Daming 1805

After Zhu Jingyuan's train passed Pingdingshan, it was completely dark.

In the early morning of the next day, the train arrived at Xi'an Fucheng, an ancient city of Chinese civilization that has existed for 2000 years.

Many modern people feel that changing Chang'an to Xi'an will lose the old-fashioned flavor of the name.

In fact, Xi'an is the name of a prefecture, which is equivalent to the name of a prefecture-level city later. Their corresponding ancient Han and Tang names are Jingzhaojun and Jingzhaofu.

Chang'an is the name of the county. The name of Chang'an County has never disappeared after more than two thousand years since it appeared in the early days of Xi'an.

Even from the Tang Dynasty to the present, the location of the city has basically remained unchanged.

Later generations only revoked Chang'an County and changed it to Chang'an District of Xi'an City, which is the same as Chang'an County of Jingzhao County in the old days.

Urban construction projects are often turned into archaeological projects. The excavator shovels down and then lifts up. I don’t know what will be brought out.

Many ancient cities have a similar situation. The counties in ancient times were more famous, and the prefectures and cities in later generations were only more famous.

This is actually the result of the continuous expansion of the city after industrialization, coupled with repeated attempts to withdraw and merge administrative districts.

The locals actually know that the relevant names are always there.

Zhu Jingyuan got up straight away in the morning, admiring the new look of the ancient capital in the morning light.

A familiar yet strange feeling reappeared.

The Guanzhong area where Xi'an Prefecture is located is a key node for China Unicom and control of the Northwest, as well as the west gate of the core area of ​​China.

Xi'an is also a rare large industrial city in the inland area of ​​Ming Dynasty.

It is not a mining city, but a real industrial city, which developed by relying on the surrounding minerals and unique geographical advantages.

In the big cities of Ming Dynasty, the scenes in the city are not all the traditional Chinese style buildings.

At the very least, they won't all be painted in the style of flying eaves, bucket arches, carved railings and painted buildings.

Because industrialization pursues efficiency and speed, industrial buildings will naturally be simplified.

Just like the slab buildings and large workshops of later generations are not in the style of traditional Thai and Western architecture.

Of course, the imprint of traditional culture always exists, and it is impossible for it to disappear without strong external interference.

Just like in the modern architecture and decoration of the West in later generations, decorations and facilities such as tables, chairs, floors, windows, and gates still carry the traditional characteristics of the local classical era.

So now most of the ordinary urban buildings in Ming Dynasty are mainly simple buildings with traditional decoration features.

Only in buildings with special political significance, as well as in the traditional manors of the royal family, nobles, and wealthy businessmen, will there be "authentic" traditional ancient buildings regardless of cost.

Of course, the original taste is only in terms of form and aesthetics, and more than a dozen construction methods and construction materials have changed.

From the late Renwu Dynasty, under the direct leadership of the Ming imperial family, driven by realistic cost and practicality, reinforced concrete became the mainstream building material.

So much so that the wealthy class in Daming basically no longer pursue large wooden buildings.

Otherwise, the primeval forests of Nanyang and Yinzhou will definitely suffer heavy losses...

From the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the scale of traditional palace buildings became smaller and smaller, mainly due to the exhaustion of local large-scale timber.

After being supplemented with timber from the primeval forests of Nanyang and Yinzhou, if there is a traditional feudal monarch pursuing it, it is very likely that super-standard wooden buildings will be produced in this era.

But because of the existence of Emperor Shizu, these situations were nipped in the bud.

And in the background of these buildings, there are towering chimneys everywhere, as well as gray smoke and mist, filling the streets of the entire city.

The roar of car engines, the sound of bicycle bells, and the clatter of horseshoes hitting the ground are mixed with the noisy human voices.

In such an environment, at the time when the first industrial revolution was basically completed and the second industrial revolution was unfolding, Zhu Jingyuan always had a sense of confusion in the sight of such a city.

Because in the history of Zhu Jingyuan's previous life, there was no eastern city in the early industrial age that was not influenced by foreign cultures.

Every time he came to this kind of city, Zhu Jingyuan would take a special look to familiarize himself with and adapt to this world.

After Zhu Jingyuan entered the city, he didn't show up in public, and went directly to Prince Qin's Mansion in the northeast of the city.

Zhu Jingyuan also specifically notified the local officials in advance, and did not ask them to go to the station to meet him, but to meet directly at Prince Qin's mansion tomorrow.

Prince Qin's Mansion is nominally the first vassal's mansion of Ming Dynasty, because the first generation of King Qin was the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang.

It's just that the largest palace is actually Zhou Wangfu, the fifth son.

