Hongwu Survival Guide

Chapter 164
On the [-]th, he said frankly that on the one hand, Zhu Yuan really felt that Lao Zhu Zhen treated him like a family member, on the other hand, he also had his own considerations and was not impulsive.

Still pinpoint Lao Zhu's character.

Caring for loved ones, and, rewards and punishments are clear.

There are too many historical records about how good you are to your loved ones, so there is no need to repeat them.

As for the latter, perhaps the first thought of onlookers is that all the heroes have been killed. Is this also called clear rewards and punishments?

Zhu Yuan still has a point of view.

It was a helpless and crazy act of an idealist after all his naive expectations were disillusioned in his later years, and there were too many things under the surface mixed in it.

It's far from being able to describe it with a simple sentence, "the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog cooks".

Before disillusionment, Lao Zhu had a steelyard in his heart.

I will give you as much as you do.

This can be seen from the number of salaries of the nobles among the three years of Hongwu. For example, for the same duke, Li Shan, who ranked first, had an annual salary of 4000 shi, while Xu Da, who ranked second, had 5000 shi. The credit is greater.

There is also the Marquis, who is divided into several levels.

Let's talk about Zhu Yuan.

In less than a year, Lao Zhu can see clearly how much he has done.

The Zhu family's own descendants are very capable and practical. It can be said that every point fully meets Lao Zhu's expectations for talents and confidants.Coupled with Zhu Yuan's frankness and sincerity, tsk... Who can move Zhu Hanlin in the future?
After touching each other, the ancestor and the distant grandson entered a state of pragmatism together during the next two days' journey.

A large number of historical materials in later generations have recorded that Lao Zhu habitually expounded a point of view. He himself never thought that he could become this emperor.The fact is also the same. Therefore, Lao Zhu was actually very confused after he really became the king. Over the years, so many dynasties have gone back and forth, and he does not want to repeat the same mistakes. So, while working hard for decades, Lao Zhu has also been groping and trying.

Because of that diligence, because of that exploration, and perhaps, there is also some awe of the country and the country. Relatively speaking, Lao Zhu has done a good job, the only "artistic and martial arts".However, it is obvious and later proved that there are still many defects.

What is the biggest reason?
Zhu Yuan thinks it is three words: limitation.

Due to the limitations of the times, Lao Zhu can only explore based on the experience of many previous dynasties, and it is difficult to escape the historical cycle after all.

Now, the appearance of Zhu Yuan gave Lao Zhu a chance to break out of his limitations.

Although Lao Zhu couldn't describe it in detail and didn't know the so-called "limitation", but, as an enterprising emperor, he could also feel this.

Therefore, during the two days of the boat trip, except for a few urgent reports, Lao Zhu simply put aside most of his other affairs, and concentrated on discussing with his precious 23rd generation grandson how to take the next road of Daming.

The road is long.

There is too much to do.

In short, we still have to take it step by step, distinguish between the primary and the secondary, and make every effort.In order to avoid focusing on one thing and losing another, the method Zhu Yuan gave is to make a list.

From infrastructure to farming, from education to military, from industry to medical...

Among them, there are many, many small projects.

Referring to the past, Zhu Yuan also put forward the development plan of the "five-year plan". Lao Zhu was very inspired, but he felt that five years was too long and three years would be better.

The ancestors were eager to seek medical treatment, and Zhu Yuan did not object.

Three years is three years.

Three years later, three years later, three years later, three years later...

Ok.

This thread is far-fetched.

Slightly slightly.

Speaking of which, according to Lao Zhu's life expectancy in another life, the Hongwu Dynasty will have exactly 10 "three-year plans" beginning next year.

Just wander off.

Zhu Yuan sincerely hopes that his ancestors will have a few more three years this time.

In the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon of September [-]th.

When the courtiers announced that they would land in another quarter of an hour, Zhu Yuan and Lao Zhu, who were immersed in various topics, had just finished discussing the matter of letting the navy take over Tamna, and later Jeju Island in South Korea to seek Koryo and Japan.

The current Tamna, the full name is Tamna Military and Civilian General Administration Office.

It belongs to the territory of the Yuan court.

When Zhu Yuan said this, he remembered that in his memory, Emperor Zhizheng seemed to have a plan to flee to Tamna, and it seemed that he had transported a large amount of treasure there in advance.

Most of them were caught in one pot, and the news should have reached Tamna.

treasure...

Even if there is, it has probably been divided up by local forces, but this island must not be given up.

Geographic location is too important.

Because the main goal in the next few years is to recuperate and resume production, and the naval power also needs to be strengthened. We don't plan to win Korea and Japan for the time being, but this springboard must be set up well.

