In the year 3243 of the Qingzhou Continent, Chu Chen, at the age of 24, held the esteemed position of Grand Chancellor, a civil official of the first rank, and a Viscount with a substantial land grant earned through military merit.
In February, the King of Liu rebelled. Chu Chen was ordered to lead the army to quell the uprising.
In April, Chu Chen once again deployed hot air balloons to the battlefield. Their large-scale use proved to be a decisive factor, with a surprise aerial assault crushing the rebel forces of the King of Liu, resulting in a resounding victory and the complete pacification of the rebellion.
In May, under Chu Chen's leadership upon his return, the Yunyue Kingdom continued its ambitious infrastructure projects. For several consecutive months, expanded production of cement and blue bricks were transported across the nation to facilitate road construction.
The main arteries of all prefectures were fully connected, and the construction of roads in the counties began.
In June, a bountiful harvest was reaped across the Yunyue Kingdom.
In Pingyuan Prefecture, Zhizao County.
Farms and manors were filled with laughter and cheers, with shouts of excitement and disbelief echoing everywhere.
At a government weighing station in a certain farmstead, a burly middle-aged man stared incredulously at the weighing scale: "Seven shi! It's actually seven shi!"
"Is this a mistake? Can corn really yield seven shi per mu? Am I seeing things?"
The grain official, who had come to weigh and collect grain taxes, was also filled with disbelief.
His position as a grain tax collector was hereditary, passed down through countless generations, and never in their history had they witnessed such an astonishing yield.
In previous years, the harvest of wheat had only been about one and a half shi per mu. How could the yield of corn be so tremendous?
"Huh? No way? Sir, could you please weigh it again carefully?"
The middle-aged farmer, unsure and somewhat nervous, asked.
If the yield was indeed this high, it meant he would have to pay more in taxes.
"Let me check."
With a solemn expression, the grain tax official ordered his subordinates to remove the corn and then stepped onto the scale himself.
Those standing nearby quickly adjusted the counterweights. Soon, the result was revealed.
The grain tax official himself weighed approximately one shi.
"No problem! Could this corn truly be this high-yielding?"
The grain tax official dismounted from the scale, scratching his head in bewilderment.
He then ordered the measurement of the yields from other farmers. The results were consistently around seven shi per mu, with slight variations, but none deviating by more than a tenth.
"Sir official, is this per mu yield real?"
"...Are you blind? Can't you see for yourself! If one person is mistaken, can everyone else be mistaken too?"
The grain tax official retorted irritably, then broke into a smile. "Excellent! Reporting such a high yield will surely make the higher-ups ecstatic. This is absolutely my contribution!"
"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to your efforts, sir official."
The middle-aged farmer bowed and scraped, offering a hearty compliment.
The grain tax official quickly instructed his men to weigh the grain for the farmers of the manor. The village secretary, accompanied by his men, closely watched the grain tax official's actions, occasionally making notes in his ledger.
"Zhao Wulang's Field No. 1 yielded seven shi, Field No. 2 yielded six shi and eight fen, Field No. 3 yielded seven shi and two fen..."
After the weighing was complete, all twenty mu allocated to Zhao Wulang were measured. Excluding one mu dedicated to daily vegetable cultivation, the rest were planted with corn, a grain crop.
Although this crop had the lowest grain yield among the "new three crops," it grew the fastest, with a harvest possible in just ninety days, or three months.
At this moment, Zhao Wulang was overjoyed. Even though only forty-six percent of the corn's weight was edible, the edible portion still amounted to over two shi. Furthermore, it grew more than a month faster. With the climate of Pingyuan Prefecture's Zhizao County, corn could be harvested three times a year!
"Congratulations, Zhao Wulang! Your corn grew so quickly. My sweet potatoes haven't even reached harvest season yet!"
"Hahaha~ Congratulations to you too."
Seeing someone congratulate him with envy, Zhao Wulang was extremely pleased.
"Your sweet potato yield is much higher than my corn, and almost its entire weight is edible. When harvest time comes, your yield for the year will likely be enough for your entire family to eat for two years. I envy you greatly."
"Hahaha, that's true!"
For a time, the farmstead was filled with joyous laughter.
Although only forty-six percent of the corn was edible, the inedible parts were not without value. In fact, they held significant worth. For instance, they could be used as a component in feed for livestock such as pigs, chickens, ducks, and cattle, or as a material for natural fertilizer. Moreover, as technology advanced in the future, they could even be processed into raw materials for various fiber products.
The reason Zhao Wulang planted corn was because he intended to raise pigs!
Indeed, the latest decree from the court was encouraging local farms to engage in animal husbandry. Not only were subsidies provided, but the government also pledged to purchase a large quantity of the produced meat.
If one was disinclined towards raising livestock, the dried stalks could be directly sold to the farmstead's supply and marketing cooperative, which would purchase them in any quantity.
As for their intended use, it was said they could be supplied to the Ministry of Works for papermaking, a technology invented by the current Chancellor Chu, the esteemed Sage Chu.
Crop stalks are rich in fiber, making them highly suitable for papermaking. The court currently planned to revise the population registry, creating a significant demand for paper. There would be no shortage of buyers.
As for the meat produced from animal husbandry, that was even more in demand. In this era, where meat was scarce, it was even more valuable than silver.
"A total of one hundred and forty shi. The grain rent payable is fifty percent, which is seventy shi."
After completing the weighing, the grain tax official began calculating the rent.
In the first year, the farmstead was required to pay fifty percent of its grain yield as rent. This rent was not low; in fact, it was quite high, nearly splitting the grain harvest with the government. However, compared to the seventy percent rent previously paid to landlords, this was already very cheap.
Furthermore, after paying this rent, there was no need to pay the government's grain tax. Only one of the two, land rent or grain tax, needed to be paid.
The rent was fifty percent in the first year, forty percent in the second, thirty percent in the third, and twenty percent in the fourth. From the fifth year onwards, it remained at twenty percent.
From the sixth year onwards, in addition to the land rent paid to the Royal Chamber of Commerce's farms, the government's grain tax also had to be paid. However, it was not a total of twenty percent of both. After the harvest, the grain would be weighed, and twenty percent would be paid as government grain tax. The remaining portion would then be weighed, and another twenty percent would be paid as land rent.
Calculated this way, it amounted to approximately just over thirty percent. However, compared to the land rents of landlords, which often ranged from fifty to sixty or even seventy percent, this was very low.
Moreover, the new three crops, with their exceptionally high yields, made the approximately thirty percent tax rate seem like a trivial amount, posing no burden on the farmers.
Not to mention that the government also purchased straw, animal and human manure, and conscripted labor for infrastructure during the off-season, all of which could compensate for these tax rates.
Thinking of the bright future ahead and recalling the hardships of the past, with such high yields this year and progressively lower rates in the future, Zhao Wulang's heart filled with joy once again.