This is the famous "Little Ice Age" in history, which occurred twice in Chinese history: once during the period of the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, and once during the late Ming Dynasty. Especially in the late Ming period, from 1580 to 1644, temperatures suddenly dropped to the lowest point in a thousand years.

　　The precursors of the catastrophe can be traced back to the early Jiajing period, becoming apparent in the thirteenth year of Wanli (1585), though fluctuating, and then suddenly intensifying around 1600, reaching its peak during the Chongzhen reign. The warming of the overall temperature did not recover until around 1650, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

　　The extreme cold caused the rainfall zones to generally shift southward, resulting in almost annual disasters throughout the Ming Empire. First Qin and Jin, then the He and Luo regions, followed by Qi, Lu, Wu and Yue, Jing and Chu, and the Three Adjuncts, all suffered, with a nationwide drought occurring. At the same time, the plague began to spread, and the great plague that affected several northern provinces finally broke out in Shanxi. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, it had spread to the capital region, directly leading to the easy capture of Beijing.

　　Long-term and high-density disasters were a fatal blow to a vast empire with a large population. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Edward Grant of Shangqiu, Henan, compiled a detailed chronological table of disasters in Henan during the Chongzhen era in his book "A Brief Record of the Changes in Henan," which is shocking to read.

　　"…Drought in the 3rd year of Chongzhen. Drought in the 4th year. Severe drought in the 5th year. In the 6th year, great floods in Zhengzhou, the Yellow River frozen as hard as stone. In the 7th year, summer drought and locusts. In the 8th year, summer drought and locusts, the Yellow River frozen in Huaqing. In the 9th year, summer drought and locusts, autumn floods in Kaifeng and Shangqiu. In the 10th year, severe locusts in summer, heavy snow in Shanxi in the leap fourth month. In the 11th year, severe drought and locusts, scorched earth for a thousand li. In the 12th year, severe drought and locusts, the Qin River dried up. In the 13th year, severe drought and locusts, the ground cracked in Shangcai, earthquake in Luoyang, a dou of rice cost a thousand coins, people resorted to cannibalism. In the 14th year, starting in February, great famine and plague, severe locusts in summer, flying locusts devoured wheat as if reaping. In the 15th year, earthquake in Huaqing, in September the Yellow River burst its banks in Kaifeng…"

　　"A Brief Record of the Changes in Henan" also transcribed the full memorial to the throne by Philip Green. Mr. Green once served as Minister of War, retired at home, and, witnessing the severe disaster in Henan, could not remain silent. The memorial was written in the seventh year of Chongzhen, every word written in blood, heartbreaking to read.

　　Samuel Howard's gaze lingered on the computer. In history, the Ming Dynasty, which created a brilliant civilization but also suffered great hardship and devastation, did not survive past 1644. Although the disasters gradually eased and eventually returned to normal a few years later, high-yield crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes were quickly promoted. Could his arrival change the fate of the Ming Dynasty?

　　……

　　"…In the golden autumn of October, the fruits are fragrant. On October 29, reporters learned from relevant departments in Wuzhai County that the autumn harvest in Wuzhai County is about to be completed, achieving four consecutive years of bumper grain harvests. It is expected that this year's total grain output will reach 220 million jin, an increase of 51 million jin over last year, a year-on-year growth of 30.4%, setting a new historical record…"

　　Samuel Howard's gaze rested on a report from Wuzhai County in later times. Gradually, he made a decision: to prioritize agricultural development in Wuzhai Fort, since Wuzhai County in later times was also a major agricultural county.

　　Although Samuel Howard's computer contained a wealth of modern industrial and commercial technological information, considering his current strength and the environment at the time, Samuel Howard still decided to develop agriculture first, as this was what his current conditions allowed. Wuzhai Fort was originally focused on garrison farming. Of course, industry and commerce also needed to be developed, but that would wait until the soldiers of Wuzhai Fort were well-fed and had money and grain.

　　Prioritizing agriculture was a decision Samuel Howard made after careful consideration.

　　In the coming decades, the Ming Dynasty would remain trapped in the Little Ice Age, with frequent disasters and severe grain shortages. Engaging in agriculture would have a very promising outlook for decades to come, with no shortage of market demand. If he could solve the food problem for the military households of Wuzhai Fort, and then use this as a model to address or alleviate the grain shortage in the Ming Dynasty, it would be a win-win for both fame and fortune.

　　Moreover, Samuel Howard believed that when agriculture was unstable, vigorously developing commerce would not bring good results. In this regard, the Ming Dynasty had already learned a profound lesson.

　　In the late Ming Dynasty, commerce was extremely prosperous, especially during the reigns of Wanli, Tianqi, and Chongzhen. Overseas trade was enormous, resulting in a massive influx of silver into China. According to incomplete statistics, more than 500 million taels of silver flowed into China from overseas in the late Ming period.

　　However, such a large influx of silver inevitably led to inflation, with prices of all goods soaring, grain prices rising even more sharply, and the gap between rich and poor widening, causing many problems.

　　When agriculture was unstable and grain output insufficient, the prosperity of commerce and trade would also lead to another problem. For example, in the main grain-producing region of Jiangnan, people, seeing the benefits of commerce, felt that growing grain was not worthwhile, so they converted large areas of farmland to cash crops, further reducing grain output. This was the so-called controversy over rice versus mulberry.

　　For decades, northern China had already been trapped in the Little Ice Age, with severe grain shortages. Coupled with the annual decline in grain output in the south, the Ming Dynasty's grain supply became even more scarce, with grain prices rising steadily. The soaring grain prices drove up the prices of all goods, creating a vicious cycle and intensifying social conflicts.

　　This is a classic case of "no stability without agriculture."

　　If agriculture is unstable and the people have no food, even the most prosperous commerce is like rootless duckweed, easily toppled by the wind. Therefore, in the face of extremely low agricultural productivity in ancient times, frequent disasters, and backward transportation, China's thousands of years of "emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce" policy was not without reason.