Farmer of Shu Han

After the beginning of spring, cat winter is officially over, and spring plowing begins.

Hou Jiu of Pingcheng County had military exploits, and the emperor rewarded fifty hectares of land near Chang'an.

Although at least half of the 50 hectares are good irrigated land, it may be a lot for future generations.

But for this era, for Feng Duhu's identity, this is a relatively small number.

But this is also impossible.

When the first emperor ruled the land of Shu, most of the land near Jincheng was owned by aristocratic families.

Therefore, the imperial court did not have much land to give to the heroes, so they had to reward more gold, silver, grain, cloth and silk.

After the prime minister passed away, only fifteen hectares of land were left.

At the same time, intentionally or unintentionally, a tradition has been left to future generations:

The emperor rewarded his courtiers with more gold, silver, grain, cloth and silk, but less land.

Although last year in Chang'an, the emperor increased the land in the prime minister's mansion to one hundred hectares.

But this number is still only normal.

He Yan, the favorite minister of Wei State, collected more than 200 hectares of land for himself in less than three years.

As the prime minister who has never come after Ji Han—at least in the eyes of the emperor—he just got a normal amount of land reward.

As a latecomer, Feng Duhu naturally did not dare to surpass the prime minister.

So I had to fold it in half and asked for fifty hectares.

From the 50 hectares of land, Feng Duhu specially selected 30 mu of land by the Baqiao, and prepared to have cotton planted.

The beginning of spring is not the time to grow cotton, so we have to wait another month.

But now it's time to prepare the fields.

"Brother, why don't you grow more?"

Zhao Zhongjian, who was not on duty today, followed Feng Duhu to the edge of the Baqiao for an outing, looked at the farmers who were tidying up the fields, and asked curiously.

To say that cotton is indeed a good thing.

Four or five years ago, when my elder brother was in charge of Liangzhou, Mrs. Hua brought some seeds back from the south.

My brother asked people to try planting in Liangzhou. In the past few years, inside the Xinghan Association, several brothers have more quilts in their homes, which are very comfortable to cover in winter.

There are still some cotton yarns in the army. I heard that they are also made of cotton. They are used to wrap wounded soldiers to stop bleeding, and the effect is also very good.

In Zhao Guang's view, such good things should be promoted early.

But my elder brother didn't know what to think, and never mentioned this matter officially.

Even in Liangzhou, it is only grown in the farms of Xinghanhui, and it is not found in other places.

Originally, Zhao Guang thought that his elder brother was looking for money for the brothers in the association, but now it seems that it is not the same thing at all.

Thirty acres?

enough to do?

Zhao Guang said with some regret:

"Brother, this is a big source of income. Why did it go to those big families in the east of Bingzhou? Can't we leave it to our own brothers?"

"You know what a fart!"

Even if Zhao Guang had been promoted to General Zhengnan, he might be able to show his prestige in front of others, but in front of Feng Duhu, he was still a little brother, and he could scold him whenever he wanted.

"The club is now focusing its energy on mining coal and iron in Yanmen and Jiuyuan. How can it care about this?"

Isn't it easier to sell coal and iron than to grow cotton?

Whether it is Jiuyuan or the Yanmen frontier fortress, the winter there is cold in Japan. Coupled with the climate blessing of the Little Ice River, the local garrison does not know how much coal they will consume in winter.

After all, you can't let the garrison learn from the barbarians and pick up dung and burn dung for warmth all year round, right?

More importantly, iron smelting requires a lot of manpower, material and financial resources in advance.

When it comes to growing cotton, we don't know when we will lay down the east side.

Who can wait?

"We can also grow it in Liangzhou, Guanzhong!"

Zhao Guang said a little unconvinced:

"Although the brothers' land in Guanzhong is not too much, it is still possible to plant tens of thousands of acres."

"Not to mention Liangzhou..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted roughly by Feng Duhu: "So I said, you know nothing!"

"If this thing can really be planted at will, why don't you think I haven't promoted it in the past few years?"

