I want to be emperor

Chapter 518 Industry and War

Nie Sishen has only been working in Hantian Textile Company for a few days, and he deeply feels that this government-run enterprise is different.

To put it bluntly, it is down-to-earth. Almost no one in the company regards itself as a government-run enterprise, and there is no such thing as arrogance. They compete in the market for the market and for profits.

This is rarely seen in other government-run enterprises, especially those medium and large enterprises directly under the Ministry of Industry.

For example, Hantian Machinery Company, a large part of the business of this machinery company is actually supported by civilian products. The cost is also low, and recently, water-powered textile equipment has been introduced, and its efficiency has once again been explosively improved compared to manual equipment.

It's just because these water-powered textile equipments require a lot of investment and maintenance is not easy. Large factories need to make great determination before they can invest in it. For example, Suqin Textile Company and Hantian Textile Company, those small and medium-sized textile enterprises want to engage in large-scale production. The production of advanced hydrodynamic textile equipment is still relatively reluctant.

In addition, all kinds of civil iron products of Hantian Machinery Factory are also very popular. Its famous Hanguo is the flagship product of Hantian Machinery Factory.

Don't think that a mere iron pot is nothing, but in fact, this thing is the most sold iron civilian product in the contemporary world.

This thing is a necessity of life.

Its market size is the same as agricultural tools such as hoes and sickles, and it is a must-have thing for every household.

However, with its excellent quality and relatively low price, Hanguo smashed the market of Guangguo and other traditional iron pans a few years ago. Not only is it very popular in China, but it is also compatible with cloth, silk, Porcelain, tea and other traditional advantageous export commodities have become the advantageous export commodities of the Great Chu Empire, and are transported by a large number of merchant ships to Fusang, Nanyang and other places for sale.

In addition, it was transported by land by merchants and sold to various parts of the Western Regions.

In addition, Hantian Machinery Factory has made use of its technological advantages and production capacity advantages to be quite successful in other fields. Whether it is hoes, sickles, or other types of agricultural implements, cooking utensils, tools, etc., all kinds of civilian products of Hantian Machinery Factory Iron products are quite popular.

However, such a government-run enterprise that relies on civilian supplies to support its main sales still maintains the pride of its government-run enterprise.

This is true of Hantian Machinery Company, not to mention other government-run enterprises.

How should I put it, the managers of these companies did not regard themselves as businessmen on the spot, but still regarded themselves as officials on the spot. Since they are officials, they are naturally different from ordinary businessmen.

They focus on prioritizing the tasks assigned by their superiors, such as ensuring production capacity and quality, especially those in charge of factories in defense-related industries. They basically don’t think about market issues. Anyway, what they produce is basically Other government-run factories purchase or directly supply the army.

Therefore, they did not regard themselves as businessmen, but still regarded themselves as officials.

Under such circumstances, the government-run enterprises of the Great Chu Empire are actually different from ordinary private enterprises. This is not a matter of saying good or bad, but to achieve different purposes with different means.

Although these government-run enterprises basically have problems such as a strong bureaucratic system and being out of touch with the market, you must know that the establishment of these government-run enterprises by the Great Chu Empire was not for making money...

It is to lay the foundation of industry and increase the scale of industry, so as to supply enough guns and ammunition for the army.

And when the superiors ordered various construction and production tasks, the leaders of these government-run factories basically didn't have to think about economic benefits. They only needed to think about how to produce things and improve the quality, even at a loss!
It is precisely because of this system that the Great Chu Empire was able to quickly create a large number of factories, and forcibly promote industrialization in an unreasonable, even contrary to market laws, and produce a large number of guns and ammunition.

If it is purely a businessman's thinking... it is impossible for them to produce such a large-scale production capacity of guns and ammunition in another 100 years!

Because many government-run factories are losing money!
If you let the merchants do it, they won't do it!

In addition, even if they want to do it, businessmen can't do it, because the investment is too big!
Even if they want to do it, businessmen are unwilling, because the income is too low and the time to pay back is too long, and they don't have the patience.

