Daming Town Haiwang

Chapter 373, thinking about the road
Li Jiye came and went in a hurry, and soon left Tianjin, and began to make arrangements according to what Liu Jin said.

"These salt merchants, you are just a group of moths who rely on policies to make a fortune. You don't have any technical content at all, and you haven't made any contribution to this country. Instead, you are parasitic on Daming. The more you eat, the fatter you become. Bury this dynasty."

For those salt merchants, Liu Jin did not have the slightest favor.

Obviously salt is a very cheap thing, but after passing through the hands of these salt merchants, it is difficult for ordinary people to afford it.

A catty of salt worth tens of pennies is often short of a catty or two, and it has to seep into the sand. These salt merchants raise each of them fat and strong, and each of them is full of bullishness.

Profiting from the salt administration does not make any contribution to the dynasty or to the people on this land. For such a group, Liu Jin will not be lenient in the slightest.

The purpose of creating the Changlu Salt Farm is to dig out these parasites from the root, so that they lose the basis for their livelihood. Once they leave the salt, these salt merchants will fall down and scatter even if they are big. .

After all, the reason why these salt merchants can obtain such huge benefits is not because these salt merchants are good at doing business, nor is it because these salt merchants have mastered advanced technology. the existence of the system.

The existence of this system allows these salt merchants to monopolize salt, which is related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. Because of the monopoly, they can be unscrupulous and greedy. Originally, it was only a few pennies per catty, but after passing through the hands of these salt merchants, it increased more than ten times.

On the one hand, they continued to hollow out the finances of the Ming court, and on the other hand, they continued to exploit the people who were already struggling to survive.

They are a group of parasites parasitic on Da Ming's body, constantly sucking his blood, becoming bigger and bigger, while the Ming court and the people of Da Ming became thinner and thinner, and finally collapsed.

After visiting the salted fish factory, Liu Jin came to Tianjin Port again.

The wharf where the whaling ship docked was crowded with people, and all kinds of shouts came and went. The big whale that Liu Jin left had been completely dismembered by now.

Large and large pieces of bright red whale meat were placed on the chopping board, where merchants who specialized in whale business kept bargaining, wanting to buy some whale meat at a lower price.

Barrel after barrel of whale oil was directly wrapped up by Tianjin Soap Factory and Tianjin Candle Factory. The former is also an industry under Liu Jin's command, specializing in the production of soap for bathing. The output was not high before, but with the development of the whaling industry , a large amount of cheap oil can be obtained, and the development of Tianjin Soap Factory is also extremely rapid.

Although a piece of soap is not worth much, but the output is large, the sales are hot, and the development is extremely fast. Not only can it meet the needs of many industrial employees under Liu Jin's command for soap, but also a large number of soaps have begun to be sold, and the profits have been constant growth of.

As for the Tianjin Candle Factory, it was run by a previous candle maker here in Tianjin. Whale oil is the best oil. It is not only very resistant to burning and stable, but also free of any dust and odor. It is also the same now. It has gradually become the most popular lighting oil in the upper class of Ming Dynasty.

Whale skin, whale baleen, whale baby, etc. are the most sought-after goods. Once they are dismembered, they are bought at a high price. People even want whale bones, because it is said that whale bones are sacred bones and are used to make It is the best utensils for various sacrifices, and it can also be used to exorcise evil spirits and avoid taboos.

Whale viscera is also a sought-after item. Basically, it is bought immediately as soon as it is displayed. Liu Jin just left a huge whale and was dismembered in a blink of an eye.

"It seems right to develop the whaling industry. The meat and fat provided by a whale is enough to be worth hundreds of pigs and lead cattle. The slaughter of a whale can benefit tens of thousands of people."

"I'm afraid that if the development is too rapid, everyone will be exhausted, and there will be no whales to catch in the future."

Regarding the scene in front of him, as the leader of the whale industry, Liu Jin is both happy and worried.

The good news is that the whaling industry is thriving, and the people of Ming Dynasty can enjoy the benefits from the whaling industry, such as a large amount of cheap meat, oil, etc., these are good things, and they are real benefits.

What is worrying is that Liu Jin is very aware of the greedy nature of human beings. Once overfishing, there will be fewer and fewer whales, and eventually the fish will be exhausted.

But soon Liu Jin shook his head slightly again, it was just rising now, and it was too early to worry about it, not to mention, if Da Ming fully opened the sea ban in the future, if Da Ming could roam the world, the problem he was worried about seemed superfluous .

"Let's leave these problems to future generations to solve. When that day comes, they should understand the principles of sustainable development."

Liu Jin smiled, and soon locked his eyes on Zhu Houzhao.

At this moment, Zhu Houzhao was covered in blood, and was very excitedly cutting up the whale meat with a big machete. Yan Ran looked like a butcher, and it was hard to tell that he was the prince of Ming Dynasty.

"Come on, come on, here comes the whale meat, here comes the whale meat, the best quality whale meat, only three pennies a catty~"

Zhu Houzhao seemed to be experiencing a whole-body life, the feeling of being a butcher, with a loud voice, while Liu Jin beside him was dumbfounded, and he was really tired with such a fun host.

