The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 33 The Foundation of a Great Country
1723 was the year of Guimao, the 19th year of Taiping in Qi Dynasty, and the 41st year of Qianyuan period in Qin Dynasty.

As early as ten years ago, Qi could well deserve to be called a world-class power, whether measured in terms of its gross industrial and agricultural production or its vast territory and numerous overseas territories.

从1685年到1720年的35年间，齐国每年的煤产量从1640万吨增加到11500万吨，增长7倍多；生铁年产量从135万吨增加到820万吨，钢产量从180万吨增加到1060万吨；棉花消费量从2.8亿公斤增加到12.6亿公斤；棉纱工厂也从1600家增加到4500家；机械纺锤约有5000万锭，一年所生产制造的棉纺织产品几乎占据世界总产量的近一半。

Preliminary estimates show that in 1720, Qi accounted for more than 40% of the world's industrial production. In the total world trade, Qi also accounted for nearly [-]% of the total world trade, which was the same as at that time. country's position in world trade.

As early as 1685, the tonnage of Qi's merchant ships exceeded that of the Netherlands. By 1720, the total tonnage of Qi's merchant ships exceeded the combined tonnage of the merchant ships of Britain, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Venice, Genoa and other European countries. .

Daxing in Qi State (today's Brisbane, Australia) was one of the world's three major international financial centers during this period, along with Amsterdam and London. Various securities traded and financed in Daxing averaged 8000 million to 1 million yuan per year. .Qi State also exported a large amount of capital to the Southeast Asian vassals, the Malay Peninsula, Qin State, Northern Ming Dynasty, North Korea, India and European countries and vast colonies. By 1720, the total amount had reached 6 million yuan.

While Qi's economy was booming, Qi's agriculture also developed rapidly.As of 1720, the area of ​​cultivated land developed locally in Hanzhou of Qi State expanded to more than 7000 million acres (at the same time in history, the cultivated land area of ​​mainland China reached 1.3 million acres during the Yongzheng period).

In the more fertile areas, the Kaihua Governorate (today's Java Island), the Xuanhua Governorate (today's Timor Island and the Lesser Sunda Islands), the Jingping Governorate (today's Sulawesi Island), and the huge Weiyuan Island (today’s New Guinea Island) was also dotted with large and small plantations, driving countless natives to work all day long, not only providing massive amounts of food and various agricultural raw materials for the local area, but also exporting them to overseas markets on a large scale, earning Huge “foreign exchange earnings”.

In the mainland and surrounding overseas territories, numerous large-scale drainage projects and water collection projects were built through various machinery and a large number of native coolies; tens of millions of cattle were raised in the vast pastures of Hanzhou and Dongzhou (now New Zealand). The cattle and sheep not only provide sufficient wool for the booming woolen industry, but also continuously supply cheap and high-quality meat and dairy products to more than 2000 million people; fertilizer spreaders are widely used in fields, and clay-processing machines are used New methods and the greater use of mineral fertilizers (potassium phosphate mines on many guano islands, etc.) have effectively improved the fertility of cultivated land; the large-scale use of steam engines and various other new working machines in the agricultural production process has improved the Agricultural production efficiency creates the most favorable conditions for the development of agricultural production and the increase in agricultural product output.

The plantation economy in overseas territories and the extensive agricultural production cooperatives established locally have also made agricultural farming more intensive and large-scale, laying a solid foundation for the industrialization of agriculture.

More than 30 years ago, Qi State imposed certain tariffs on imported grains, and 50%-10% on imported wool, wood, raw silk, veils, cane sugar, tea, high-end porcelain, copper, tin and more than 40 other commodities. High tariffs, and the export of any machinery or patterns is strictly prohibited.

However, with the preliminary completion of Qi's "Industrial Revolution" more than 20 years ago, Qi has established its status as the "world's factory". The protective tariff policy has not only had no positive effect on the country's economic development and external expansion, but has instead become a tool for further economic development. It prevents Qi from entering the markets of countries around the world with cheap industrial products and playing its role as the "world's factory".

Immediately, Qi State began to fully promote the global free trade policy, not only abolishing import tariffs on most domestic goods, but also forcing a large number of countries and regions that trade with it to implement unrestrictive trade policies.The first Qi-India War, the Bangladesh War, the Qi-Japan War, the Burmese War that broke out decades ago, and the Qi-Qin Yizhou (today's Taiwan Island) crisis that occurred five years ago were all due to the Qi State's desire to break local trade protectionism. A manifestation of the forced implementation of free trade policies.

