12dz Chapter 1496 Dege'er Returns from His Merchant Trip
Chapter 1496 Dege'er Returns from His Merchant Trip
Sun Shan also considered this problem. If his term of office was not long enough, there would not be enough time, and the experimental project would be abandoned halfway as soon as Sun Shan left office.
Specialized breeding is a long-term endeavor, taking at least two or three years, sometimes eight or ten years, and indefinitely.
Under the current conditions, it is impossible to achieve quick results starting from scratch.
Sun Shan hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, "It's alright, I'll do as much as I can. If I leave Yuanlu County, I'll take the experimental fields with me. Life is long, there's no rush."
Looking at Sun Shan's resolute gaze, Zhang Shiye was stunned: "Sir, it seems you treat the experimental field as a career, and you will continue to do it no matter where you are an official."
Master Zhang thought this was a pipe dream, because once they left Yuanlu, everything was unknown, and even where Sun Shan would take up his post was a mystery.
What if we go to a harsh, cold place? What should we do? How can we persevere?
Rice cultivation experiments require manpower, material resources, and financial resources; how could Sun Shan guarantee that he could continue doing it indefinitely?
After hesitating for a moment, Master Zhang asked, "Master, how long does it take to cultivate this seed?"
Sun Shan answered matter-of-factly, "Five or ten years, who knows?"
There are many methods for seed cultivation.
Currently, due to a lack of resources, we can only resort to traditional hybridization breeding.
For example, systematic breeding: from the variant plants of existing varieties, select the best and harvest the best every year to accumulate superior traits.
For example, in hybridization breeding, intervarietal hybridization involves crossing two varieties with their own advantages (such as one disease-resistant and the other resistant to summer heat), and then selecting individuals from the offspring that combine the advantages of both parents as seeds.
Alternatively, distant hybridization: hybridizing rice with wild rice or other species to introduce genes that provide strong resistance to adverse conditions (such as disease resistance and drought resistance).
Another example is the use of hybrid vigor to breed hybrid rice: the "three-line method", the "two-line method", and so on.
Rice seed breeding is a long-term project. Success in the short term requires advanced technology, which unfortunately Sun Shan lacks.
When Master Zhang heard that it would take ten or eight years, his eyes widened in surprise.
He disagreed, saying, "Sir, this is going on for too long. We can't afford to wait any longer."
He paused, then said in a low voice, "My lord, if we really want to do it, we need the support and investment of the imperial court. A small county like Yuanlu does not have that capability."
He paused, then added hastily, "I know you are talented, but there are many things to do as an official, and this kind of long-term investment is not worthwhile."
Both time and cost are disadvantageous for Sun Shan, so it's better not to do it at all. It's more realistic to focus on public welfare projects, educational initiatives, or invest more money in cultivating relationships with superiors for a better chance of promotion.
Rice breeding experiments are thankless and arduous, and the worst part is that it's unknown when the results will be available. How could a lowly official like Sun Shan, who only held a minor official position, possibly be capable of doing such a thing?
A person should wear a hat that matches the size of their head.
An adult's head is pointed and narrow, so it can't wear a big hat.
Let the imperial court worry about these matters.
When Zhang Shiye saw that Sun Shan remained silent, he knew that Sun Shan was still determined.
He paced back and forth a few steps with a limp, and finally said in a low voice, "Sir, why don't you wait until you are promoted and have a higher position and more power before doing this?"
Sun Shan looked at Zhang Shiye's cautious appearance speechlessly.
He then smiled and said, "Master Zhang, you are right. But ten thousand years is too long; we must seize the day. We must do it now while we have the time, the power, and the money. Who can predict the future?"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Do as much as you can, and we'll talk about the rest later."
When Zhang saw the determination in Sun Shan's eyes again, he knew that Sun Shan was still working on the experimental fields.
He sighed and said, "Sir, it is possible to do it, but we can't afford to spend too much money on it. We'll lose a lot of money, and the government will also have objections."
Sun Shan nodded and agreed: "Okay, I understand."
After finishing his shift, Sun Shan locked himself in his study and began writing a "three-year plan".
With one year remaining in his three-year term, it's impossible to predict whether he will stay in Yuanlu County as magistrate, be transferred to another county, or receive a promotion.
Sun Shan then thought that he had been in Yuanlu County for almost two years and it seemed that he had not achieved anything.
The magistrate of Daqian County usually took the first exam after three years, the second exam after six years, and the final exam after nine years.
Based on the performance evaluation, candidates are categorized into three levels: "competent," "average," and "incompetent," which determines whether they will be promoted, retained, or demoted.
The county magistrate was a local official, so he was responsible for "external inspections".
The assessment is conducted by higher authorities (such as the prefect), with a focus on investigating and punishing corruption, dereliction of duty, and other misconduct.
The main assessment criteria for a county magistrate included: collection of taxes and levies, judicial and criminal affairs, local security and education, people's livelihood and infrastructure, and the imperial examinations and education.
Sun Shan tried hard to recall whether his performance evaluation was "competent" or "average".
As for being "incompetent," that's impossible, absolutely impossible.
Sun Shan considered his task completed in collecting taxes and levies.
Because the bird droppings fertilizer was not reported, and the government office did not report the over-collection of grain taxes, from the outside perspective, Sun Shan could only be considered to have completed the task on time, not exceeded the target, and therefore did not achieve the excellent result.
Regarding local security and education: Public security remained at the level of the previous administration, with no major murders or other serious crimes reported.
In education and the imperial examination system, there was not only no progress, but a regression.
Magistrate Shen from the neighboring Mayang County surged forward, pushing Sun Shan, who had been stagnant, out of the picture. Success is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind. This dark horse, Magistrate Shen, caught Sun Shan completely off guard.
In terms of water conservancy projects for the benefit of the people, they only did small-scale projects and did not undertake any major projects, such as building reservoirs or official roads.
The only bright spot is in judicial criminal matters.
At the start of the year, Sun Shan made a stunning breakthrough by solving a series of murders, which can be considered a great achievement for Prefect Liu. He deserves high marks for this.
After considering his own assessment, Sun Shan concluded that if he were Prefect Liu, he would only rate him as "average."
You can't get the "competent" rating.
Sun Shan shook his head dejectedly, a bad premonition creeping over him.
If no one in the central government comes in another year, Sun Shan will likely remain in his post or hold the same position; it will be very difficult for him to be promoted.
If you have connections in the imperial court, even if you don't have any political achievements, you can at least be promoted to a higher rank and leave Yuanlu County to become the magistrate of a larger county.
Sun Shan tried hard to recall his connections in Beijing—his classmates, his fellow students—thinking and thinking, trying to figure out who could give him a hand and help him get promoted.
Suddenly, a shout came from outside: "Shanzi, Shanzi, I'm back! My dear Shanzi, come out and greet me..."
Before even seeing the person, one could hear their voice; without even meeting them, Sun Shan knew who had returned.
Looking at the "network of relationships" painted in front of him and the "three-year plan for rice cultivation" that was not mentioned at all, he couldn't help but smile.
Forget it, why think so much? Things will work themselves out. Thinking too much will make you age faster.
Right now, Dege'er is still the most important.
After such a long trading trip, they're finally back. Judging from their joyful shouts, they must have made a fortune.
Dege'er getting rich is the same as Sun Shan getting rich!
Without even tidying his desk, Sun Shan turned to the window and hurriedly called out, "Hey, I'm here!"