The regret of missing tens of millions of silver dollars and failing to pick up a gold brick when he saw it falling in front of him. This strong aversion to loss once overshadowed his wariness and precautions against Xujiazhuang, and also
I had no intention of listening any more, and this cabinet meeting ended in a hurry.
After all the elders have left.
Zhu Youjian then stood up and paced back and forth in the empty palace with his hands behind his back, his face full of tangles.
what to do?
How can this be remedied?
How can we make up for the situation, join the trend of colonizing Southeast Asia, find a way to get a share of the pie, and not miss this feast of wealth?
By the way, what is going on? Isn’t it just hundreds of millions of silver dollars? If you miss it, you will miss it. A gentleman loves money in a proper way. When did Zhu Youjian become such a money-obsessed person?
It can only be said that if you are not a householder, you don’t know how expensive firewood and rice are.
Although Ming's financial situation has improved significantly in recent years, it has even set a new record.
Although the rogue bandits in the Central Plains have been exterminated, the Jiannu slaves in Liaodong have been severely damaged, and the Mongols do not dare to invade the border again, the military pressure on the Ming Dynasty has been greatly reduced.
Although he has been extremely diligent in his administration over the years, vigorously promoting capable ministers and officials, dismissing mediocre officials, severely punishing corrupt officials, and has made great efforts in the administration of officials, he has achieved some results. He also canceled the additional Liao Xiang faction (reduced by three cents,
There are also Jiuli), which has lightened the burden of the people all over the world and won many people's hearts.
The situation in all aspects seems to be improving, and Ming Zhongxing seems to have seen a glimmer of hope and dawn.
But the natural disasters are still endless and so numerous that it makes people numb.
The imperial court's ability to solve difficult problems is still extremely weak. Investing hundreds of thousands of silver dollars can hardly solve any problems except to raise a lot of corrupt officials. It is only a little better than being completely flat. According to the "Oriental Times"
A commentator said: In addition to unlimited waste of resources, the Ming Dynasty's system has lost the ability to solve any major problems. Stubborn interest groups control everything. They are loyal to the imperial power, but are unwilling to devote any resources to serving the imperial power. Any
Any reform that attempts to cut their flesh will end in failure unless everything is overturned and started all over again.
Zhu Youjian was very unconvinced by this comment. Although it reflected the actual situation, it was too tactful and unpleasant. It was slandering and discrediting the Ming Dynasty.
He firmly believes that Ming Dynasty will definitely change for the better and ZTE can be realized.
The prerequisite is that you must have money, and you must have enough money.
After he spent money to train a strong new army of 200,000 people.
By the time he reorganized his administration, he had a group of relatively honest officials who could be entrusted with important responsibilities.
When he vigorously promotes reforms, improves people's livelihood, collects commercial taxes to expand the tax base, achieves a balance of fiscal revenue and expenditure, and even makes income exceed expenditure, achieving positive accumulation.
After ten or twenty years like this, Ming Dynasty will definitely become a completely different Ming Dynasty.
It's just that the ideal is very plump, but the reality is extremely skinny.
The 200,000 new troops were temporarily out of sight, and Cao Huachun was forced to organize and train 50,000. However, the annual military expenditure was nearly 2 million, and a large chunk of the internal funds was wiped out.
Although they often talk about frugality, the royal family's expenses have increased sharply every year. Last year, they just celebrated a few more festivals and set a record of four million silver dollars in expenses. That is, the average cost of a palace with less than 10,000 people per person.
It will cost more than 10,000 silver dollars.
Coupled with the blackmail from time to time by civil servants.
Last year's internal funds, which amounted to tens of millions of dollars, actually bottomed out at the end of the year, with only a few hundred thousand left.
As a result, after the beginning of spring, from January to August before the autumn taxes arrived, the internal funds were semi-depleted for a long time. The life of the palace could only be maintained by the business of the imperial shop.
Oh, and Tianxiatong Bank’s deposit interest dividends.
The problem is that Zhu Youjian spends too much money. The royal family spends more than 4 million a year, which is more than the taxes collected by the Ming Dynasty treasury in previous years. He actually spends it on eating and drinking. He still has the nerve to say "frugal"
'? To describe it as extravagant and extravagant is not an exaggeration, right? His dragon robe with numerous patches has not been worn for how long?
That’s right!
Zhu Youjian admitted that the royal family's expenses have indeed increased in the past two years, but it is not really extravagant. He has been very, very restrained. He usually eats three dishes and one soup, with more vegetarian and less meat, and entertainment activities.
Minimal and unnecessary expenses will never be approved.
It's just that the price rise in Beijing has been so serious in the past two years. Food prices have generally increased three to five times, daily necessities have increased two or three times, and fuel has also increased one or two times. No matter how hard we suppress it, we can't suppress it.
Secondly, Xujiazhuang is launching more and more new products, which are endless.
For example, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, sofa-style furniture, and Simmons beds from the year before last.
