The Jiao Lai Canal has thawed and been unsealed, and there are more ships in Jiaozhou Bay.
At the Qingdao pier, the business of Auxiliary Oyster Omelette has become even more prosperous. With its large quantity, fresh ingredients and delicious taste, it has conquered countless people on the pier. Those who have eaten have become repeat customers, and they line up to buy it every day.
Zhu Cian was also there to help.
There was also a woman and three children helping at the stall. Although it was smoky and the sea breeze was blowing, they were all very busy.
There is a wooden box placed on the stall, and customers come to buy it and put their own money. Some customers even bring silver dollars and silver corners, and they can change their own money in it.
"Have you heard about what happened in Fengtian recently?" Zhu Ci'an asked.
Zhu Fuji was busy scattering green onions while answering, "There has been a lot of discussion on the dock recently about this matter. They all say that they deserve it."
The third child helped open the oysters and sighed, "It is true that they deserve it. What do you think these people think? They are all superior. Doesn't your majesty treat them badly? Let's talk about King Heng. He surrendered to the captives, and your majesty also treated him
After the redemption, he was specially given a title as a county king, and even gave him 1,200 acres of land, as well as real estate and shops, etc. What else could he be dissatisfied with?"
"Without the emperor, he would probably have gone down to the underworld to see Taizu just as early as King De and others."
Zhu Fuji, like the third child, used to belong to the lower-level clan and did not enjoy the blessings of the clan, but suffered a lot of hardships from the royal family. Now he is completely liberated, and his life is prosperous, with great hope.
He didn't want to pay attention to these people anymore, but when everyone on the pier came to buy oyster omelette, they would always talk about this hot news, and he heard a lot about it.
When everyone talked about this, they all criticized these kings.
Zhu Fuji also scolded them in his heart for not knowing how lucky they were.
He is still rebelling and seeking death.
In fact, from the common people to clans like Zhu Cian, most people are in favor of the newly promulgated clan law issued by the emperor.
In the past, the Ming Dynasty had been supporting the vassals for 280 years. In fact, the people all over the world had already had their opinions, but there was nothing they could do if they were dissatisfied with this matter.
Now that the Holy Emperor is on the throne and wants to reform the sectarian system, everyone naturally supports it.
Shandong had a total of six vassal kings before and after. King Qi, King Lu, King Han, King De, King Heng, King Jing. They deposed the two kings of Qi and Han. There were still four kings in the late Ming Dynasty. By the Chongzhen Dynasty, three kings were left, and each of the four families ruled
With at least 20,000 hectares of land, you can imagine how serious this problem is.
But among the thousands of clan members in the four vassals, only those one hundred and eighty people are really living a good life. Most of the clan members don't have enough to eat, and both ends of the clan have been dissatisfied for a long time.
After Prince Heng's Mansion took back the 20,000 hectares of land, it was natural that it would be divided.
Soldiers in the imperial camp were given priority, followed by officials, clan members, and royal relatives. Soldiers in the imperial camp were allocated 30 acres, while royal relatives were allocated at least two acres.
"Have you received a notice from the clan government? The land is about to be divided. I heard that this time I can get two acres of Yongye land. In addition, I have the opportunity to buy land in installments. One land is limited to five acres."
"I've heard that too, is it true?" Zhu Fuji's oyster omelette business is very good now. Although the price is cheap and the profit is small, the quantity is large. It's a small business and he doesn't hire anyone to bring him.
With the adopted woman and several children, the family was busy and the income was pretty good.
This kind of stall does not need to pay tax.
If this continues, he will be able to buy land and property on his own without the need for the court to allocate land, and even buy a house in Qingdao city.
Of course, if you can divide the land, even one or two acres, this is a blessing from heaven. Who would still dislike it?
Even if you can't grow it by setting up a stall, as long as the land is under your own name, whether the owner is planting it on his behalf or renting it out to tenants, you will still make money.
"You should hurry up and have more children with your sister-in-law. In this world, talent is the real wealth. You see, whether the court divides fields or sells land, it all depends on the number of people." The third child smiled.
road.
Zhu Fuji took in a refugee woman and brought her three children, a son and two daughters. They were all still young, and even if they grew up, they would not be of his own blood after all.
