bullyxtreme Chapter 12 The Time Required for Hybrid Rice
Chapter 12 The Time Required for Hybrid Rice
Zhu Mu spoke until his throat was dry, but Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Empress Ma were completely confused.
They could understand saving the seeds of good crops to plant again, but the idea of "assigning marriages" to crops was beyond their comprehension.
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. He couldn't understand the profound theories, but he grasped the most crucial sentence—
Grain production doubled.
As an emperor who rose through the ranks from the very bottom, he understood better than anyone what food meant.
"Biao'er, can you understand it?"
"Zhu Yuanzhang asked. Zhu Biao shook his head with a wry smile:"
"Your subject is foolish and dull; he only knows what it is, but not why it is."
"The names of Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen are mentioned!"
Zhu Yuanzhang made a decisive decision.
Soon after, the two founding fathers arrived in haste.
They studied Zhu Mu's drawings and manuscripts for a long time, but were equally bewildered.
However, Liu Bowen stroked his beard and said thoughtfully:
"Your Majesty, all things in the universe follow the principle of yin and yang in harmony. Although His Highness Prince Chu's method is unheard of, it is in accordance with the way of heaven."
"Moreover, farmers also know that only by selecting superior seeds generation after generation can a bountiful harvest be guaranteed. The King of Chu's methods may have taken this principle to its extreme."
Li Shanchang nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. This matter is absurd, but His Highness the Prince of Chu is a man of great fortune, as evidenced by the Battle of Hongdu. We might as well give his proposed strategy a try."
"good!"
Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming.
He doesn't care how complicated the process is; he only cares about the result!
"Mu'er!"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Mu,
"Since it was your suggestion, you can handle it! We won't go too big a deal yet. We'll just set aside a piece of land next to the Imperial Garden in the palace for you to try out first!"
"Just tell us what people or resources you need! If it really doubles rice production, we'll immediately select and breed superior varieties to distribute throughout the entire Ming Dynasty!"
"Your subject obeys!"
Zhu Mu felt much more at ease.
……
The beginning is always the hardest. The first and most crucial step in the development of hybrid rice was to find a special type of male-sterile wild rice, also known as wild abortion.
Without it, the subsequent work could not be carried out at all.
In the original history, finding it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
But for Zhu Mu, the situation was different.
After he successfully exchanged the technology, the system thoughtfully updated the map function, and a faint point of light flickered on the map of Yingtian Prefecture.
The coordinates of the rare breeding material "wild male-sterile rice" (wild abortion) have been marked.
[Currently, only one wild abortus plant in the world meets the breeding requirements: Yingtianfu area.]
Zhu Mu stared at the location of the light spot and gasped.
It was a deep swamp at the foot of a cliff on the southern slope of Zijin Mountain, a place rarely visited by people and teeming with poisonous insects.
Without the system's guidance, even if the entire nation were mobilized to search, it might not be possible to find this "chosen rice" hidden among the weeds.
A glimpse of the leopard in the tube can be seen.
Only now did Zhu Mu truly realize the immense effort that the old man and his team had put in back then.
At the same time, Crown Prince Zhu Biao, following Zhu Yuanzhang's decree, set off for his hometown of Fengyang to pay homage at the ancestral tombs, to comfort his ancestors for the newly established dynasty.
Before leaving, he specifically sought out Zhu Mu and instructed him to be careful in everything.
After Zhu Biao left, Zhu Mu immediately led a team of elite imperial guards and headed straight for Zijin Mountain, following the system's instructions.
After a difficult journey and search, he finally found the rice plant swaying in the wind in that muddy swamp. It looked inconspicuous, but it carried the future of a nation.
He carefully dug it out along with the soil around its roots and placed it in a wooden box that had been prepared beforehand, as if it were a priceless treasure.
……
Upon returning to the palace, Zhu Mu immediately took action.
He locked himself in his study for several days, and based on the existing agricultural conditions and tools of the Ming Dynasty, he simplified and summarized the complex breeding process, and formulated a practical and feasible first-generation hybrid rice breeding program.
Then, holding the gold medal bestowed upon him by Zhu Yuanzhang, he went straight to the Ministry of Works.
"I have been ordered to conduct agricultural improvement experiments, and the Ministry of Works is required to provide full assistance!"
Zhu Mu got straight to the point with the Minister of Works.
"From this moment forward, construct greenhouses, experimental fields, and dig irrigation canals in designated areas within the Imperial City. Furthermore, summon all the most experienced agricultural officials and farmers in the capital; I will personally instruct them in new farming methods!"
When the Ministry of Works saw that the Prince of Chu had come in person and had been granted a gold medal by the emperor, no one dared to be negligent. They immediately went into full swing, and the entire ministry was mobilized.
Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed to hear of Zhu Mu's swift and decisive actions.
He personally visited the experimental field where construction was underway, and watched as Zhu Mu directed the craftsmen and farmers to work busily. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Mu'er,"
Zhu Yuanzhang patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice,
"Go ahead and do it! We'll cover your expenses, manpower, and resources! We don't care about your underhanded tactics, we just want results! Let us see what a doubled crop of rice really looks like!"
"Please rest assured, Father!"
Zhu Mu bowed deeply, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
……
Thanks to the efficient operation of the Ministry of Works, the first "Royal Farm" in the Ming Dynasty that integrates cultivation, observation and experimentation was quickly established in a corner of the imperial city.
Zhu Mu carefully transplanted the precious wild basil to the core cultivation field and personally led the selected agricultural officials and veteran farmers to begin the tedious and rigorous breeding work.
However, when Zhu Mu presented the complete breeding plan to Zhu Yuanzhang, even this extremely patient founding emperor couldn't help but frown.
"Mu'er, you mean...?"
Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the various procedures and estimated times on the plan, his tone somewhat hesitant.
"To cultivate seeds that can feed everyone in the world, it would take... four or five years?"
"Yes, Father."
Zhu Mu answered frankly.
"This matter concerns the foundation of the nation and cannot be rushed."
Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.
He spent his life on the battlefield, and in four or five years, he was able to cause the world to change hands several times.
But he had also farmed before and knew that "sowing one grain of millet in spring yields ten thousand grains in autumn" takes time, and he also knew that cultivating good seeds was not something that could be accomplished in a day.
Finally, he took a deep breath, and a glint of light appeared in his eyes, which had seen through countless battles.
"We don't understand those complicated details."
Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly,
"All we know is that since this is the foundation for the eternal peace of our Great Ming Dynasty, we can wait for it, even ten years, let alone four or five!"
"Go ahead and do it. All we need to do is let us see some progress every now and then."
"Even if it's just a rice seedling that produces a few more grains than the others, it gives us peace of mind!"
"Your Majesty, I will never fail in your trust!"
Zhu Mu bowed deeply.