When everyone heard this, they all couldn't help but look at Liu Jin again.
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, everyone must be very clear about the role of this cement road. When Tianjin and Beijing did not have cement roads in the past, it was very troublesome to go back and forth and it would take two or three days."
"But with the cement road, it is very convenient to travel. It only takes two or three hours. From dawn to dusk, the fish from Tianjin is still fresh when it arrives in Tianjin."
"If we can have such cement roads connecting all provinces in Daming, it will be extremely beneficial to the circulation of goods and people in Daming."
"Not to mention anything else, just in case of disasters, it used to take ten days and a half to move grain from the south to the north. And because the roads were not smooth, the losses on the road were also very large, often one hundred kilograms.
About 30 to 40 percent of the food will be lost on the road."
"But with cement roads and the most convenient four-wheeled carriages, based on the speed from Tianjin to the capital, a few days is enough to transport grain from the south to the north, and the loss on the road can be reduced to
At the minimum, there is no need for even 10% loss."
"When the court provides disaster relief in the future, the pressure will be very low, because if a disaster occurs in one place, other places can quickly provide food support."
Liu Jin looked at everyone and continued to talk about the importance and benefits of building bridges and paving roads.
If you want to be rich, build roads first.
This is a truth that almost everyone knows in later generations. There is no doubt about the importance of roads. Cement has already been produced. Naturally, these cement roads will be built on a large scale in Daming.
"Well said~"
Hearing this, Emperor Hongzhi couldn't help but nod.
The land of China has always been prone to disasters due to the influence of the subtropical high pressure. Floods in the south and drought in the north, or droughts and floods in the south, occur almost every year. There are rarely good times.
.
Therefore, disaster relief has become a major event for all dynasties.
When it comes to disaster relief, the most important thing is food.
If the people don't have enough to eat, they can do anything. As long as they can have enough to eat, everything can be eliminated.
But food is a big problem. All dynasties have attached great importance to the construction of granaries and the storage of grain. In fact, it was mainly for disaster relief.
Now Liu Jin proposed major construction of cement roads in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. This point was brought to the heart of Emperor Hongzhi.
Every dynasty change almost always started with a famine. The common people who had not enough to eat could no longer survive and revolted, gradually setting off waves of peasant uprisings, which eventually led to the change of dynasties.
With cement roads, disaster relief will become easier. People in disaster areas can also escape to other places more easily, and the impact of the famine can be minimized.
This is very important to stabilize the Ming Dynasty and the throne of the old Zhu family.
"Well, if the imperial court has money, it can indeed build large-scale cement roads throughout the Ming Dynasty."
The other ministers nodded after hearing this.
There are so many benefits to cement roads. In many places, there are even voluntary organizations to build cement roads, with those who have money providing money and those who have the strength to contribute.
However, this kind of cement road connecting various provinces naturally still needs to be built by the court. Its expenses and expenses will be very huge, and only the court can afford it.
"I think this is okay. The Ministry of Industry can come up with a plan. Now that the imperial court has money, the people's money must also be used for the people."
"As Liu Jin said, you can build bridges and roads, build rivers, and build reservoirs. Roads can facilitate everyone's travels. Rivers can prevent rivers from overflowing and destroying fertile farmland. Reservoirs can prevent floods and store water. They are all beneficial to the country.
Good things and major events that are beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood."
"In the past, the imperial court had no money. Even if it wanted to do these things, it was often powerless, and there was no way to benefit all parts of the Ming Dynasty on a large scale."
"Now that the imperial court has money, it should implement it on a large scale and really do some big things so that the people can feel that this tax is taken from the people and used for the people."
"In addition, as for what Liu Jin said about raising salaries for officials, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel have also come up with a plan. It's time to raise everyone's salaries."
Emperor Hongzhi looked at everyone, thought about it and spoke slowly.
If you have money, it will be easier to do things.
It seems that you can spend a little on flowers that should be spent, and flowers that shouldn't be spent.
Therefore, he was also very generous. He built bridges and paved roads just as he built bridges and paved roads, and raised his salary when his salary was increased. Even though Emperor Hongzhi knew that none of these officials lived on their salary.
Which of these ministers and officials in the DPRK does not have a large amount of land and shops behind them, and which one does not have shares in a trading company in Tianjin?
There are countless factories, workshops, etc., large and small, in Beijing and Tianjin, and behind them are the shadows of these ministers.
There are many corrupt officials, but there are still many honest officials, and there are also some honest but stupid officials who don't know how to invest.
In recent years, with the development of the Beijing-Tianjin area, the living standards in the Beijing-Tianjin area have improved rapidly, and consumption has become much higher. It is even difficult for many honest officials to survive.
