Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 252 Nostalgia for the Days When We Could Go Online

"They're so enthusiastic."

"My goodness, even thirteen-year-olds are being introduced to me."

"I can't hold on, I can't hold on."

The three little ones didn't return until evening after spending the whole day in the city.

Compared to their high spirits when they left, the three of them returned disheveled and somewhat embarrassed.

It wasn't that they went to a brothel, but rather that they benefited from Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He's strong public support; the long-time residents of the city all knew them.

When the three of them went out, they were all very approachable and mingled with the locals. It wasn't just a physical mingling; they genuinely chatted about everyday life and other matters with each other.

As a result, because their relationship was so good, people who knew them would either sell them goods or gifts, or introduce them to girls.

The latter, in particular, is introduced almost everywhere he goes.

Zhu Di was alright, as everyone knew that His Highness the Prince of Yan had been married for a long time and was related to Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, by marriage.

In contrast, Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He, both 31-year-old unmarried men, rejected countless marriage invitations from powerful figures during the Hongwu era, giving ordinary people a chance to rise to prominence.

If we don't seize this opportunity, we'll be seriously underestimating the wisdom of ordinary people.

In fact, this kind of communication is very necessary, because firstly, Zhu Yunfeng and his group really like to wander around the city, giving off a feeling of "I'm awesome, I'm looking around."

Secondly, it can also address the practical issues of the people and allow us to observe the development of the Hongwu reign, thereby helping Zhu Yuanzhang to propose targeted solutions.

Perhaps because Zhu Yunfeng and his colleagues are so approachable, many people feel that they have a good relationship with them and, without understanding their own situation, come to them for favors or to ask for help.

This situation always left Zhu Yunfeng and his team completely baffled.

We are approachable, but not a wishing well.

It can help people solve some practical difficulties, but why should someone who has no family or friends with you help you get promoted and make a fortune?

Are you here to dream?
Therefore, Zhu Yunfeng and his men naturally ignored such people who didn't know their place. They would simply give them a look, and the guards would separate them.

After a day of playing, we returned home in the evening to find the palace brightly lit. The lanterns that once adorned the palace grounds had long since been replaced with light bulbs.

It was still an incandescent bulb, emitting a soft, warm yellow light. Although it wasn't as bright as an LED bulb, it was more suitable for the palace.

Inside the study of Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang and his crown prince Zhu Biao were sitting in chairs. Zhu Yuanzhang's dragon throne had long been replaced by a high-end genuine leather sofa chair, and his desk was like that of a big boss, made of precious solid wood.

Opposite them was a large sofa, where the three little ones usually lay. The entire layout no longer resembled an emperor's study, but rather the office of a modern-day group chairman.

At this moment, Zhu Biao was sitting at the large table, reporting to Old Zhu on his development plan for the Ming Dynasty over the past year since he went to the Chongzhen Emperor's court.

"From last year to now, a large number of railway tracks have been laid and railway stations have been built in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. Through radio connections, about 2,000 kilometers of railway construction has been completed, which can basically cover the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang region."

Holding a newly printed map of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Biao gestured on it and said, "Father, please look. Currently, the railway extends west to Chizhou, east to Songjiang, north to Huai'an, and south to Shaoxing. The current plan is to extend the railway to Wenzhou and Quanzhou, so that Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangsu can be connected without obstruction. Most of the goods traded by sea go to these places now. The Yangtze River Delta has become the main area for foreign trade activities of the Ming Dynasty, which gives us unique advantages in absorbing gold and silver from around the world. Transportation will greatly expand our commercial capacity."

"Ah."

Looking at the railway network above, Old Zhu nodded and said, "Well done. The Ming Dynasty is not like it is now. Although the modern Yangtze River Delta is also the most important trading region, it still has Shenzhen and Guangzhou as trading hubs. The Ming Dynasty does not have the capabilities of later generations, so it must adapt to local conditions. Jiangnan is a production area for grain and cash crops, and it is also the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Its economy is naturally better than other places. We should develop this area first, make its economy bigger and stronger, and then gradually radiate it to other places."

"That's what I think too. It's a pity that the industrial capacity of the Ming Dynasty is still too weak. At present, we have only built some steel plants. Although there is a large amount of modern machine production, we lack skilled technical workers."

“We can take it slow. Industrial workers don’t require high levels of education. Right now, the Ming Dynasty doesn’t lack labor. We can train workers while helping them learn to read and write.”

"Yes, that's what I'm doing. We've opened a lot of night school classes and are carrying out literacy campaigns in major southern cities. I plan to reduce the illiteracy rate in the Ming Dynasty from the current 95% or more to 10% within at least ten years."

Zhu Biao said with a smile, "Education is not easy. Children have to start reading and writing from elementary school to middle school, high school, and university. They have to spend at least ten years of their lives learning. But the Ming Dynasty can't wait that long. We should focus on basic industry first. Once education is done well, we can improve technology. Anyway, the technology is readily available and can be taken directly from modern times. We don't have to develop from scratch. That would probably take decades or even hundreds of years of accumulation to achieve."

