Hearing Li Shimin say this, Censor Zheng and Wei Zheng were both silent.

Yes, Li Mu is easy to talk about? It is hard to say that he is treacherous and cunning, but he is professional. Moreover, Wei Zheng knew how arrogant Li Mu was in his bones. What was the situation in Luoyang some time ago, and he didn't see him bowing his head to ask for help. At that time, all the families and nobles could help him, but for various reasons, no one extended a helping hand. Now he has a fairy seed and wants to take advantage of it. How could such a good thing happen?

"I feel ashamed of what happened last time. You are shameless, I am shameless. If you want potatoes, you will talk about it yourself. I will never say it anyway." Li Shimin dropped this sentence and waved his hands to court. All the officials retreated and gathered together in groups of three or three. Zheng Jingshi followed Wei Zheng and said, "Duke Wei, is there no other way?"

"Why don't you ask your Zheng Daru, what's the solution?"

Wei Zheng was not angry either. All of these clans were greedy. When it was time to pay, they would not lose their penis. When they saw the benefits, they all surrounded them like flies, which was disgusting.

Jingshi Zheng was disgusted and dared not say anything in front of him. When Wei Zheng walked away, he stomped his feet angrily, opened his mouth and cursed silently, and sweared that no one could hear. He held his breath and went home.

...

In the evening, Li Mu received a letter from Li Shimin from Fei Ge, and then he called Li Siwen over.

Li Siwen hasn't shown up in front of him for two days because of Li Mu's departure. If Li Mu hadn't sent someone to find him, he would have been angry.

"Okay, don't look like a child, look at this." Li Mu handed Li Shimin's flying pigeon letter to Li Siwen. Li Siwen glanced at it and exploded immediately, saying, "Why are these people so shameless? Why do they have to give it to them if they look at it well?"

"You don't think you should give it?"

Li Siwen said for granted: "Of course I won't give it! Why? Why didn't you see them helping me when Luoyang was out of food?"

"Did you forget my original intention of cultivating potatoes?" Li Mu said seriously: "Isn't I cultivating potatoes just for the sake of no hungry people in the Tang Dynasty? Although these people are greedy, they are also in line with our purpose?"

"This..." Li Siwen hesitated for a while and said, "I still feel a loss." He paused and said, "If you are happy, just pretend I didn't say it. Anyway, potatoes are yours."

"I am certainly not happy. However, if they are willing to pay some price, they are not unconventionable." Li Mu thought for a while and asked, "How many percent of the potatoes shipped now account for?"

"About half." Li Siwen was still aware of these data and said: "The seeds are limited, and there are only about 1,000 mu of planted in total. One mu of land produces 2,000 kilograms, a total of about 2 million kilograms. Half of them are transported in succession, and Dingxiang has half of them. Next year, we will expand the planting area, and these are reserved for seeds."

Two million kilograms seem to be a lot, but after careful calculation, there is really not much.

Li Mu did some calculations in his mind. He asked Li Tai to conduct a survey. An ordinary Tang Dynasty citizen needed how much food he needed to live a day. The answer he got was that if the main laborer of a family needed at least half a kilogram of rice, women, children, and children, it could be reduced as appropriate. When it was absolutely necessary, it would take two taels of porridge to deal with it. This was not counted as meat or other complementary foods. Of course, this was also generally applicable. For ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty, there was no complementary food at all, and jerky candied fruits, which were not affordable to ordinary people.

Potatoes can provide less calories than rice and flour. Half a pound of rice is enough to eat, but half a pound of potatoes is not enough. For a major laborer, you can get one pound of potatoes a day. This is the case. Two million pounds of potatoes, Luoyang has a population of 600,000. Each person eats one pound every day. If there is no limit, it will only be enough to eat for three and a half days. Li Siwen brought half of the yield, and could not achieve the goal of saving Luoyang City in one fell swoop. At best, it would be a relief. If you make a potato porridge or something, you will definitely not rely on potatoes for ten or eight days.

The existing potatoes cultivated from a potato are generally too small in size. Although the yield is very high, this yield is not enough to satisfy the entire Tang Dynasty.

