Hongwu Survival Guide

Chapter 237 Subsidies
On the second day after the announcement of the relevant appointments of the Ten Departments and the Five Schools, in the meeting room of the Zuodong Pavilion of Fengtianmen, the Daming Center held a formal meeting on determining the first 'Three-Year Plan'.

The idea was proposed by Zhu Yuan, of course he must participate.

Speaking of which, since Lao Zhu returned from Bianliang, this matter has been brewing. Ten reforms have been initially completed. Lao Zhu wants to finalize the detailed first three-year plan in order to implement the implementation of various ministries.

This is just the first meeting.

After the initial determination of various projects, it is necessary to conduct necessary research to confirm whether it is feasible, set plan goals, form an implementation team, and so on.

Because of the importance attached to this matter, and the idea of ​​making it a basic national policy for the next century or even millennium, Lao Zhu specially called the three princes to come and listen.

The meeting started at midnight in the morning.

Preparations were made in advance, such as the Jianghuai Canal, such as land surveying and mapping, such as population registration, such as steam machinery, and the corresponding projects were all finalized soon.

There are also problems.

At the moment, everyone is watching the small confrontation between Prime Minister Li Shanchang and a certain boy Pingzhang.

The topic is about steel.

Zhu Yuan hoped that within three years, Daming's steel output would reach at least 1000 million catties, that is, Zhu Yuan promoted 1 tons of a certain weight unit, or even 2 tons equivalent to the peak of Song Dynasty.

Zuo Xiang immediately questioned: "Pingzhang, I see you said that Taiping iron ore reserves are 10 billion tons, regardless of whether this statement is true or not, if it takes three years to increase the output of less than 500 million jin of steel left by the previous dynasty To 2000 million catties, so much iron, what do you plan to use it for?"

In Zuo Xiang's remarks, everyone present from the emperor to the officials could find a small detail. Zuo Xiang insisted on not using the "ton" proposed by someone as a unit.

This is a statement of 'differences do not conspire with each other'.

At the long conference table, Lao Zhu was still sitting alone at the top, while the crown prince and two princes set up desks separately. Li Shanchang still sat on the lower head next to Lao Zhu, one on the right and one on the left.

Lao Li said in a business-like tone, and Zhu Yuan also calmed down: "Mr. Zuo, I said in the demonstration that day that steam machinery needs steel to make, and future trains, railways, ships, etc. will also need a lot of steel. .”

"I haven't forgotten this," Li Shanchang looked at the opposite side: "But Pingzhang also said that these are not achievable in a short period of time, 2000 million catties in three years, if they are refined and cannot be used up, the iron materials will rot. With a large amount of iron materials rotting away, and the painstaking efforts of many craftsmen, wouldn’t the money and food consumed during this period be in vain?”

"This is a problem," Zhu Yuan thought for a moment, and motioned to Kang Maocai who was the first one: "In addition to the needs of military industry, farming also needs a large number of farm tools. This is also a direction, as I said before."

"It can't be used up," Li Shanchang still insisted: "I calculated it according to others, and the figure you gave was at most 2000 million catties a year in the Song Dynasty. Well, it doesn’t take much. Let’s talk about farmland, if there are a million soldiers, and each person has two catties of iron, but only two million catties are needed.”

"Two catties per person..."

Zhu Yuan muttered something.

First feeling, too little.

However, think about it, this is not the era of tractors in every house a few hundred years later.Two catties of iron material per capita is enough for a person to have a hoe and a shovel.As for the large pieces of plow columbine, it is far from necessary to have a set of people.

Just say the Yuan Dynasty.

The peak population is 9000 million, and the peak steel output is 500 million catties.

Per capita equivalent to...

Half two!

Ok.

Zhu Yuan knew that the records involving such numbers in ancient times often had great deviations, so he rounded them up and doubled them to count as one tael per capita.

Ok.

Each person uses a spoon to dig the ground, and the picture is wonderful when you think about it.

If you don't perish, who will perish? !

Besides, the matter of Tuntian has been discussed just now.

The goal for the first three years of the plan is to organize 100 million to 200 million people, just like the steel production of 1000 million to 2000 million catties. Because of inexperience, they are given a lot of flexibility.

Li Shanchang took the upper limit of steel and the lower limit of farmland. However, even if it is reversed, 200 million garrisons and 1000 million catties of steel, two catties per capita, and considering other expenses of Ming Dynasty, even if it is the 500 million left by Qianyuan The annual output of jin, plus the consumption of 400 million jin in farmland, will still have 100 million jin left over.

This is not a small number.

What's more, things don't work out that way.

Iron and steel production is produced every year, but iron and steel are consumed in farming. People in this age are careful, and a hoe will not be worn out in a year.Nowadays, it is not uncommon for ironware to be used for ten or twenty years, and it is even passed on to the next generation.

