Fu Shanhe

Chapter 108 Saving the country through curves
"well done!
Winter plowing has ended. Next, my focus will be on military training, and I will pay less attention to other aspects.

Mining is the only industry that can generate revenue in the short term.

Whether you can have a good new year depends on these industries, so you should pay more attention to them.

I heard that the prefectural government is planning to hold a big auction. You might want to pay attention to it.

If there is a shipyard auction, send someone to inquire about the news.

If the price is right, it's not a bad idea to grab one."

Li Mu said calmly.

The Yangzhou Camp took such a long time to recruit, and apart from the initial training, the soldiers spent most of their time farming.

The war caused so much destruction that there were no oxen working in Yangzhou.

These days, oxen are an important means of production and are generally not sold outside.

What appears to be traded in the market are either calves that have just been weaned or old cows that have lost their ability to plow the land.

After obtaining the land, Li Mu immediately sent people to the surrounding prefectures to purchase oxen, and ended up buying back some calves.

Without a year or two of careful feeding, it will be of no use.

In the absence of oxen, in order to reclaim as much land as possible, more manpower had to be invested.

Not only did the soldiers participate in the labor, but even a large number of the prisoners of war who were seconded also farmed.

If all of them were sent to open mines, the coal mine's production capacity would not be just that small.

Of course, the main reason for the low production capacity is the limited development of mineral veins, which cannot accommodate too many people working together at the same time.

“My Lord, it’s probably a little early to get involved in the shipyard now.

You have been inland for many years and you may not know that the competition among shipyards in the southeast coastal areas is very fierce.

Because the quality of the ship is directly related to your life and property.

Businessmen all have fixed partners and will not change partners easily.

The income of Yangzhou gentry mainly came from salt, silk and farmland, and they did not get involved much in the shipbuilding industry.

The seven major families do have their own shipyards, but they mostly build inland transport ships.

Occasionally, a few sea vessels were built, mainly for their own use.

Even if the shipyard's facilities were not damaged due to the rebellion, the craftsmen would have been gone long ago.

Even if these difficulties are overcome, raw materials remain a problem.

Shipbuilding has high requirements for wood, and the technological processing alone cannot be solved in a short period of time.

The high-quality shipbuilding timber was booked in advance long ago.

If latecomers want to get in, they must pay a high premium.

Even if everything goes well, the construction cost will be far higher than that of peers, and it has no economic value at all. It is better to buy it directly from outside.

If you want to achieve success in the shipbuilding industry, it will be difficult to be competitive without more than ten years of sustained investment.

Unless you are determined to stay in Yangzhou Prefecture for a long time, I do not recommend you to intervene rashly."

Lan Linjie tried to persuade.

Recently, he has been cramming a lot of knowledge about Yangzhou Prefecture.

Yangzhou's shipbuilding industry belongs to the second echelon. It has technical reserves, but its customer base is mostly inland.

It was the region with the most developed shipbuilding industry in the Dayu Dynasty and also the most prosperous region for overseas trade, where seagoing ships of several thousand tons could be built.

Nowadays, merchants engaged in overseas trade are living on the edge of a knife at sea.

Their base camp is not in Yangzhou, so Li Mu's face as the Yangzhou Lieutenant General is of little use.

The business is already big, and if it continues to expand, it will be a big problem if we are transferred in the future.

In this era of backward communications, it is extremely difficult to manage industries remotely.

The properties that the powerful officials in the court acquired in other places were mainly farmland.

It’s not because farming makes a lot of money, it’s simply because the farmland management model is simple and relatively easy to manage.

Even if the managers below can't help but take advantage, they dare not go too far, as the basic annual income is guaranteed.

If it were another industry, it would be completely different.

It is very complicated to manage, and a wrong decision may lead to losses.

“Mr. Lan is right. I was indeed a little anxious.

The shipbuilding industry is too complicated to be involved in for the time being, so let’s just leave it at that!”

Li Mu said with a sigh.

Whether or not he wants to settle down in Yangzhou Prefecture for a long time has little to do with his investment in a shipyard.

The main reason was the lack of financial resources, which limited his plans.

Otherwise, as long as you are willing to lose money, regardless of whether there are orders or not, you can build a top shipyard simply by spending money.

In the eyes of outsiders, the most profitable industry is salt, and salt merchants are recognized as the richest people in Dayu.

But Li Mu knew that the scale of overseas trade was much bigger than that of salt.

Dayu's products have a near-monopoly overseas.

It is normal for the price to increase several times after a shipload of goods is shipped.

Although they were drooling over overseas trade, they could only watch from the sidelines due to their own lack of strength.

On land, he, as a lieutenant general, is a top figure in the local area.

