A gentle breeze rustled, and green waves rippled.
Another season of warm spring and blooming flowers made the outskirts of Qingzhou City as beautiful as a painting.
The next morning, Xiao Ming, along with Pang Yukun and three to five Qingzhou officials, headed north along the cement road extending from Qingzhou Province.
Along the way, Xiao Ming enjoyed the beautiful scenery on both banks, feeling joyful. At this moment, the spring light was brilliant, there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the sky was as blue as a gemstone.
And under the clear sky, the visibility was excellent, allowing him to see very far.
Both sides of the cement road were mostly wildflowers and dense bushes. Many plants rarely seen in modern times were abundant here.
“Your Majesty, this cement road has now been built from Qingzhou City to the county towns below, and a part of it has even reached the villages. The other five prefectures outside Qingzhou have also begun laying cement roads and constructing urban road pipelines. Because of this, quite a few cement workshops have sprung up in the six prefectures, making some merchants rich again,” Pang Yukun said to Xiao Ming as they walked.
This time, Xiao Ming did not ride in a carriage but walked with Pang Yukun and the others. He came from modern times and was not so delicate; sometimes he liked to act on impulse.
“However, this extensive construction has indeed cost a lot of silver,” Zhan Xingchang sighed. “Now, besides roads, various prefectures and counties also need to build water conservancy projects. Every task to be done requires silver.”
Xiao Ming smiled wryly, “Now, the people I fear seeing most are you. Every time you open your mouth, it’s about silver.”
“Your Majesty, we are also helpless. Now, military expenses account for the majority of the national treasury’s expenditure, so naturally, there is less silver for other areas. This will slow down the pace of reform implementation,” Zhan Xingchang shook his head.
Pang Yukun said nothing. He and Xiao Ming had already spoken enough, but this was the situation the Great Yu Empire was facing now.
“Therefore, I am also trying to find a solution. This situation will severely delay the implementation of reforms, which is absolutely unacceptable. However, military expenses cannot be reduced. Now, we are surrounded by powerful enemies, and one small mistake could lead to eternal damnation,” Xiao Ming said slowly.
Pang Yukun nodded, “You don’t need to trouble Your Majesty with this anymore. Your Majesty is already worried about this matter.”
Xiao Ming then suddenly chuckled. He said to the officials, “You all needn’t worry. I already have a way to generate wealth. The imperial treasury will be overflowing in just a few years.”
Zhan Xingchang and the others immediately showed relieved expressions. They now blindly trusted this Emperor, because Xiao Ming had already created many miracles.
The group chatted and laughed as they walked north. Gradually, a faint stench wafted over, growing heavier and heavier.
Pang Yukun’s face showed discomfort. “Your Majesty, this place is truly filthy. Your Majesty should wait here; we will go.”
“There’s no need for that. If you can go, so can I.” With that, Xiao Ming walked directly off the cement road and towards the septic tank not far away.
Zhan Xingchang and Pang Yukun exchanged glances, their expressions filled with admiration. This place was rarely set foot in even by officials, yet Xiao Ming, disregarding his dignity, personally went.
The fertilizer Xiao Ming wanted Pang Yukun to manufacture this time was not chemical fertilizer in the modern sense. It was actually a kind of indigenous compound fertilizer made by traditional methods, and its production required phosphate rock.
When Xiao Ming paved the cement roads in Qingzhou Province last time, he also took the opportunity to reorganize the city’s sewage pipes, channeling all the city’s wastewater into the septic tank outside the city.
His purpose at the time was to one day produce indigenous chemical fertilizer, because modern chemical fertilizer could not be produced without electricity and corresponding equipment.
Upon reaching the destination, the production team leaders from seventeen nearby villages in Qingzhou Province were already waiting for him.
Seeing Xiao Ming personally arrive, they were greatly astonished and bowed to Xiao Ming one after another.
This time, Fan Zeng also came along. Pang Yukun said to him, “You must record this event today. Publish it in the newspaper tomorrow, so the common people will know how diligently Your Majesty governs and loves his people.”
“That is natural,” Fan Zeng said with a smile.
Everyone had arrived. Xiao Ming no longer wasted time. The spring plowing was about to begin, and they needed to seize this opportunity to promote indigenous chemical fertilizer.
In the villages of the Great Yu Empire, almost every household had its own latrine. As long as they mastered this method, they would no longer have to worry about fertilizer.
Facing the crowd, Xiao Ming then had the seventeen team leaders personally follow his method.
First, Xiao Ming had them crush the phosphate rock, then sift it.
Afterward, he had them collect an equal amount of fermented manure from the fertilizer pond, mix it evenly with the crushed phosphate rock in a one-to-one ratio, and pile it into a conical shape.
Then, he had them tightly seal the fertilizer with a three-centimeter thick layer of thin mud, and let it sit for seven days. After seven days, they could remove the fertilizer from it for use.
The fertilizer at this time was a compound fertilizer among indigenous fertilizers. This fertilizer was complete in elements and could be used at every stage of crop growth.
Although this fertilizer could not reach the standard of modern chemical fertilizer, it was enough to give a piece of land lasting fertility.
After all, in ancient times, many lands were obtained by burning forests. These farmlands would experience reduced yields once their fertility was exhausted.
“These fertilizers must first be used on high-yield crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes,” Xiao Ming said to Pang Yukun after teaching the method of producing indigenous chemical fertilizer.
After a pause, he continued, “Qingzhou Province experiences many droughts, and corn is very drought-resistant, suitable for planting in Qingzhou. For the past few years, Kui Wu has been breeding, and now he has accumulated quite a few corn seeds. This year, choose a few villages to plant them.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Pang Yukun responded. He then said, “Your Majesty, I believe it is now time to abolish the village chiefs. The village production teams have basically replaced the position of village chiefs, and allowing these village chiefs to continue existing is rather a burden. Moreover, the village chiefs are inherently the foundation of powerful families. Only by thoroughly eliminating governance by local gentry can we prevent the resurgence of powerful families.”
Xiao Ming deeply agreed. The taxation of prefectures and counties outside Qingzhou Province and Youzhou Province still relied on these so-called local gentry.
And the source of these local gentry were the local powerful families. Because they were numerous and influential, the local gentry chosen had authority.
These local gentry filled the void of imperial court authority at the grassroots level, becoming the actual managers of the villages. When they encountered virtuous individuals, they could be called local gentry, but when they encountered evildoers, they became village tyrants.
The foundation of feudal dynasties was sometimes destroyed by these self-serving individuals. Therefore, to prevent this situation from happening again, Xiao Ming established institutions like production teams, precisely to eliminate the growth of clan power.
“Since it’s a reform, it will inevitably infringe upon the interests of some people, and sometimes bloodshed is inevitable. You may act boldly in this matter; I will support you,” Xiao Ming said calmly.
Pang Yukun’s expression was moved. Xiao Ming’s words were enough.
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