Feng Duhu glanced at this guy with disdain, and pointed to the 30 acres of land in front of him:

"Cotton is indeed a good thing, but it is not easy to grow it well."

"Not to mention Guanzhong, even in Longyou, I won't let people plant it."

"Even in the Kanto region in the future, no one can plant whatever they want. If they want to plant, they have to be like opening a workshop. They need to pay for food and qualifications in advance."

When Zhao Guang heard this, he was startled:

"Brother, why is this? Since it is a good thing, it can replace both hemp and cotton, so why not let it be more?"

"Because it's not easy to grow, it's a waste of water, fertilizer, and people. Most people can't afford it."

The quality of cotton at this time is not very good, the yield is not high, and the ability to prevent insects is not very good.

This is the conclusion that Feng Duhu came to after comparing the later generations with Xinghanhui Farm in Liangzhou.

Especially this thing, it will also occupy the farmland.

If it weren't for the big Han's current grain production has increased by leaps and bounds, especially after taking Guanzhong, it is sitting on two kingdoms of abundance, which would cause the worry of cheap grain and hurting farmers.

Feng Duhu is afraid that he will press the matter of cotton for a few more years, maybe even ten or ten years.

But no matter what, the land of Shu, Guanzhong, and Longyou, the three main grain-producing areas of the Han Dynasty, would never allow a large amount of cotton to grow.

At worst, let Liangzhou do it.

However, the local wealthy families in Liangzhou have the wool textile industry, and the motivation to develop the cotton textile industry is probably not strong enough.

Of course, if someone from Guanzhong or even Kanto wanted to go to Liangzhou to develop the cotton textile industry, the imperial court would welcome it, and it would be regarded as enriching the frontier.

Because the more stable Liangzhou is, the more stable Longyou, the barrier west of Guanzhong, will be.

As for the people in Kanto who want to grow cotton...Feng Duhu let them die!

Let them taste the sweetness first, and then we will see how he kills these Kanto aristocratic families.

Just like weaving wool with wool, it seems that Hu people can get rich, but Feng Duhu's real purpose is not for the sake of Hu people.

Although he promised to teach the families in Hedong of Bingzhou how to grow cotton, Feng Duhu didn't teach them how to use cotton.

It doesn't matter if they weave cotton.

But if you want to further add value to cotton, you have to ask Xinghanhui first.

And even if it's just weaving, can it be as efficient as Xinghanhui?

No matter how simple a joint workshop is, it is much better than a sporadic family workshop.

It doesn't matter if someone wants to repent at that time, anyway, the money and food paid for the cotton qualification will not be refunded.

Why don't you go to Jiuyuan to open up wasteland and farm?

There, you can double the property, enclose land at will, and give you a workshop qualification.

Besides, even if it is selling cotton, it does not mean that you will not be allowed to make money, as long as you obediently cooperate with the court, sell cotton at the set price, and don't drive up prices.

Is it true that the pricing power of the exchange is for nothing?

All bulk materials or strategic materials will be based on the price set by the exchange in the future.

Grain, wool, brown sugar, silk, livestock, salt, iron...

Cotton will be no exception in the future.

If you want to challenge the pricing power of the exchange, you must first go through the treasury reserves of the Xinghanhui and the imperial court.

From the current point of view, even if the Wei and Wu countries use the power of the whole country, there is no hope of succeeding in the challenge.

Not to mention the entire territory of the Han Dynasty, but at least in the core area ruled by the Han Dynasty, the government must have this control.

Of course, this is a long-term goal. For this goal, Dahan will continue to strengthen the laying of official roads.

At least like the former Han Dynasty, it must be able to spread the official road and post pavilions all the way to the Western Regions.

This goal is very long-term and will take decades or even decades to achieve.

But Feng Duhu had this confidence.

After all, in the past, digging mountains and paving roads could only be done slowly.

It's different now.

As long as the world is unified, although it is still necessary to dig mountains and pave roads, the holes are drilled.

