Can you live forever

Chapter 418 Where is the source of the rice and meat on the plate

Daming was very rich. The population of the Ministry of Household Affairs was only 5000 million, and the remaining 2 million people did not pay taxes. As long as they could avoid local exploitation and basically have a few acres of fertile land, they could live a good life.

With some agricultural and sideline products, there is not so much shortage of meat and eggs.

The main reason for living a simple life is a problem of ideas. Farming, studying and inheriting family members is the right way, and the number of scholars in Ming Dynasty is also the largest since ancient times.

It is precisely because of the huge group of scholars, but there is no way to complete the positive employment of the imperial examinations, and a large number of talents poured into various industries, which caused the overall prosperity of Ming Dynasty.

In order to support today's high-speed industrialization.

Although compared to the past progress, it has been many times faster, but Xu Jie undoubtedly dislikes being too slow, so he needs a more efficient system.

"The national teacher thinks this braised pork is still palatable?"

Gu Lin, a third-rank governor, eats workers' meals with gusto. He personally supervises the management of the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant, and everything from the canteen is planned and stipulated by him. There is no small stove and no special window.

What workers eat is what managers eat.

Braised pork, pumpkin, cabbage.

Zhang Zhixiang thinks it's pretty good, at least the ingredients in this era are real ingredients. Unlike industrial farming, the meat is very fragrant. The historical records of pigtails can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty, and in fact, it has been fully popularized by the early Ming Dynasty.

So pork gradually became the main meat.

There is not much meat in the bowl, only three yuan, which is just over one or two yuan. The workers next to them eat with a bite of meat and a few mouthfuls of rice. Although it has been a few months since they eat meat, they still cherish it. tight.

Others didn't move the meat, wrapped it in a lotus leaf, stuffed it into their bosom, and ate it with cabbage and pumpkin.

It must have been brought back to the family.

Meals are not allowed to be packed, but when the dishes are packed, the staff in the cafeteria just turn a blind eye. After all, everyone's dishes are rationed.

"The meat is beautiful, the sugar color is well fried, and the stew is soft and not greasy."

Zhang Zhixiang is not a gourmet. He has a taste for food, but he is also very casual. He belongs to the type of eating what he has.

Seeing Zhang Zhixiang's affirmation, Gu Lin asked, "But in the north, eating in factories costs money."

"The wages of employees are lower than those in the south."

"Those in charge, with high wages, can naturally eat luxurious food, but ordinary workers rarely see meat. At least, they can't eat meat every day."

Gu Lin started from the subtleties and talked about the gap between the north and the south.

Two days ago, Xu Jie's idea of ​​the reform had been published in the newspapers. Compared with a third-rank official like him, it is more relaxed in the north, while the south wants to "be in harmony with the light and dust".

It's not that he has a position in his heart, so he is arguing.

It's just that there are some problems that he has to figure out.

Zhang Zhixiang frankly accepted that the workers in the north were not as good as those in the south, but, "The climate and soil in the south of the Yangtze River cannot be compared with those in the north, so the products are not of the same level, and cannot be equalized."

"one more."

"Whether it's meat, eggs, or rice, these things are all produced in the field."

"For every bite the workers eat, the peasants have to eat one bite less."

"I don't judge the pros and cons of it."

Zhang Zhixiang said he would not comment, but he has already made it very clear that the average land in Jiangnan is privately owned, causing farmers to bear a large amount of loans, which will take several years to repay. During this period, the agricultural surplus will continue to be squeezed.

When there is no qualitative change in productivity, one aspect of life suddenly improves, which means that someone is bearing the price.

Gu Lin understood what Zhang Zhixiang meant, and he fell silent. After a while, he asked: "Is it too unfair to just talk about the fairness in the factory and the huge salary gap in the north without the pressure difference between the farmers in the north and the south?" ?”

Zhang Zhixiang didn't answer directly, but asked, "Does Gu Futai know that all the salaries in the north are actually paid by the imperial court?"

"It's farmers who work in agriculture. Apart from the unified distribution of agricultural products by the village community, they also have wages?"

"Although it is generally a level 1 salary."

Gu Lin looked straight and said: "This is also what I have doubts about. The imperial court exempts taxes, and the output of rural land is distributed by the village community according to work and according to the needs of the subsistence allowances. The imperial court also pays farmers' wages."

"Such a huge fiscal expenditure will inevitably lead to annual deficits in the imperial court's finances."

"Will this last?"

