Yuanshui is a tributary of the Ganjiang River. It passes through Fenyi and Xinyu, merges into the Ganjiang River, and then passes through Poyang Lake and enters the Yangtze River... Ever since Zhu Gaoxu arrived, this not-so-wide waterway has become even busier.
The coal shipped from Pingxiang was transported one boat after another, and each boat of coal was a huge amount of income... This was not a river, it was clearly a money-making workshop.
Zhu Gaoxu also had to admit that when it came to his ability to make money, he was indeed inferior to Xu Jingchang. There was an essential gap between the two.
If Xu Jingchang focused on working hard to make money, he would probably have ten times the wealth of Zhu Gaoxu, or even more.
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Yuan Shui in front of him, thought for a moment, and then shook his head. He couldn't see things like this.
It was precisely because Xu Jingchang was in charge of the court that it provided them with so much convenience in doing business.
Moreover, these conveniences are all-round and irreplaceable. No one person would be able to achieve this.
Governor Hu Yan understands this very well.
If you want to open a mine, the first thing you face is the problem of land acquisition. You must get all the land in the mining area.
They sent hundreds of officials to go down to every village and go from house to house to discuss with them. After paying 300,000 taels and promising to arrange jobs for farmers, Zhu Gaoxu got the land with difficulty.
Is it costly?
It is indeed very big, but if it were placed in Jiangxi in the past, it would not be possible at all.
Because there are more than a dozen large families in this area, and they have lived here for a long time. They have family temples, ancestral halls, and ancestral tombs. They are intricately connected and are very powerful.
Such large local households are often the biggest obstacle to reform. Expropriating land from them is extremely difficult and impossible to negotiate.
This is something that many people ignore. Don’t landlords want to get rich? Why are they unwilling to hand over their land?
First of all, the wealthy families in those places have vast lands that can stretch over several counties, not just a little bit.
They have already made considerable wealth by renting out land. For them, all they need is to continue to annex land and collect more land rent.
Asking them to cede and sell their land is equivalent to cutting their flesh to eat. How could they agree?
Moreover, although the compensation for occupying the land is considerable, it is still looked down upon by wealthy families.
Once the coal mine opens, who knows whether it will impact their status... Anyway, I can already make money while lying down, so why should I take risks?
Therefore, the local wealthy families are entrenched and the land is in their hands. It is absolutely difficult and almost impossible to expropriate the land.
This point will still apply even in later generations. The third brother is unable to push forward the agricultural reform. A group of big landlords are inciting farmers to make trouble. They are as strong as the old immortals and have to bow their heads and admit defeat.
It can be said that it is simply impossible to move in the direction of industrialization without eradicating the powerful gentry and powerful landlords. This is because the powerful gentry and industrialization are naturally hostile and cannot be reconciled.
Fortunately, Xu Jingchang took the opportunity to collect arrears and severely rectified the big households in Jiangxi. Zhu Gaochi also went to the local government in person and transferred many imperial students to serve as local officials.
This round of rectification caused a great setback to local forces in Jiangxi and gave up a lot of land.
This will provide convenience for land expropriation... If people in the mining area want to continue farming, they will be directly replaced with better land according to the corresponding area, and settlement fees will be provided.
If you are willing to stay and work in the mine, you can also receive compensation and get a job.
The large households were broken down into small households, and each small household became very simple.
Those who are not in the mining area have nothing to do with them. If they are in the mining area, they can provide subsidies and provide convenience...it will easily solve the problem.
Zhu Gaoxu was so happy that he even spent thirty thousand taels to build a school to benefit the local people.
Land acquisition is only the first step, and the next step is mining... And mining coal requires not only a large number of people, but also tools and gunpowder... to open mountains, build roads, and transport coal.
Xu Jingchang was really interesting. He mobilized a large number of craftsmen to set up a gunpowder factory in Yuanzhou for Zhu Gaoxu's coal mine.
In addition, many blacksmiths were mobilized to make tools for him.
Call a ship to come over and carry out transportation.
Not to mention, Xu Jingchang got him three thousand cattle, horses and livestock from Peiping...
