Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 258 The Founding of Western Xia: Chaos and Order Coexisting (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

An unprecedented reform was officially launched in the Song Dynasty.

Gu Jin was clearly convinced of her own ideas this time, suppressing all dissenting voices immediately and resolutely pushing forward with all the various systems.

And this achievement is also quite remarkable.

He divided the entire land of the Song Dynasty into different levels and conducted a detailed calculation.

Only then did they begin to address the issue of promoting corn.

In fact, this matter is far more complicated than it appears.

Whether it's to safeguard the outflow of corn or to conduct experiments on different types of land.

Gu Jin needed to think about all of this carefully.

At least in the short term, he absolutely cannot allow corn to flow out of the Song Dynasty like this!
—And the method he came up with for this purpose was not that complicated.

He resolved to have the imperial court and the people who grew corn jointly cultivate it.

This matter seems rather convoluted.

But in reality, it's quite simple.

During this land survey and population census, Gu Jin selected a group of respectable families and screened them in various ways, including their land holdings, before finalizing the list.

And these people, without exception.

They were all people who had complete trust in the Gu family and the imperial court.

Gu Jin made an agreement with them.

This crop will be under constant supervision, and once the harvest is complete, the corn will be required to be sold only to the imperial court.

That's all he can do.

In reality, it's impossible to completely control this crop; Gu Jin can only do her best.

But for him, that was enough.

With this corn yield, Gu Jin won't need to restrict it for long; it will be enough to raise the overall strength of the Song Dynasty to a new level. By then, Gu Jin will be able to launch another military campaign.

The fundamental reason that currently restricts his actions is actually the lack of supplies.

He won't keep giving the Liao Kingdom time.

Once Gu Jin chose to do this, many things were already destined.

The entire Censorate was quickly mobilized under this cleanup.

Whether it's the Jiangnan region or the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Even in extremely cold regions like Liaodong, Gu Jin selected a considerable amount of land to plant corn.

It is worth mentioning that--

The corn-growing areas in Liaodong are different from those in the Central Plains.

This was directly planted by the border troops.

To put it bluntly, it was a military settlement.

For the Song Dynasty, Liaodong was indeed too far away.

Even with the convenience of maritime transport, the Song Dynasty could not spare too much grain to continuously supply Liaodong, especially since Gu Jin had recently dispatched a number of elite troops to Liaodong again.

Having these people grow corn would greatly reduce the burden on the imperial court.

Of course, Gu Jin was well aware of the lessons of history.

Military settlements can easily lead to division if not handled properly.

He would naturally pay close attention to such matters, and the troops he sent were almost all his trusted confidants. He also set up the planting area in a very core region under the control of the Song army.

Even if the Liao Kingdom suddenly went mad, it would be impossible for them to threaten the cornfields in a short period of time.

It can be said that everything was taken into account.

All factions were well aware of the various actions taken by the Song Dynasty.

Wang Yingchen had been trying to obtain corn seeds.

This was the first time he had ever felt such emotion towards something.

There was nothing that could be done; the Liao Dynasty's arable land area was what it was.

No matter how hard he tries.

It's impossible for anything to compare to the effects that corn can bring.

Unfortunately, he has no chance of succeeding.

Within the territory of the Song Dynasty, the Censorate's infiltration was extremely deep.

Especially for these corn farmers, not to mention whether he could shake their faith in the Gu family, he even found it extremely difficult to send people to contact them.

His methods of using undercover agents could never compare to those of powerful and corrupt officials.

Within the Song Dynasty, even these corrupt officials had no way to hide.

Not to mention them.

As for other forces, they were no match for the Liao Kingdom.

However, it's worth mentioning—

Just as the Song and Liao dynasties were locked in conflict, the Western Xia dynasty was established!
—This is completely different from the original historical development.

Perhaps it was the emergence of the Gu family that greatly accelerated the process of the Song Dynasty's unification of the Central Plains, which in turn made the struggle between the Song and Liao dynasties more direct, thus driving all of this forward.

The person who declared himself emperor was not Li Yuanhao from the original history.

It was his father, Li Deming.

The power of the Tangut people behind them has now far surpassed its original historical development.

The various Qiang tribes actually had deep connections with the Gu family.

As early as the time when Gu Xi was in power during the Han Dynasty, he had visited the Qiang tribes more than once, leaving behind many legends in the area.

This includes the period at the end of the Han Dynasty, when Gu Chen was conquering the world.

He also shared a friendship with Ma Chao that far exceeded that of ordinary people.

This naturally spurred the development of the entire Qiang tribe, significantly enhancing its overall strength.

This is definitely a big deal!

For the Liao state, this so-called Xia state was originally its vassal state.

To now usurp the throne is tantamount to treason.

Furthermore, given that the Liao Dynasty now places far greater emphasis on the legitimacy of the Nine Provinces than on the original history, it is impossible for them to allow this to happen.

