Li Zhi was silent after listening to Gao Ligong's words.
Gao Ligong said: "General, the price of food is getting more expensive day by day, and it has risen to three liang and one stone. I heard that Sir General opened a cheap grain store in Fanjiazhuang, selling food to the people at the price of two liang and one stone, so that the people can rely on food.
Buy grain with tickets. But if the price of grain rises to four or five taels in the future, how can the general's cheap grain store continue to maintain low prices?"
"When food prices rise, everything goes up. If the general doesn't raise the monthly salary, the people of Fanjiazhuang will fall into poverty. If the general raises the monthly salary in a big way, how can he survive the price increase in this chaotic situation? If the general's career
Confined to Fanjiazhuang, it is in danger and will be affected by external turmoil."
"Xiaoliuqiu is a vast territory with fertile land. Only by developing Xiaoliuqiu and carrying out large-scale reclamation and stabilizing food prices can the general's industry be solid."
"Xiaoliuqiu is located in the south, with abundant sunshine. One acre of land can yield three kilos of rice per year. A farmer cultivating 20 acres of paddy field can feed dozens of people."
Li Zhi was finally persuaded by Gao Ligong.
In troubled times, industry is too easily affected by external fluctuations. In the Ming Dynasty, prices rose day by day and became more and more chaotic. In disaster-stricken areas, there was even a situation where you could not buy food with money. If you don't find a place to vigorously cultivate as a rear
, it is difficult to maintain the comfortable life in Fanjiazhuang.
Li Zhi gave the workers two or two months' money. If these two months' money could not buy one or half a stone of grain, how would the workers' families survive? How could the workers still have the energy to produce for Li Zhi?
Although Li Zhi opened private fields in various counties in Tianjin, and now has 390,000 acres of private fields. However, the yield of these private fields is low, and the grain produced is a drop in the bucket for stabilizing grain prices in Tianjin. However, the cultivation of land in Taiwan is a drop in the bucket.
The yield of paddy fields per acre is three times that of dry fields in Tianjin, so you get twice the result with half the effort.
Only by developing Taiwan's agriculture can Li Zhi have enough foundation to support Tianjin's industry.
Li Zhi nodded and said, "Mr. Gao is a great talent, and what he said does make sense."
"General Miao Zan, the student just traveled overseas for a few years and knows some overseas things."
Li Zhi said: "Then please ask Mr. Gao to be my shipbuilder and build large ships in Shandong. Since Mr. Gao has been to Xiaoliuqiu, he naturally knows where there are guides who run the Ryukyu waterway? Then please ask Mr. Gao to help me build a few experienced ships."
The guide is here."
Gao Ligong raised his hand and said, "Students will work hard to contact the General!"
Li Zhi pondered and said: "Mr. Gao is familiar with overseas affairs. It is better to hold the position of ambassador in the Overseas Affairs Office of our shogunate and specialize in counselors for developing overseas affairs. If Mr. Gao makes great achievements in the future, I will definitely seek an official position for Mr. Gao."
Come."
Gao Ligong was overjoyed when he heard that Li Zhi had placed him in such high regard, and he knelt down and shouted, "Students are willing to serve the general in front of and behind the horse!"
####
After negotiating with Gao Ligong about shipbuilding, Li Zhi asked Gao Ligong to go to Dengzhou, Laizhou and other places to build large ships. It cost about 50,000 taels of silver to build five ships. Li Zhi paid 20,000 taels in advance and asked ten
A trustworthy old accountant took the money to various shipbuilding sites to do accounting and control the expenditure books.
Li Zhi also found ten shipbuilders from Wangjiawan who knew how to build high-density ribs, and went to Dengzhou and Laizhou to instruct those traditional shipbuilders. Daming merchant ships often did not build ribs, and even if they did, there were very few. The shipbuilders did not understand how to build high-density ribs.
Rib ship structure. Wangjiawan shipwrights have built three large ships with dense ribs and are already experts in this field.
