I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 702 I will show you a way to make money

Zhu Yijun first took a sip of warm tea to moisten his throat.

This is not so simple to explain.

"First of all, I think that cash crops, such as tobacco, are a good way to revitalize the local economy."

"Cash crop, tobacco?"

Zhang Juzheng and the other three understood Zhu Yijun's intention to some extent.

“Yes, tobacco is grown in large quantities in Guizhou and Yunnan, where the climate and environment are suitable for growing tobacco.

Four more cigarette factories were built in Guiyang, Kunming, Changsha and Chengdu. The cigarettes produced here will not only be supplied locally, but also exported to other places and overseas.

I just mentioned cash crops. Four masters, do you understand what cash crops mean?"

Zhang Juzheng and the other three shook their heads in unison.

“I believe that crops that are easy to carry out industrial production and can be transformed from agricultural products into industrial products are cash crops.

Tobacco can be made into cigarettes, so that counts; corn and potatoes can be made into wine, so that counts; mulberry trees can be used to raise silkworms and produce silk, so that counts; grapes can be used to make wine, so that counts; cotton and hemp can be spun into yarn and woven into cloth, so that counts.

There are two biggest benefits of turning crops into industrial products. One is high added value. That is, a product that was originally not very valuable can become several times or even dozens of times more valuable after industrial production.

Second, it is easy to transport. Agricultural products are perishable and have a limited storage period, which is not conducive to long-distance transportation. If they are turned into industrial products, they can be stored for one, two, or many years, which makes them very easy to transport.

If it is easy to transport, it will be easy to circulate and trade, and it can be transported to distant places and sold at a higher price, thus obtaining higher added value."

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and nodded continuously.

"Your Majesty's words have enlightened me. Crops do have the above problems. They are inconvenient to transport and cannot be sold at a high price. The people can only grow more food to fill their stomachs first.

There is enough food, but we are short of money, extremely short of money.

The cabinet's one-stop fiscal and tax reform has been delayed in its full implementation and can only be piloted in a few provinces because people lack money.

The emperor's teachings are very correct. When we implement reforms, the new policies must benefit the people and not harm them. However, the changes we made have actually increased their burden.

This is absolutely unacceptable!
Now the emperor has instructed us that all regions can try out cash crops, which really allows us to see the light of day!"

Zhang Juzheng turned to look at Hu Zongxian, Zhao Zhenji, Tan Lun and Yang Jinshui, and was filled with emotion.

"The cabinet also knows the benefits of developing industry. It makes money! The court makes money, merchants make money, laborers make money, and even the civilians who transport goods make money.

Just as the emperor said, a factory is not just about the workers in it, but also about the industrial chain formed upstream and downstream and the money-making opportunities it provides everywhere.

It can be said that a large-scale factory can bring life to a place. The reason why Luanzhou and Shanghai are so rich and prosperous is that there are many factories.

But there are conditions for establishing industry, and it is impossible to flourish everywhere. Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are mountainous and densely forested, and the roads are rugged, so it is absurd to establish industry there.

How can people make money without developing industry?
Cash crops!
Today, with the emperor's advice, I was able to open another business door.

It really made me break free from the shackles. I used to crawl on the ground to look for ways to strengthen the country and enrich the people. After being taught by the emperor, I finally knew to stand on the roof to look for it. Only when you stand high can you see far and avoid the mistake of only caring about the immediate interests and damaging the long-term interests. "

Zhu Yijun and everyone else laughed.

"Master Zhang is praising me again. It's rare. I remember that during the Jiajing period, I was studying at Xi'an Gate Academy and rarely heard Master Zhang praise me."

Everyone laughed even more happily.

Zhang Juzheng laughed and muttered to himself.

Your Majesty, don’t you have any idea?
The homework you routinely handed in to Emperor Sejong was done by me on your behalf, and you just copied it.

I really don’t have the nerve to praise you!

Zhu Yijun continued speaking.

"Xu Zhenming and Xu Wei are vigorously promoting corn and potatoes in the northwest, and the Lanzhou Agricultural Science Institute is constantly cultivating new varieties. In Gansu, western Shaanxi and Ningxia, more and more land is planted with these two crops."

"Potatoes?" Zhao Zhenji asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what new crop is this?"

"This is also a crop discovered by the Spanish in Xunzhou. The Portuguese brought it to India and Malacca, and our people brought it back and cultivated the best ones.

Its biggest advantage is that it is cold-resistant and drought-resistant, suitable for sandy land, and has a high yield. Like corn, it is one of the most suitable crops for the northwest, but it is a little more troublesome to eat, and you need to peel it and remove the sprouts and green ones."

Zhu Yijun saw Zhao Zhenji nodded and continued.

"In addition to supplementing food rations, potatoes and corn are grown in the Northwest for brewing wine. Although the taste of grain wine is ordinary, it is cheap and can be brewed into strong liquor after several distillations.

Strong liquor is the favorite of people in cold and harsh areas such as grasslands and plateaus.