"Hahahahahaha."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said happily, "Thanks to Yunfeng and Xiao Ji, if it weren't for them, the Ming Dynasty would still be poor and destitute. It is also thanks to the good development of the country in later generations and their self-reliance and perseverance that we have the opportunity to take advantage of this. This is the fine tradition of our Han people."

Zhu Biao smiled and then said, "The income and expenditure from last year to this year have been planned, and the income has increased significantly. Even with the reduction of corvée labor and taxes, the agricultural tax alone reached the equivalent of more than 68 million taels of silver, and the total amount of commercial tax was 93.64 million taels, which is already at the level of the Song Dynasty."

"I heard that the Song Dynasty exploited the people and merchants to the extreme, which led to this result, but my Ming Dynasty did not. This undoubtedly shows that my Ming Dynasty is better."

"Actually, it's all about increased productivity. The Song Dynasty also experienced an agricultural revolution with Champa rice, which led to a shift from one-season rice to two or even three-season rice in the south. This greatly increased grain production, population, and social wealth, resulting in higher tax revenue. We have also undergone a modern agricultural technology revolution, greatly improving productivity through the selection of superior seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. This agricultural revolution is even several times more rapid than the one in the Song Dynasty. The grain produced in one year is enough to feed the entire country for seven or eight years, which is why we have the favorable conditions we have today."

“Indeed, Yunfeng is right. We must first secure our grain reserves. With grain in hand, we will have peace of mind before we can do anything else. What is the price of grain in Nanjing now?”

“The price of grain in Nanjing is already very low, almost falling below three qian per shi. I have been doing my best to maintain the price. The large population in Nanjing is the reason why the price of grain can be maintained. In other places, such as many areas in the north, the price of grain has fallen to two qian per shi.”

Is it white rice or brown rice?

"The price of white rice and brown rice is now two qian and seven or eight fen."

"so little?"

Old Zhu frowned.

After the country was stable in the early years of Hongwu, he spent more than ten years developing the industry and worked hard to reduce the price of grain from one or two taels, or even three or four taels per shi, during the early years of the Ming Dynasty, to about five or six qian per shi.

Moreover, it was the price of brown rice. White rice was generally two or three coins more expensive than brown rice. Therefore, around the twelfth year of Hongwu, the price of white rice was about seven or eight coins per shi (a unit of dry measure).

Now that the price has fallen to three coins, it's not just a 50% drop, it's almost a precipitous fall. For farmers, this is nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

It's no wonder that Nanjing's population has suddenly exploded; many people have probably stopped farming and gone to the city to work.

"This is only the result of my efforts. The court has to purchase large quantities of grain every year to make feed for livestock. Otherwise, given the current situation, grain prices would continue to fall."

Zhu Biao shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Father probably doesn't know that our grain production has increased more than three times, almost four times. With such a large population in the Ming Dynasty, it's already good that countless farmers haven't gone bankrupt. Meanwhile, the number of security cases reported by local governments has increased several times over. All kinds of theft, robbery, murder, and fighting are emerging one after another. Many people are too full and have no jobs, which will cause all sorts of problems. Now, your son is thinking about solutions every day."

"Ah."

Old Zhu had been a farmer, so he naturally understood the reasoning behind it.

More food is not necessarily better.

The saying "High grain prices harm the people, low grain prices harm the farmers" was recorded as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty in the Book of Han.

Because farmers also incur costs when cultivating land.

In the first two years, the imperial court brought seeds, fertilizers and pesticides from modern times, which were then distributed to the people by the government for planting.

However, the imperial court also bore the costs.

Although seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides purchased from modern times are very cheap, the Ming Dynasty relied on the entire nation for grain production, making it almost unsustainable for the imperial court to bear the entire cost. Therefore, in the end, farmers still had to buy seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Especially pesticides.

The fertilizer is traditional farmyard manure produced uniformly by Diannongwei. It is not as good as chemical fertilizer, but it can still be made, so the price is slightly lower and ordinary farmers can afford it.

All pesticides were imported, and they couldn't be produced domestically, so prices naturally skyrocketed. Ordinary wealthy farmers couldn't afford them; only landlords would buy some.

In addition, farmers have to pay labor costs, making farming expensive. With rice prices low, they can't even recoup their costs.

You won't starve, but you'll earn very little, and you might even lose money.

If Zhu Biao hadn't organized all the provincial administrations of the Ming Dynasty to purchase large quantities of grain, thus driving up grain prices, and hadn't encouraged farmers to raise chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and sheep, many farmers would probably be bankrupt by now.

In this situation, the Ming Dynasty, in a sense, had also developed a food crisis.

Right now.

