Chapter 150: Turning Waste into Treasure, Three-Dimensional Aquaculture (Part Two)

Chapter 150: Turning Wasteland into Treasure through Three-Dimensional Aquaculture (Part Two)

Everyone was completely out of ideas. This was not simply a matter of turning a piece of swamp land from waste into wealth; no one could fathom just how immensely "precious" the Crown Prince intended to make it. If it truly proved to be of such immense value, just how much swampland existed across the entire nation? Yet, deep within their hearts, everyone already harbored a vague inkling that the plan was likely tied to lotus roots.

Far more than that.

For the sake of the people of the Tang Dynasty, the Crown Prince had no choice but to humble himself. Stepping down into the water after being set on the ground, Li Wei strode in with high spirits. Disregarding protocol, he stripped off his outer robe and prepared to go for a swim—if he waited any longer, the water would turn cold.

He tested the depth and occasionally bent down to scoop up the mud. Gazing at the rich, dark silt, Li Wei broke into a continuous, foolish grin. "Such fertile mud!" But Bei'er felt a pang of heartache and pleaded, "Your Highness, please come back up."

With these words, she burst into tears.

Li Wei continued wading deeper into the water. Fearing that the Crown Prince might meet with an accident, several guards quickly removed their boots and waded in to accompany him, offering words of persuasion from time to time. Li Wei turned his head, looked at Bei'er, and said, "You silly girl, what are you crying for? It is not cold at all, and I am simply overjoyed looking at this mud."

Zhu Jingze watched the scene, wondering whether he should offer advice, while Wei Yuanzhong slyly remarked, "Censor Zhu, the Crown Prince is acting improperly. Shouldn't you step forward to advise him?"

"Go on with you."

"Well now, that's strange, Censor Zhu. Why are your eyes so red?"

"Go on!"

Wei Yuanzhong shamelessly patted him on the shoulder and said, "Moved to tears already? You haven't even witnessed the grand ploughing sacrifice yet. That is why Di Renjie and I shared life and death to assist him. Look here—as long as the Crown Prince transitions smoothly, the Tang Dynasty you and I shall witness will likely be the greatest era in history."

Neither Zhu Jingze nor Wei Zhigu uttered a word.

The arrival of the entire entourage finally disturbed a few farmers tending the imperial estate, who came out to greet the imperial carriage. There were very few of them; half had wandered off God knows where, and those three or four remaining individuals had been fast asleep.

Sensing he had seen enough, Li Wei waded back ashore, washed his feet, put on his boots, and casually seated himself upon a boulder. Everyone gathered around to listen to how the Crown Prince planned to turn this barren land into treasure. Li Wei addressed the farmers of the imperial estate, saying, "The mud in this water is exceptionally fertile."

"Indeed, Your Highness. We servants often dredge some up and apply it to the fields to enrich the soil."

"Simply doing that is not enough. If utilized properly, these shallow marshes can become a place of great wealth. While in the Eastern Palace, the Empress presented me with a basket of fresh lotus roots, which set my mind wandering. For instance, deeper waters can be planted with lotus roots, since the land is currently going to waste anyway. When harvesting each year, it might not be possible to dig them all up, so while you need seed roots the first year, by the second year even the seed roots can be saved."

Excavation was quite troublesome as well. Without modern water pumps—relying solely on waterwheels—it would be difficult to drain those three or four hundred mu of marshland. Even if it were drained, Luoyang's winters were bitterly cold, and without tall rubber boots, the prospect of people stepping down into the thick silt to excavate it would induce headaches. However, where there are many people, there are many ideas; once they saw the harvest, solutions would naturally follow. Consequently, Li Wei directly bypassed the topic.

He continued, "As for the shallower areas, we can plant more arrowhead tubers. Granted, they might not thrive quite as well here as they do in the south, but that matters little. This is merely laying the groundwork and setting an example for other regions, much like the sorghum I planted in that plot in Chang'an. We can also plant water chestnuts (water caltrops would be wonderful, though they likely won't grow here). Ah, the wild rice stems growing here are quite robust; we can cultivate more of them, since they thrive by the water's edge and it is currently sitting idle."

One of the estate farmers spoke up, "But we servants do not know how to cultivate these crops."

"That is of no concern. I will have a few experienced cultivators—or at least those with familiarity—dispatched from elsewhere to assist you, along with a supply of seedlings and saplings. In any case, it is already too late for this year; this is merely to give you time to prepare. Furthermore, this is only the beginning." At this point, he gestured toward the water's surface and said, "We can raise a greater quantity of fish."

"Raise fish?" Wei Yuanzhong and the others asked in astonishment.

