"Mechanical force is not like human power, it does not require rest, and it is several times, dozens of times more than human power. After using mechanical force, these spindles can spin day and night. You said, in this way, the gauze produced
How much will the quantity increase? And how much will the price of gauze drop if the investment in labor and other costs is reduced? Not only that, the mechanical force is stable, and the quality of the gauze emitted using this power is also better than that of manual spinning. The cost will then be higher
As low-quality and better-quality gauze floods into the market, those hand-spinning businesses will definitely be hit and go bankrupt."
It's rare to find someone who can speak well, so Zuo Menggeng spoke happily.
There was not much joy on Xu Ruolin's face.
"If this happens, wouldn't it mean that many ordinary people will have their families destroyed? This is a disaster."
This is a matter of knowledge of the times.
"The traditional model of men farming and women weaving is bound to collapse, but these small people are not without a way out after they go bankrupt. They can be separated from the land and transformed into industrial workers. Just like the weavers in your family, they do not rely on
Working in the fields can also support a family."
Xu Ruolin was not so easily convinced.
"That's different. In the south of the Yangtze River, although there are many people who don't farm, there is still a lot of farmland. According to your expectation, once the scale of textile industry increases, more land will be needed to grow cotton and linen, and farmers will also
They were invaded. But without food, what will the people eat?"
Zuo Mengeng was also in high spirits.
"You have a misunderstanding here. In fact, the food supply in Jiangnan does not depend on the local area. If we rely solely on farmland cultivation in Jiangnan, we will not be able to feed even half of the current population."
"Where is that?"
Zuo Mengeng said two words.
"Huguang."
He added: "Huguang is ripe and the world is rich. Today, the main grain-producing area of the Ming Dynasty is Huguang. Most of the food supply in Jiangnan and the capital depends on Huguang. Among them, the capital not only supplies Huguang, but also a large part of it."
They also come from Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong and other places.”
Xu Ruolin thought of something.
"You said earlier that the current climate is like the Little Ice Age. Severe droughts in various parts of the north are coupled with locust plagues. The land is bare for thousands of miles and there is no harvest. Wouldn't that mean the world is in chaos?"
Zuo Mengeng smiled bitterly.
"My Miss Xu, haven't you experienced it yourself? This world is already in chaos."
He was accustomed to speaking smoothly, but Xu Ruolin blushed and couldn't help but spit.
What nonsense are you saying about "your" and "mine"? Did people agree to it?
"Yaya once said that the disaster in the North is already as urgent as a spark, but corrupt officials are still trying to harm the people. In addition, various water conservancy projects are in disrepair. If this continues, can the Ming Dynasty be saved?"
After experiencing this era, Zuo Mengeng did not quite agree with Xu Guangqi's views.
It can even be said that many people in later generations have also wrong perceptions of this era.
"In the face of such a natural disaster, it is beyond human power. Although there is a solution, the court cannot do it."
Xu Ruolin didn't hear his original intention.
"If the imperial court can clarify the administration of officials, use more capable ministers and officials, reduce or reduce excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes, build water conservancy projects, and encourage farmers to cultivate mulberry trees, the people will be able to regain some of their strength."
Zuo Mengeng sighed and had to hit her with the ruthless facts.
"It's useless. Corrupt officials and exorbitant taxes are certainly the last straw that breaks the people's back, but even without these, the people of the North would still be on the road to death. The biggest problem in the North now is natural disasters."
Xu Ruolin didn't believe it at all.
"How can it be?"
Zuo Mengeng spread his hands, feeling helpless.
"This is the fact. What if the North is full of honest officials like Haigangfeng? If it doesn't rain, it won't rain. If there is no water, there will be no water. After years of drought, the rivers will dry up and the reservoirs will bottom out. What's the use of building water conservancy projects?
?”
Many time travel books have a big misunderstanding about the natural disasters in the north in the late Ming Dynasty, as if they can be mitigated or changed by humans.
But in fact, this is absolutely impossible.
Take the most commonly used means to fight drought - building water conservancy projects. Is it really useful in the face of such a disaster?
This kind of drought lasts for months or years. Even if a reservoir is built to store water, all the water in the reservoir will evaporate within two months. What's the use?
The construction of water conservancy projects is very effective in dealing with small-scale droughts and floods. But in the face of this kind of apocalyptic disaster, it can only be in vain.
What is Chidi Qianli?
Large tracts of land have experienced no rain for several years, and in the most severe cases, even the Yellow River stopped flowing.
A disaster of this magnitude cannot be solved by any official with today's technical means.
Xu Ruolin came from a family of officials, and she listened in on some of her father's and grandfather's arguments. But even her grandfather, Xu Guangqi, did not fully predict the disasters in the late Ming Dynasty, so her understanding could not be that deep.
At this time, Zuo Mengeng revealed the bloody facts, and he couldn't help but be stunned.
"Could it be... is it really God who wants to destroy our country, the Ming Dynasty? Is there no other way?"
"have."
Zuo Menggeng said so categorically that Xu Ruolin was extremely excited.
"What can be done?"
"Colonize, colonize outwards."
He was afraid that Xu Ruolin wouldn't understand, so he explained it in depth.
