Chapter 733: I wont accept this small amount of money from now on.
Lin Xiangru knew better than anyone what a piece of land that was more fertile than the Central Plains meant. Even if it could only be harvested once a year due to climate problems, it would still be enough to become the foundation of a dynasty.
The only problem is that Zhao's current strength is not enough to develop such a large area of land.
Zhao State only has a population of 10 million. If it is spread over such a large territory, the density is already very low. It is impossible to immigrate to the northeast. After all, Zhao State also has to consider management costs.
If there were only a few thousand people in a county, it would be impossible for Zhao to build roads, colleges, medical centers, and libraries there. All of these would cost money, and a lot of money.
To put it bluntly, such a small number of people cannot even support a full county government. If the distance is further away, or in the mountains, the tax revenue is not enough to cover the road expenses, so how can other facilities and buildings be built.
In the past few years, the State of Zhao has been continuously training doctors and building medical clinics in various places. Basically every county has a medical clinic, and some large towns are also equipped with medical clinics to provide free delivery to pregnant women, including twins or triplets.
There are rewards.
Zhao also reduced and exempted taxes so that everyone could afford to raise children.
In addition, Zhao Guo insisted on defending its enemies outside the country's borders. No matter how wars were fought outside, the country was never affected by the war.
Various measures have indeed achieved considerable results, and the number of children born in Zhao has increased significantly in recent years.
But these children are too young. The eldest is only five or six years old. They have just been able to play soy sauce and are still far away from becoming adults.
"It seems that we need to discuss with doctors to speed up the training of doctors, especially doctors who specialize in pediatrics. If we can assign a doctor to each township, we may be able to reduce the mortality rate to 10%, or even lower." Lin Xiangru
Said softly.
Children are most likely to die before they are ten years old. In some places, the mortality rate is even close to half. Only half of ten children can live longer than ten years old.
There are many reasons for death, such as illness, death by wild animals, or even being abandoned by parents, etc.
The last situation will basically not happen in Zhao State. Tiger poison does not eat its children. Normal parents will not abandon their children unless they cannot afford to raise them.
Although the lower-level officials of Zhao State have said that things are not very good, except for areas with traffic congestion and no communication with the government, there is basically no problem in eating enough in other places.
Although grain output was low in ancient times, there was a lot of land per capita. As long as the government distributed the land to those who were willing to farm it and collected less taxes, it would actually be easy to solve the problem of enough food.
It's just that throughout the dynasties, the vast majority of officials have been unwilling or afraid to do this kind of thing for one reason or another.
The biggest factor leading to the death of children is disease. In the past, the death rate of children in the Zhao Kingdom was about 40%. Even the children of nobles and nobles had a high death rate. In the thirteenth year of King Zhao Huiwen, the princess died in infancy.
After Zhao Kuo ascended the throne, he abducted a large number of doctors from various countries, spent a lot of money to train them, and built medical clinics in various places. This gradually reduced the mortality rate from 40% to less than 20%.
It will be difficult to drop further. On the one hand, the number of doctors is limited and cannot be spread to every place.
On the other hand, the level of doctors is limited, and you cannot expect them to solve all problems. In fact, they cannot solve most problems.
Not to mention that time is limited here, even after more than two thousand years, there are too many diseases that cannot be cured.
In the past, Lin Xiangru thought that Zhao's current achievements were already great. Apart from Zhao, no other country in the world could make its people eat well and raise children. It had the largest population and the largest growth rate.
But now Lin Xiangru felt that it was too slow. He couldn't wait that long. He was already in his seventies and didn't know how long he could live. He hoped to set foot on that land in his lifetime.
"It is too difficult to train doctors. We, Zhao State, started planning it six years ago, and we have just seen the results now, but the direction is always good," Zhao Kuo said.
"Time waits for no one. It would be great if I could be born forty years later!" Lin Xiangru sighed.
"Why should Prime Minister sigh? It won't be long before you see that day." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
"I hope so." Lin Xiangru said.
"By the way, this is the plan I just made. Prime Minister, please take a look at it." Zhao Kuo handed a document to Lin Xiangru.
Lin Xiangru took it and took a look and was shocked. This plan not only included Hebei, Taihang, and Hetao areas, but also included Yandi, Guanzhong, and the Hexi Corridor.
However, Zhao Guo had been on the front line for the past few months, and after returning to Handan, he was not idle at all, and had no time to make plans at all.