Thinking about it this way... the Yuan Dynasty actually had quite a few.

It only takes 20 years to have two catties of iron per capita.

Ok.

No wonder Lao Zhu used copper to make arrows in large quantities in the early days of the uprising.

When I first learned about it, I felt incredible.

That should be something that the Qin Dynasty can only do. It has been more than 1000 years, why is it going backwards?
The truth is, it does go backwards.

Lao Zhu was sitting at the top, listening to his old brother who had been with him for many years seldom challenged his precious 23rd generation grandson on the spot. Seeing that Zhu Yuan was silent for a while, he wanted to speak, but felt that this was indeed a problem, so he waited patiently and watched. Let's see what solution my baby's 23rd generation grandson can come up with.

Now that the problem is determined, Zhu Yuan is also considering it quickly.

As for steel, if it is used by force, of course it can be used. I remember that it was only a Yangtze River bridge, and the consumption of steel was tens of thousands of tons, which was equivalent to the national output for several years in the feudal era.

However, if you are in a hurry to build iron bridges, not to mention the Yangtze River Bridge, or ordinary small rivers to build iron bridges, without sufficient technical accumulation, that would be reckless.

It is really made, and it may be scrapped in a few years.

Similarly, all kinds of things related to steam engines will not be used too much in the short term at least.

And build houses.

Ok……

This needs to be coordinated with concrete, and it is unrealistic to mass-produce cement in the short term, and it is meaningless to use small batches.

It is possible to set up this project.

Thinking of this, he lowered his head and wrote the word 'cement' on the notepad in front of him, and Zhu Yuan's rapidly spinning brain also had a flash of inspiration. He quickly raised his head and whispered two words: "Subsidy!"

subsidy?

A group of people waiting curiously in the conference room were full of question marks.

Li Shanchang disassembled this new word subconsciously, but found that compared with Zhu Yuan's other new words, he couldn't understand the meaning of this "subsidy" for a while, so he asked: "Pingzhang, what is the meaning of "subsidy"?" For subsidy?"

As he spoke, he was still curious about what someone lowered his head and wrote just now.

Zhu Yuan thought about it for a while and said, "To put it simply, we will distribute the excess steel we produce to the common people for free."

Now, everyone understands.

Followed by another blindfolded.

Free distribution is still tens of millions of catties.

Good man!

Li Shanchang glanced at his protagonist above him, and remembered that a few days ago someone used 100 million taels of silver to buy cotton for soldiers to keep them warm. Behind it was the "economics" that the protagonist was constantly bewitched by the young man opposite.

Say something like 'assign'.

Simply bewildered.

Things are still going on, but under everyone's dissuasion, the changes are more reasonable. On the one hand, the purchases are continued, and on the other hand, the money is directly distributed to the soldiers to make up for themselves. Probably, the total expenditure has been reduced to [-]% of the original.

The expenditure of 30 taels of silver is not a small amount.

However, compared to the past, I have to admit that since the boy on the other side appeared, my lord's money has become more and more generous.

Just say that overseas trade.

With the gradual return of caravans from Japan, Korea and other countries to Mingzhou in the near future, only 30% of the city's ship tax has been reported, and more than [-] taels of silver have been reported during this period.

In addition to taxes, everyone has not forgotten that the lord still holds a bunch of shares in the maritime trade company.

The same two percent.

It is rumored that Haimao can make 10 times the profit every time it goes back and forth. Even if it is actually worse, it will not be too much worse.It is conceivable that the dividends that each company can get with 30% of the shares will only be more than [-] taels of silver.

Can……

No matter how much money you have, it’s not like this!

At that moment, Li Shanchang heard another free gift, and Li Shanchang almost wanted to throw the stack of documents in front of him.

send send send!
You know how to send it!
Selling the cub... Doesn't it hurt to send the cub to Grandpa Tian!
Thinking of this, Li Shanchang was about to object, when the elder Zhu said, "Yuan'er, can you tell me more about it?"

Zhu Yuan also sorted out his thoughts again, and said, "My ancestor, we still have to start with the fishing in Yinghai Division."

Old Zhu nodded.

People around became curious again.

What's the turning point?

Li Shanchang could only temporarily press the objection that he wanted to blurt out, and see how the other party planned to talk.

"In the early days of camping the sea, Mingzhou has been short of hemp materials, because hemp materials are not only needed for shipbuilding, but also for weaving fishing nets," Zhu Yuan said: "At that time, there was a simple conversion, which was suitable for 500 material sea-going ships towed. A large pair of nets requires 200 catties of hemp material, and this net, from launching to discarding, can exchange for about 1000 loads of fish, or 10 catties.”