My idea is to plant potatoes and corn in the northwest, with grapes, medicinal herbs and other crops as auxiliary crops. In the southwest, we will plant tobacco, potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes and other cash crops.

In the northwest, potatoes and corn are used to make wine. In addition to tobacco, the southwest can also make a lot of grain wine. Where is the market for these wines? The grasslands in the south and north of the desert, the old Tubo land of U-Tsang, and the Western Regions.

At that time, Altan Khan tried every means to open up border trade with the Ming Dynasty, and what he wanted most was tea. People on the grasslands eat more meat and less fruits and vegetables, so tea can help them digest food and is indispensable.

This is not only true for the grasslands in the north and south of the desert, but also for the U-Tsang region. Why has the country attached great importance to tea and strictly prohibited smuggling since its founding? "

Zhang Juzheng replied, "Your Majesty, our dynasty can control U-Tsang and the grasslands north and south of the desert through tea. Our dynasty has pacified U-Tsang through tea, and also bought back many much-needed war horses from the grasslands south of the desert and Qinghai."

"Master Zhang is right! This is a powerful economic measure.

In addition to tea, we also have cotton, sugar, salt, grain and other means of control. Now we can add wine and cigarettes.

The people in the grasslands south and north of the desert and in U-Tsang have more and more supplies and their lives are getting better and better, so they become more dependent on the inland areas and the central government.

I feel that economic control, which concerns our vital interests, is more effective than political and military control and can also bring us a good reputation.

This is an open conspiracy. The Ming Dynasty, the glorious empire, should use such an open conspiracy. "

Zhang Juzheng said happily: "Your Majesty is wise. In Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, apart from crops, there are minerals. It is not realistic to vigorously mine minerals at present. We can only start with crops first.

In Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, most of the products sold outside the country are mountain products and agricultural products such as boards, lacquer and tung oil.

There are many kinds of crops, among which rice and wheat are the staple food for the people. The people cannot live without them. The fields in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are not enough to grow rice, let alone sell it for money. In this case, we can only start with the economic crops mentioned by the emperor. Coarse grains such as potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes can not only make up for the staple food, but also make wine, which is a good way to make money.

Now the emperor has found a new way for them to make money, growing tobacco. But your majesty, I am worried that promoting tobacco is not easy, and the local government may find it difficult to bear the responsibility. "

Zhu Yijun smiled, “Master Zhang has a clear understanding of the capabilities of the local government.

At present, the local government is very competent if it can collect the autumn grain and summer taxes and maintain local public security. If you want them to do more, don't count on them. "

Zhang Juzheng said quickly: "Your Majesty, I failed in my duty and failed to discipline the local officials. I have disappointed Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, "No, I am not disappointed. On the contrary, I feel very satisfied. Master Zhang has been promoting the performance evaluation system for three years. It is not easy to manage the six central ministries and temples to this level.

I know that Master Zhang is now promoting the performance evaluation system in local areas. In the second half of the first year of the Wanli period, it was piloted in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and the two Liao provinces.

This year, the pilot program was launched in Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi and Northwest China. The pace is slow but steady.

Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish.

There is a difference between the central government and the local governments, and the perception of heat and cold is different. Often, when the central government takes action, the prefectures and counties will be in chaos, and when it comes to the people, it will be like the collapse of the world.

So we should not stand still, but take a closer look and make adequate preparations.

Take the pulse accurately, identify the vital points, concentrate and hold your breath, and take action when it is time to do so. No matter if it causes chaos or the earth collapses, as long as it can eradicate the accumulated evil, it is worth it!"

Zhang Juzheng replied: "I will remember the emperor's teachings."

"Okay. A few days ago, I issued an edict to the Governor-General of Huguang, the Governor-General of Sichuan, the Governor-General of Lianghu, the Governor-General of Sichuan, the Governor-General of Yunnan, and the Governor of Mu Prefecture, giving them a task, which was how to revitalize the local economy.

At the same time, I also gave this topic to several universities, including the Imperial College in the north and south, Jintai University, etc., and asked professors and students to take the pulse of the economic revitalization of their hometowns.

They handed in their answers one after another, and I asked the Ministry of Public Administration to sort them out, and they are all there."

Zhu Yijun pointed to a thick stack of documents on the table by the window.

"Four masters, let's comment on the answers given by local officials. Let's see if these local leaders have a clear idea of ​​how to govern their local areas and how to revitalize the local economy.

We will then look at the answers of students and professors from several universities such as the Imperial College, and brainstorm to see different opinions and suggestions, which can be regarded as a brainstorming session.
After reading these answers, we will further discuss how to revitalize the economies of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, improve the living standards of local people, and use economic means to consolidate the achievements of the land reform.

"According to the order!"

Zhang Juzheng and other three responded happily.

After Zhu Yijun ascended the throne, his decisions on the Ming Dynasty's national policies and other military and national policies were basically based on this routine.

He first held a closed-door meeting with four advisors to discuss the direction and outline.