If it reaches the sea, it will be a fat sheep.

If he foolishly plunged into it, the huge number of pirates overseas alone would be able to wipe him out.

What's more, sailing is a technical job. Without enough sailors and experienced captains, there is not even the qualification to enter.

"Your Excellency is too kind!

Although the shipbuilding industry cannot be involved, the fishery industry can still be developed.

Affected by the imperial court's maritime ban, fishermen in coastal areas had a hard time.

If adults can provide them with shelter, it should attract some people to come.

The construction technology of small fishing boats is simple, and only a few skilled workers are needed, and even a dock is not needed.

The students have calculated that once the coal mine's production capacity increases next month, the mine will be able to make a profit.

If the silver and copper mines are operational, the profits will be even greater.”

Lan Linjie said excitedly.

It's best if the boss is willing to listen to advice.

What the staff are most worried about is that their boss will act on his own will and rush in without regard for the consequences when he sees benefits.

In the Dayu Dynasty, there were limits on the amount of money officials could make.

Everyone usually operates within their own small territory. If anyone goes beyond the boundaries to cause trouble, they will usually be met with collective boycott.

If you want to expand your industry into other fields, you must abide by the rules set by others.

……

Capital.

After the dispute over joining the cabinet ended, a new round of political storm broke out in this ancient city.

The officials who stood on the wrong side paid a heavy price for their reckless behavior.

In just one month, more than eighty people were demoted and exiled.

The ones who suffered the most losses were neither the eunuch party nor the so-called clean stream, but the previous neutral faction.

Just being neutral would not lead to suppression. The key is that these people are not completely neutral and have gotten involved in the dispute over joining the cabinet.

What’s even worse is that the candidate they supported lost in the competition.

Every cabinet minister in the Dayu Dynasty can form his own system and create a faction in the court.

The labels of eunuch party and clean stream were actually given to them by the outside world.

It's nothing more than similar political ideas and short-term cooperation, not being a vassal of anyone.

Today they support the Qingliu on this issue, tomorrow they support the eunuch party on that issue, and the day after tomorrow they remain neutral on a certain issue.

They make decisions based on concrete issues rather than simply party lines.

Not only the cabinet ministers, but also important officials like the six ministers have their own political opinions.

Even if the person himself could accept completely defecting to one side and becoming a subordinate, the emperor would not agree.

Under such circumstances, Pang Hengsheng, the Prime Minister, had a rather miserable life.

He originally thought that he would do something big after taking office, practice his political ideas, and make achievements to show the outside world. But the reality was cruel. He could not command any of the ministers in the cabinet.

All the senior officials in the court only gave him face as the prime minister on the surface.

Although he holds a high position of power, his control over the court is very limited.

Emperor Tianyuan has mastered the checks and balances of power, and it is impossible for the Prime Minister to monopolize power.

If you want to promote a policy, you must find a way to convince the majority of court officials to support it before it can be implemented.

It is not impossible to suppress it by force by relying on the position of Prime Minister.

No one can guarantee how it will be implemented.

At this moment he understood the suffering of his predecessor. No wonder Song Haidong became a good guy. He was purely forced by the situation.

I have to fight wits and courage with a group of old foxes every day. It’s okay when I’m young, but once I get older, I just can’t keep up the energy.

But the younger brothers under his command are restless and are all eager to get promoted.

"Your Majesty, it has been almost a month since His Majesty last attended court.

Many things have been entrusted to Zuo Guangen to handle. The eunuch party is getting more and more arrogant. You can't just sit back and watch!"

Hearing the complaints from Left Censor-in-Chief Lu Zhifan, Pang Hengsheng glanced around.

Whether it's the eunuch party or the clean stream, it doesn't matter when he is in his position.

Before taking office, you need to label yourself politically, but after taking office, you have to downplay such labels.

The Prime Minister is the Prime Minister of the Dayu Dynasty, not the Prime Minister of a particular party.

Everyone understands the truth, but once you are in a situation, you can't just jump out if you want to.

"Why panic? The sky is not falling.

Your Majesty is not feeling well and needs to rest for some time.

It's freezing cold, and you, the Censorate, have asked His Majesty to work harder in this cold weather, but have you ever considered His Majesty's health?"

Pang Hengsheng scolded angrily.

Knowing that Emperor Tianyuan was in poor health, she still went to nag him every day to work hard, which was clearly causing trouble for the emperor.

As an imperial censor, this is his job responsibility and there is nothing wrong with it.

Some people took the matter too seriously and Zuo Guangen took the opportunity to beat to death several of the most troublesome people.

When it comes to such a sensitive topic as the emperor's health, the cabinet tacitly chose to handle it coldly.