Presently, fish were simply caught from the wild, with no deliberate, artificial aquaculture. Moreover, procuring fish fry would likely present a challenge. However, this was a matter of pooling everyone's wisdom, leaving the execution to them—Li Wei could hardly guide every single detail. Besides, he only knew that these things could be artificially cultivated and raised; the exact methods were somewhat hazy in his mind. The core purpose was to introduce the concept so it could be propagated, allowing experience to gradually accumulate and enrich over time.

"Yes, raising fish."

The mention of fish reminded him of a certain incident.

In the Tang Dynasty, standard dietary preferences elevated beef and mutton above all else, while pork was held in low esteem—though still considered acceptable, officials such as censors on official travel were prohibited from consuming meat. When the renowned statesman Ma Zhou served as an imperial inspector touring various prefectures and counties, he consumed chicken at every meal, prompting a petty official to submit a memorial of impeachment. Li Tai—no, Li Wei recalled Emperor Taizong's response: *I forbid imperial censors from eating meat out of fear that it would burden the prefectures and counties, but what harm is there in eating chicken?* Of course, that was at the dawn of the dynasty. Now, after decades of national stability and smooth transitions, the tide of luxury was gradually rising, and such prohibitions were slowly relaxing. Nevertheless, officials like censors on official travel were still not permitted to openly consume beef or mutton; being treated to pork was considered quite hospitable. As for dog meat, some people ate it, but it was even cheaper and lacked popularity, despite all dogs being "natural" strays.

Many officials routinely treated guests to beans and greens; fresh vegetables were scarce, replaced mostly by salted pickles and steamed beans. A handful of salt tossed in as the beans were boiled to mush served both as a vegetable dish and a staple food. Then there was fish—consumed abundantly by southerners, but sparingly by northerners. Though ditches and ponds teemed with fish—barring the Guanzhong drought, where people consumed anything, even stripping tree bark—fish were still eaten by some. Moreover, considering that Luoyang hosted merchants from all corners of the realm, certain fish species deemed utterly repulsive by northerners were actually sold openly in Luoyang's three great markets.

On one occasion, Li Wei had spotted a five-jin swamp eel—weighing well over two modern catties—at the North Market. Struck by a sudden appetite, he had a guard purchase it and bring it back to the Eastern Palace, only to send a flock of eunuchs and palace maids in the palace kitchens shrieking in terror. Di Renjie had delivered a scathing lecture, declaring that while a person desiring to satisfy their palate was not inherently evil, there was a proper order in choosing what to consume; this creature resembled a serpent or a viper, and if birds possessed sentience, even they would not touch it—how could a man? Frightening the Eastern Palace servants was a minor matter, but if word spread across the realm, every commoner would laugh in derision.

Consequently, that exceptionally large, wild swamp eel was never consumed. Having endured a thorough scolding, Li Wei had no choice but to release it back into the Luo River. Yet normal fish, such as crucian carp, common carp, and black carp, were regularly consumed by the common folk, albeit priced very cheaply.

Therefore, Li Wei resumed speaking: "Having something to eat is far better than eating mud, tree leaves, or bark. These fish, wild rice stems, arrowhead tubers, lotus roots, water chestnuts, taros, and even southern water caltrops can serve as both vegetable dishes and staple food. This single marsh spans several hundred mu; if managed properly, it will yield tens of thousands of catties of various foodstuffs annually. Coupled with the fish, just think of how many lives it can sustain. Not only that—if you look behind us."

Behind them lay several rolling hillsides.

He continued, "Plant alfalfa on the hillsides, and then raise some pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese. The alfalfa can feed the pigs, pig manure and alfalfa can feed the fish, and both aquatic weeds and alfalfa can serve as green fodder for poultry. We can also plant fruit trees. However, the pigpens and chicken coops must be cleaned regularly and sprinkled with lime on the ground, otherwise plagues will break out."

Sprinkling lime would help, though it could not completely prevent epidemics. Still, this was free-range farming rather than dense, enclosed confinement raising; while epidemics might occur, the probability would not be terribly high.

Then, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, he declared, "Give it two years—or even less, by the end of next year—and this stretch of land will transform into a treasure trove."

"But what about the manpower?"

The farmers of the imperial estate were listening with rapt attention; if the land truly transformed into a treasure trove, their own standing and treatment would improve as well. Yet numerous problems remained.

"I will dispatch some personnel to assist you. Once this undertaking is set in motion, manpower will naturally follow. Not only that, I will provide you with two thousand strings of cash as circulating capital." With money came boldness—besides, the funds were not needed immediately. In a few months, the cash on hand would multiply, and by next spring, once sugarcane production succeeded, the resulting revenues would be even greater. Thus, he casually promised two thousand strings of cash.

