Chapter 339: Soil Fertilizer and Mines

"Hmm, are you making soil fertilizer?"

The indescribable smell made even Zhao Xu unable to help but pinch his nose.

Zhu Tuo remembered at this moment that urine was still boiling in the clay pot on the stove, and he couldn't help but smile.

After Yan Wang went to Feihu Pass, the students had originally just been dutifully memorizing the contents of their textbooks.

However, as they memorized, they discovered there were many interesting things in these books, and it seemed they could make them themselves if they tried.

So, they cleared a plot of land at the College.

Then, they loosened the soil and sowed seeds according to the textbook.

Then, these past two days, when it was time to apply fertilizer, they remembered a type of soil fertilizer from the textbook.

According to the textbook, this fertilizer could increase yield per mu.

The method of production is to heat fifty catties of human urine to two-tenths, boil it in a clay pot until one-tenth, add two catties of cooked gypsum and stir, then air-dry and crush it; it is called urea gypsum.

When applying fertilizer, one only needs to apply ten catties as base fertilizer per mu, and five catties as top dressing later.

"Yes, Your Highness, this subordinate wants to try it; if this soil fertilizer can increase yield per mu, it would simply be a blessing for the people of Yanzhou," said Zhu Tuo.

The current farmland in Great Song only yields about two shi per mu.

According to the new weights and measures set by Yan Wang, that is about two hundred and forty catties.

As long as this soil fertilizer can increase production by one hundred and twenty catties, it is equivalent to increasing the farmland output of Yanzhou by one-third.

Zhao Xu nodded; it is common knowledge.

The high yield of contemporary agriculture relies on two important factors.

The first is chemical fertilizer, and the second is high-yield seeds.

He is currently unable to cultivate these high-yield seeds.

Chemical fertilizers are also not as advanced as contemporary ones.

However, he can still manage a bit of soil fertilizer that can replace chemical fertilizer.

That is why he included this urea gypsum in the textbook.

This thing was an alternative method thought up by experts in the early days of the founding of the country,

when there was no industrial chemical fertilizer.

Among many chemical fertilizers, nitrogen fertilizer is the main fertilizer that promotes increased production, such as urea.

This urea gypsum is naturally equivalent to a simplified urea chemical fertilizer.

However, Zhu Tuo and the others clearly used the wrong material.

This gypsum is not Lime, so he said: "The idea is good, but you used the wrong material; this gypsum is not Lime."

Hearing this, all the officials were stunned.

Zhu Tuo's old face flushed red, and he said: "Both have the word 'stone' in them, so this subordinate thought they were the same thing."

Zhao Xu smiled and shook his head; gypsum is calcium sulfate, while slaked lime is calcium carbonate.

However, explaining this to the officials now would not make sense.

So he said: "Put this thing aside for now; after a while, this Prince will find you some gypsum."

Gypsum is very abundant in reserves.

In contemporary Xingtai, Hebei, there is a large mine at the 700 million-ton level.

Its corresponding location is Dai Commandery in Yanzhou, which is the place that produces white sand.

However, this mine also needs to be located and mined.

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhu Tuo and the other students felt somewhat complicated.

They had been fumigated by the smell of urine for an entire morning for nothing.

Letting the students temporarily drop the matter of urea gypsum, he also randomly selected some students to recite the contents of the textbook.

Then he said to Zhu Tuo: "It is better to have no books than to believe everything in them. The Government Office should also consider sending some of these students to the countryside to use what they have learned in the textbooks to teach the people how to carry out reasonable farming, animal husbandry, and participate in hydraulic irrigation projects and the like; simply put, it is practice."

"What Your Highness says is absolutely correct. This subordinate will discuss this matter with Tutor Liu and give these students the opportunity to participate in government affairs," said Zhu Tuo.

Upon hearing this, the students were all excited.

They were bored enough always staying in the College.

And having learned some novel things, they also wanted to take the opportunity to put them into practice.

After staying at the Government Academy for a while, Zhao Xu returned to the Prince's Mansion.

Before leaving, he asked Zhu Tuo to call Liu Fu over when he returned.

He would not go to the Military Academy; now that the war had just ended, Chang Wei and the others probably had a lot of business.

Just as he arrived at the Prince's Mansion and had not been sitting in the study for long, Liu Fu came over.

"Your Highness." After entering the study, Liu Fu bowed.

Zhao Xu looked at Liu Fu and said thoughtfully: "This Prince wants you to establish a new agency called the Mineral Prospecting Department."

"Mineral Prospecting Department?" This term was easy to understand, and Liu Fu said: "Your Highness, there seems to be no need to specially establish an office for finding mines; after all, this is another expense."

Zhao Xu glanced at him, "What have you been learning at the Government Academy? Agriculture is the foundation of the world, but these minerals are the foundation of industry and commerce. Buried in the land beneath your feet is a massive amount of wealth; how can it be compared to a little expense?"

Liu Fu was also very aggrieved, "Your Highness, it is not that this subordinate does not understand, but that all the mines that can be found in Yanzhou have already been found, and they are all currently under the records of the Government Office."

"This Prince tells you, what is currently recorded is only a tiny part. What this Prince wants is to find everything that can be found," said Zhao Xu. "Stop talking nonsense. The officials of this Mineral Prospecting Department will be selected through examinations from the excellent students of the College, and afterwards, this Prince will personally teach them some things."

"Yes, Your Highness," Liu Fu replied.

He was a bit strange; how did Yan Wang know there were so many more mines underground in Yanzhou?

This thought flashed through his mind.

In the end, he decided not to think about it; after all, there was only one conclusion: Yan Wang was truly unfathomable.

Waving his hand, Zhao Xu let Liu Fu return.

The fighting is over, so it is time to settle down and focus on development.

After all, the economic base determines the superstructure.

Without two steamed buns in one's pocket, how can one walk for three days and three nights?

Thinking of this, he searched his mind diligently.

He listed all the mineral resources present in the contemporary Hebei region, which is now Yanzhou, on paper.

Furthermore, by comparing the geographical information of the contemporary era with that of Yanzhou, he drew a mineral distribution map.

After all, although history has changed, some geographical landmarks have existed since ancient times and cannot simply appear or vanish into thin air.

Relying on these geographical landmarks, it would be easier to locate these mineral deposits.

Once these mines were found, he would be able to take and use whatever he needed at will.

Of course, besides the locations of the mines, he also had to compile a separate textbook.

This textbook would contain the appearances of various types of ores.

This was to make it easier for the people searching for mines to find them.

The textbook would be handed over to the people of the Mineral Prospecting Department; this was what he had told Liu Fu, that he would specifically instruct these trainees.

Over the next few days.

On one hand, he went to the school to explain the trainees' questions, and on the other, he drew the Yanzhou mineral map in his study.

On the sixth day.

A squad of the Imperial Guard from Jingshi arrived at the Prince's Mansion.

Accompanying them was a eunuch named Xiaohaizi, who brought an Imperial Edict from Zhao Heng.

After receiving the edict, Zhao Xu ordered Feng'er to prepare some gifts for the group.

However, they were refused by the young eunuch who had come.

According to the young eunuch, after the incident with Tong San, the palace had been investigating strictly, and they dared not act recklessly.

After handing over the Imperial Edict, they set off to return.

Once the group had departed, Zhao Xu unfolded the Imperial Edict, sighed softly, and read: "Visit home."