Chapter 244 Small agricultural loans, the arrival of Japanese merchants
"It's a bit troublesome to get tickets to buy food, but it will be beneficial to the future development of Dongjiang Town. I hope everyone will understand me."
"There is a big market every month. Folks can go to the market if they have something to sell or buy, and trade with military stamps, which is more convenient than silver."
"If there is a bumper harvest this year, everyone should have a surplus of food, and the military stamps can be saved to buy other household items, or buy meat and fish, so that the family can eat better."
The common people obviously didn't dare to speak, or maybe they thought Guo Dajing was right, so they nodded in agreement.
"If you have any difficulties, comments or suggestions, you can report them to the village chief. Soon, the army will dispatch military instructors to each village to conduct military training for the people. Appropriate compensation and rewards will also be given. You can also report it to the village chief.
Reports from military instructors will also be received by the superiors and resolved."
To convey information from lower levels to higher levels, channels must be kept open and there must be a mutual supervision mechanism, and the village chief cannot have all the control.
All citizens are soldiers, which is also a policy that Guanglu Island has already implemented. Now that the territory is large, it is natural to spread the business and station military instructors, which is one of the new measures.
Similarly, the crossbows, swords and guns made in the workshop will gradually be distributed to the people, until every family has a weapon, and young people of the right age can pick up a weapon and join the army.
"General Guo, the common people have something to do -"
"Just say it, don't worry about right or wrong, don't you know what kind of person Guo is?" Guo Dajing immediately encouraged him, looking at this whimpering commoner with a smile.
The common man scratched his head and said cautiously and a little shyly: "Can this military coupon be paid in advance for one or two months? Almost all the military coupons issued that month were used to buy food, and there is not much left. There are some household items that cannot be purchased.
It’s a little inconvenient.”
Guo Dajing blinked his eyes, thought for a moment, and the word "loan" suddenly came to his mind.
A one-month advance is probably not enough. You won't be able to eat food next month? Besides, an advance doesn't sound good. If it's called a loan, it will be easier to deal with at least three to five months later, during the autumn harvest.
When ordinary people want to advance military payment, it is definitely not for the sake of good food, drink and clothing. They may buy tools or materials, and most likely they will engage in some sideline production.
Small-amount agricultural support loans are available.
Guo Dajing had made up his mind and smiled, which reassured the common people who were a little uneasy after speaking.
"Forget it about an advance, it's more convenient to borrow money." Guo Dajing said with a smile: "The loan period is one year, and there is no interest. When repaying the loan, you can use military notes or silver coins, or you can use physical objects. Do you think this is better than an advance?
?”
The advance of military bills has a short period and is the main way for ordinary people to obtain food, which puts too much pressure on them. However, the interest-free loan is different. The one-year repayment period is still relatively loose.
"The method the general said is good." The common people thought for a moment, then blurted out, and praised with joy on their faces: "As long as this year's harvest is not bad, we will definitely be able to pay it back in one year, and the family will not have to worry about having food to eat."
The older people nodded repeatedly and said, "I don't want to borrow too much. Three to five taels of silver is about the same. Didn't the officials say they won't stop issuing military stamps until May next year? After the autumn harvest, there will be food to eat, so the savings will be enough."
The military notes are enough to repay the loan."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "It's true that small loans shouldn't be too much. Ten taels of gold should be enough."
As the people calculated, as long as this year's harvest is not too bad, there is not much pressure to borrow a few taels.
What Guo Dajing wants is to stimulate consumption, promote commodity production and currency circulation. He also uses small loans to support people so that they can develop various agricultural and sideline industries and live a better life.
It’s great to have military coupons. Many things that used to require money can now be easily solved.
Of course, control is still very necessary. As long as the current exchange rate with grain is maintained, there will be no need to worry about inflation or currency depreciation.
To put it bluntly, we cannot follow the path of failure of Ming Dynasty Baochao. Bastards who do not understand the laws of economics at all have ruined Ming Dynasty's credibility.
Guo Dajing chatted with the people for a while, then got up and mounted his horse, waved goodbye to the villagers, and continued on his way to Dalian.
Internal stability will lead to strong external war, and internal prosperity will lead to external prosperity. Guo Dajing knows this truth better than anyone else.