Those officials who only relied on rent collection from their family properties had a much harder time.
So this salary should be increased~
Emperor Hongzhi was also a good emperor. Even though he was rich, he was not stingy either.
Thinking of this, Emperor Hongzhi couldn't help but look at Liu Jin again.
What a talent!
Not only did he bulge his own pockets, but now he also bulged the imperial treasury. However, he did not plunder the common people, but earned money through his own real skills.
I am rich, the court is also rich, and the common people seem to be rich now. It seems that all of a sudden, everyone has money, and life is better.
It’s incredible to think about it.
But all of this is extremely true. If you look outside now, you will know that the prices in the entire Beijing-Tianjin area are very cheap, and the goods are many times more than before. What is more important is the income of the people in the Beijing-Tianjin area now.
It's gone up too much.
If a person is hired in a factory or workshop, he has to pay three taels of silver a month to be able to hire someone.
"There is also the matter of building public schools. In my opinion, it is also possible~"
"The vassal states of our Ming Dynasty are constantly hiring gentlemen from our Ming Dynasty to teach and educate people. We, the Ming Dynasty, naturally have to pay more attention to it."
"As Liu Jin said, a certain proportion of the national treasury will be set aside every year to run schools so that more children from poor families can go to school."
Emperor Hongzhi thought for a while and said again.
"Your Majesty, if public schools are opened on a large scale, will this lead to a lower acceptance rate for future imperial examinations?"
At this time, Liu Jian thought for a while and said.
If many public schools were opened in various parts of the Ming Dynasty and more people studied, more people would take the imperial examinations in the future. How could the imperial court have so many positions for so many people?
Moreover, every time the imperial court takes the imperial examination, there are strict quantitative regulations for the candidates and Jinshi. If there are too many people taking the imperial examination, it will be more difficult to succeed in the examination and Jinshi in the future.
"Your Majesty, gentlemen~"
"This public school opened by the imperial court, I believe, should focus on popularizing literacy and basic arithmetic, knowing some basic common sense, and providing specialized skills training, rather than relying on the imperial examination."
Liu Jin thought about it and suggested.
Yes, it is difficult to take the imperial examination. Public schools should not continue to be immersed in eight-part essays. Instead, they should imitate the education of later generations, differentiate between disciplines, emphasize basic education, and lay the foundation for the development and prosperity of science.
If this public school also focuses on imperial examinations, it will be meaningless. It will only cultivate more nerds, which will be of no use to the court or the development of the country.
"If that's the case, I think it's okay. It would be much fairer if the public schools run by the imperial court did not participate in the imperial examination."
"But if I can't take the imperial examination, will someone send me to study?"
After Liu Jian listened, he thought about it and nodded.
That's right. If public schools are basically free, it would be very unfair to those who go to private schools. If they can't take the imperial examination, it would be more fair. For wealthy families, their children have to spend money.
If you go to a private school, you can take the imperial examination and become an official.
Children from ordinary families can attend public schools for free and cannot take the imperial examination, which is more fair.
"It doesn't matter if you can't take the imperial examination. Not everyone wants to be an official. If you study and have knowledge, you can also work as a bookkeeper, work in management, or you can also learn to build bridges and pave roads, learn to build ships, and practice martial arts.
Iron and so on."
"These are also very popular now, and at least they are a good way out."
Liu Jin's face was filled with smiles.
Yes, yes, that's how it should be.
The eight-part essay and the imperial examination have long since reached a dead end. We must not allow more people to enter. This public school should be run according to the schools of later generations.
You can't rely on the imperial examination for the best. When the time comes, you can set up some shipbuilding colleges, steel colleges, engineering colleges, etc., and recruit people from these public schools, and then you will have the scientific and technological talents of the Ming Dynasty in the future.
Liu Jin clearly knows that technology is the primary productive force. If Ming Dynasty wants to truly stand firm on the earth, it must master the most advanced technology and even lead the development of science and technology.
The original education system of the Ming Dynasty was obviously not working, so it had to be changed. This public school was obviously a good opportunity.
In the future, people in this private school will continue to read eight-legged essays, take the imperial examination, and become officials after passing the exam.
Children in public schools learn more content and take exams in various academies. After they learn well, they master various skills and technologies. With them, there is no need to worry about the development of Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, Liu Jin believes that as long as a few decades pass, everyone will naturally understand the shortcomings of the eight-part essay and the imperial examination. By then, even if Liu Jin does not abolish the imperial examination and the eight-legged essay, the Ming Dynasty and the public will demand that they be abolished.
This eight-part essay and the imperial examination came from it.