There is too much grain on the market, so we don't need that many people to work in agriculture.

However, the industrial capacity of the Ming Dynasty was still relatively weak and could not support such a large population to engage in industrial production, which easily led to a large increase in the number of unemployed people in society, thus causing all sorts of problems.

The Song Dynasty also experienced a similar situation. Their solution was to expand the Imperial Guards and the Garrison Army, increasing the army to a maximum of 125.9 million, in order to address the growing social problems.

Similar situations occurred in my country after the reform and opening up, but with economic development, a large number of laborers entered factories and the construction industry. Coupled with several large-scale rectifications and the widespread use of surveillance cameras and surveillance systems, public security issues have been effectively improved.

In contrast, the Ming Dynasty.

With the widespread adoption of breech-loading rifles in the military, supplemented by rapid-fire cannons and small-scale automatic rifles, the army's combat effectiveness was already unmatched. Further expansion of the army would simply be redundant and meaningless.

However, the process of industrialization is not that fast.

Although a large amount of modern machinery can be directly imported, the quality of personnel and the technology industry have not kept up, which has prevented the country from developing as rapidly as my country.

It can only be said that the current situation of the Ming Dynasty is truly an exceptional case that cannot be found anywhere else in the five thousand years of Chinese history.

Excessive growth in food production has ironically led to social problems in the country's development.

This is also a point that gives Zhu Biao a headache.

"Can't we find a solution in later generations?"

Old Zhu asked.

Zhu Biao perked up and said, "I have two ideas."

"tell me the story."

"First, we need to expand the borders and organize a large number of people to develop the Northeast. Now is the perfect time to develop the Northeast. As long as we do a good job in keeping warm, the Northeast will soon become a prosperous and rich land. We need to develop industry now. The Northeast is rich in minerals. We can start developing it now, just by building cities and villages and accommodating people. When heavy industry develops in the future, the Northeast will quickly become an industrial base."

"Hmm, not bad, that's a brilliant idea. What's the second one?"

"The second is going to sea."

"Oh?"

"I have carefully studied the current world situation. The Western world is currently at the beginning of the Renaissance. The Hundred Years' War between England and France, although it has a short truce, will soon break out again. In addition, Europe is in the process of rebuilding after the Black Death. It has not yet entered the Age of Exploration and is so poor that it is practically selling its pants. I am thinking that if we can develop the Americas first, or further explore Southeast Asia, it will be of great help to the future of the Ming Dynasty standing at the top of the world."

"Ah, very good."

After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and nodded slightly, indicating that there was no problem.

In a sense, the Ming Dynasty is now at the pinnacle of the world, but it is unable to communicate with the rest of the world and has not yet fully entered the industrial age.

Steam engines can be mass-produced through the Huangzhuang Factory, but currently their production is limited to the entire East Asian region.

The Ming Dynasty's naval construction scope included Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

However, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa are all rich lands. With the current development of the Ming Dynasty, it is not a dream to enter the era of internal combustion engines within twenty years.

If possible, Zhu Yuanzhang could have obtained internal combustion engines and old early automobile blueprints from modern times, and then had steel mills in places like Wu'an and Qian'an manufacture internal combustion engines to start producing automobiles directly.

It's unrealistic to start running before you've even learned to walk.

The Ming Dynasty is still in the stage of building brick factories and cement plants everywhere. It will be at least several years before highways can be built. Cars can only be manufactured after large-scale infrastructure construction begins. It is too early now.

So the time hasn't come yet.

But it's soon.

The Ming Dynasty is now developing rapidly, a vibrant and thriving place where everything is flourishing.

The Ming Dynasty's finances did not rely on domestic demand, but instead directly imported silver dollars from the modern world. It had no shortage of wealth and food. With a solid foundation, everything else could be done quickly.

What we lack now is industrial workers. As long as we train industrial workers, we can enter the Second Industrial Revolution within ten years and complete it within twenty years. It will not be difficult to popularize oil, gas and electricity in all aspects.

It is not entirely impossible that we will enter the information age of the Third Industrial Revolution within thirty years.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty currently lacks nothing: money, food, people, technology, and machinery. What it lacks is skilled industrial workers, much like the situation in the United States in later generations.

"Ancestor, Great-Uncle."

Just then, the three little ones came in from outside the door. Zhu Yunfeng greeted them and sat down on the sofa, saying, "It's so comfortable here, just like being at home."

"hehe."

Old Zhu was pleased to hear about the rapid development of the Ming Dynasty in recent years. He smiled and said, "This place has always been your home."

"I have to go back later. We've been out of contact for so long, the company is probably going to call the police and say I'm missing."

"Okay, then come over tomorrow for a meeting to discuss the current development of the Ming Dynasty, and also to talk about future development issues."

"Then let's go first."

The three little ones left again without stopping.

They desperately want to return to modern times.

I miss the days when we could access the internet.

(End of this chapter)