Having said this, he cast a sideways wink at Wei Yuanzhong—a gesture somewhat unbefittingly boyish. It was his way of telling Wei Yuanzhong that he could no longer criticize his workshop; just as Di Renjie's investigation lacked funds without that workshop, turning this wasteland into treasure likewise required funding.

Wei Yuanzhong understood, caught between laughter and tears, and remained silent.

"Understood!" several farmers responded cheerfully. Yet if Li Wei truly intended to carry this out, they lacked the authority to make decisions for this imperial estate; a more capable steward would need to be appointed, or else they would lack the administrative capacity to manage it.

Wei Zhigu asked, half-doubtful and half-believing, "Your Highness, is this method truly viable?"

"It should be viable. Even if it fails, or if only one or two things succeed, just think: how much swampland and low-lying terrain exists across the entire nation? When I experimented with sorghum in Xijing, I remarked that I did not demand perfection; even if a new farming method increased yields by merely half a stone per mu, just how many total stones would the realm gain? When we were at Shaolin Temple, Minister Wei and I discussed how land annexation leaves countless commoners without fields to till, forcing them to flee their homes. If we can reclaim these hills and marshes and render them productive once more, how many lives will be saved? When land runs out, we must simply coax land into existence!"

"We subjects have also perused the *Qimin Yaoshu*, but much of what Your Highness has spoken of is not mentioned within its pages."

Those who read this agricultural treatise were still few in number—merely the handful of officials who had accompanied Li Wei to Shaolin Temple and casually skimmed through it.

"Books are dead things, whereas you gentlemen have all studied the *Rites of Zhou*. Some of its contents are still practiced today, some have been replaced, and others discarded. These are merely my own thoughts; perhaps I am right, and the ideas can be adopted. If I am wrong and they are not propagated nationwide, no harm will be done. Furthermore, conditions vary from place to place. The road ahead remains long indeed. Yet methods must evolve; otherwise, with the Tang Dynasty's population hovering around thirty million, things are already this strained. What would happen if the population reached one hundred million, or two hundred million?"

"One hundred million, two hundred million?" Zhu Jingze murmured under his breath.

How easily said! Yet for the Crown Prince to harbor such ambitions was commendable nonetheless. Should the population truly swell to two hundred million, setting aside other concerns, military recruitment alone would no longer face such scarcity; mustering a million or two million strong troops would allow them to crush states like Tibet through sheer numbers.

Then again, that was not guaranteed—the Song Dynasty had a population exceeding one hundred million, and yet...

Even so, food remained the supreme, primary crisis of antiquity.

Li Wei added, "There is one more thing I might trial-plant right here."

"Your Highness, what sort of thing is that?"

"Cotton from the Western Regions and Lingnan."

"What is cotton?" Once again, they looked blankly at one another.

"It is the plant used to weave white coarse cloth." Having wandered through Luoyang's Eastern Market and spotted this cotton fabric—which commanded a rather steep price and was mostly imported from Daqin, while some had been introduced by growers in Gaochang of the Western Regions and Lingnan, with Lingnan's variety being the poorest—the exact conditions remained obscure. Surmising that textile techniques were likely primitive, Li Wei worried that if even seed-removal had to be performed manually by hand-plucking, efficiency would be abysmally low. During this period, he had kept Xu Jingzong so preoccupied that the man had no time for scheming; once Xu Jingzong passed away, these matters would finally be brought onto the policy agenda.

Regardless of how low the initial efficiency might be, at least it could be used to produce cotton quilts and padded winter coats, making the bitter winters slightly more bearable.

Alas, cotton was thus reduced to serving as his raw material for winter padding.

He understood nothing of weaving, yet he knew how to boost crop yields. This did not constitute seizing land from food crops, after all; the state already allocated vast tracts of arable land specifically to cultivate mulberry and hemp.

As for cotton, Li Wei treated it as material for winter coats and bedding, while everyone else let his words blow past their ears like the wind. However, the Crown Prince had made himself perfectly clear: he did not expect every single venture to succeed, only one or two, as long as they benefited the nation. Consequently, no one raised objections.

And thus, this grand enterprise of turning wasteland into treasure through three-dimensional aquaculture was once again brushed aside by the group.

Naturally, an immense mountain of work remained: the weeds on the hillsides needed clearing, and above all, the reeds choking the marshland presented a formidable headache. Yet this was not a commercial venture burdened by constraints; as they debated spiritedly, evening crept upon them unawares.

Only then did Li Wei clap his hands and say to Zhu Jingze and the others, "Let us conclude for today. Gentlemen, do not forget—there is someone waiting for you at home."

He was referring to the palace maids bestowed upon them by imperial decree. This teasing remark left them once again caught between laughter and tears. Yet while Li Wei acted out of pure goodwill, he overlooked a single, paramount matter...