The same applies to the Song Dynasty.

Although on the surface it seems that the Song Dynasty could have allied with the Xia Kingdom to fight against the Liao Kingdom.

But Gu Jin understood perfectly.

The emergence of a single power inevitably increases the possibility of the Kyushu region splitting apart.

He would absolutely not allow such a phenomenon to occur.

No matter what, the Nine Provinces must be unified!
However, he still made detailed plans for various tactics and ordered Yang Ye to prepare at Yanmen Pass. As long as the Liao army dared to take large-scale action, he would seize the opportunity to attack Liao territory from the flank.

The global situation has changed once again.

—The original world.

It mainly focused on the relationship between the Song and Liao dynasties.

Although the rest of the regions remain independent, their individual strengths are far from being competitive.

But things are different now.

The historical period of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms was rapidly fabricated because of Gu Chen.

However, the current struggle for supremacy among the three kingdoms will certainly not end so simply.

Neither Li Deming nor Li Yuanhao were incompetent.

The same applies to Wang Yingchen, who was also from the Liao Kingdom.

However, Gu was still struggling in a period of weakness.

Although Gu Jin was able to make the Song Dynasty stronger and stronger by relying on the entire Gu family's resources.

However, it would still be extremely difficult for him to truly sweep across the entire world under the current circumstances.

Even with corn available now, this is extremely difficult.

The Gu family indeed ushered in their first period of chaos.

This is the real test for the Gu family.

When talents like Gu Chen are no longer available, and the family continues to face suppression, the Gu family members can only rely on the family's accumulated wealth over thousands of years to cope with everything.

Time flies, the years are like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye—it was already the spring of the seventh year of the Tongyuan era.

The Song Dynasty continued its steady rise as before, unaffected by the war between the Liao and Western Xia.

Gu Jin naturally wouldn't make a big fuss about it.

No matter how strong the Western Xia was, the Song Dynasty could not directly destroy the Liao Dynasty.

This matter is more than enough to leave to Yang Ye.

Gu Jin, on the other hand, kept a close eye on everything in the country, continuously developing commerce and agriculture, all of which were constantly changing the Song Dynasty.

Kaijing, the Grand Tutor's residence.

In the study room.

Gu Jin sat upright in the main seat, his expression calm, only the occasional light tapping of his fingertips on the armrest revealed a hint of anticipation in his heart.

Below, several high-ranking officials and heads of various departments stood respectfully.

Today was the day when all the officials gathered to summarize news from various places, and the atmosphere in the study was incredibly lively.

Although all the officials had serious expressions on their faces.

But they all couldn't hide the anticipation within them.

—In fact, they had already received some word that the harvests in various places this year were indeed quite good.

The Song Dynasty had been repairing its waterways.

Although the official purpose was to further develop trade routes, agriculture was also being taken into consideration at the same time.

At least on the surface, the number of floods occurring in various places is decreasing.

One official after another arrived.

A moment later, as the officials arrived one after another, the Minister of Agriculture was the first to step forward and say, "Reporting to the Grand Tutor."

He held a thick volume in his hands, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy. "In the sixth year of the Tongyuan era, the harvest of corn selected for trial planting in various prefectures across the land has been calculated."

"Speak," Gu Jin said succinctly.

"Yes!" The Minister of Agriculture took a deep breath and reported in a loud voice, "In the capital region and Henan Prefecture, the highest yield per mu of top-quality land can still reach more than five shi, and the average yield is stable at around four shi and eight dou!"

"In places like Jingdong Road and Hebei Road, the yield of medium to high-quality farmland is mostly between four and four and five shi per mu!"

"Although the newly established experimental fields in Huainan and Liangzhe Road lacked initial planting experience, the average yield per mu was over three and a half shi!"

"Even in some mountainous areas of Jinghu and Sichuan, the yield per mu has reached two shi and seven or eight dou, thanks to adapting to local conditions!"

With each number announced, the breathing of everyone in the study quickened.

These figures far exceed the traditional yields of millet and wheat.

Even though it cannot compare to the original experimental field.

But that's enough, because it demonstrates the adaptability and stability of corn in a wide range of regions.

"Good." A hint of satisfaction flashed in Gu Jin's eyes, but she immediately asked, "How has the public's reaction been? Are there any concerns about pests or diseases?"

“Reporting to the Grand Tutor,” another official in charge of agricultural promotion stepped forward, “the good families who have been granted permission to plant crops are all deeply grateful for the kindness of the Grand Tutor and the court.”

"Last autumn, the scene of granaries overflowing with gold and jade was regarded as a miracle by the people."

"The imperial court purchased the crops at the agreed price, and the people profited greatly. This year, many people are eager to plant them."

"As for pests and diseases, although there have been sporadic occurrences, the Ministry of Agriculture and officials from various regions have followed the Grand Tutor's previous instructions to organize experienced farmers to summarize their coping methods, which have been published in the 'Morning News' and distributed to various places. At present, the situation is still under control."

