Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 163 After the deed is done, I will grant you a fifth-rank official position!
Golden rice paddies blanket the fields, their fragrance filling the air.

In the rice paddies, farmers carry bamboo baskets on their backs and hold sickles in their hands.

With a single wave, a handful of rice is produced.

"call!"

Holding a bunch of golden rice, Jiang Zhao rubbed it and blew on it.

"Two, four, six"

Two hundred and thirteen!

Pick up a piece, put it in your mouth, and chew and savor it carefully.

unexpectedly
"Ok?"

Jiang Zhao was surprised and somewhat disbelieving, so he picked up two pills and put them in his mouth at once.

After chewing two pills, Jiang Zhao frowned slightly: "No wonder scholars mainly belittle others."

"This rice was introduced by the barbarians of Jiaozhi. The grains are small and the aroma is weak. It does not stick when cooked and has little flavor. It is even slightly astringent. Scholars and poets naturally disdain to eat it."

The speaker wore a folded headscarf, had a long beard, and wore a green robe with a right-fastening front and wide sleeves. He appeared to be about forty or fifty years old.

This person was He Zhen, the local official in charge, a seventh-rank magistrate of Jiangdu County.

Besides the county magistrate, there were also some minor officials and clerks wearing green robes or without official robes, all with smiles on their faces, following closely behind.

"Which scholar or writer isn't quite wealthy, owning considerable land?"

Jiang Zhao shook his head and sighed slightly: "In that case, I would not deign to eat it."

County Magistrate He Zhen nodded in agreement: "When the late emperor ascended the throne, this rice was introduced to Fujian Circuit, but it was not valued. In the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1011), the paddy fields in the Jianghuai and Liangzhe areas failed to yield a harvest. Fortunately, this rice is drought-resistant and early-maturing, so it was promoted for planting in order to provide disaster relief."

However, this rice tasted terrible and was not accepted by scholars or the common people. Once the drought was over, they switched back to planting japonica rice. Even the late emperor's handwritten "Ode to Champa Rice" could not change the situation.

Even today, it is only cultivated to a limited extent in the Huainan and Liangzhe areas, and this is not without reason.

The advantages of Champa rice are obvious.

Short growth cycle, tolerant of poor soil, drought, and waterlogging!

Champa rice and japonica rice have different farming patterns.

The growth cycle of japonica rice is 180 days. It is generally sown in March, harvested in September, and followed by winter wheat in October, and harvested again in May of the following year.

Two harvests, totaling one year and two months.

This results in a cycle of more than one year for the combination of rice and wheat.

To continue farming, one basically has to wait until August to plant soybeans and harvest them in October, and then wait until March of the following year to plant japonica rice.

In this way, a "land-nurturing rotation" model is achieved, which involves harvesting rice, wheat, and soybeans every two years.

Alternatively, one could simply plant glutinous rice in March, harvest it in September, and then supplement it with other grains like millet, sorghum, and buckwheat in October.

The growing period of miscellaneous grains is only about two months, and they are cold-resistant, so they can be harvested in December.

This means that the farming can be carried out within a one-year cycle, and two harvests of glutinous rice and two harvests of miscellaneous grains can be made in two years.

In contrast, Champa rice can be harvested in the Jianghuai region in less than 100 days, and can be harvested twice from May to the end of October, followed by winter wheat, which is harvested the following May.

This process, in theory, can achieve three harvests a year.

Of course, this is a theoretical result.

In reality, some farmers, considering the profitability of their crops, may prefer to allow wheat to have more fertile soil for growth.

In this way, it is possible to set aside 100 days to allow the soil to become more fertile, so that the wheat can grow better and there is a hope for a bumper wheat harvest.

This means that there are two harvests a year, namely "two harvests of rice and wheat".

Rice can be harvested twice and wheat twice in two years.

In terms of yield, a single Champa rice plant is not as good as japonica rice, but its growth cycle is shorter.

Planting japonica rice allows for two harvests of japonica rice and two harvests of miscellaneous grains every two years, or one harvest of japonica rice, one harvest of wheat, and one harvest of soybeans.

Champa rice can be harvested twice a year, yielding rice and wheat twice a year.

The yield of one mu of japonica rice and Champa rice may differ by a hundred or so jin, but the yield of wheat and miscellaneous grains differs by more than a little.

Two wheat harvests are enough to make up for the difference in rice production.

In terms of long-term crop yield, Champa rice is definitely superior.

