Chapter 935, the people's yearning for a better life
After listening to Liu Jin's words, everyone thought for a while and nodded.
The income of ordinary people in the capital has not been discussed once or twice. The big shots in the DPRK have also discussed it many times.
We all have factories, workshops, and businesses behind us, and we all know how much money it costs to hire someone here in the capital.
After considering the income and hard work involved in this kind of land, it is understandable that no one wants to farm. If it were me, I probably wouldn't farm again.
"However, wouldn't it be a pity that such good land should be used to grow cotton instead of growing food, not to mention that this food can be used to fill our stomachs."
Liu Jian thought for a while and said.
Looking at the fertile field in front of me, if in previous years, winter wheat would have been planted, but now it is all cotton stalks. It is a pity and makes people feel distressed just looking at it.
"Mr. Liu, if a few years ago, all the fields in Beizhili were planted with cotton instead of grain, what kind of things do Liu Gong think would happen?"
Liu Jin thought for a while and asked.
"There is no doubt that there will be a great famine. Food prices will skyrocket, people will die of hunger everywhere, and people will change their children to eat."
Liu Jian replied immediately without thinking.
"Then what about Liu Gong looking at the current Beizhili?"
Liu Jin nodded slightly and asked again.
"Now?"
When Liu Jian heard this, he immediately seemed to understand something and his eyes widened slightly.
"Now the price of food in Beizhili has dropped to a historical low, whether it is white flour from Liaodong, rice from Nanyang, millet from Shanxi, corn from Shandong, sweet potatoes, potatoes from Henan, grain
Prices have dropped to historically low levels.”
"The price of a pound of grain is less than five cents. Based on the current income of ordinary people in the Beijing-Tianjin area, the couple's monthly income of seven taels of silver is enough to last for several years."
Liu Jin smiled and finished for Liu Jian.
Hearing Liu Jin's calculation, everyone immediately nodded. Even if there is not a single wheat field in Beizhili, the price of grain has not soared like during the great famine. On the contrary, it has continued to fall. People work casually.
You can't finish it all.
"The reason why such an imagination occurs, I actually think there are mainly the following reasons."
"The first one is that the grain output of our Ming Dynasty has been rising year by year in the past few years. There is more and more grain, so the price of grain is getting lower and lower. The grain produced in Liaodong region alone this year is enough to feed our entire Ming Dynasty for two years.
.”
"Coupled with the imperial court's promotion of high-yielding crops introduced from Golden Continent and the addition of corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes, our Ming Dynasty has an unprecedented abundance of food, and we can't finish it. Naturally, food prices are getting lower and lower."
"The second reason is because the transportation in Daming is becoming more and more convenient."
"In the past two years, the imperial court has built cement roads in the north, south, east and west, and connecting provinces in Daming. Coupled with the rapid development of shipping in our country, our land transportation, waterways, and sea transportation have become more and more important.
It’s getting more convenient.”
"In addition, with the promotion and rapid development of four-wheeled carriages, land transportation became more and more convenient and fast, which had a profound impact on our Ming Dynasty."
"Although it is difficult to find another wheat field in Beizhili, due to the convenient transportation, whether it is wheat from Liaodong, rice from Jiangnan, or fragrant rice from Nanyang, it can be transported to Beizhili in large quantities and quickly.
Coming here fully guarantees the food supply of Beizhili."
"The third one is the development of the marine fishing industry and animal husbandry. The marine fishing industry has developed rapidly in recent years, and tens of millions of kilograms of seafood have been caught, which has greatly enriched the dining tables of the people of Ming Dynasty, and also made Ming Dynasty more interested in
The demand for traditional grains has become smaller."
"At the same time, because the Ming Dynasty acquired the northern grassland, and with more and more food, the people raised more chickens, ducks, geese, cattle and sheep, etc., which will also reduce the people's demand for food."
"The fourth one is that our Ming Dynasty has been insisting on continuous foreign immigration and expansion in recent years. A large number of people have migrated outside the customs and overseas. This has not only opened up more fields and planted more food, but also reduced the number of people in our Ming Dynasty.
Local demand for food.”
"These four factors are what I summed up. Although it is difficult to find a wheat field in Beizhili now, this does not affect the food security of our Ming Dynasty."
After Liu Jin finished speaking, he stopped slowly and his mouth was a little dry.
"Hmm~"
Everyone listened carefully and nodded.
Today's Ming Dynasty is no longer the Ming Dynasty a few years ago. Even though the production of grain has increased significantly, the demand for food is also constantly decreasing. This convenient transportation and the innovation of transportation tools have also accelerated the exchanges and materials between various places.
transportation.