It will be more convenient to do things in the future.

From a global perspective, Zhu Yuan believes that the geographical location of the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago is also very important, just like the Nanyang Islands, this time they must not be allowed to drift outside the Ming Dynasty's rule in the name of a vassal state.

After Lao Zhu casually sent his courtiers to prepare, Zhu Yuan continued with another topic: "Next, it is currency. This is what Yuan'er wanted to tell his ancestors a long time ago. In his previous life, Yuan'er has read those currency theories, it is too complicated, wait a moment In the days to come, I will slowly summarize it for my ancestors. Here, I will give my ancestors the most simple explanation: For the national economy, currency is like the "water" in the rivers, lakes and seas in our actual territory. It can stimulate production and Regulatory distribution."

Having said that, Zhu Yuan quickly wrote down a series of words on a blank sheet of paper, and these words formed a closed loop with lines.

Handing it to Lao Zhu on the opposite side of the desk, Zhu Yuan continued: "For example, this example: the imperial court casts 1 guan of money, and sends this 1 guan of money to the craftsmen, and the craftsmen can give back the production results of 1 guan of money; then, go to the next link , craftsmen use the money to buy firewood, rice, oil and salt, and the life of the craftsman is satisfied, and this money will go into the hands of merchants at the upper levels of the social pyramid. , so the result is that the rich get richer. But this time, I will continue to open it up; and then, the merchants will also use this money to spend, and their consumption will be relatively high-end, exquisite porcelain, delicious shark fin, Well, there are also expensive glassware, these, if all of them are managed by the state monopoly, then the money will be returned to the imperial court, and then the next cycle will start. Ancestor, do you see anything from this?"

Lao Zhu looked at the circle on the paper in front of him, and found something quickly: "Where is the tax?"

Zhu Yuan smiled and nodded: "Yes, of course there must be taxes. The imperial court can extract taxes from every circulation of coins. This is a kind of adjustment and distribution."

Lao Zhu frowned and thought.

Zhu Yuan continued: "Taxation is only one of the distribution adjustments. In addition, the imperial court minted the money itself, and we gave it to the poor to buy the goods of the rich. This is also a distribution adjustment. Furthermore, the imperial court directly Monopoly officials sell commodities in some links, profit from them, and then invest the profits in the national economy and the people's livelihood. This is another kind of distribution adjustment, and so on. Behind these distribution adjustments, there is a question: why is it currency? Because compared to Cloth, grain, and other physical objects that can also be used for exchange, and easy-to-carry currency are relatively the easiest to circulate in society at the lowest cost, and the imperial court has the power to mint coins, which is equivalent to that we have a way to mobilize social resources to maintain the country. The tool of operation. So I said that currency is the "water" in the national economy. Everything cannot survive without water. Similarly, unless we want to return to the primitive state of prehistoric picking and hunting like animals, as long as we want to To maintain the operation of a country, there is no currency, the 'water'."

Old Zhu understood, nodded approvingly, but after thinking about it, he said again: "But, I just feel that if you use this... currency to buy these things, no matter how they circulate, aren't they still the same things?"

"No," Zhu Yuan shook his head: "This is a traditional misunderstanding for thousands of years. The court always thinks that social resources are fixed, so it restricts businessmen from pursuing profits, but in fact the opposite is true. The circulation of money will create demand. I just said that if there is no money for the daily necessities needed by craftsmen and various luxury products needed by merchants, well... I mean, this is an idealized model, a model with only 1 money, then, without this 1 money If you spend more money, they will not have these needs. As a result, no one will work hard to produce the daily necessities, rice, oil, salt, porcelain, shark fins, glassware, etc. that can be purchased with an extra 1 guan of money. This is the stimulating effect of 1 guan of money on production With this 1 guan, and with these needs, other people can also maintain their livelihoods by producing firewood, rice, oil, salt, porcelain, and shark fin. This is only 1 guan. Let’s zoom in. If there are 1 million guan, 100 million guan What about 1000 million strings?"

Lao Zhu felt that he understood a little bit, but he laughed at the end, "1 million guan, that money is not money."

"My ancestors are wise and found another problem," Zhu Yuan also laughed: "Money is not always better, it must be minted in a restrained manner. The corruption of the Yuan court's banknote policy is due to excessive issuance. Speaking of which, the ancestors also Having made such a mistake, it is worse than Yuan Ting."

Old Zhu knew that it must have happened in his previous life, so he wasn't angry, he was just curious: "Tell me?"

