Da Qin: Comparing his sons, Ying Zheng was sour.

【After seeing the donkey, although there are other exotic animals in the Animal Husbandry Department, to the pragmatic King Yingzheng of Qin and Prince Fusu, neither value nor significance is as great as the previous donkey.】

【Therefore, King Qin Yingzheng and Prince Fusu only glanced at it briefly before turning and leaving, heading to the Jianghe Department, one of the six departments of the Ministry of Agriculture.】

【Because the Jianghe Department is mainly responsible for researching and optimizing the specific breeding methods of various fish, shrimps, crabs, turtles and other aquatic products in rivers and lakes, its geographical location is close to the Peihe River on the left side of Shanglinyuan.】

【And unlike the Agriculture Department, which reclaims acres of land, and the Animal Husbandry Department, which builds sheds or farms, the Jianghe Department mainly digs out ponds of different sizes.】

【Each pond is home to a variety of large or small fish, shrimps, crabs, turtles and other aquatic products.】

【Xu Zi, who was standing in front, also introduced to King Qin Yingzheng and Prince Fusu:"This is the Jianghe Division. Currently, there are a total of twenty-seven kinds of common fish, shrimps, crabs, turtles, etc."】

【"There are ponds where various fish, shrimps, crabs, and turtles are raised individually, and there are ponds where these fish, shrimps, crabs, and turtles are raised together."】

【Looking at the large and small fish ponds in front of him, Prince Fusu also asked:"Have you recorded the previous processes and experiences on how to plan, build, and manage fish ponds?"】

【Xu Zi nodded and said:"According to His Highness's previous instructions, start with choosing where to dig the fish pond, the reasons for this choice, and how to manage the fish pond after the fish pond is excavated and built, etc."】

【"Everything has been recorded in detail and organized, summarized and summarized accordingly."】

【"In this way, in the future, whether the people in various places want to raise fish, or the local officials want to guide the people in Guizhou to raise fish,"】

【"As long as you have this 27 book specifically on how to raise fish, you will have a reference template"】

【"If you want to raise fish, you know what to do in the first step, what to do in the second step, what to do in the third step, etc., so that you won’t be like a blind person who is at a loss and can’t find the way forward."】27

【Prince Fusu also nodded when he heard this, and then glanced at various fish ponds while recalling the various knowledge that Master Xu had told him about raising fish, shrimps, crabs, turtles and other aquatic products.】

【In this day and age, aquaculture is not uncommon either】

【Like in the Book of Songs》、《Zhou Li》、《There are records of aquatic production activities in"Erya" and the writings of various scholars.】

【For example, the Book of Songs contains many chapters that record the fish that could be caught at that time, the fishing gear and methods used, and artificial fish farming.】

【Another example is"Zhou Rites", which is a compilation that records the official system of the Zhou royal family in the past and the current systems of various countries. Among them,"Tianguanzhongzai"》、《"Local Officials and Situ" and other chapters record the fishery officials and their responsibilities】

【Another example is"Erya", which is a classic that explains words in this period. It includes the chapter"Shiyu", which lists more than 20 species of fish.】

【Another example is Fan Li's"Fish Farming Classic", which can be said to be the earliest book that specifically talks about how to raise fish.】

【In the"Fish Farming Classic", the structure of the fish pond, the specifications of the broodstock, the ratio of male and female fish, the suitable time for stocking, and the methods of raising carp such as close breeding, rotational fishing, and seed propagation are recorded in the form of questions and answers.】

【In addition, there is also"Guanzi"》、《Mencius》、《Xunzi", as well as"Lü Shi Chun Qiu" written by the former Lu Xiang Lu Buwei, also recorded fishing, fish farming and aquatic resource protection and other fishery contents respectively.】

【Of course, like"Guanzi"》、《Mencius》、《Xunzi》、《Xu Zi did not teach him all about"Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" and other works, but only taught him the thoughts and knowledge related to farming, fish farming and other aspects of farming.】

【After looking around for a while, looking at the empty fish ponds and the surrounding areas, Prince Fusu also realized that there was something missing in these fish ponds.】

【Immediately, Prince Fusu suggested:"Such a large fish pond can't just be used to raise fish, shrimps, crabs, and turtles. It must be used for further purposes.""】

