My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"Since you're all asking this, let me think about it. Special cases definitely need to be treated specially."

"Everything should be based on reality."

Chen Mo looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.

"The Ming Dynasty is now in its early stages, having just emerged from the chaos of the late Yuan Dynasty, and everything is in need of rebuilding."

"What's the most important thing right now? It's to recover your energy."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

I didn't expect the shopkeeper to actually know so much!

But the problem is... he's just a shopkeeper!

Chen Mo stretched out one hand and started counting on his fingers.

"The land needs people to cultivate it, the deserted villages need people to live in them, and the population needs to grow."

"What you need to do now is like plowing and fertilizing a piece of land that has been destroyed, getting the most basic crops to grow so that people can breathe, survive, and have children."

"If you rush into large-scale livestock farming at this time, forcing people to use their precious grain to feed pigs, that's unrealistic, and might even backfire. Because the food supply for people isn't even secure yet!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes showed even greater agreement.

That kid really hit the nail on the head!

This kid isn't even from the Ming Dynasty, yet he seems to know more about it than many officials.

Thinking about this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel puzzled again.

This kid is a real shopkeeper!

Chen Mo was unaware of Zhu Yuanzhang's surprise and continued speaking.

"So for you, the goal of 'ensuring that people have meat to eat' has to take a backseat to 'ensuring that people don't starve' and 'increasing the population of the world.' But that doesn't mean we won't do it."

Chen Mo chuckled.

"Instead, you need to be patient, methodical, and clear in your approach!"

"First, lay a solid foundation. After your Great Ming Dynasty has recuperated for several decades, or even a hundred years, and the national strength has recovered, the population has increased, and the food supply has increased, then we can talk about large-scale improvements to the diet. The conditions will be much more ripe then."

"In the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the lives of people in some areas were indeed much better than at the beginning of the dynasty. This was the result of the gradual recovery and development of productivity."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

That kid's analysis makes sense.

Then, Chen Mo turned to Liu Che.

"Boss Liu, your situation is different. You have a solid family fortune built up by your grandfather and father. You have money, grain, and the national treasury is very full."

"but--"

Chen Mo changed the subject.

Having money and food does not equate to high productivity. Productivity refers to the ability to truly create wealth, such as iron smelting technology, improvements in agricultural tools, and the efficiency of farming methods.

"To be honest, the current productivity level of your Han Dynasty is probably not as good as that of the early Ming Dynasty."

Even if they're completely destroyed now.

Chen Mo paused.

"So the problem you're facing is having money but not enough production."

"You want to use the national treasury's money and grain to feed the people meat, which is not impossible, but it might be more like a distribution of wealth or national welfare."

"Instead of being a natural consequence of a substantial leap in productivity."

"Once your national treasury is greatly depleted due to continuous wars, such as the Northern Expedition against the Xiongnu or other major events, this kind of 'eating meat' that relies on money may become unsustainable."

"The real challenge for you may be how to dedicate your energy to encouraging seemingly insignificant improvements in farm tools, livestock breeds, and technological accumulation while you are putting your talents to good use."

"These things are slow to show results, not as impressive as fighting and expanding territory, but they are the foundation that truly makes the country and the people solid."

Chen Mo concluded by glancing at the two of them.

"So, Boss Zhu has the skills but no money."

"Boss Liu has money but no skills."

"As for ultimately ensuring that all people can eat meat..."

Chen Mo sighed, his tone carrying a sense of感慨 that transcended time and space.

"Ultimately, it's still a matter of productivity."

"So what exactly is productivity?"

Liu Che couldn't help but ask a question.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

"Let's take the most ordinary example, 'weaving,' as an analogy. You've all seen weaving, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded immediately.

Liu Che and Zhu Biao also indicated that they were aware of it.

"Okay, let's say we're weaving a piece of cloth."

Chen Mo began to gesture.

"In your Han Dynasty, Boss Liu, a skilled weaver, using an old-fashioned loom, might have to work with both hands and feet for several days, even more than ten days, to weave a piece of cloth of decent quality. Right?"

Liu Che nodded slightly; this was in line with his understanding.

"Then came the Ming Dynasty,"

Chen Mo turned to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"The looms may have been improved and become a little more efficient, but a weaver can only produce a fixed amount after a hard day's work, so the progress is not significant. But overall, it may be slightly faster than in the Han Dynasty, which means that productivity has developed a little bit."

Zhu Yuanzhang grunted in agreement.

"but!"

Chen Mo raised his voice, spread his arms, and made an explosion gesture.

"Here in our time, in later generations, we have enormous 'machines'! Those are the kind of iron contraptions that burn coal or use electricity, rumbling and moving on their own!"

"A worker, watching one of these machines, can weave tens of thousands of bolts of cloth a day! And the quality of the cloth is both uniform and excellent!"

"ah???"

The three of them were stunned at the same time.

"This...how is this possible?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed in disbelief.

Liu Che also looked incredulous.

Chen Mo smiled.

"This is the productivity gap!"

"The weavers of the Han Dynasty, the weavers of the Ming Dynasty, and the workers of later generations all contributed their labor."

"But because the tools and technologies used are so different, the final results are worlds apart—one underground, the other in the sky!"

"The same principle applies to weaving, farming, pig raising, iron smelting, house building... every industry and trade!"

Chen Mo looked at them and concluded.

"Therefore, the goal of ensuring that everyone can afford meat requires a massive transformation in productivity. It's not about having a large population, but about fundamental innovations in technology, tools, and methods."

"This requires accumulation, opportunity, and even a flash of inspiration from a genius."

"It may have originated in a certain dynasty, but to truly achieve a leap forward, it often takes many dynasties, or even thousands of years."

He finally pointed to the bowl of braised pork trotters with rice.

"The reason why the pork in this bowl of rice is so cheap here is because our 'pig farming' productivity has also undergone a similar dramatic change."

"Special feed formulas make pigs grow faster, modern farms reduce diseases, and slaughtering and processing lines improve efficiency... Only with this whole system can costs be reduced."

"What your era lacked was not the determination of an emperor, but a complete 'productivity' system that could reduce costs. This system requires time and the wisdom of generations; it cannot be rushed."

"Of course, this is to give you a more intuitive understanding of just how powerful our current productivity is."

Chen Mo's lips curled up in a smile.

"I have just one question—guess how much iron we produce each year?"