The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 402 Volume The correct posture of merchants!
Give up agricultural loans!

Zhen Yao was a little afraid to speak.

This is because nowadays, merchants all over the world basically have nothing to do without agricultural loan business.

The small peasant economy since the Qin and Han Dynasties has been so stable that it's outrageous!
Although such stability means that small groups based on family units have sufficient ability to resist disasters, it also means that the Han Dynasty's economic trade will find it difficult to break their own stable economic structure.

Just like.

The imperial workshop produced a piece of clothing and wanted to sell it.

But who can I sell this dress to?
Under the basic system of "men farming and women weaving", which family would need clothes or something?

Therefore, large-scale and active trade could only occur between the Central Plains and the Beiting Protectorate, allowing technologically backward tribes such as the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Xianbei to purchase products produced by the imperial court.

Therefore, the small peasant economy of the Han Dynasty will have to last for a very long time.

It will take a long time, until technology has made a qualitative leap and can create high-end essential handicrafts, or when the price of low-end handicrafts can be pushed down to the limit, so that women in the small peasant economy find that the cost of making clothes for themselves is much higher than the cost of directly buying a finished piece of clothing, then the economic structure of the Han Dynasty may undergo a huge change.

But this not only requires continuous improvement of productivity, but more importantly, continuous training and education of the people, and continuous improvement of their own value, only then will there be such a leap forward!

As for now...

Of course, the “agricultural loan” business is more profitable!

Although "scattering officials" is important, compared with giving up the "agricultural loan" business, it is undoubtedly a bit like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs...

"Listen to me."

Liu Xie saw Zhen Yao’s dilemma and continued to guide him.

"Those who can buy scattered officials must be big merchants in various states and counties, right?"

"Exactly."

"I just said that I don't want these people to continue the agricultural loan business, but I didn't say that I want to completely give up the agricultural loan business."

"Those big merchants who come to the court to buy scattered officials should stop competing with the local small fish and shrimp for food. They should all come to Chang'an obediently and I will assign them tasks to do."

"Do you understand what I said?"

……

Although the existence of "agricultural loans" is the most important reason for the collapse of the empire, it is also necessary under the current economic structure.

Moreover, the profits from “agricultural loans” are also outrageously high!

In particular, as the merchants have more land in their hands, the more profits they make each year through "agricultural loans", and the greater the risk of ordinary farmers' families being ruined.

What Liu Xie meant was to allow local merchants to get rich first by using "agricultural loans".

But if you get rich first, come to Chang'an and use your money where I want you to.

As for the original ecological niche of these merchants, they will be given to other lower-level merchants, allowing them to do the "agricultural loan" business.

Zhen Yao understood now!
Isn’t this the “tomb town system” of the pre-Han Dynasty?

Keep cutting the leeks in Kanto to achieve the goal of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches!

Zhen Yao's face suddenly turned pale, and he felt like he was about to face the iron fist of the Han emperor.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Hesitant to speak.

"Are you trying to say that I am heartless? Are you trying to say that I take human life lightly? Are you trying to say that I am mean and ungrateful?"

Zhen Yao fell to the ground in fear: "I dare not!"

"You can say that, because I know the nature of merchants to seek profit and avoid harm, so it doesn't matter if you curse me in your heart."

"But no matter how much you curse in your heart, you must obediently return to Chang'an for me."

"When I employ people, I always follow the principle of 'judging by deeds, not by intentions'. You can scold me all you want, but if you dare to disobey my order... then I can only mobilize the palace troops."

Zhen Yao's face turned pale.

Only then did he know.

How could the emperor's gift to merchants be a smooth and prosperous road? It was clearly a dangerous and dangerous road to Hades!

For a moment, Zhen Yao gave up the idea of ​​buying a "casual official position".

wrong……

How dare he give up the idea of ​​buying an official position?
Didn't you hear the emperor's explanation? If you don't buy this position, the emperor will probably use the soldiers of the palace to support the country!

Zhen Yao was filled with great hatred at this moment, and once again wanted to go back to the past and stab himself to death when he had asked Zhen Mi to do something for him.

Liu Xie saw the change in Zhen Yao and laughed out loud: "Why don't you ask me what I want to do by bringing you all to Chang'an?"

"Do you think I will kill you all like I kill pigs?"

Is not it?
From what the emperor said, doesn't it mean to reap the profits one after another, and then sit at the center without worries from now on?
"It is the nature of merchants to pursue profit."

"If I really just want your money, then I can just follow the example of Emperor Xiaowu and have a cruel official with a knife go door to door to kill people. Why would I have to go through so much trouble?"

Zhen Yao looked at the emperor again and knew that things had taken a turn for the better!

"To all the merchants who come to buy scattered officials, I do need your money to do things, but not for the government, but for the people."

Zhen Yao was a little confused.

