Li Jiye came and left in a hurry, and soon left Tianjin and began to make arrangements according to Liu Jin's instructions.
"These salt merchants, you are just a group of worms who got rich by relying on policies. You have no technical content at all, and you have not made any contribution to this country. Instead, you are parasitic on Ming Dynasty. The more you eat, the more fat you get. In the end,
Ruin this dynasty."
Liu Jin didn't have the slightest fondness for those salt merchants.
Salt is obviously a very cheap thing, but after passing through the hands of these salt merchants, it is difficult for ordinary people to afford it.
A pound of salt costing tens of renminbi is often short of a pound or two, and there is still silt seeping into it. These salt merchants have made each of these salt merchants fat and strong, and each of them is very arrogant.
Profiting from the salt policy will not make any contribution to the dynasty or the people of this land. Liu Jin will not show any mercy to such a group.
The purpose of establishing the Changlu Saltworks is to dig out these parasites from their roots so that they lose the basis for their livelihood. Once they leave the salt thing, no matter how big these salt merchants are, they will fall apart.
.
After all, the reason why these salt merchants can obtain such huge benefits is not because these salt merchants are good at doing business, nor is it because these salt merchants have mastered advanced technology. The reason why they can develop and grow is entirely because of the salt government.
the existence of the system.
The existence of this system allows salt merchants like them to monopolize salt, which is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Because of the monopoly, they can be unscrupulous and greedy. What was originally only a few pennies per pound has gone through the hands of these salt merchants.
More than ten times.
On the one hand, they continued to hollow out the finances of the Ming Dynasty, and on the other hand, they continued to exploit the people who were already struggling to survive.
They were just a group of parasites that lived on Ming's body. They kept sucking Ming's blood and became bigger and bigger, while the Ming court and the people of Ming became thinner and thinner, and finally collapsed.
After visiting the salted fish factory, Liu Jin came to Tianjin Port again.
The wharf where the whaling ship docked was crowded with people, and all kinds of shouts came one after another. The big whale that Liu Jin left when he left had been completely dismembered.
Large pieces of bright red whale meat were placed on the chopping board. Businessmen specializing in whale business were constantly bargaining, trying to buy some whale meat at a lower price.
Barrels after barrels of whale oil were directly wrapped up by Tianjin Soap Factory and Tianjin Candle Factory. The former was also an industry under Liu Jin, specializing in the production of soap for bathing. In the past, the output was not high, but with the development of the whaling industry
, a large amount of cheap oils can be obtained, and the development of Tianjin soap factory is also extremely rapid.
Even though a bar of soap is not worth a lot of money, its output is large, its sales are booming, and its development is extremely fast. Not only can it meet the needs of many industrial employees under Liu Jin's command for soap, but a large number of soaps have also begun to be sold to the outside world, and profits have been growing.
growth of.
As for the Tianjin Candle Factory, it was started by a former candle-making workshop owner here in Tianjin. Whale oil is the best oil. When used for burning, it is not only very resistant to burning, stable, but also free of any dust and odor. It is still the same now.
It gradually became the most popular lighting oil among the upper class of Ming Dynasty.
Whale skin, whale baleen, whale treasures, etc. are the most popular goods. Once dismembered, they are bought at high prices. Some people even want whale bones, because it is said that whale bones are sacred bones and are used to make
It is the best instrument for various kinds of sacrifices, and can also be used to ward off evil spirits, avoid taboos, etc.
Whale's internal organs are also a sought-after item, and they are bought immediately as soon as they are put on display. A huge whale, Liu Jin only left it for a short time, and was dismembered in the blink of an eye.
"It seems right to develop the whaling industry. The meat and oil provided by one whale are enough to be worth hundreds of pigs and lead cattle. The slaughter of one whale can benefit tens of thousands of people."
"I'm just afraid that if the development is too rapid, everyone will drain the lake and there will be no whales to catch in the future."
As the leader of the whale industry, Liu Jin was both happy and worried about the scene before him.
Fortunately, the whaling industry is booming, and the people of the Ming Dynasty can enjoy the benefits of the whaling industry, including a large amount of cheap meat, oil, etc. These are all good things and real benefits.
What is worrying is that Liu Jin is very aware of the greedy nature of human beings. Once overfished, there will be fewer and fewer whales, and eventually the fish will be exhausted.
But soon Liu Jin shook his head slightly. He was just starting to get up now. Is it too early to worry about this? What's more, if the Ming Dynasty fully opens the sea ban in the future and the Ming Dynasty can conquer the world, the problem he is worried about will become more redundant.
.
"These problems should be left to future generations to solve. When that day comes, they should understand the principles of sustainable development."
Liu Jin smiled, and then quickly locked his eyes on Zhu Houzhao.
At this time, Zhu Houzhao, covered in blood, was very excitedly cutting whale meat with a big chopping knife. He looked like a butcher, and it was impossible to tell that he was the prince of the Ming Dynasty.
"Come, come, here's the whale meat, here's the whale meat, the best whale meat, only three pennies a pound~"
Zhu Houzhao seemed to be experiencing a whole-body life, experiencing the feeling of being a butcher, with a loud voice. Liu Jin beside him looked like he couldn't laugh or cry. He was really tired with such a fun person in the stall.
