Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 163 0158【Join Charcoal】

When he got home, Zhu Ming didn't plan to do any more experiments.

He found that reducing the sand ratio and adding charcoal powder and sawdust made the briquettes more flammable.If the sawdust is slightly carbonized, the briquettes will burn better.

But considering the cost, all give up.

It is better to come directly to simple and crude ones, as coal and mud can be burned.What more powdered charcoal?What more sawdust?
80% coal and 20% mud. This is the best ratio, and it is easy to ignite after burning for a long time.

There is no other choice for the soil, and the vicinity of Kaifeng is mostly yellow loam.Moreover, the sticky yellow loam that is not suitable for briquettes is the kind of sandy yellow loam that is less sticky.I can only say that it can be used.

"Sir, there are guests waiting for you at home, and they are listening to Mr. Chen's lecture." Bai Sheng took the reins and led the horse in.

Zhu Ming asked, "Scholar?"

Bai Sheng said: "The surname is Che, and he claims to be the head of the charcoal company. I moved all the charcoal stoves and charcoal balls at home and hid them in the house, so he didn't let him see them."

"Well done." Ju Ming praised.

Bai Chongyan and Min Zishun are still reading books to prepare for the exam, which has been confirmed to be held on the second day of next month.

Zhu Ming offended Cai Jing, and the Cai party took control of the official department.

Even if they pass the exam, they will probably be suppressed, and they will be thrown to the backcountry for a few years without even thinking about moving.

Zhu Ming will inevitably hurt his friends, and he doesn't know how to comfort him.

But I saw Chen Yuan sitting on the porch, preaching to a businessman: "The charcoal department and the government run the market, which violates the rules. It is difficult for your charcoal business to find a way, so you have to ask for a strike. This is right and understandable."

The businessman said happily: "In terms of learning, do we also take advantage?"

Chen Yuan nodded: "It's natural. The way of heaven is nothing but humane. The benevolent loves others, and merchants are also human beings. The court should treat them with benevolent government."

The businessman asked: "But those gentlemen say that merchants are cunning, and the court also says that we are businessmen."

Chen Yuan asked back: "Among merchants, there are many treacherous people, isn't it true?"

The businessman couldn't refute this, because it was a fact, so he could only compare himself: "The merchants are so cunning, aren't the scholars not cunning? How many of the gentlemen in the court are not cunning?"

Chen Yuan said: "If you want not to be despised, merchants should make money in a way. You must remember that you have the way to make money, not the skills in making money. The way and the skills, the way is the first, and the technique is the second. The king is charcoal. Without the government's exploitation, wouldn't you be hoarding and driving up the market price?"

The businessman said: "Of course not, the charcoal shop also has rules."

Chen Yuan smiled: "Since it's so hypocritical, you don't have to listen to my nonsense anymore. Leave."

"Sir, please don't go," the businessman quickly stopped him, "I like to listen to your master's rationale."

Chen Yuan said: "The bad reputation of merchants is not imposed by scholars, but the hats you have given yourself for thousands of years. Do you know that there are Confucian merchants in the south?"

The businessman shook his head: "I don't know."

With the development of the commodity economy and the proliferation of scholars, since the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, there have been more and more scholars who failed to do business.

Some of them combine Confucianism and Taoism with business and call themselves "Confucian businessmen".They follow the principle of "a gentleman loves money and obtains it in a proper way", and integrates the Confucian "discrimination of righteousness and benefit" into commercial activities.

And Wang Anshi's new learning has played a role in fueling the flames of "Confucian businessmen".

Chen Yuan said: "Confucianism has righteousness and profit. A gentleman refers to righteousness, and a villain refers to profit. This is a sentence in "The Analects", and you must have read it a long time ago. But can a gentleman talk about profit? ..."

It is Wang Anshi's point of view to manage money with righteousness.

Recently, in order to be able to give lectures in the capital, Chen Yuan reopened Wang Anshi's article.

In the past, he read Wang Anshi with a critical eye, purely from the perspective of Luo Xuemen.

Now reading Wang Anshi again, with the purpose of absorbing, extracting the available content of the new learning, packaging "Tao Yongxue" as a new learning and promoting it.

The reading angle is different, and the perception is quite different.

Chen Yuan discovered that most of Wang Anshi's distinction between righteousness and benefit can be used as a footnote for Taoism.

To talk about righteousness and benefit, first talk about human nature.