"I hope the emperor can help me solve my doubts."

"..."

Liu Xie asked: "What do you think is the most profitable thing in the world besides "agricultural loans"?"

In addition to "agricultural loans"...

As a businessman, Zhen Yao naturally knew what would bring sufficient profits—"It must be salt and iron!"

"Then what is the most profitable after salt and iron?"

Under the Salt and Iron...

Zhen Yao didn't think about it for too long, and immediately thought of something that could make huge profits!

Coincidentally, this thing was made by the emperor in front of him!

“It’s paper!”

Just about to be extremely sure!

“Definitely paper!”

Paper has become a necessity for everyone, whether high-ranking nobles or poor farmers!
This is because "paper" is, after all, more technologically advanced than "clothes", which disrupted the self-sufficient balance of the small peasant economy and forced people to spend money to buy it.

"now it's right."

Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction.

"Then how do you know that I don't have anything better than "paper" that can make more money?"

……

……

Zhen Yao suddenly took a deep breath!

Her cheeks turned visibly red, and she immediately looked towards the emperor in disbelief!
"Including things like curved plows, fertilizers, and iron pots, the profits are actually much higher than you think."

"Some merchants in Guanzhong are quietly making fortunes with these things. Why do you merchants in Guandong think that I will murder you and do something stupid like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?"

The more Zhen Yao listened, the brighter his eyes became!

Although the emperor's words were meant to disparage Emperor Wu of Han...

But doesn't this just prove that the emperor would not be like Emperor Wu of Han, who sucked the bones and marrow out of the people of Guandong?

"May I ask your Majesty, if I were to buy a scattered official position, then, then..."

Zhen Yao had somewhat lost his mind and actually asked the emperor directly about his "reward".

"I have actually decided to rebuild Chang'an."

"No matter how the layout is planned, there will definitely be room for shops."

Having said that, Zhen Yao seemed to have realized what the emperor was going to say!
"I will reach an agreement with the first batch of merchants who purchase the scattered officials and give them some of the annual tax dividends from the market."

……

Scalp tingling!

Zhen Yao stood there in a daze.

What did the emperor say?
The emperor actually said that he would distribute the commercial tax dividends of the new Chang'an City to the merchants who invested in this event!

Oh my dear mother!
How can this be called a bonus from commercial taxes? This is clearly merchants buying themselves a golden ticket to immortality!

It can be said that if the emperor really did this, then the first batch of merchants who bought official positions would have achieved the same goal as the country!
Not to mention……

Based on what the emperor just said, it is easy to judge that the emperor may have a business that is more profitable than paper!!!

what is that?
How much profit should that be?
Just thinking about it, Zhen Yao couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling!
Especially when he thought of paper, Zhen Yao realized that the emperor before him, besides being the leader of the Han Dynasty's revival and the undefeated god of war on the battlefield, was also a boastful God of Wealth!
Paper.

Quyuan plow.

Textile machine.

There is also coke and blast furnace iron smelting in Hebei.

How much profit have these technologies created invisibly?

It can be said that if the emperor is more ruthless and holds all these things in his own hands, and makes it a "private business of the emperor", then who among the ancient people, Fan Li and Zigong, can compare with the wealth owned by the emperor?

Zhen Yao suddenly discovered...

Compared with the benefits that the emperor can bring, that "agricultural loan" is nothing!
Moreover, the interests mentioned here do not include the various political benefits of clinging to the emperor's big leg.

Even with the most basic economic interests, the emperor can easily defeat those landlords and businessmen who still want to use "agricultural loans" to exploit the people!

"I am willing!!!"

Fuck agricultural loans!

Today, the Jian'an Law system is extremely strict, and the overall quality and morality of bureaucrats is slightly higher than the average level since ancient times. If they continue to engage in "agricultural loans", it would be like tying their heads to their belts and causing trouble!

In that case, why not follow the emperor and follow him honestly?

Zhen Yao now dare not imagine how much money he can make every year from the dividends from Chang'an's commercial taxes once Chang'an is really built!

"Your Majesty! I will go back and use all the money in my family to buy an official position! All of it! I will sell all the land to buy this scattered official position! One for each male in our family! Otherwise, if outsiders find out, they will think that our Zhen family can't afford it!"

"good."

After chatting with Zheng Yao for a long time, Liu Xie thought that he had probably made his point clear, so he left and returned to the Xuanshi Hall to deal with other government affairs.

After the emperor left, Zhen Yao still couldn't hide his excitement. He immediately knelt in front of Zhen Mi and kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, sister! The time for my Zhen family to rise to prominence is coming!"

Zhen Mi sighed: "Brother, as your sister, I am here to remind you."

"Sister, please speak."

"Don't talk so casually in the future, or I'm afraid someone will kill you..."

(End of this chapter)