I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 341 Bohai Rim Economic Circle
"It's too troublesome to convene a court meeting. It's better to convene the six cabinet ministries for discussion."

Zhu Youxiao also knew that this matter could not just come from the Ministry of Revenue, but also had to go through the cabinet, otherwise it would be really troublesome to coordinate the various departments.

So he immediately made the decision and asked He Ning to go to Liu Yishen to discuss the matter immediately.

Upon seeing this, Wang Yingjiao wanted to persuade the emperor, but seeing that the emperor was really in high spirits at the moment, he did not dare to stop him again and could only watch He Ning go out.

At this time, Liu Yishen, who was still drafting the title book for the Wenyuan Pavilion ticket, was confused when he heard that the emperor suddenly summoned him.So He Ning was asked to lead the way, and he hurriedly arrived at Qianqing Palace.

"The humble minister Liu Yishui is here to see Your Majesty."

When Liu Yishen came in, he saw Wang Yingjiao present. Could it be that the emperor asked him to come because of money?However, Zhu Youxiao didn't allow him to think too much and got straight to the point.

"Without courtesy, Mr. Liu Ge, I have asked you to come over and discuss something important with you.

Now the demon sects in Hebei and Shandong have been basically pacified. Although there are still some remnants, they are nothing to be afraid of.However, I have thought over and over again that if we want to prevent the people from causing chaos, the most fundamental way is to provide the people with a livelihood. Therefore, I just summoned Wang Yingjiao to discuss this matter. However, this matter is very important and needs to be discussed by your cabinet. "

Then Zhu Youxiao re-explained his previous thoughts to Liu Yishen in detail, and also emphasized the benefits of the return of salary and silver from Liaodong.

This was Liu Yishen's first time to really study and judge this matter. He was slightly startled when he suddenly heard about it. However, after thinking about it carefully, he felt that what the emperor said was very reasonable, but he also quickly discovered the problem.

"Your Majesty, if the imperial court introduces a policy to encourage trade in Liaodong, it will indeed be beneficial to the imperial court without any harm. I also agree with it, but after thinking about it carefully, I have some questions."

Zhu Youxiao looked confident. Now that he heard Liu Yishen had doubts, he asked him to speak quickly.

"Your Majesty, the first thing is about encouraging immigrants from Liaodong. The court has already discussed this matter, and Denglai Governor Ying Zhen is also taking action. But His Majesty is also aware of the problems involved.

Even the capital of Liaodong is full of health posts and there are very few civil affairs officials. The price of food is also very high now, and crops are only harvested once a year. If there is a natural disaster or famine, there will be no harvest, not to mention the local area. What should the Liao people do, let’s talk about what to do with the people in the fields in Liaodong. Is the court prepared for this? "

Listening to Liu Yishen's inquiry, Zhu Youxiao was suddenly stunned and didn't know how to answer.

Liu Yishui was right. There was already little food in Liaodong, and tens of thousands of Shandong people had immigrated there at the beginning of this year.Yang Lian once reported that food in Liaodong is very tight. If immigration continues, it will make the food crisis worse. If there is another disaster year, it will definitely make things worse.

Seeing that the emperor did not speak but was deep in thought, Liu Yishen did not intend to just give up, but continued to speak:

"Secondly, the imperial court does indeed allocate a lot of salary to Liaodong every year, but most of it is used to purchase military supplies. According to the accounts I have seen before, only about 200 million taels of salary are allocated to the officers and soldiers of the Liao Dynasty every year.

At this point, there are still 140% to [-]% that will be pocketed by the generals, and only more than [-] million taels will actually go into the hands of the soldiers. Although this is a large number, but if we only rely on whether they can really sustain it Can it support the entire commerce in Liaodong and support the livelihoods of coastal areas such as Shandong and Hebei?I'm afraid Yichen's view is difficult or even unfeasible. "

Zhu Youxiao didn't know what to say when he heard this. He wanted to stubbornly say yes, but his reason told him that it really wasn't possible.

Listening to Liu Yishen's questions one after another, Zhu Youxiao, who was still very interested just now, stopped talking and began to reconsider Liu Yishen's questions. With Zhu Youxiao's silent thinking, there was silence in Dongnuan Pavilion.

Wang Yingjiao also understood Liu Yishen's intention and sat as if paraffin, saying nothing.When He Ning saw this, he didn't understand what it meant, but he also knew that the atmosphere was very serious and did not dare to speak.

"Oh, I understand."

A long sigh sounded in the Dongnuan Pavilion. After thinking about it just now, Zhu Youxiao actually thought of some countermeasures to the problems Liu Yishui mentioned, but now he does not want to reply to Liu Yishen's words.

Because he already understood Liu Yishen's intention, which was that such a big matter could not be decided just with passion and a slap on the forehead.

If something like this involves tens of millions of people, if you want to do it, you should try to consider everything. Sometimes slow is better, otherwise you will regret it when problems occur.

"Thank you, Mr. Liu Ge, for reminding me. I am anxious this time."

When Liu Yishen saw the emperor saying this, he couldn't help but feel relieved, and quickly cupped his hands and said:

"I just expressed the doubts in my heart. Your Majesty can draw inferences from one instance and understand the way of sages, which shows that your Majesty is extremely intelligent. This is the blessing of the country and the Ming Dynasty. I am also very pleased."

