New Shun 1730

"Tai Shi generally believes that if the price of goods is low, merchants will sell the goods to places where they can be sold at a higher price; if the price of goods is high, merchants will transport and sell them from places with low prices. Everyone is diligent and dedicated to their own business, and is happy to engage in it. Your work is like water flowing downwards, which is in line with Tao and nature.”

"However, Sang Hongyang also believes that the king seizes heavenly wealth, closes the market, keeps punctuality, and controls the people with severity. In good years, he will accumulate money to prepare for shortage; in bad years, he will use money and goods; There is more than enough but not enough."

"If we talk about it, Songsu cotton is of good quality but cheap. If we leave it alone, we are afraid that many Hankou weavers will lose their jobs and be unable to make a living."

"I think that since the railway can be connected, the so-called 'steam ship against the wind' as the Academy of Sciences is not far away."

"The purpose of following Sanghongyang alone is to 'store up money in good years to prepare for shortages; in bad years to make money and goods; there is excess but insufficient transfer'. So, the tax collected in Songjiang is worth buying from Nanyang Grain, to provide relief to Sichuan and Chu; or to buy grain from Sichuan, to provide relief to Jingxiang... Then, where this tax is collected, it seems to make no difference based on this. "

"But in addition to providing relief, we have to consider the benefits of weaving by small farmers and women. If Songsu cotton is allowed to enter Hankou, it will be difficult for these people who rely on weaving to make a living. It is impossible to rely solely on relief."

"My ministers may have some insights after observing the politics of Songsu. For example, in the weaving matter, Duke Xingguo controlled the cotton yarn, and asked the merchants to invest, purchase looms, futures cotton yarn, and bear the interest, while the machinists contributed their efforts to weave at home. In this way, The people benefited, and those who were originally engaged in weaving were not affected.”

"But Chu's native grain production is not the grassland of northern Jiangsu and Huainan. When the Yellow River floods the barren land, it will be beneficial and harmful to convert it to cotton cultivation."

"Therefore, I think that if we can get cotton from Nanyang and import it into Hankou, and Hankou can develop the textile industry by following the Songsubao buying and selling method, it will be a good idea."

"As for whether we need to collect provincial customs tax again, I think it is unnecessary."

"It would be better to directly ban Songsu cotton from entering Chu."

"Follow the story of salt administration and divide salt areas."

"Songsu cotton is exported overseas to the West, to Japan and Korea, to Kanto and Mongolia, or to Southeast Asia."

"Hankou cotton cloth goes either to Sichuan or Sichuan, to Shaanxi-Gansu, to Xiaoxiang, or to Henan."

"I think that if the tariff is raised, local merchants will not be willing to set up textile businesses. Instead, they will work as buying agents at the pass, specializing in Songsu cloth. In this way, although Songsu will be profitable, the weavers will not be able to face the difficulties of unemployment. Suffering in Jingchu."

"For example, in the past, when the country was rejuvenated and the navy was established, Songsu was opened as a port, so that hundreds of thousands of people in the Five Ridges of Xijiang became unemployed and became bandits. The merchants of Songsu would not give a penny to Guangdong to appease the local people's livelihood, or would they Unemployed people migrate.”

"So, if you don't open your mouth, Songsubu is strictly prohibited from entering Chu, and you have no choice but to go to Japan, Korea, Kanto, Mongolia, Nanyang and the West."

"Salt-like area means."

"The rest, such as cotton, cotton yarn, ironware, oil, soybeans, etc., are not controlled. After paying taxes in Songsu, they can go directly to Hankou. Such as Sichuan South Salt and Haizhou Salt."

The prince gave his answer with some anxiety.

The emperor was basically satisfied with this answer.

However, in the emperor's opinion, the prince obviously forgot another key thing.

That is to say, he has considered not letting the Jianghan area abandon grain and grow cotton, which is good. But behind this, there is another key thing that maintains the unity of the empire.