Last year's gramophone, sewing machine, and thermos.
This year, new products such as hand-crank washing machines, hand-crank generators and rechargeable flashlights, windproof and rainproof jackets, and woolen windbreakers were launched. It is difficult not to buy them.
There are also many products that we have become accustomed to daily use and cannot go back to in the past, such as soap and toilet paper, which are the reasons for increased expenses.
There is even a feeling that the more income you have from internal funds, the more expenses you will have.
Short of money.
Zhu Youjian felt that he was still extremely short of money.
You have to find a way to make more money.
But the people at the bottom have long since run out of money.
It is impossible for the noble landowners, gentry and other classes to pay taxes obediently.
If you want to increase your income, you still have to continue to cooperate with Xujiazhuang. Even if he is very reluctant in his heart, this is the only way.
After thinking about it, Zhu Youjian called the eunuch Wang Chengen over and asked him to find Qichunnian, invite him to the palace once, and said that he wanted to discuss something with him.
"Your Majesty, is it for the purpose of colonizing Southeast Asia?"
Wang Chengen immediately saw Zhu Youjian's thoughts and secretly sighed: Representative Qi is very confident and knows things like a god. A few days ago, Qichun invited him to dinner and said that his Majesty would take the initiative to invite him to the palace in two days. At that time, Wang Chengen
I thought he was bragging, but he guessed it right.
"Ahem~"
Zhu Youjian coughed twice in embarrassment and said, "Just go and invite him into the palace. What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
…
afternoon.
Inside the old place, Dongnuan Pavilion.
The weather was quite hot, when Qichunnian appeared in front of Zhu Youjian, dressed in a T-shirt and cropped trousers, wearing a pair of sunglasses, and with her comb hair straightened.
Zhu Youjian's eyes twitched, and he felt extremely uncomfortable and said: "Representative Qi, may I ask what you want to discuss this time when you take the initiative to see me?"
"Your Majesty, you didn't want to see me, so you asked Wang Zhangyin to find me. How come I took the initiative to ask for a meeting?"
Qichunnian rolled his eyes and said without giving any face.
"Is there such a thing? My dear, have I asked you to invite Qi representatives?" Zhu Youjian glared at Wang Chengen.
Wang Chengen had no choice but to kneel down, bear the blame, and said: "Your Majesty, it was our family that took the initiative and invited the representative of Qi here to ask your Majesty to convict you!"
"Hmph, my time is precious. Who can see me if they want? How dare you deceive me like this? You are getting bolder and bolder." Zhu Youjian said seriously with a straight face.
"I deserve to die!" Wang Chengen fell even lower.
"Your Majesty, forget it if you don't want to see Qi. Why waste time? I'll go back." Qi Chunnian stood up and turned around to leave.
"etc!"
Zhu Youjian had no choice but to stop him: "Since you're all here, let's talk. I happen to be quite interested in Xujiazhuang's colonization of Southeast Asia. How about we chat?"
"You should have told me earlier."
Qichunnian immediately turned around and sat back on the chair, crossed his legs, and muttered: "Your Majesty is still too dishonest. If you want to cooperate and make money, just say so. Why are you so arrogant?"
These words made Zhu Youjian's eyes twitch again, but he pretended not to hear.
Wang Chengen was also relieved, got up from the ground, and stood beside the emperor to serve him.
"Representative Qi, this land in Nanyang is really full of fertile soil and has countless resources. Can you make a fortune just by exploring it?" Zhu Youjian was too lazy to pretend, so he got straight to the point and asked the question that interested him most.
"Your Majesty, there are countless miasma in Nanyang, the level of development is very low, and most of it is barbaric. It is extremely difficult for individuals to survive. There are fertile lands, but they need people to cultivate them; there are indeed countless resources, but they also need people to develop them... In fact, Nanyang
There is nothing special about the land. It is just warm and rainy, which is very suitable for the development of agriculture. But without people, everything is empty talk. Only when there are people first can everything be brought about. This has always been our development philosophy in Xujiazhuang. Your Majesty, don’t do it.
Wrong order."
Qichunnian said with a serious face.
"That makes sense, I've learned from it."
Zhu Youjian had to say: "If I also find a way to organize tens of thousands of civilians to go to Southeast Asia to develop and build several royal estates, I wonder if it can be done and is it cost-effective?"
"It's difficult, there's a high chance that you'll lose everything."
Qichunnian said bluntly: "First of all, we need a ship. It must be a larger sea-going ship. It costs tens of thousands of taels to build each one. It costs millions of taels to build a small fleet. Then it will carry immigrants to Nanyang. Two
It takes three months to arrive, there is a 20% chance of encountering wind and waves, a 20% chance of a major disease on board, and a 50% chance of being infected with various diseases after arriving at the destination... Maybe in only half a year, all the old and weak among the immigrants will be
The survival rate is less than 50%. However, in the specific development work, the investment in building infrastructure, purchasing livestock and farm tools, and initial living expenses is not a small amount."