"Let's talk about the later," Zhu Yuan said: "Before Yuan'er came to this era, the most powerful country in the world, the United States, also printed and issued banknotes, and this currency was not anchored to gold. To add a word, the Yuan court issued banknotes to anchor gold, and later there was a proper term called the gold standard."

"I know that."

As Lao Zhu said, he still used a pen to write the words 'gold standard' on the paper with a 'circle' in front of him.

Zhu Yuan continued: "But the United States does not, because it is strong, they issue banknotes entirely on the credit of the country, called the US dollar, this currency is called 'credit currency'. Because there is no anchor, and because of its strength, the US dollar is used by the whole world Accept it, it can be circulated in all countries, what is the result, can the ancestors imagine?"

Lao Zhu thought for a while, and said: "Since it is accepted by the whole world, if it is me, I will print more and buy things for nothing."

Zhu Yuan nodded: "My ancestors are right, the United States does exactly this, it's called 'harvesting', and their methods are much more complicated than my ancestors simply 'bought something for nothing', but, fundamentally, heh, It is indeed an empty-handed white wolf."

"Empty glove white wolf, this word," Lao Zhu said with a smile, "is quite appropriate."

Zhu Yuan didn't know the origin of 'Empty Glove White Wolf' either, so he didn't care about these details, and instead said: "Going back to just now, does my ancestor know which country was the first to issue credit currency in this world?"

Lao Zhu didn't even need to guess, he said directly: "I did it?"

"That's right," Zhu Yuan said, "I forgot to write it in the "Book of Heaven" before, it should be in the eighth year of Hongwu, maybe in the ninth year, the ancestors issued the Daming Banknote, which is the world's first credit currency. Without any anchoring, it relies entirely on national credit support. With the strength of the Ming Dynasty, the Daming Banknotes had hoped to become a widespread currency in at least Asia. However, because the ancestors did not understand economics, they did not know that currency issuance should be restrained , according to the economic situation, appropriate planning should be made. As a result, due to the excessive issuance, by the end of Hongwu, the value of a consistent Daming banknote had already depreciated by more than 1 times. After a few decades, it would become a waste paper. It has returned to the era of copper and silver trading. This is actually a pity. If the banknote system can be stabilized and sustained, and the country encounters a critical moment of crisis, it can also be used to save the crisis by issuing additional currency appropriately. The United States just mentioned , Their U.S. dollar has successfully lasted for more than 10 years since the founding of the country, um, yes, at the beginning, the U.S. dollar was also a gold standard anchored by gold, but it was gradually disconnected as the country’s strength increased. "

Lao Zhu thought for a while, and regretted it, but he quickly calmed down and said, "This time, with you, the matter of currency is entirely up to you."

Zhu Yuan did not refuse, agreed, and said: "As Yuan'er said just now, the currency of the United States was initially on the gold standard. After 200 years, it followed the trend of the times before breaking away from the anchor. This is a gradual process. Ancestors, we This time, we must proceed step by step. First, it is inappropriate to issue banknotes in a short period of time. First, the system is not perfect. Second, everything is still recovering at the beginning of the founding of the country. The economic volume is not enough. Third, it is easy to forge. Currency is too harmful. Finally, the fourth one is not recognized by the common people. Therefore, for at least ten years, metal currency should still be the main currency. In addition to copper coins, I suggest that silver should also be listed as legal tender and increase mining of silver mines. , to mint a batch of official silver coins. At the same time, the imperial court also needs to accumulate gold to prepare anchors for the future issuance of banknotes. Yuan’er’s suggestion is for future generations, at least a hundred years, or even two or three hundred years, unless the country is in crisis In an emergency, otherwise, the gold standard must be adhered to."

"I listen to you, I listen to you," Lao Zhu nodded, and smiled again: "A few months ago, there was...some official who wrote a letter saying that there were silver mines in Shandong and suggested mining them, and I scolded him , it seems that I was wrong. And this copper coin... That is, this copper, isn't our Daming rich?"

"Our land does lack copper mines, and there are not many silver mines, not to mention it has been mined for thousands of years," Zhu Yuan said, "However, based on the current needs of Daming, we will start production at full capacity and try to explore some new mines." , it will definitely be enough in a short period of time. In the future, it will expand to the surrounding area, such as those overseas island countries. Their productivity is backward, and all kinds of minerals are kept intact. These are resources. Um... I remembered, Japan , Seeing Silver Mountain, it seems... At its peak, the silver output reached one-third of the world."

Having said that, Zhu Yuan pointed to the small globe on the side of the desk: "Look, Ancestor, the sum of these islands is only as big as one province of ours, but the silver production once accounted for [-]% of the world's total, how rich it must be!" ?”