Having said that, Zhu Yuan turned to a blank page and quickly wrote down a paragraph saying that '200 catties of hemp material' is equal to '10 catties of fish', and raised it up to signal to the people around him: "Look, everyone, is this clear at a glance?"

People look over.

Those few words... are clear at a glance, but, 'clearly' is a 'what'?
Of course Zhu Yuan understood everyone's doubts, and looked at Lao Zhu and Zhu Biao with a smile: "My ancestors and Your Highness should understand that this... is the simplest conversion of 'productivity', the foundation of economics, 'production', Hemp material is called "means of production", fish harvest is "production result", and the conversion of hemp material to fish harvest is "productivity", which means that the productivity represented by 200 jin of hemp material can produce 10 jin Fish catch. Of course, there are many other factors, such as ships and manpower, and this is just for everyone to understand more vividly.”

Lao Zhu and Zhu Biao didn't realize it at first, but when Zhu Yuan said this, both father and son had read "Economics", so they naturally understood.

Looking at the other confused important ministers in the conference room, one big and one small would inevitably have some small sense of superiority.

Ok.

This sense of superiority was deliberately given by Zhu Yuan.

Concealed for a while, Zhu Yuan quickly continued: "After talking about the theoretical basis, and then talking about my idea of ​​'subsidy', everyone can easily understand."

Speaking of showing the "conversion formula" on the notebook to everyone around again, Zhu Yuan continued: "First of all, it is necessary to increase steel production. 1 tons to 2 tons in three years is just a beginning and a foundation. If you want to enter the industrial age I demonstrated that day, you must do this. Moreover, things can only be done step by step. It cannot be said that this year we only have an annual steel output of less than 500 million catties, and when we need it next year, we will suddenly increase it to 5000. Wan Jin, this is unrealistic."

Everyone here understood and nodded.

Zhu Yuan continued: "Then, the second thing is. In the process of increasing steel production, the iron materials produced will not be used up for a while, so what should I do? The solution I give is subsidies."

Without waiting for everyone to ask, Zhu Yuan began to explain in detail: "Refer to the simple productivity formula I wrote, next, we will make the excess iron into farm tools, hoes, plows, etc., and distribute them to the people for free. Do this, see It seems that the imperial court is at a disadvantage, but the reality is that the "materials of production" we give will inevitably be converted into more "production results". There is no data for the time being, so we can only assume it. If, with more, better, faster, With a large number of more durable farm tools, people across the country have increased Daming's grain output by 10%, or 1543%, which means that Daming's grain tax revenue can also be increased by 150%. According to our annual grain tax of 10 million shi this year In terms of income, [-]% more is equivalent to more than [-] million shi. What is this concept? Based on the calculation of two liters of rice per day for a single soldier, the extra [-]% of the grain tax is enough to feed an army of [-] for more than two years."

After saying this, Zhu Yuan thought about it and added: "This example also allows everyone to have a more intuitive feeling. In fact, the imperial court seems to have subsidized farm tools for free, but the benefits will only be more. I will say it casually. First, you can Stimulate the people's enthusiasm for reclamation, so that Ming can obtain more arable land and produce more food. Second, the increase in food production will make the people richer and the world will be more stable. Third, the increase in food production will also bring more Low food prices can benefit all classes in Ming Dynasty, such as iron smelters. The imperial court subsidizes the steel they produce to farmers for free, which indirectly leads to lower food prices. The remuneration they get from the imperial court is used to buy grain. More money can buy more rations. Fourth, as I just said, more food production means more taxes. Fifth, as I just said, we don’t have to worry about the problem of excess steel production capacity. Confidently increase production to lay the foundation for the industrial age. Sixth, increase food production indirectly by increasing steel production. Behind this is actually a reasonable allocation of human resources. Nothing can be seen now, and it will take 200 years. , when Daming has a lot of people and little land, you will understand the strong necessity of this configuration. Seventh... well, I can't think of it for a while, and everyone can think about it..."

There was a sudden chuckle in the meeting room.

Lao Zhu quickly jotted down something in the notebook in front of him, and made a decision with a smile: "Don't think about it, that's it, you can say this 'subsidy' policy."

Having said that, Lao Zhu did not ignore his old brother, turned to Li Shanchang and said, "Bai Shi, you have raised this question well. If you don't find out until the end of the matter, if you don't arrange it in time, you may miss the matter."

What can Master Zuo do?
Lord Zuo Xiang could only nod his head.

On the other side, one set after another, Li Shanchang didn't want to admit it, but he inevitably felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart.

this guy...

Where did it pop out? !
Could it be that there is still one piece of the five-color stone that Nuwa Empress left over from mending the sky?
(End of this chapter)