I'm really not doing business

Chapter 973 Are the poor and laborers still really important to the imperial court?

The Ming Dynasty placed great emphasis on social background, which was most evident in the officialdom. Those who came from the ranks of Juren (举人), the third-class Jinshi (三甲同进士), and the second-class Jinshi (二甲进士) all had different career ceilings. Social background was the threshold.

As for the threshold, there's no other way but to cut it off completely.

If you pass the exam, you pass; if you don't, even if you are full of knowledge, you cannot participate in the operation of power. Even if Lin Fucheng has great abilities, he cannot participate in the operation of power; he can only provide some research results for His Majesty's reference.

The four official factories in the capital had a strict height requirement of five feet, which was used to screen people, regardless of gender. There were simply too many people who wanted to enter the factories, so this was the only way to eliminate some of them.

In an era where even getting enough to eat was difficult, the requirement of being five feet tall also included considerations of family background. Families that were constantly on the move and had no land simply couldn't raise someone to be five feet tall, thus preventing vagrants from infiltrating the government offices to the greatest extent possible.

The recommendation system, on the other hand, increases the cost of making mistakes. If one person makes a mistake, they will be punished along with others, and their families may even be implicated. If craftsmen follow some playboys to do bad things, they should consider whether the uncle who recommended them will also get into trouble.

"No one above the level of foreman, co-manager, acting manager, or general manager is allowed to recommend others. If it is truly impossible to refuse due to personal relationships, they are allowed to recommend someone to another factory in another place." Feng Bao explained the prerequisites for this recommendation system: foremen and above in official factories are not allowed to recommend others. If it is truly impossible to refuse due to personal relationships, they are allowed to recommend someone to another factory in another place.

For example, if Wang Chonggu recommended his nephew, he would place him in another government factory in a different location, which would have prevented the Wang Jian case from happening to the greatest extent possible.

In an era when traveling far away was almost equivalent to life and death, it was really not worth it to travel to another place just for the sake of becoming a craftsman in an official factory.

"The written test is strict, but the requirements are less strict if you are working in the workshop. If you want to be an accountant, you need to be good at abacus calculation and calligraphy. The written test is conducted by the Ministry of Revenue and the oral test is conducted by the Ministry of Personnel. You need to be escorted by officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel before you can enter the factory." Feng Bao then introduced the specific details of the dual test system.

Some departments of the official factory had clerks, such as the accountant, the personnel officer, and the warehouse manager. These clerks were not examined within the official factory, but rather by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel.

These systems were all designed to ensure that government factories did not escape the control of the imperial court.

Ling Yunyi and Gao Qiyu were both very meticulous people. Every step they designed had its own purpose, which was to transform the official factories from a matter of personal relationships to a system, and to make the official factories a true source of revenue for the Ming Dynasty, providing a continuous stream of silver for the reform and innovation of the Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the 18th year of the Wanli reign, the Ministry of Revenue completed its annual plan, with revenue amounting to over 57 million taels of silver, 3.2 million taels more than the previous year. However, this year's growth was lower than the Ministry of Revenue's expectations, which stipulated that this year's revenue should have exceeded 60 million taels of silver.

"This year's land tax is 10.3 million taels of silver, which is 328 million taels less than last year's 1358 million taels of silver. This year, due to the imbalance of water and drought, the imperial court has exempted land taxes in the affected areas. Suiyuan, Shanxi and Shaanxi have exempted 70%, Beizhili and Henan have exempted 30%, Shandong 20%, and the remaining areas have exempted 10% each."

"This year's commercial tax revenue is 4658 million taels of silver, an increase of 6 million taels compared to last year. Commercial tax revenue accounts for more than 80% of the total annual revenue. Such rapid growth is due to three main sources: maritime trade, state-run coking coal, and tobacco, especially tobacco, which brought in 3.1 million taels of silver this year." Zhang Xueyan handed the account book of the grand plan to all the court officials.

Since the arrival of those talented individuals from the Dongjiaomin Lane prison, the Ministry of Revenue has finally been able to complete its major plans at the end of each year and report to His Majesty.

"Grand Minister, I remember the land tax in the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign was 1500 million taels of silver?" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and asked.

