Once the scale of the locust plague expands, never mind about high-yield rice; even if a single rice plant could produce eighteen panicles, it wouldn't matter—it wouldn't even get the chance to mature!
Zhu Ci was very worried that a large-scale locust plague would occur if things continued this way. With current technology, eradicating locusts would be extremely difficult, if not entirely impossible. He wanted to prevent it, but prevention required the complete removal of all the insect eggs.
And these insect eggs are generally found within the grasses of the wetlands; unless all the grass is cut, dried, burned, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of eradication.
It sounds easy enough, but the problem is, where would one find enough manpower for such a task? Unless everyone stops farming and spends every day staring at those weeds.
However, if all the grass were cut down and burned, it would trigger a series of ecological chain reactions. Therefore, rather than committing all available manpower to this, it would be better to find ways to stockpile more grain, so that even if a locust plague occurs, the common people can be guaranteed to avoid starvation.
Rice and wheat are far from enough; to ensure the National Treasury is well-stocked, other crops must be expanded.
Corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes are all excellent, especially potatoes.
Not to mention, potatoes are quite nutritionally complete; even in later generations, they are classified as strategic reserve grain.
Besides this, potatoes are also the least demanding of these three crops in terms of environmental requirements; they are cold-resistant, drought-tolerant, have a high yield.
However, at this time, potatoes had only just been brought over by merchant ships, they had been brought back as ornamental species, so they hadn't been promoted at all.
Zhu Ci also did not understand what ornamental value potatoes actually had; perhaps it was because they were relatively fresh, everyone had never seen such leaves before?
He was also too lazy to seek the truth. Since they had already brought them in, it saved him the trouble of looking for them. He directly purchased many potatoes and had people dig up the tubers to sprout them.
The vitality of these potatoes is truly too tenacious; let alone intentional cultivation, they might even sprout on their own if just left lying there.
Once they have sprouted, you plant them, then comes the process of watering and fertilizing.
Potatoes are easy to grow, but since they are an exotic ornamental variety, the procurement price is also very expensive.
In addition to those, there are also corn and sweet potatoes, purchasing large quantities of them will also cost a lot of money.
Zhu Ci had spent all his money on those things, so when he saw the expenses for making thermometers, he couldn't help but want to cut costs.
Fortunately, at this point in time, many things already had prototypes, glassblowing artisans could be found, the methods for making glazed tile were all available.
The glassmaking process is basically similar to that of glazed tile, except for the difference in raw materials.
As I said, it is still easier than making something out of nothing.
After handing the formula over to the Female Official, Zhu Ci began to contemplate how to make money.
Even the Emperor's private treasury couldn't withstand such spending.
Wu Xia saw his distressed expression and asked, "Why does Your Majesty not ask Lord Fu?"
Zhu Ci shook his head. "I can't ask him everything. He's already exhausted every single day; if I make him worry about these things, what if it ruins his health?"
Jiang Xueyan, standing to the side, exchanged a glance with Wu Xia and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is being a bit hyperbolic. From what I can see, Lord Fu's health is excellent; how could he be worn down so easily?"
Zhu Ci shook his head. "Mental exhaustion is different from physical exhaustion. Sometimes you can't see his weariness, there might not even be any visible issues on the surface, but the seeds of trouble have already been sown. Besides, if I were to speak to him about it, I'm afraid he would just end up giving me more money again."
He used most of the profits from the business they ran together. Even if there were no issues with the accounts, Zhu Ci knew very clearly where he spent the money and where Fu spent it.
Besides that, there were also tribute gifts presented during festivals and holidays, each one more precious than the last.
As time went on, Zhu Ci often felt as if he were a man living off a woman's wealth.
Clearly, after he fled from Nanjing, he had also built something from nothing by himself. Back then, with so many restrictions, he still had to find ways to pull off scams with nothing but his wits. Now that he held such a high position, how could he be any worse than he was back then?
Zhu Ci thought about it and felt that making money should still be focused on foreign trade. As for foreign trade.. perhaps the thing that most needed development was ships.
A ship's carrying capacity is closely related to its profit; the more goods it can transport, the more it will naturally earn.
Porcelain and silk are certainly the most popular items from that region, but the loss rate of porcelain is equally staggering.
