I studied in modern times

Chapter 912: All Blame Chen Sheng and Wu Guangkaiyuan

With Xing Shu, he walked into the quiet room in the east hall of Funing Palace.

Zhao Xu sat upright on the cushion at the top, and then ordered someone to bring a chair to Xing Shu.

"Master, please take a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xing Shu bowed again to express his gratitude before sitting down.

"Let's leave the Goryeo matter at this level for now!" Zhao Xu said.

The signing of the treaty is just the beginning.

Because Zhao Xu knew little about Goryeo's economic and cultural system in the Middle Ages.

Therefore, we still have to wait until the Liao Kingdom withdraws its troops before sending people to Goryeo for an on-site investigation.

Then we can come up with a rough plan.

Therefore, it is possible that in the beginning, the Song Dynasty had to lend money to the Goryeo people to repay the annual tribute owed by Goryeo to the Song Dynasty.

This may sound a bit confusing.

However, in Zhao Xu's memory, it seems that modern colonizers all played this way.

I lend you the money to repay the war reparations you are supposed to pay me with interest.

Therefore, advanced experience can definitely be learned!
"The next focus of the Bachelor will be on the Liao people!"

"We need to keep in touch with the Liao envoys!"

"Yes!" Xing Shu reached out and touched his waist, gritted his teeth, and said righteously: "I will do my best!"

Zhao Xu took out a copy of Lin Xi's memorial from his arms and ordered someone to deliver it to Xing Shu.

"Scholar, please read this book first..." Zhao Xu said slowly.

Xing Shu took the copy of the memorial with great respect, and confessed his guilt: "I have the audacity to..."

Then he opened it carefully and looked at the words on it.

It was a memorial sent back by Lin Xi from the northern border, and what it talked about was an inexplicable matter called punishment and forgiveness.

It was said that the Khan of the Western Uighurs sent envoys to ask for help from the Liao ruler, saying that the Turks had fought back again.

The Liao ruler has ordered the leaders of the various Zubu tribes to lead their tribes to support the Uighurs.

As the current chief diplomat of the Song Dynasty, Xing Shu is actually the Minister of Rites and Grand Herald with the title of "Hanlin Academician".

Therefore, he knew that the Western Uighurs mentioned by the Liao people were the Western Regions [Black Korea] known by the Song Dynasty.

To be honest, the current Song Dynasty does not know much about Hei Han and the situation in the Western Regions controlled by Hei Han.

After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the governor of the Guiyi Army, who was originally in the Western Regions, became angry at Zhu Wen's tyranny and broke off relations with him.

In addition, the Guiyi Army at that time had suffered a great deal of turmoil and its strength had declined significantly, and it was gradually weakening.

Thus, the Central Plains lost the Guiyi Army, which was its foothold in the Western Regions.

By the time the Song Dynasty was established, the Guiyi Army and the two ancient thousand-year-old vassal states of Khotan and Qiuci in the Western Regions had inevitably continued to decline under the attacks of the Uighurs and Dangxiangs.

The last remnants of the Guiyi Army were destroyed by the Western bandits at Zhenmiao.

However, Khotan and Kucha were successively destroyed by the Black Korea established by the Uighurs.

However, out of fear of the Central Plains and for trade interests, the Black Koreans did not dare to offend too deeply, so they used the golden seals granted by the Tang Dynasty to the two countries of Khotan and Qiuci, and still came to the court, pretending that "Qiuci" and "Khotan" still existed.

The Song Dynasty has always been well aware of this.

because……

Kucha and Khotan are Buddhist countries where all the people believe in Buddhism.

However, among the so-called Kucha and Khotan envoys that came to the court, there was not even a layperson, let alone a monk.

But, it doesn't matter.

For the Song Dynasty, it would be enough as long as Kucha and Khotan were among the tributary states of the Song Dynasty.

but……

Xing Shu didn't understand why the emperor asked him to look at this?
The Turks fought back, and the Liao ruler ordered the Zhubu tribes to rush to the aid of Heihan?
What does that have to do with the Song Dynasty?
"Your Majesty... I am ignorant and stupid... I do not know what Your Majesty means. I hope Your Majesty can make it clear to me?" After hesitating for a moment, Xing Shu chose to stand up and ask respectfully.