In fact, given Zhu Fuji's current conditions, it would be okay to find a young lady, or even a young lady from a down-and-out gentleman or a landlord's family.
But he didn't have that idea, he just wanted to live a steady life.
He had suffered too much and suffered too much in the first half of his life, and now he just wanted to live a stable and down-to-earth life. Although this woman had three oil bottles, she was hard-working and gentle to him, and knew both cold and hot. He liked her very much.
Even after getting along with each other for such a long time, the children have become very close to each other. They are all very sensible children, even a little too sensible. There is no way that he would abandon their mothers and do such a thing.
"The land is divided and we need to settle down. Does the third brother plan to settle down in Qingdao?" Auxiliary Machine asked.
"Well, Qingdao is a good place. The port doesn't freeze in winter, the scenery is good in summer, and the docks are lively. It's a good place. Besides, I don't change my job at Hengxing Money Store at will. Our shopkeeper treats me well, so I
I plan to settle here and take over my mother and children.
I have calculated that I can only get two acres of Yongye land now, but I can buy ten acres of land. I can pay the down payment with the money I have now, and I will pay it in annual installments in the future. It is not a big problem.
I have acquired twelve acres of land. I will plant two acres of mulberry trees and raise silkworms on one of the acres. I can sell one of the mulberries for money. The remaining land will be used to grow grains. I can’t help you by working in the money shop, but I can recruit someone.
The management of long-term workers, hiring short-term workers during busy periods, should be very busy.
After careful calculation, hiring people is more cost-effective than renting. After excluding all kinds of seeds, labor and other expenses, what is left is not only enough for the family's rations and the landowner's silver tax, but also some leftover, which is enough for the family's silk raising, silk weaving, and the clothing and quilts of the family.
, we can also sell some silk to support the family, and when the children are older, we can send them to study. If there is no disaster, there will be some surplus every year, and when we are old, we can enjoy our old age."
At this time, the average consumption of the people was at least three measures of grain per mouth per month. To put it simply, one person consumed nearly one acre of grain per year. If there were five or six mouths, about five acres of grain would be needed, so it was considered a year of peace.
Month, if you just rely on farming, it is not enough. Women raise silkworms and weave cloth, which is an important source of income. Not only do they wear and weave their own clothes, but they can even sell them to support their families.
If a family has ten acres of land, with men farming and women weaving, they can live a good life in peacetime, with enough food and clothing. However, if there is a famine or war, like Chongzhen's case of random apportionment and taxation, it will become more difficult.
Hard work is not enough to pay taxes.
And if you don't have your own land and rely on sharecropping, you can only make ends meet. When a famine occurs, they are the first to be unable to survive.
Fields are the most important means of production. In fact, in any era, only those who have mastered the means of production can be truly stable and prosperous.
Without the means of production, it is always impossible to give people tenants or servants.
Only with the means of production can we have surplus, slowly accumulate capital, and continuously expand the means of production. Finally, we can break away from the lowest level of accumulation and make money by relying on money from the means of production.
So in ancient times, although fields were sometimes very cheap, everyone from local powerful men to princes and nobles were trying to annex the fields. This is the main reason.
Although Zhu Laosan now has a good job as a clerk in a money shop, he earns one or two silver dollars a month, and his salary will increase with his seniority. After two accounting periods, he may still be able to obtain stock, and then earn
More money.
But he is still a clerk. Even if he is the shopkeeper, he is still a clerk.
This land cannot be passed down to his sons in the future, but if he becomes a landowner, the land will be permanent and can be passed on to his descendants to collect rent from generation to generation, or to hire workers to cultivate the harvest and accumulate profits.
Zhu Laosan is very looking forward to the two acres of land being divided as soon as possible. Even when the subscription is released, he will subscribe for the ten acres of land as soon as possible. No matter how high or low, as long as he can buy it, even if he borrows some money first, he will buy it.
Want to buy.
Nowadays, land prices are cheap and opportunities are rare. If you don't buy it if you have the opportunity, it will be difficult to buy it in the future. Moreover, the Shao Tian Dynasty stipulates that land sales must pay an eight percent deed tax. The buyer pays five percent and the seller pays three percent.
