I'm really not doing business

Chapter 659: Plantation slaves can eat 120 kilograms of meat a year
It is no exaggeration to say that the highway from Kaifeng to Jiayuguan is a wonder. The economic value of this route is far less than that from Kaifeng to Wuchang Prefecture. Wuchang Prefecture is the capital of Huguang and a key place connecting nine provinces. If a highway is built from Kaifeng to Wuchang, then land and river transportation will also be opened up.

This road must be profitable.

The highway from the capital to Guangzhou was a highway that the Ministry of Works had always dreamed of, running through the north and south of the Ming Dynasty. However, the leader of the Labor Party still chose to build it to Jiayuguan.

This seems to be all for the Emperor's "aggrandizement" in reopening the Western Regions, but the importance of reopening the Western Regions has been repeatedly demonstrated. Without reopening the Western Regions, the Ming Dynasty will never be able to truly own the Hetao region. Without losing the Hetao region, it will lose the gold, silver, copper and coal mountains in Womagang, the coal near Shengzhou and Datong Prefecture, and the coal-silver convection. The Ming Dynasty's economy will become stagnant as in the past.

The highway from Kaifeng to Jiayuguan connects with the highways in Zhongwei, Ningxia and Suiyuan. This is not a show-off, but a strategic investment.

Wang Chonggu found that he had misjudged the matter. He thought that if he tried to persuade His Majesty to invest in a highway that was doomed to lose money, His Majesty would never agree. After all, His Majesty's frugality was known to the world. But as soon as he simply asked, His Majesty agreed immediately without any hesitation.

Frugality does not equal stinginess. Your Majesty is never stingy. Frugality is one of Your Majesty’s eight virtues.

“In fact, the construction of the Chidao is to use this major project to distribute funds to the lower levels, especially to poor areas like Shaanxi and Gansu. Otherwise, the poor people and laborers in these areas will never feel the benefits of the Ming Dynasty’s new policies.” Zhu Yijun once again explained why the Chidao from Kaifeng to Jiayuguan should be built first, rather than the economically more valuable one from Kaifeng to Wuchang Prefecture.

Zhang Juzheng's distribution theory discussed distribution in detail. The massive amount of silver obtained from opening up the sea would be distributed to the inland through large-scale industrial projects.

It is impossible to keep the water level even for a lifetime. The soldiers and civilians in the border areas of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia are suffering too much.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng felt a little ashamed. He had not actually thought of this. Even though he was the author of the distribution theory, in actual application, because the theory was proposed relatively recently, Zhang Juzheng only realized Your Majesty's determination to reopen the Western Regions out of habit, and had never thought that the matter involved the task of distribution.

Theory is theory, and practice is practice. Zhang Juzheng himself wrote Theory of Contradiction, Theory of Class (Volume 1), and Distribution (Volume 2). However, in practice, it is still difficult to achieve the unity of knowledge and action. After all, in the first fifty years, Zhang Juzheng was a very standard Confucian scholar.

But Your Majesty has achieved the unity of knowledge and action.

Even if judged by Confucian values, Your Majesty is a benevolent and wise monarch who cares about the people.

Sometimes Zhang Juzheng looked at the emperor and felt confused. Was this really cultivated by him? Was he really that strong?

"Your Majesty, Xiong Tingbi is returning to Beijing." Zhang Juzheng talked about a trivial matter. Xiong Tingbi, a young man praised by the people of Suiyuan, returned to Beijing from Wuyuan Prefecture.

"Is Xiong Da coming back? The grasslands are full of legends about him. That's great. After he arrives in Beijing, ask him to come to Tonghe Palace for an audience." Zhu Yijun was quite doting on his junior fellow apprentice. Xiong Tingbi had only one flaw in his character, and that was that he hated evil. It would have been fine if he hated evil, but he had to speak it out and correct it through actions. Such people are usually said to be gentlemen, but gentlemen will not live long in officialdom.

Zhu Yijun liked Xiong Tingbi's innocent heart. Even when he was learning from Zhang Juzheng, Xiong Tingbi still hadn't learned how to be tactful or vindictive. Xiong Tingbi really couldn't learn these "shortcomings" of Zhang Juzheng.

There are some things that you can’t learn by studying. You have to fall before you can learn them.

