Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1134 1129 [The economy is indeed booming]

Go boating on Lake Taihu.

Zhu Guoxiang was very interested in this and warned local civil and military officials not to drive away merchant ships and fishing boats.

Of course, although the emperor forbade disturbing the people, the officials of Suzhou Prefecture could not ignore it.

A large number of officials changed into civilian clothes and went to merchant ships and fishing boats to keep an eye on them.

Merchant ships were ordered not to get too close and to quickly load the goods and transport them over so as not to disturb the retired emperor's interest.

Not only can fishing boats fish normally, but occasionally one or two boats are directed by officials to come closer. It would be best if the fishermen could sing fishing songs loudly while casting their nets, and the emperor would definitely like it if he heard and saw it.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Zhu Guoxiang suddenly asked, pointing at the lake ahead.

The county magistrate wanted to answer, but he quickly swallowed the words back.

You can’t steal the limelight from the prefect!

The prefect Chen Zaiting said: "Reporting to the emperor, that piece is for raising lake pearls."

"So that's how it is," Zhu Guoxiang was very happy and asked, "Does the local government have any management?"

Chen Zaiting explained: "The prefectures and counties around Taihu Lake have each demarcated the boundaries of the lake. In their respective lake boundaries, they have also demarcated pearl cultivation areas. Large-scale pearl cultivation must be carried out aggressively. There are also small-scale pearl cultivation, but the government does not protect it."

In other words, large-scale pearl farming companies need to contract the lake area from the government and obtain the government's full protection.

Small-scale pearl farming is illegal, but the government is too lazy to intervene. If there is a problem, such as the pearls being stolen, don't even think about filing a complaint with the government.

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Is it the same in the former Song Dynasty?"

Chen Zaiting said: "There were many tyrants and bullies in the former Song Dynasty who divided up Taihu Lake and took it for themselves. Not to mention raising pearls, even fishermen had to pay taxes to the tyrants before fishing."

In fact, in the first few years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Taihu Lake was still occupied by those powerful people.

Until the imperial court started the project of returning farmland to the lake, due to the initial poor progress, all the prefecture and county officials around Taihu Lake were dismissed or demoted. The newly appointed prefecture and county officials were trembling with fear and fully cooperated with the officials sent by the Ministry of Works to manage the lake, and confiscated the property of more than 20 powerful and evil gentry!

The weather in the Taihu Lake area suddenly became clear, and the fishermen and pearl farmers in Taihu Lake were finally able to live a normal life.

Chen Zaiting was very observant. He had already arranged for several large pearl farmers to take a boat on the nearby lake and wait for an interview.

Soon, large pearl farmers were recruited.

Those guys were all rich, but in order to please the emperor, they all wore cotton clothes. Not extravagant, not poor, just right.

Zhu Guoxiang asked several people's names and then asked about the market situation of artificial pearls.

A large pearl farmer in Lu Yixing said: "Thanks to the two Holy Emperors, pearl farming is becoming more and more profitable. In recent years, merchants who have purchased pearls not only sell the lake pearls domestically, but also transport many to the port to sell to sea merchants."

Another wealthy man named Su Huai said: "The lake pearls sold overseas are also different from those sold domestically. Pearls can be collected from the sea, and they are not rare for ordinary pearls. But if they can be grown into various shapes, people overseas like them very much. Especially Buddha-shaped pearls are the most popular overseas. There are also many unknown gods, which are said to be Bodhisattvas of Brahmanism. Some merchants come to order them specifically with statues of gods."

Zhu Guoxiang was delighted to hear this, this method was indeed very profitable.

From India to Southeast Asia, Buddhism and Hinduism are widely believed. A pearl that looks like a god or Buddha naturally attracts believers. Many Indian princes specifically asked for this thing, so merchants brought the statue to Taihu Lake for custom-made.

First, a mold is carved out and then it is stuffed into the clam. As time goes by, it becomes a divine pearl, which merchants can sell at a high price if they transport to India.

It was a sky-high price at the beginning, but in recent years, as the number of transactions increased, the price has dropped slightly.

Zhu Guoxiang exchanged ideas with the big pearl farmers for a while, then continued on his boat to the northwest. The prefect of Changzhou had already been waiting there with his officials.

The emperor was a little hungry, so he was invited by the prefect of Changzhou to have a meal.

The landing point was a town. Zhu Guoxiang scanned the houses along the street and asked: "Are many of the shops here newly built?"

Wang Kejia, the prefect of Changzhou, said: "Reporting to the emperor, this town is called Xiazhu Town. It was just a fishing village more than ten years ago. Now the Ming Dynasty is in its heyday, the population is thriving, and the industry and commerce are thriving. Xiazhu Village has also become a town because of the lakeside dock."

Cities and towns were originally different.

From the pre-Qin period to the Sui and Tang dynasties, people could not just sell goods anywhere they wanted. The imperial court designated exclusive areas and sent tax collectors, so people had to do business legally in designated areas.

With the development of productivity, the original market system collapsed in the Northern Song Dynasty, and more grass markets were formed in rural areas.

The above is about cities, but towns are also changing.

The word "zhen" originally meant a military town, where troops were stationed. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the town was transformed into a "quasi-administrative district" and officials were stationed there, just like the towns, prisons, forts and bastions. These towns, towns, prisons, forts and bastions ranged from the deputy state level to the deputy county level, depending on their importance.