When there is peace, even if you are willing to pay the tax, you will not have the chance to buy the land.
"I'll buy it too," Zhu Fuji said. "If you don't have enough money to buy the land then, just tell me. I also saved some money in your money shop, and you know it."
"Well, if we really don't have enough by then, I will definitely ask you to borrow it, and the interest will be based on the loan amount in our shop."
"What do my family say about interest?"
"One code equals one code."
"let's discuss it later."
In the distance on the sea, a fleet sailed into the harbor.
"There are several Western-style sailing ships."
"Which Western version is this?"
Zhu Fuji looked up and looked at it for a while, "It seems to be a Dutch ship. A Dutch fleet commander came over before, and this flag was hung on the mast, saying it belonged to the East India Company."
"Is it the one who said before that the Dutch were defeated by our emperor's righteous son Guo Xingye in Taiwan, and then came to Beijing to ask for surrender? It is said that Long Live Lord asked the Dutch not only to return Taiwan to surrender, but also to hide the remaining four in Japan.
Are all the warships also handed over to the imperial court?"
"It's not handed over, it's sold to the imperial court. Didn't they have to pay one million taels of silver as compensation for their defeat before? These four battleships and the cannons on board, plus the goods they brought from Nanyang, will be worth half of the compensation."
Zhu Laosan looked at those large ships and couldn't help but sigh.
"Our Holy Emperor is so powerful that we are everywhere, and our virtue is everywhere. These Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese people all surrender and pay tribute."
Zhu Fuji didn't have a good impression of these foreigners. They were all rude and smelly. Last time, the sailor on the Dutch commander's ship refused to pay for his food.
Finally, the navy officers and soldiers from the pier came over, but the man still wanted to bargain, and he couldn't even afford the fried oysters that cost a few cents, so the price dropped.
Unlike the officers and soldiers of the imperial navy, they are well treated and well paid. They are usually loved by the vendors on the pier because they are well disciplined, never buy anything without paying, and they don't like to bargain.
If you come to them when you have trouble, they will help you immediately.
"I heard that many young people from our royal family have signed up to join the army. If I didn't have a family to support, I would have to join the army."
Zhu Fuji nodded, the treatment in the imperial camp was indeed good.
However, their life is good now. They have a wife and children, and they are a little reluctant to part with them.
Of course, if the war with the Tatars was in an unfavorable situation and the imperial court called them up, either Zhu Fuji or Zhu Cian would not hesitate to enlist in the army and join the war.
They know very well who gave them this life today.
"Do you think we can break into Beijing this year and drive the Tatars out of the country in one fell swoop?" Lao San looked at the Dutch warships brought into the port by naval ships, and his heart was surging.
"It shouldn't be so fast. I heard that the imperial camp is also being mobilized in various places. It is estimated that this year we should be able to capture Xuzhou and Jinan and recover Shandong." Zhu Fuji was very optimistic about the situation, but he did not underestimate the enemy too much. After all, the Tatars were
The Ming Dynasty has been beaten to the ground for more than ten years. How could it be so easy to destroy it at a glance?
It would be good to be able to gradually regain the territory in a stable manner, and there is no rush to do it in three to five years. Just don't rush forward and underestimate the enemy, causing the situation to repeat.
It's been in chaos for so many years, let's stick to it for a few more years.
Winter is difficult, but after winter comes spring with brilliant flowers.
"I really hope that this day will come soon. By then, not only will Beijing be recovered, but also Liaodong will be recovered. The Jurchens will be plowed and cleared again, and they will be completely exterminated. Don't leave any remnants to them."
"Well, it will definitely happen. This day won't be far away."
The two royal relatives stood on the pier, busy with their work and looking forward to the future, their eyes full of hope.
Four Dutch sailing battleships sailed in. They were all 500-ton ships, each with twenty or thirty cannons. At this time, the gun bay doors were all closed, and they slowly approached the dock under the leadership of the pilot boat.
The eyes of everyone on the dock were attracted. When they knew that these four Dutch warships had become the property of the Ming Dynasty, they couldn't help but cheer.
Everyone feels extremely proud.
Today's Ming Dynasty is no longer the imperial court of the past.