"You know those missionaries from the West, but have you ever heard them say that disasters are rampant in Europe today?"
Xu Ruolin looked annoyed and quite embarrassed.
"I didn't ask."
Zuo Mengeng could only feel regretful about this.
The communication between Chinese and the West in the late Ming Dynasty was too limited, and a lot of important information was not mastered.
In fact, the disaster that tormented China in the late Ming Dynasty was also rampant in Europe, causing no less harm.
Why did Europe get through it?
Some people say that it is because the common people in the West accept the situation and do not dare to resist no matter how difficult their survival is.
This is nonsense.
When people are hungry, they will do all kinds of crazy things, so how can there be any acceptance of it?
One of the fundamental reasons why the disaster caused by the Little Ice Age did not cause a devastating blow to Europe is that today's Europe has begun the colonial era.
A large number of European people migrated to America, Africa and many other unclaimed lands, which suddenly relieved Europe's land pressure.
Colonization not only diluted the local population pressure, but also provided abundant supplies from overseas colonies to feed the local population. This is the truth why Europe successfully survived the Little Ice Age.
"Why can those Europas come all the way to us? It's because they have traveled all over the earth and found many rich but ownerless lands. They sent a large number of people from the mainland to take those lands as their own
Yes. It turns out that the mainland may be like us, each person does not have an acre of land. Now almost more than half of the population has gone overseas, so the per capita cultivated land area will increase significantly. With the abundant products overseas to supplement, such natural disasters will
To them, it’s nothing.”
The reason is very simple. Following Zuo Mengeng's description, Xu Ruolin easily sketched a complete image in her mind.
“Can we only immigrate abroad?”
Zuo Mengeng nodded heavily.
"Today's situation is either to transfer a large number of people outwards and dilute the population per unit area; or we can only rely on disasters and wars to significantly weaken the population. The ultimate goal of both is actually the same, to reduce the size of the land.
bearing pressure.”
Xu Ruolin couldn't help but shiver, her eyes were dull.
"But where can we, the people of China, move to?"
Zuo Mengeng felt that she was thinking too much.
"The problem now is not how to immigrate, but that it is impossible for the court to support immigration."
Xu Ruolin woke up with a start and was confused.
"Why is this?"
Zuo Mengeng's face turned cold, and he did not hide his malice.
"Emperors, nobles, and landlords all regard the people as pigs and sheep in the pen, and happily suck the flesh and blood from the people. If the people are let go, how will they satisfy their greed? For these people, they would rather let the people go
Die in a pot in the territory, satisfy the last bit of greed of the people before they die, and never let the people escape from control."
Zuo Mengeng's eyes became far-reaching and his words became heavy.
"The one who sits on the dragon's throne is called the Son of Heaven. Is it the emperor's private property in the world? The one who holds the seal of the staff is called the herdsman, driving the people like cattle and sheep. I have only heard of those who herd sheep and horses, how can they be herdsmen? In their minds, the people are
What is it again?”
Xu Ruolin thought that she was deviant enough, but now after hearing Zuo Mengeng's angry words, she realized that she was actually a kind person.
But the instinct in her heart told her that Zuo Menggeng's remarks were actually right.
The natural disaster is irreversible, but the corrupt and corrupt court has blocked all livelihood options for the people.
However, the topic of family, country and world is heavy.
There are two of them, one is a second-generation general and the other is a daughter of a wealthy family. It seems that it is not their turn to guide the country.
Xu Ruolin sighed in her heart, cheered up, put on a smile, and raised the manuscript to show Zuo Mengeng.
"For this masterpiece of yours, forget about the writing style. Even the words are too ugly."
Zuo Mengeng was rarely ashamed.
"My hands are good at wielding swords and guns. As for writing, it would be good if I can recognize them."
In fact, he was less than halfway through the first chapter of "The Wealth of Nations". It was because the writing brush was too slow, which delayed efficiency.
But Xu Ruolin was fascinated by it and couldn't wait for a moment.
She rolled her eyes and suggested, "How about this? You tell me, and I'll write it. Although I have little knowledge, my writing is only so-so."
As she spoke, she pulled the paper and re-copied what she had written.
As soon as the elegant and graceful hairpin flowers appeared in small regular script, Zuo Mengeng had nothing to say except giving a thumbs up.
"Miss Xu is such a talented person, could you please polish this crude work of mine?"
What Zuo Menggeng struggled with the most was that the Wealth of Nations in his memory was translated from plain text.
This kind of writing would make readers of this era laugh out loud.
Unexpectedly, Xu Ruolin disagreed.
"There are a lot of arguments in your article. If you write it in a vernacular style, it will be precise and detailed. If you use it in such a way, it will not be beautiful."
Is that what happened?
Zuo Mengeng is very self-aware.
When talking about literary affairs in this era, he is definitely not as good as Xu Jiazhen.
Since Xu Ruolin was so sure, he could only obey her words.
In the days that followed, the two often got together.
Zuo Menggeng said that Xu Ruolin wrote it, and unknowingly, the content of "The Wealth of Nations" gradually accumulated.
The two discussed the content over and over again, and both felt that they benefited a lot.