Don't disturb Zhu Houzhao's Yaxing, since he likes to play, let him have a good time.

In fact, everyone is the same, everyone loves to play, but when they were young, they liked to play with toys, but when they grow up, they like to play some adult games. Whether it is the ancients or the later generations, this has not changed at all.

Although Zhu Houzhao loves to play, he is not a playboy. His play is purely the curiosity of a rebellious teenager. As long as he doesn't do something outrageous, it doesn't matter if he plays.

Liu Jin returned to his mansion in Tianjin. In the huge study room, a huge world map was slowly opened by his servants. Liu Jin fell into deep thought while looking at this huge world map.

"The fleet heading to the Golden Continent should be on their way back. If there are no accidents, they should return to Daming in five or six months."

"I don't know if it's going well for them. Have they found high-yielding sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes? It's best to bring some gold and silver back to stimulate everyone's enthusiasm for going to the Golden Continent."

The first thing that comes to mind is the fleet going to the Golden Continent. It has been almost a full year since they left. There has been no news for such a long time. Many people even think that they have failed and died on the sea. Well, Liu Jin's so-called Golden Continent is simply a lie.

Of course, there must be someone who made a fuss about this matter to criticize Liu Jin, and as time goes by, more and more people are talking about this matter.

However, Liu Jin is very confident. He has made so many preparations. If he still fails, then he really has nothing to say. He can only say that his luck is really bad.

There are compasses, sextants, telescopes, accurate maps, professionally trained and trained navigators, the most advanced ships of this era, and various advanced ideas and knowledge from later generations. There are many preparations specially made by Liu Jin.

With such full preparations, he would still fail, Liu Jin really has nothing to say. Europeans sailing in this era, their conditions are so difficult, they are able to cross the major oceans on the earth, it is unreasonable You will fail yourself.

"I hope I can bring some chili seeds back. Dishes without chili always feel like something is missing."

Liu Jin stared at the area of ​​the Golden Continent in a daze. Liu Jin, who came from later generations, is a master who loves spicy food. After crossing over, he ate meals without chili every day, and always felt that something was missing.

Of course, it does not mean that there is no taste without chili. For people who love spicy food, chili is an indispensable taste.

"After the development of fishing and maritime trade, the problem of Japanese pirates has to be solved. Now some people have reported that they have been attacked by Japanese pirates. This problem will definitely become more and more serious. If we can't find a way to solve it, then the court will object. Those who ban Kaihai will definitely use this as an excuse to attack Kaihai."

"Moreover, the rampage of Japanese pirates will seriously affect the development of maritime trade, which is very detrimental to the newly developed marine fishing industry and marine trade industry."

Soon, Liu Jin set his sights on the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Bohai Sea.

The problem of Japanese pirates has existed from the end of the Yuan Dynasty to the beginning of the Ming Dynasty until now, and it has always been impossible to suppress them all. In a few decades, as the Japanese side entered the worst period of the Warring States Period, the wandering warriors Turned into Japanese pirates, harassing the entire southeast coast of Ming Dynasty.

The situation is better now, because in the north, Japanese pirates seldom come here, but the benefits are touching. Going to North Korea and Japan to do business is very profitable, and you can earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver for a round trip.

Naturally, Japanese pirates would focus on this piece of fat. Apart from Japanese pirates, pirates also existed. There were also pirates in the Ming Dynasty. Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong’s father in the late Ming Dynasty, started as a well-known pirate.

"If you want to fight Japanese pirates and pirates, you must train a powerful navy. You must find an excuse and find a way to get this power out of the Ministry of War."

"Otherwise, if you expect these civil servants from the Ministry of War to develop the navy, if one million taels of silver is allocated, only one hundred thousand taels may be used to develop the navy in the end."

"The navy is something that can't be played without money. Whether it's ships, people, or cannons, they all need money to run."

Thinking of this, Liu Jin couldn't help frowning. This matter is really difficult to handle. The navy involves military power, and the Ministry of War will not let it go easily. Emperor Hongzhi may not really trust him.

烦~
On the contrary, artillery is easy to solve. Miyun Iron Works can produce the highest quality steel. As for casting cannons, this is not difficult for Liu Jin, who has a golden finger. The same is true for gunpowder. Whale oil can also produce powerful nitroglycerin.

As for muskets, this thing is not difficult. There are high-quality steel and lathes, and it is easy to make these things.

"I still need to find a chance to get military qualifications. Without military qualifications, building these things is treason. If these things are produced, they will sweep the grasslands, wipe out Japanese pirates and pirates, and compete with Europeans for territory in the Golden Continent in the future. It’s all going to be tough.”

Thinking of this, Liu Jin silently wrote down this in his heart.

Because the literati were in power in the Ming Dynasty, under the spare no effort to attack the military general Xungui, the army of the Ming Dynasty was already rotten, the military equipment was slack, and the amount of money allocated was already small, and it was deducted layer by layer. Can't watch at all.

