When Zichan asked Li Ran about the New Deal, Li Ran did not hesitate for a moment and directly put forward an idea that he had already thought about well before.
"The reason why the common people are not very active is that they do not know the effectiveness of reclaiming wasteland."
"After all, the new policy implemented by the doctor is an unprecedented initiative. They are born as people and have no experience to draw from. Therefore, what they are worried about is that if they reclaim wasteland this year, there will be no guarantee of drought or flood.
If they continue to rely on their old masters and are squeezed even harder by the old masters, then they will have no choice but to die."
"But what if we can guarantee that these common people will not be destitute within two years and will still have food rations to survive?"
Li Ran's words immediately aroused Zichan's deep thought.
This is indeed the current situation.
The most fundamental reason why it is difficult to mobilize the enthusiasm of the people at the bottom is that they are worried that they will starve to death during the lean period or natural disasters, which will directly lead to the failure to collect the New Year's rations.
After all, although they worked as tenants for the rich and powerful in the past, they were still able to get enough food to survive droughts and floods, and at least they could still make ends meet.
Now you ask them to bear the responsibility for their own profits and losses and open up wasteland by themselves. Even if the policy sounds great and good, it actually does not solve any of their difficulties, so how many people are willing to do this kind of high-risk work?
Woolen cloth?
Thinking of this, Zichan immediately raised his head and looked at Li Ran with a different look.
"Then... what is Ziming's advice?"
He knew that since Li Ran said this, he must have some opinions.
At this time, Li Ran no longer hid it, but said bluntly:
"If you want to mobilize the common people to actively reclaim wasteland, you may want to use the method of money!"
"Zi Qian?"
Zichan frowned, looking a little confused.
At this time, Li Ran continued to explain:
"The so-called money, for merchants, is a way to raise money with money! However, now it is put here, in short, it means that we can find ways to lend money to the people to ensure their basic needs."
Obviously, what Li Ran was talking about was what later generations called "agricultural loans."
"Lending grain, rice and property to the common people?"
"What does this mean?"
Hearing this, Zichan was confused.
From ancient times to the present, I have never heard of an official lending food, rice, and property to the common people. The common people pay taxes to finance the national treasury. These are all natural and reasonable things. If it is worse, many kings of the last days will
Will taxes be pushed back decades into the future!
Why should officials lend money and food to the common people? If we do this, wouldn't it be putting the cart before the horse?
"Doctor, don't be impatient, just listen to the explanation."
Li Ran paused, then raised his hands and said slowly:
"If the officials directly distribute money to the people, it will be difficult to do so with the national strength of Zheng. Furthermore, if the official treasury is used, the officials headed by Feng Duan will inevitably be attacked.
common opposition."
"Therefore, I think that the officials can use the financial resources of the Ji family and other wealthy merchants as the source of the money, and use the state's taxes as the guarantee of the money. This can dispel their concerns and suggest that all the merchants and wealthy families can distribute the money to the common people."
Money."
"In this way, after the Ji clan and other wealthy families have tasted the benefits, they will be able to follow the policy wishes and spare no effort to cooperate with the implementation of the doctor's new policy. By then, there will be official support at the top and support from the wealthy families at the bottom, so the bottom will
What else do the common people have to worry about?"
"And if the common people can obtain support from the wealthy families, and then obtain the rice seeds used to cultivate young crops and the land title deeds from the officials, then these common people will be able to reclaim wasteland normally without incurring additional costs.
"
"At that time, even if there is a disaster and these people have no harvest for the whole year, they don't have to worry about becoming refugees directly. They only need to replant for the previous season, and they can always make their money back."
The essence of agricultural loans is actually to improve farmers' ability to withstand stress in disguised form, thereby increasing farmers' enthusiasm for production.
At this point, Li Ran is the clearest.
"But... in this case, if the wealthy families want to make a lot of money from their wealth, wouldn't these assets be directly plundered by the wealthy families?"
Zichan is indeed an extremely good politician, although he has never been exposed to "economic" issues. However, relying only on common sense, he was able to immediately think of one of the most critical issues - the redistribution of interests.
After all, if the money-making business is all distributed by merchants and merchants like the Ji clan, then even if they make money, it will only be made by a large or wealthy family. What benefit will this bring to the official family?
If the official family cannot make money, but the people become rich, isn't this "the country is weak but the people are rich"? Once the tail is too big, it may lead to turmoil.
"In fact, I have already thought about this."
"At the beginning of distributing the money, the official can indicate that half of the profits from the money should be turned over to the office to replenish the national treasury. The other quarter should be used as a reserve fund to prevent the country from unexpected needs."
"After a few years, when the national treasury is replenished and the people gradually settle down, the government can set an upper limit on the interest rate of its money based on market trends so that it can continue to benefit the people. In addition, it can also prevent
A wealthy family only relies on their children's money to get rich."
At the beginning, let the wealthy families try their best to explore. If problems arise during the operation, they can be allowed to make flexible decisions on their own.
To put it bluntly, even if something does go wrong, in the end it will only be a small loss suffered by a large number of wealthy families, and the official family, as its rear, will not suffer any losses.