"He had originally planned to return to Beijing before the Spring Festival to wish Your Majesty a happy new year, but halfway through his journey, he encountered an injustice, which delayed him for some time." When Zhang Juzheng talked about Xiong Tingbi, it was natural that Xiong Tingbi was very close to Your Majesty. In fact, he wanted to set the record straight.

The legends on the grassland were too bizarre, and this time rumors were spreading on the grassland again. On the way back to Beijing, Xiong Tingbi encountered a case about customs.

There is a custom on the grassland called bride kidnapping. The mother of Genghis Khan Temujin was kidnapped by his father Yesugei. The Merkit tribe also kidnapped Temujin's wife. Later, Temujin kidnapped his wife back. On the way back, Temujin's wife gave birth to her first child named Jochi, which means guest.

This is an evil custom and also the root cause of the wars and killings among the various tribes. On his way back to Beijing, Xiong Tingbi encountered a case of wedding kidnapping. Xiong Tingbi took his men to drive the kidnappers away.

This was originally a trivial matter, but it was soon processed into a legendary story. It was said that Xiong Tingbi shot an arrow into the sky, but the arrow missed. However, suddenly a thunderclap sounded on a clear winter day and hit the person who was trying to kidnap the bride. Everyone immediately reined in their horses and fled in panic. After fleeing, Xiong Tingbi said: You are not allowed to kidnap the bride on the grassland.

The whole story is basically out of touch with the facts. The loud bang was caused by the escorting Ti cavalry firing the Tiger Crouching Cannon, which scared away the oncoming bandits. It was not a loud thunder. Xiong Tingbi never said that it was forbidden to rob brides on the grassland. He just saw it and drew his sword to help.

"This... I just sent a report to explain the situation. The grassland people can't understand the report. Not many grassland people read books." Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "This is good. The reason why this rumor is widely believed is entirely because the grassland people themselves hate the vulgarity of kidnapping brides. Xiong Da just happened to be there."

Any legendary story has a background. The spread of "Collection of Xiong Tingbi's Legendary Stories" is entirely because the grassland people themselves could not stand this harsh environment, so they put it on Xiong Tingbi as a kind of sustenance for beauty.

The story is made up, but the emotions it appeals to are real.

"Didn't the girl who was rescued pledge herself to him?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously.

Zhang Juzheng was stunned for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then wouldn't Xiong Tingbi be a bride-robber?"

"That's true." Zhu Yijun smiled, shook his head and said, "That's good. This is cultural convergence and part of the king's rule."

"An incident occurred at the Nanya Longjiang Shipyard a few years ago. A master craftsman hanged himself at home." Wang Daokun, the Minister of Works, said solemnly, "The whole incident was very simple from the perspective of hindsight, but it was a little confusing when you were in the middle of it."

"Why did you hang yourself? What was the reason? Every master craftsman is a valuable asset to the court." Zhu Yijun's words were filled with anger. This was a master craftsman, and there were less than 300 master craftsmen in the entire Ming Dynasty! Master craftsmen were even rarer than Jinshi!
Wang Daokun recounted the whole story. In retrospect, it was all a scam, but the great craftsman was caught in the trap.

The means of competition between folk houses are extremely cruel. In order to gain a competitive advantage, they will use all means, one of which is aggressive poaching.

The means of poaching are very simple and crude. The key figures of the other party's key projects are poached with labor remuneration far higher than the market price, and various promises are made. As long as the other party is poached, it is a success. All promises are generally not fulfilled, because this key figure or high-value target is not needed by the poaching party, but the other party cannot have it.

It is better to destroy the enemy than to progress yourself.

This great craftsman was also a key figure in the Longjiang Shipyard. He was the general agent of a shipyard, responsible for the construction of five-masted ocean-going ships. He was an old craftsman who had been there since the beginning of the reconstruction of the Longjiang Shipyard. The great craftsman was attracted by the high remuneration, but the most important thing was the other party's family education. There was a famous scholar in the other party's family education, which was a condition that the craftsman school did not have.

In order to send his grandson to school, the great craftsman left the Longjiang Shipyard.

The tragedy began.

When the master craftsman arrived at the private workshop, he discovered that the private workshop did not have the ability to produce a five-masted ocean-going ship. The grand plan he had drawn would never be realized because a five-masted ocean-going ship was not a necessity for civilian merchant ships. A project with huge investment might not necessarily bring returns, and a profit-oriented private workshop would not make a large investment.