"Your Majesty, in the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign, the total tax revenue was 1542 million taels of silver, and the commercial tax revenue was 3658 million taels of silver, totaling 52 million taels of silver. This was also the first time that commercial tax revenue exceeded 70% of the annual revenue. The highest land tax revenue was 1653 million taels of silver in the twelfth year of the Wanli reign, and it has decreased year by year since then. This year is the year with the largest reduction in land tax." As the empire's accountant, Zhang Xueyan was very familiar with the empire's finances and taxes.

In three years, the land tax decreased by five million taels of silver, which was almost equivalent to the annual revenue during the Jiajing era. The imperial mausoleum of the late emperor was not suitable as a unit of measurement, so the annual revenue during the Jiajing era was used instead.

This indicates a booming trend in commercial taxation.

In other words, land tax was still collected in order to maintain the operation of the prefecture-county system, but in fact, starting from the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign, the imperial court's finances no longer depended on land tax.

But land tax must be collected. If you don't collect it, then it's no longer the land of the Great Ming Dynasty. Once land tax is collected, you have to be responsible to the people, clarify land ownership, and resolve those disputes that are difficult to resolve.

The Governor-General's Office of Luzon also collected land taxes, which were even converted into copper and transported to the capital every year, representing the rule of the Ming Dynasty in Luzon.

Land tax involves many aspects such as land and population, and requires utmost care.

The main purpose of the imperial court's large-scale reduction of land taxes this time was to get local gentry and elders to fulfill the promises they made before the calamity, such as rent reductions during disaster years and no land consolidation, among other 64 different promises.

The imperial court significantly reduced land taxes, and each county government posted notices announcing the tax reduction for the year. The court claimed that there had been unfavorable weather conditions, such as droughts and floods, and that taxes would be reduced. The powerful, wealthy, and influential local gentry had no choice but to honor their promises.

Even the heavens are willing to yield to the people, and His Majesty keeps his word, reducing taxes as he pleases, sharing the hardships with all the people. Naturally, the officials follow suit.

Zhu Yijun looked at the account book in front of him. This account book was not just good, it was extremely good.

He said with great concern, "When Duke Wencheng was alive, he was most worried that the more advanced the technology became, the further the court would be from the people. He was extremely cautious about mechanical workshops and avoided them if possible. Duke Wencheng said he was afraid that once the machines started running, three hundred weavers would have nothing to do."

“In the past, people could express their dissatisfaction by resisting taxes with armed force, such as the Ye Zongliu and Deng Maoqi people’s rebellion in Fujian in the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, and the Tianbing rebellion in Ruijin, Ninghua and other three counties in the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign.”

"Now things are much better; the imperial court is becoming less and less concerned about land taxes."

The emperor's words brought the joyous atmosphere in the Wenhua Hall to a halt. Everyone exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

Wang Chonggu was not being overly pessimistic, because before he passed away last year, he had already noticed the problem and even submitted three memorials to the emperor.

Zhu Yijun continued, "It seems that since the tenth year of Wanli's reign, no one has mentioned land surveying anymore. Even the land reclamation in Zhejiang, which was only after I went to Zhejiang and saw the results of the land reclamation, issued the 'Reform' document, asking all officials to express their opinions on the occasion of the Emperor's birthday."

"But it seems that very few people in the court have mentioned the land survey and returning of land to its original state."

After Wang Chonggu returned to Beijing from his southern tour last year, he discovered that government offices at all levels were paying less and less attention to land taxes.

The local governments of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangzuo and Jiangyou, and Huguang set up a comprador office in Songjiang Prefecture, Shanghai, specifically to buy imported grain from overseas. They would not even unload the grain from the ships, but instead escort it to the capital when the grain ships set sail.

Local government offices placed greater emphasis on imperial roads and waterway dredging, becoming increasingly indifferent to land taxes. When the imperial court no longer cared about land taxes, it naturally stopped caring about the people.

There is no vacuum of power; local bullies, thugs, and hooligans are replacing the imperial court's rule in the countryside.

If this continues, will the poor and laborers still be important to the imperial court?

Wang Chonggu's concerns can be summarized in one sentence: the foundation of the imperial court's rule is shifting from population and land to commercial capital.

With the transformation of the commodity economy, towns became increasingly important while the countryside became less important. It seemed that the Ming Dynasty no longer needed to extend its reach into the countryside to maintain effective and stable rule.