【"Only in this way can the fish ponds produce more output, and the people of Guizhou Province will be able to harvest more in the future!"】

【Hearing this, Xu Zi was also a little puzzled. If the fish pond is not used to raise fish, shrimps, crabs, and turtles, what else can it be used to raise?】

【But he knew that what Prince Fusu said was often true. Since Prince Fusu said so, he must have thought of other ways to further increase the output of the fish pond.】

【So Xu Zi also raised his hands with joy and said:"Your Highness, please make it clear"】

【Prince Fusu did not hide it and said directly:"Sprinkle some water chestnuts and lotus roots into these fish ponds. It would be a pity if such a good fish pond is not used to raise some water chestnuts and lotus roots.""】

【"And compared to the yield per mu of grains, water chestnuts and lotus roots are truly high yielding!"】

【"At present, the yield of wheat and rice per mu is only about a hundred kilograms at best."】

【"But I estimate the yield per mu of water chestnut to be more than 1,000 kilograms conservatively!"】

【"As for the yield per mu of lotus root, I estimate it to be conservatively over 3,000 kilograms!"】

【"Moreover, the taste and texture of water chestnuts and lotus roots are good, crisp and sweet."】

【"When the staple food of grains is not enough, it is perfectly fine to eat water chestnut and lotus root as the staple food."】

【After Prince Fusu finished speaking, the whole place fell into silence.】

【Whether it was Xu Zi, King Qin Zheng, Zhang Han, or other farm boys, etc., they all looked at Prince Fusu blankly.】

【Prince Fusu, who was completely unaware of the shocking words he said, looked at everyone with a puzzled look on his face and said,"Why are you looking at me like that?"】

【Prince Fusu was calm, but his doubtful words broke the silence of the scene.】

【And King Qin Yingzheng couldn't help but asked first:"What did you just say?"】

【"The yield per mu of water chestnut is more than 1,000 kilograms?"】

【"The yield per mu of lotus root is more than three thousand kilograms?"】

【Hearing his father's words as if he didn't believe it, Prince Fusu also thought about the wild river ponds he saw on the way when he went out of the palace to inspect some old Qin people in Guanzhong.】

【Then I once again estimated the approximate number of water chestnuts and lotus roots that existed in the wild river pond with dense water chestnuts and lotus roots.】

【Finally, multiply the size and weight of the water chestnuts and lotus roots you have eaten by the approximate number of water chestnuts and lotus roots that exist.】

【In the end, Prince Fusu nodded affirmatively and said:"Yes, the yield of water chestnut per mu is indeed more than one thousand kilograms!"】

【"Similarly, the yield of lotus roots per mu is more than 3,000 kilograms!"】

【In fact, Prince Fusu’s data is not only not exaggerated, but is also a relatively conservative estimate.】

【Generally, the yield per mu of common water chestnuts under traditional planting methods is between 800 kilograms and 1,200 kilograms.】

【If it is in some specific areas (such as Shantou), or if it is grown in some special ways (greenhouse cultivation), then the yield per mu of water chestnut can reach as much as two thousand to three thousand kilograms.】

【There are even some very few water chestnuts whose yield per mu can reach an astonishing five thousand kilograms!】

【The average yield per mu of lotus root is between 3,000 jins and 5,000 jins.】

【If it is some better varieties, coupled with scientific breeding methods, then its yield per mu can reach an astonishing eight thousand to more than ten thousand kilograms!】

【It can be said that such a terrifyingly high yield per mu is not inferior to the high-yield grains such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn that were introduced in the Ming Dynasty.】

【At least when potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corns are shouting"invincible", the lotus roots and water chestnuts that have existed in China since the pre-Qin Dynasty, or even earlier, can fight!】

【King Qin Yingzheng's eyes fell on Xu Zi, wanting to get a definite answer from Xu Zi】

【After all, the yield per mu of lotus roots and water chestnuts mentioned by Prince Fusu is really amazing.】

【It was so shocking that even King Qin Yingzheng, who had always trusted Prince Fusu, needed to find someone he thought was a professional to confirm it.】

【However, Xu Zi, who was considered a professional by King Qin Yingzheng, shook his head at this moment and said with a bitter smile:"My lord, I have never paid attention to the yield per mu of lotus root and water chestnut before."】