No matter how carefully they are arranged during loading to prevent breakage, once they encounter a storm at sea, they will still break.
Therefore, it is best to develop goods that are easy to transport, lightweight, popular, while simultaneously improving cargo ships to increase transport capacity.
Zhu Ci rested his chin on his hand, sketching and scribbling there. Just as a new idea had formed, an eunuch came rushing in and said, "Your Majesty, an urgent report from the front lines."
Hmm?
Zhu Ci was stunned for a moment; only then did he remember that Great Ming was currently fighting on three fronts.
This urgent report was sent by Li Chuangwang. Currently, Li Chuangwang has been advancing steadily, occasionally joining forces with the Tumet Mongols, sometimes conducting trade with the Tumet Mongols, selling them some weapons at low prices.
However, this time, what Li Zicheng mentioned was not the Tumet, but Heduoheqin.
Heduoheqin was assassinated three days ago, his current fate remains unknown.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Wait a minute, don't die yet! We can't let Galdan take power! *Cat anxiously paws at the air. jpg*
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 213
When Zhu Ci saw the first line of the battle report, he had only one thought in his mind: could it be Alna again?
Unfortunately, the battle report did not specify who had actually attempted to assassinate Heduoheqin.
As for Zhu Ci, once he heard that something unexpected had happened, he would subconsciously think of Alna; he wasn't even sure if it counted as a form of stress response.
He put down the battle report and remained silent. The meaning behind Li Zicheng sending this report was quite obvious: the Ordos side was unreliable, the Mongols, who were on good terms with the Tartars, might focus more of their energy on his side next.
Well, strictly speaking, this was Li Zicheng's disclaimer.
Zhu Ci did not summon anyone to discuss it, only mentioning it briefly when Fu arrived.
Fu's first question after hearing this was: "The Chuangwang has already confirmed it? Is Heduoheqin really injured?"
Zhu Ci said, "Chuangwang wouldn't be so easily deceived."
He knew that Fu suspected Heduoheqin had deliberately leaked news of the assassination attempt, all to avoid conflict with the Khorchin, or more precisely, with the Qing Court.
However, Li Zicheng was no green novice, whatever Zhu Ci could think of, he could naturally think of as well; he must have confirmed the truth through multiple investigations before submitting the memorial.
Zhu Ci said with some regret, "A pity. Although he is heavily wounded, he is still alive."
Fu paused for a moment after hearing this before saying, "Your Majesty, I believe you would want him to live."
If he stays alive and can pose a threat to the Tartars, then naturally it is better for him to live. But now that he is half-dead and unable to threaten the Tartars, it is better for him to be dead.
Heduoheqin was the founder of the Dzungar Mongols, the later Dzungar Mongols were an existence that even Kangxi found troublesome, so Zhu Ci had always regarded him as a potential enemy of his own.
Even if this enemy were injured now, it wouldn't hinder his governance of the country, so Zhu Ci would naturally feel it was a pity.
Fu Qingsheng thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "Heduoheqin must be under heavy guard now. It won't be easy to make him die."
Zhu Ci turned his head to look at him. "Wait, you really want to kill him?"
Don't you want him dead?
After receiving the message conveyed by Fu's pale blue eyes, Zhu Ci said helplessly, "I do want that, it's not impossible, but.. if only we could find a way to frame the Tartars. Alna has caused me so much trouble; it would be great if I could cause some trouble for him."
Fu did not speak this time; he simply waited until after leaving the Imperial Palace to immediately send someone to investigate the details of Heduoheqin's assassination attempt.
He had not planted any agents in Ordos; however, his subordinates' merchant caravans traveled back and forth and knew many high-ranking Ordos officials, allowing them to gather some information.
However, the people he arranged were not merely for gathering intelligence; he had prepared for two possibilities. If it was Alna's doing, he would wait and see how things developed; if it was not, he would make it so.
After Heduoheqin was injured, Zhu Ci stopped paying attention to him, even contemplating whether to arrange for someone to communicate with the Russians to coordinate an internal and external strike to wipe out the Ordos.
However, he only thought of it briefly; it was impossible for a rising power to have only a once-in-a-generation leader; he must also have a multitude of talented people under his command.
