My uncle's name is Zhu Di

Chapter 245
Qi Wang Zhu Yu rushed out of Yan Wang's mansion, rushing directly to Tianjin... There are gusts of cold wind, carrying the smell of wealth, the closer it is, the stronger it is.

It seems that there is really a golden mountain piled up there.

At the moment, in Prince Yan's Mansion, Xu Jingchang is also settling accounts with Zhu Di. He firmly opposes and transfers the shipping terminal to King Qi Zhu Mi... If he can't beat Zhu Di, he wants to slap both of them. The family is not so defeated!

But Zhu Di, he was full of reason, very confident, and didn't think there was any problem at all.

Zhu Gaoxu, King of Han, Zhu Gaosui, King of Zhao, and grandson Zhu Zhanji were all there, especially the little good guy, his eyes were rounded and his fists were clenched. He had to listen carefully, how much money was wasted by the dog grandfather!

Zhu Di couldn't see the eyes of these guys interrogating the prisoner, and spoke first, "I have thought about it a long time ago, and I have also asked Xia Shangshu about this matter. He means to abolish sea transportation and use water transportation instead. I think Xia Shangshu's opinion That’s right, you miscalculated. I transferred the destined to be abolished shipping terminal to King Qi, even if he can make some money, it will never be a lot, so there is no need to make a fuss.”

When Xu Jingchang heard Xia Yuanji's suggestion, his eyes widened with anger. It seems that Lao Xia's group still had a way to get past him and contact Zhu Di... Zhu Di wouldn't just listen to Xu Jingchang, wouldn't that really be a bias? Listen to the blind king of partial belief!
But Xu Jingchang firmly believed that abolishing shipping was absurd, and Xia Yuanji had either miscalculated or lost his head!
"Your Majesty, please fetch the map."

Zhu Di nodded, "Okay, I also want to see what is the best way!"

Zhu Di asked someone to get the map, and he himself took out Xia Yuanji's memorial.

On this side, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui also came together, and the father and son of the monarch and his ministers had a lively discussion...

First of all, in the impression of many people, water transportation is far less effective than sea transportation... The reason why the Ming Dynasty maintained water transportation was not because of poor navigation skills.

After all, being able to save Zheng He's fleet shows that Ming's navigation skills are sufficient.

Since the navigation technology is sufficient, why do we still keep the inefficient water transportation?

Millions of waterworkers, clothing and food.

Huge river transportation interest groups have blocked advanced and efficient shipping...

When the matter reaches this point, it seems that there is a complete answer, and it is possible to scold vested interest groups and hinder progress.

But don't overlook one thing, that is, in the Yuan Dynasty, there was shipping.

Moreover, the maritime transport in the Yuan Dynasty was extremely developed. In the most years, it was necessary to transport 300 million shi of grain from the south of the Yangtze River to supply the consumption of Yuan Dadu.

During Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition, he also borrowed sea transportation. It is not that the emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty did not know the benefits of sea transportation.

However, when discussing whether to continue the sea transportation, the Ministry of Finance, which is in charge of finance and taxation, put forward the idea of ​​using water transportation by waste sea, which is really incredible!
"Your Majesty, the disadvantages of the canal are obvious. The annual maintenance of the canal is huge, and the transportation capacity is limited. I have calculated that even if I use my strength, the annual grain will not exceed 400 million shi. In order to maintain this grain, Several 10 people are needed. This is not counting the people who dredged the river. The imperial court spent countless financial and material resources, how can it compare with the convenience of sea transportation? Xia Yuanji’s remonstrance must be because he is afraid of sea transportation, and the minister thinks it will never work. "

Zhu Di took it easy and said with a smile: "Xu Jingchang, if you only have this knowledge, I'm afraid I can only listen to Xia Qing's family this time."

Xu Jingchang was taken aback for a moment, and Zhu Di immediately clicked a few places on the map. Xu Jingchang watched silently, and suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

Have you committed a preconceived illusion?

Do you think sea transportation is better than river transportation?
Then I didn't think about it carefully, why did the Ming Dynasty insist on water transportation for 600 years?
Is it really only bad, no good?

Xu Jingchang looked at the places pointed by Zhu Di...Huguang, Jiangxi, Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan!
Suddenly, Xu Jingchang discovered his blind spot.

He hurriedly turned his attention to the coastline, especially the coastline north of the Yangtze River. Gradually, Xu Jingchang had the answer, that's it!

Choosing water transport or sea transport should not only consider the advantages and disadvantages of the two modes of transport, but also need to consider the overall situation.

Take today's Ming Dynasty as an example... The main wealth centers are the provinces mentioned above, and these provinces happen to be run through by the two water systems of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

A Grand Canal connects the north and the south, and through other tributary waterways, it can spread over half of the world.

Especially the North China Plain, almost all of them can be included.

This is too important.

Daming's fiscal and taxation is mainly a tax in kind such as grain.

The biggest feature of the tax in kind is that it has a wide range and a scattered number... The Grand Canal, the Yellow River, the Huaihe River, and several water systems gathered together are like a huge octopus, entrenched in the Central Plains.

Judging from the current situation, if a batch of grain is shipped from Shanxi, it can go through the Yellow River, pass through Henan, reach Shandong, enter the Grand Canal, and then send it north to Peiping.

The same is true for the rest of the Central Plains.