Wang Anshi overturned the views of Mencius, Xunzi and others, and went straight to Confucius's "similar in nature, but far apart in practice".He believes that there is no good or evil in nature, neither good nor evil, and it is purely acquired.

Then, it is said that righteousness and benefit are not opposed, but can be unified.

Public interest is righteousness, and what is talked about for the country's financial management is profit, but the result is righteousness.He also said, "A piece of "Zhou Li" accounts for half of the financial management. How can Duke Zhou benefit?"

He also said that Yang Zhu only knew that benefiting oneself is unrighteous, Mozi only knew that benefiting others is not benevolent, and the combination of benefiting others and self is benevolence and righteousness.

Chen Yuan has continued to write articles recently, and the "Yili Chapter" is almost finished, citing a lot of Wang Anshi's views.

But there is one thing, Chen Yuan does not support Wang Anshi.

He believes that "righteousness comes before benefit", while Wang Anshi believes that "benefit comes before righteousness".

Wang Anshi was too radical, saying that only when people have permanence, longevity, and regular births, and are free from harassment and exploitation, can they have good moral sentiments.Without a stable material life, it is impossible for people to have good morality, and without good morality society will be in turmoil.

It can be simply summed up as: the poor are not qualified to talk about righteousness!Don't talk about morality if you are poor!The imperial court must reduce poverty, and then through moral education, there will be more gentlemen and society will be stable.

This point of view made Chen Yuan feel extremely uncomfortable.

Does a gentleman talk about poverty?

This businessman came to visit Zhu Ming in the afternoon and listened to Chen Yuan's talk for three hours.

Finally he bowed and said: "Mr. is really a great Confucian. I have a son who is studying in a government school. I wonder if I can worship under Mr.'s school?"

"Yes," Chen Yuan said with a smile, "other businessmen's children can come to study as much as they want."

The businessman said: "I am the head of the charcoal bank. When I go back, I will tell them that all the merchants of the charcoal bank will send their children to apprentice."

Of course, what merchants value is not knowledge, but a kind of social identity.

Although the social atmosphere is becoming more and more profit-seeking, it is becoming more and more tolerant of merchants.But the background is still discrimination. There is no psychological burden for exploitation, and only businessmen are used as tools to make money.

That's why Xu Xiang's father went to Bianliang to do business with goods. When he saw Jinshi queuing out of Donghua Gate, he sighed, "This is what it takes to have a son." imperial examination.

There is also a cattle supervisor who buys officials with money, earns more than a thousand yuan a month by collecting rent, and has countless other properties.But he sighed to himself that "the family is humble, and it is difficult to get close to the noble". He visited famous teachers and made friends with famous scholars everywhere, spent money frantically to entertain scholars, and finally donated food to buy a small official, and went to work happily every day.Not only is he not greedy, but he also gives money to do his job well.

The businessman in front of him felt that Chen Yuan was willing to speak for the businessman, and that Chen Yuan's knowledge must be good, so he sent his son to be a teacher.

Hearing Zhu Ming's footsteps, Chen Yuan got up and said, "Tanhua Lang is back, let's go talk."

The businessman hurriedly bowed to Zhu Ming: "Xiaomin Che Guirou, I pay my respects to Zhu Xuezheng!"

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "The first car dealer, please take a seat."

Che Guirou took out the wooden box, tore off the red cloth, and opened the box cover: "Zhu Xuezheng spoke uprightly and impeached corrupt officials for us and other charcoal merchants, but he was fined by the officials for two months. Tokyo charcoal merchants admire him so much. A small gift is not a respect."

There were two gold cakes lying in the box, worth about two hundred guan.

At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the price of gold was extremely high. One tael of gold was worth at least 20 guan, and sometimes even 30 guan.

Zhu Ming glanced at it and pushed the gold back: "No need."

Che Guirou said: "This is not a gift from my family, but from charcoal merchants."

Zhu Ming didn't say whether he would take it or not, but instead asked, "How long do you plan to stop this charcoal bank strike? Is it to raise the price of charcoal?"

Che Guirou said: "The Carbon Charcoal Division forces us to sell charcoal at a low price, and at the same time prohibits non-local charcoal merchants from selling to us. The charcoal shops are on strike, not to raise prices, but to be able to buy goods at a fair price. Non-local charcoal merchants are also refunded. You can retreat, but we can only make an appointment to strike together. Please Zhu Xuezheng, and then impeach the Carboniferous Secretary!"

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "It turns out that I can't collect these two pieces of gold in vain, and I have to help you go to school again."

