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Chapter 1477 Policy Adjustment 3
For example, techniques such as sugar refining, winemaking, tobacco cultivation and processing, and cocoa cultivation and processing had already been transmitted to Europe by the Dutch. They were cultivating these crops extensively in their American colonies and establishing processing plants, ultimately shipping the products back to Europe for sale.

For example, in the shipbuilding industry, military shipyards such as Songjiang Shipyard, Xiaoliuqiu Shipyard, Da Nang Shipyard, Manila Shipyard, and Salim Shipyard are closely guarded by the navy and the Imperial Guard, making it difficult and risky to obtain shipbuilding technology from them.

However, as maritime trade flourished, at least a dozen private shipyards were established in coastal provinces. They acquired some military shipbuilding technology by hiring retired craftsmen from military shipyards and then applied it to civilian vessels.

There's nothing wrong with doing this. Only by enabling more maritime merchants to sail across the seas in ships with better performance can the Ming Empire gain an advantage in transoceanic trade.

However, everything must be under control. In order to compete for customers, private shipyards not only work hard on cost reduction, but also use all sorts of tricks to desperately learn about military shipbuilding technology and use it as their own brand to enhance their competitiveness.

As the saying goes, it's hard to guard against a thief within the family. Technical details that are difficult for outsiders to obtain are not difficult for privately-owned shipyards. In the end, despite all the precautions, the outsiders were kept out, but the technology was easily obtained from the insider.

The chemical industry was the most severely affected by the leaks. Initially, due to limitations in funding and manpower, the imperial court was unable to build multiple large-scale chemical plants and supporting industrial chains across the country. However, the kerosene, asphalt, paraffin, acids, and alkalis produced by these chemical plants were gradually in high demand across various industries.

Especially after more and more farmers recognized and accepted chemical fertilizers, every factory that could produce them had enough stock to last overnight. A long line of horse-drawn carts was always parked outside; whatever was produced was hauled away immediately, still fresh!
To fill this huge production gap, enable more farmers to use chemical fertilizers, and ensure the food security of the Ming Empire, Hong Tao took the lead in investing in private chemical plants. Anyone willing to invest money to build a chemical plant could have the honor of partnering with the emperor.

It must be said that the emperor's influence was still very strong in this era. Even people who didn't know much about running a chemical plant were willing to spend money to set one up, not asking for anything else but to benefit from his influence, and even better if they could make money.

As a result, private chemical plants sprang up like mushrooms in the Ming Dynasty. Over the years, although the Ministry of Chemical Industry never relaxed its management and there were no serious production accidents, the side effects became more and more obvious: leaks of secrets!
Many types of chemical products can be used for both military and civilian purposes after simple processing. If these products are properly kept secret, they are very difficult for outsiders to imitate, and even their principles may remain unclear for many years.

However, once the secrets are leaked and outsiders figure out the technical details and formulas, it's impossible to stop them. Moreover, those who develop early are not guaranteed to maintain a leading edge; there's a high degree of chance involved.

Such a powerful weapon cannot be easily revealed! Now that the war is basically over, the empire's economy is back on track, and the international environment is stabilizing, Hong Tao can finally free up his hands to rectify internal affairs. The first priority is to regulate all industries, transforming them from disorderly and barbaric development to orderly and stable progress.

"Buzzing...buzzing..."

Even though the assembled officials were all seasoned veterans of the reforms and accustomed to the emperor's ingenious ideas, they were still somewhat taken aback and surprised upon hearing this. For a moment, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was filled with whispers and discussions, with everyone forgetting their manners before the emperor.

The hierarchical system sounds simple enough—each department just needs to categorize the industries under its jurisdiction according to their importance. But it's not that simple. The imperial court set up these departments for the sake of management, but there are no clear boundaries between the various industries; they are all interconnected, and changing one can have far-reaching consequences.

For this system to operate smoothly, countless rounds of balancing and compromise between various departments were necessary, followed by a period of adjustment before it could be implemented in practice. When the emperor initially wanted to reform the government, he didn't dare to roll it out across the board right away. He could only take advantage of Li Zhi's position as Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi to conduct small-scale trials within his jurisdiction. Only after seeing positive results were special zones established to expand the scope. After years of patching up and plugging all the major loopholes, it was gradually rolled out province by province.

This new tiered system, in terms of scale, scope, and difficulty, is no smaller than the reforms of the past. Yet, instead of establishing special economic zones, it's being rolled out nationwide all at once—isn't that a bit too radical?
"Your Majesty, a tiered system is indeed a highly effective solution to current problems. However, it involves a great deal of issues. Should we establish special zones to observe its effects?"

There was a great deal of discussion below, but the emperor remained as steady as a mountain and did not intervene. After a full seven or eight minutes, Grand Secretary Yuan Yingtai was finally freed from the chatter of his colleagues, organized the information he had just gathered, and was the first to respond.

"What Grand Secretary Yuan said is absolutely right. I believe that this special zone should be established in Zhili Province to avoid the long distance and make it easier for Your Majesty to give timely feedback!"

With Yuan Yingtai taking the lead, Wang Zheng, the Minister of Industry, quickly followed suit. He also felt that the emperor was too hasty, but did not want to travel to the south to supervise again, so he came up with a compromise, suggesting that the special zone be established in Zhili.

The number of government-run and private enterprises here is no less than that in the southern coastal areas. In particular, the Tongzhou area has almost become a factory district, with all kinds of factories stretching for dozens of miles along the canal, almost forming a continuous area with Tianjin Prefecture. This should be enough to meet the needs of the experiment.

“No, no… Being too close to the capital is not a good thing; it will inevitably lead to disturbances to Your Majesty. I believe that Shaanxi is the best location. It has many mines, chemical industries, and arsenals, and it is located deep inland, so no matter what happens, it will not have too much impact on the surrounding area.”

When it came to the specifics, everyone's stance became clear. Bi Maokang, the Minister of Chemical Industry, immediately opposed the suggestion to locate the special economic zone in Zhili Province, instead choosing Shaanxi Province. The reason was quite simple: Shaanxi was the heart of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, home not only to oil wells and coal mines, but also to the largest chemical group.

Although he didn't quite agree with the radical approach, deep down he didn't think the reform would fail. Since the emperor wanted to change things, why not set up the special economic zone in his own backyard and reap the benefits sooner the reform started?

"If we're talking about special economic zones, Guangdong is the obvious first choice. I won't go into the many benefits. As long as Your Majesty issues the decree, the local people will definitely respond enthusiastically, providing manpower and money as needed!"

Upon hearing about Shaanxi, even Chen Jiashu, the Minister of Construction, couldn't sit still. If one were to ask which region in the Ming Dynasty's territory the people most supported Emperor Jingyang, it would undoubtedly be Guangdong, without exception.

The pilot reforms began in Guangdong. Despite initial opposition from the locals, many became wealthy through the reforms. If the emperor wanted to implement reforms again, Guangdong would be the first choice due to the least resistance and the strongest popular support; virtually no one would raise objections.

In many parts of the region, people no longer worship gods or Buddhas when doing business or going to sea. Instead, they drape the gods and Buddhas in yellow satin and pray to them as if they were the emperor's incarnation. You can criticize Emperor Jingyang on any issue, but you are not allowed to say a bad word about business or going to sea. Otherwise, you will be regarded as a public enemy and no one will want to cooperate with you.

(End of this chapter)