Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Having clarified the distinction between ingenious skills and production tools, Zhu Youjian continued:
"The ancients regarded agriculture as the foundation and commerce as the secondary."

Zhang Juzheng proposed "promoting commerce and benefiting agriculture," while Zhao Nanxing believed that "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are the fundamental occupations of humankind."

"And what is your opinion, sir? What should be the basis for your decision?"

The fact that these words were said after the production tools clearly indicates a hidden meaning.

After thinking it over, Qian Qianyi immediately said:
"I believe that all four classes of people—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—are fundamental. We should not only 'support commerce and benefit farmers,' but also develop tools and improve agricultural production."

"Scholars should study planting methods and crop seeds, which will also promote agriculture."

"All four are indispensable, therefore each can be the foundation."

This is an inheritance and development of Zhao Nanxing's thought. Qian Qianyi's scholarship is ultimately related to the Donglin lineage.

Zhu Youjian had previously mentioned this point, treating scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants equally.

But there must be a primary and secondary element here, Zhu Youjian said:
"Agriculture is the foundation of the nation, that's for sure."

"The Ming Dynasty is now an agricultural civilization, with agricultural output accounting for more than 90% of the total output value."

"However, agricultural potential is limited. Once the wasteland is cleared and development reaches a certain level, it will reach its peak and it will be difficult to increase it significantly again."

"The population of the Ming Dynasty is constantly increasing. To maintain the living standards of these people, higher output is needed."

"Therefore, I have included industrial and commercial output value in the performance evaluation criteria for officials."

"What we need to determine now is which of the three major industries—agriculture, industry, and commerce—is the most fundamental, and which should be considered secondary."

"The order should be prioritized, and when the three industries conflict, the fundamental industry should be favored."

This is a breakthrough from the traditional agricultural mindset. Zhu Youjian needs to clarify which industry to focus on in the future.

Qian Qianyi, trying to decipher the emperor's meaning, said:

"The order of which comes first and which comes last has already been decided."

"Let's follow the order of agriculture, industry, commerce and manufacturing."

"His Majesty once said, 'Without agriculture, there is no stability.' If there is not enough food, the country will be in chaos."

"Therefore, agriculture must be fundamental, which is what Your Majesty refers to as the primary industry."

These are all words that Zhu Youjian once said. Qian Qianyi has been reading them over and over again these days and now understands them deeply.

Zhu Youjian naturally nodded in approval and said:
"Agriculture is fundamental, but the agricultural level of the Ming Dynasty has already peaked. At most, it can only make slow progress in the future, and it will be difficult to improve significantly."

"Therefore, this industry can be a foundational industry, but it cannot be the focus of development for the foreseeable future."

"Between industry and commerce, which do you prefer, sir?"

Qian Qianyi said without hesitation:

"Industry, of course!"

"All trades can benefit agriculture, and better tools can help agricultural development."

"Goods produced in factories are also the source of commercial trade."

"Therefore, industry must be placed before commerce; it is the secondary sector."

"The imperial court should focus on developing industry and commerce."

This was also Zhu Youjian's idea. He found Qian Qianyi's words to be in line with his own thoughts and clapped his hands in praise:

"Working and doing business are two sides of the same coin, this is a line from Ouyang Xiu's poem."

"If we were to distinguish between industry and commerce, industry should be the foundation."

"The Suzhou-Songjiang New Area that I built in Jiangnan is a city primarily based on industry."

"The court's next priority is industrial development." Having stated his intention, Zhu Youjian changed the subject, adding:
"A few days ago, I mentioned productive civilizations and predatory civilizations."

"Industrial civilization, like agrarian civilization, can be called a production-oriented civilization."

"But commercial civilization is different."

"What kind of civilization do you think commercial civilization is?"

Qian Qianyi frowned and pondered deeply, unable to answer for a moment.

The emperor only mentioned productive civilizations and predatory civilizations; commercial civilization is neither the former nor the latter.

He eventually gave up thinking and asked the emperor for guidance:

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant, and I am willing to listen to your teachings!"

Zhu Youjian chuckled, but did not blame Qian Qianyi for it.

Being aware of your own shortcomings is a form of progress; what's worrisome is knowing them but refusing to acknowledge them, and always trying to perform well in areas where you're not good at it.

The fact that Qian Qianyi is now willing to listen is already a great improvement, he explained:
"Besides production-oriented civilizations and plunder-oriented civilizations, I believe there is another form of civilization that can be called a parasitic civilization."

"Commercial civilization is a typical parasitic civilization because commerce focuses on trade and does not produce anything itself."

"However, the exchange of goods requires resources, which in turn requires industrial and agricultural output. As a result, a civilization that is primarily based on commerce must depend on a civilization with a strong industrial and agricultural sector."

"The Jews mentioned in 'The Merchant of Venice' developed a civilization primarily based on commerce. These people were parasitic in Western countries, which aroused widespread hatred."

"Sir, you must pay special attention to these people in the Datong Academy. Their assimilation must be even stricter to prevent them from becoming parasitic on the Ming Dynasty."

This reveals the essence of Jewish civilization and prevents the emergence of Jewish problems in the Ming Dynasty in the future.

To emphasize the importance of this matter to the Datong Academy, Zhu Youjian gave the following example:
"Sir, you should know Pu Shougeng from the Former Song Dynasty, right?"

"It is generally believed that he was a Semu person, but some people say he was Jewish."

"This person embodies the mindset of commercial civilization, prioritizing profit over morality and showing no loyalty whatsoever. His betrayal during the Song Dynasty's time of crisis caused immense harm."

“These merchants who believe in other religions must be strictly vetted. They must convert to orthodox religion and sever ties with their original religious groups before they can be naturalized as Chinese.”

"Otherwise, Pu Shougeng will serve as a cautionary tale, and he should be given a separate biography as a negative example."

The Datong Academy was tasked with compiling a biography of Pu Shougeng, providing an in-depth analysis of this man and similar heretical merchants.

The classification of civilization types naturally required Qian Qianyi to write articles to disseminate them to the outside world.

Qian Qianyi knew his mission, and he also deeply hated Pu Shougeng, saying:

"Merchants who do not engage in production are indeed parasites."

"China has always valued agriculture and suppressed commerce in order to prevent the people from pursuing profit and becoming a parasitic civilization that does not engage in production."

"China is so vast that it is impossible to rely solely on commerce and trade. It must develop into a productive civilization with agriculture and industry as its mainstays."

"In the past, agriculture was the foundation, but now we can also add industry as the foundation, so together we can say that industry and agriculture are both fundamental, and we can develop production together."

"When agriculture and industry develop and productivity increases, a moderately prosperous society will naturally follow, and a utopian society can be envisioned."

This understanding is already quite profound, Zhu Youjian nodded and said:
"That's exactly right!"

"When judging things, we must adhere to whether they are conducive to the development of production, whether they are conducive to national prosperity and strength, and whether they are conducive to a harmonious and well-off society."

"Agriculture and industry basically meet these three criteria. Commerce meets some criteria and doesn't meet others; this industry values ​​profit the most."

"For the sake of profit, merchants are willing to take risks, including trampling on the law and betraying the emperor."

“These practices must be restricted and classified as degenerate behavior.”

"We cannot allow a repeat of what happened to Pu Shougeng; people in the business world cannot be trusted!" (End of Chapter)