I didn't disturb Zhu Houzhao's elegance. Since he loved playing, I let him have a good time.
In fact, everyone is the same, and everyone loves to play. It’s just that when I was a child, I liked playing with toys, but when I grow up, I like to play some adult games. This has not changed whether it is the ancients now or future generations.
Although Zhu Houzhao loves to play, he is not a playboy. His playing is purely the curiosity of a rebellious teenager. As long as he does not do anything outrageous, what does it matter if he plays.
Liu Jin returned to his mansion in Tianjin. In the huge study, a huge map of the world was slowly opened by a servant. Liu Jin looked at this huge map of the world and fell into deep thought.
"The fleet heading to Golden Continent should be on its way back at this time. If nothing else happens, they should return to Daming in five or six months."
"I don't know if they are going smoothly or if they have found high-yielding sweet potatoes, corns and potatoes. It would be best to bring back some gold and silver to stimulate everyone's enthusiasm for going to Golden Continent."
The first thing that comes to mind is the fleet heading to Golden Continent. It has been almost a full year since they left. There has been no news for such a long time. Many people even thought that they failed and died on the sea.
, Liu Jin’s so-called Golden Continent is simply a lie.
Of course, there must be someone making a big fuss about this matter to criticize Liu Jin, and as time goes by, more and more people are talking about this matter.
However, Liu Jin is very confident. He has made so many preparations. If he still fails, then he really has nothing to say. He can only say that his luck is really bad.
There are compasses, sextants, telescopes, accurate maps, professionally trained navigators, the most advanced ships of this era, and various advanced concepts and knowledge from later generations.
Liu Jin made a lot of special preparations.
Liu Jin was really speechless if he failed despite such full preparations. The conditions for Europeans to sail in this era were so difficult. They were able to navigate all the major oceans on the earth. It made no sense.
You will fail.
"I hope I can bring some chili seeds back. Dishes without chili always feel like something is missing."
Liu Jin looked at the area of Golden Continent in a daze. Liu Jin, who came from a later generation, was a person who loved spicy food. After traveling through time, he ate meals without chili peppers every day and always felt that something was missing.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that it’s not delicious without chili. For people who love spicy food, chili is an essential flavor. Without chili, it feels like it’s missing a flavor.
"After fishing and maritime trade develop, the problem of Japanese pirates will also have to be solved. Now some people have reported being attacked by Japanese pirates. This problem will definitely become more and more serious. If we can't find a way to solve it, then the court will oppose it.
Those who initiated the sea ban will definitely use this as an excuse to attack Kaihai."
"Moreover, the rampage of Japanese pirates will seriously affect the development of maritime trade, which is very detrimental to the marine fishing industry and marine trade industry that have just grown up."
Soon, Liu Jin set his sights on the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea.
The problem of Japanese pirates has existed since the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. It has always been impossible to eradicate them, and in a few decades, as the Japanese country entered the most tragic period of the Warring States Period, wandering samurai
They became Japanese pirates and harassed the entire southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty.
The situation is better now, because we are in the north, and Japanese pirates rarely come here, but the benefits are very attractive. Going to North Korea and the Japanese country to do business is very profitable, and you can earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver for a round trip.
Naturally, Japanese pirates will focus on this piece of fat. In addition to Japanese pirates, pirates also exist. The Ming Dynasty also had pirates. In the late Ming Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong’s father, Zheng Zhilong, started his career as a famous pirate.
"If you want to fight against Japanese pirates and pirates, you must train a strong navy. To do this, you must find an excuse and find a way to get this power out of the Ministry of War."
"Otherwise, if we expect these civil servants from the Ministry of War to develop the navy, if we allocate one million taels of silver, only one hundred thousand may eventually be used to develop the navy."
"You can't do the navy without money. Whether it's ships, people, or cannons, they all require money."
Thinking of this, Liu Jin couldn't help but frown. This matter is really difficult to handle. The navy involves military power. The Ministry of War will not let it go easily, and Emperor Hongzhi may not really trust him.
Annoying~
On the contrary, artillery is easy to solve. Miyun Iron Works can produce the highest quality steel. As for casting cannons, it is not difficult for Liu Jin with golden fingers. The same is true for gunpowder. They can be produced easily, and even with Whale oil can also produce powerful nitroglycerine.
As for muskets, this thing is not difficult. With high-quality steel and a lathe, it is easy to make these things.
"We still need to find an opportunity to get military qualifications. Without military qualifications, building these things is treason. If these things are produced, we will sweep across the grasslands, eliminate Japanese pirates, and compete with Europeans for territory in the Golden Continent in the future. They all have to be fucked hard.”
Thinking of this, Liu Jin silently wrote this down in his heart.
Because the civilians took power in the Ming Dynasty, they spared no effort to attack the generals and nobles. The army of the Ming Dynasty was already in ruins. The armaments were depleted. The amount of silver allocated was low. They also cut corners and cut corners to produce armor, etc. Can't watch it at all.