Li Mu simply calculated that he could not eat the existing potatoes, and after another three years, he could almost meet the supply.

But don’t forget that potatoes will face the problem of repeated crops. And later generations have proved that potatoes cannot be a staple food in China, otherwise they will need hybrid rice. Everyone will just plant potatoes. It is unlikely to rely on potatoes to solve the problem of eating once and for all. The function of potatoes is to assist rice and flour and reduce the consumption of rice and noodles.

Therefore, there is no need for Li Mu to hide it. Moreover, it is basically impossible to plant potatoes on a large scale, so it is basically impossible to prevent thieves. If you don’t cooperate with others and steal them directly, you will have no choice.

This is like a universal patent, which will inevitably be imitated sooner or later. It is better to take advantage of the patent being valuable and make a fortune.

"We have enough food in stock now," Li Mu said to Li Siwen: "In the short term, there is no worry about shortage of food. We don't need the potatoes in Baima Temple, and it's not convenient to store them, so it's better to sell them out for money."

"Sell money?" Li Siwen frowned, "Brother, didn't you say, let's try to keep a low profile?"

Li Mu pointed to Fei Ge and passed the letter, saying, "Is it because we want to keep a low profile, so we can keep a low profile? Sooner or later, it's better to take it out on our own." Li Mu shouted, Wei Yingluo brought the pen and paper ink, Li Mu personally picked up the pen and dipped it ink: "Hold a potato 'exhibition' to let them know what potatoes are, yield, farming methods, and how to eat them, so that they can taste the taste. Then, tell them that if you want potatoes, you can also have three conditions."

Li Mu wrote on the paper: "First, potato seeds are limited, and they are only provided to areas where the new policy is implemented. Each household is distributed according to the amount of land. Second, if potato seeds are not given for free, they have to exchange for grain. Two kilograms of good rice, one kilogram of potatoes, each household must not exceed ten kilograms, and the hands are fast and slow. Third, potatoes cannot leave the border of the Tang Dynasty. Once private sellers verify it, they will be dealt with as capital enemies."

Li Mu wrote down the three conditions, blew the ink dry, and handed it to Li Siwen: "After I leave, you will start doing this. If anyone has any objection, show him my handbook."

Li Siwen frowned and said, "Brother, I think this third one is useless. Merchants are obsessed with profits. As long as the money is given in place, there is nothing that will not be sold."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Of course I know I can't ban it, but if you say this, it's better than if you don't. The private sale will definitely decrease, and it's a catch. If you catch someone who is unlucky, we will deal with him. If you don't die, you will let him peel off the skin."

Li Siwen nodded and asked again: "What is the food you exchanged for?"

"Transport back to Dingxiang, the people of Dingxiang cannot always eat potatoes, right?" Li Mu signaled Wei Yingluo to go out, and then said to Li Siwen: "Before I leave, I will write a letter to the Prince of Hejian and discuss with him to let the Protectorate's Mansion move out of Dingxiang. At that time, you still have to go back."

Li Siwen suddenly became anxious and said, "Brother, have you agreed to me? Did you just drive me away because of a few quarrels a few days ago?"

"Can I be such a stingy person?" Li Mu smiled and said, "You are too underestimating your elder brother."

Li Mu sighed, "Your brother and sister are pregnant, you should be with you. First of all, I have told you the importance of Dingxiang many times. Today I might as well make it clearer. You have also seen what my popularity has become. It may not be possible that Luoyang and Chang'an will not be able to survive one day, and I will have to leave at that time. Dingxiang is my retreat," paused for a moment, and Li Mu said again, "Then you have to maintain the trade routes in the Western Regions well. If one day the Tang Dynasty can't accommodate me, I will go west."

This was the first time that Li Siwen heard Li Mu say such things, and couldn't help but be moved: "Brother, won't there be that day, right?"

Li Mu smiled bitterly: "If you don't do something, you will be in vain in the world. If you do something, you are afraid... Forget it, it's not enough now, but if you don't have long-term plans, you will have immediate worries. It's related to your wealth and life. I can't believe others. You are my brother, and I can trust you."

One sentence made Li Siwen's eyes turn red: "Brother, I, I was wrong, I shouldn't have quarreled with you."

