...On agriculture (Part 2)

Since Huang Junming learned that Jiangdong Plough was recorded in "The Heavenly Works" and talked about the benefits of Jiangdong Plough, he had already thought that since Jiangdong Plough is good, why hasn't it been circulated? You must know that even if it is due to war, it is impossible to make a good-use plough not famous. No matter which warlord or any country will pay attention to agriculture. After all, without agriculture, there is no food or grass to fight? Therefore, Huang Junming abandoned the original idea that Jiangdong Plough could not be spread because of the war, and turned to the possible problems of the Jiangdong Plough, a type of agricultural tool.

Why is Jiangdong plow only recorded and used in Jiangnan? Huang Junming believes that even before this, some people would think of spreading this simple and efficient Jiangdong plow. Since it has not been spread, it must be that Jiangdong plow has problems in itself. However, the disadvantages of Jiangdong plow are not reflected in the records. Huang Junming had to look at the problem with another perspective. What is the plowshare for? Plowshare! But this place is different, Jiangnan paddy fields and Guanzhong dry land. Since this Jiangdong plow is used in Jiangnan, it must be a plowshare suitable for paddy fields. Plowshare suitable for paddy fields is not suitable for dry land, which is also the reason why the Jiangdong plow is not famous.

You should know that during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the focus of society was all in the north. When the rulers began to pay attention to the south and migrated the economic center south, they had to wait until the Song Dynasty. Moreover, in the diet of the Tang Dynasty, the rice we saw was not mainstream. The staple foods that most people eat were corn and wheat, which is what we call millet and pasta. Therefore, in the Tang Dynasty, rice suitable for paddy fields and its farming methods were not paid attention to by many people. This also caused the reason why Jiangdong plows were not famous.

Therefore, even if Jiangdong plow is found, it is impossible to copy it. It must be improved and the Jiangdong plow is improved into a plow suitable for the dry land in Guanzhong before it can be used.

After some explanation from Huang Junming and Li Shimin, Li Shimin finally knew that the Jiangdong plow must be improved before it can be used. This made Li Shimin feel that time was urgent. He went from Chang'an to Jiangnan for half a month, and coupled with the uncertain time of improvement, how could Li Shimin not be anxious? In desperation, Li Shimin quickly signaled Huang Junming to wait. He asked Li Yuanheng, who was recording Huang Junming's conversation, and quickly wrote a dialect, and then put on the seal on his carry-on. He asked the guards who came with him to convey the oral order as quickly as possible.

"Immortal Master, are there anything else?" Li Shimin finished his oral order and continued to ask Huang Junming. At this time, the more Huang Junming thought, the more he would be, the more he would be, the more he would be, and the locust plague would be, and the intercourse would be the end of obedience. Now he has prepared in advance to prevent and protect the people from suffering from disasters. How can he not make Li Shimin anxious? The locust plague that his predecessors could not handle was prevented and guaranteed in his own rule. This is a great thing that has been famous in history!

"After talking about the farmer, I will talk about poultry and livestock." Huang Junming saw Li Shimin asking, and tried to recall the time travel novels he had read when he was bored in Taoist temples: "The main poultry in our Tang Dynasty is chicken, duck, and geese. The domestic animals are cattle, sheep, and dogs. Among them, chicken, duck, and geese are more wasteful of food in people's consciousness, so not many households raise chickens, ducks, and geese. It is just a thought of borrowing chickens, ducks, and geese to lay eggs. Or slaughter them during festivals and festivals to show their desires. And cattle are not allowed to be slaughtered in the laws of our Tang Dynasty, because this is a necessity for farmers to farm. Sheep can produce goat milk or be used as meat. But there are too few families who raise sheep. And dogs? Almost every family has them, but they are only used to prevent the family's attention. Therefore, the limitations of domestic animals that we raise in the Tang Dynasty are very large."

"But? Immortal Master. What does this have to do with the locust plague?" Li Shimin asked in confusion.

Huang Junming thought to himself that Li Shimin was too impatient. Before he finished speaking, he certainly didn't know the relationship between the locust plague and poultry and livestock. "Your Majesty, please tell me slowly. You must know that chickens, ducks, and geese, in addition to eating food, they also eat insects. And what are locusts? Are locusts still insects? Your Majesty, you can go to the homes of farmers with poultry outside Chang'an City to see if those poultry eat locusts. Since poultry eat locusts, why not breed poultry this year? By next year, let the poultry slaughter the locusts, and the locusts are eliminated. The chickens, ducks, and geese have basically grown strong and can be slaughtered. Moreover, the three poultry, chickens, ducks, and geese, actually only need to feed food in winter. The insect seeds at other times are enough for poultry to live in poultry. So the cost is not very large."