Even for Zhu Ci, although he complained daily that his subordinates were selfish, lacked breadth of vision, lacked grand vision, in reality, these officials under his command were already capable of easily outclassing the officials of the Chongzhen Era.
The atmosphere in the imperial court is incomparable to what it was back then, so this part isn't particularly difficult to manage.
First of all, many of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers were originally scholars who had passed the imperial examinations but resigned and returned to their hometowns because they were dissatisfied with the corruption in the imperial court; they themselves disliked that atmosphere. Coupled with Zhu Ci's iron-fisted methods and his frequent orders for Zhu Yujian to investigate corruption, the various forms of bribery and graft have significantly decreased.
Mm, Fu told him this.
After all, as Emperor, it is easy to be deceived by a conspiracy of officials, one might not know what pretexts they use for bribery and corruption.
Although Fu might also be deceived, he does not have just one or two subordinates; there are always some officials who appear to have no connection to him, but are actually his people.
The rising Great Ming was like this, while it cannot be said that the rising Ordos is the same, it certainly isn't a force that would be left leaderless just because Heduoheqin is gone.
The cost of destroying Ordos would be too high; if he truly dared to do such a thing, everyone in the imperial court would likely submit memorials against him, including Fu.
Forget it, let the Ordos Mongols fend for themselves.
On the other hand, the Tumet Mongols gave him quite a surprise; with Li Zicheng's help, the Tumet Mongols actually defeated the Balin Mongols.
It was simply not easy to shake the influence of the Khorchin Mongols and affect the Qing Army.
Especially after Dorgon arrived in Baoding, the pressure he brought upon Li Zicheng became even greater.
These two arch-rivals went back and forth; one held the advantage in weaponry, while the other held the advantage in numbers, fighting to a fierce stalemate where neither could claim a decisive victory.
As it turned out, in the face of truly formidable generals, as long as one's weapons had not reached the level of dimensional strike, let alone winning, even resisting would be difficult.
Li Zicheng fought quite frustratingly; there were many times when he actually had the chance to push further, but he was forced to retreat due to a lack of manpower.
After thinking it over, he still submitted a memorial to Zhu Ci, requesting reinforcements.
Li Zicheng knew very well that if the Great Ming sent reinforcements now, they would either come from the Five Military Governors' Office tasked with guarding the capital's vicinity, or from the Jinyi Guard.
Neither of these could be moved lightly; once dispatched, it would be equivalent to leaving the Capital vulnerable.
It was just that he always came so close each time; Li Zicheng felt that sometimes one needed to burn one's boats and commit to a desperate struggle.
Anyway, since Zhu Yujian and Zhu Yihai have both surrendered, there are no more worries in the South. As long as Liu Zhaoji and Shi Kefa can hold the front lines, there is no danger to the Capital.
However, this was merely his own judgment, he could not confidently tell the Emperor that there was no danger in the Capital and that so many troops were not needed. Therefore, the first item in the memorial he wrote was a confession of his own incompetence, followed by an explanation of why he was requesting the deployment of troops.
This fellow is simply reckless, his words are nothing but deceitful!
Fu's gaze was cold. He had always possessed a cold temperament, but at this moment, the chill radiating from him was enough to make one tremble with fear; even Wu Xia and Jiang Xueyan could not help but hide obediently to the side, not daring to speak.
What Li Hongji said might be a bit exaggerated, but it is not without reason," Zhu Ci said. "Our troops are still a bit insufficient.
Fu said disapprovingly, "Even if they are few, you cannot touch the interests of the Jingji Defense."
The Capital Defense protects the officials and commoners around the Capital. Of course, Fu does not care as much about other officials, his concern for the commoners is also limited; he is more worried about Zhu Ci's safety, he also fears that Zhu Ci might truly be swayed by Li Zicheng and send the Jinyi Guard out.
Based on his understanding of the Little Emperor, he certainly wouldn't move the Five Military Governors' Office; he would only possibly send the Jinyi Guard that protects him.
After all, Zhu Ci had said back then that there were too many Jinyi Guard members, he did not need so many people for protection by himself.
Later, Fu and Zhu Ci joined forces and used the ancestral regulations, stating that if the Emperor's regulations were not high enough, other people with titles would not dare to arrange so many guards, which finally coaxed him back.