such as skins, wool, yak tails, etc. were also used for foreign exchange.
Hunting and fishing are important auxiliary sectors in the Tibetan economy. The government also has specialized hunting and fishing officers.
There are also folk activities of collecting medicinal materials.
During the Tubo period, agricultural exchanges between the Zang people and the Central Plains were strengthened. After the marriage between Tang and Tibet, Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng entered Tibet one after another. They brought turnip seeds, horses, mules, camels, etc., and later made agricultural tools.
Songtsen Gampo also invited craftsmen from the Tang Dynasty to breed silkworms, make wine, and make rolling weights, which all promoted the development of Tibetan agriculture.
It was also at this time that tea from the mainland was introduced to Tibet, and butter tea, milk tea, etc. became indispensable drinks for the Tibetan people.
In the late Tubo period, in the Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan close to the Han region, due to the influence of the advanced agricultural culture of the Han people, the appearance of simple nomadic areas changed, and many new agricultural areas were formed.
Since the natural conditions in these areas were superior to those in the main area, they soon became the economic center of Tubo, where "military provisions and horses were abundant."
During the Tubo period, the main agricultural and animal husbandry workers were slaves. State ownership of land was implemented.
Zanpu often granted land, pastures and slaves to nobles. There were agricultural and animal husbandry officials in various parts of Tubo and the central government, forming a top-down management system.
"I remember that the average yield of highland barley in snowy areas does not exceed one hundred kilograms per mu. I don't know how much highland barley yields per mu that Dingyuanhou has." The master has never seen such large and plump highland barley seeds.
Because the number of seeds produced by plants is about the same. If each seed is full and huge, the yield must be very high. These seed particles are several times larger than those in snowy areas. It makes people happy to see them.
Yang Fan smiled and said: "This seed is called Himalayan No. 22 highland barley. If we use chemical fertilizers, the yield per mu can exceed one thousand catties. If we use farmyard manure, it can also reach about six hundred catties."
The master was very surprised. He didn't expect the output of this thing to be so high.
Highland barley can be divided into four categories: white highland barley, black highland barley, blue highland barley, and mixed highland barley. Currently, white highland barley has the largest output in Zang area and is the main food for local farmers and herdsmen.
Modern archaeological findings show that local people began to cultivate highland barley 3,500 years ago.
Highland barley is not wheat, but actually a type of barley.
But it is different from the common barley in plain areas. The new varieties of highland barley eaten by modern people are more nutritious than ordinary barley after thousands of years of continuous adaptation.
Highland barley (English: Highland barley, also called plateau barley), originated from barley (English: barley, barley) in the Fertile Crescent, and entered southern Xizang through northern Pakistan, India and Nepal 4,500 to 3,500 years ago
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The master suddenly became excited. It is self-evident how important a new grain that increases production six times is to consolidate his position.
If successfully promoted in snowy areas, the food production in snowy areas will be greatly increased, and the number of people that can be fed will also double. These achievements will definitely make the officials and the people regard him as a messenger sent by God to save all living beings.
The old agricultural production method coupled with the single and degraded highland barley variety has resulted in yields that are only 4 to 10 times that of seeds. Now it has suddenly improved to the sky.
Yang Fan said: "I will ask the Zang army to divide the fields on the spot. Give these seeds to them for trial planting first. When they succeed in the trial planting, they will then spread them to the entire snow area."
"Food security is no small matter. If we promote it directly, it will be troublesome if there is a problem and famine occurs."
The master nodded and said: "Master Hou, these are mature and prudent words. This is very good."
Yang Fan's plan was to let the army occupy the important transportation areas in the snowy area and the good land suitable for land reclamation and farming, and turn them into institutions similar to the Ming Dynasty's health centers.
Then distribute seeds and farm tools to them and turn them into a production corps. Encourage them to get married and start a business with local Zang girls, so that their children and grandchildren can live in the frontier forever.
Yang Fan opened a few more bags and said, "Master, look, I have not only prepared highland barley, but also these new types of seeds."
The master looked at it and saw on the bag written "Ximala Series" of spring highland barley, "Shigatse Series" of spring wheat, "Nianhe Series" of spring rapeseed, "Emma Series" of potatoes and other high-yielding and high-quality new varieties (series) of crops.
The master said with emotion: "You are so thoughtful, Lord Marquis. In this way, the army can be self-sufficient and reduce the burden on the local area. It is really a benevolent and righteous move. Moreover, the army can also bring new types of food to the people.
Solving the famine problem is even more meritorious. The people of the snow-covered plateau will surely remember the benefits brought by the army to their descendants."