Chapter 106 Xu Guangqi (IV)

When Yang Jie saw the storage of sweet potatoes in the countryside when he was a child, he saw cellars storing sweet potatoes in the countryside. It was not difficult to preserve them for the winter.

However, that is the storage method of ordinary people. If the government stores it on a large scale, it is really a problem. Yang Jing has never seen how to make modern national sweet potato reserves.

As for sending sweet potatoes to officials and soldiers, this is still a problem.

It should not be a problem to collect the sweet potatoes with folded colors, but how to send them is a difficult problem. If you send sweet potatoes to those officials, they may jump up and scold them.

Yang Jingkai started to use his brain to think about this issue. He thought about how the sweet potatoes were stored later and how they became cash crops.

Xu Guangqi stood up and reported: "Your Majesty, I think it is feasible to collect sweet potatoes with folded colors. It is also feasible to distribute them to officials and soldiers. These sweet potatoes can replenish deficiency, nourish qi, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and strengthen kidney yin. They are the best tonics. It is said that longevity overseas is due to long-lasting food. All officials worked hard all day long for the Ming Dynasty and were exhausted. They needed this kind of stuff to replenish them. Sweet potatoes were given to officials, which showed His Majesty's love for all officials..." Xu Guangqi explained the distribution of sweet potatoes to the emperor from the pharmacological level and the theory that sweet potatoes belong to tonics. He was really a "strong man".

Yang Jie couldn't help laughing. Xu Guangqi was also awesome. It was a whim to be able to come up with such a theory.

"Your Majesty, this is purely nonsense. Why is sweet potatoes a tonic? Or a longevity elixir? This is obviously a scam. The longevity elixir has always been used to deceive the emperor. Using despicable means to achieve the goal of getting close to the emperor will only ruin the country and make bad things. Please do not mislead your beliefs." When it comes to immortal pills, immortality, and emperor, this is not a good thing. Many ministers are born to dislike the emperor for seeking elixirs, which makes some scammers more valued than the emperor and their words are more effective than the officials, and the officials are of course quite unhappy.

Yang Jing smiled. I don’t know if this sweet potato is a tonic. Yang Jing only remembers that eating too much sweet potato will fart. When I think of the civil and military officials in the court who came to work after eating sweet potatoes in the morning, they all were crappy. It was funny.

Xu Guangqi was not vague and immediately retorted: "Your Majesty, I am not arguing. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", the southerners used sweet potatoes as rice, grain and fruit meals, and steamed and roasted them all fragrant and beautiful... People in the sea live a long life, and they also eat sweet foods without eating grains. Why is that not? Your Majesty, this statement is well-documented." Xu Guangqi is obviously knowledgeable and talented, and the debate is very sharp.

The person who opposed it just now was obviously not the opponent of Xu Guangqi, and he stopped. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" is a masterpiece in pharmacology, but it is an extracurricular level and is not the Four Books and Five Classics that everyone reads. If it is the Four Books and Five Classics, officials can still talk about it. Speaking of "Compendium of Materia Medica", if you are not interested, there will be not many people reading it.

"Compendium of Materia Medica"? Yang Jing was attracted by this thing. This is a great book in Chinese history! It has achieved great success. Li Shizhen learned it when he was in elementary school, and Yang Jing will never forget his name until now. This "Compendium of Materia Medica" also records this sweet potato, and also writes about his medicinal value and can live long. To put it this way, the sweet potatoes collected from the color can be really paid as the welfare of all officials to offset their salary.

The emperor gives you food and tonics that can last for a long life. How dare you say it is not good? Yang Jing remembered this incredible reason for being a powerful and bull, and wanted to laugh, just like in the future, he would pay civil servants with golden partners, Naobaijin and so on.

This is really a very powerful reason. Yang Jing believes that if it is really not possible to promote sweet potatoes, this can be done. At least the scale of sweet potato planting has increased. When droughts break out in the future, people will find that these sweet potatoes are a life-saving thing. At that time, they will actively grow sweet potatoes without promoting them themselves.

Thinking of this, Yang Jing's tense nerves were a little looser. At least, this matter was a bit confusing. In "Compendium of Materia Medica" and his author Li Shizhen, Yang Jing felt that it was necessary to ask, but a great man and Niu Shu!

"What Master Xu said is from "Compendium of Materia Medica"? But the one written by Li Shizhen? How long has it been written?" Yang Jing was not sure when the Compendium of Materia Medica was written. He only remembered that Li Shizhen was from the late Ming Dynasty. He didn't remember what specific year and month it was. If he was in the same period as him and Li Shizhen was still alive, Yang Jing did not mind taking such a talent. There was another one in his talent database.