When the time is ripe and Ziqian begins to take shape, the officials will come forward to centrally regulate it, thus directly transforming into a mutually beneficial relationship between the officials and the people.
On the one hand, it can prevent aristocratic families from demanding too much from the common people. On the other hand, it can also prevent aristocratic families from becoming too big to lose money by buying and selling money.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After listening to this, Zichan figured out all the joints before and after, and suddenly realized that this business is indeed a sure profit!
Moreover, it can be said to be profitable for everyone from the government to the merchants and the common people. It is definitely a good idea that is unique in thousands!
Of course, the most important thing is that the risk of money is also relatively controllable.
For ordinary people, the only reason why large-scale poverty alleviation can only be caused by natural disasters.
However, if the country is hit by disasters on all sides and the people have no harvest, the chance of this happening is really very small.
"Caicaicai!"
Zichan was greatly surprised when he thought of this. He said "cai" three times in a row, and his face was full of joy.
But the next moment, he suddenly became cautious again.
The practice of Zi Qian in this era can be described as shocking.
From the officials to the common people, this is the first time.
As mentioned before, in this era where everything must adhere to the rules, the more novel something is, the more puzzled it will be by the world.
"Zi Qian" is obviously the same.
What Zichan is worried about is that once this agenda is proposed in court, it will inevitably encounter strong opposition.
"Above the court, now Doctor Boshi is seeking help from the doctor, and he is also attracted by the unsettling factor of Doctor Sihei. Therefore, if the doctor is pushing this matter forward, no one will openly oppose it, at least
… There will not be as strong an opposition to the New Deal as before.”
Li Ran's actions are definitely not without purpose.
Since he dared to make this suggestion, it must have been carefully considered.
When Zichan heard this, his mind changed and he immediately nodded in agreement.
"The Xuntun Alliance meeting has just ended, and the ranking of the Seven Ministers has been determined. If Qiao insists on going his own way, only Zipi, Uncle Zi, and Zi Shi will support Qiao. I understand that the others will have nothing to say."
In the past, Feng Duan, Si Hei and others opposed the New Deal with strong and resolute attitudes.
But now, after the incident between Si Hei and You Chu, after Si Hei turned against Feng Duan in the court, and after the alliance with Xun Tun, Zi Chan's personal prestige has been gathered, and his position is even more unbreakable.
In this way, it is natural for this matter to be passed in the court.
Then, another question follows:
"However, Zi Ming, in the final analysis, we still need a hero like Ji Shi-->>
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The big clan is taking the lead, but if you want them to pay for it...I'm afraid it won't be a simple matter..."
Even if the matter of money can be passed in the court, would a wealthy family like the Ji family be willing to pay this money for the official family?
In other words, are Jishi and other wealthy merchants willing to take this risk?
And this is what Li Ran has to solve next.
Chapter 187 Clan Sacrifice Discussion
The implementation of Zi Qian not only relies on the policies formulated by the officials, but also requires the full support of wealthy families such as the Ji clan.
Now in the court, it is not a big problem to force this matter through just relying on Zichan's personal prestige.
On the contrary, it's the Ji clan's side.
"Ziming, do you have confidence?"
Zichan is still a little worried. After all, this matter seems to be very simple, but if it is really implemented, the difficulty is really not the slightest.
Furthermore, these merchants are all willing to give up early without profit. If you want them to benefit the common people first, and hope to repay you in the future, will they really agree? Isn't this a bit too self-deceiving?
"I don't dare to say too much, but I can be roughly 70% sure."
Li Ran didn't dare to hide it, but he still seemed more confident.
"Only 70%?"
"I'm afraid that's not enough..."
Zichan murmured, his face looking thoughtful for a moment.
Of course he knew that the key to this matter was how to convince wealthy families such as the Ji clan to participate in the operation of Zi Qian.
So although he was also thinking about it, he couldn't think of any way to help Li Ran. He couldn't think of any better reason that would make Li Ran more convincing in the process of lobbying for sacrifice.
Now he only has the power in his hands. If he is asked to force the apportionment, that may be a way. But after thinking about it, he feels that since he is a minister in power, if he forces the apportionment to be distributed, and requires
All merchants and merchants must do this. Not only may it be counterproductive, but it is also bound to be unpopular and will inevitably lead to criticism.
"Leave the matter of lobbying wealthy merchants to Ran."
"Although I'm only 70% sure, it's still a lot. Which thing in the world can I be 100% sure about? If so, I'm afraid it won't happen."
Li Ran's actions have always been eccentric and do not follow common sense, so it is impossible to be 100% sure of everything...c0m
But even so, he was still confident.
What's more, in this matter, he, the "future man", also has a lot of experience to draw from.
So, the two of them rushed back to Zhengyi overnight, because tomorrow was the day of the clan meeting within the Ji clan.
…
In the afternoon of the next day, within the Ji clan, all the clans rushed back from all directions early to participate in the clan meeting.
This was the first clan meeting since Zheng Yi's death, so it naturally seemed very solemn.
