My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 345 Old Zhu is a little enlightened
"After saying so much, Lao Zhu, you should understand which country I am talking about, right?

After all, when I was explaining to you the future and our relationship with Annan, I mentioned the world situation at that time.

In summary, the reasons why this once powerful country collapsed are naturally diverse and complex, including its economic rigidity, trade rigidity and other factors. "

He began to piece together this series of logical chains in his mind.

To realize the blueprint you have envisioned, the first condition is to have the ability to efficiently allocate production tasks, ensure collaborative work among departments, and successfully achieve production targets. This ability undoubtedly comes from the reasonable distribution of power.

But the question is, as the emperor of the Ming Empire, does he need to redistribute the power in his hands?

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart was in turmoil, and a conflicting emotion was stirring in his chest. He thought to himself that perhaps continuing to read would help him solve this confusion.

Zhu Yuanzhang is conflicted again. Never mind. Let’s just keep reading.

“When everything is just starting out, the advantages of planned production are particularly significant. It can quickly gather the required resources, formulate detailed plans based on actual needs, and then make precise production allocations.

This is like a sharp sword, using good steel on the blade, greatly avoiding waste of resources and saving precious time.

As the old saying goes, 'Where the collective strength is applied, nothing can stop it.' In the early stages of Ming Dynasty's industrialization, it was you, Old Zhu, who created one miracle after another by relying on the centralized dispatch of resources of the court and even the whole country and the planned allocation of production resources."

In the early stages of Ming Dynasty industry, it was you, Old Zhu, who concentrated the resources of the court and even the whole country and implemented a planned allocation and dispatch of production resources, which enabled you to create one success after another in a short period of time. "

“When everyone works together, nothing can stop them.” Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but nod his head repeatedly, feeling a strong resonance in his heart.

Isn't this exactly his original intention of promoting planned production? However, Lao Li's previous argument was like a bucket of cold water, making him doubt whether this path was really feasible.

In his eyes, businessmen are always unreliable. But if, as Lao Li said, the entire production system becomes rigid and cannot flexibly respond to the endless contradictions in economic activities, then this path may not be worth continuing.

However, according to what Lao Li said before, is this road really not feasible? Zhu Yuanzhang was still unwilling to give up. To him, businessmen were not trustworthy. But if the entire production department really became rigid and hardened as Lao Li said, and could no longer flexibly respond to the various contradictions arising from economic activities, then it would be better not to take this road.

Eh, that’s not right!

At this time, he thought of another economic strategy deeply rooted in history - the salt and iron monopoly. His thoughts were like a messenger traveling through time and space, bringing him back to the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period.

At that time, Guan Zhong, a famous prime minister of Qi, proposed a decree on salt and iron monopoly with his extraordinary wisdom. This decree was like a magic key, opening the door to Qi's economic prosperity, making it grow rapidly in a short period of time and becoming one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. With the rich income brought by the salt and iron monopoly, Qi not only consolidated its national defense, but also vigorously developed agriculture and handicrafts, making the country's strength flourish. Since then, the salt and iron monopoly has become an important source of income for the courts of all dynasties. It is like a stable treasury, providing a steady stream of financial support for the operation of the country.

Even in the Ming Dynasty, although the "Opening the Chinese Market" was adopted to allow merchants to participate in the sale of salt, the right to produce salt was always firmly in the hands of the court. As for iron, it was a strategic material related to national security, and its mining and smelting were strictly controlled by the court.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to see a new dawn. He was thinking about whether this monopoly system could be further expanded, so that certain important production departments, such as salt and iron, could be operated exclusively by the court, while other parts could be left to the private sector to develop.

Such an approach can not only ensure that the court controls the production direction of the main industrial sectors, but also allow other less important industries to fully compete and develop, allowing the private economy to develop freely and full of vitality under orderly guidance.

He seemed to see a brand new economic framework slowly unfolding before his eyes.

This idea made Zhu Yuanzhang extremely excited. He realized that this might be the key to solving the current problem.

He understood that Lao Li's reminder was not to completely deny the planned production framework, but to remind him not to be too obsessed with a certain model, but to be flexible and adjust and optimize economic policies according to actual conditions.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, as if he had found a key to open the door to a new world.

Lao Li's reminder was like a flash of lightning that cut through the fog in his mind, making him realize that planned production is not a panacea, nor is it absolutely undesirable. It can indeed improve production efficiency to a certain extent and ensure the rational allocation of resources, but it can also lead to the rigidity of the industrial chain and the inability to flexibly respond to market changes.

Zhu Yuanzhang began to reflect on his past practices, wondering whether he was too obsessed with the framework of planned production and neglected the power of the market and the vitality of the people.

He realized that Lao Li's words did not deny this production model, but were reminding him to flexibly use various means to maintain economic stability and prosperity while stimulating market vitality and creativity.

Thinking of this, he suddenly understood and continued reading. He felt that Lao Li should think the same way.

"Of course, this model is not without merit."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became alert. Could it be that what Old Li said was...

He put down the letter in his hand, his eyes firm and deep. He knew that the road ahead was still long and full of challenges. But with Lao Li's reminder and inspiration, he believed that he could find a development path suitable for Daming.

"Old Li, Old Li, you are indeed a good medicine for my Ming Dynasty." Zhu Yuanzhang was silently grateful in his heart. He knew that the reason why he could have today's understanding was inseparable from Old Li's careful teaching and selfless sharing.

(End of this chapter)