If we were to adopt the Western method of vertical division and devise ways to make the poor and laborers harm each other, it would make the rule more stable.

The importance of the poor laborers to maintaining the current operation of the court (especially its finances) has significantly decreased, becoming increasingly unimportant, and may even become a burden at times. The court has both the motivation and the ability to largely ignore the specific plight of the poor laborers.

In the countryside, local thugs and ruffians are the biggest scourge, yet no one restrains them.
In towns, the poor and laborers degenerated into idle and dissolute people, which ironically made them more suitable for overseas expansion. They took risks, prayed to Mazu, and left the heartland of the Ming Dynasty.

By constantly raising the bar, government factories closed their doors to poor laborers.

Legally, the focus is more on protecting the source of tax revenue, namely commercial capital, rather than land and population;

Imperial power does not extend to the county level; below the county level, there are only clans. Clans are self-governing, and self-governance relies on ethics. Ethics create local gentry.

The local gentry and gentry possessed a wild and vigorous vitality, like weeds.

"Your Majesty, it is my fault. I was too naive when I implemented the Single Whip Law." Zhang Juzheng stepped forward and took the blame, as the Single Whip Law could be seen as the original sin.

The silver-only theory is perfectly suited to bearing all the blame.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "I was just feeling a bit sentimental. The Single Whip Law was not widely implemented, but only piloted in Songjiang Prefecture. To shift the blame for these crimes onto the Single Whip Law is a bit like the Monkey King drawing the Book of Life and Death, erasing all the faults of everyone with a stroke of the pen."

It's not Zhang Juzheng's fault, nor is it the Single Whip Law; it's nobody's fault but simply the way the nation as a whole is.

A regime, a court, everyone allows you to impose heavy taxes, ignore the suffering of the people, and even be cruel and inhumane, but they will not allow you to lose.

As long as you are still winning, these hardships can be barely accepted, because what you have seized in foreign wars will eventually be distributed, even if it's just a sip of soup, such as the fields of Liaodong, the lambs of Suiyuan, the palm groves of Luzon, the cinchona groves of Old Port, and the gold of Jinchi.

"The Junior Minister wrote two memorials for me to choose from. It seems like I have a choice, but in reality, I have no choice at all. If I don't defeat the West, become the hegemon of that world, and seize the crown of the sun that never sets, then the Wanli Reform can only be described as a failure." Zhu Yijun said, referring to Gao Qiyu's two memorials.

One is about fighting, the other is about not fighting.

It seems like we can win without fighting, since the Ming Dynasty has cost and commodity advantages. Westerners can't leave the Ming Dynasty's goods, so let the Westerners plunder the people of the world, and then the Ming Dynasty can plunder the Westerners with its goods.

However, the grand promises made during the Wanli Reforms could not be fulfilled, as the profits were all pocketed by the Westerners, the middlemen.

Zhu Yijun promised that the glory of the Wanli Reforms would extend to every individual in the Ming Dynasty, including the poor and laborers.

Therefore, it is quite clear that there is only one path: seize the crown of the world's empire, become the global hegemon, occupy habitable areas, distribute these profits downwards, and fulfill all promises.

Zhu Yijun's situation was similar to that of Emperor Wu of Han. Emperor Wu of Han had to defeat the Xiongnu, and as long as he defeated the Xiongnu, everything would be fine. Zhu Yijun, on the other hand, needed to defeat the Western Regions. As long as he continued to expand new colonies and governorates, he could give the people an explanation.

The reason why the Westerners can't defeat the Ming Dynasty is not complicated. The Ming Dynasty has always treated the Westerners as a whole and has put in a lot of effort to pick on them from the inside out. They are afraid that the Westerners are not fighting fiercely enough, so they are desperately fanning the flames and adding fuel to the fire.

The West, on the other hand, was a disorganized mess with conflicting interests, making it impossible for them to form a united force. This allowed the Ming Dynasty to achieve these results despite its lagging maritime development.

Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said with a solemn expression, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. This ancient proverb is clear. Although commercial profits are plentiful, we must never forget the foundation of agriculture. Although the market is thriving, we must never abandon the millions of people like straw dogs."

"Specifically, the Dinghai school system, the imperial highways, the farm management system, the reduction of land taxes, and the shareholding system must be implemented and must be implemented well. They must be continuously promoted and cannot be relaxed. They are all long-term policies that benefit all people." "Your Majesty is wise. We will follow your teachings." Zhang Juzheng led the ministers in saying in unison.