Having served this Majesty for more than two years, Xing Shu naturally got to know some of his Majesty's tendencies and preferences.

So he knew that the current government generally did not like to play guessing games with its ministers.

He was accustomed to telling his subjects his attitude and intentions directly and clearly in person.

Zhao Xu chuckled: "Didn't the scholar notice it?"

"The Liao Lord promised to reward the Zubu tribes with silk and cloth!"

When Xing Shu heard this, his eyes immediately lit up.

Last time, the Liao people bought hundreds of thousands of pieces of old and inferior cloth from the Song Dynasty in one go.

In the Bian Jing packaging warehouse, most of the silk cloth that had been there since the early Yuanfeng period and even during the Xining and Zhiping periods were bought by the Liao people.

Xing Shu and his "friends" ate a lot during this process.

Everyone's mouth was full of oil.

The brothels and theaters in Bianjing almost worshipped them as the God of Wealth.

Now, the Liao people came to buy again.

This is another way to make money!
but……

Xing Shu raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, there is not much old cloth or inferior cloth left in the Zuozang and Fengzhuang warehouses!"

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "I naturally know what the scholar said!"

At present, the old and inferior cloth in Zuozang and Fengzhuang warehouses have been basically consumed through the trade between Song and Liao.

"However, there are more and more silk cloth in Bianjing City. I am afraid that the price of cloth will drop and affect people's livelihood!" Zhao Xu looked at Xing Shu and said, "This requires scholars to negotiate with the Liao people..."

"Tell the Liao people to buy our silk cloth instead, as a reward from the Liao ruler for the expenses of preventing divination!"

"Anyway, what the Liao people need is just cheap cloth that can be used as rewards..." Zhao Xu chuckled and said, "It just so happens that the silk cloth of our dynasty perfectly meets the requirements of the Liao people!"

This kind of cloth is made of cheap ramie from Guangnan West Road and Jinghu South Road.

In April, the price of each horse was still 600 wen.

But now, the price of silk cloth has continued to plummet, falling to more than 400 wen per piece.

Directly cut one third of it in half!

Moreover, it will continue to fall in the foreseeable future.

Until Hayek's big hand began to play a role.

"Broken cloth?" Xing Shu narrowed his eyes, and recalled a recent phenomenon in the capital - in the past, there were fewer and fewer children running around naked in the streets.

At the same time, it is rare to see people in Beijing without hats or shoes.

It is said that this is because an extremely cheap cloth appeared on the market - 綀布.

It is said that 綜布 is strong and durable, and is as breathable as silk.

The most important thing is that it is cheap - one end (piece) costs only four hundred coins.

This price is almost the same as the price of old silk and inferior silk sold to the Liao people through the Jiaozi trade this year by the Song Dynasty.

However, the price of old and inferior silk sold by the Song Dynasty to the Liao people included a lot of "kickbacks" and "benefits"!
The actual price is actually only half of the agreed price.

Therefore, it is entirely feasible to sell the silk cloth to the Liao people.

Just ...

Xing Shu bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance..."

"I have heard that the silk cloth is of high quality and low price, and the people in the capital love it very much..."

"Why would Your Majesty sell such a good thing to the Liao people?"

Zhao Xu smiled bitterly and said, "Scholar, you don't know..."

"Since May, the sale of silk cloth is no longer limited to the capital!"

"In all the counties of the prefecture, peddlers began to appear selling silk cloth..."

"Starting from July, merchants selling silk cloth appeared in Jingxi, Henan Prefecture, Jingdong Prefecture, and Daming Prefecture..."

Zhao Xu closed his eyes and spoke slowly.

As the textile industry in Bianjing City began to flourish, Hayek's hands began to work quietly.

The high-profit, high-return textile industry has become an obvious hot spot.

With the support and encouragement of the government, anyone in Beijing with some savings has now opened a textile workshop or is preparing to open one.

The direct impact of this is that the market in Bianjing City has basically been saturated.

The silk cloth began to flow into the counties within the Kaifeng Prefecture, and some had already appeared in the prefectures and counties near the capital.

"Scholar...Since ancient times, men have been farming and women have been weaving, working from sunrise to sunset..." Zhao Xu said, "They farm to have enough food, to support their parents and to raise their children; they weave to earn money to pay for the two taxes and miscellaneous levies..."