Zhang Zhixiang said with a smile: "Of course it is possible, as long as the continuous issuance of national debt is enough."

"And it's necessary."

"It is a necessary system to ensure food security. Now wages are paid on a per-person basis. In the future, wages will no longer be paid, but subsidies will be paid on the basis of land, so that money will flow into the hands of farmers."

"It is the foundation of the vitality of this society."

Gu Lin frowned and said, "Debts have to be repaid, and you can't just eat your own food all the time."

"and."

"You said that before there is a qualitative change in productivity, it's just a matter of distribution. After the money is distributed, it's just an adjustment of distribution. In fact, for all the people, life has not improved much."

Zhang Zhixiang asked: "Why not?"

He asked Gu Lin to bring two glasses, and found some stones, sand, and water.

Put the stones into the two cups, and then put the sand in each, saying: "The gap has not been filled, the cup of water is poured down, and the space in the quilt will really be filled."

"The vast countryside is the glass of water."

"They have currency, trade happens, and more trade represents higher liquidity, representing an exchange of demand signals."

"With a signal, you know what to do."

"Starting from the countryside, they have more subjective initiative to develop productivity, and are more flexible. They also have capital to exchange with the outside world to do larger-scale production."

"But Jiangnan is different."

"Xu Jie emptied the water, and there is only sand in it. The farmers are constantly squeezing the agricultural surplus because of the loans when they equalize the land. They have no currency, and transactions are getting less and less. Even if there is, they are bartering, let alone digesting. merchandise."

"They are really working hard on production, but they have actually entered an endless loop."

"Without capital, they can't start a business, have no communication, and can't cooperate. After a few years, they will have land, but the concentration of capital will make agriculture depreciate and make them more tired. They can only squeeze themselves even more in exchange for the poor standard of living."

Zhang Zhixiang brought the topic back to the countryside, which made Gu Lin frown, but he understood what Zhang Zhixiang said, and he knew the pros and cons of the north and the south.

What seems to be fair, because of the different foundations of the countryside, has actually undergone a substantial reversal.

Is the countryside so important...

Gu Lin didn't know why he was a little bit reconciled, maybe because he didn't want to admit that he was wrong, so he continued to ask: "What about the debt problem?"

Zhang Zhixiang replied: "Excess currency issuance, inflation, and rising prices."

Gu Lin: "Isn't this a side effect?"

Zhang Zhixiang shook his head: "The money remains the same, but the supplies that need to be paid are reduced. As long as the inflation exceeds the interest on the debt, it is actually equivalent to no loan. When the deadline is up, the debt will disappear."

Gu Lin learned and applied it flexibly, and asked, "Then, what's the price?"

Zhang Zhixiang replied: "Foreign trade."

Yes, Daming’s domestic inflation has risen, but the currency will not necessarily depreciate externally, but will be exported until the end of external deflation, and overseas countries use the foreign exchange of Daming’s precious banknotes as the anchor for issuing currency.

Then the capacity of the reservoir is huge.

Gu Lin is not some kind of sympathetic Virgin, he has no objection to the fact that the price can be transferred to the barbarians, and he admires the imperial court's interlocking designs.

But at the end there is still a question: "You still haven't answered the question of the wage gap."

Zhang Zhixiang said: "I actually answered."

"If you can't stay in the city, you can go back to the countryside. I gave them a mountain to climb, but I also gave them a safe haven where they can dock with peace of mind. When the rich and the poor don't affect the circulation of the class, it actually just represents the difference in lifestyle. That's all."

"Education, medical care, pension."

"Our imperial court is a big government. Guaranteeing these three aspects so that the people can have peace of mind will actually solve many problems."

"Although the wage gap is large, the taxation is also strict."

"Not to mention there is a redemption."

"Like the Wang family, for the redemption of assets worth two trillion yuan, the imperial court only pays [-] million yuan a year, which is almost equivalent to taking it for nothing. What the Wang family gets is only the title of Uncle Xiuning. This title does not have any privileges. It’s more about honor and fame.”

Speaking of redemption, Gu Lin had something to say again.

He said: "The Wang family exchanged a family property of two trillion yuan for Xiu Ningbo. What do other wealthy businessmen think of this? How can they be willing to hand over their family property?"

Zhang Zhixiang said with a smile: "If there are too many titles, they won't be worth much."

"As for the third-class title of Lord Duke, since there is no corresponding power, it is nothing more than a rank of reputation and honor. If someone recognizes the signboard of Lord Xiuning, isn't it more powerful than a marquis or a duke?"

