In the study room of the Qianqing Palace, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, the weather in our country will be good this year. Good news has come from all over the country. There will be a bumper harvest. It is expected that the food harvested this year will be enough to feed our country for ten years!"
Tong Rui, the Minister of Household Affairs, reported this year's autumn harvest to Emperor Zhengde Zhu Houzhao with a smile on his face.
In the past few years, there were either droughts or floods, but this year finally ushered in a year of good weather, and various parts of the Ming Dynasty also ushered in a bumper harvest.
"Okay, the food grown in one year is enough to last for ten years. Our Ming Dynasty will no longer have to worry about famine."
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately nodded happily.
Farming and mulberry farming are the foundation of the country. Only when agriculture is developed and food is sufficient, society will not have problems, and other walks of life can prosper on this basis.
If there is a problem with agriculture and there is not even enough food to fill the stomach, it is nonsense to talk about anything else. The first task is to solve the problem of feeding more than 400 million people in the Ming Dynasty.
"The grain produced this year is enough to last for ten years. This is much more than the grain produced in previous good harvest years."
After Liu Jin heard this, he thought about it and said.
"Yes!"
"According to statistical data from various places, the planting area of grain in various parts of Ming Dynasty has increased significantly in recent years, especially in Black Tu Province, Hezhong Province, Liaodong Province, Guangdong and Guangxi and Beihuangzhou."
"There is a large amount of land that has not been cultivated in these places. There used to be a bumper harvest of grain, but the price of grain was extremely low and could not be sold. Farmers were not very enthusiastic about farming, and they planted more cash crops such as cotton."
"In recent years, our grain has been exported to all parts of the world, especially Europe, the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and other places. Although the price of grain is still very low, it can be sold, and farmers are much more motivated to farm. "
"Especially in Black Earth Province and Northern Golden Continent, these two places are close to Europe and food can be easily transported to Europe for sale, so a large amount of land has been reclaimed."
"Both Black Earth Province and Northern Golden Continent have vast fertile plains, which are very suitable for mechanized farming. The farming efficiency is high, the harvest is good, and the efficiency is very good."
"In addition, the population of our Ming Dynasty is now much larger than before. A large number of new generations have grown up, and they have gradually become an important labor force in society."
"Together, these factors have made our Ming Dynasty's cultivated land many times larger than before, and our grain output has naturally increased greatly."
Tong Rui reported to everyone in detail the situation of Ming Dynasty's agriculture.
Generally speaking, the Ming Dynasty has a vast territory and a large amount of uncultivated land. Now that these lands are slowly being developed, coupled with mechanized farming methods, the output has naturally increased.
In the past, farmers were reluctant to farm because the income from farming was not good. It was difficult to sell the food produced, and if the price was not paid, who would farm the land?
It is better to use some land to grow pasture, raise cattle and sheep, and use good grain to raise chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Even if you have land, you don't want to farm it.
"Then the price of grain will definitely be very low this year. The low price of grain will hurt farmers. We still have to find a way to sell this grain."
Wang Shouren thought for a while and then said worriedly.
This bumper harvest of food should be a happy thing, but when there is so much food that we can’t eat it all and can’t sell it, it becomes a headache.
Farmers have worked hard for a year hoping to sell this grain in exchange for some money. There has been a bumper harvest in various places in the Ming Dynasty. The price of this grain will definitely drop sharply, and in many places the grain cannot be sold at all.
go out.
"Well, we have to find a way to sell these grains."
Liu Jin also nodded in agreement.
The Ming Dynasty will have a bumper harvest of grain this year, not because in the past few years it has insisted on large-scale exports of grain to Europe, the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and other regions.
Exporting grain at extremely low prices makes it cheaper than locally produced grain when shipped to the local area.
It is precisely because of such low prices that a large amount of grain was exported to Europe, the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and other regions, allowing farmers to sell their grain, which increased their enthusiasm.
If it cannot be sold now, farmers' enthusiasm for farming will be frustrated again, and I am afraid that next year's grain planting area will drop significantly.
"How will the European grain harvest be this year?"
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and asked.
"Your Majesty, according to what we know now, the food production in Europe will drop sharply this year."
“On the one hand, it’s because of the ongoing war in Europe. Many places have been affected by the war, and agriculture has been greatly affected. Especially France, the largest producer in Western Europe, has been attacked by Spain from the north to the south. It is currently in danger, and food cultivation has been greatly affected.
"
"Secondly, our layout in Europe in the past few years has caused many nobles in Europe to choose to raise sheep in enclosures, which has greatly reduced grain cultivation."
