Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 81 The era of mass production has begun! (Subscribe)
"Do you agree?" Zhu Yuanzhang leaned against the cushion, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry in his voice.

Zhu Biao said: "I did not respond, but just said I would consider it. However, in my opinion, it is worth a try."

"Firstly, the refugees from Shouzhou and Chuzhou can be properly resettled to a certain extent."

"Secondly, I can dig out Xia Zhibai's secrets bit by bit."

"Third, the court can take this opportunity to see the actual effect. If it is really as Xia Zhibai said, and the government, the people, and the kitchen households can all get better results, it will be a great achievement."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, slowly sat up straight, and said in a cold voice: "You think too highly of Xia Zhibai. He is a scholar who has read some books and seen some things. Can he really accomplish anything with just a passion?"

"He thinks governing a country is too simple."

"He thinks we haven't thought about it before? Never thought about it?"

"We've thought about it."

"But why didn't we do this? Of course we have our reasons."

"We can get the salt farmers to produce more salt, but if there is too much salt, we won't be able to sell it at a high price. Merchants are snobbish and won't sell salt if they see no profit. It's okay in big cities like Yingtian Prefecture, but merchants won't go to those remote and poor areas. In the end, the salt farmers and local people will suffer."

"He doesn't understand at all."

"We have considered raising business taxes."

"But the principle is the same. If the business tax is high, merchants will stop doing business."

“They’ll just set the price higher.”

"Why does the government set the price of salt so low? It's to make it profitable for merchants. Otherwise, why would merchants work for us? To help us carry all kinds of food, supplies, and ironware?"

"We collected less business tax."

"But by opening the Sino-Japanese Treaty, we can save ourselves the trouble of transporting food and fodder. Compared with the commercial taxes, the profit is not worth mentioning at all. He does not understand the pros and cons at all."

"Government business?"

"hehe."

“It’s a nice idea, but it’s not practical.”

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, his eyes full of disdain and contempt.

He had fought in wars.

We know that war is about logistics.

Therefore, we have a very good understanding of the material transportation situation.

Very expensive!

If the imperial court were to be responsible for this, how many more officials would be needed? How many more people would the imperial court have to support? How much money and grain would it have to pay? In the end, it would most likely be more trouble than gain.

He has a score in mind.

These accounts have already been settled.

The Ming Dynasty couldn’t afford it.

He doesn't want to raise one either.

It is already difficult for the Ming Dynasty to support such a large number of officials. If it were to create more trouble for itself, it would be asking for trouble. Not to mention whether it could make money in the end, even if it did, it would be hard-earned money, and it would also aggravate official corruption.

Why bother?
As for the household registration mentioned by Xia Zhibai, he sneered at it.

He restricted death on purpose.

Water flows to lower place, man goes to higher position.

Everyone knows that studying and becoming an official is good, but if everyone only thinks about studying and becoming an official, who will farm, work, or do business? That would be the real chaos in the world.

Zhu Biao nodded.

He knew that his father had made this decision for a reason.

But he still couldn't help but say: "Father, I think we should give it a try."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned cold.

Zhu Biao hurriedly explained: "Father, I don't really agree with it, but I think there are certain problems with the current salt policy of the Ming Dynasty, and it needs to be adjusted and changed."

"Just like Xia Zhibai said."

"Some households have more people, some have fewer, but no matter how many people there are, the court stipulates that they need to pay a salt tax of thirty yin. This is obviously unaffordable for many families. The thirty yin salt quota should perhaps be changed."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression eased slightly, and he nodded and said, "This is a problem."

"When we have time, we will call together officials to discuss and redefine the salt policy."

talking.

Zhu Yuanzhang showed a trace of anger, slammed the table angrily, and cursed: "What do the officials of our Ming Dynasty usually do for a living? Do we need Xia Zhibai to remind us of these things?"

"Everyone says the world is peaceful when they see us, but is the world really peaceful?"

"damn it."

"There are always a bunch of idiots who hold power but dare not do anything."

"We let him be an official so that he can enjoy life?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was angry.

He had a bad temper to begin with, especially when it came to matters concerning the common people. The key point was that this matter was exposed by Xia Zhibai, which made him even more angry.

Zhu Biao smiled bitterly.

His father has always had a clear distinction between his likes and dislikes towards officials.

If one sits in an official position but does nothing but work idle, only focuses on the position on his buttocks and does nothing, then the emperor's response to these officials is very simple.

kill!

Every year in the Ming Dynasty, officials who were dismissed, exiled, or killed were not only those who were corrupt, but also those who were lazy and did nothing. These people were the targets of punishment by my father.

Zhu Biao consoled him, "Father, please calm down. You may get yourself in trouble if you get angry about this."

“Perhaps the officials have other things to do.”

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, not believing it at all: "Bullshit, don't we know the officials of our Ming Dynasty?"