"According to the immortal master, poultry is a weapon to eliminate locusts? In this way, it is also very feasible. The more locusts the chickens, ducks and geese eat, the more locusts the locust plague can be weakened. But since poultry is a weapon to eliminate locusts, what do domestic animals do?" Li Shimin, under Huang Junming's narration, had long seen the locust plague not as mysterious as before. Since he knew that it could be prevented and now he knew that there could be a solution, how could he sit and wait for death and be willing to be destroyed by locusts?

This is true for both ancient and modern people. When people know that they were afraid of something in the past because they didn’t understand it. When they understand it, they will work hard to compete with the disaster and other things. This is the power of hope.

"As domestic animals, cows and dogs are still unable to move. As for sheep, it is not suitable for promotion because it is a little difficult to raise. But I like another domestic animals, pigs!" Huang Junming said that when he talked about pigs, the corners of his mouth were slightly touched. Although he had been eating better since the Tang Dynasty, he rarely saw this pork. Moreover, although raising pigs has nothing to do with locust plague, he adhered to the principle of eating more vegetables and eating less rice, Huang Junming still brought him up.

"Pig?" After hearing Huang Junming's words, Li Shimin frowned slightly: "Why is it a pig?" In the dietary concept of the Tang people, it is not to say that they do not eat pork. After all, pigs are one of the five animals, and they are closely related to the dining table of the Chinese nation. However, these ancient pigs are also different. The ancients generally like to eat suckling pigs, which is also a dish studied from the Zhou rituals.

However, due to the idea that the pigpens that raise pigs are often associated with the toilet, and the function of this pig is not to eat, but to accumulate fertilizer to provide fertilizer for farmers. Therefore, "a gentleman does not eat fertility", which means that a gentleman cannot eat pork raised in a pigpen. Instead of pigs raised in a pigpen, it can be eaten. However, because the free-range pigs and pigs raised in a pigpen are difficult to distinguish, over time, the pork has become a dish that is not on the table.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of this pork?" Huang Junming just knew that the Tang people ate less pork, but the specific reason was really unsure. So he just led the topic and said.

"The pork tastes fat but it's good. But the pigs are kept next to the toilet and used for fat accumulation. It's unclean. No one will eat that except for specially-raised pigs." Li Shimin didn't know why Huang Junming asked himself, but he still answered.

"Your Majesty, think about it again. Will this fertilizer be enough to make pigs accumulate fat in the future?" Huang Junming couldn't help but feel unhappy when he heard this reason. It was only half an hour after the fat accumulation was said. "In the future, pigs are no longer used for fat accumulation, so why not graze and breed pigs like sheep? You should know that raising sheep requires a certain grassland, but raising pigs does not. Moreover, pigs are omnivorous livestock, which means that pigs eat everything. You also

I know the taste of pork. In the future, the pig is not unclean. Can the deliciousness of pork become the main dish on people's dining table? After a pig can often weigh 200 to 300 kilograms, which saves some food in disguise. Even because pigs are omnivorous animals, they can catch locusts and mix locusts into pig's food. According to my prediction, pigs that eat the food mixed with locusts grow faster and have a more delicious meat."

Huang Junming had not prepared these words at all, and he was just following Li Shimin's view of pigs bit by bit. In modern times, Huang Junming also heard that the higher the protein content of the livestock, the faster the livestock will grow. Moreover, the mission of using this pig as a tool for fat accumulation has been completed, so it is time for him to put it on the dining table to change another mission.

"Immortal Master, I can let go of the pig raising matter for the time being. The people's living habits are not easy to change, and the locust plague is so urgent. I can only do it bit by bit according to the pilot method you mentioned before... Regarding the reason why rice and white flour were not valued during the Tang Dynasty: In "Qimin Yaoshu", barley and wheat were ranked in the grain (grey, millet), sorghum, sorghum, soybeans, beans, hemp, etc., and the location was only ahead of rice that was not suitable for northern soil, which was not suitable for northern soil.

The tax policy implemented in the early Tang Dynasty stipulated that the main collection of national taxes was millet, which was only "no grain in the countryside, and hybrids were supplemented", while wheat and rice were among the "hybrids (crops). However, wheat was a species introduced from the West, and the Tang Dynasty had extensive exchanges with other countries, so the proportion of pasta gradually increased. It was not until the middle of the Tang Dynasty that it got rid of the ranks of hybrids. On the contrary, rice was not valued due to regional reasons. (To be continued) rq!~!
Chapter completed!