"Now, a piece of silk in the capital costs only 400 coins, in the counties and prefectures it costs only 500 coins, and in places west of the capital it costs only 600 coins..."

Zhao Xu looked at Xing Shu and said, "Master, don't you know what will happen if this continues?"

"Among the practices of men farming and women weaving, the women weaving will no longer exist!" Zhao Xu stood up and answered his own question.

"The pillars have collapsed, and the stable society that has existed for thousands of years is beginning to disintegrate..."

The farmers in the counties surrounding Kaifeng Prefecture have already felt this.

The cloth that cost 400 wen a piece in Bian Jing was bought by peddlers, who would carry it to the countryside to sell it, adding 50 to 100 wen to the price, but the demand still could not keep up with the supply!
Since there is no tax in the prefecture now, these small vendors can pocket almost all the profits.

The quality of machine-woven cloth is far superior to all kinds of low-end cloth hand-woven by peasant women. It is not only strong and durable, but also more exquisite and beautiful.

The price is even more amazing.

This directly led to a sharp drop in the prices of various types of cloth woven by a large number of farmers in the prefecture with great effort.

This caused a series of chain reactions, and the people in the prefecture were once in turmoil.

When Xing Shu heard what Zhao Xu said, he suddenly felt cold all over.

He knew, if what the government said was true.

If the women's weaving economy collapses, this will inevitably bring about social changes that subvert the existing order!
The last time China experienced such drastic social changes probably dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period.

The sage once used a vivid word to describe the social situation at that time - the collapse of rituals and the decline of music!
Then, the Eight Yi Dance performed in the courtyard!

As a result, cases of ministers killing kings, sons killing fathers, and brothers killing brothers occurred one after another.

Now, is the social order going to collapse again?
Xing Shu felt a deep fear in his heart.

All literati and scholars naturally hate the social chaos brought about by the collapse of order after the collapse of rituals and music.

This is especially true for the literati of the Song Dynasty!
This is because the chaos of the Five Dynasties left a deep mark on them, causing them to suffer from severe PTSD.

Even pardons of punishment are no exception.

His lips trembled as he bowed and said, "Your Majesty!"

"If there is such a possibility..."

"I dare to ask Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree to ban the production of ramie cloth and destroy all ramie cloth workshops!"

Zhao Xu laughed after hearing this. Xing Shu's reaction was quite normal.

This is what the literati of the Song Dynasty were like.

As vested interests, they will desperately protect the existing social order and fantasize that such a world will remain unchanged forever.

Because, as long as the world remains unchanged, the literati will always be superior.

So, when the New Deal of Qingli was implemented, they opposed it.

Therefore, when Wang Anshi carried out reforms, the participants of the Qingli New Deal opposed it.

So, now, when something comes along that could destroy the existing order.

It can be predicted that most of the scholars, including those of the New Party, will still oppose it in nine out of ten cases.

Therefore, Zhao Xu would give benefits to the "people", drag the nobles and relatives of the emperor into the water, and create the image of a wise ruler in the Confucian standard sense.

If he doesn't do this, what Zhao Xu wants to do will never succeed!

Therefore, Zhao Xu was not annoyed, but just smiled and said: "Don't worry, scholar!"

"Everything is under my control!"

"Last month, I ordered Liu Weijian to use the money from the Fengzhuang Treasury to buy all the cloth from farmers in the counties..."

As a modern international student, Zhao Xu is well aware of how to maintain stability, and the key lies in timely understanding of local sentiments.

Therefore, at the beginning of his reign, he ordered the Investigation Department to focus on the prices in Bianliang, and rely on the network of Bianliang New News to track the rise and fall of prices of major daily necessities in various districts of Bianliang city.

After three years of development and operation, the network and intelligence capabilities of the Investigation Department are naturally no longer the same as before.

Not to mention other places, it was impossible for him to hide the fluctuations in commodity prices in the counties within the Kaifeng Prefecture.

Naturally, he can prepare targeted policies early and step on the brakes in time before the danger comes.

"In addition, the textile workshops in Bianjing City are also absorbing a large number of idle laborers from the people..."

"An apprentice can get two kan of wages a month!"

