I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 183 Who is a friend? Who is an enemy?
Zhu Houxuan was startled and looked at the people present. He found that many people were also looking at him with inquiring eyes, and it was obvious that they were also curious about the answer to this question.

There were also many people staring at Tian Cheng with unfriendly expressions, obviously somewhat dissatisfied with Tian Cheng's questions.

Most people who share the same ideas as Tian Cheng are from wealthy families, and most people who are dissatisfied with Tian Cheng's problems are from poor families.

Zhu Houxuan pondered for a moment and decided to find an excuse to prevaricate.

"This is all for your majesty!" Zhu Houxuan glanced at the people present. "Before, the imperial farm and the imperial store were controlled by traitors. They misinterpreted your majesty's intentions and harmed the people, causing your majesty to bear a bad name and infamy!"

"Now that I am in charge of the royal family, I must restore order and let all the people of the world enjoy the grace of Your Majesty."

"Moreover, these people are my fellow Chinese people. I have always insisted on not treating my fellow Chinese people harshly."

Zhu Houxuan's answer did not satisfy everyone, but it was enough because he had absolute authority in this team.

After the meeting, Zhu Houxuan sat alone in the big tent, thinking back to the attitudes of the two gangs at today's meeting, and he sighed deeply.

The path he really wants to take is unknown to everyone, and he can't tell others at this stage.

When he decided to start the industrial revolution in Ming Dynasty, he knew that it would be an extremely difficult road.

The Industrial Revolution is not as simple as breaking through a few technologies and opening a few factories. It involves many aspects, the most important of which are resources and markets.

In fact, the two can be viewed together.

The Industrial Revolution requires a large amount of resources, including political resources, human resources, mineral resources, etc.

Industrial products also need a market to be sold, so that a positive cycle can be formed. In fact, this is essentially a kind of resource plunder, plundering by using the scissors gap between industry and agriculture.

The British Empire, which first started the First Industrial Revolution, completed the Industrial Revolution only after achieving primitive accumulation through external plunder and internal exploitation of the lower classes of the people.

Like some countries in later generations, they had no possibility of external plunder. In order to complete the establishment of an industrial system and complete the industrial revolution, they could only complete primitive accumulation and establish their own industry by making a scissors gap between industry and agriculture for farmers.

Judging from history, Zhu Houxuan was actually prepared to take two paths at the same time, and these two paths must be taken together.

In terms of foreign plunder, Zhu Houxuan has been actively promoting it, but if he wants to make substantial progress, he must first resolve the Mongols in the north.

Moreover, given the size of the Ming Dynasty, it was not enough to just plunder the surrounding vassal states and Southeast Asia. As for Japan, its resources were relatively scarce. In fact, at that time, the South Asian subcontinent, India, which had a large population but no unification, was the best choice.

However, with the current navigation technology conditions of the Ming Dynasty, if it wants to plunder India, it still needs to solve some technical problems and further reduce transportation costs.

In terms of internal exploitation, Zhu Houxuan still felt that he needed to exploit the internal market, at least to increase domestic demand and expand the consumer market, but the problem he faced now was the same as the problem in the salt industry - too many middlemen. The industry with the largest output value in the Ming Dynasty is agriculture, and the Ming Dynasty also has the most workers engaged in agriculture.

Under normal circumstances, after completing a year's agricultural labor, a farmer in the Ming Dynasty would obtain a certain agricultural surplus after deducting what he consumed. This agricultural surplus was the basis for some people to leave agricultural production and engage in industry, and it was also the basis of the Ming Dynasty's consumer market.

However, this part of agricultural surplus was exploited by the feudal rentier class of the Ming Dynasty. Not only was the agricultural surplus exploited, but they also exploited more from the farmers, leaving them unable to get enough food and forcing them to suppress their consumption needs as much as possible.

This situation is contrary to the development of industry, and it is what Zhu Houxuan wants to change.

To put it bluntly, the agricultural surplus of the people of the Ming Dynasty must only be plundered by the industrial group led by Zhu Houxun using the scissors gap between industry and agriculture. Other rentier classes must stand aside. Only in this way can the industry of the Ming Dynasty be better developed.

This is also the best option. These resources are plundered by the rentier class and can only be used for personal enjoyment. They cannot promote social development. This has no future. China's 2000-year dynasty cycle is a clear proof of this.

The industrial path is the only path. Farmers who are plundered by industrial groups using the scissors gap between industry and agriculture can at least get some necessary industrial products, but those who are plundered by the current rentier class of the Ming Dynasty will get nothing.

As industry develops and technology advances, it will feed back to agriculture, allowing agriculture to develop further and allowing farmers to obtain cheaper industrial products, energy, etc.

In fact, this is a bit like the battle for the power of faith between the new and old gods in fantasy novels. The old gods are the old feudal rentier class, and the new gods are the industrial groups controlled by Zhu Houxuan. The power of faith is limited. If you have more, I have less, and if you have less, I have more, so there must always be a winner, and the winner takes all.

In fact, the current situation of the Ming Dynasty is much better than that of a certain Eastern power when it was founded in later generations. At least there is still the option of external plunder.

If the resources plundered from abroad can be used effectively, it will certainly greatly reduce the suffering of the people at home, but the premise is that they can be used effectively.

Zhu Houxuan asked himself every step he took: Who is our enemy? Who is our friend?
By now, the answer is becoming clearer.

Zhu Houxuan always knew who his friends were and who his enemies would be.

"We must let them see the beauty of the new world, so that when the time comes to destroy the old world, they will resolutely abandon their homes and careers and stand by my side regardless of their own safety." Zhu Houxuan whispered to himself.

This is the real answer to Tian Cheng's question.
Zou Hai is a stove worker at the Changlu Salt Field, also known as a salt worker, salt worker, salt worker, and stove household. He has all the characteristics of a stove worker: dark complexion and rough skin.

He didn't know which generation their ancestors started to become salt cookers, he only knew that the hard days of boiling salt had no end and had been passed down from generation to generation.

Zou Hai is now standing on the long dike of Nanbao Salt Field, looking at the winding dike and thinking about his life two months ago. He feels as if he is in a dream.
More than two months ago, he was still boiling salt by the sea, and he had to boil salt even in the scorching heat to make a living.

In the scorching heat, there is a row of large salt-boiling stoves in front and in the back. The salt workers run back and forth between the two rows of boiling salt stoves to boil salt.

This situation is like being in the alchemy furnace of Taishang Laojun, as if he is trying to make an elixir and change his bones. The scene, just thinking about it, will make people feel tormented.

(End of this chapter)