After the Renwu Dynasty, these foreign palaces, no matter whether they were damaged in the war or not, returned to the hands of the emperor.

After Emperor Shizu had money, he successively restored the palaces of some key cities, and used them as residences for important members of the emperor's royal family to travel and inspect the local areas.

Zhu Jingyuan rested in the Qin Palace for a day, and received an audience from the main officials of the Third Division of Shaanxi in the main hall of the Palace the next morning.

Sitting on the main seat above, Zhu Jingyuan looked at the officials on both sides of the hall, and felt that they were a little too nervous.

It seems that they have high expectations, but they are all very apprehensive. Obviously, many people come with ideas and thoughts.

However, in the relevant formulaic official meeting, the two sides will not discuss specific matters.

After saluting and greeting each other and chatting a few words, the meeting is considered to be over.

Then the heads of Shaanxi Third Division and Yushi stayed, obviously wanting to continue discussing some practical matters with Zhu Jingyuan.

Zhu Jingyuan was a little surprised and asked directly:

"Is there any urgent matter here in Shaanxi that I need to participate in immediately?"

The four officials hesitated for a moment, and in the end it was Chief Executive Liu Haidong who spoke as the representative.

He asked very cautiously:

"Your Highness, please make amends. Shaanxi is located in a remote inland area. Compared with Jiangnan, it is drier, and the wind and sand are quite serious.

"If your Highness has any incompatibility, please feel free to bring it up, and if you need anything, please feel free to order it.

"The subordinates and the local officials in Shaanxi must try their best to cooperate with His Highness's errand..."

Hearing these words, Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help frowning and asked:

"Is there something in Chen Fangbo's words? If you have something to say, just say it directly, don't be so secretive.

"We are also dealing with each other for the first time, you may not be familiar with my style
"I've always been a straightforward person, and what I hate the most is playing tricks.

"If you have something, you have an idea, if you have a problem, just say it, even if I can't solve it, I will work with you to find a solution.

"You are so confused now, do you still want me to speculate on your thoughts?"

Liu Haidong and other four local officials became even more nervous:

"Your Highness, forgive me, forgive me, we... we are first worried that His Highness will not allow us to greet us at the station, maybe he is dissatisfied with Shaanxi, so I want to know what His Highness is dissatisfied with..."

Zhu Jingyuan was a little astonished:

"No? What are you thinking about? I don't let you go to the station to meet them, because I think you should be quite busy now.

"Besides, it was very early in the morning when we arrived at the station today, and it wasn't completely bright yet, so if you want to meet him, you'll have to wait in the middle of the night.

"Then after dawn, you have to break up after meeting each other. It's completely unnecessary, and it will affect your official duties too much.

"Finally, the imperial court is now deepening reforms, and the situation is not absolutely stable, so I want to reduce the number of public appearances.

"I don't have any dissatisfaction with Shaanxi, it is the old place of Han and Tang Dynasties, and it is my heart of Ming Dynasty.

"If you're just worried about that, it's really completely unnecessary.

"But I hear you, it seems that there are other things? Just talk about other business, don't worry about it."

Liu Haidong and other officials actually knew Zhu Jingyuan's character, so they were worried because Zhu Jingyuan refused to let them go to the station to greet them.

Now that Zhu Jingyuan said that, they were all obviously relieved, but they were still not completely relaxed.

After all, it was the first direct contact with Zhu Jingyuan, and they didn't dare to rest assured of what Zhu Jingyuan said.

So still continue to maintain a cautious attitude.

Liu Haidong continued to explain the situation:
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. I have heard that His Highness is the most considerate of his subordinates. Only after seeing him today did he realize that being famous is not as good as meeting him.

"We still want to know whether His Highness will simultaneously implement the general education examination certificate system and the ticket system for government-run manufacturers in Shaanxi and other regions in Northwest China.

"The key is whether the private housing and vehicle purchase restriction system that has been implemented in the Edo area will be implemented simultaneously."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded directly after hearing this:
"Yes, the general education examination certificate system must be implemented, and it will be gradually implemented throughout Daming.

"Regardless of ethnic group and origin, including all Ming people, they must take the exam in the end and obtain this certificate through a ceremony.

"The ticket and purchase restriction system has also been verified, which can reduce resource waste and ensure social fairness to a certain extent.

"Of course, all systems cannot be copied, and must be adjusted according to local conditions.

"Now I don't know enough about the local situation in Shaanxi, so the implementation plan of the corresponding system has not yet been determined.

"Everyone knows the local situation, and you should also know the situation of these systems. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please be sure to tell me directly.

"If there is indeed a problem, I will definitely make targeted adjustments to the system according to the local situation."

Zhu Jingyuan's words showed his attitude, and at the same time left room for discussion.