【After all, farmers���Previously, most of the time and energy was spent on studying how to increase the yield of grain per acre by ten or eight jin.】

【Therefore, I have not paid much attention to lotus roots and water chestnuts, which grow randomly in water and are only used as non-staple vegetables most of the time, and I don’t even know their approximate yield per mu.】

【Otherwise, when Prince Fusu told the approximate yield of lotus root and water chestnut just now, Xu Zi and other farmers would not have been so shocked that they were stunned.】

【Looking at everyone with expressions of disbelief, Prince Fusu thought for a while and then said:"Have you all eaten or seen lotus roots?"】

【King Qin Yingzheng, Xu Zi and others all nodded. Lotus root is also one of the seasonal vegetables in autumn, and they have eaten it more or less.】

【After everyone nodded, Prince Fusu stretched out his little hand and gestured in front of him:"Since you have eaten or seen lotus roots, you should also know that one lotus root weighs about a pound."】

【"As for a lotus root, the main lotus root has about four to six sections. If you choose the middle number, a lotus root will be five sections or five pounds."】

【"Is there any problem with this?"】

【King Qin Yingzheng, Xu Zi and others all shook their heads. They had all eaten or seen lotus roots, so they naturally knew that what Prince Fusu said was correct.】

【Then Prince Fusu pointed to the one-acre pond in front of him and said:"So, is it a problem to raise six hundred lotus plants in this pond in front of you?"】

【King Qin Yingzheng, Xu Zi and others looked at the pond in front of them and shook their heads again】

【Let alone 600 lotus plants in the pond in front of you, it would probably be no big problem even if you could raise 1,000 lotus plants.】

【Finally, Prince Fusu clapped his hands and said:"There is a lotus root under a lotus. A lotus root has five sections, and one section weighs one pound.""】143

143 ["The last six hundred lotus plants and three thousand lotus roots add up to about three thousand catties. It is said that the yield of lotus roots per mu is more than three thousand catties. Is there any problem with this inference?"】

【King Qin Yingzheng, Xu Zi and others were all speechless and unable to refute】

【Because Prince Fusu’s reasoning is so simple, crude, and straightforward that even a three-year-old child can understand it, let alone them.】

【But precisely because they understood it, they had no choice but to believe that such outrageous things as"a yield of more than three thousand kilograms of lotus roots per mu" was actually true!】

【There is such terrifyingly high-yielding food in the world!】

【Why didn't they notice before?】

【Compared with grains whose yield per mu is only a few hundred kilograms, the yield per mu of lotus roots can be said to be more than thirty times that of grains, which is simply terrifying to the point of being unbelievable!】

【In addition, lotus root can temporarily replace staple foods such as grains, which makes the importance of lotus roots suddenly rise to the level that it surpasses grains.】

【At least at this moment, in the heart of King Qin Yingzheng, the importance of lotus root is higher than that of other grains.】

【Regardless of whether lotus root has any other shortcomings, they are not worth mentioning in the face of the advantage of a yield of 1,000 kilograms per mu!】

【If an acre of lotus root yields three thousand kilograms of lotus roots, then the Qin State would have more spare power and confidence in providing military rations for marching and fighting, or in providing disaster relief and rescuing people after natural disasters.】

【Looking at everyone who was silent and did not refute, Prince Fusu said with a smile:"In the same way, one water chestnut weighs one or two taels, and one plant has about four or five water chestnuts."】

【"In other words, a water chestnut plant weighs between five taels and one kilogram."】

【"In the pond in front of us, it is not a problem to raise one or two thousand water chestnut plants. So the output of water chestnuts per acre is more than 1,000 kilograms. Is there any problem with this inference?"】

【King Qin Ying Zheng, Xu Zi and others all shook their heads and expressed that they could not refute】

【But there was no way to refute this. No matter it was Qin Wang Ying Zheng or Xu Zi and others, there was no anger in their hearts, but only incomparable joy.】

【Because this means that the yield of water chestnuts per mu is more than 1,000 kilograms, and the yield of lotus roots is more than 3,000 kilograms per mu. This is true!】......

PS1: In fact, starting from the pre-Qin Dynasty and even the more distant Shang Dynasty, China has actually had high-yielding grains similar to potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.

For example, lotus root and water chestnut are two of them, but due to various factors, they have not become mainstream foods like grains..