The firearms unit created by Comrade Lao Zhu was even more abolished. Soldiers would rather go into battle with knives to kill the enemy than use artillery and muskets, because they were afraid of being blown to death.

Soldiers have no status, and being a soldier is the most looked down upon. Military households are synonymous with ruin. Military generals dare not even fart in front of civil servants, and they have no right to speak above the court.

There are too many, too many problems. Freezing three feet is not a one-day cold. To solve this problem, it is not just a matter of making good guns and cannons. It must be solved from the root cause and rebuilt A new army with the model of later generations came out.

Without a strong army and advanced weapons, it is simply impossible to colonize and do business around the world.

Among other things, the neighbors on the northern grasslands are always intimidating to Da Ming, and every time they are robbed and looted, everyone in Da Ming panics, and now the city wall built with cement is like a turtle.

To really solve this problem, we still have to take the initiative to defeat them on the grassland.

If you don't defeat them, you will never have peace, and if you want to get cheap wool, you must solve the problem on the grassland, so that they can sing and dance well, and they can herd sheep and shear sheep with peace of mind.

"We still need to get out the weapon as soon as possible, otherwise I really don't have the confidence."

"If a ship going out to sea is not equipped with weapons, it is a fat sheep. Everyone will want to go up and take a bite. Now, in the northern route, there are very few pirates and Japanese pirates. If it is in the southern coastal areas, pirates and Japanese pirates are rampant. , something will happen to the safekeeping."

Liu Jin pondered, how to let the sea-going ships legally possess weapons, and how to legally produce weapons himself is very important.

But when it comes to weapons, it is too sensitive. Emperor Hongzhi will not let go easily, and the courtiers in the court will not let go easily. Moreover, once he comes forward to engage in this matter, he is also very easy to become the target of attack.

"Old Zhang said that he would open up a route to Nanyang~"

"There are a lot of pirates and Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, and the big families in the southeastern coastal area often collude with pirates and Japanese pirates. Once a fat sheep comes up, they will never let it go easily."

Liu Jin set his sights on the southeast coastal area. The situation in this area is very complicated.

On the one hand, the big families and businessmen in the southeast coastal area strongly opposed the lifting of the sea ban and firmly supported the imperial government's sea ban policy. group.

They all rely on monopoly to make money.

These big families and businessmen support the spokespersons above the court, support the sea ban, and resolutely do not allow the sea ban to be opened. On the other hand, they are in collusion with pirates and Japanese pirates. Our other families and businessmen go to sea, fearing that someone will share their interests .

Zhang Mao has seen the profits of the sea trade, and now he is not satisfied with just taking the routes of North Korea and Japan, thinking about going to Nanyang, or even going to the Indian Ocean to earn more and higher profits.

But this will touch the interests of big families and businessmen in the Jiangnan area, and they will definitely react.

"Treasure Island~ This location is too critical. Perhaps the next thing we should do is to develop Treasure Island, and develop Treasure Island first."

Soon, Liu Jin's eyes were fixed on Treasure Island.

At this time, Baodao was still a barren land. Because of the sea ban imposed by the Ming Dynasty, in 1387, the residents on Baodao were moved to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, and Baodao was completely abandoned.

This is also the reason why the Dutch were able to occupy Baodao later, because the Ming Dynasty court did not pay attention to Baodao at all. It is a barbaric land, and there are very few Han people on it. In addition to the ban on Shanghai, everyone does not go to sea. , Naturally, the Dutch took advantage and occupied Treasure Island.

It was not until the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties that Zheng Chenggong regained Baodao and brought a large number of people. After several generations of efforts and development by the Zheng family, Baodao gradually prospered.

If you want to go to the Nanyang region and open up the Nanyang route, Baodao is definitely a very important link, and its location determines this.

"Develop Treasure Island~"

"That's right, it's you. Let's develop Treasure Island first. The geographical location of Treasure Island is important. The climate here is subtropical, with sufficient sunlight and fertile land. Rice can be harvested twice a year, and even three crops a year in the south of Treasure Island." .”

"In winter, vegetables and fruits can also be produced here. Once the sea transportation is established, it will definitely be very profitable if the vegetables and fruits from this island are transported to the Beijing-Tianjin area in winter."

"Moreover, the development of Treasure Island can strengthen the relationship between Treasure Island and consolidate our Ming Dynasty's own territory. In the future, Treasure Island will be used as a bridgehead. The first one will go to Japan and North Korea, and the next one will go to Nanyang and Australia. It will achieve multiple goals."

"Treasure Island must be built first~"

Soon, Liu Jin's eyes were fixed on Treasure Island, and he began to think in his mind, what is the best way to develop Treasure Island, if it attracts people to develop Treasure Island, this is the key .

And the most important thing is to find an industry that can make money, so as to attract the dignitaries, businessmen, landlords, and emerging capitalists of Ming Dynasty to go to Baodao.

"What can attract everyone?"

Liu Jin thought carefully.

　Five thousand words in two chapters, what do you think is suitable for the development of Baodao?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)