Chen Mu's attitude towards the grassland peoples is not actually to kill them all.
If you look at the essence through the phenomenon, you will find that the contradiction between the grassland people and the farming people is, in the final analysis, a contradiction of survival.
It is difficult to sustain long-term by relying solely on animal husbandry. When grassland peoples are unable to maintain their lives through grazing, encounter natural disasters or large-scale wars and annexations, they will turn their attention to the south.
However, the Han people need meat, eggs, and milk to strengthen their bodies, and the Hu people also need grains and grains to ensure their survival. The two civilizations should complement each other instead of killing each other.
The reason why there is no complementarity between civilizations over thousands of years of history is because the productivity and logistics capabilities of the two civilizations are low.
The transportation of beef and mutton milk and meat on the grassland has reached the limit as far as Hebei. Moreover, the transportation cost is very high and the scale is very small. It is impossible to form a complete industrial chain.
In this way, relying solely on the small population in the north of Youzhou will not be able to complement the grassland peoples at all. It will even help the grassland peoples obtain precious iron weapons due to border market trade, and help them move south with their swords.
Therefore, Chen Mu's method of handling the situation is very simple. There are currently millions of Hu people in Youzhou. Kill a group of rebels such as Tadun, appease a group of surrenders such as Nanlou, and then use the power of the government to arrange logistics.
The herdsmen's cattle and sheep are transported to Hebei, and Hebei's grain is transported to the north. The two parties form a complementary industrial chain.
In this way, while promoting the development of economy and trade, it can also solve the problems that both sides urgently need at the moment, and ultimately resolve the existential contradiction between the two sides.
It's just that this method is more suitable when the population is small and the distance is relatively close.
Once the population begins to grow explosively, for example, when the number of ethnic minorities exceeds millions, and the North alone cannot digest so much meat products, supply will exceed demand, forming a buyer's market, which will lead to low prices for meat products and bankrupt farmers.
If the problem is not solved, it will end up like the large-scale southward migration of grassland peoples in past dynasties. As long as they develop, insufficient productivity will cause food shortages, and they will have no choice but to migrate south and plunder the Han people.
Therefore, as the saying goes, technology is the primary productive force.
If there were trains to transport large quantities of meat products from the north to the south, and even to the whole country, this problem could be completely solved.
It has been seven or eight years since the research on steam engines. At Taishan Academy, hundreds of physics researchers are making targeted improvements to the principles and designs of steam engines every day.
At the same time, Taishan Academy created new subjects such as materials science and theory under the guidance of Chen Mu, allowing science and technology to flourish and become increasingly innovative.
The purpose of this is to enhance productivity and improve logistics capabilities.
As long as the rubber is in place, or if the Han Dynasty can occupy the Western Region and have an asbestos mine to solve the sealing problem of the steam engine, Chen Mu dares to immediately start building railroad tracks and building a railway station.
Unfortunately, neither can be achieved as soon as possible, so we can only continue to wait for new progress from ships heading to North America for exploration.
In fact, to be honest, many things in Taishan Academy are just getting started. Simple items such as gunpowder and soap have been researched for a long time, but they are not widely used due to their high power and manufacturing cost.
In many historical novels, time-travelers make their fortune from soap. It can only be said that it is possible, but not very feasible.
Because the cost of making soap was very high in ancient times, animal fats were used. Even the cheapest lard was very expensive for ordinary people, and the refined smell was not good. A lot of spices had to be added, which was at best
It is impossible for high-end luxury goods to widely flow into the private sector.
The existence of Taishan Academy is to produce highly practical technological products, so soap can only be used by high-ranking officials and has almost no impact on ordinary people.
The only groundbreaking invention currently is glass.
As mentioned before, China has been making glass since the Shang and Zhou dynasties. It is impossible to make a fortune by traveling back in time to make glass, because of problems with raw materials and formulas, we can only produce lead-barium glass.
Later, after years of research by the School of Chemistry, soda-lime glass was successfully developed, and glass technology had developed quite maturely during the Western Han Dynasty. With the perfect formula and excellent technology, Qingzhou officially developed a highly transparent product.
And relatively strong soda-lime glass, glass products began to enter thousands of households.
A mirror coated with mercury on the back of transparent glass is much clearer than the bronze mirrors of the Han Dynasty. Moreover, the glass can also be polished into eyeglass lenses. An old man like Zheng Xuan who spends all day buried in scriptures has long been blinded.
From a Confucian perspective, it is simply a blessing. I put on reading glasses early.