The best example is the Ming Dynasty, which died due to internal strife rather than external enemies.
If the Dongjiang Army wants to continue to develop and grow, it cannot do without the support of the people of Liao. They produce, they manufacture, and they join the army. Only by allowing them to live a good life can they continue to provide power to the Dongjiang Army.
After returning to Dalian, Guo Dajing immediately wrote a letter and sent someone to Lushun immediately, asking Chen Jisheng to adjust his policy and truthfully reported the situation of his meeting with Fang Zhenghua.
Subsequently, Guo Dajing invested in the military production of the workshop. After quickly becoming familiar with the production and manufacturing process, he found the problem and started innovation to improve production efficiency.
………………..
Time passes quickly in the eyes of people who are busy all day long. Only people who have nothing to do find time difficult.
Small interest-free loans soon began to be implemented in Jinzhou. Families with skills immediately saw the opportunity to increase their income, which also solved their difficulties of having no start-up capital to build tools and purchase raw materials.
Soon, many blacksmith shops, carpenter shops, and craftsmen who made baskets, mended pots, curiums, and bowls appeared in the countryside.
As for these non-agricultural occupations, officials have not yet paid taxes. In other words, they only earn, not lose, and at best their hard work is in vain.
In this regard, the officials are also happy to see the success, which makes the lives of the soldiers and civilians more convenient, as long as it does not delay the assigned work.
Work such as repairing roads, building kilns and burning bricks, and constructing water conservancy projects were assigned to each village according to the plan. Appropriate military subsidies were given according to the work situation.
This will not only increase people's income and enthusiasm, but also stimulate consumption and even expand employment.
The role of the issuance of military coupons became more and more apparent. It could not only buy grain, but also other daily necessities. It was no different from silver. The common people quickly accepted this new currency.
As long as credit is established, the supply of main grains and salt can be guaranteed, and there will be no obstacles to circulation.
Although it is an internal cycle, the value created by the common people far exceeds the military tickets paid, and the wealth within Dongjiang Town is accumulated unknowingly.
Of course, it is not very obvious now. After all, Mao Wenlong, Chen Jisheng and others are still thinking about exchanging silver coins a year later.
But in Guo Dajing's view, as long as military coupons are issued in a controlled manner, as long as the army can continue to win, and as long as the people can eat, there will be no big problem.
By issuing military coupons, the imperial court saved the money paid to Dongjiang Town, which could be used to purchase strategic materials such as war horses, gunpowder, and iron materials.
Various construction projects in Jinzhou are booming, and Guo Dajing's work has also made breakthrough progress.
In a newly built workshop, high-carbon steel drill bits made by crucible steelmaking were tested, and satisfactory reports were presented to Guo Dajing.
The most time-consuming part of making a musket is drilling the barrel. According to historical records, it takes about a month to drill a barrel.
In addition to the lack of modern mechanical equipment and strong power, Guo Dajing found that even the most basic tool, the drill bit, had problems.
Although the drill bits at that time were made of relatively hard steel, they were still relatively hard and were completely different from the special steel used in later drill bits.
Therefore, Guo Dajing used space and experience in firing glass, and after repeated experiments, he finally developed clay crucible steelmaking.
Although the output of crucible steelmaking is very low, and the quality of the steel is not easy to control, and the rate of suitable steel is not high. But as a tool steel, you don't need much as long as it has excellent performance.
"Sir, the young men used this steel drill to drill a gun barrel in only five days." The gray-bearded craftsman reported respectfully, his face was blackened and red by the years of fire, but he could still drill a gun barrel.
See the joy on his face.
From thirty days to five days, the efficiency has increased several times. Guo Dajing feels that there is still potential for improvement, but the current breakthrough is enough to excite him.
"Thank you for your hard work, Master Zhao." Guo Dajing praised with a smile, and took out thirty taels of military tickets, "Guo is true to his word. This is the bonus, Master Zhao, take it and share it!"
"Thank you, Mr. Guo." Master Zhao grinned happily and stepped forward to take the military ticket. He felt that it was so heavy in his hand.
Thirty taels is not a small amount. A soldier's monthly salary is only seven taels, plus a handful of rice!
