Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

[Let's start with the curved-shaft plow. The old plows were heavy and difficult to use, requiring several oxen to pull them. The improved curved-shaft plow is much lighter and easier to use; a single ox can lead it to plow the field. The depth of the plow can be adjusted as needed, and turning around in the field is also convenient.]

Farmers can not only save a lot of effort in their work, but also find it easier to cultivate wasteland, naturally leading to higher harvests.

"!!!"

want to!!!

[Then there's the seed drill. In the past, people relied entirely on hand-sowing to sow seeds, resulting in a chaotic mess—some areas were densely packed, others sparsely so, wasting a lot of seeds.]

[With a seed drill, everything is different. In one trip, you can dig furrows, sow seeds, and cover them with soil all at once, and several rows can be sown simultaneously. The seeds are buried at even depth, resulting in uniform seedling growth. It saves seeds and is much faster, eliminating the need to rush through the planting season.]

"!!!"

What to do? I want them both!!!

Therefore, the Song chancellor ordered the widespread adoption of the curved plow and seed drill throughout the entire Qin territory. With the help of these two new agricultural tools, farming became much easier and more efficient for the people, resulting in steadily increasing harvests year after year, and granaries across the country quickly overflowing.

Furthermore, the government distributed two sets of agricultural tools to the people free of charge, and all expenses for the wear and tear and repair of these tools were covered by the imperial treasury, without requiring the people to bear any cost.

"?!?!"

"What???! Free?!"

[Even after the national treasury became increasingly abundant, the imperial court went a step further, providing every household in the land with two sets of farming tools. All tools were manufactured by the imperial court and distributed to the people free of charge.]

"???"

Under the sky, everyone stared wide-eyed.

Someone raised their hand blankly, looking dazed: "Pinch me, pinch me now! Am I dreaming? Is there really such a good thing in the world?"

The person next to him was also stunned and instinctively pinched his arm hard.

"hiss--!"

The man gasped sharply, his eyes twitching in pain, but instead of getting angry, he just stared blankly and grinned, his eyes shining.

"It's real! It's not a dream!"

An old woman next to me stammered for a long time, "The government is giving us things? And repairing things for free? In our whole lives, we've only ever seen the government come to collect grain and conscript people, we've never seen them deliver things to ordinary people's homes."

"This is the first time I've ever heard of this."

"That curved plow, can one ox pull it?"

"Did you hear me clearly? The government is issuing two sets!"

"I just want to ask one question: would we actually be able to use this?"

A woman looked down at the child in her arms and said in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper to herself, "Now you can eat your fill too."

"If it's true... then our descendants are truly fortunate to have caught up with such a good time." No one responded.

...

At the same time, outside Zhangtai Palace.

A dozen pairs of eyes converged on them, as if silently urging: Hurry! Take out these two treasures!

Among the crowd, Zu Long was the most eager, his expectant gaze almost undisguised.

Song Ye helplessly spread his hands: "Your Majesty, I really don't have any right now."

Is it that she doesn't want it?!

As soon as he finished speaking, the light in the man's eyes dimmed instantly.

Indeed, it was still more than a decade before the curved plow and seed drill were invented...

However, my dear minister, can't you really think of another way?

Song Ye: "?"

Behind him, Meng Yi stared longingly at Song Ye, wishing he could go up and shake her sleeve.

What if? Who knows, maybe some amazing treasure will fall out?

Therefore, Meng Yi really started to think about it seriously.

Song Ye: "..."

In the same year, Chancellor Song issued a major new policy that stirred up the court and drew discontent from many officials.

The new policy implemented a new work-for-relief model: laborers participating in the repair of the Great Wall and the construction of roads were provided with rations by the government, eliminating the need for them to bring their own food.

Furthermore, upon completion of their service, laborers would receive grain and cloth as compensation from the imperial court. This directly transformed the historically unpaid and forced corvée labor into paid employment based on labor, ensuring that the people volunteered for work voluntarily, rather than being forcibly conscripted by the government.

Although this new policy drew considerable opposition and criticism from court officials, it was successfully implemented thanks to the strong support of Emperor Taizong of Qin. This measure greatly mobilized the people's resources and won their hearts, laying a solid foundation for the efficient construction of the Great Wall.

[Historical records indicate that during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the Song dynasty also proposed a policy of replacing disasters with public works, but this was rejected for various reasons. It was only after Fusu ascended the throne and the national treasury became increasingly abundant that this beneficial policy was revived and implemented by the Song dynasty.]

In the "Collected Works of Song Xiang," Song Xiang wrote the following about the work-for-relief program...

As he finished speaking, the sky unfolded like a long scroll, with gilded characters appearing one by one.

Who is the noblest person in this world?

My answer is: The working people are the noblest.

"Long live the people!"

"Long live the working class and peasantry!"

"Working people are the most glorious!"

The lines of gilded lettering quickly faded away.

Immediately afterwards, countless images appeared on the sky.

Spanning countless ages, from ancient times to the present.

The first thing that catches the eye is the image of ancient farmers, hands in hand, diligently working in the fields. As time went on, the farming tools in the hands of farmers were updated and improved, becoming increasingly sophisticated and practical.

The scene shifts to the modern era.

A woman holds ears of wheat in her arms and a sickle in her hand, while soldiers of the People's Liberation Army stand side by side behind her, each holding a hoe.

The sickle and hammer gleamed brightly against each other.

Lower the camera a little, raise the people a little.

The great working class and peasantry.

Workers create the world; farmers feed the world.

The wheat has ripened five thousand times, but this is the first time it has ripened—long live the people!

The image froze, and the people stared at it blankly for a long time.

The sickle and hoe overlap, forming an unfamiliar symbol.

The people felt their blood boil, and as they gazed at the image of the sickle and hammer in the sky, an indescribable emotion surged within them.

Meanwhile, the laborers building the Great Wall in the far north gazed blankly at the sky, all wondering the same thing: What is the working class? Does it refer to them, these lowly people?

Are they noble?

Do they deserve it?

The answer is self-evident.

Song also stood at the center of the historical stage, loudly proclaiming to everyone:

"The people are the noblest! Long live the workers and peasants!"