Liu Haidong also made sufficient preparations in his heart, and directly expressed his worries:
"Your Highness, to be honest, my subordinates and many colleagues have learned about the ticket system implemented in Edo, Nara, and North Korea.

"We are worried that this ticket and purchase restriction system will hinder...the development of industry and commerce will be severely restricted.

"Especially when it is promoted to the civilian market after meeting the welfare needs of officials.

"Because what is certain is that the money of a wealthy businessman is actually enough to buy multiple houses and multiple cars.

"And most ordinary workers cannot afford a house or a car in a short period of time.

“If we issue room tickets, bus tickets to ordinary workers, and don’t allow wealthy businessmen to get multiple room ticket tickets.

"At the same time, housing construction companies build houses according to the number of house tickets issued, and car parks produce vehicles according to the tickets, which is likely to make a large number of houses and vehicles unsold.

"There may also be private agreements in which ticket-holder workers buy houses and vehicles on behalf of wealthy businessmen.

"These situations are very difficult to police..."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded lightly after listening:
"Yes, the consumption power of a small group of rich people is likely to be several times higher than that of the general population in the whole society.

"If we require everyone to only buy the same things, then the spending power of the rich cannot be fully released.

"Things that should have been able to be sold may not be able to be sold due to the restrictions of the ticket system.

"Of course this will limit the rate at which our industry and commerce can develop. . .

"If this restriction is relaxed, of course more consumption profits and taxes will be obtained.

"But this limitation is only immediate, and this increase in profits and taxes is only immediate.

"If there is no restriction on the purchase of houses, the abundant funds of wealthy businessmen will push up the price of houses to an unimaginable level for ordinary people.

"Ordinary workers may have to work hard all their lives and spend most of their income to buy a house.

"Then the amount they spend on other aspects will of course be reduced to the lowest point accordingly.

"Think about it, the money that ordinary people should have used to buy clothes and household appliances has been saved and waited to buy houses, so will the sales of clothes and household appliances be reduced?

"Under the condition that the overall consumption capacity of the whole society is fixed, if more consumption flows to a few key basic industries and products, it will inevitably lead to a reduction in consumption in other areas.

"In other words, if the overall consumption power is certain, the profits and taxes we can obtain are also certain.

"The difference is just how we're going to get that profit and the tax.

"Whether it is concentrated in a few areas, or evenly distributed to most industries.

"I think everyone can imagine that government-run manufacturers can gain as much profit as possible by controlling a small number of basic industries and using these basic industries to absorb the consumption power of the private sector.

"If ordinary people spend their money in most industries, the proportion that government-run manufacturers can get directly will definitely not be particularly high, which is equivalent to lowering the income expectations of government-run manufacturers.

"But everyone should understand at the same time that currency must be in circulation to create value.

"The currency in society, the more evenly it is dispersed in the whole society, the higher the flow speed and frequency will be.

"Correspondingly, every time currency and commodities are circulated, government offices at all levels can receive a tax.

"So the court's final indirect income will increase instead.

"If the money earned by ordinary people's work is almost directly collected into the hands of government offices at all levels through a few government-run manufacturers in key basic industries, it can almost be regarded as exhausted.

"Over time, the entire market will become a stagnant pool."

What Zhu Jingyuan said was clear enough, and all the officials present understood it too.

Zhu Jingyuan is still trying to persuade everyone to take a long-term and broad view.

Don't just look at the interests of the next few years, don't just look at the profits of one factory in one place.

It's just that for the vast majority of officials, it is difficult for them, as floating officials, to be in power in the same place for more than six years.

Zhu Jingyuan, a special prince, can focus on the development of the entire Ming Dynasty in the next few decades.

Most officials don't care about such long-term and vast things.

So some people are a little bit stubborn.

"His Royal Highness does have a long-term vision, but if the ticket system and purchase restriction system are implemented in the housing industry, it will lock the upper limit of this industry.

"Since we want to make the entire market more active, we shouldn't restrict this market so strictly..."

Zhu Jingyuan became obviously serious when he heard this:
"Yes, it is to lock the upper limit of this industry!

"Let everyone know that these key basic industries are the guarantee of social stability, and there is no money to be made here.

"Let people with ideas spend their money elsewhere.

"Education and medical care are also given the same treatment. It is best for private manufacturers to completely withdraw from these industries, and the royal consortium and the Ming consortium are completely responsible for operating and maintaining them.

"This is the common attitude of my father and me, and these policies must be maintained for a long time.

"Officials at any level, and government-run manufacturers at any level, should not regard related industries as the main profitable industries.

"They are basic guarantee industries!

"If anyone insists on using his brain in this place, I don't mind letting him change his head!"