"Exactly!"
Liu Xie nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Waterwheels, dike construction, the Jian'an Plow, canal irrigation-these are all technologies that increase grain yields."
"But these are still far from enough. We need to study them further and achieve a substantial increase in grain production."
"For instance, The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, which Emperor Gaozu imparted to me in a dream, mentioned a technique called greenhouse cultivation, which could produce winter melons even in winter. There are also crops called sweet potatoes and potatoes, which can yield over thirty shi per mu and replace wheat as staple foods."
When Liu Xie finished, Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang were both astonished.
Growing winter melons in winter, crops that could replace wheat and yield over thirty shi per mu... this was simply a tale from the Arabian Nights!
But they had both heard the rumors that Emperor Gaozu had imparted The Exploitation of the Works of Nature to the Son of Heaven in a dream, and the Jian'an Machine and Jian'an Plow had actually been built. So although they found it hard to believe, neither questioned him.
"Your Majesty, what sort of crops are these potatoes and sweet potatoes? Where can they be found?"
Zhuge Liang asked in a slightly urgent voice.
If Great Han had such crops, who knew how many people could be spared starvation, how many lives could be saved!
Liu Xie shook his head with some regret. "Neither exists within our Great Han. They are both overseas. Once the realm is united, I will send men across the seas to find them."
How could he not want to find sweet potatoes and potatoes? But circumstances did not permit it. Great Han currently lacked the strength to assemble an oceangoing fleet.
Hearing this, Zhuge Liang also