"Those officials are just like cows. If we don't beat them, they won't budge an inch. Letting them see, think and do things on their own is harder than asking them to die. Otherwise, why would we be so exhausted every day?"

Seeing his father suddenly get angry for no reason, Zhu Biao could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

When Zhu Yuanzhang's anger had almost subsided, Zhu Biao spoke up, "The officials of the Ming Dynasty are too deeply influenced by the Yuan Dynasty. It is difficult to completely eradicate them in a short period of time. However, the few words Xia Zhibai said to me made me feel a sense of crisis."

"Even if the imperial court doesn't allow it, the local authorities may not dare to do it."

"The imperial court strictly forbids officials from engaging in business, but there must be officials colluding with merchants behind the scenes to oppress and exploit the people. Even many ministers in the court may have been deceived by local officials."

"So after thinking it over again and again, I still think I should give it a try." "At least."

"The imperial court should know the details of the collusion between officials and businessmen."

"Whether Xia Zhibai ultimately fails or not, the imperial court can use this as a tool to target him specifically."

"I want to try it."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, looked at Zhu Biao's determined expression, and finally nodded and said, "Since you want him to try, let's give him another chance, but we can't give him too much money."

“It’s a loan though.”

“But I’m not that generous.”

"The maximum I'll give you is fifty thousand taels, not a cent more."

"Also, let him take in 1,000 refugees and disaster victims. Our money is not so easy to take. We can give them salt mountains and coal mines, but the iron needed for steam engines will be limited."

"We can give money to anyone, but we can't satisfy everyone with iron tools."

"Every three months, we have to check the account books. If we find any problems, we will shut down at any time."

Zhu Yuanzhang made many requests in a row.

He doesn't trust Xia Zhibai.

And this was his money.

It is equivalent to taking his money and doing Xia Zhibai's things.

He was naturally somewhat reluctant.

Zhu Biao smiled bitterly, thinking that his father's request was too strict.

Coal mines and salt mines cannot be mined in a short period of time, which means it will take a long time to lose money. If they cannot be sold later, they will be stuck in their hands. Normally, the scale will be expanded slowly.

My father is so good. He arranged a thousand people for me as soon as I arrived.

And
Given the situation of the refugees, Xia Zhibai might be supporting not a thousand people, but nearly a thousand displaced families. The resettlement and treatment of the refugees could easily lead to problems and would be a huge expense. He also has to prepare for mining and various transportation and sales.

Think of this.

Zhu Biao couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling.

There are many and complicated things to do.

It was clear that my father threw all the refugees who fled to Yingtian Prefecture to Xia Zhibai.

"Father, isn't this a bit too..."

Before Zhu Biao finished speaking, he was interrupted by Zhu Yuanzhang, who sneered, "Doesn't he have a heart to save the world and the people? Doesn't he love the people? Let's give him a chance."

"If he can't even help a thousand people, then he can't say he loves the people anymore."

"He simply doesn't have the ability!"

"All right."

"It's settled."

"We'll wait for his answer in three months."

Zhu Biao wanted to say something but stopped, finally sighed and stopped persuading him.

The emperor has made up his mind and he can't persuade him.

At noon.

Xia Zhibai received the message.

Looking at the letter sent by Zhu Biao, Xia Zhibai felt his heart sink.

The money was too little. If Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a new mine that had never been mined, it would take a lot of time to complete the preliminary survey, as well as the debugging of the steam engine, etc., and Zhu Yuanzhang was obviously only willing to give himself three months to prepare.

A lot of pressure.

But it may not be enough.

Xia Zhibai looked at a drawing on the table and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Zhu Yuanzhang deliberately made things difficult for himself.

But little does he know.

The power of steam technology.

Although three months was a bit rushed, as long as he got things on the right track, with the help of the energy provided by coal and the powerful extraction capacity of the steam engine, it would be enough for him to gain a foothold in the salt making industry.

As for the follow-up.

He could only say two words.

Dumping!

Believe in the power of technology.

But modern people have no idea about the power of technology.

He folded the drawing carefully, put it in his sleeve, and went to the Ministry of Works.

He had to discuss the construction of the steam pump with the craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry and try to improve it. After all, he was a latecomer and did not have much manufacturing experience. He still had to listen to the craftsmen's advice on specific circumstances.

They are the experts in this field.

And when it comes to technology, the more people participate, the faster it improves.

He never intended to keep it secret.

At sunset.

Xia Zhibai left the Ministry of Industry with excitement on his face.

The drawing in his hand had changed greatly, with many more details and changes.

The craftsmen of Yingtianfu are truly the best craftsmen in the world today. Although they did not know the specific usage of the steam engine, they still saw many problems and made many suggestions just by looking at the drawings.

He also promised to manufacture several units as soon as possible.

Xia Zhibai left the Ministry of Works.

He raised his head and looked at the setting sun, his heart burning with joy.

he knows.

The era of mass production he wanted has arrived.

(End of this chapter)