That is to say, although the Jianghan area seems to be separated from Songsu and may even have local forces, these local forces themselves are still part of the empire as a whole.

Because they wanted to use the cotton and cotton yarn coming in from Songsu, especially after the emperor confirmed Liu Yu and other practical school's plan to grow cotton in India.

Therefore, Jianghan and Songsu are inseparable.

And similarly, the cotton and cotton yarn in the Songsu area... relying only on Huainan is simply not enough.

Once India's strategy of providing cotton was determined, Songsu was inseparable from Gyeonggi.

Because Dashun’s naval base, shipbuilding base, and several major ports of the naval fleet are located in Weihai, Lushun, and Tianjin Wei. As well as Dashun's iron smelting, ordnance and other heavy industries, they are deployed in Tianjin and Liaodong.

The absence of a navy means that Songsu cannot get cotton and cotton yarn, which makes Songsu and Gyeonggi inseparable.

Once the railway is completed in the future, a stable triangular structure will actually be formed.

The thoroughfare of nine provinces is connected to the capital by railways; Songsu is also the shipping center of the capital and Jingchu.

Just right.

Although the prince did not think of this problem, it was considered unintentional.

After all, the prince is still a prince, not the emperor. From the emperor's point of view, it is understandable that he is not aware of the problems between the local government and the central government.

The prince felt slightly relieved when he saw that the emperor did not object or criticize his idea.

So he struck while the iron was hot and said: "Xingguo Gong discussed with my son the benefits of the railway, the convenience of transportation, and the many impacts it would bring. My son and I gained a lot."

"Sang Hongyang said: Yan's Zhuo and Ji, Zhao's Handan, Wei's Wenzhi, Han's Xingyang, Qi's Linzi, Chu's Wan and Chen, Zheng's Yangzhai, the two weeks of Sanchuan, and Fuguanhai are all famous capitals in the world. ,No Those who help cultivate their fields and cultivate their land are those who live in the intersection of the five roads and cross the thoroughfares. Therefore, those who have abundant things will prosper, and those who live close to the market will be rich. Living in a position of strength is not a matter of hard work.”

"My son, I have been enlightened by Duke Xingguo, and I know these truths, which are both right and wrong."

“If we don’t work hard, there will be no mulberry silk, tea leaves, cotton, etc.”

"However, if the location is at the crossroads of the five kingdoms and crosses a thoroughfare, it can indeed be advantageous to live in a position of strength instead of cultivating the land."

"Since ancient times, products have varied depending on climate, precipitation, land and other factors. This is clearly stated in "Biography of Huo Shi"."

"Gong Xingguo asked his ministers, saying that during Guan Zhong's time, Qi had the advantage of fish and salt. So, what are the advantages of Jiang, Han, and Xiang Chu?"

“Southern Sichuan prospered because of well salt, so there were coal mines, iron smelting and many other facilities.”

"Jianghan has the advantage of a thoroughfare to nine provinces, and can also export cotton from overseas through Songsu. If textiles are developed, this will be a benefit, similar to the fish and salt of Guanzhong."

"In addition, there is another benefit, which is tea."

"At this time, most of the tea used in northern Mongolia and the West was Fujian tea. Fujian is connected to the canal and transported by sea to Songsu. This is the benefit of Fujian and Songsu."

"However, once the railway is repaired, the tea heading to the north can be processed in Jianghan and go north along the railway."

"As for Zhangjiakou, you can go to Mongolia or the Western Regions. If the demand for overseas tea increases in the future, you can also go to Songsu along the river."

"In addition, tea must be grown in moist mountainous areas, which takes up less cultivated land and does not harm food."

"If Hankou gains the benefits of tea and textiles and relies on the thoroughfares of nine provinces, it will surely prosper."

"If it flourishes, firstly, it can increase taxes for the court; secondly, it can benefit the people's food and clothing."