In fact, if we follow past practice, there will be a clan meeting within the Ji clan every month.
However, after Li Ran became the head of the Ji clan, this unwritten rule gradually changed as Li Ran often traveled to Jin as an envoy and participated in meetings in Guodi.
The current internal clan meeting of the sacrificial clan must be initiated by the head of the family and the family chief, and the whole clan is summoned to participate in the meeting. The time is uncertain, but once it is held, it means that something big is bound to happen.
This is not difficult to understand.
Because before Li Ran became the head of the Ji family, the divisions within the Ji family were quite serious. Especially when Shu Niu was in office, the internal struggles within the Ji family were quite fierce, and clan discussions often became the occasion for them to compete with each other.
Therefore, it is held once a month. Regardless of whether the matter can be resolved or not, it has always been the usual method of putting pressure on the ancestors through clan meetings.
After Li Ran became the head of the Ji family, he and Ji Le managed the Ji family's industry, always following the "no fuss" method.
Therefore, not only do they have the full support of the elders of the Yizhan clan, but in fact, due to Ji Le's conscientious work, the Ji clan rarely encounters really thorny big problems.
In addition, with Li Ran, the family leader, taking care of the situation, Ji Xian was very relieved. Therefore, clan discussions were no longer a way for the Ji clan to fight within the clan, but instead became a way for the Ji clan to negotiate internally and promote business relationships with the clan members.
platform.
After all, the industries and businesses controlled by elders of various ethnic groups are different. In some aspects, the results can be achieved better if everyone works together.
This is what later generations called the board of directors.
The clan sacrifice meeting was held this time mainly because Chu State had recently become the leader of the alliance. Zheng State was too close to Chu State and was suspected by other countries. Qi State, Song State, Cao State, etc. all began to exclude people from
The caravans of Zheng State, especially the caravans of Ji clan.
It is not difficult to understand the worries of these countries. After all, once the Chu State advances northward, the Zheng State will be the first to bear the brunt, and according to the military strength of the Zheng State, it is absolutely impossible to be the opponent of the Chu State. So they are currently competing with the Zheng State.
Business is equivalent to one more risk.
Moreover, now all the countries in the Central Plains are wary of Zheng State because Zheng State is too close to Chu State.
"The countries in the north, except for Jin and Lu, are now squeezing out my caravan of sacrifices. Our trade with these countries has been at a standstill for nearly a month. It can be said that we have suffered great losses."
"Qi, Song, Cao, Wei and other countries are the most hateful. If they hadn't relied on me to sacrifice their clans, connect the north and south, and connect the east and west, they would have benefited greatly! But now that Chu has become the leader of the alliance, and because I, Zheng, are in the north of Chu
It is truly a treacherous country to abandon each other like this!"
"I will scold and scold, and I will get angry, but there still has to be a way to resolve this matter."
As soon as the clan elder finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Li Ran.
Yes, the main task of the family leader is to solve the problems in the family. Although the decision-making power is in the hands of the family leader, the family leader has to come up with corresponding solutions.
Ji Xian also looked at Li Ran with everyone, and said:
"Ziming, what do you think about this matter?"
It is said that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.
Li Ran had not understood this sentence before, but now he has a deep understanding of it.
However, despite this, he couldn't help but murmur: These old men have no other skills, but the ability to spread their hands is really stupid!
Your trade with other countries has stopped. Do you still need to discuss such small matters? In the past, were all the tributes you exchanged with the ministers and officials of other countries in vain?
You still need me to make up your mind on such a simple matter? Everyone is too lazy, right?
"Haha, from my son-in-law's opinion, this matter is simple."
"The reason why the trade between the various countries and our clan has stopped is simply because they are worried that our country, Zheng, will be coveted by the country of Chu."
"But trade between countries should be mutually beneficial to both parties. If we lose money, do they make a profit? If I, Jishi, were not at the center of the world to coordinate the north and south and connect the east and west, how could their domestic goods be entrusted to them?
With whom? And where will the benefits come from?"
"That's why my son-in-law thinks that this matter can be urgent but not slow, hard and not soft!"
At this point, Li Ran paused for a moment and then continued speaking.
"As far as my son-in-law knows, the country with which our Jishi trade is most frequent today is the State of Jin, followed by the State of Qin. As long as these two countries still have normal trade with our Jishi, they will suffer losses and it will hardly hurt us. Sacrifice the bones and muscles of the clan."
"Since Qi, Song, Cao Wei and other countries want to cause trouble, we, the Ji family, can't just watch. We can just give them some color."
It is obvious that Li Ran's handling of this matter was extremely forceful.
You don't want to do business with me, do you?
Okay, then everyone should stop doing business, let’s see who is anxious!
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
"Huh? What does the family manager want to do?"
All the elders were stunned because they felt a vague sense of oppression from Li Ran's tone.
And this sense of oppression made them feel a little uneasy.
Even though he was worshiping the ancestor, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
Businessmen are driven by nature to seek profit and take "shun" as their main guideline. But what Li Ran calls "returning favor with kindness" is obviously not in line with business ethics.