"How dare you, there will be another gift of thanks after the matter is completed." Che Guirou said.

Zhu Ming asked: "There are dozens of merchants in the Charcoal Bank, and there are no other officials to help?"

Che Guirou said with emotion: "30 years ago, Charcoal Bank was still able to talk. Afterwards, it gradually weakened. How can we still make friends with Qinggui?"

Government-run enterprises squeezed the coal market, starting from the Renzong Dynasty. Officials went directly to make money, and of course they got more than businessmen who were filial.

Today, charcoal merchants have been made financially weak, so they can only buy off petty officials like Zhu Ming.

As for the petty official who dares to speak out, who else is there besides Zhu Ming?

Zhu Ming said: "I want to open a charcoal shop, can I join a charcoal shop?"

Che Guirou was startled for a moment, but then she was overjoyed: "Welcome!"

Private coal merchants are not afraid of competition from officials opening stores, but they are only afraid of government-run enterprises coming to ruin their business.

Of course they are willing to accept Zhu Ming, wishing to bring in a few more officials so that they can better deal with the exploitation of the Carbon Coal Division in the future!
Zhu Ming asked, "Are there any rules in the charcoal shop?"

Che Guirou said: "You can't raise or lower prices privately, you have to go forward together. If you are exploited by the government, you can't communicate with the government in private, and you have to go forward together. Other than that, it's all small rules."

Zhu Ming said: "I want to open a charcoal shop outside Nanxunmen, can you help me contact charcoal merchants in other places?"

"Leave it on me!" Che Guirou said with a smile.

The coal market in Tokyo is large enough, and the competition from private companies is not fierce. The real enemy is those government-run factories.

Let's put it this way, the homeless people in Tokyo can only run to build shacks on both sides of the Cao River more than ten miles away.Because for several miles around the city wall, they all belong to normal residential areas.

In "A Picture of Rising the River during the Qingming Festival", the boats crossing the bridge are afraid of being hit, and it is very famous to be made into a moving picture.This place, seven miles outside the city, is still very prosperous.

Ju Ming's coal shop only needs to have enough customers in a certain area outside the city to make money, and there is no need to compete with the shops in the city for the market.

Zhu Ming returned the gold: "I don't want the money, just help me contact the charcoal transporter. You strike the market and make a big fuss, I'll go to Shangshu for impeachment."

Che Guirou admired him from the bottom of his heart: "It is said that Tanhualang is as clean as water, and I only know today that it is not a lie!"

Zhu Ming said again: "I'm an official, and I can't do business according to the regulations, so the charcoal shop is run by myself. I also offended the governor of Kaifeng, and it's not convenient to come forward. Please help me with the paperwork."

Che Guirou said: "I still know a few subordinate officials, I will leave this to me."

A license is required to open a shop, and it is best for the charcoal bank to help you apply, otherwise you will most likely be stuck on purpose.

In addition, although there were countless officials engaged in business in the Song Dynasty, the law prohibited them.Zhu Ming didn't want to be left behind, so the legal person of the coal shop must have Bai Sheng's name written on it.

Local charcoal firms went on strike, and non-local charcoal merchants went on strike.

The citizens of Kaifeng frantically snapped up coal, and anyone who had some savings went to pick coal for their homes one load at a time.

In less than ten days, the government-run market couldn't bear it anymore. Not only did they not follow the imperial court's order to lower the price, but instead raised the coal price to more than 15 Wen.

The more the price rises, the more vigorously the people rush to buy.

Half a month later, the inventory was sold out, and the whole of Tokyo fell into a coal shortage.

The Carbon Coal Division turned to the governor of Kaifeng for help, and the governor of Kaifeng led the officials to force the private coal shops to open their doors.

Anyway, coal prices soared, and these merchants were happy to sell.

But soon the inventory was sold out, the charcoal bank was organized, and the bosses took their buddies to surround Cai Jing's house.

Cai Jing couldn't go out, so he sent someone to call for reinforcements, and the Dianqian Division led the imperial army to dispatch.

But the soldiers of the imperial army also couldn't buy coal, and they just went to the scene to watch the fun.

"It's reversed, it's all reversed, these profiteers!" Cai Jing was furious and a little scared.

Cai Xianggong was stuck at home and couldn't go to work, and the incident finally got big enough that some eunuchs even ran to report to the emperor.

Song Huizong's first reaction was to laugh: "Haha, it's very interesting."

Then he was furious: "I don't listen to my edict, those people in the household department are so courageous!"

(End of this chapter)