In addition, glass has many uses. In the past, military telescopes could only be polished with transparent and pure crystal. However, high-purity crystal itself is rare and precious, and cannot be mass-produced. Now that glass is available, it can be used immediately.
Ability to mass produce telescopes.
At the same time, the existence of glass has also supported a large number of people engaged in the handicraft industry. It can be said that the emergence of a technological product can create a large number of jobs and manufacturing craftsmen, indirectly driving economic prosperity and promoting industrial development.
Linzi's current prosperity is inseparable from the improvement of science and technology.
But when it comes to improving productivity, it is far from enough. The School of Physics has only improved the plow for cultivated land and has not developed chemical fertilizers. It is unrealistic to achieve a qualitative leap in food production.
When it comes to chemical fertilizer research, let alone the Han Dynasty, many African countries even after the millennium do not have such an industrial level.
At the current rate of development, it will probably take one or two hundred years to see if there is any hope.
But all this is just the beginning.
Including the so-called world-class empire, it is only the first step in a long march of thousands of miles, and there is still a long way to go in the future.
What Liu Bei and the others have to do now is to win over these barbarians and let them serve the imperial court based on Chen Mu's in-depth research on the relationship between grassland peoples and farming peoples.
The question that Nanlou is concerned about is whether the tribe can survive in the long term, and Liu Bei can help them solve this problem.
He said: "The Han Dynasty decided to use the national treasury as the foundation to strengthen mutual market supervision. The imperial court will purchase your cattle, sheep and horses, and sell them to you for grain, grass, salt, ironware and cotton clothes at the same price. However, taxes must be paid in this process. At the same time, your cattle, sheep and horses will also be sold to you."
When it comes to paying taxes, Wuhuan people and Han people will be treated equally, and there will never be any difference."
"In the future, your tribes will set up counties and standardize management. The imperial court will send officials to administer the people of your tribe. Of course, in the beginning, the leaders of your respective tribes will serve as officials. The imperial court will send people to assist you in following the laws of the Han Dynasty.
Carry out unified management.”
"In addition, your household registration, people's livelihood, and business must be re-planned according to the Han system. Although you will no longer be foreigners outside the Great Wall, the Han will give you a home to solve your food, clothing and survival problems.
question."
Liu Bei finished explaining the policies given to them by the imperial court in one breath. In fact, these policies were very normal policies. If you want to be a Han citizen, you must always act in accordance with the Han rules.
We cannot say that it is natural for Han people to pay taxes, but you naturalized Hu people do not have to pay taxes. Special treatment is not acceptable.
But after hearing his words, Nanlou was speechless for a moment. In his sixty years of life, this was the first time he heard this word, and he said with a troubled face: "Pay taxes..."
It wasn't that he had never heard of it before, but he knew that the Han people generally had to pay taxes to the court, but the Wuhuan people had never paid them, and the Han court still owed them a lot of wages.
Liu Bei smiled and said: "Don't worry, Lord Nanlou, the taxes of the Han Dynasty court are not heavy. If you become people of the Han Dynasty in the future, I will specially keep these taxes and store them in the official treasury of Youzhou to give to your tribe in the years of famine."
Secondly, it is to help your people to study and practice calligraphy, increase their knowledge, achieve success in the future, and maybe enter the imperial court as officials."
"Your Majesty's words are quite fresh."
Nanlou was noncommittal. He was indeed concerned about the survival of the tribe, but he still had concerns about completely throwing himself into the arms of the Han and becoming his subjects.
After all, they had no relationship with the Han in the past, and they could graze freely every day, and no one could take care of them. Even if the imperial court's Wuhuan Zhonglang in Youzhou recruited them to fight for the imperial court, they would have to pay to do so.
OK, now that they have become Han Chinese overnight, it is impossible for them to get used to it.
Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "It is normal for Master Nanlou to have concerns, and the imperial court will not force you. I know that what you nomads are afraid of is survival issues, and the imperial court will help you solve it and make your life better. But the big
Tribes also have difficulties like large tribes. Lord Nanlou doesn’t want to become a Han Chinese. I can understand that. Lord Nanlou should go back and think about this matter carefully. There is no need to rush into an answer. My promise today will always be valid."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Nanlou heard many unintelligible words from Liu Bei's mouth and didn't know what he meant. But he knew it was time to leave, so he stood up and raised his hands and said: "I am willing to send 10,000 troops to help your majesty solve the problem."
"good!"