Guo Dajing knew that he had to press hard. Several craftsmen headed by Master Zhao worked overtime and experimented. They made hundreds of crucibles using different materials and formulas before finally settling on it.
The skill of sharpening your knife and chopping firewood without missing a beat. Gu Miao
With high-hardness drill bits, the production speed of the most difficult to make musket barrels can be greatly increased, and the equipment speed of muskets in the army will also be greatly increased.
Guo Dajing has decided to use light muskets with bayonets to eliminate all long spears in the army. Even if the number of muskets is enough, sword and shield soldiers will not use them.
Although heavy muskets lack melee combat capabilities, they can still be protected by light musketeers when combined with light musketeers.
Calculating this way, the firepower of the troops will more than double. Following this, the overall strength will be greatly enhanced.
"I'll give you two days off. Go back and get together with your family and take a break." Guo Dajing said to Master Zhao in a very humane manner: "It's really hard after working day and night for so many days."
"Adults have worked harder." Master Zhao bowed to express his thanks, hesitated for a moment, and said, "There is a matter that I want to shamelessly ask an adult to solve."
"Is it something about the fields?" Guo Dajing smiled lightly and said, "Guo has heard a little bit about it, please tell me in detail."
Regarding the practical difficulties of the craftsmen, Guo Dajing was willing to help them without going too far so that they could work with peace of mind.
In Guo Dajing's mind, craftsmen are all technical talents. Although their education level is not high, they have great potential. In the future, they will rely more on their intelligence and hard work.
Moreover, Guo Dajing is willing to listen to the opinions and suggestions of the military and civilians, including craftsmen.
The construction of Jinzhou has adopted many new models and implemented many new policies. This is different from the previous extensive management of the military household system, and will definitely bring about many problems.
Timely discovery, timely solution and timely adjustment are the best ways.
As far as the current Jinzhou is concerned, there are too few officials who can manage government affairs. Many of them are weak and weak, barely qualified, or even rushed to the top.
There is no way. There are too few people who can read, write, and count, and there are too few who lack practical experience in politics. We can only learn by doing.
Because of this, deviations in the implementation of policies are inevitable.
Moreover, people are all selfish, and some seek personal gain for themselves and their families.
After hearing many feedbacks, Chen Jisheng also began to solve these problems. He also praised the educational tutoring method first advocated by Guo Dajing and made great efforts to promote it.
This is most of the Golden State. In the future, more lost land will be recovered and government affairs will be more complicated.
Cultivating government affairs talents in Jinzhou, an experimental place, increasing their experience and improving their capabilities is also a preparation for the future.
After listening to Master Zhao's story, Guo Dajing readily agreed to ask questions and help solve the problem.
For Guo Dajing, solving this matter is just a matter of effort. But for ordinary people, it is very difficult.
This is also a microcosm of Ming Dynasty society. How difficult it is for the voices of the people to reach the court, be taken seriously and be resolved!
Fortunately, soldiers from various villages and towns have to a large extent become the main force in reporting problems and the eyes and ears of supervision.
Of course, such a model could not be learned by the imperial court, which could only rely on officials at all levels to learn about local conditions.
After Master Zhao left, Guo Dajing took out his notebook and revised, added and deleted his work plan in it.
The transformation of flintlock muskets is still being carried out in a busy manner. With the concentration of manpower and the increased proficiency of craftsmen, the speed has increased a lot, which makes Guo Dajing satisfied.
And even though he produced tool steel, which could make drill bits, boring tools and other tools, Guo Dajing did not put the manufacturing of rifled guns first.
It is not difficult for Guo Dajing to pull out the rifled barrel in the space. However, the rifled gun and the bullets used must match each other in order to exert its power.
The lead bullets used today are basically made by musketeers themselves using molds and lead.
If you want to produce mini bullets for rifled guns, you will have to build another workshop. Not only will it require a lot of manpower, but also in terms of time, it will be difficult to guarantee the production of sufficient bullets this fall.
Therefore, Guo Dajing decided to first increase the rate of fire of the musket in the easiest way, that is, to use fixed-loading paper shells.