"Your Majesty, this book is exactly the same. This book was written by Li Dongbi. It was written about fifty years ago. It is a treasure book of pharmacology. What is said above is naturally unfair." Xu Guangqi's knowledge was obviously quite rich, and he answered Chongzhen's words accurately.

Yang Jing sighed, sure enough, it was almost the same as he expected. He originally estimated that Li Shizhen could not have been a person of the same period as Chongzhen. It should have been earlier than this time. Now the book has been written for fifty years, and this person probably died long ago. Li Shizhen had no chance to see him again. Thinking of this, Yang Jing sighed again.

"Yes, this "Compendium of Materia Medica" is a pharmacological masterpiece. I have heard of it before and didn't take it seriously before. Since I talked about this book today, I want to publish some and send it to the clinics of various prefectures and counties to increase knowledge, experience, or for inquiries to save the doctors who have been injured. In this way, doctors can better serve the people of our Ming Dynasty. It is also my accumulation of virtue and seek some benefits for the people of the world..."

Yang Jing was on a whim and decided to print a book. As a masterpiece, "Compendium of Materia Medica" should be promoted and its value should not be buried. Since he has traveled over to become Chongzhen, then these treasures of the Chinese nation should not be buried. They should be carried forward and attracted the attention of the world.

"Your Majesty is kind..." I heard that the emperor wanted to print the "Compendium of Materia Medica" to the doctors in the world. This is really a great thing to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, and it is also a measure to gather the hearts of the people in the world. If the emperor wants to do this, naturally no one will object. Who is so stupid that he opposes the emperor to win over the hearts of the people? This is a big taboo!

After being praised by the ministers, Yang Jing was very proud. The problem of sweet potatoes was barely solved, and Yang Jing became much more relaxed.

"Then even if the promotion of sweet potatoes is decided, do you guys have anything else to say?"

"Report to Your Majesty, I would like to ask, where does the seeds of this sweet potato come from? How to distribute them to the people? How to plant them? How to defend against diseases and insects?"

A minister immediately raised actual operational issues.

"This..." Yang Jingwei was stunned. He had never considered this issue yet. He had been considering how to promote it and forgot the seed issue of sweet potatoes.

Fortunately, Xu Guangqi was prepared: "Your Majesty, I have prepared for this matter. In the early years, I tried to plant many good varieties in Tianjin and planted a lot of sweet potatoes in barren mountains, so that one day I can provide seeds after it can be promoted on a large scale."

"This, Master Xu is really..." Yang Jingwei didn't know how to thank the respectable old man. He thought so thoughtfully that he even prepared the seeds of sweet potatoes. This right-hand man is really not a waste of time. He has really put all his thoughts on this for the country and the people!

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask, Xu Shaobao, how many seeds are there? Once this is promoted, it will be promoted throughout the Ming Dynasty! Even if Xu Shaobao and Xu prepare the seeds, it may not be enough!" A person who came to find fault.

Yang Jing was also in a dilemma, yes! This promotion, not to mention the entire Ming Dynasty, at least several northern provinces, how big is it? How many seeds does it take? Is Xu Guangqi ready to come over?

Xu Guangqi reported: "Your Majesty, I believe that in the promotion of sweet potatoes, it is advisable to select several counties in one or two provinces in the north as trial seeds, one as the place of origin for seed production, two to be familiar with the habits of these sweet potatoes, three to be familiar with the storage of sweet potatoes, etc., to prepare for the large-scale promotion in our north next year."

Xu Guangqi was indeed very thoughtful and did not reveal his water! Plan, base, promotion. Promotion step by step.

"Okay! OK! OK! Master Xu is indeed a comprehensive arrangement! This matter is carried out according to Master Xu's wishes, and this matter is left to Master Xu. Of course, Master Xu doesn't have to go to take charge of it himself. I can't live without Master Xu. There are more important things in the court that need Master Xu to do, so you can only control and command remotely in the capital. Master Xu can send some trustworthy people to do it."

Yang Jingwei said three good things in a row, and the promotion of sweet potatoes was decided. Now, he could breathe a sigh of relief. The rope strangled on his neck was looser. In the future, when there was a natural disaster, the resistance would be a little higher and less rebellious. His life would be easier.

Xu Guangqi is indeed a great man.
Chapter completed!