The heavy snowfall on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed.

For Jiangnan Province, this should be the last snow.

After all, spring has already begun, and today it is the rainy season.

When it rains, the spring breeze will blow and the earth will become warm again.

Li Chenan and his party set out from Zhouzhuang and did not walk very fast.

Passing through many villages, he would stop from time to time to take a look at the farmland still covered by heavy snow.

There are many farmers in the villages along this road, and they are not as shabby as other places.

The fields along this road are also well served. If there are no major natural disasters, Jiangnan Road will indeed be one of the largest granaries in Ningguo.

It’s just that the farmers’ faces are still full of food——

The harvest is okay, but the taxes in Jiangnan Road are heavier than many places in Ningguo!

This is not surprising.

The policy of light taxation has not yet been implemented.

Those policies will not be implemented until the officials from Kyoto arrive in Jiangnan Province, which may take another year and a half.

"Look, this is the suffering of the people who prosper and the suffering of the people who die!"

When night fell, the team rested beside an open lake.

Li Chenan and Su Muxin stood by the lake, looking at the smoke from a village in the distance, and said:

"Jiangnan, not only the people, but also the businessmen, they bear 30% of the taxes of Ningguo!"

"It's definitely not fair to say it's fair, but the rest of the trade can't develop, either in commerce or agriculture."

"It's not that they are lazier than the people in Jiangnan, but they are limited by the land, climate, transportation, and of course the policy policies of the parents who are in charge."

Su Muxin looked at Li Chenan, "So this is why you decided to give priority to boosting commerce and handicrafts?"

"I still reserve my opinion... There is no shortage of land in Ningguo, but there is a shortage of people to farm the land!"

"Coming from Kyoto, the fields in many places are deserted, and many villages have no people."

"If commerce and handicrafts are further promoted, more farmers will put down their hoes and go into business for profit."

“Wouldn’t it mean more fields would be wasted?”

“Where does the food come from?”

"According to your statement, Wu's negotiations will inevitably fail... I'm afraid a war will start in the south!"

"The internal struggle for the throne in Vietnam is at its most intense, which is a good thing for us. At least for the two or three years since the new emperor ascended the throne, his main task will be to eradicate dissidents, and he will not pose a threat to us yet.

"

"But the Jiuyin City occupied by the Great Wilderness Kingdom is like a wedge embedded in the north of our Ning Kingdom... You can advance, attack, retreat or defend, and you must be on guard at all times!"

"In addition, Huihe and Xiye are not good people. If they knew that Ningguo was short of food... I thought they would not only not sell it to us, but they might also raise troops again!"

"Money is important, but I still think food is more important than money!"

Li Chenan did not refute Su Muxin's words.

He even looked at Su Muxin with great admiration. This guy had good intentions.

He analyzed the current situation in Ningguo very well, and also summarized the situation that Ningguo may face very well.

However, Su Muxin was limited by his knowledge and did not know that once farming technology was developed, agricultural efficiency would be greatly improved.

Like a better rake.

The plows used in this era were the simplest wooden plows!

The farming efficiency of this thing is simply appallingly low!

If smelting is devolved to the private sector, this noble thing like iron can become an ordinary thing.

The iron plow will be promoted, and the efficiency of plowing fields will be greatly improved.

Another example is the waterwheel.

Well, there was no water wheel at all!

Irrigation of farmland either relies on artesian water or requires people to pick it up!

However, if waterwheels are promoted and widely used, combined with the construction of water conservancy projects, the problem of farmland irrigation will be properly solved, and the biggest drawback of farmers relying on the weather can at least be effectively alleviated.

Also like more scientific fertilization, sowing, cultivation, etc.

Once these things are popularized, once farmers have the best production tools and the best farming techniques, agricultural output will be greatly improved, but there will be fewer people working in agriculture.

Li Chenan has been trying hard to remember these days.

This knowledge is not his expertise.

But for him who was born in a rural area, if he thinks about it carefully, he can still recall some things.

So next he will write a book about farming and submit it to the Ministry of Industry.

This matter will have to be done when the eldest son of the emperor returns to Kyoto.

"Do you believe that the yield per mu of wheat fields like this can be doubled?"

Su Mu was startled and shook her head, "If we have a good year, it would be best to harvest an extra twenty or thirty kilograms from one acre of land!"

"Yes, but I estimate that in two years, you will see the yield per mu doubled."

Su Muxin's eyes widened immediately, "This is impossible!"

Xiao Baozi, who was sitting by the lake washing his feet, raised his head and looked at Li Chenan at this moment, "It's impossible to tire the cow to death!"

"The crops in Wanxi Zhai are the most carefully cultivated...after all, we have nothing to do."

"The land in Wanxi Zhai is of high quality, and it is extremely convenient to get water. There won't be a single weed in the field, but even so, the wheat yield per acre of land at its best is only 150 kilograms...double?"

"Isn't that three hundred catties?"

Xiao Baozi shook his head again, "You have never planted crops, so you don't understand. In a land like this, with good weather and good weather, it is considered good to be able to harvest a hundred catties."

Li Chenan grinned.

He did not argue that over the course of thousands of years, many people had devoted themselves to increasing agricultural output, but this was indeed too difficult.

Your ideas must be put into practice.

Use facts to prove you are right, empty words don't count.

So he didn't talk about this topic again.

"By the way, where did Miss Murong go?"

"After the incident in Kyoto, she returned to Songshan Sword Academy and said she wanted to retreat."

"Oh, you have suffered a lot these days."

Su Muxin grinned.

His originally fair and fair face was now covered with weather.

His hands that originally held a pen now held a sword.

He still doesn't know martial arts, but it doesn't stop him from practicing swordsmanship.

"If I say I haven't suffered much, I'm obviously lying to you."

"It was really hard to get used to it at first, but now I've gotten used to it."

Li Chenan patted him on the shoulder and suddenly asked: "How about becoming an official in Jiangnan Road?"

Su Mu's heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

He is still a scholar at heart.

What's more, he was still the second best in the 21st year of Zhaohua!

His ideal and ambition was to join the court and become an official and govern, but at that time, Xi Wei was in power, so he had no chance.

Listening to Li Chenan say this now...

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"My mentor said something to me, which changed some of my inherent ideas."

Li Chenan raised his eyebrows: "What did Brother Hua say to you?"

"My mentor said...a sharp sword must have been sharpened countless times."

"By holding a pen, you may be able to govern a place and become a capable minister."

"But holding the sword, you can expand the territory and write a magnificent mountain and river for you!"

Li Chenan was a little surprised.

He looked up at the gibbous moon in the night sky, "Okay...waiting for Xia Houzhuo to be crowned...you go to the northern frontier army and become a guerrilla general first!"

"In the future, war is inevitable!"
Chapter completed!