"If you are a skilled worker, your monthly salary can now reach 70, 80 or even more than 100 strings of cash!"

"So, the bachelor's worries are a bit premature!"

Xing Shu listened and lowered his head: "I was reckless!"

Zhao Xu laughed: "So, now you know why I want to sell the silk cloth to the Liao Kingdom, right?!"

"I need to ensure that the price of silk does not drop in the short term, and at the same time reduce the amount of silk on the market to prevent it from flowing into other states and counties in large quantities, causing some 'unspeakable' things!"

This is the inherent evil of capitalism.

Since its first cry at birth, capital has been constantly pursuing profits and markets.

Capital naturally desires to sell its products.

If Zhao Xu didn't pull and control him.

Believe it or not, by this time next year, the massive amount of cheap silk cloth from Bianjing City will sweep across the entire prefectures and counties in the surrounding capital area, including Kaifeng Prefecture.

And it destroyed all small peasant economies wherever it passed.

Moreover, the embroidery will only be the beginning.

Soon, cheap silk from Liangzhe Road and large amounts of cotton from Xihe Road entered Beijing.

Countless cheap silk and cotton cloth would inevitably flow from the city of Bianliang to all directions.

Zhao Xu remembered it very clearly.

In the modern "Das Kapital", there is a sentence: The productivity created by the bourgeoisie in its less than 100 years of class rule is more numerous and greater than the total productivity created by all previous generations!

Now, everything has just begun.

The improvement in productivity is just the beginning.

However, the amount of silk cloth produced each month by any larger textile workshop exceeded the annual cloth output of a county in most prefectures and counties of the Song Dynasty.

This is the magic of industry!

Even so, the so-called textile workshops today are not actually industries at all.

At best, it can only be considered half-machine and half-manual production.

However, the multiplier effect brought about by the improvement of its productivity is also something that the small peasant society cannot resist.

In modern terms, this is a dimensionality reduction attack!
At the same time, Zhao Xu also noticed that with a large amount of cloth pouring into the market, the market could not digest it in a short period of time.

This could also lead to a price stampede, causing cloth prices to collapse.

This could burst the textile market bubble that had already begun to prosper, causing a medieval economic crisis.

How could Zhao Xu bear to burst this bubble now?

So, starting from June, after noticing that something was wrong with the market, the Ministry of Revenue controlled by Zhang Heng, under the remote control of Zhao Xu, began to buy up silk cloth in the market in order to control its price. Now the Ministry of Revenue has bought up no less than 100,000 pieces of silk cloth in the market to stabilize its price.

But, this is not a long-term solution after all.

At this time, in order to support the price of silk cloth, it is necessary to find a market for the booming textile industry.

A market where you can dump your products!
For the time being, this market cannot be the prefectures and counties of the Song Dynasty.

Because once cheap industrial products rush into these markets.

Zhao Xu knew what was waiting for him?
uprising!

And it was the large-scale peasant uprising that the Zhao officials feared the most!
Zhao Xu just thought about the Wang Xiaobo-Li Shun uprising that broke out in Shu at the beginning of the country, and he couldn't help but feel cold all over.

It was a nightmare engraved in the hearts of every generation of Zhao officials!
It took only two years from the outbreak of the uprising to its suppression.

However, in these two years, the two peasant uprising leaders, Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun, left an indelible memory for every generation of Zhao officials.

Since the late Tang Dynasty, the remnants of the aristocratic families who had fled to Shu due to war and were lingering on were all killed without leaving a single one.

After Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun, there were no more aristocratic families in the world.

At the same time, Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun completely swept the "Panghu" system that had existed in Shu for hundreds of years into the dustbin of history.

Because Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun left such a deep impression on Emperor Zhao and the landlords all over the world.

Therefore, the Song Dynasty court still regards Shu as a region that "needs united front work."

Compared with the six routes in the southeast, the Song Dynasty was obviously more concerned about the people's hearts and livelihood in Shu.

Each generation of the Zhao emperor would invest a large amount of resources into Shu, which led to the economic and cultural prosperity of Shu after the Ren Temple.

no way!
Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun have been here!

With the previous experience of Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun, how could Zhao Xu not be afraid? Not worried?
Thinking of this, Zhao Xu couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "It's all Chen Sheng and Wu Guangkai's fault!"

