Queen Mother, she just wants to lie down

In this era, the concept of chemistry had not yet emerged, and naturally there were no terms such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Ministers can be forgiven for not knowing.

The emperor and Cui Shangshu knew it because they heard it from Ruan Qing.

After Ou Yiheng and officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development took back the soil from various places, they conducted different studies and comparisons and analyzed the problems that existed during the growth of crops in various places.

Finally came to the conclusion that the soil was missing something.

Moreover, the soil in each place lacks different things. As for the specific name of the missing things, they can't tell clearly.

After Ruan Qing heard their conclusions, he suddenly remembered what a planting friend in his previous life had said to him.

He said that the population in ancient times was small because there was not enough food.

The reason why there is insufficient food is low crop yields, and the reason why crop yields are low is because the soil is deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

The ancients did not know how to make nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, so they were unable to fundamentally solve the problem.

Ruan Qing also specifically consulted a friend at that time about the various symptoms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium deficiency in plants.

Thinking of the past, Ruan Qing carefully compared the symptoms reported by Ou Yiheng and several officials from the Ministry of Revenue, and told them that the soil in Daxi was deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Ou Yiheng and the officials from the Ministry of Revenue, including Cui Zhiqing, the minister, were stunned when they heard this. The words nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were too unfamiliar to them.

Ruan Qing did not give in and quickly explained to them the meaning of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

The people present at that time were all professionals in agriculture and planting, and Ruan Qing understood it after a short explanation.

They didn't care to think about why the Queen Mother knew such uncommon knowledge, and only subconsciously asked how to improve this problem.

Ruan Qing carefully thought about the method of using earthwork to produce nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and found that this method was only applicable to a small number of experimental fields or vegetable fields, and large-scale promotion was simply not feasible.

We talked about guano and expanding trade.

After Cui Shangshu heard this, he was excited.

He, the Minister of Household Affairs who was in charge of the country's money bag, had always been poor. Daxi had too many places where he needed money and too few places where he could get money.

Daxi's situation has not been very good in recent years, and there are countless places in need of disaster relief.

There are also enemies eyeing the border. Hundreds of thousands of troops guard the border all year round, demanding money and food.

Official salaries require money, and the Ministry of Industry requires money to repair rivers and carry out various construction projects.

The princes also engage in internal strife.

In addition to taxes, the source of revenue for Daxi's treasury is salt and sugar.

Taxes are divided into commercial tax and agricultural tax.

Daxi's business is not backward, but it has little to do with development.

The total commercial taxes of the entire country account for about one-sixth of the country's total taxes.

Salt and sugar accounts for one-sixth, and the rest depends on agricultural taxes.

The problem is that many noble nobles in Daxi who hold countless fertile lands do not need to pay taxes. Those who need to pay taxes are ordinary people.

The common people do not have much land on hand, and the grain yield is low.

Even if they don't have enough to eat most of the year, the taxes they can pay are limited.

If the state adds more taxes on this basis, it will force the people to rebel.

Taxes cannot be raised, but expenditures cannot be reduced.

Even if Cui Zhiqing has all kinds of means, he can't do anything.

Thinking back on the suffering that he, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, had experienced in recent years in the eyes of outsiders, holding Daxi's money bag, the sad tears accumulated in his belly wished that they could fill several rivers.

Now the Queen Mother has finally found a way to fundamentally improve the emptiness of the national treasury. As a result, as soon as Her Majesty proposed the concept at the court meeting, the Minister of the Ministry of War tried to cut off the financial resources of the Ministry of Households. How could he bear it.

Although there are certain hidden dangers in establishing a sea ban, they can always be solved with good planning.

If the problem of an empty national treasury cannot be solved and there is no way to fill the people's stomachs, that will be a huge hidden danger.

Don’t they know how poor Hubu is?

If you have the talent in the Ministry of War, don’t ask him for money or food in the future. The more Cui Shangshu thought about it, the more evil he looked at Zheng Shangshu.

"Why are you glaring at me? If we open the sea ban without authorization, the hidden dangers are already great. Our Daxilian border is already unstable. If there is another problem with the sea defense, who can afford it?

Besides, you are so arrogant, maybe you have a way to improve the soil and increase grain production.

Since there is such a method, why didn't you, as the Minister of Household Affairs, propose it earlier? Could it be that he deliberately wanted to embarrass the court? "Zheng Shangshu was not a good person and immediately went back angrily.

"You!" Cui Zhiqing was furious and wanted to roll up his sleeves and have a fight with him.

"Stop arguing, Your Majesty, Mr. Cui, I wonder who came up with the concept of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and soil improvement?" The steady and steady Gu Xiang stood up to stop the quarrel between the two and asked a key sentence.

"The Ai family proposed it." As soon as her voice fell, a voice rang from the door of the hall.

Following this voice, Ruan Qing walked in with Prince Ou from Cairo.

Two eunuchs came in with them, carrying a basket in their hands.

The half basket contained in the basket is similar in shape to white radish, with some mud on it, but the color is completely different from that of radish.

"I've met the Queen Mother." When the ministers saw Ruan Qing, they subconsciously saluted her.

"Young ministers, you don't need to be polite. It's not that the Ai family wants to break the rules and meddle in the affairs of the court without authorization, but the problem of sweet potatoes and soil lacking nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was raised by the Ai family.

If I don't stand up and make it clear to everyone, you will have endless quarrels.

Spring plowing is about to begin, and the problem of increasing grain production in Daxi is already imminent. We don’t have time for you to argue endlessly here.

However, you don’t understand the matter of improving the soil’s lack of fertilizer, and it’s useless to talk to you about it. The Ministry of Household Affairs can be responsible for this matter. Let’s talk about sweet potatoes.

This thing is the sweet potato that Ou Shizi discovered in Waifan. It can be used as a staple food when cooked, steamed or made into vermicelli.

It can also be eaten raw as fruit, but eating it raw is not good for your health and its taste is average.

The Ai family has already sent half a basket to the imperial kitchen, asking them to steam it and take it out for everyone to taste. It should be delivered soon.

Mr. Zheng, you seem to have strong objections to the sea ban. Please tell me your reasons. "

Ruan Qing glanced at everyone, first pointed at the half basket of sweet potatoes beside him and introduced them, and then turned his attention to Mr. Zheng, the Minister of War.

Zheng Shangshu, who was not afraid at all when facing Cui Zhiqing, was questioned by Ruan Qing face to face. His face suddenly turned red, but he couldn't utter a word, especially after seeing the half basket of sweet potatoes in front of him.

The ministers of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Li, who had followed the objection before, also subconsciously lowered their gazes.

"If you don't want to say it, Aijia is here to help you say it, isn't it just because you stick to your own claims and don't believe in things you haven't seen before?

The first new crop, sweet potatoes, is already in front of you. You will all be able to taste it in a while. I guess Aijia doesn’t need to prove anything anymore.

Second, for soil improvement and grain production increase, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development can set up a test field. You will be able to see the results within a few months.

With these two things in front of you, can't you have the courage to try to open a sea ban, open river transportation, and develop trade?

Or are some people worried that once sea trade and rivers are officially developed, your financial resources will be cut off? "Speaking of the last sentence, Ruan Qing's tone suddenly increased several times, and the murderous intention contained in it could hardly be concealed.