His Majesty gave clear instructions: on the road to the Wanli Reforms, we must not forget the foundation of agriculture and the millions of ordinary people; this is the purpose of the Wanli Reforms.

"Your Majesty, should we expand the enrollment of the Agricultural College to 1,500 students next year?" Gao Qiyu, instead of returning to his post, stepped forward and made a suggestion.

In rural areas, what is most needed is the agricultural official to teach the people how to farm and help them farm well. The agricultural official and the medical official are the two most important means to effectively protect the lives and property of the people.

Gao Qiyu had read "Hygiene and Simple Prescriptions," and he knew that just one book, "Women's Rules," could save countless rural women and children, not to mention the distributed Artemisia annua pills, which were life-saving medicines in the countryside.

Gao Qiyu became increasingly alarmed as he thought about it. Was His Majesty's creation of the Baoqi Division back then truly a case of neglecting his duties and doing it for amusement?
Looking at the promotion of Zhong Sheng Liang potatoes today, Gao Qiyu can only say that in His Majesty's heart, the people are always the most important.

Food is the most important thing for people; nothing is more important than having enough to eat.

"I don't have much money left. As for expanding the enrollment, let's wait and see." Zhu Yijun really wanted to agree, but the imperial treasury was empty.

This is a very frustrating fact. The imperial treasury actually had money. If it hadn't stockpiled gold, hadn't used gold notes, or had used the gold for other purposes, it could have squeezed out a lot of silver.

Who would dare to investigate the Emperor's Tonghe Palace treasury to find out exactly how much gold was in it? The Grand Secretary, the General, or the Minister of Revenue? None of these officials could investigate how much gold was in the Tonghe Palace; it was simply a matter of how much gold the Emperor declared.

But His Majesty kept his promise, and the Gold Treasure Notes really contained gold.

His Majesty has too many things he wants to do, which has led to the imperial treasury being somewhat strained and unable to make ends meet.

In fact, what Gao Qiyu said was that the amount of silver needed was not much. If the number of people recruited was expanded to 1500, each person would receive 120 silver, plus 6 silver for tuition and living expenses each year, which would only amount to 21 silver over four years. All other expenses would be added together, which would only amount to 30 silver.

However, the Imperial University of Peking also needed to expand its enrollment. The eighteen universities, the Beijing-Guangzhou highway, and the highway from Jinan to Yangzhou all required money. All of these added up to a huge burden and a great deal of pressure.

If the emperor had money, would he have let Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang sell goods?
The official robes of Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang were adorned with various gemstones, a testament to the imperial palace's high quality. They were sparkling yet never gaudy, meant to show that these beautiful stones were truly valuable and precious.

The saying "three men can make a tiger" applies here; the jade from Huangzhuang sold extremely well, with demand exceeding supply.

"Your Majesty, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has seized a considerable amount of silver during its investigations. Little by little, it adds up to enough to expand the bureau's recruitment." Upon hearing that His Majesty was short of money, Lu Guangzu immediately stepped forward to report to the Emperor. He knew exactly where to find money!
The Anti-Corruption Division has investigated and seized so many corrupt officials that the proceeds from their confiscations alone are enough to expand the workforce!
The Anti-Corruption Bureau handled the corruption case along the Beijing-Guangzhou Highway and the anti-corruption campaign in the capital, totaling as much as 150 million taels of silver, enough to last for a while.

If it is still lacking, the Anti-Corruption Division can tighten the legal net.

Ling Yunyi glanced at Lu Guangzu in surprise. This Grand Secretary had previously acted as someone who liked to compromise and not offend anyone. Ling Yunyi thought Lu Guangzu was the kind of person who pretended to be ignorant when he knew the truth. But could he openly say that the anti-corruption campaign was for revenue generation?

Lu Guangzu didn't want to be vague, but he had just entered the cabinet on the issue of anti-corruption and his position was not yet secure. If he made a rash statement, he would only become a victim of the power struggle.

He must first do a good job in the anti-corruption task and establish a foothold before he can talk about other things. Just like before, he wanted to take advantage of General Qi Jiguang's influence to complete the three major tasks of the new anti-corruption official.