Naturally, it was impossible for Feng Duhu to tell Zhao Guang all these grand plans and ambitions.

He just said:

"If anyone in the club really wants to grow cotton, you can just ask. Liangzhou has a lot of land, and the club can provide cotton seeds."

Now in Liangzhou, there are too many barbarians and too few Han people, too much land and too few people.

If someone is willing to make a contribution, Feng Duhu welcomes it very much.

Zhao Guang rubbed his head, he seemed a little embarrassed:

"Little brother is just talking casually. Since elder brother has already planned, it must be very reasonable. Younger brother can just follow elder brother."

"Back then, my elder brother didn't have much authority, yet he was able to lead his brother to make a fortune. Now that my elder brother is the head of all officials in the Han Dynasty, who in the meeting would dare to question my elder brother's vision?"

Those who dared to violate the rules almost died in the purges of the year before last and last year.

Feng Duhu gave a "tsk".

He said this as if he were a great dictator.

I want to explain, but think about it, what can I explain to this guy?

With his IQ, he couldn't understand even if he said it.

It can't be said, but it will become darker and darker.

The two brothers were talking, but saw a woman walking towards them in the field.

The woman came in front of the two of them and bowed to Feng Du: "I have seen you."

Feng Duhu nodded and signaled: "Get up."

"Thank you, Junhou."

"Li Xu, how is this land? Is it suitable for growing cotton?"

The woman is the third lady of the Xu family who is married to Li Mu's younger brother Li Tong.

Over the years, she has been the planting expert of Xinghanhui.

Over the years, the Xinghan Society has never worried about food, and Li Xu's contribution is indispensable.

Her husband, Li Tong, is a breeding expert of the Xinghan Society, and it can be said that he is a husband and wife.

In Liangzhou, Li Xu has been in charge of the cotton planting experiment on the farm under the name of the Xinghanhui for the past few years.

At this time, Li Xu heard Feng Duhu's question, nodded and replied:

"Go back to Junhou, yes."

But she hesitated for a moment, and reminded again:

"However, although the land in Guanzhong is fertile, cotton needs a lot of water and fertilizer. This land is on the edge of the Wei River. Although there is no shortage of water, it is best to apply sufficient base fertilizer before planting."

"There are flower buds, and before and after flowering, at least one fertilizer should be applied. Otherwise, if the fertility is insufficient, the cotton plants will be short and the cotton yield will be insufficient."

Feng Duhu nodded:

"It's just fertilizer for 30 mu of land. You don't have to worry about it. You have to take care of this matter. You can plant as good as you can."

With Feng Duhu's guarantee, Li Xu was relieved: "I understand."

Feng Duhu looked at the field, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Why did he put the cotton demonstration field here?

Because anyone who enters and exits the Gao and Tong Passes from the west and the east must pass through them.

That is to say, whether you come to Chang'an from the east or leave Chang'an to go to the east, you have to pass through Baqiao.

Since you are from the east, you can't miss the cotton that is as white as snow, right?

Zhao Guang on the side heard it, and was a little speechless:

"This cotton still needs so much fertilizer?"

One of the most important things that my brother did when he improved the farming methods in Jincheng was to apply more fertilizer.

In this case, it can be cultivated continuously for two or three years and then fallow for one year.

For others, it is necessary to cultivate and fallow every year.

That's it, the land planted by the elder brother is still 20 to 30% more than others.

So even if Zhao Guang doesn't know how to farm the land, he also knows that the fertilizer requirements of cotton are already ridiculously high.

Li Xu said in a serious tone:

"That's right. That's why I've always suggested to Junhou that it's best not to grow cotton on a large scale unless you can ensure that the Dahan has enough food."

"Even if it is to be planted, the planting area must be restricted, and the private sector cannot be allowed to plant at will."

Grabbing land is still a trivial matter, the key is to grab fat.

If there is not enough fertilizer in the land where crops are grown, food production will decrease.