In areas far from the front lines of war, the cities and towns of the Northern Song Dynasty gradually assimilated and began to be collectively referred to as "towns." However, they were not completely assimilated, because the towns still retained their jurisdiction, generally within a radius of five miles.

The most powerful town governed an area of ​​40 to 50 miles, which was almost the same as a county-level administrative district, and there were a large number of town officials. The chief official of such a town was higher in rank than the county magistrate.

Over the past twenty years, the Ming court has carried out a series of administrative reforms.

A large number of villages and forts were abolished, local garrisons were reduced in size, and surplus troops were relocated to the newly recovered territories.

The farms and prisons were also reduced and merged, and the civil power of the farm and prison officials was abolished. This was equivalent to completely transforming the original "quasi-administrative region" into a state-owned enterprise or tax agency, and returning the management power of the local people to the prefectures and counties.

The town, however, was strengthened with the attribute of "quasi-administrative region" and merged with the local market. A few economically developed towns were established as sub-county-level administrative regions and squeezed out the ecological niche of the township - the township did not have officials.

The imperial court would send low-level officials to the current sub-county-level towns, and such towns would directly annex the township-level jurisdiction.

In general, a town has no administrative jurisdiction, and it still belongs to a certain township. The court would send tax collectors, but they would not stay in the town permanently. They would only go to collect taxes from shops on fixed market days, and would not even collect taxes from mobile vendors.

Never underestimate this administrative reform. Its direct impact is a surge in the number of towns and cities across the country, and unprecedented development of the rural economy!

Of course, the main reasons for the development of rural economy are population growth and agricultural progress.

Human history is an upward spiral, and this rise also includes industry, agriculture, and commerce.

In the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, except for the Yuan dynasty which was a bit odd, the industry, agriculture and commerce of other dynasties all followed this rule. The Qing dynasty was bound to be stronger than the Ming dynasty, the Ming dynasty was bound to be stronger than the Song dynasty, and the Song dynasty was bound to be stronger than the Tang dynasty.

You said that business in the Ming and Qing dynasties was not as prosperous as that in the Song Dynasty?
That is tantamount to insulting the IQ of the common people in the Ming and Qing dynasties!

The premise of commercial development is the technological progress of agriculture and industry. More food can be produced per unit of land, which can feed more people. The increase in urban and rural population will increase the demand for goods and promote the progress of handicrafts.

Zhu Guoxiang not only brought corn and sweet potatoes, but also hired many agricultural officials to promote the development of existing agriculture.

In the present Ming Dynasty, the north generally has three harvests in two years, while the south generally has two harvests in one year.

This so-called several harvests a year does not only refer to staple food, but can also refer to important cash crops such as rapeseed and soybeans.

If we follow the normal historical development trajectory, we would have to wait until the middle of the Ming Dynasty to achieve three crops in two years in the north and two crops a year in the south. This kind of agricultural progress is also a necessary prerequisite for the rapid development of industry and commerce in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Wang Kejia, the prefect of Changzhou, said: "Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the number of towns in Changzhou has increased by more than 50%. Many farmers no longer go to the county seat or the prefectural capital, but work in the towns in their hometowns. Xiazhu Town has developed rapidly. Relying on the pearl farming industry in Taihu Lake, the people are getting richer and richer."

Chen Zaiting, the prefect of Suzhou, was unwilling to be outdone: "The number of towns in Suzhou has increased by more than 70%, and the number of factories is particularly large."

"Suzhou is already richer, how can it compare with Changzhou?" Wang Kejia complained.

Chen Zaiting asked back: "Why can't you compete? It's you who don't dare to compete."

Wang Kejia said: "If I were to become the governor of Suzhou, it would surely become more prosperous!"

The officials they brought with them also joined in the argument, comparing the pros and cons of the two governments from different angles.

Zhu Guoxiang did not interrupt, but listened to the officials arguing with a smile.

The town and its surroundings are full of fishy smells, and there are many shops selling salted fish. They not only sell in retail, but also sell in wholesale. Foreign big customers can come into the shops to talk in detail.

There is also the carving and jewelry industry.

This town is not actually famous for its carvings, but in recent years, overseas orders have increased, and a large number of tiny statues need to be carved for pearls. As orders for statues from large breeding households increase, some merchants bring carving craftsmen to live here permanently.

Gradually, the business expanded beyond carving molds for artificial pearls to include other sculpture handles and accessories.

Such carving shops are not only found in Xiazhu Town, but also in many lakeside towns in Suzhou Prefecture and Huzhou Prefecture, where carving has also developed, forming a jewelry and sculpture craft belt around Lake Taihu.

More than half of their goods are exported.

For example, the Japanese royal family spent a lot of money to buy a pearl from Bodhisattva Lake. The pearl was very large, flawless, and beautifully carved. It was considered a top-quality pearl in the Taihu Lake area. The late Emperor Toba sold all his belongings to buy it.

Now, Bodhisattva Lake Pearl has become Japan's national treasure!
This thing was even sold to Europe. Arab merchants who hated the Crusaders extremely customized Jesus Crucifixion Beads for their Crusaders employers...Then they were sold to Italy through merchants in Venice and other countries, and then resold to France.

A top-quality crucifixion pearl is worth a small castle in France (including the land and population around the castle).

Zhu Guoxiang and his son Zhu Ming encouraged industry and commerce and maritime trade, and for more than 20 years they released terrifying industrial and commercial potential.

(End of this chapter)