These things are not something you can do if you have money. You have to know that when these livestock are transported from Peking to Jiangxi, they suffer considerable losses along the way.
Xu Jingchang specially mobilized large ships to assist in transportation.
Forage was also transferred from the Changping warehouse to ensure supply.
These three thousand animals were sent to Jiangxi, and they were still alive and well, fat and strong.
Zhu Gaoxu burst into tears of gratitude, but the next thing made Zhu Gaoxu really kneel down. His cousin was so awesome.
Because in order to open a mine, labor is indispensable, and the number is still quite large.
The original plan was to recruit locally, but Zhu Gaoxu soon gave up, because although Jiangxi has a surplus of labor, most of their families have farmland, and they can only come to work during slack periods.
Moreover, Jiangxi's Yamen also made it clear that they must take it easy. If someone died, they would report it.
King Zhu Gaoxu of Han Dynasty weighed it again and again. There were many ministers in the court who were hostile to industry and commerce. If he was tossing things here, if something happened, he would definitely become a handle.
He could only write to Xu Jingchang, hoping that Xu Jingchang could help clear things up.
After Xu Jingchang received it, he directly passed a new law, which was a bill allowing the employment of foreign labor.
Then Xu Jingchang spiritually selected five places for the scope of application... Daning, Beiping, Quanzhou, Yingtian, and Yuanzhou.
But after the five pilot projects were announced, the entire imperial court, especially the capital, instantly became honest.
Daning needs some Mongolian personnel because of the establishment of a foraging field, which is natural. Peking needs foreign labor because of farm problems.
Quanzhou, on behalf of the Municipal Shipping Department, also needs to recruit external labor.
This is nothing, the ones worth mentioning are Beiping and Yuanzhou.
Yuan Zhou doesn’t need to ask, it’s just about the coal mine.
So why does Peking need foreign labor?
Does Yingtian need to open a mine? Or does Yingtian’s workshop need outside weavers?
Sorry, neither.
Weaving is also a technical job. No matter how cheap it is for outsiders, it won't work.
In fact, the capital needs foreign labor for only one purpose, and that is to serve as servants for various families, especially those with power.
Kunlun slave, Silla maid.
The dignitaries of the Ming Dynasty, do you want to return to the Tang Dynasty and experience the joy of your predecessors?
Xu Jingchang completely grasped the essence of dealing with officials... You can't think that you are doing the right thing, so just try your best to suppress it. Anyone who disagrees will be kicked out of the court, or simply physically destroyed.
This won't work.
There are only two words that really matter: exchange!
In the short time of drinking and drinking, you will make many friends and few enemies.
There aren't many die-hard opponents these days, it's just that the interests are not in place.
Look, now that the labor force is being opened up, Ying Tian and Yuan Zhou are tied together. The enjoyment of officials is ingeniously linked to the development of industry and mining.
Agree or not?
Just this time, Zhu Gaoxu easily obtained more than 15,000 foreign laborers.
Moreover, Xu Jingchang was very considerate and passed a special decree. Foreign labor does not need to be treated the same as Ming labor for the time being... When the matter has reached this point, it is tantamount to telling Zhu Gaoxu clearly.
You can do whatever you want, I don't care.
Then Zhu Gaoxu really worked hard to produce coal... This boatload of people left Yuanzhou, arrived at Poyang Lake, and then walked along the Yangtze River to Yingtian.
In addition to coal, the Ming Dynasty had another bulk commodity. In the past, silk, porcelain, salt, etc., although the quantity was large, could not be compared with coal.
After the first batch of coal was shipped, the situation in Yingtian began to change... In the past, many woodcutters came to Yingtian every day carrying firewood to sell.
Firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Burning firewood even ranks in front of rice. The importance is evident.
And these woods do not appear out of thin air. Surrounding trees need to be cut down, which causes terrible ecological pressure.
Now that coal is being transported in, many shops and blacksmith furnaces have begun to sell new furnaces...
"You guys, please remember that the burned cinders can be used to pave roads, which can be considered as a good use." Xu Jingchang smiled and said to the court officials: "Our capital must not only be full of flowers, but also clean.