With fertilizer, the fields can be cultivated continuously for three years.

Without fertilizers, the fields can only be cultivated in rotation, one year after planting and one year off.

This reduction in production is not a little bit, a reduction of three or four is the most basic.

Even with the current grain output of Dahan, it is possible to reduce it by 50%.

Feng Duhu smiled and said:

"Don't worry, agriculture and mulberry are the foundation of a country, and enough food will ensure the safety of the people. How can I not understand this?"

He glanced at the field again, sighed slightly:

"So, we still need to vigorously develop and promote poultry and livestock breeding. If every household in the Han Dynasty can have a cow, maybe they don't need to use fertilizer as carefully as they are now."

The manure of poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese cannot be used directly, but it can be fertilized to become cooked manure.

But poultry is too small after all.

Cows are different.

When I was a child in the previous life, the cow was not only the main labor force in the family, but also the main force in accumulating manure.

The muddy roads in the village and the manure dropped by the cows will be picked up everywhere.

Sometimes the old people in the village do not have any tools at hand, and they even use clods of soil to form a circle around the cow dung to show that the cow dung has an owner.

Hearing Feng Duhu's words, Zhao Guang didn't feel anything yet, but Li Xu's eyes were a little worshipful:

"Junhou has actually done a lot for the people of the world."

"Now Dahan has a lot of pastures, and he can rent cattle and horses for the people, and as long as he is willing to work hard, it is not impossible to have a cow at home."

Over the years, the Xinghanhui has cooperated with the government, with the government as a guarantee, and the cattle and horse farm under the name of the Xinghanhui will rent out the cattle and horses.

People who are willing to rent cattle and horses need to pay extra food to the Xinghan Society and the government.

But maybe three years, or five years, as long as a calf and a pony are born during this period, they can be regarded as their own home.

When the calf and pony grow up, won't there be a large livestock in the family for nothing?

To put it bluntly, it is to use grain to buy calves and ponies in installments.

It can be said that this policy has contributed a lot to Dahan's increase in grain production in recent years.

Feng Duhu thought more and sighed slightly:

"It would be great if there were struvite. That thing is much stronger than the manure we use now. A sack of struvite may be worth an ox cart's manure."

When Li Xu heard it, his eyes lit up:

"There are such strange things in the world? Dare I ask you, where is this struvite produced?"

"It's far away!" Feng Duhu said casually, "If you go to the sea from Jiaozhou, there should be quite a few islands in the southeast."

Unfortunately, Jiaozhou is not in the hands of the big man.

"Huh? Is that so? It's actually overseas?"

When Li Xu heard this, a look of disappointment suddenly appeared on his face:

"Such a strange thing, the big man doesn't have it?"

Seeing her like this, Feng Duhu couldn't bear it, and comforted him:

"It can't be said that there are none at all. For example, in the caves in the mountains, there are places where bats live in groups. It may be that there is such a thing."

"However, the number is too small, and it can't compare with the island."

Struvite is a kind of feces accumulated by birds and animals. Because there are bats living in caves, their feces and corpses are mixed on the ground. Over the years, some struvite will also be formed.

However, the main production area still depends on the island.

Why did Feng Duhu know this?

Because geography textbooks tell about it.

Especially the small country of Nauru, which was built on bird droppings. You don’t have to do anything, just dig the bird droppings and you can sell it for a lot of money. His mother is really happy!

Feng Duhu's major is a certain type of civil engineering related to geography, so he is naturally the clearest.

Later I heard that the small country finally dug up the bird droppings.

Even the Nauru Building built in Tu'ao was sold due to poor management.

The dream of moving the whole country to Australia has been shattered, and the national income is not as good as before.

This news made Feng Duhu, who had been brooding since high school, happy for a while.

Damn let you get something for nothing, silly?

Thinking of what happened in his previous life, Feng Duhu couldn't help but sigh.

Others seem to be separated from each other, but I am really separated from each other!

Li Xu, on the other hand, bowed his head thoughtfully.