eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 705 Ministry of Industry

Gu Zuo stood up and faced Yang Yiqing and Wang Hao, "Mr. Ge, Ping Haibo has started trial sales of cotton cloth."

"Oh? How's the result?"

"Cotton is cheaper and softer, and of course the effect is very good. It first went overseas in the ninth year of Zhengde and has sold 20 taels." Gu Zuo glanced at Gu Renyi, "Of course it is also a good thing to try it in the Ming Dynasty and the Western Regions, but cotton I think the potential of the textile industry is already certain, and there is no need to be too cautious. Therefore, we should discuss where to expand cotton planting and how to expand the scale of going overseas."

This actually goes back to Xing Guan’s original idea.

Expanding planting and expanding the scale of overseas exports are easy to say. In fact, if you want to grow quickly, you need human intervention.

People don't know that cotton is also very profitable in sea trade.When they know it, they will consider whether to invest, and then actually prepare to build a workshop and find a way to export. It actually takes two to three years.

But it is much faster to operate it through government means.

The Shaofu can recruit people to start a factory right away. It can also step up its purchase of cotton from various places. At the same time, it also needs to coordinate the shipping capacity.

These things are logical and easy to do, but if there is no unified voice for dispatching and command, the efficiency will drop a lot.

"In this case, it is better to set up a cloth merchant." Yang Tinghe suggested aloud, "There are too many government orders, which always seems chaotic. Just like the grain merchants, there can be another cloth merchant under the young government. No matter what happens, it will be done in the same way. Would it be better to walk and listen to a voice?"

Well, Yang Tinghe's mind will always be clearer.

Wang Hao agreed, "This suggestion is good and should be included in the charter."

……

……

The cabinet has been discussing the cotton textile industry for less than half a month.

In October, the emperor ordered the attendant's room to set aside half a day in the afternoon, and then the cabinet led the main officials into the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Houzhao was waiting for them here. He heard that several good methods had been discussed, so he came here to report to him.

After seeing the ceremony, he was given a seat as usual.

"Who will tell?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

Gu Zuo couldn't escape this matter, and no one else felt that they could speak as well as him, "Your Majesty, I will tell you."

"it is good."

When you come to the emperor, there should be no chattering like before in the cabinet, but there will be a few more refined opinions.

Gu Zuo raised his hands to everyone and finally faced the emperor, "Your Majesty, in the past few days, the cabinet ministers have convened ministers to discuss the industry. Now it is no longer a problem to reach a consensus on the industry. The key lies in how to make it prosperous. After several rounds of discussions, the minister decided I have submitted a total of three suggestions to Your Majesty, hoping that Your Majesty will adopt them.

First, set up the business department.Nowadays, among the six ministries of official, household, and rites, as well as the Shaofu, there are no existing responsibilities related to promoting industry. Even if there are, it is the Ministry of Hunan and the Ministry of Industry. It is so chaotic that it is not easy to make government orders. unobstructed.After the establishment of an industry department, it can be specifically responsible for industry matters, such as guiding and standardizing the industry, and specializing in solving various difficult and complicated diseases in the industry.

Second, set up cloth merchants.This was set up after a grain merchant, with the imperial court providing the capital to purchase cotton, build factories, hire weavers, and eventually market it overseas. This was the fastest and most efficient way.

Third, set business rules.This business regulation was not decided by Ming Dynasty itself, but between Ming Dynasty and foreign countries.In the past, silk and porcelain were high-quality and valuable goods that were welcomed by nobles from all over the world, so there was no problem. However, cotton was different. It would definitely have an impact on the commerce of each country, so rules needed to be established early. "

After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao was still a little relieved. In the past ten years, these guys have finally become enlightened.However, he didn't quite understand the third point.

"As for commercial regulations, are you not specific enough? What do you mean by impact?"

Gu Zuo hesitated for a moment, thinking that everyone would understand. "I dare you. Your Majesty said that the ultimate goal of the imperial court's expedition to Japan and the northwest is to rebuild trade routes. In this case, after the victory, how to negotiate the commercial regulations between the two countries must be discussed in advance to avoid further friction in the future. "

Zhu Houzhao held back his smile.

"Okay, you don't have to say anything anymore, I'm sure."

"Your Majesty Shengming."

The ministers also understood this meaning, and that was enough.

The so-called business rules, in a high-sounding way, require foreign countries to agree that even if the scale of cotton cloth is very large in the future, they cannot stop it.

Gu Zuo was right. Silk and porcelain were not a problem. The foreign nobles liked them. However, the sale of cotton cloth might affect the interests of these nobles, so it was hard to say what would happen.

To think of this.

It’s not easy.

"Are these three? Are there any others?"

Gu Zuo said: "Your Majesty, these three items were discussed together by the ministers and others. These are the three items."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said: "It's very good. These three points are very simple, but it is not easy to summarize and condense them. My dear friends have worked hard. Especially the suggestion of setting up another one, I think it is quite wonderful. It shows that My ministers are no longer limited to the inherent routines, but really started to think about how to quickly solve the current problems.

The establishment of the Ministry of Industry is a clever move. It is guided, regulated and supervised by the government. It is fast and orderly, which is really good.But what we are talking about now is the cotton textile industry. The Ministry of Industry should not be limited to this single industry, but also include other industries.In fact, I am thinking that today, half of the Ming Dynasty's annual income depends on sea trade. Under sea trade, there are more and more various workshops and companies, and the government must find ways to effectively manage these. "

He touched his chin and thought of a move, "It's almost time to start. The Ministry of Industry will assign a number to each industry, for example, the cotton textile industry is A, the salt industry is B, and so on, and then let each company There is a separate number, and anyone who wants to establish a new company must apply to the Ministry of Industry, otherwise it will be an illegal transaction.”

In this way, the ministers will not understand.

"Why is this?"

"For the purpose of supervision and management, any transaction must be based on this number. If there is a problem with any company, the court can find the person who originally applied based on the number for investigation and accountability. More importantly, To collect taxes in the future.”

As these commercial activities flourished, cultivation was initially free of charge, but it was impossible not to collect taxes all the time.

With their mention of the establishment of the new Ministry of Industry, Zhu Houzhao naturally began to pave the way for the future. He often had to consider the future when doing things.

And this is a department that is parallel to the six departments. For such a big yamen, can't it have some serious responsibilities?Otherwise, wouldn’t the increase or decrease of government offices become a joke?

However, he rashly suggested that this group of people probably didn't understand it very well, "Let's put this aside for now. In short, with the Ministry of Industry in the future, I will know who to look for to handle this matter."

The courtiers murmured in their hearts, wondering what mission the emperor would give to the new faction.

"... As for the setting up of the cloth merchants mentioned, I think it is absolutely fine. Should it be set up under the Shaofu, or under the Ministry of Industry?"

Yang Yiqing said: "It should be set up under the Shaofu. Otherwise, the Ministry of Industry will have the responsibility of supervision, and I will only worry about the differences between relatives and strangers."

It means being lenient with your own cloth merchants and indiscriminately increasing the intensity with other cloth merchants.

"Accurate. When was it established?"

The young man ordered Gu Renyi to stand up and said, "As soon as His Majesty's decree comes, it will be done immediately!"

(End of this chapter)