Chinese New Year

Chapter 1479 Open Source and Cost Reduction?
On July 15th, as soon as the grand court assembly ended, Shao Xun went to the West Garden to continue lying down.

However, Cai Cheng, the Director of the Imperial Household Department, arrived soon after, and Shao Xun had no choice but to sit up.

After entering and paying his respects, Cai Cheng saw Wang Huifeng lying on a recliner and bowed again.

"Please forgive me, Lord Cai, my health is so weak that I am unable to get up," Wang Huifeng said softly.

“Wang Jieyu, you flatter me,” Cai Cheng replied.

Shao Xun gestured for him to sit down, and then said, "I have read the memorial you wrote, and now I would like to hear you say it again."

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury’s revenue and expenditure were balanced last year, with the revenue slightly less than the expenditure,” Cai Cheng said. “The grain, beans, livestock, bamboo, timber, and cloth produced by the various imperial gardens and parks are already difficult to increase. If we want to make progress, we must start with the production of goods.”

"Sugar?" Shao Xun asked.

"Your Majesty, the sugar supply has reached its peak." Cai Cheng then gave a brief explanation.

After listening, Shao Xun seemed to understand.

He had previously assumed that the lower the price, the more people would buy. In most cases, that was correct. But there was a small problem: how low should the price go?

For the largest number of farmers at the bottom of society, sugar is a luxury, and they generally don't buy it.

They wouldn't buy it if the price dropped from 2,000 coins to 1,000 coins, or even 800 coins, or 500 coins. They simply felt it wasn't worth the money.

This is what a small-scale farming economy, which strives to be as self-sufficient as possible, is all about!

For no apparent reason, Shao Xun thought of the late Qing Dynasty, when the British established many machine textile factories in India and then ambitiously entered the Chinese cotton cloth market, only to fail miserably and sell very little.

They later discovered that under the small-scale farming model, Chinese farmers preferred to spin and weave their own yarn and cloth. In this process, labor costs and time costs were not included in the farmers' calculations. They only calculated the cost of cotton raw materials, or even just the cost of planting.

In comparison, what advantages do your Indian factory's cotton fabrics have? Not to mention that foreign fabrics are too thin and light, only suitable for city dwellers, while rural areas need thick and durable cotton fabrics—in fact, foreign fabrics are mainly sold in a few open cities.

The real destruction of the rural cotton textile market, leading to the rampant dumping of foreign cloth, was due to the later wars—the likin system was devastating to commerce.

Returning to the sugar market at this time, the consumer base had already been fixed: powerful clans, officials, officers, and a portion of the soldiers who were willing to spend money.

Unless you can bring the price of sugar down to an unbelievably low level, you can break down barriers, create a miraculous qualitative change, and usher in the next boom.

"Besides that, are there any other reasons?" Shao Xun asked.

“Yes,” Cai Cheng said. “The sugarcane transported to the north is called ‘rock honey’ (coarse sugar in blocks), while Jiaozhou also has ‘sugar syrup’ (syrup), and there are many other miscellaneous items in between. Some wealthy families, after tasting the novelty, go back to honey. Those who don’t have that much money buy maltose or jujube sugar. Perhaps there are also sweets that I don’t know about, such as the thorn honey from Gaochang. The world is vast and full of wonders, and I cannot know them all.”

Shao Xun nodded and asked, "Do you have a solution?"

"Yes," Cai Cheng said without hesitation.

"Tell me about it," Shao Xun said.

He wasn't completely ignorant about the sugar industry.

After reading through the official documents of the Imperial Household Department for a long time, he knew that the sugar yield of sugarcane at this time was terribly low, due to both variety and technical reasons.

But he really didn't know how to improve his sugar extraction technique. Several years had passed since he offered the reward, but there was still no news. Perhaps some progress really does require luck and a flash of inspiration.

In addition, it is true that modern cane sugar contains more impurities and is far inferior to brown sugar of later generations.