The firearms unit created by Comrade Lao Zhu to dominate the world is even more useless. Soldiers would rather go into battle with knives to kill the enemy than use artillery and muskets, because they are afraid of being blown up and killed.
Soldiers have no status, and being a soldier is the most looked down upon. Military households are synonymous with ruin. Military generals do not even dare to fart in front of civil servants, and they have no say in the court.
There are too many problems, too many, and the three feet of ice will not freeze in a day. If you want to solve this problem, you can't just build good guns and cannons. You must solve this problem from the root and build it from scratch. A new army with the model of later generations comes out.
Without a strong army and advanced weapons, it is simply impossible to colonize and do business around the world.
Not to mention anything else, the neighbors in the northern grasslands are always intimidating the Ming Dynasty. Every raid and robbery makes the people of the Ming Dynasty panic. Now the city wall built with cement is just a turtle.
If you want to truly solve this problem, you still have to take the initiative and defeat them on the grassland.
If you don't defeat them, there will never be peace, and if you want to get cheap wool, you must solve the problems on the grassland so that they can sing and dance, herd sheep and shear sheep with peace of mind.
"We still have to get weapons as soon as possible, otherwise we really won't have the confidence."
"If a sea-going ship is not equipped with weapons, it is just a fat sheep. Everyone will want to get on it and take a bite. Now, even on the northern route, there are very few pirates and Japanese pirates. If it is in the southern coastal areas, pirates and Japanese pirates are rampant. , something will happen to the safekeeping.”
Liu Jin pondered, it was very important to allow ships going out to sea to legally possess weapons and to be able to legally produce weapons themselves.
But when it comes to weapons, they are too sensitive. Emperor Hongzhi will not let go easily, and the courtiers in the court will not let go easily. Moreover, once he comes forward to do this, he will easily become the target of attack.
"Lao Zhang said he would open a route to Nanyang~"
"There are a lot of pirates and Japanese pirates along the southeastern coast, and the big families in the southeastern coastal area often collude with pirates and Japanese pirates. Once a fat sheep comes up, they will never let it go easily."
Liu Jin set his sights on the southeastern coastal areas. The situation in this area was very complicated.
On the one hand, the big families and big businessmen in the southeastern coastal areas strongly opposed the lifting of the sea ban and firmly supported the imperial court's sea ban policy. On the other hand, these big families and big businessmen made a lot of money from sea trade, and they were just like salt merchants.
group.
They all rely on monopoly to make money.
These big families and businessmen support spokesmen in the court, support the sea ban, and resolutely do not allow the sea ban. On the other hand, they collude with pirates and Japanese pirates. What other families and businessmen go to sea are afraid that someone will share their interests.
.
Zhang Mao saw the profits of sea trade, and now he was no longer satisfied with just taking the routes of Korea and Japan. He wanted to go to Southeast Asia, and even to the Indian Ocean, to earn more and higher profits.
But this will touch the interests of the big families and businessmen in the Jiangnan area, and they will definitely react.
"Treasure Island~ This location is so critical. Perhaps the next thing we should do is to develop Treasure Island. We should develop Treasure Island first."
Soon, Liu Jin's eyes were fixed on the treasure island.
At this time, Treasure Island was still a wild land. Due to the implementation of maritime bans by the Ming Dynasty, in 1387, the residents of Treasure Island were moved to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, which was regarded as completely abandoning Treasure Island.
This is also the reason why the Dutch were able to occupy Treasure Island later, because the Ming Dynasty court did not pay attention to Treasure Island at all. It was a barbarian land, and there were very few Han people on it. In addition, due to the sea ban, no one went to sea.
, naturally the Dutch took advantage and occupied the treasure island.
It was not until the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty that Zheng Chenggong regained the treasure island and brought a large number of people with him. After the efforts and development of several generations of the Zheng family, the treasure island gradually prospered.
If you want to go to the Southeast Asia region and open up routes to the Southeast Asia, Treasure Island is definitely a very important link, and its location determines this.
"Develop a treasure island~"
"That's right, it's you. Let's develop Treasure Island first. Treasure Island's geographical location is important. It has a subtropical climate, sufficient sunlight, and fertile land. Rice can be harvested twice a year, and even three crops a year in the south of Treasure Island.
.”
"During winter, vegetables and fruits can also be produced here. Once shipping is launched, it will definitely be very profitable for the vegetables and fruits from this treasure island to be transported to the Beijing-Tianjin area in winter."
"Moreover, developing Treasure Island can strengthen the connection between Treasure Island and consolidate our Ming Dynasty's own territory. In the future, Treasure Island will be used as a bridgehead to enter Japan and North Korea, and then to Southeast Asia and Australia. It will serve multiple purposes with one stone."
"We must build up Treasure Island first~"
Soon, Liu Jin's eyes were fixed on the treasure island, and he began to think about the best way to develop the treasure island. If people are attracted to develop the treasure island, this is the key.
.
And the most important thing is to find an industry that can make money and attract the powerful people, businessmen, landlords, and emerging capitalists of the Ming Dynasty to come to Baodao.