"When did your Majesty do this?" Lin Xiangru asked in shock.
"I made it this morning." Zhao Kuo said.
"One morning?"
"Yes, how much more time will it take? Hasn't it been done before in Zhao State? Just copy it again. As for the previous plan, just upgrade it." Zhao Kuo said.
It’s just a framework, what’s so difficult about it? For him, what’s difficult is the details and how to implement it, it’s never the framework.
But the latter two are matters between Lin Xiangru and Wei Wuji.
This is the best thing for a monarch. Just open your mouth and someone will take care of things for you.
"I am ashamed of myself." Lin Xiangru said with admiration. Although the plan given by Zhao Kuo was very simple, it would take at least a month for him to do it. In the end, it was not perfected by Zhao Kuo, and there were many things that he could not have thought of.
"See if there are any problems. If there are no problems, assign them." Zhao Kuo said.
"Your Majesty... plans to develop Yandi, Guanzhong and the Hexi Corridor at the same time? This may put a lot of pressure on Zhao State." Lin Xiangru frowned and said after reading.
"As long as I'm here, it won't be a problem. By the way, Qin has promised to compensate Qi for five million stones of grain and 50,000 pieces of Shu brocade. I will discuss with the King of Qi and give them all to Zhao to support Guanzhong.
And the development of the Hexi Corridor. We, the State of Zhao, will give other compensation to the State of Qi." Zhao Kuo said.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Although with the strength of Zhao State, even if it is directly occupied, Qi State has nothing to do with Zhao State.
But Zhao Kuo would not do such a thing.
Reputation and diplomacy are still very important these days. It is not worth ruining your reputation and annoying Qi just for five million shi of food.
Moreover, the King of Qi is honest, has no ambitions, and poses no threat to Zhao. Such neighboring countries cannot be found even with a lantern, so why push them to the opposite side.
"In this case, the pressure on our country, Zhao, can be reduced. Starting next year, Hetao will begin to pay taxes." Lin Xiangru said.
It has been several years since the State of Zhao conquered the Hetao, and until now, it has not collected a penny or a grain of grain in taxes, which is quite difficult to say the least.
Of course, the results are also huge.
If Zhao had not given up the benefits of the previous five years and poured money into it, it would never have been possible to complete the initial development of the Loop in such a short period of time.
You know, it took Qin several decades to develop Bashu.
But to be honest, although the money from taxes is not dispensable to Zhao Guo, it is no longer the main proportion. Whether it is commercial taxes, or the state's exclusive salt, iron, coal, paper, spirits, etc., they are more important than oral taxes and
Agricultural taxes are much higher.
Moreover, every time the Zhao caravan came back from the Western Regions, it would bring huge wealth.
"By the way, the Prime Minister just mentioned the population issue. I plan to cancel the oral tax. What does the Prime Minister think? To be honest, I don't like the twenty dollars, but for the common people at the bottom, it may be the family's savings for a year. It's
Life-saving money." Zhao Kuo said.
Zhao Guokou gave each person 20 yuan, starting from the age of fourteen. Calculated based on 10 million people, it was only 200 million.
Of course, it was a lot in the past. It was enough to arm an army of hundreds of thousands, and each one only had a gun tip.
But now, it's nothing, it can't even support the Xuanjia Army, and Zhao Guo doesn't lack that little money.
"I have only heard that taxes are being continuously increased, but I have never heard that the imperial court took the initiative to cancel taxes. Your Majesty is really a benevolent king. But I wonder if your Majesty has ever thought that when you are alive, your oral taxes are dispensable. What will happen to you a hundred years later? Prince Edward
If Sun, or your other descendants, do not have the oral gift, can they support the huge Zhao State? It is easy to cancel it. If the oral gift is re-imposed at that time, I am afraid it will be a huge blow to the entire country." Lin Xiangru said.
"Since ancient times, there has been no dynasty that lasts for thousands of years. I have never thought that the Zhao Kingdom can last forever. I can ensure that there will be no problems in this dynasty, and even ensure that the next two or three dynasties will make steady progress. As for the future, that is not what I have to worry about.
Future generations have their own things to do, and they cannot rely on a few people to complete everything. If the Zhao Kingdom has become corrupt, it is natural for it to be replaced by a new dynasty, and it cannot be affected by mere verbal gifts."
Zhao Kuo said calmly.
Zhao Kuo never thought about establishing an immortal dynasty. Whether it was theoretically or practically, this matter was unreliable.