Put a certain amount of gunpowder and projectiles into the paper cylinder. When using it, bite open the cylinder, pour some of the gunpowder inside into the firing pool, and then stuff the remaining gunpowder and projectiles into the barrel with a purge bar.
Already.
Guo Dajing conducted experiments using paper shell bullets and flintlock guns, and the rate of fire could reach two to three rounds per minute, or even more.
Such a small improvement will enable the musketeers to fire almost double the amount of dense bullets in the same period of time, causing greater damage to the enemy.
To equip the troops, you only need to purchase or make oil paper, provide sample ammunition, distribute it to the soldiers, and let them roll and load it themselves.
With this kind of arrangement, the troops can complete the equipment change in a very short period of time and improve their combat effectiveness to another level.
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Three sea-going ships sailed into the still-expanding Dalian Port and anchored at the newly built pier.
Lin Tiansheng stood on the deck and introduced Xiao Lin Haoyi with a smile, "This place was originally called Qingniwa, and is now called Dalian. It was named after General Guo."
"In less than a year, it's a new situation." Kobayashi Koichi said with emotion: "From a small island to a huge base on land, it is really admirable."
Lin Tiansheng smiled and raised his head, pointed to a cluster of buildings on the shore not far away, and said: "The Lin family has built a business store there. Mr. Xiao Lin can also apply to General Guo to rent a few shops and do business here in the future. It's very good."
convenient."
Xiao Lin Hao smiled and said: "I have this intention. Otherwise, I would not have come to see General Guo."
Lin Tiansheng extended his hand to invite Xiao Lin Hao to get off the boat and showed the pass given by Guo Dajing. The sergeant guarding the dock bowed to let him go and sent someone to the shopping mall area to notify the relevant contacts.
"General Guo is busy with official duties and has left all his business to the second wife." Lin Tiansheng, Kobayashi Koichi and others went to the business inn set up by the Lin family. As they walked, they said: "Fujino Hide, Mr. Kobayashi is no stranger to me either."
"Mr. Fujino's daughter." Kobayashi Koichi nodded with a smile and said, "I have a close friendship with Mr. Fujino, so this is more convenient."
Lin Tiansheng looked back and saw Lin Wan'er, Gu Yan'er and others getting on the carriage. He was relieved and looked back to continue chatting with Xiao Lin Haoyi.
This trip to Tsushima Island to trade with Japanese was relatively smooth. The trade with Koichi Kobayashi and Otani Gawa was successful, and Lin Tiansheng also got to know other Japanese and Korean merchants.
Koichi Kobayashi and Otani Sawa were not only very satisfied with the raw silk and other goods purchased by the Lin family, but were also extremely happy with the new porcelain made by Guo Dajing and Fujino Hide.
Not only them, many Japanese and imperial merchants were also very interested in porcelain with novel shapes and pretentious artistic atmosphere.
Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and is studied and admired by the Japanese Dynasty and other countries; poetry, lyrics, and rhymes are even more popular among intellectuals in East Asian countries.
Unfortunately, Lin Tiansheng brought few porcelains, most of them were samples, and his poems were incomplete.
Koichi Kobayashi and Otani Chuan immediately realized that this was a business opportunity with great development potential. In order to monopolize it, they decided to go to Dalian and establish direct business contacts.
If this trade route in Liaodong can be opened, for Kobayashi Koichi and Otani Chuan, it will be a leap in the development of business, and it will not be as simple as just selling porcelain and mirrors.
In order to please Guo Dajing, Kobayashi Koichi and Otani Chuan thought that the goods they brought were not enough, so they bought two ships of sulfur and cupronickel from other Japanese merchants and sent them to Guo Dajing.
Of course it wasn't for free. Guo Dajing had told Lin Tiansheng how much sulfur, saltpeter, and copper materials could be purchased. A few hundred thousand taels of silver would be enough for a dozen ships.
"Why is it called Dalian?" Lin Wan'er opened the car curtain and looked at the scenery outside curiously, "There must be a reason, it can't be made up."
Zheng Yaner smiled and said: "It turned out to be called Qingniwa, which is very rustic. Any other name would be better than it."
Lin Wan'er shrugged her shoulders and said, "We will still live together in the future. The Lin family's store is very large and it is close to the seaside, making it easy to go out and play."