In other dynasties, it might be a big deal if the emperor did not attend court.

But it was different in Dayu. There were many emperors who did not like to attend court.

Both officials and ordinary people are accustomed to this.

Anyway, with the cabinet in place, the court can still function normally even if the emperor does not attend court for decades.

Our ancestors were able to manage the government in an orderly manner even when the emperor was not in court.

If he fails, it would make him seem incompetent as the Prime Minister.

As long as he is willing to delegate power, he doesn't care whether the emperor comes or not. He doesn't bother to worry about this issue.

The only tricky thing is that while Emperor Tianyuan was giving up power, he also released a vicious dog to watch nearby.

“Sir, it is the duty of the censor to admonish the monarch.

Zuo Guangen, that bastard, would beat to death the censors who submitted memorials at will. This trend must not be allowed to continue!"

Lu Zhifan said anxiously.

He also knew that the emperor was in poor health.

But he couldn't resist his subordinates who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to gain fame.

The censors were not afraid of being beaten with a stick. After being beaten with a stick, their reputation among the Qingliu Party would be greatly enhanced.

For many officials without any background, this beating is a valuable political resource.

Unfortunately, they were unlucky and met Zuo Guangen, a guy who had no martial ethics.

He simply asked his men to add more injuries, and after a beating, it didn't look like there were many injuries on the surface.

Once the person is sent back home, arrangements can be made for the funeral.

One possibility is that it was bad luck. After several people died in succession, everyone knew that it was the eunuchs who were responsible.

When something like this happened, he, as the Left Censor-in-Chief, had to stand up.

"Um!

You are right, this trend must not be allowed to continue.

However, these censors who were beaten to death were all caught by the eunuchs and took advantage of the situation.

The explicit punishments are all in compliance with Dayu Law.

Your Majesty hates forced connections the most. If we bring the case directly to the emperor, we won't gain any advantage.

The autumn taxes from various places have already been deposited into the government treasury.

In particular, the sharp increase in salt tax made His Majesty very happy.

The eunuch party has recently been tinkering with the idea of ​​levying business and mining taxes, and has arranged for someone to push them from behind to make them act more radically.

Pang Hengsheng said slowly.

As the cabinet chief, he is not opposed to tax reform.

The Dayu Dynasty is so poor that if it does not increase its income, it will become poor sooner or later.

He also knows how great the risks of pushing forward tax reform are.

It was a miracle that the salt tax was collected at all.

If Emperor Tianyuan had not taken sudden action and caught all parties off guard, it would have been impossible to complete.

The same operation cannot be performed a second time.

As a member of a vested interest group, he does not have the courage to cut his own flesh, but he can encourage his political opponents to do it.

Commercial and mining taxes were collected, the court's finances became prosperous, and he, as the prime minister, was a beneficiary.

In future history books, he will be the founder of Tianyuan Restoration.

As for the eunuchs who are responsible for the actual execution, they will only appear as supporting roles and may even become villains.

Anyway, history books are written by literati, so they must be on the side of their own people.

If the reform fails, it will be the responsibility of the eunuch party, and they can use the opportunity to attack their political opponents.

"My Lord, this matter involves too much.

If this gets out, it will probably cause a stir in the government and the country.

It must be stopped!"

Lu Zhifan hurriedly dissuaded him.

As the prime minister, Pang Hengsheng is the winner regardless of the success or failure of the reform, so he naturally has to actively promote it.

But he was not qualified as the Left Censor-in-Chief. The sensitive government offices like the Censorate had always been the stronghold of those who opposed reform and supported the ancestral system.

On the one hand, it is to maintain the ancestral system, which can effectively limit the power of the emperor and ensure his own transcendent power to report on matters.

On the other hand, they are all members of the vested interest groups, and tax reform affects their own interests.

"If you want to kill someone, make him crazy first!

It's such a simple truth, you don't understand it, right?

If you want to overthrow the eunuch party, how can you succeed without paying a price?

The more reforms the eunuch party pushed for, the more enemies they faced, and the closer they were to their destruction.

If you can't figure out this problem, you don't have to think about castration.

Resign your post and go home as soon as possible, lest you end up with your head and body separated, and also implicate your clansmen!"

Pang Hengsheng scolded immediately.

The situation in the court is so complicated that it is extremely difficult to achieve results.

He was already in his seventies and lacked the courage to overcome numerous obstacles and achieve something.

What we can do now is to push for reforms secretly and encourage the eunuch party to act as the vanguard of reforms.

"Your Excellency's teaching is correct. I have learned my lesson!"

Lu Zhifan said with a trembling voice.

Thinking of the miserable experience of the previous Zuodu Yushi, the persistence in his heart disappeared in an instant.

(End of this chapter)