Theoretically speaking, the material created by the linear growth of technological level and productivity will one day be unable to satisfy the exponential growth of the population.
At that time, conflicts will break out, and if the conflicts intensify to a certain extent, a change of dynasty will occur.
In fact, all dynasties could not wait for this day and were destroyed by bureaucratic corruption.
No matter how diligent and enterprising the officials in the early period of a dynasty are, they will be corrupt and incompetent in the later stages of a dynasty.
This kind of thing will never change according to one person's will.
No matter how powerful a great man is, he can still control his life.
Therefore, Zhao Kuo took a very open view of all this.
He doesn't expect any immortality or an immortal dynasty.
Of course, the main reason is that there is no point in hoping.
"..." Lin Xiangru didn't know what to say. This was the first time he had seen such an open-minded king. Which king doesn't want immortality and the country's eternity? Why did Zhao have such a weirdo?
"Having the king here... is a blessing for the people of Zhao State." In the end, Lin Xiangru could only say this.
"Since the Prime Minister has no objection, let's inform him. By the way, put this matter in the slanderous newspaper and let everyone know about it," Zhao Kuo said.
There is no technical difficulty in making slanderous reports. The State of Zhao has already produced it, once a month. The main purpose is to let the Zhao people understand the major events that have happened in the State of Zhao and improve their cohesion.
For example, when Zhao State defeated Qin State, Zhao Kuo personally offered sacrifices to the deceased, etc., they would all be published in slanderous newspapers.
Each township school and college will receive one free copy per issue. If you want more, you will have to spend money to buy them.
The price is still not cheap, but these days more than 90% of the literate people are nobles, so it’s not much money to pay. In addition, there are national events written on it, so there are quite a lot of people buying it.
"By the way, let the news go to other countries and let the whole world know." Zhao Kuo said, he never minded being disgusted by the other five countries when nothing happened.
Although the war is over now and everyone is licking their wounds, the competition is not over.
"No, I will make arrangements now." Lin Xiangru said, silently mourning for the other five countries.
The Zhao family had done this kind of thing back then. During the Spring and Autumn Period, all countries used one hundred steps per acre. In order to attract people, the Zhao family used two hundred and forty steps per acre, which was more than twice the size of others. It attracted people from all over the country.
The population reaches Zhao Di.
Later, Shang Yang's reform was imitated by Zhao Guo in terms of farmland reform.
Other countries had no choice but to expand their fields to attract refugees.
Commonly known as involution.
But even now, Zhao's farmland is the largest among all countries.
Now that Zhao Kuo has done this kind of thing again and specially informed other countries, Lin Xiangru can already imagine how other countries will scold Zhao Kuo after knowing it.
"By the way, let the caravan organize a batch of goods to go to the Western Regions. Now that Zhao State can use the Hexi Corridor without having to pay Qin State, it is a good time to do business. By the way... I want to know where Zhao Mu... is."
Zhao Kuo sighed deeply.
It has been two years since Zhao Mu left Zhao State and went to the Western Regions. At first, there were news sent back, but since leaving Zhangye, no news has been sent back. Zhao Kuo doesn't even know whether he is dead or alive.
But as an elder brother, Zhao Kuo couldn't really ignore him. To put it bluntly, if he died outside, he would have to collect his body.
"Leave this matter to me. I will go to the Zhuo family and the Guo family later." Yu Xin said.
"Your Majesty, there is an envoy from Qi State." At this time, a guard came in from outside.
"Envoy from Qi? Please come in quickly," Zhao Kuo said.
Soon, an envoy came in from outside the hall. After walking to the center of the hall, he leaned down and saluted: "Foreign Minister Sun Chen pays homage to King Zhao."
"Please get up the envoy and give him a seat." Zhao Kuo looked at the envoy Qi, wondering what he was doing.
"This is a letter from the king to the king of Zhao. The king asked the foreign minister to tell the king that he will come to Handan from Linzi in five days." The envoy of Qi said solemnly.
Only then did Zhao Kuo understand that after Wang Sunjia returned, he told King Qi that he had invited King Qi to visit Zhao, and King Qi agreed. The envoy of Qi was here to fight.
After all, it is impossible for the king of a country to drive a carriage and come alone.
The King of Qi also talked about this matter in his letter, as well as some admiration for Zhao Kuo, commonly known as flattery.
"I would like to give a special welcome to King Qi. Taichang, please prepare relevant matters to welcome King Qi." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.