He was also very curious about how to filter it and what technologies were needed.

“It is said in Jiaozhou that there is a country in Tianzhu called ‘Magadha’ (now Bihar, India) that is good at making sugar and can produce relatively pure sugar.” After Cai Cheng finished speaking, he added: “I did not believe it at first, but later in Luoyang I met a merchant from the Western Regions who mentioned that Kangju and Persia also had this method, and then I believed it.”

"Oh?" Shao Xun took out one of the letters from a pile of letters, looked at it carefully, pondered for a moment, and said, "I understand."

The letter was written by Yu Mie from Dayuan. He mentioned that he had recruited many craftsmen in Kangju, but did not know if there were any sugar makers among them. It didn't matter if there weren't any; the Imperial Crafts Institute could think of a solution, and whoever could develop a new method of sugar making would be richly rewarded.

It might not be easy, because the Imperial Household Department has never been able to figure it out, but it's good to pool our wisdom and efforts, and let the world see that studying these things is useful and has great benefits.

Yu Mie's letter also mentioned some matters concerning Kangju, such as how Kuaihu Ben grazed his livestock on the northeastern edge of Kangju and gradually invaded southward over the years, conquering or secretly controlling many city-states. The King of Kangju fled south to avoid the brunt of the attack.

He further mentioned that Persia and the Qin Dynasty had repeatedly fought, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats, resulting in a significant depletion of their national strength. Therefore, Persia was unable to launch an eastward invasion and could only adopt a policy of appeasement and vassalage. He suggested competing with Persia for the cities of Kangju to promote the prestige of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Shao Xun did not give him any reply.

This is not the Han Dynasty anymore, and he doesn't have the same determination as Emperor Wu of Han to halve the national population. Besides, the people nowadays are not as tolerant as they were in the Han Dynasty, making them more prone to rebellion.

We should take our time to develop the Western Regions; we can't rush it.

However, he did not completely dismiss Yu Mie's idea. Yu Yuandu mentioned that the previous attack on the post station was likely carried out by the Persians, and further analyzed that the Persians could not send a large army, so they could only resort to such "petty thefts," taking advantage of their years of local business and deep connections to carry out some underhanded activities such as assassinations.

However, the Kangju people may have been exploited too much, and a considerable number of them are clearly dissatisfied with the Persians. Therefore, they have been secretly communicating with the Liang Dynasty and are even willing to protect the delegation. This is an area where efforts can be made.

Shao Xun pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out what to do next. However, upon hearing Cai Cheng mention the sugar-making method, he prepared to write to Yu Mie, asking him to gather as many seeds, craftsmen, books, and even livestock as possible—yes, livestock could also be useful, enriching genetic resources.

After regaining his composure, he looked at Cai Cheng and said, "We didn't come here today just to discuss how to make sugar, did we?"

"Your Majesty is wise," Cai Chengxian said with a flattery, then continued, "In recent years, bandits in Linyi have become increasingly rampant, constantly crossing the border to settle and cultivate land, sometimes extending dozens of miles inland. Fan Wen made his fortune in maritime trade and is extremely skilled in naval warfare. His ships sometimes sail out to sea off Jiaozhi with ill intentions. I am worried that if this continues, sugar, spices, timber, and rare treasures from the South China Sea will be difficult to transport north, causing the Imperial Treasury to lose a source of revenue and hindering Your Majesty's grand plans."

Shao Xun slammed his fist on the table and stood up somewhat unhappily.

"Are the local soldiers of Jiaozhou capable of fighting?" he asked.

“They are not very capable in battle,” Cai Cheng said. “Most of them are honest and simple country men who are conscripted when there is trouble and dismissed when there is no trouble. Their weapons are often incomplete and their training is unsustainable. If Your Majesty relies on these men, I am afraid you will be disappointed.”

"I just don't understand," Shao Xun said in surprise, "Aren't the people of Jiaozhou and Linyi the same? How can they be so different?"