Gao Ligong acted quickly. On December 3, news came from Shandong that the construction of five large ships had begun, and they would all be completed in less than three months.
On December 5, Li Zhi took Zheng Hui as commander and asked him to take 200 soldiers, 800 masons and brick-burning and lime-burning craftsmen. Under the guidance of the guide, he sailed three large ships to Xiaoliuqiu.
It doesn't matter if the three big ships don't trade with Japan for the time being. Li Zhi has a profit every month and can afford the cost of using the ships elsewhere.
Speaking of which, developing new fields in Taiwan is a hugely profitable purchase. The most expensive thing these days is food. If Li Zhi can successfully develop a large amount of farmland, the profits will even exceed Japan's trade income.
This time to develop Xiaoliuqiu, Li Zhi decided to let Zheng Hui take charge.
Zheng Hui is shrewd and steady, and is good at organizing complex affairs. He organized the reclamation of Li Zhi's 400,000 acres of private land. Now, the 200,000 acres of Li Zhi's private land in Tianjin, Wuqing and Baodi counties have been built, and winter wheat has been planted.
Zheng Hui had nothing to do, so he was asked to go to Xiaoliuqiu to promote development.
The first people Li Zhi transported to Xiaoliuqiu were masons, brick-burners and lime-burners.
When we arrived in Xiaoliuqiu, we had to build a house. We could transport food and clothes to support the new immigrants, but it was not cost-effective to transport bricks, tiles, and lime. The raw materials for burning bricks, tiles, and lime were available everywhere.
So Li Zhi asked the craftsmen who burned bricks and tiles and burned lime to go first and build brick kilns for burning bricks and tiles and a lime kiln for burning lime, so that subsequent immigrants could build houses.
Cement was shipped to Taiwan as ballast. With cement, lime and bricks, the masons on the island could start building houses.
As for the soldiers, they protect these craftsmen.
Li Zhi gave three taels a month to the craftsmen he hired to open up wasteland. These craftsmen were very excited and forgot about the dangers when clearing wasteland. They usually only earn more than one tael in Tianjin, so how could they not be excited when their income doubled all of a sudden?
Li Zhi also gave the soldiers one tael per month as a subsidy for land reclamation, and promised that casualties during land reclamation would also receive compensation and honors.
Li Zhi asked Zheng Hui to focus on exploration and choose a good foothold. The first foothold should be located near a river to facilitate irrigation, and there should also be a large plain suitable for farming.
When setting off, Li Zhi led the gongs and drums team and beat the gongs and drums to send the first batch of people who set out to open up wasteland to the Dagu port. Before boarding the ship, Li Zhi warned Zheng Hui again: "Xiao Liuqiu is full of malaria, so build settlements."
When you arrive on the island, you need to burn the surrounding vegetation to avoid large-scale mosquitoes and clear away the stagnant water next to the settlement. When you arrive on the island, you need to build a toilet as soon as possible. After the settlement is built, dig a well to collect water to avoid drinking it cleanly.
of river water.”
Although Zheng Hui was older than Li Zhi, he had followed Li Zhi over the years and had become accustomed to obeying Li Zhi's orders. He nodded and said, "Okay, Commander-in-Chief, I will pay attention to hygiene and build the first settlement well."
"If any savages come to harass them, the soldiers will kill them immediately without mercy. There is no need to show mercy."
"I understand, Grand Governor."
Li Zhi said: "If you successfully open up wasteland this time, I will promote you next year."
Zheng Hui was a progressive person. When he heard Li Zhi's words, his eyes lit up and he said loudly: "Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, I will fulfill my mission and build a big house there to wait for you."
Li Zhi smiled and said: "There are many deer in Xiaoliuqiu. When you have nothing to do, you can shoot a few wild deer to improve your food."
Zheng Hui and others laughed and waved to board the boat.
Three large ships rowed out of Dagu Port with oars, and set off steam engines outside the port, blowing thick black smoke and heading east. Li Zhi watched until the ships were out of sight before returning to Tianjin. (To be continued.