From 1675 to 1700, Qi State abolished import taxes on more than 520 commodities and reduced import taxes on more than 1100 commodities; from 1700 to 1720, Qi State also reduced or canceled consumption taxes on many consumer goods, as well as various Duty-free import of raw materials, etc., eliminates the remnants of tariff protection, thereby not only reducing the cost of domestic products, but also promoting the prosperity of industry and commerce and the development of import and export business. This is in line with the interests of domestic industrial and commercial capital, and also "promotes" other The country improves its tariff policy, thereby expanding world trade and promoting world economic growth.

Qi State established zero-tariff trade free zones with vassal states such as Wei State, Luzon, Ryukyu, Sulu, Shunguo, Ha Tien, Champa, Dongdan (the territorial scope includes the lower reaches of Heilongjiang and the vast area north of Jiangsu), and Bohai. .

Qin, Brunei, Cambodia, Siam, Myanmar, Guangnan (Annan Ruan family), Annan (Zheng family), Beiming, Japan, Korea, as well as Mughals, Persia and other countries and regions responded to Qi's "strong "Requirements", the import and export tariffs on Qi's goods have been kept at a very low level.

European countries such as Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, and the Ottomans have also successively reduced tariffs on foreign goods.

Along with industrialization, the process of urbanization occurred early in Qi.By 1720, there were 10 native cities with more than 19 residents.The populations of Jianye (today's Darwin, Australia) and Daxing exceeded 60, and Chang'an (today's Toowoomba), Weihai (today's Cairns), Guangling (today's Townsville), and Yongchang (today's Gold Coast, Australia) ), Linzi (now Sydney), Nandu (now Melbourne), Guizhou (now Perth) and other cities have a population of more than 30.A rough estimate shows that the urbanization rate of the entire Qi country has exceeded 40%, the highest in the world (during this period, the urbanization rate in the UK was about 17%, and in France it was 12%).

The Industrial Revolution brought about dual changes in the employment structure and industrial structure of Qi's cities. Before 1660, Qi's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery accounted for more than 70% of the total labor force (excluding natives). By 1720, this proportion had increased significantly. dropped to 40% and continued to decline.

In terms of industrial structure, Qi's manufacturing, mining and construction industries increased from 1660% in 25 to 1720% in 47.This means that a large number of rural laborers have gone to industrial and mining areas, industrial towns and emerging cities to become workers, changing their existing ways of living and working.

Qi's economic prosperity and rapid industrial development are inseparable from its unremitting colonial expansion policy for more than 80 years.Driven intentionally or unintentionally by domestic industrial capital and commercial capital, it strives to turn all other countries into suppliers of raw materials and dumping markets for industrial products in order to consolidate Qi's position as the largest industrial center in the world.Throughout the Southeast Asia region, the Malay Peninsula, Indochina Peninsula, Japan, Korea, India, Persia, Arabia and other countries and regions, Qi State has carried out political and military expansion and economic infiltration, striving to incorporate them into the "world factory" led by Qi State "The market trading system.Qi was the first country in the world to apply steam power to railway transportation. In 1710, the railway mileage built by Qi State exceeded 32000 kilometers, accounting for 98% of the world's total railway mileage. (During this period, only two wealthy vassal states, Weiguo and Luzon, as well as Beiming and Daqin, each had hundreds of kilometers of railways.) .By 1720, Qi had basically built a modern railway network in the country, connecting major industrial cities and ports, which further promoted the development of domestic industry and commerce.

During this period, Qi was already an industrial country with many factories, huge industrial cities emerging one after another, and more than half of the country's population engaged in industry and commerce.New iron smelting plants and new textile factories appeared in large numbers, countless mines were undergoing large-scale development, and ocean-going merchant ships with Qi flags flying on their masts appeared in sea areas and ports around the world.

Undoubtedly, the past 80 years have been an era of prosperity and hope for everyone in Qi.

"However, compared with the continuous accumulation of wealth of the upper class, capital is also growing, and the entire domestic economy is in extreme prosperity, but countless workers are in relative poverty." Zhuo Shiping, a professor at the Imperial University of Science and Technology, looked at Daxing The bustling passengers outside the station, carrying large and small luggage, slowly moved towards the station, saying softly: "The most worrying thing about the current social situation in our country is that the consumption power of ordinary people is declining, and the hardship of the working class is and poverty are increasing, causing the number of people to immigrate to overseas territories every year. If this continues, unpredictable crises will inevitably break out in the country."