"Take the sugar cane manor established by Xujiazhuang in Taiwan as an example. The average investment in each sugar cane manor is about 1.5 million silver dollars. This is the result of the large-scale development model, the cost has been greatly reduced. If it is developed using traditional methods,
The cost will at least more than double, the payback period will be greatly extended, and there will be countless deaths and immigrants, which is simply a very uneconomical thing."
"What if we cooperate with Xujiazhuang?"
Zhu Youjian had to give up his plan to rely on himself and asked: "Didn't you say before that you wanted to cooperate with the royal family to jointly explore Nanyang? I thought about it seriously and felt that your conditions are good and we can cooperate. In the name of the Ming Dynasty royal family,
I allow you to borrow them, and I can also give you a few imperial edicts supporting colonization, as long as you can help build a few royal estates in Nanyang, and then give them to the royal family for free."
"But His Majesty decisively refused at that time."
Qichunnian rolled his eyes: "At this moment, we are all adults, and the best period of cooperation has passed. Now your Majesty wants to take this ride, but it is not so cheap. You have to pay a little cost.
Already."
"What else should I pay? I sent an imperial edict announcing that Xujiazhuang has unlimited development rights in Nanyang. Isn't this worth hundreds of millions of taels of silver and a few manors?" Zhu Youjian said with a dark face, a bit
Angry, angry.
"It might have happened before, but now whether there is an imperial edict or not, Xujiazhuang is in Nanyang. His Majesty issued ten copies and supported it with a hundred copies of the imperial edict. It will be the icing on the cake."
"What if I don't support it in the imperial edict, but instead ask the countries in Southeast Asia to rise up and resist?"
"This may have a certain destructive effect, but it is of little significance. Of course, if your Majesty really wants to get a share of the pie, I have an extremely favorable cooperation plan here. I wonder if your Majesty is willing to listen to it?" Qichunnian said.
.
"you say."
"The overseas royal estate occupies 30,000 acres of land. Xujiazhuang provides cost-price construction services, with infrastructure costs of 1 million silver dollars, free immigration transportation, free material transportation, free port use, affordable miracle medicine, and help solve public security problems... Your Majesty,
This is really the cost price. It saves millions compared to trying to build a royal estate by yourself. You should see the sincerity of Xujiazhuang."
"Are you saying that if I invest 1 million silver dollars, I can get an overseas royal manor? Is this still the cost price?"
"Yes."
"This..." Zhu Youjian frowned. One million silver dollars. He gritted his teeth and saved a lot. If he squeezed, he could barely squeeze out about one million silver dollars every year to build a royal manor in ten years.
Ten buildings will become twenty buildings in twenty years. If there are benefits in the later period, maybe the efficiency of customized construction can be faster.
But it's too slow, the speed is still too slow, and the overhead is too huge.
What's more, he still has to manage this huge Ming Empire, which requires money in all aspects. It is very difficult to squeeze out millions of silver dollars every year. There will definitely be countless objections from the ministers and officials, and it may not be possible to squeeze out money every year.
Come.
Seeing the emperor's brows furrowed, he was extremely confused and hesitant.
Qichunnian spoke again: "Your Majesty, I have a second plan here that allows you to build many royal estates without spending much money."
"Say it, say it quickly!" Zhu Youjian said quickly.
"We can, in the name of His Highness the Crown Prince, establish a number of prince manors in Nanyang. The scale of these manors does not have to be very large. Just 3,000 immigrants and 10,000 acres of land will be enclosed. They will be located between or adjacent to the Xu family's manors, and will be protected by the Xu family's
You can enjoy all kinds of conveniences under the protection of the manor. As for the construction cost of the prince's manor, it will never exceed 300,000 silver dollars. To build one every year, the maximum cost is only 300,000 silver dollars."
Qichunnian said: "As for the source of funds, the Prince's Growth Fund allocates 150,000 yuan every year. The Queen and her natal family will find ways to raise 50,000 yuan and share the dividends. As a father, His Majesty will contribute 30,000 yuan and receive dividends after making profits.
, as the prince’s teacher, I am also willing to spend 20,000 silver dollars to support the establishment of the prince’s manor.”
"In addition to the prince's manor, the second and third princes in the palace, as well as the eldest princess, second princess and so on, can mobilize the relatives behind them to help raise money to build the prince's manor and the princess' manor. After they grow up, only
By relying on the income from overseas estates, they can live a prosperous and comfortable life, and there is no need to even arrange fiefdoms for them... You can achieve multiple things with one stone, this is a good thing that can achieve multiple things with one stone, Your Majesty!"
Listen to Qichunnian finish.
It's bright.
Zhu Youjian's eyes suddenly lit up.
But he frowned again, teacher? In this Qichun year, when did you become the prince's teacher?
As for the "Prince's Manor" plan, whether he should agree to it or not, he fell into thinking and considered it carefully, even though he was so excited that he wanted to agree immediately. This chapter has been completed!