“They are indeed quite different.” Cai Cheng said with a wry smile, “Actually, I have never seen them myself. I have only heard people who have been to Jiaozhou mention that the people of Linyi are darker-skinned and have different appearances.”

Shao Xun was speechless. How could Fan Wen possibly hang herself from such a dark-skinned matriarch?
"I trust you, as you have handled the affairs of Jiaozhou for many years," Shao Xun said. "After Sun He went south, has anything changed?"

"I do not know that," Cai Cheng replied, a thought flashing through his mind.

His Majesty has this habit; sometimes when asking one person about something, he will subtly probe another person about something else—not because he doesn't know, but because he wants to verify it from multiple perspectives.

However, Cai Cheng did not know how Sun He had done after going to Jiaozhi. He only vaguely heard that the first thing he did was to check the armory and find that many of the weapons were rusted and unusable. He also checked the granary and found that the accounts were a mess. This was due to the transportation problem. Before the first sea transport of Jiaozhou tax grain to Jianye during the Zhenming period, Jiaozhou's tax revenue was mostly self-collected and self-funded, which was why it was a mess.
The governor of Jiaozhou appointed by the Eastern Wu in the past was always a member of the Tao family of Wanling, and this family remained the same after the Jin dynasty came to power. Through long-term management, they had become practically an independent kingdom, so it would be a miracle if their accounts matched.

"Enough," Shao Xun said. "Give Sun Deqing some more time. If things don't improve... Your mother and servants, why are there always thieves coveting my land?"

“Your Majesty, there are always things that cannot be done in a large country,” Cai Cheng said. “But Jiaozhou is indeed crucial, having become the largest source of revenue for the Imperial Treasury. We must not lose it.”

"Does the Crown Prince know about this?" Shao Xun asked.

“The Crown Prince is intelligent and should have sensed something,” Cai Cheng replied.

"Why are you speaking up for him? If you know, you know; if you don't, you don't." Shao Xun smiled and said, "However, what he mentioned last year about transporting large timbers northward did make some sense. Although this matter has been handed over to the Guangzhou Revenue Officer, the Imperial Household Department cannot stand idly by. We should transport the timber as it is, and it would be good to increase our financial resources."

“Yes,” Cai Cheng replied.

“Prepare another sum of money this year—” Shao Xun thought for a moment and said, “Transport more grain, fodder and equipment to Liekou.”

Cai Cheng's face fell, but he still agreed.

He came here today to discuss ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, but it turns out he'll have to fill another huge hole.

Shao Xun saw his expression and burst into laughter.

"Fortunately, Nianliu is capable and didn't cause me too much worry, saving me a lot of money," Shao Xun said. "Let's use the saved funds for the Liekou."

"Your Majesty, this involves crossing the sea," Cai Cheng reminded him.

"It's alright." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "The Crown Prince has caught many lawbreakers while surveying the fields. Sun He has also convicted quite a few people while investigating the treasury in Jiaozhou. There are plenty of boatmen. Let's do it this way. I have nothing to do here."

Helpless, Cai Cheng bowed and took his leave.

After a moment, Wang Huifeng sighed softly and said, "Your Majesty, you are becoming more and more like..."

"What does it look like?" Shao Xun turned around and asked.

Wang Huifeng did not answer.

"Is he a tyrant who has become muddle-headed in his later years?" Shao Xun asked. "No one in the court can control him, and his tyrannical heart grows increasingly arrogant and stubborn?"

Wang Huifeng forced a smile and said, "It's not that serious."

"What harm do I do to others who slander or defame me?" Shao Xun shook his head and said, "To this day, I only want to better integrate this world, and I'll take it one step at a time."

After saying that, he brought Wang Huifeng a bowl of tea, placed it beside her, and then sat down and began to write a letter.

Upon returning to the Imperial Household Department, Cai Cheng also wrote a letter and sent it by fast horse to Piaoyujin.

(End of this chapter)