What the Grand Canal provides is not just a waterway, but also a transportation hub extending in all directions.

All major financial and taxation centers can reach their desired destinations through the nearest water system, through shipping routes, and relying on the Grand Canal.

Is it efficient?

Can't talk about it!
Is it fast?

Can't even talk about it!

But... such a grand canal can connect the whole world together, and allow the imperial court's financial and material resources to reach one place as quickly as possible.

This is the preciousness of the Grand Canal.

On the other hand, sea transportation...transporting grain from the south of the Yangtze River to Beiping is fast, efficient, and less wasted...It seems that there is no harm at all.

But the problem is that from Jiangnan to Beiping, it is only point-to-point transportation.

The most stops are in Jiaozhou, Dengzhou, Laizhou and other places... But these places are not considered to be important financial and taxation areas of Ming Dynasty, and they are very far away from the heart.

What if all the grain is concentrated in Beiping?
There was a drought in Shandong, and the imperial government needed relief, and food was allocated from Beiping... There is no canal, and we have to go by land. Do we rely on horses to carry it?
How much does this cost?
Moreover, during the Taiping period, Shandong and Henan were both major grain-producing areas, and there were no canals. How would the grains of these two places be concentrated?

This is the agricultural age, not the industrial age... The bulk trade in the industrial age is to send raw materials to an industrial center, process them into finished products, and then transport them out uniformly.

In this case, point-to-point transportation is not a big problem.

But the Ming Dynasty was different. The most important thing that needed large-scale transportation was grain...and these grains were scattered in every county.Every summer and autumn, in various places, officials collect grain, and then collect the grain, from the county to the government, and then to the province... like snakes eating snakes, and finally pass through the Grand Canal to benefit the whole country.

Don't use this canal and switch to sea transportation. The question is how to concentrate the grain to a certain port in the south of the Yangtze River?
After transporting to Peiping, how to send it to other places?
In short, even if sea transportation is developed, water transportation cannot be abandoned.

"Then, why did the Yuan Dynasty still rely mainly on shipping?" Zhu Gaosui couldn't figure it out.

Xu Jingchang said in a deep voice: "The Yuan Dynasty was a nomadic country. They only needed to get food and didn't care much about controlling the Central Plains. That's why Emperor Taizu said that they had loose governance. I have to say that I am not happy with the retribution!"

Xu Jingchang said again: "Besides, the Yuan Dynasty took over the mess of the Song and Jin Dynasties. The Yellow River flooded and the river channel was silted up. They were unable to restore the water transportation. It was not until Jia Lu took over the Yellow River that the floods improved a little. At this time, the Yuan Dynasty also It's time to run out of water."

Zhu Di smiled. Seeing that Xu Jingchang had figured it out, he smiled and said, "Xia Yuanji has already said that no matter whether there is sea transportation or not, there must be a canal. The annual maintenance cost of the canal is so much, and it cannot be less. Since In this way, there is no other use for keeping the shipping, other than wasting state money and people's wealth, so it is logical to abandon the shipping?"

Xu Jingchang was startled suddenly, he half agreed with these words.

The first half is very reasonable. When it comes to bulk transportation in inland areas, the best choice is the canal before the train comes out... In fact, the decline of water transport is indeed after the rise of the train.

It is impossible to count on horse-drawn manpower to eliminate the canal.

So no matter how you say it, water transportation must be maintained, and the money spent on the Grand Canal must not be less.

In this case, it is only natural to abandon sea transportation and change to water transportation.

Zhu Di smiled, "Xu Jingchang, aren't all my courtiers all idiots?"

Xu Jingchang took a deep breath, "Your Majesty, I have to admit that what Xia Shangshu said makes sense. But I also want to show Your Majesty another picture."

Zhu Di nodded and said with a smile, "I'd like to see what's different about you."

After a while, a huge map was delivered, just covering the top of the previous map.

With this picture, and looking down at the overall situation, it suddenly becomes clear that the field of vision has expanded.

"Your Majesty, please see that around Beiping, farms are widely set up and farms are increased. There is a market in Daning, and there is a tea horse market in Guangning...Where is the most convenient place to go for these grains and livestock?"

Zhu Di stared at the map, thought for a while, and then understood, "You mean to go to Tianjin?"

Xu Jingchang nodded vigorously, "Your Majesty, this is Jiubian, this is Monan, this is Liaodong, this is North Korea, this is Wa Kingdom..."

Xu Jingchang drew a long line with his hand, and then said sternly: "Your Majesty, there are products in these places, and they will become more and more abundant. They all need trade, so we can't build the canal?"

Zhu Di couldn't help but take a deep breath, it's really impossible!
Xu Jingchang continued: "Your Majesty, water transport ships are not comparable to sea transport... But water transport is less stormy and very safe. If it is used to transport grain, it is overkill. Instead of transferring grain to sea transport, water transport is used to transport more tea and porcelain, strengthening the north-south Wouldn't it be better to trade, to exchange goods?"

"What I mean, in a nutshell, is to pay equal attention to rivers and seas, to rule the country with canals, and to connect the world with sea transportation... Water transportation and sea transportation are my right and left hands in Ming Dynasty, and they are indispensable."

"The port of Tianjin is the centerpiece of the northern shipping, and its value is incalculable. Your Majesty has indeed sent King Qi a mountain of gold!"

(End of this chapter)