Just like those guns, the army's demand is very large, and the demand is very urgent. There are hundreds of thousands of orders at every turn, and they require delivery within a limited time.

Naturally, private enterprises can also invest huge sums of money in the construction of production lines, but what happens after the production of this batch of orders is completed?
You must know that the war will not continue forever, it will end sooner or later!
At that time, the army's orders will be greatly reduced, and the production line with huge investment in the early stage will have vacant production capacity, which means that the cost recovery will be far away!

So many things, in fact, there is no way to rely on private capital to do it, because private capital is naturally profit-seeking!

It can only be done by relying on government-run capital, because official capital does not need to make a profit, but only needs to complete the tasks assigned by the superior.

Luo Zhixue, who is the master of the empire, is also very clear about this!
He knows the pros and cons of government-run enterprises, as well as the pros and cons of private capital, so he adopts differentiated policies, such as letting government-run capital invest in some enterprises represented by heavy industry; After the policy is announced, it is open to let private capital make troubles by themselves.

In addition to these factors, there is another very important reason why the Great Chu Empire promoted a large number of government-run enterprises, and that is to forcibly stimulate industrial demand, thereby promoting technological progress and industrial development.

Take military orders as an example!

Whether it is firearms or artillery, the order volume is very huge. In order to ensure such a huge supply, the arsenal must adopt mechanized production on a large scale. Otherwise, relying on manual production will lead to production.

However, with mechanical production, the initial investment is huge, and the initial production cost will also be very high.

Especially compared to manual production!

Labor costs are very low these days. Even a senior skilled craftsman can only earn a salary of about ten taels of silver, and an ordinary craftsman can only earn a few taels of silver.

However, mechanical equipment costs tens to hundreds of taels at every turn, especially some large or precision equipment, which can cost tens of thousands at every turn.

The reason why the price is so expensive is mainly because the investment in research and development is relatively large, and the output is relatively low at the same time, so it is difficult to dilute the cost of research and development.

In addition, the production is also more troublesome. The yield rate of special parts used in some equipment is extremely low, and it often takes a lot of hard work to produce a qualified part.

For example, the special knives that are most frequently used in various machine tools are too difficult to produce for the basic industrial capabilities of the contemporary Great Chu Empire.

Therefore, when the Great Chu Empire established various industrial zones in the early days, they would throw down tens of thousands of taels of silver at every turn!

That’s just the way it is. If you really want to count the cost, the guns produced by the Ming Dynasty or the Dongyao people are actually cheaper than the guns produced by the Chu army.

People can produce an imitation version of the first-year-style matchlock gun for three or four taels of silver, but the Chu army basically needs more than five taels of silver to produce it.

Not to mention the two-year-old flintlock gun, which cost more than 20 taels in the early days. Even now after mass production, the military purchase price still needs 15 taels of silver.

This price is very high for the current price level. If it is replaced by the Dongbang people, I am afraid that they can make flintlock guns, and it is estimated that they will not be mass-produced and used, because they cannot afford to use them...

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From a commercial point of view these days, it is the cheapest to hire various craftsmen to produce artillery by hand!
But in this way, the production capacity will be greatly limited, because it is too difficult to train craftsmen, and so many craftsmen cannot be trained in a short period of time, so the production capacity cannot be increased.

But on the side of the Great Chu Empire, in order to ensure production capacity, the Great Chu Empire directly spent money, set up government-run arsenals, and then forcibly increased production capacity.

At the same time, in these processes, it is forced to think that huge machinery and equipment and a huge market for raw materials have been produced!

Further stimulate the development of steel, machinery, mining, shipping and many other industries.

This chain of links directly and forcibly gave birth to a huge industrial market!

The tens of millions of taels of military expenditure of the Great Chu Empire every year are not only used for war, but also a huge lever to promote industrial development!

The two major items of armaments and infrastructure construction are the most powerful weapons to stimulate industrial development, and they are also sharp weapons to stimulate war!
Many wars in modern times are basically inseparable from the economic crisis, because after the economic crisis, they often use similar means such as armaments or infrastructure to stimulate the economy. Under the flood, if there is no external low-lying land such as colonies to release pressure, then basically all Only on the road of war.