"Now that you mention it, there is indeed money. Then let's expand enrollment next year." Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded and said. He would naturally not be stingy with money, and he would not skimp on any necessary expenses.

"Your Majesty, we obey your command," Gao Qiyu and Lu Guangzu said, bowing their heads.

The ministers never worried that the emperor would squander the money. To this day, apart from necessary palace expenses, most of the imperial treasury's money is invested in the Dinghai education system, the imperial highways, and gold and paper money, all of which are matters of state.

If we consider it as a matter of gratitude, the imperial court owes His Majesty a debt of gratitude, a debt of money that can never be fully repaid.

The construction of the Longxi Highway alone cost 35 million taels of silver, all funded by the imperial treasury. This Longxi Highway should really be called the Highway of Grace!

"This year, all 51 official factories have started construction smoothly and are expected to be completed within four years." Zeng Tongheng, Minister of Works, reported on the official factories in the north that the Ministry of Works was preparing to build. There are a total of 110 official factories, with the first batch of 51 factories, most of which are coal, coke and steel plants, mainly supplying coal for production and daily life.

Every city in the Ming Dynasty employed a large group of woodcutters, wood carriers, and wood distributors. Like water makers and latrine owners, the woodcutters also had their own wood gangs, and they were quite powerful. Even in the south, where coal was not used for winter, firewood was essential for cooking, and firewood was still needed to start fires.

The woodcutters of the Chai Gang cut down mountains one by one, and to this day, every mountain in the Ming Dynasty is barren.

Many people are saying that the celestial changes happening in the Ming Dynasty are divine retribution, and that people's unbridled destruction of the natural environment has finally brought them retribution.

But people still need to live. With unreliable coal mining technology and inconvenient transportation, and before a stable coal supply can be achieved, are people going to starve to death if they don't cut down trees? Destroying the environment is certainly bad, but people must survive first.

Now, with the emergence of more and more coal, coke and steel plants, this question has finally been answered: coal at six coins a pound is truly a blessing.

"Your Majesty has acquired a new type of ship for the grain transport this year." Zeng Tongheng gestured to the official in charge of ceremonies to present the model he had submitted before entering the palace to the Emperor.

After the eunuch inspected it, it was presented to the emperor. The boat was divided into two sections: a tugboat in front and a barge behind. The barge had no power. It was 65 feet long, 6 feet 4 inches deep, and had a draft of 3 feet 6 inches. It could carry 1,000 liang (a unit of weight), with one liang being 120 jin (another unit of weight), which is the weight of a Taiyue grain box.

Zeng Tongheng looked at the model in His Majesty's hand and said, "The tugboat is about the same size as the barge. It is made of copper-clad wood to increase its lifespan. It is powered by a Shengping No. 9 engine with a central horsepower of 440. It can tow four to eight barges and can travel 360 li per day."

One tugboat, with eight barges attached, can carry 8000 shi of grain. Four million shi of grain can be transported by grain only requires five hundred such barges. The five major shipyards can complete the entire project in about six months by working overtime.

The change from sea-based to river-based grain transport, which used to take four months of transport time on the Grand Canal, can now be completed in just one month.

"How many boatmen could one boat do?" Zhu Yijun asked, flipping through the model in his hand.

Upon hearing His Majesty's question, Zeng Tongheng took a deep breath, bowed his head, and said, "One thousand two hundred boatmen are dragging it."

"So, the Grand Minister of Works' idea is to establish a department within the Ministry of Revenue, similar to the Imperial Road Transportation Bureau, called the Shipping Department, with a Transport Commissioner in charge, and then allocate funds to shipyards to commission the construction of such tugboats and barges specifically for transportation."

"With just five hundred boats, we can take away the livelihood of six hundred thousand boat trackers." Zhu Yijun was very fond of the tugboats and barges in his hands, but his words made the court officials in the Wenhua Hall fall silent.

Zhu Yijun really liked the tugboat model; he was so fond of it that he couldn't put it down.

The tugboat had a simple structure, consisting of a Shengping No. 9 steam engine and an underwater propeller, with nothing else. The rest of the space was used for coal storage, which could be replenished along the way. The crew could also cook and boil water on the boat using the heat from the stove.

A tugboat can be very flexible, either with four barges or eight barges attached. It can carry four barges if there is little cargo, or eight barges if there is a lot of cargo.

Hanging one up is inappropriate and wastes coal.