"Brother Zhuo's words are a bit alarmist." Fang Lijie, secretary of the Daxing Education Department, sneered and retorted: "Looking at the domestic economic growth and industrial expansion in the past few decades, overall, it has greatly promoted the overall development of society. Progress and development. Not to mention that the income level of the domestic working class is far higher than that of ordinary people in other countries in the world, but their living conditions have also been significantly improved compared to 40 or 1680 years ago. According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, since the Han Dynasty decade (16) to the 1720th year of Taiping (40), the average wage of workers increased by a full 16%. During the same period, taxes on the property-owning class accounted for 9% of wages, while currently they only account for [-]% of wages. Most workers After several years of hard work, they will gradually be promoted to skilled workers. At that time, they will be able to enjoy wages commensurate with their level of proficiency, and their living standards will be comparable to that of a medium-sized landowner in Qin. I would like to ask, which country in the world has ordinary people? Can you be like me, a native of Qi?"

"Yes, the living standards of ordinary people in Qi State are far higher than those in Qin State, and may even exceed those of ordinary people in all countries in the world. However, do you dare to say that they are willing to endure all kinds of oppression and bullying from factory owners?" Zhuo Shi Ping said sadly: "Working non-stop for more than ten hours every day, like a cow or horse, without a moment's rest. There is also the extremely harsh production environment in the factory, and exposure to various toxic and harmful substances, which has caused the greatest damage." Their bodies were destroyed. Six years ago, someone made statistics on the living conditions of workers. One of the statistics was extremely shocking. While the average life expectancy in the country reached 48 years, the average life expectancy of workers was only 37 years. ."

"You literati just like to play word games and number games, and then use them to scaremonger or even sensationalize." Fang Lijie looked at Zhuo Shiping sarcastically, "We all know that when statistics on average life expectancy include new Data on deaths of infants and young children at birth, as well as deaths from various sudden diseases. If you go to various factories and take a look, you will see that there are many workers over 40 years old. Although, it is undeniable that the production environment for workers is poor and the labor intensity is high , for a long time, they are prone to various occupational diseases. However, no matter in terms of income, daily diet and various protein intakes, workers in our country live a poorer life than people in other countries in the world at the same time. happiness."

"Happiness?" Zhuo Shiping sneered and said, "Their happiness probably comes from the sacrifice of personal freedom and health, and the enduring of unreachable oppression, in exchange for this pitiful happiness from capital."

"..." Fang Lijie
"Every time they meet, they always argue with each other." Zhuo Shiping's wife He Bingjie smiled and shook her head, and said to her neighbor and friend Song Wenru next to her: "If they keep arguing like this, I'm afraid they won't be able to enter the station or get on the train. Got it!"

Song Wenru also smiled bitterly, and then took a step forward and said: "Okay, don't argue anymore, the tourists around are looking at you. The purpose of our trip is to go to Weiyuan (today's More) for Brother Zhuo (Sibi Port) for research, we specially made an appointment to see him off, not just arguing at the station like this."

"What Wen Ru said is true." Fang Lijie glanced at Zhuo Shiping and said, "Arguing with a scholar like him who is not familiar with current affairs will make you short-tempered and depressed."

"It's a waste of words to argue with someone like you, who is just a member of the public family. It makes people feel uncomfortable!" Zhuo Shiping retorted unceremoniously.

"You guys..." Song Wenru shook her head and said softly: "Let's go into the waiting room, don't miss the train."

Several people nodded, protected the two female dependents He Bingjie and Song Wenru, and followed the bustling crowd towards the station.

"From recent issues of newspapers, I have seen that there has been chaos in Persia, and the Afghans have besieged Isfahan for several months." Zhuo Shiping said with concern: "I heard that this kid Yanliang is serving in the army over the sandbank. , I don’t know if it has been affected or not.”

"Last May, Yanliang wrote to inform them that their troops were conducting military operations in the Gulf of Persia." Song Wenru showed a worried look on his face, "As for whether they will enter Persia and encounter Afghan rebel forces, it is not yet known. … I haven’t heard from him in more than eight months.”

"Wen Ru, please relax." Fang Lijie comforted him softly: "Our Qi army generally does not go deep into the hinterland of other countries to carry out military missions, so naturally it will not fall into the civil strife in Persia. Even if it really wants to intervene in Persian affairs, it will probably deploy In coastal areas and ports. With the strength of our Qi navy, we will definitely not easily put the army into trouble."

"...But why didn't he write back for so long?" Song Wenru frowned slightly, feeling flustered for no reason, "Back then, I shouldn't have agreed to his application for the Army Academy."

(End of this chapter)