"Xingguo Gong said that if the railway is connected, apart from suppression, relief and famine relief, the only place that can develop industry and commerce without harming the people is Hankou."

"Also, cotton cloth is the benefit of tea."

"My son, I deeply agree."

"So I think that if we want to develop Jianghan's industry and commerce, we should focus on weaving and growing tea and processing brick tea."

"Build cloth instead of cotton, so the people will be able to keep their roots and have enough food."

"With the help of the railway, tea was developed, so that the tea in the north, Mongolia, Rakshasa, and the western regions all came from Xiangchu."

"The profits gained can not only replenish the national treasury, but also recruit the people of Dongting, so as not to enclose the lake and reduce the floods of the Yangtze River..."

Although the emperor told the prince that he should listen to Liu Yu and not just listen to it without judgment.

But now that the prince said these things, the emperor smiled bitterly in his heart, thinking that if you came up with these things by yourself, I would be completely relieved.

I hope you will listen to what he said, and then let you understand the truth and figure out how to do it yourself.

When you say this, Duke Xingguo seems to be trying to undermine his own strength.

If you can really read "On Salt and Iron", "Biographies of Huozhi", "Guanzi", etc., understand them, and then draw inferences from one instance and draw such conclusions using Taoist reasoning, then what should I worry about?

I'm afraid you don't understand half of what you read. The truth talks about the economic principles of these important and important techniques. The more half-understood they are, the easier it is for everything to make sense. Especially someone who is really reasonable and can explain things clearly.

Just talk about the railway issue, the tea development, cotton industry, and the Yangtze River flood problem caused by the maintenance and land reclamation of Dongting Lake. This is not something you can think of on your own.

Even if you have such advisers and confidants in the Eastern Palace, that's fine.

If it does exist, if you can grasp the general direction and make some repairs, you can always achieve success.

But if not, there will be more and more new things in the future, and new problems will continue to arise. What will you do then?

Thinking of this, the emperor didn't want to ask the rest of the two questions anymore, and instead praised the prince.

While the prince was happy, he asked again: "Did Duke Xingguo tell you about land equalization, mine fields, relocation, reclamation, etc.?"

The prince hurriedly said: "Back to my father, Duke Xingguo said something about 'the difference between the beginning and the end'."

"It is precisely because I understand the difference between 'the root and the bottom' that I feel that relying on cotton and cotton yarn from overseas and Nanyang to develop cotton cloth in Hankou is the right way."

When the emperor heard this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, thinking that if you really understood what he meant by "the root and the bottom", you wouldn't just be thinking about cotton yarn and cotton.

At first he cried about the sorrow of the universe, but in the end he was just making wedding clothes for others, and his pure heart was all about the land issue.

He talked to you about the whole story, and you just listened to this?

Nowadays, learning is booming in the world, but there are only two ways to explain the sigh of reincarnation and the sorrow of the universe.

One is to revert to a variant of Confucianism and practice the method of equalizing land and granting land.

Those who lack land may work as scholars, workers, or merchants; or they may move overseas and remain farmers, ensuring that the common people have equal access to land and have food and clothing.

Secondly, if some young and practical people think that industry and commerce will be able to accommodate tens of millions of people in the future, as long as industry and commerce are developed in a big way, this sigh of reincarnation can be solved.

I don’t believe it. If you really understood what he was talking about with you, how could you be so high-spirited and think you really understood?

I'm afraid not necessarily.

No matter what, no matter what, if you can really understand the method of keeping it, it may not be a bad thing.

Thinking of this, the emperor tried to be as kind as possible and said with a smile: "My son has gained something, I am very relieved."

"That's fine too."

"One thing is that Songsu and Jianghan are very different. They are both developing industry and commerce, but they have to face different things. Most of the officials in Songsu follow the rules and regulations. It is also a good thing to experience it in advance and know how difficult it is and how different it is. ”

"Secondly, if we can develop a few young people with amazing talents through hard work and hard work in Hankou, it will be my son's blessing."