This is an inland waterway vessel designed and manufactured by Longjiang Shipyard. The modification of the ship type technology is a rather long and complex process, especially for ships that involve steam engine power, which is even more complicated.

Previously, the ships of the Ming Dynasty were all propelled by boatmen, but now they are finally starting to use steam-powered machinery.

The problem is that the appearance of five hundred iron horse tugboats will leave six hundred thousand boat trackers with nothing to do.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zeng Tongheng and said, "Shengping No. 1 only has three horsepower, and each horsepower costs 400 silver. At that time, no one thought there was any need to study the iron horse. Today, thirteen years have passed, and Shengping No. 9 has 440 medium horsepower, and each horsepower only costs 20 silver. If it is mass-produced, each horsepower will only cost 15 silver, or even less."

“A single Shengping No. 9 costs only 8800 taels of silver. Even with depreciation, repairs, coal consumption, and so on, the cost of a tugboat for a year is no more than 10,000 taels of silver, which is equivalent to the cost of 1200 trackers. Each tracker has to be paid at least 15 taels of silver a year. This is a physically demanding job, so that's 18,000 taels of silver.”

Barges have existed since ancient times. Since the construction of canals, these large, thin-skinned barges that glide across the water have been around. Inland waterways are much calmer and safer than the sea, and the cost of barges is the same.

In terms of traction power, the tugboat Shengping No. 9 is much more cost-effective than 1200 boatmen.

“Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty is short of manpower everywhere. The overseas governor’s offices and plantations are short of manpower, the land reclamation in Liaodong is short of manpower, the Suiyuan Wanghua is short of manpower, even the Western Regions expansion is short of manpower, the workshops are short of manpower, and the fields are short of manpower.” Zeng Tongheng took a deep breath and said, “Six hundred thousand laborers can effectively alleviate the manpower shortage.”

"Grand Minister, this is the livelihood of the people, not just a simple number." Zhu Yijun reluctantly put down the tugboat model, took a deep breath and said, "Let's take it slow. Don't make five hundred at once. Make them one by one, little by little, and improve the technology along the way."

“Your Majesty, the Longjiang Shipyard also needs to be operated. Otherwise, if the shipbuilders can build good ships but cannot produce them, then the Longjiang Shipyard will not build new ships in the future, and no one will want to build new ships, since it is not allowed to do so.” Zeng Tongheng carefully considered the matter and explained the difficulties of the Longjiang Shipyard.

Longjiang Shipyard and Qingjiang Shipyard are two inland river shipyards among the five major shipyards. Tugboats and barges will be the main focus of the two shipyards for the next five to ten years. If they don't build these high-value-added and high-profit ships, where will the shipyard's craftsmen get their dividends?

“Boatmen have it tough, shipyards have it tough, both have it tough. The livelihoods of millions of boatmen depend on them. I am not a woman’s sentimentalist. Let’s build them.” Zhu Yijun tapped his hand on the table a few times and said, “Just as the Ministry of Works said, set up a shipping bureau to handle the canal and Yangtze River shipping.”

Considering the livelihoods of 600,000 boat trackers was no small matter, but when it came to making a decision, Zhu Yijun did not hesitate. This was the third time that Longjiang Shipyard had submitted similar tugboats. If it continued to be delayed, it would be difficult for Longjiang and Qingjiang Shipyards to survive.

The Ministry of Works wanted to set up a shipping department jointly managed by the Ministry of Revenue. It wasn't really about competing for the job of 600,000 boat trackers. Whether it was the Grand Canal or the Yangtze River canal, the goods were waiting for the passengers.

There are boats, but not enough boat trackers. Cargo has to wait for the trackers, and many times, the reason for the boat blockage is that there aren't enough trackers.

The tugboats built by Longjiang and Qingjiang shipyards are mainly intended to fill the gap in transport capacity, increase the flow of goods, and get the goods moving instead of being stuck in inland river ports.

Filling the gap in transport capacity will certainly have a great impact on the livelihood of boatmen, but the tides of time are always so ruthless. The Wanli Reforms are not child's play. When it is time to make a decision, a good decision must be made.

Zhu Yijun and Zeng Tongheng discussed the tugboat production situation in detail and ultimately approved the Ministry of Works' memorial.

When it's time to make a decision, you must be decisive.

(End of this chapter)