Reform Three (Population, Agriculture)

"The people view food as their heaven, and food safety is the priority of priorities!"

Solving the issue of food safety, on the surface, was about cracking down on unscrupulous merchants and providing a foundation for the development of monopoly capitalism.

Only Ferdinand himself knew that the deeper reason was to accelerate population growth. A country with a population of just over three million could never become a great power.

Although no one had ever conducted a formal census, Ferdinand was certain that the total number of Bulgarians scattered across the world would certainly not exceed ten million. Within the entire Balkans, the current Bulgarian population hovered roughly between six and eight million.

Compared to the great powers of Europe at the time: France had over 38 million people, Germany had nearly 50 million, and the Russian Empire boasted over 120 million. Bulgaria's population of a mere 3.5 million was not even one-tenth of those powers.

Therefore, the population issue was the most severe and core problem for Bulgaria's future development and expansion. To Ferdinand, every single Bulgarian was precious.

Ferdinand had pondered for a long time on how to increase the population and had conducted field investigations across Bulgaria.

Due to the stable situation, rapid domestic economic development, and the secure lives of the populace, Bulgaria's birth rate had already increased significantly.

Bulgaria's birth rate in 1885 was 4.07%, and by 1889, it had gradually risen to 4.25%. Based on statistics from the first half of the year, it could be optimistically estimated that the 1890 birth rate would fall between 4.36% and 4.39%.

As for Bulgaria's death rate: in 1885, it was 2.65%; in 1889, it was 2.78% (including those secretly executed); the death rate for the first half of 1890 was 1.01% (excluding migrant workers).

Judging by the current situation, Bulgarian social customs remained relatively conservative. The enthusiasm for having children was still very high; as long as economic conditions permitted, everyone was willing to raise a few more.

Ferdinand knew there was still great potential to be tapped in these figures, as they still lagged far behind the Russia of the same period, which had a birth rate of 5.29% in 1864 and had maintained a rate of around 5% for many consecutive years.

The same was true for the death rate. Compared to the great powers, Britain and France generally kept theirs around 2%, and if one excluded casualties among colonial maintenance personnel, the figure was even lower.

However, when Ferdinand saw the data on infant survival rates, he could hardly believe it (and neither could the author). It wasn't that the rate was too low, but that it was too high.

The statistics measured the survival rate of infants who lived past one year. In 1889, Bulgaria's infant survival rate was 85.7%. In the same period, Austria-Hungary was at 74.4%, France at 82.6%, and Germany at 77.4%. The countries with the highest survival rates were Ireland and Norway, both exceeding 90%.

Before his transmigration, Ferdinand would not have believed these figures were real, but after seeing the actual statistical data for Bulgaria, he had to accept the facts. (The above data is sourced from Palgrave's Statistical Tables.)

As a transmigrator, he had no clever tricks for increasing the population other than encouraging childbirth. Ferdinand had not studied medicine in his previous life, so he could not "cheat" when it came to healthcare.

Medical talent was still in school, and Ferdinand had to admit that as a transmigrator, he was not omnipotent; he was truly powerless to improve Bulgaria's medical standards in the short term.

Before Ferdinand's transmigration, many regions had entered a state of negative population growth, and many people had no interest in having children. Only one group was particularly keen on it.

In the Sofia Royal Palace, Minister of Agriculture James was being fiercely berated by Ferdinand: "Is this the result of your Ministry of Agriculture's work over the past two years? You idiot, you good-for-nothing..."

James looked on with a bewildered expression at the furious Ferdinand, thinking to himself, There shouldn't be a problem; isn't this how it has always been done? Why is the Grand Duke so angry today? It shouldn't be...

Fortunately, Ferdinand did not know James's thoughts, or the consequences would have been unpredictable. Looking at the documents strewn on the floor and then at the blank-faced James, the anger Ferdinand had just suppressed flared up again.

He barked sharply, "Hmph! James, you fool! I ask you, what has been done with the funds specifically allocated to your Ministry of Agriculture?"

James was now breaking into a cold sweat, saying with trepidation, "Your Highness, a portion was used for promoting new technologies, and the majority of the funds were allocated directly to local governments to increase grain production!"

Ferdinand sneered, "Heh, James, you idiot, besides promoting new technologies, does your Ministry of Agriculture have any other achievements? You allocated funds to the localities, and then what? Was it used for water conservancy projects or for agricultural industrialization?"

"None of it! Look at what is written here: repairing embankments, reinforcing river channels? The Danube, the Maritsa, and the Struma—do you not know the geographical distribution of these rivers? What does this have to do with Montana? Does the river water flood the Stara Mountains?"

"You fool, even if river channels needed management, there is a separate fiscal budget for that. Did the localities even submit a report? The funds for water conservancy were just swallowed up like this, and what's more ridiculous is that my Minister of Agriculture came out to endorse the parasites below!"

Hearing this, James was already drenched in cold sweat. Such an obvious problem had gone unnoticed by him, as he had simply treated it as routine procedure. He had approved the reports from below without verification, and millions of Lev had been wasted by his own hand.

James said tremblingly, "Your Highness, this... this is my dereliction of duty! Please remove me from my post!" Having said this, James let out a deep sigh of relief.

He had never held much real power as a cabinet member, and Ferdinand had not allowed him to be responsible for anything other than the Ministry of Agriculture, which had caused James some dissatisfaction. Now, he only felt relief: So I really am a waste of space!

Ferdinand looked at the dejected James and knew that the incident had been a heavy blow to him; after all, he was not yet thirty and could not bear such immense pressure.

He had already developed the intention to resign, but Ferdinand could not let James quit right now. He was not the Chongzhen Emperor; he could not replace his cabinet like a revolving door.

He had already dismissed one cabinet, and only a few months had passed. Unless a major problem occurred, Ferdinand did not intend to change personnel before the new cabinet elections.

"Forget it. It seems the Ministry of Agriculture does not suit you. It just so happens that the government is establishing a Ministry of Information. I heard you used to work in propaganda, which is a perfect match for your expertise. Go over there and serve as the Minister," Ferdinand comforted him.

James looked at Ferdinand with gratitude. He knew this was to save his face; the main task of the Ministry of Information was to supervise newspapers. His position as Minister would be largely ornamental, following regulations, and essentially a sinecure.

After thinking about it, James's scholarly spirit flared up, and he said excitedly, "Your Highness, I am truly not suited for politics. The University of Bulgaria is more suitable for me. Passing on my knowledge of agriculture to the next generation, or engaging in scientific research, would be more meaningful!"

Ferdinand looked at the indignant James, having nowhere to vent his anger, and said helplessly, "Fine! If you want to go, then go. Bulgaria is indeed lacking in agricultural experts. I will keep your cabinet position reserved for the time being. You must not treat yourself as an ordinary researcher; you must organize research teams and go deep into the countryside for field investigations! I hope you will contribute to Bulgaria's development in the field of scientific research!"

"I will, Your Highness, rest assured. I swear in the name of God that I will work hard!" James said excitedly.