Germany, Japan, and the United States are the most typical examples!
Now the Great Chu Empire is actually following the same path, but it was just an agricultural country before, and there was no option of economic crisis. Instead, it directly started the way of forcibly stimulating the economy and promoting industrial development with armaments and infrastructure construction.

Then the war will bear the cost of flooding!
Not only now, the Great Chu Empire did this before!
When the east entered Jiangnan, the finances of the Great Chu Empire were on the verge of bankruptcy... But after taking Jiangnan, they not only obtained a large amount of confiscated income, but also allowed a large number of government-run enterprises to obtain the huge market in the Jiangnan area and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The Machinery Company and Hantian Textile Company rose rapidly at that time.

The follow-up Northern Expedition was almost the same. Although the Great Chu Empire spent more money, it earned more, so it was able to maintain a very delicate balance.

Now that they are fighting captives, the Great Chu Empire is still copying such a routine, but the high-level officials of the empire, especially the officials of the Ministry of Finance, are relatively pessimistic about this.

They believed that compared with previous wars such as the Eastward Expedition, the Northern Expedition, and even the Westward Expedition, which were quite profitable in the past, the Northeast Campaign might be at a loss...

Because there is not much population in that dilapidated place, it will be difficult to bring a larger market after it is conquered. The only hope is that there will be more copying at that time, and then some war horses will be obtained, especially a Liaohe horse breeding.

But if you want to turn back by relying on animal husbandry...it will probably take many, many, many years!

Regarding this, Luo Zhixue didn't say much!

Although the population of the Northeast is small now, there are only a few hundred thousand if it is exhausted, quite a few are still satisfied. After the war, it is estimated that there will not be a few barbarians left.

Simply relying on the market in that place, there is no hope of getting back the money.

However, there is black soil in the Northeast and rich mineral resources!

In particular, there is a large amount of high-quality coal and iron ore in the local area. Iron is a hard currency these days, especially for a country that is just in the early stage of industrial development like the Great Chu Empire. Coal and steel are the most important, and no amount is enough use!
Take the Northeast, and then immigrate to develop the local black land to grow rice or soybeans, and then develop the local coal and iron resources on a large scale, and transport them by sea to the hinterland of the Central Plains such as the Yangtze River Basin to produce various iron products.

With a two-pronged approach, the Northeast will become the hinterland of China in less than ten years, and it will also be a hinterland with rich resources and a large population.

Therefore, the Northeast War will not lose money.

Take ten thousand steps back, even if you lose money, you have to fight!

Is it possible that the Dongyao people can still keep eyeing the north side!
If the Dongyao people only occupy the Northeast, it’s fine, the big deal is to stare at them at Shanhaiguan, but the problem is that the Dongyao people also control Monan Mongolia!

As far as Jiayuguan in the west and Bohai Sea in the east, such a long defense line of the Great Wall in the north will be threatened by Dongren. If you defend passively for a long time, hundreds of thousands of troops will not be enough...

The cost will also be huge!
Under such circumstances, it is better to just lay them down and finish it all. By the way, they will seize the Northeast and Monan Mongolia, set up a large ranch, and raise their own cavalry to prepare for the subsequent westward advance to Central Asia.

Solving the threat from the north is something that must be done even at a loss.

Besides, the Great Chu Empire will not lose money, no matter how bad it is, it can stimulate the development of domestic industry, right?

Collecting so much tax every year has to be spent, so it is better to use it to purchase guns and ammunition to pay officials Zhang Fuli to do some messy things.Anyway, it can also stimulate the development of the defense industry.

And the defense industry these days is basically synonymous with heavy industry!

So for the Great Chu Empire, there are many benefits to fighting captives!

It's just that these things are beyond the understanding of many ordinary people in the empire. Even Bai Yangrong, the lieutenant general of the army who is on the front line commanding the army, actually doesn't understand the economic logic behind this war!

All he knew was that the Eastern Captives had been China's greatest enemy in recent decades, and also the greatest threat to the nascent Great Chu Empire.

It must be killed!
He thought so and did it!
(End of this chapter)