[Latest Broadcast] Tomorrow is 515, the starting point anniversary, the most benefits day. In addition to gift bags and school bags, this time, you must check the 515 red envelopes. There is no reason to not grab the red envelopes. Set the alarm clock~

"The Ministry of Water Resources and Agriculture has no opinion. Regardless of whether the empire fights or not, corn can be widely planted next year. This thing is really a good thing. People can eat livestock and eat them. They can steam cook cakes, cook porridge, and make wine. They are not wasted even crop poles. If chopped and crushed, they are feed to feed cattle. If His Majesty wants to negotiate terms with the Song Dynasty, using guns and cannons alone may not work. It is better to negotiate terms with the Song Dynasty court with the Song Dynasty. We provide them with corn seeds and pesticides, and we can teach them to plant them."

"In the slope and dry land, you can harvest two stones per mu. If you put it in good land, you can harvest four or five stones per mu. Planting two seasons a year on the Empire Farm is more than ten stones. The northern Han people in the farm said that if they are planted with wheat and sorghum, the yield per mu will be higher. I don't believe that the Song Dynasty court does not need such a magical thing. Regardless of whether it is war or not, it is the essence to have food to eat."

The next speech was Huang Tao, the dual-product minister of the Ministry of Transportation, Water Resources and Construction and the Ministry of Agriculture. In recent years, he and the old man Huang Hai focused on cultivating the corn seeds brought back by Hong Tao. Not only were they planted in Jinhewan, but they also obtained secret planting experiments in Kalamba Port, Malacca Port and the Liren Mountains of Hainan Island. After several seasons of cultivation and harvest, the temperament and character of this fresh crop have been basically understood. Now he is confident enough to let the corn grow anywhere, so he provides Hong Tao with a big killer!

"...Huang Tao, your weapon is much more powerful than cannons! You can achieve your goal without killing people but saving people. This is the highest level, I admire you!" After hearing Huang Tao's words, Hong Tao directly extended two thumbs to express his sincere admiration. Huang Tao, the Minister of Agriculture, is very competent. If his relatives could work as diligently, hardworking and scrambling as him, he would not mind turning the imperial emperor into a hereditary one. Unfortunately, this fantasy would not be realized in the end.

The power of food in the 13th century was comparable to that of atomic bombs. With it, there was a population, and with population, there was productivity and military source. Knives and guns could only be destroyed but not built. Food fundamentally improved the country's strength, so food is more powerful than any weapon.

But can corn be used as an atomic bomb in the 13th century? Hong Tao believes that it is still a little short of that. First of all, the corn yield in this era was not as high as that in later generations. The corn in later generations has undergone hundreds of years of seed selection, cultivation, genetic engineering, and the improvement of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It is not the yield of real corn, but the huge progress in the entire agricultural-related science and technology.

The corn brought back from Mexico does not have the same yield, but after being nurtured by the Mayans for hundreds of years, it is not as useless as some people think. Corn is not picky about the land, does not require too much water, is drought-resistant, cold-resistant, and barren-resistant, and is easier to plant than grain crops such as wheat and rice. What are the uses of these advantages? It is very useful! Such characteristics make many lands that are not suitable for growing grain can be turned into fertile fields. Even if it is not a land of fish and rice, it is still possible to be self-sufficient.

This is a great advantage! Think about it, if a country has only 100 acres of land suitable for planting wheat, millet, sorghum, and rice, these outputs can feed a thousand people. Now that corn is coming, it is far away from the water source, the land is relatively barren, and the climate is not very good. All the wastelands are used, which means that there are 50 acres of land, and then it can feed another 500 people. Seeing this, a small corn has increased the country by half and is full. Is this country strong? Isn’t it a little stronger?

Someone said that steamed buns are not delicious, and they are mixed with milk powder, tofu powder, brown sugar and white flour, and they are not very delicious. They can make small fish with pancakes occasionally. If you eat steamed buns every day, you will definitely not be able to stand it!

This depends on when I said it. It doesn’t take a few hundred years to go to the Song Dynasty. I just need to travel to my grandparents’ generation. If you dare to say this, you will be called a success or a prodigal son on the spot. The big-eared melon seeds with an anxious temper will be pumped up. As long as you can eat enough, you will have good food. No one will worry about coarse grains and fine grains in the Song Dynasty. This problem will still exist even after liberation.

It is indeed a good idea to use corn seeds and planting methods as conditions to exchange interests with the Southern Song Dynasty court. Hong Tao is not afraid of corn crops spreading, even if they can plant them by Mongols and Europeans. The Jinhe Empire has passed its infancy. Its root system is now very developed and has strong resistance in many aspects. At this time, the more prosperous and wealthy the human society is, the more the population, the more the Jinhe Empire will suck blood. Just imagine, on one side, it is thin and fat and strong. If you have to choose one to suck blood, which side would you choose?