Lao Zhu also stretched out his hand to take the globe with obvious heartbeat, and moved around the Japanese archipelago, still a little unbelievable: "This...can be [-]%?"

Zhu Yuan thought for a while, and said: "It should be [-]% of the global production in a certain historical period, but it should be a lot, and, in Mingzhou before, I saw with my own eyes that the sea merchants pulled back by boats and ships. Blister copper, if you want to come to Japan, the current copper mines are also very rich, um, there are also gold mines.”

Lao Zhu rubbed it for a moment, and said with emotion: "According to you, this is a mountain of gold and silver. But...the Yuan court failed to conquer Japan twice, so we should be more cautious and straighten out our own boundaries first. .”

Zhu Yuan nodded.

Not urgent.

After saying a few more words, the courtier reminded him loudly outside the door again, and also mentioned that Zhu Yuan sent the official uniform over by the boat, and the two got up.

They are all wearing everyday clothes at the moment, and they should be more formal when they go ashore.

The grandparents and grandchildren immediately changed into the official uniforms of dragon robes outside, walked out of the cabin, leaned against the railing on the second floor of the building, and could already see the grand scene on the Longwan Wharf, not just the tens of thousands of onlookers outside, On the middle ground of the pier, banners and flags were also displayed, and hundreds of officials lined up.

Lao Zhu looked at the scene on the shore, and his eldest son, who was already visible in his field of vision, but continued to talk about things: "Come back this time, Yuan'er, you will enter Zhongshu and become a Pingzhang. "

Zhongshu Sheng Pingzhang Political Affairs.

From Yipin.

This……

After being promoted to three ranks in a row, he is directly on the same level as Huagao's Huguang and other offices, and he is one step short of being the prime minister.

And be.

Why did I suddenly think of Zhu Wenzheng?

Thoughts were wandering, Zhu Yuan shook his head: "My ancestor, it's too soon. I think it's good now. Besides, there is one more Cong Yipin, which is not neat. In private, I want to engrave a private seal, which is called 'Zhu Yuan'." Sanpin'."

Old Zhu Mie came over and said, "What's not neat and tidy? The county king is also the same rank. If you don't want it?"

Zhu Yuan did not hesitate: "Yes!"

Lao Zhu withdrew his gaze, thought for a while, and said: "If you can't get along with Baishi, I'll tell him clearly, you two do your own thing, and don't bother anyone. If he doesn't care about the overall situation, don't blame him." I don't talk about past relationships."

Baishi is the name of Li Shanchang.

Zhu Yuan didn't think of this just now, but Lao Zhu thought of it.

However, when his ancestor said this, Zhu Yuan thought for a while, shook his head and said: "No, um, I mean, ancestor..." After speaking, he came to his senses, looked around, and said to several nearby internal officials and guards: "Stay farther away."

After the people around him backed away, Zhu Yuan continued: "Master, you mentioned this, and I was inspired again. Do you know why... After the founding of the country, the military generals had no problems, but here in Jinling, the civil servants are making all kinds of troubles?"

Lao Zhu understood what the 23rd grandson of his own baby was talking about, and asked, "Why?"

"Because they're too busy."

Old Zhu: "..."

"It's true," Zhu Yuan said, "At that time, the Northern Yuan Dynasty still existed, and the Quartet was not stable, so each military commander had his own affairs. However, as for civil servants, after the founding of the country, the mainland was settled down, which was equivalent to a piece of cake. , Done well, and because of the traditional concept, different from the continuous development of generals, civil servants actually don't have much to do, so they can only grab this piece of 'cake' in different ways, so all kinds of chickens and dogs jump around and their heads break Blood flow."

The analogy is very vivid, and Lao Zhu understood it as soon as he thought about it, and asked: "How to solve it?"

"That's the three-year plan we're talking about," Zhu Yuan said, "My ancestors, the best way to prevent them from flying around is not to leave them idle, but to give them enough things to do. It just so happens that we have done things for the past two years. As God said, farming, road construction, shipbuilding, iron smelting, surveying and mapping, mining, etc., each of which is enough for several years. The ancestors handed over the work to keep everyone busy, and also set goals, which must be completed every year What kind of progress, if you can’t make it, you will be punished, and if you do it, you will be rewarded. How simple. In this way, the donkeys will go to the mill, and there will be no time to kick each other.”

Lao Zhu nodded, but scolded with a smile: "You... a good idea is a good idea, that's right, you both told me about it."

Zhu Yuan reacted.

that's true.

In the current Ming Dynasty...the two hardest-working 'donkeys' happen to be here.

(End of this chapter)