"As for their refusal to redeem..."

"It's mainly the family business of several generations. They are used to it, thinking that it can be passed down forever. They don't know that there are only a few time-honored brands that have passed the century. Which one can say that their business will last forever?"

"Therefore, it is reasonable to sell it to the imperial court at its peak."

"In the future, you don't have to work hard to operate and develop, let alone worry about the unworthy children and grandchildren and not being able to inherit the family business."

"You see, the Wang family's [-] million yuan per year is equivalent to the imperial court taking the Wang family's property for nothing."

"Don't you know that this is the same as the royal family and the country."

"As long as Daming is still there, the Wang family cannot decline. Isn't this more stable than anything else?"

"Gu Futai, the value of a long stream of water is far beyond your imagination. Even if you don't have a title, just the return of this ten-thousand-year period is enough for countless people to flock to it."

"It's not that the wealthy merchants are unwilling to redeem it, but it's up to the imperial court...whether they want to accept it or not."

Not to mention non-performing assets, those industries that have no strategic and technical value, the imperial court is not willing to redeem them, you just do your own business.

Which enterprises are mainly responsible for the redemption system?

For example, a certain communication company in the later generations, whose strategic value is too great to fail, is one of the fulcrums of the national strategy. If something happens, the state must take care of it. At this time, just buy it back.

Then there are some new technologies and new fields, new changes in social production and life, and some lifelines are in private hands.

Just start the redemption directly.

If you really meet those who care about being rich for a while, you will cut the flesh with a knife.

Different things, from different angles, are different.

Gu Lin originally thought that the redemption, buying and exploitation were too harsh, and the rich merchants would definitely not be willing, but the clinker was actually whether the court wanted to accept it...

One of the mysterious, careful taste.

Gu Lin found out that the imperial court's work was interlocking, but Nanjing's side was actually full of gold and jade, and it took a long time to distinguish the true from the false.

He had no position at first, but now he has leaned towards the imperial court.

So when he asked again, his tone was different, and he asked humbly: "Dare to ask the national teacher, this Xu Jie reform, threatened to let the wealthy merchants find the imperial court to buy it, will the imperial court really not give the title?"

Zhang Zhixiang said: "Therefore, most of the officials and titles are hereditary, ranging from princes to hundreds of households in the army."

"This matter is extremely inappropriate."

"Military households have been abolished, there is no longer a guard system in the interior, hereditary hundreds and thousands of households have disappeared, but the issue of titles still exists, so His Majesty is determining meritorious deeds."

"Except for a small number of nobles who can be hereditary, many people who have no merit at all, and their descendants have done a lot of stupid things, will be reduced to a lower rank, or directly deprived of their titles."

"The three nobles of Duke, Marquis, and Bo are listed separately and have no rank."

"Within the clan, except for the prince's hereditary replacement, all the other nobles will be reduced to descendants."

"Those who are demoted to the ranks, whether they are the king of the county or the earl, are only passed down for one generation, and they will be demoted to the general of the town, and then they will be demoted to the general of the state, the general of the state, the lieutenant of the state, the lieutenant of the state, and the lieutenant of the state. Lieutenant. Until white."

"And the three new princes, marquis, and uncles are all hereditary, and the generals and lieutenants are all degraded and inherited."

"so."

"The wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River, after the redemption, it is almost impossible to be named an earl. At most, they will be reduced to a general and nobility."

"In this way, does Gu Futai still feel that the Earl of the Wang family is a latecomer?"

This is not to be a latecomer, but to use the Wang family to determine the gold content of Daming's title. Even if it is just a title, there is no privilege at all, and the only power is "self-recommendation", but whether you want it or not is up to the decision-makers.

Whether it can continue to do so is subject to public supervision.

At that time, the title will become a drag instead.

Only the title of honor and glory is left, dare to take reputation seriously?

After the separation of power and fame, Gu Lin felt that the title was not worthless, but too valuable. Only Chinese people understand the importance of fame and the unique pride and pride.

Only then did I understand what is truly handed down, the mark engraved in the hearts of future generations.

The end of the merchant is redemption.

After the wealth is concentrated, it will be taken away by the court, and then distributed...

"Okay, that's great..." Gu Lin said a little excitedly, but then he suddenly remembered something, and couldn't help asking: "In this way, the clan will lose the most, right?"

"The clan...doesn't say anything?"

(End of this chapter)