One by one, the officials spoke.

This includes censors from various regions.

They were all telling Gu Jin in detail about the situation in various places.

"Grand Tutor, the corn purchased last year, apart from reserving enough for seed, has been gradually replenished in official granaries and border military reserves in various places."

"The grain and fodder reserves in border towns such as Taiyuan, Zhengding, and Hejian have more than doubled compared to three years ago."

"Although the yield of grain produced by the military settlements in Liaodong was limited by climate and soil conditions, with only one and a half to two shi per mu, it greatly alleviated the pressure of transporting grain across the sea."

"General Yang Ye wrote several times, saying that the soldiers had sufficient food and high morale!"

"Furthermore, the corn stalks and leaves are indeed, as the Grand Tutor predicted, excellent fodder and fuel."

“The livestock in government-run farms across the country were fed with this, and they grew very well. People in the countryside followed suit, which alleviated the problem of firewood in winter. In fact, people in various places started selling corn cobs.”

—Gu Jin only specified the corn kernels.

He really didn't have many restrictions on this corncob.

Each report vividly depicted the current prosperity of the Song Dynasty.

And this is just the basics.

The truly terrifying transformation of the Song Dynasty lay in its commerce and population.

Compared to the early days of Zhao Kuangyin's founding of the Song Dynasty, the current commercial tax revenue has increased nearly tenfold.

This is a truly terrifying change.

This alone is enough to demonstrate the success of Gu Jin's reforms.

Today, the population of the Song Dynasty is nearly 70 million, almost three times that of the original historical period.

Even without comparing it to the original historical record, this is still an extremely terrifying number.

And don't forget—

The work of crossing the fields is not yet over.

In any dynasty, it was not uncommon for powerful families to hide their members.

According to Gu Yi's estimate, even if the population of the Song Dynasty has not yet exceeded 100 million, it is definitely no less than 90 million.

This alone is enough to demonstrate the strength of the Song Dynasty.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly lively.

Even the usually serious Gu Jin couldn't help but show a slight smile, but he quickly composed himself and said earnestly to everyone, "Gentlemen, you must not slack off and must continue to observe and summarize."

"This is a vital national asset, and it must not be lost."

"I accept your reply."

The officials immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Gu Jin.

Gu Jin waved his hand, signaling everyone to proceed as usual.

Of course, he wasn't idle either.

Besides general state affairs, Gu Jin also had many political matters to handle, including secret reports from the Censorate and even matters concerning the border regions, all of which he needed to deal with personally.

It is not the same as the current Song Dynasty.

As expected, a fierce war broke out between the Xia and Liao states.

Wang Yingchen designated the Western Xia as a rebellious state.

Li Deming, on the other hand, labeled the Liao Kingdom as barbarians, claiming that his actions were for the sake of the legitimacy of the Nine Provinces. He even sent envoys to the Song Kingdom more than once, wanting Gu Jin to join him in attacking the Liao Kingdom.

Even now, the envoys of the Western Xia are still in Kaifeng.

Gu Jin had to go see them.

Although he has no intention of launching a military campaign yet, he is willing to see the war between the Liao and Xia states intensify.

This is entirely beneficial to the Song Dynasty.

Although the Western Xia had always been very obedient since its founding, and even took the initiative to talk about their connection with the Gu family.

But these are just superficial phenomena.

If there were truly any affection between them, they would not have been vassals of the Liao Kingdom in the first place.

Similarly, they would not choose to become emperors.

When the relative benefits are sufficient, neither friendship nor so-called faith becomes worth mentioning.

How could Gu Jin not see this?
------

"During the Tongyuan era of the Song Dynasty, the agricultural reforms and corn strategy implemented by Grand Tutor Gu Jin were an important practice of epoch-making significance in the history of agricultural development in ancient my country."

Its pioneering "joint planting by the imperial court and good families" model not only ensures the controllable promotion of high-yield crops, but also demonstrates outstanding agricultural governance wisdom through land classification system, military settlement supervision system and cross-border crop protection policies.

This agricultural revolution, centered on corn, successfully propelled the Song Dynasty to achieve a leapfrog increase in grain production, doubled military reserves in border towns, significantly reduced maritime transport pressure, and even spawned a private industrial chain for corn cob fuel and feed.

It not only demonstrates ancient China's precise control over agricultural technology, but also provides a valuable historical paradigm for the promotion of crops and food security strategies in later generations.

Ultimately, this agricultural revolution, deeply rooted in the Gu family's millennia-long wisdom of governance, not only reshaped the power struggle among the Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties, but also became a significant milestone in the transformation of Chinese agricultural civilization towards intensive and large-scale production.

This is an unprecedented era.

Chaos and order coexist.

—From the People's Education Press History Textbook, Grade 7, Volume 2 (Agricultural Technology and Ancient Economy Unit)

(End of this chapter)