"America?" Li Hong frowned and looked at Zhang Zong. He was not like Xue Shao and Li Dan. He was mingled with Zhang Zong all day long, and Zhang Zong didn't have time to tell Li Hong about America, but he still felt that this name was a little familiar. It seemed that when did Zhang Zong mention it?

"Yes, it's America. Your Highness asked me before, is there any crops in this world that are higher than Linyi rice? I wonder if your Highness still remembers it?" Zhang Zong said with a smile. He came to find Li Hong early this morning. After all, Qian Dahai might come to him at any time, and he must settle the matter as soon as possible.

When Li Hong heard Zhang Zong mention Linyi Rice, he slapped his forehead and smiled suddenly: "I remembered it. At that time, you told me that there is a continent overseas, where there are several extremely high-yield crops. If I remember correctly, it is what you mentioned in America."

"Your Highness is really a memory. I only mentioned it once, but I didn't expect you to remember it!" Zhang Zong smiled immediately. At that time, he felt that it was unrealistic to sailing to America with the current conditions, but since someone could come back from America, it means that America is not as far away as he imagined.

"I not only remember, but also remember you said that America is too far from our Tang Dynasty. Every time we go back and forth, we can remember every year, and the risks at sea are high, so in the end I had to give up the plan to send people there." Li Hong sorted out his memory. Although he was in poor health, his memory was indeed amazing. Even though he had only heard Zhang Zong mention it once, he still remembered it clearly.

"That's great. Yesterday, Saburo and others went to West City together, but I met a Gaochang person who had been to the Americas..." Zhang Zong once again explained Qian Dahai's experience in detail, and then focused on introducing the advantages of corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, especially high yields, which almost defeated wheat and rice.

"Are you sure there are these high-yield crops in that America?" Li Hong asked half-doubtedly after hearing Zhang Zong's introduction. It was not that he did not believe Zhang Zong, but that the yield introduced by Zhang Zong was really unbelievable. It's okay for corn, but potatoes and sweet potatoes can produce thousands of kilograms per mu, even the wet weight is still too amazing.

"Your Highness, you don't have to doubt that Qian Dahai is in the capital. He has eaten corn for a long time. As for potatoes and sweet potatoes, it may be because he only operates in a small area in the Americas, so he has never seen it, but as long as he searches carefully, he will definitely find it!" Zhang Zong said confidently.

If Zhang Zong mentioned America before, he was just talking nonsense, but now he has the evidence of Qian Dahai, which has made him full of confidence.

"Then you come to me today. Do you want the court to organize a fleet to go to America to find those high-yield crops?" Li Hong hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Your Highness was wrong this time. In fact, things like exploring America do not require the court to do them in person!" Zhang Zong replied with a smile. Li Hong's ideas were still somewhat limited, but this is not surprising. After all, people in this era rarely think about mobilizing the power of the masses, especially royal families or nobles like Li Hong. Generally, the first thing they think of when encountering things is that the court comes.

"Do you don't need the court to come forward?" Li Hong also showed a confused look when he heard this.

"Yes, Qian Dahai has been to the Americas and is proficient in navigation. If he is given a fleet, the chance of finding America is still very high. In addition, there are many private maritime merchants, and there are also many Hu people maritime merchants, these are all powers that can be used..."

When Zhang Zong said this, he also explained the idea of ​​Wan'er's offer of reward. Li Hong understood at the beginning that mobilizing the power of the people was nothing more than the court coming forward and giving a huge reward, just like hanging a carrot in front of a donkey. Only when they meet the requirements of the court can they eat this radish.

"This method works. For the three crops of corn, potato and sweet potato, the court can give each reward amount. As long as anyone can bring it back from America, they can get the bounty!" Li Hong thought for a moment and spoke.

The so-called reward is actually just a guarantee using the credit of the court. If no one can get these crops back, then the reward is just an empty promise. Of course, if someone can get those crops back, it will be a great joy for the court, and a mere bounty is nothing.

"The prince is wise, and he doesn't have to pay for another reward. In fact, the court has better things to offer for rewards, and there is no need to spend money!" Zhang Zong said with his eyes flashing with his eyes. The reason why he came to Li Hong was not just for the bounty, but because Li Hong had something that others could not give him.

"What's better?" Li Hong was stunned when he heard this, but he quickly reacted, "What do you mean is... reward them with official positions?"

"Yes, for many businessmen, they are not short of money, but they lack status, so they do not need the real power brought by official positions, nor do they need the salary given by the court. They just need to give them a virtual street, because what they want is the identity of an official. With this identity, they can get rid of their lowlines. Therefore, the prince can add some official positions in the reward, so that more people can join this adventure!" Zhang Zong nodded and said very seriously.

"This is a good idea. I remember that when Emperor Taizong conquered Goguryeo, a merchant was rewarded with official positions for offering food. Although he did not have real power, it was also a great honor for merchants!" Li Hong nodded after hearing this.

Although the law stipulates that merchants cannot be officials, it is not absolutely impossible. If merchants make great contributions, they can still be officials. For example, Zhang Zong and his grandfather, Warrior, have all changed from merchants to officials.

Seeing Li Hong agreeing, Zhang Zong was even more excited and immediately told Li Hong some things about America, such as the rich production of gold and silver, the land was extremely fertile, and the area was even larger than the current territory of the Tang Dynasty. This also surprised Li Hong. Zhang Zong also took the opportunity to teach the other party about the situation on several continents on Earth. After all, Li Hong was a man who wanted to be an emperor, and these were things he had to know.

However, although Li Hong agreed, he still needed to discuss this matter with the officials of the East Palace, come up with a more mature plan, and ask Li Zhi for instructions. After all, for such a big thing, Li Zhi must nodded.
Chapter completed!