"I don't know any diplomacy or strategy, so let's talk about something practical. The muskets are now produced in 500 per month, almost ten months. In addition to the 3,000 sold to the Song Dynasty court, there are more than 2,000 in stock. If they are fully produced, the daily output will have to double. There are more than 300 deck cannons sold to the Strait Company. The number of cannons is enough, but the inventory is not enough, so some of them will be left for the muskets."

"I have a suggestion that the gunpowder factory on the Galaxy should not be expanded any longer. It is very dangerous to make it too big and it is not a good thing even if it is placed on the Galaxy. The port of Malacca has been producing red phosphorus. It is better to build a gunpowder factory there. Let's send some experienced people to watch it. In this way, the output can be increased quickly, and it will not be much smaller than it will be. It is always enough for us to use and sell it to the Song Dynasty." Seeing Huang Tao being praised by Hong Tao, Qi Zu, the Minister of Industry, was a little dissatisfied and shook the contribution of the Imperial Metal Group. In fact, he had already written a paper report to Hong Tao, and now he said these things in public just to show off. People who are purely engaged in technology do not compete for officials or money, but whoever surpasses him in technology will feel very, very uncomfortable, even in other industries.

"Hey! Uncle Qi's method is good. After the meeting, I will approve your report. If you send someone to the gunpowder factory, you can watch it. I don't worry about your work!" You can criticize Huangsha, make fun of Cixi, and encourage Huang Tao, and deal with Qi Zu. The old man didn't want anything else, just said that he was very good at doing things, especially what Hong Tao said, which made him feel the most enjoyable.

"But when you say this, I remembered another good bargaining chip, that is gunpowder! The Song Dynasty has been developing artillery, but the cannon body has been created, but the shells are not far away. This is their big problem. Although the Empire and the Song Dynasty have always been alliances, the Song Dynasty has always wanted to have some say at sea. If we use the establishment of a gunpowder factory in the Song Dynasty to help them produce gunpowder as bait, can they give up some things they were reluctant to give up? The matters of the sea merchants will be better solved, right?" Huang Tao's thoughts just now did remind Hong Tao that if the Song Dynasty court wants to make fundamental concessions, they have to give it enough benefits to make it look envious. What benefits can make it so envious? One corn alone is not enough. If gunpowder is added, Hong Tao thinks it will be more reliable.

"This... is not very good! Your Majesty, once the Navy's naval can be far away, the advantage of the Royal Navy will be much smaller. After all, our number of ships is much smaller than that of the Navy of the Song Dynasty, so we will be very passive. In addition, as Minister Ci said, the imperial court of the Song Dynasty is just a colander. Before one thing has been done, others will know that if the formula of gunpowder is taken away by the Mongolians and the cannibals, it will be too threatening to the Royal Navy." Kong Pei, who had not spoken, heard that Hong Tao was going to build a gunpowder factory in the Song Dynasty, and had to stand up to oppose his immediate boss. Don't be a small gunpowder factory, it might be possible to reverse the strength comparison between the two countries.

"The formula of gunpowder is not a difficult technology. As long as the gunpowder from the Empire is sold to the Song Dynasty, they will not be able to find out in a long time. The result will be exactly the same as what Minister Kong is worried about. So, we might as well take advantage of the fact that the gunpowder formula is still valuable and exchange it for what we need. As for the comparison of the naval strength, I don't think we have to worry too much. The navy is a comprehensive army, reflecting the comprehensive strength of a country, shipbuilding technology, smelting technology, chemical technology, and textile technology must keep up, and there must be complete navigation technology so that the navy can play its due combat effectiveness. It is far from enough to rely on a few cannons."

"In fact, even if the Da Song artillery was equipped with our gunpowder, it was far from our gunpowder in terms of range and power. In terms of chamber pressure, inner wall processing, barrel length, weight, and shell sealing, the Da Song artillery still has a long way to go. If you are not at ease, you can ask Minister Qi for advice in private. In short, I think that the Da Song mastered the gunpowder formula and would not pose a substantial threat to the Royal Navy. At most, if we go to war with the Da Song in the future, it would be a bit difficult to fight on others' territory. However, this war empire is trying hard to avoid it, and it may not be able to fight in the short term. Any technology is time-efficient, so the threat is not great."

Hong Tao understood Kong Pei's concerns very well, but did not agree. Muskets could be sold to the Song Dynasty, why can't gunpowder be? The reason why the Song Dynasty was weak to the outside world was not technology, but an effective national system. If the officials of the Southern Song Dynasty were like Wu Jie and Meng Gong, and a small part of them were devoted to their own gains and losses, and they would not have to help them themselves. But if the officials of the Southern Song Dynasty were like Shi Songzhi, Zhao Fan, and Zhao Kui, unless they would go barely to fight the Southern Song Dynasty to charge into battle every time, the Southern Song Dynasty would sooner or later be killed by them.

ps
Chapter completed!