The draft will then be sent by the Ministry of Public Administration to all the ministers of the court, asking them to prepare their work and then convening a court meeting in front of the emperor to discuss the directions and outlines. During the discussion, the details of the decision-making items will be determined one by one.

Finally, the meeting reached a consensus, or Zhu Yijun made the final decision.

It is then announced in the form of an imperial edict, etc., and specific executors and supervisors are designated before execution begins.

After lunch, several people continued the discussion and finally drafted a list of items at around 2:00 p.m.

Zhu Yijun read it and said, "Okay, the Imperial Household Department will issue a formal document to the Ministry of Public Administration, and ask the Ministry of Public Administration to send it to all the ministers in Beijing. Four days later, hold a court meeting in front of the emperor in the Purple Light Pavilion to discuss this plan for the revitalization of the southwest economy."

"According to the order!"

Looking around at Zhang Juzheng and the other three, Zhu Yijun continued.

"While the four advisors are here, let's settle a few pending matters."

Seeing that the four had no objection, Zhu Yijun talked about the first thing first.

"The prefecture was changed into a county, and two directly governed prefectures were changed into counties.

The national system had been established, and the local area was divided into three levels: provinces, counties, and prefectures. The counties were changed from the previous prefectures, and the official positions such as county magistrate and associate magistrate and the county-level institutions remained unchanged.

At the provincial level, there are the Provincial Administration Department, the Provincial Supervisory Department, and the Military Administration Department, with the chief officials being the Provincial Governor, the Left and Right Provincial Supervisors, and the Provincial Governor. The deputy of the Provincial Administration Department is a councilor. The Provincial Administration Department is divided into six departments, with the chief official being the councilor. The six departments are in charge of various departments, and the chief official of a department is the director.

In the new adjustment, the councillor is the first deputy of the governor, similar to the promotion of executive deputy to governor, and the councillor is the deputy in charge of a certain area and promoted to governor. Then the chief officer of the bureau, department and section can be directly promoted to governor.

"The left censor was also the chief clerk, in charge of the province's criminal justice. The right censor was also the assistant censor-in-chief, in charge of the province's supervision and impeachment. The prefectures and counties were divided into the Administrative Office, the Supervisory Office, the Liaison Office, and the Military Preparation Office, with the chief officials being the prefects and county magistrates, the county censors and clerks, the prefectural supervisors, and the county lieutenants."

The Anchasi is quite special, just like the Yushitai. It should be split into the Siliyuan and Duchayuan, but the current situation is that the administrative efficiency is low, so there is no need to divide it so finely. Just pack it together and do a good job.

"Below the county level, towns and villages have town offices, which are dispatched by the county government and have town heads; they have administrative offices, which have a number of judges; they have police stations, which replace the previous patrol inspection offices, to maintain town and village public security; they have militia camps, which are under the jurisdiction of the county military preparation office.
The basis for this local adjustment is the cabinet's suggestions based on the experience and lessons learned from implementing the performance evaluation system in the pilot provinces for one year. In particular, the establishment of three township offices directly undertakes tasks such as promoting agriculture, maintaining water conservancy, litigation, maintaining social order, and paying land taxes.

Things are complicated and insignificant in the eyes of many people, but I think they are very important.

Rural farmers, the most important foundation of the Ming Dynasty is the countryside, that is, the farmers. If we don't occupy this important position, it will be occupied by the gentry.

They took on tax collection and lawsuits, deceiving their superiors and bullying their subordinates, hollowing out the foundation of the Ming Dynasty! In the past, we didn't have so many people, so we could only watch them do whatever they wanted.

After nearly a decade of hard work, we have trained a large number of talents through various channels, enough to cover all towns and villages, and now we can focus on this area. "

Zhang Juzheng and the other three understood the situation clearly.

To extend the power of the imperial court downward, the first thing to do was to uproot the big trees that had previously taken root in the towns and villages.

The three major cases in Jiangnan, the Hunan provincial examination case, and other major cases in other places mostly targeted the gentry and scholars, whose roots were the gentry throughout the towns and villages.

Only after the old forces were eradicated completely could the imperial court’s manpower move in more easily.

"The matter of upgrading Luanzhou and Shanghai to prefectures directly under the central government has been decided by the imperial court. The only problem now is that Shanghai has applied to be called Shanghai instead of Huzhou, so as to highlight its uniqueness as a city founded on commerce.

The whole Songjiang Prefecture will be changed to a direct-controlled prefecture, called Huzhou, and Shanghai County will be renamed Shanghai.

Yongping Prefecture was changed to Luanzhou, the previous Luanzhou County was changed to Yongping City, Kaiping Zhongtunwei was changed to Kaiping City. Zhili was changed to Hebei, Shanhaiwei of the newly built Qinhuangdao Port was changed to Qinhuangdao City, and Tianjinwei was changed to Tianjin City, all of which were under the jurisdiction of Hebei.

As for Taiyuan, there has been a lot of controversy recently. Some people hope that it will be upgraded to a prefecture directly under the Central Government, while others hope that it will remain in Shanxi.
I have considered it again and again and decided."

(End of this chapter)