Moreover, Champa rice is drought-resistant, flood-resistant, and tolerant of poor soil, and is not affected by the seasons!
The saying "no need to seek water in drought, no need to abandon farming in floods" refers to Champa rice.

It is not afraid of drought or flood, and it is not picky about the land, so it is undoubtedly a life-saving rice for disaster relief.

Of course, the drawbacks are also obvious.

Not tasty!
This is no small flaw.

In fact, this shortcoming greatly affected the spread of Champa rice.

If it doesn't taste good, it means it's not recognized by society and won't fetch a good price in the market.

One shi (a unit of dry measure) of polished rice costs 500 to 700 wen. One shi of Champa rice costs 100 to 150 wen.

More than three times less!
Champa rice simply couldn't fetch a good price.

In addition, the beans that come with the rice plantation are more expensive than wheat.

A good harvest does not necessarily mean a high price.

These differences were enough to make wealthy gentry and farmers choose to grow japonica rice.

Jiang Zhao waved his hand and sighed softly.

Champa rice has many advantages, and the fact that its taste is not good and thus hinders its promotion is not the real reason.

The real reason is a policy issue!

The late emperor promoted Champa rice almost entirely through verbal encouragement, with very few real policy rewards.

Encouragement is encouragement, and life is life.

As a result, not many people planted it.

The late emperor passed away not long after he began promoting Champa rice.

When the emperor ascended the throne, there was little verbal encouragement, and policy support was unheard of.

The fact that this rice can still be grown in Huainan and Liangzhe areas, despite the lack of support from top to bottom for its cultivation, is already quite remarkable.

"In governing the country, we must not only consider the powerful and wealthy, but also the common people."

Jiang Zhao picked up a stalk of rice and said slowly, "It doesn't stick when cooked, and it has little flavor when eaten, but that's not important."

As he spoke, he looked at the county magistrate: "The real common people are looking for food to fill their stomachs, not food to taste good."

"The only drawback of this rice is that it tastes slightly astringent."

The rice stalks were passed over, and the county magistrate quickly caught them with both hands.

Jiang Zhao asked slowly, "Is Magistrate He quite knowledgeable about agricultural products?"

Since the decline of the Qi dynasty, he had really had nothing to do. He would occasionally read books, teach his son to read, and sometimes go to the fields to understand the farming practices of the people.

He Zhen was eager to flatter him, and he followed him closely whenever it came to farming.

The key point is that Magistrate He was able to answer 90% of the agricultural questions he asked, which is quite remarkable.

“I come from a family that values ​​both farming and scholarship.” He Zhen’s head trembled, realizing something, and he quickly replied, “Thirty acres of poor land could support six people. It wasn’t until I passed the imperial examination and received financial assistance from several wealthy merchants that things started to improve.”

Jiang Zhao understood.

To support an adult, you need at least five or six acres of land.

Thirty acres of land can support six people, and even if some of them are children, they are probably only at the point of having a chance to survive.

Such a family, which combines farming and scholarship, must have personally engaged in labor for quite some time.

No wonder!
"Do you know anything about seedling cultivation?" Jiang Zhao asked.

“Take rice seeds, select the largest ears and plant them, cover them with wood ash to prevent pests, and repeat this process for several years, and the rice will yield a high harvest,” He Zhen replied respectfully.

"Try starting seedlings."

Jiang Zhao made a rare promise: "If you can remove the astringent taste from the Champa rice, I will at least guarantee you a fifth-rank retirement."

He Zhen blushed, almost visibly.

"I will follow Jiang Gong's teachings!" He Zhen said excitedly.

For the vast majority of officials, the fifth rank is undoubtedly a difficult threshold to cross.

Once you put on the red robe, you can be considered to have entered the inner circle of officialdom.

Conversely, they are simply cannon fodder.

Jiang Zhao nodded.

This Champa rice is definitely a strategic item.

Since it's a policy issue, there's an opportunity to resolve it.

Saying it doesn't taste good is just empty talk.

Having enough to eat is the most important thing!
For ordinary people, the greatest pursuit is simply to have enough to eat, and occasionally to be able to eat their fill a few times.

Jiang Zhao glanced at the rice stalks and took out a token from his sleeve, which was engraved with the character "Jiang".

"Thank you, Lord Jiang," He Zhen said quickly.

"Focus on raising the seedlings."

It takes at least one or two dozen generations of rice varieties to achieve any results in seedling cultivation.

One or two generations, which is roughly ten years.

He, Jiang Zhao, can endure it!

(End of this chapter)