More than a thousand years ago, the roar in Daze Township shaped the resistance spirit of the people on this land.

On weekdays, although the peasants are honest and loyal, they can be squeezed, enslaved and exploited like cattle and horses by the landlords and bureaucrats.

But once someone comes, they can't survive.

Then, the rebellious spirit of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang after they opened up the country would be awakened.

The prince and general Xiang Ning have the guts!

Heaven is dead, Huang Tian shall stand!
There is something even more terrifying. The roar from ancient times will be shouted out again in the mouths of the people - when the time comes, you and I will both die!
Whenever Zhao Xu thought of the scene in which the rebellious peasants, armed with all kinds of weapons, rushed to the city of Bianjing and vowed to chop him and his descendants to pieces, he would feel his hair stand on end and a chill run through his body.

Therefore, he never dared to copy what he learned in modern times.

As the British are like cannibals, the peasants can only swallow their anger and roll into the city obediently to serve as supplies for the masters of the Union Jack in old London and contribute to the prosperity of the British Empire.

This is because farmers on the European continent have been like this since ancient times.

Their uprisings and riots probably didn't result in the heads of even the lords, let alone the king.

But, how many heads of kings, princes, generals, emperors and nobles have been chopped off by the people of this land?
In this situation, Zhao Xu had no choice.

He could only develop while trying his best to find a way out for emerging capital products.

Make others suffer a little more.

Let all the countries in the world shoulder the burden for the people of the Song Dynasty, strive for enough time and space for the development of the Song Dynasty, and minimize the squeezing effect of industrial development on the small peasant society.

Xing Shu listened and believed what Zhao Xu said. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there is no one more wise than you!"

"I'll have to trouble you with this matter, Scholar!" Zhao Xu bowed slightly to Xing Shu and asked for help.

Xing Shu bowed his head and said, "I have received your majesty's great grace, and I will do my best to serve you!"

"Yeah!" Zhao Xu nodded.

……

After seeing Xing Shu off, Zhao Xu sat upright on the cushion in the quiet room, his eyes looking at the imperial garden outside the quiet room.

It is now late autumn, the grass and trees are turning yellow, and the bleak autumn wind is whistling in the corridors of the garden, blowing against the doors and windows, and rolling up the dead leaves.

"Goryeo..."

"Black Korea..."

"Nanyang..."

Finally, he turned his gaze back to the Song Dynasty and looked at the geomancy of the states and counties of the Song Dynasty on a screen placed in front of him.

Zhao Xu knew that all kinds of goods produced in Bianjing City would sooner or later rush into the markets of other states and counties.

This is an objective reality that cannot be changed by his personal will.

The emerging industries and commerce cannot miss out on this huge market - the Song Dynasty is currently the largest consumer market in the world.

The huge market with a population of 10 million is almost untapped.

If only there was a supermarket like the Song Dynasty when Britain was undergoing the Industrial Revolution.

I'm afraid that even Britain's capital will not think of dumping it all over the world.

Dumping also costs money.

For capital, exploiting anyone is exploitation.

If two pieces of gold produced in different regions are placed in front of capital, can capital not pick one?

Capital will only choose me to have it all.

Some people may even think that these are all brothers and comrades who share the same culture, race and love!
We have to squeeze it twice as hard!
So, fists are very important at this time!

Capital cannot understand debate.

If you debate with him, he will just treat you as a turtle chanting scriptures.

However, capitalists must understand the language of guns and the principles of swords.

It just so happens that the Song Dynasty and the European continent have completely different cultural soils.

In the Song Dynasty, agriculture has been emphasized and commerce has been suppressed since ancient times!

Since ancient times, merchants have been the imperial power's foot-washing maids, bureaucrats' chamber pots, and concubines of the powerful.

No matter whether you are Shen Wansan, who is as rich as a country, or Tao Zhugong, who is famous all over the world.

Cut it down when I say cut it down!

No one will complain even if it's chopped off!
Even the person who was chopped would consider himself unlucky.

"I must go and inspect the Dragon Master General!"

"They are my swords!"

"We can expand the market for Song Dynasty's products!"

"We can retreat, and we will put all those rich and unkind people under the bus!"

(End of this chapter)