Liu Jin also quickly reported to Zhu Houzhao.
"It just so happens that we will continue dumping grain to Europe this year. We can sell it cheaper than last year, as long as the grain is sold to demand."
"Let them eat cheap food for a few years first, and when the time comes, we will take back the capital with profits."
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately smiled and said.
"yes!"
Liu Jin nodded solemnly.
Now is the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The climate is erratic and years of famine often occur. It is very easy to acquire Europe.
The impact of low-priced food on agriculture across Europe has made them dependent. When the right time comes and the price suddenly increases, they will eat it even if they don't want to eat it. Even if the price is high, they will buy it with tears.
Come down.
It's impossible not to eat.
This trick was used very well by Americans in later generations, and it harvested the wealth of countless places.
Food is definitely the most terrifying weapon!
Compared with the Ming Dynasty, it is nothing now, because technology has not yet developed to the level of genetic technology, and it is impossible to produce genetically modified grains and seeds.
If technology develops, it will not only be possible to control grains, but also the seeds of grains. At that point, the most terrifying thing will be. Even the seeds will be controlled by you. Even if you want to plant your own land, you can plant them.
It doesn't work.
Once you get to that point, you are basically meat on someone else's chopping board, and you can eat it however you want.
"Your Majesty, the Chief Envoy of Huguang, Qi Zuo, hopes to build a bridge across the Yangtze River in Hanyang."
Fang Yongliang, Minister of Industry, stood up and reported to Zhu Houzhao.
"Build the Yangtze River Bridge?"
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he immediately became energetic.
As an emperor of this generation, of course he wants to leave something to future generations. A bridge that can benefit future generations is undoubtedly an excellent thing.
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge built during the period of Emperor Hongzhi has now become a landmark building of the Ming Empire. The bridge spans the north and south, and the natural chasm becomes a thoroughfare.
Because of the existence of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, travel between the north and the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty has become extremely convenient and fast. Trains can run directly from the north to the south.
Now the Yangtze River Bridge is being built in Hanyang, Huguang, and this must be supported.
"What's the approximate budget?"
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and asked.
The budget system was also developed by Liu Jin. When Liu Jin was the Minister of Household Affairs, he came up with the budget system. All expenditures would be planned in advance and a budget given. In this way, fiscal expenditures would be planned, and
It will be relatively reasonable and all aspects can be taken care of.
This is completely different from the situation in the previous Hubu. In the past, the Hubu capital could not make ends meet. Many times, they knew how to save blindly, and the money was not used wisely. Some things that had to be done were not done, which led to the Ming Dynasty court.
The control and influence over the entire country is very weak.
The budget system has continued from its emergence to the present. Everyone has become accustomed to looking at the relevant budget first and doing it if possible.
"It is estimated that approximately 50 million taels of silver will be needed!"
Fang Yongliang said quickly: "Huguang can raise about 20 million taels of silver locally, and the court needs to allocate 30 million taels of silver."
"The model also adopts the model of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. Whoever invests will benefit, and it will be listed on the Tianjin Exchange for trading."
"It doesn't cost a lot of money. Huguang is located in the middle area. It's also very good to have a bridge. What do you guys think?"
Zhu Houzhao also nodded after hearing this. It doesn't cost much money. Now the Ming Empire's annual fiscal revenue is close to 2 billion taels of silver. Spending 30 million taels of silver is nothing at all.
Moreover, this is an investment, and it can gradually pay off in the future. For example, the current rate of return on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is pretty good, and it can receive millions of taels of tolls every year.
"Your Majesty, this is a good thing that will benefit the present generation and benefit the future. Of course, we must support it."
"However, the standards must still refer to the standards of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. The bridge can be built, but it must be built higher so that it cannot affect the navigation of the Yangtze River."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jin nodded to show his support.
Although the infrastructure of the Ming Dynasty was pretty good, it was still far behind compared with later generations. The Yangtze River Bridge can definitely be built, but the navigation of the Yangtze River cannot be affected just because of the construction of the bridge.
You must know that because of the Yangtze River, Huguang, Jiangxi and other places are now developing extremely rapidly. The long sword's convenient water transportation makes the difference between these places and coastal areas not big.
In the early stage, a large amount of money was spent to dredge the Yangtze River channel, build docks, etc., not all to maximize the value of the Yangtze River's golden waterway.
Facts have proved to be very useful. Huguang and Jiangxi have developed very rapidly, which has also promoted the development of Guizhou, Chongqing and other regions.
Huguang has also developed and become rich, so the idea of building a Yangtze River Bridge can be thought of.