"How can you and my brothers not touch your teeth? Can you and my brother still take it to your heart?" Li Mu patted Li Siwen's shoulder and said, "I won't mention these small things. Remember my words, my brother still hopes that you can stand alone. Don't think that if you don't have talent, you are useless. Just be able to charge in wars, and logistics support is also the top priority. If you can't fight, you have a good guarantee. Now Dingxiang has the Prince of Hejian, Su Lie, Cheng Chumo, Wang Hu, and others who are all good at fighting. However, there are no outstanding talents in logistics. After you go back, continue to accept refugees, host Turkic tribes, cultivate land, and communicate with trade channels. As long as you do it step by step, Dingxiang will have great potential in the future."

"Dingxiang is a city you built with one hand. How can you abandon it if you say it?" (refreshed later)

This sentence hit Li Siwen's heart. He finally focused his attention and agreed to go back: "Brother, I can go back, but can you tell me how you plan to tell the Prince of Hejian? That old guy is so slippery. I have looked for him many times, but he just couldn't get in. He said he would take an official position if he was anxious, and he would suppress me from speaking."

Li Xiaogong's face was imagined by Li Mu, but Li Mu had already figured out his thoughts and said, "The real purpose of his rogue is not to want your Dingxiang, but to his own Protectorate."

"Build it yourself," Li Siwen said speechlessly: "What are you doing to steal my life?"

"Building, don't you have to ask for money?" Li Mu spread his hands and said, "He has only soldiers, no money or food. All the refugees have been sheltered by you. What kind of construction did he use?"

"Uh..." Li Siwen thought for a while and said, "What should I do? You can't let me pay for him to build it, right? I don't have that much money-" As he said, he became anxious again: "Even if there is, I won't give it. Why should I give it? He doesn't have the money to ask the court for it!"

"Why don't you have that much? If you don't pay, he will just stay away. Isn't you able to do anything about him?" Li Mu sighed and advised: "The Prince of Hejian is no better than others. You can't afford to offend him. Try not to have conflicts. Moreover, we will not help him in vain. If you go back, you will set up a caravan. I will help you prepare stocks in Luoyang. When you sell it to Persia and travel back and forth on the Silk Road, you will ask him to send someone to protect him. Now the money and food he gives him is regarded as advance wages."

When Li Siwen heard Li Mu say this, although he was reluctant, he could only accept it. He asked about some things and confirmed that he didn't have to wait for Li Mu to come back. After he finished holding the potato exhibition, he could hand over the matter to Gongsun Kang and then take the food away. He talked about a lot of miscellaneous things. It was not until the moon was over that he reluctantly returned to his residence.

After seeing Li Siwen off, Li Mu wrote a reply letter himself, put a pigeon, and replied to Li Shimin.

...

The pigeon flew all night and just arrived at Tai Chi Palace when Li Shimin got up for breakfast.

"Did this kid actually agree?" Li Shimin originally asked Eunuch Gao to read the letter, but after Eunuch Gao finished reading, Li Shimin couldn't believe it, so he reached out to take it and read it again.

"How strange, this kid has changed his temperament after becoming a father? These three conditions seem harsh, but with his temperament, it means there is no condition. He is really willing to give out something as good as potatoes?"

Eunuch Gao said in a timely manner: "Your Majesty, I feel that the Marquis may be considering implementing the new policy. Otherwise, the first thing to say is that only where the new policy is implemented can you get the seeds?"

"He thought it was pretty good." Li Shimin thought so, but he poured cold water on his face: "But how can those clans do what he wished? Even if they can't get seeds this year, they will be able to buy seeds next year. In my opinion, these first and third ones are hard to implement."

"Your Majesty is saying." Eunuch Gao habitually flattered him and said, "Your Majesty is still very thoughtful and thoughtful."

"But it's not right," Li Shimin said again: "Li Mu could not have thought of such a simple truth. He must have thought of it, but he still had to do it..." Li Shimin looked at Eunuch Gao and said: "Is it really like what he said to me at first that he cultivated so many strange seeds, really just to make the Tang Dynasty no longer starve?"
Chapter completed!