"That makes sense~"
"I still remember that when there was a famine in North Zhili, it would take at least half a month to transport grain from the south to North Zhili. But now, relying on the cement roads that connect the north and the south, and using four-wheeled carriages, it only takes a few days.
Yes, it can also be shipped directly by sea.”
Emperor Hongzhi thought for a while and nodded. The benefits of cement roads and four-wheeled carriages are constantly being revealed. This is why he is keen on building bridges and paving roads.
"Yes, Your Majesty~"
"Meat-eating people also need much less food than people who simply eat food. Because there is oil and water in their stomachs, they don't need to eat too much rice and white flour."
Liu Jin also smiled and nodded.
"Your Majesty, the fields in Beizhili are growing cotton instead of grain. In fact, it has no impact on our Ming Dynasty. This is actually a good thing. It shows that our Ming Dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous and prosperous."
"As far as I know, the fields in Beizhili are not only used to grow cotton, but also have many fields used to grow vegetables and fruits. There are also many fields used to raise cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, etc.
"
"These all show that the lives of the people of the Ming Dynasty are getting better and better, and their food is getting better and better. We are no longer the same as before, just having white rice and white flour to fill our stomachs, but have gradually
To pursue a better life.”
"We need to have meat and vegetables to eat. Wearing clothes is not just about keeping warm, but also looking better and more decent. Living here is not just about protecting people from wind and rain, but it is slowly changing."
It’s more beautiful and more comfortable.”
"All this shows that our Ming Dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous, prosperous, and powerful."
Liu Jin thought for a while and continued.
"Really?"
After hearing Liu Jin's words, Emperor Hongzhi laughed happily.
Well, this is what he likes to hear the most. For him, the biggest pursuit is to make the people's lives better, to make the Ming Dynasty prosperous, and to make the old Zhu family flourish.
"Your Majesty, if you don't believe it, let's just go to the surrounding villages and have a look."
Liu Jin thought for a while and suggested to Emperor Hongzhi.
"Okay, we're all out anyway. I just want to go take a look and see how the people of Ming Dynasty are doing now."
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he immediately agreed happily.
Everyone around them also nodded, and they all wanted to see the living conditions of the people in the Ming Dynasty. There are some things that can only be understood intuitively by seeing them in person.
This is also the reason why Emperor Hongzhi often visits privately incognito. Standing at the height of the temple, you can only see the situation at the top of the Ming Dynasty, but it is difficult to see the lives of the people at the bottom.
Only by entering the lowest level can we see the real life of the people of Ming Dynasty, know how they live and what their needs are.
The group of people quickly got into the four-wheel carriage again, chose a road very casually, and walked towards a village.
Nanzhuang Village is a large village with more than a hundred households.
The four-wheel carriage of Emperor Hongzhi and his entourage also drove slowly towards Nanzhuang Village.
"Hey, Nanzhuang Village actually built a cement road. I don't know if it was built by the government or by the villagers themselves."
The four-wheeled carriage drove on the smooth concrete road. Emperor Hongzhi opened the curtain and looked at the concrete road in front of him. He smiled and said to Liu Jian and Li Dong beside him.
"Your Majesty, this should have been built by the villagers themselves. Generally speaking, if it is a cement road built by the court, there are strict regulations, such as how wide it should be, how thick it should be, the size of the slope, etc.
There are strict rules.”
"The road we were walking on was built by the government, but the road leading to this village is not wide or thick. It should be a cement road built by the village themselves with their own funds."
Li Dongyang looked at the cement road under the wheels and replied.
"It seems that their village is quite wealthy. The cost of building bridges and paving roads has been considerable since ancient times."
Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly. Concrete roads have become very common in the Beijing-Tianjin area. They are almost everywhere, and cement roads lead to all directions.
There are also small cement roads connected to the cement roads built by the imperial court, forming a network covering all areas and connecting towns, villages, etc. around the Beijing and Tianjin areas. The transportation is extremely convenient.
"Looking at the houses in this village, I guess this village is pretty good."
Liu Jian looked at Nanzhuang Village in front of him and said.
In his field of vision, the houses in Nanzhuang Village were neatly built. The rows of houses were all made of reinforced concrete. It was hard to see the brick and tile houses that could be seen everywhere before. There were also paved roads between the houses.
cement.
The exterior wall of the house is pink and snow-white, which looks very beautiful and gives people a different feeling.
This is completely different from the countryside in Liu Jian's memory. There is nothing like the countryside in his memory. Is this still the countryside of the Ming Dynasty?