Liu Bei nodded happily and said with a smile: "Master Nanlou, please come back. Your tribe's treatment will remain the same in the future, and the imperial court will continue to trade with you."
"Xiaomin said goodbye."
Nanlou was afraid that Liu Bei would regret it, so he quickly ran away. The 60-year-old man ran faster than anyone else.
After he left, Xun Yu, who had been watching for a long time, smiled and shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that Zi Gui's methods always fail."
Liu Bei said: "Zigui had long expected that these large tribes would not surrender so quickly. He told me that the people who are really most afraid of survival crisis are the small tribes with a population of thousands or even hundreds. These tribes will die out at any time.
, so I would be more willing to hug my thighs tightly. As for people like Nanlou and Pfulu, I didn’t have high hopes."
Xun Yu said: "Then your Majesty will be very busy next. In addition to large tribes such as Nanlou Pfulu with a population of tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand, there are other small tribes with a population of thousands or hundreds. There may be hundreds.
There are thousands of them. Your Majesty wants to meet so many tribal leaders. When will he be able to conquer Liaoxi?"
"Hahahahaha."
Liu Bei laughed and said, "I just met Nanlou and Pufulu. Isn't there Wenruo among the remaining people? He told me before he came back that he believed Wenruo could handle it well."
Xun Yu scratched his head and said with a wry smile: "Good fellow, the quilt is plotting again."
But having said that, Xun Yu also admired the in-depth research and analysis of nomadic and farming peoples in Chen Mu's book. Using the survival crisis as bait, he would surely be able to gather a large number of Wuhuan and Xianbei small tribes to surrender to the imperial court.
These small tribes have a small population and are not united enough to form a big force. As long as the court can guide them well, I believe they will not be unable to become loyal people of the Han Dynasty in the future.
As for people from large tribes like Nanlou Pfulu, it is normal for them to have concerns now.
But in the future, I saw that the small tribes were living more and more vigorously with the support of the imperial court. Not only did they not die in the cruel struggle for water and grass, there were even outstanding Wuhuan Xianbei people who became imperial officials through studying, and sooner or later they would join the Han Dynasty.
Just like North Korea later dreamed of being a dog of the Ming Dynasty, when Japan repeatedly invaded North Korea and plunged North Korea into a huge survival crisis, it was only human nature to hold on tightly and survive.
In fact, it is very foolish for a country to blindly expand its territory. The territory of Russia was as large as that of later Russia, but it was all useless and had to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to maintain it, which was a great loss of the country's financial and military strength.
For national interests, territory expansion must be beneficial to the country, such as a certain place producing oil, gold, or a key strategic point.
Chen Mu actually didn't want a place as barren as North Korea.
But there is no way, North Korea is close to Japan. Japan is rich in minerals. Controlling North Korea can transport large quantities of gold, silver, brass and other minerals from Japan to the country, which will enhance the national power of the Han Dynasty.
And incorporating the grassland into the territory of the Han Dynasty was also profitable.
First of all, the grassland peoples are good at fighting and have land to raise horses, which is a good source of soldiers and horses.
Secondly, there are abundant meat products. After occupying the grassland, as long as we plan properly, carry out sustainable development, and carry out large-scale animal husbandry, we can bring a continuous supply of meat products to the people of the Central Plains and enhance the physical fitness of the Han people.
Although fresh meat is mostly given to northerners, it can also be smoked and made into bacon that is easy to preserve and shipped to the south.
The mutual market supervisor that Liu Bei mentioned before was an agency under the Shaofu responsible for trade with foreign countries. Now it was transformed into a state-owned enterprise by Chen Mu, and was managed by Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, a big businessman who had joined Liu Bei.
There will be more state-owned enterprises like this in the future. Although state-owned enterprises have many disadvantages, at least their existence will definitely stabilize prices and people's livelihood. The advantages will definitely outweigh the disadvantages.
As for a bank, it is similar to a bank.
Even in the Qing Dynasty, when Qianzhuang was at its peak, its existence still had many shortcomings.
In the Han Dynasty, when paper money could not even be produced, such an institution was out of the question.
Today's mainstream currency is still gold, silver and copper. With the reclamation of Japan, a large amount of gold, silver and copper poured into the Han Dynasty. The gold standard and silver standard have become more stable. Its status will not change for at least one or two hundred years.
Only when technology develops further in the future and large-scale banknotes appear will banks be able to exist.
And this time may be Chen Mu's later years, or it may be a hundred years later, who knows?