Zhu Youxiao smiled slightly when he heard this, thinking that Liu Yishen could really give him face.But Liu Yishen did not wait for the emperor's reply, but continued:

"I am not lying. I also believe that if this matter is to be feasible, it only needs to be a two-pronged approach. Although the military expenditure of soldiers in Liaodong cannot support the entire commerce and trade in Liaodong, nor can it support the livelihood of the entire coastal areas such as Shandong and Hebei.

But the money along the Bohai Sea is not only the military pay in the hands of soldiers in Liaodong, but also various military purchases in Liaodong, and even the expenses of generals at all levels.

What's more important is the Shuntian Mansion in the capital, which does not cost much for dignitaries, civil and military officials, and the imperial court. It is more than enough to support sea trade in Liaodong, even Shandong, Hebei and other places.

If we want to do this, we must not only reduce tariffs on food and other items, but also encourage commerce and even maritime trade, and even increase trade with Mongolia. We must also implement the opening of the mining ban as soon as possible, so that There may be more ways for people to make a living.

Each of these involves many yamen.Fortunately, tariffs and maritime trade are new policies implemented by the imperial court, so there is little obstacle to lowering tariffs. The cabinet and the Ministry of Industry have also discussed the opening of the mining ban many times, so we can take advantage of this opportunity to enact it. "

Zhu Youxiao and Wang Yingjiao nodded upon hearing this. Liu Yishen's words were very reasonable and reasonable.

"As for the matter of immigrating to Liaodong, I also agree. But this matter must not be rushed, and a two-pronged approach must be taken.

One is to select two suitable places in Liaodong as soon as possible to convert the guards into prefectures and counties according to the previous discussion between His Majesty and the Cabinet.If you don't want to, you can even choose a new location to re-establish a state or county, and then appoint a prefect or county magistrate to recruit refugees to go. As long as the land is used as encouragement, many people will definitely go.

Second, there is a shortage of food in Liaodong and the price of food is extremely high. Therefore, according to what I just said, merchants can be encouraged to transport food to Liaodong and exempt from port tariffs. The merchants go to Liaodong just to buy medicinal materials and furs. In order to make money when they come, they will naturally load other goods. .

If we exempt grain tariffs, they will definitely be willing to transport grain to Liaodong, and the Mi family in Liaodong will fall.When the time comes, Liaodong's capital will set up Changping warehouse to store food in preparation for famine years, so that the worries will be solved. "

Hearing these words, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but sigh.

Liu Yishen is worthy of being my first assistant in the Ming Dynasty. Many of these measures he discussed were mentioned before.But he can plan and integrate the whole thing, which is indeed a rare skill.

"Your Majesty, in short, according to the minister's opinion, this matter is feasible, but it needs to be discussed by the court and then implemented slowly. This process can be as fast as one month and as long as two or three months. But as long as the six ministries of the cabinet fully discuss it, it is most secure to implement the regulations after they are formulated , things will go smoothly if things go slowly, and the resistance will be much smaller by then.”

"I second the motion, Your Majesty, as the chief minister said, many of the yamen involved in this are mostly newly established, so there is little resistance and it will be easy to implement. Besides, this matter will benefit the court without any harm. As long as the benefits and risks are clearly stated, it can be eased The slowdown plan can be implemented."

When Wang Yingjiao saw this, he also offered his support.After Zhu Youxiao, who was sitting high on the throne, listened to the two people's speeches, he nodded in agreement after a moment of silence, and slowly stood up and looked at Liu Yishen.

"What Liu Aiqing said is true, and I have learned from it. In this case, I won't say anything. This matter will be left to the cabinet and the Ministry of Household Affairs to discuss the matter, finalize all the details, and then finalize the regulations."

Seeing the emperor's approval, Liu Yishen and Wang Yingjiao immediately raised their hands and said:

"The ministers obey the order."

Seeing that the idea in his mind came true, Zhu Youxiao continued to discuss the details with Liu Yishen and then asked them to step back and discuss on their own. When the time comes, they can give themselves a result or discuss with themselves if they have any questions.

Looking at the two people who retreated, Zhu Youxiao sat quietly on the throne and was silent for a long time. Then he slowly stood up and walked to the opposite wall, looking at the huge "Kun Yu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Map" in front of him.

In the picture, the Ming Dynasty is in the center, looking large and independent, but Zhu Youxiao is looking at the upper right corner of the Ming Dynasty territory.

Under the outline of the extremely inaccurate map, Zhu Youxiao could still see the location of the Bohai Sea. It is surrounded by Liaodong, Shuntianfu, and Shandong on three sides. It can be regarded as one of the most populous and economically core areas in the north.With the end of the counter-rebellion and the victory over the Jianlu, it is also the area in the north that is easiest to reform.

Thinking of this, he put his hand on this area, and then slowly drew a circle around the Bohai Sea.

This circle is called the Bohai Rim Economic Circle in Zhu Youxiao's vision.

In Zhu Youxiao's vision, the Bohai Rim region will be the top priority of reform.This place needs the sea, people, and raw materials. It has convenient transportation and dense population. It is a natural advantageous "delta". Through its continuous rebellion against the party, there are few obstacles to work.

If the plan just now can come true, the economic connections between the three places can be closer through the Bohai Sea and the strength will be stronger.

Even when faced with drought in the north and potential civil unrest in the future, the north can be used as a basic base like the south of the Yangtze River. It is not afraid of any trouble and can also provide the court with a steady stream of money and troops.

(End of this chapter)