The previous promise was fulfilled, but the master craftsman found that he was not able to display his skills at all. Not only that, half a year later, the craftsman was dismissed by the workshop on the grounds that he was unsuitable, and the previous promises became a pipe dream.

The master craftsman had no choice but to make a living on his own. After many twists and turns, he returned to the Longjiang Shipyard.

Zhao Shizhen, the general manager of the shipyard, found the master craftsman and after an interview, hired him back to the shipyard. However, after returning to the government-run factory, the master craftsman could not stand the pointing and criticizing by others and eventually committed suicide.

Zhao Shizhen was furious. After a thorough investigation, he found that it was not only because of the craftsmen's pointing fingers, but also because the master craftsman owed a lot of debts after leaving the government factory.

Nanjing was the capital, and it was also the capital. It was not easy to live in the capital. The great craftsmen lived in official residences in official factories, and when they moved to private quarters, they had to live in private houses. After buying a house, the great craftsmen's savings over the years were emptied, and they still owed a lot of money.

With the accumulation of various emotions, the great craftsman finally came to the end of his road.

Wang Chonggu frowned and said, "No, if he has any difficulties, he can tell Zhao Shizhen. The official factory has preferential treatment for craftsmen who are rated as master craftsmen and above. There are only 17 master craftsmen in Longjiang Shipyard. He can ask Zhao Shizhen for a part of it. Zhao Shizhen can also watch the craftsmen who work hard for the official factory. Can he be made difficult by a villain?"

This is the humanistic care of the government-run factory, and it is also a means for the government-run factory to win over craftsmen. There are 23,000 craftsmen in Longjiang Shipyard, and only 17 master craftsmen. These master craftsmen are basically the backbone of the government-run factory. The extra preferential treatment is clear in rewards and punishments, so that all craftsmen know that the government-run factory is my home, and it is not just a general talk.

"This great craftsman was desperate, so he turned to the Longjiang Shipyard for help. After a meeting with the general manager Zhao Shizhen, he was re-employed. This is preferential treatment. He just owed some money. How much did he owe?" Wang Chonggu asked with a frown.

"One hundred and twenty taels of silver." Wang Daokun answered the question.

Wang Chonggu's face had turned cold and he said, "That's all? Zhao Shizhen won't give me even this? Forget about the laws. I know the laws of the government-owned factory much better than he does! This government-owned factory has only been in operation for ten years, and the rigidity problem is so obvious!"

The great craftsmen had all made great contributions to the government-owned factories, they had shed sweat and blood for them. Yet, they were forced to death because of a debt of 120 taels of silver. Zhao Shizhen had only been the general manager for a few days, but he started to put on airs!
Wang Daokun said quickly, "No, it was because this master craftsman couldn't save face. He felt that he had already troubled the factory once, and it would be a shame to trouble it again, so he committed suicide. Second Assistant, it's not General Manager Zhao's fault."

"Here is a suicide note."

Zhao Shizhen was certainly not lacking in humanistic care. Even the request for the rehire of the master craftsman was made by Zhao Shizhen himself. However, Zhao Shizhen was unaware of the debt. It was only after the man committed suicide that Zhao Shizhen found out about it. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"So, this case should be published in the official gazette, so that the general manager, agent, associate manager, and the head of the official factory can read it and take it as a warning. There is no need to write the names." Zhu Yijun considered it again and again and decided to publish it in the official gazette to inform all the craftsmen not to be cheated, but he still did not write the name of the chief craftsman to save his face.

"Who did this? How dare they poach my people!" Zhu Yijun clenched his fist and said, "The southern tour is coming soon. I want to see if I, a dragon crossing the river, can suppress these local snakes!"

Longjiang Shipyard, the imperial treasury has half of the shares! Not only did the official factory project fail, but the Ming shipbuilding industry also lost a great craftsman. When Zhu Yijun arrived at the Southern Court, he must meet these people in person! If a tiger does not show its might, people will think you are a sick cat.

Actually, in this matter, is it really wrong for Minfang to poach people?
The promises made by the Minfang were all fulfilled, but it just wasn't suitable. Did the Minfang support this great craftsman to eat for free? If the couple was not suitable, they could divorce. If the Minfang and the craftsman were not suitable, they could also resign. As for committing suicide, it was you, the great craftsman, who was unable to think straight.

From an outsider's perspective, it seems so. But Zhu Yijun's perspective on the issue is not to stay out of it at all. In his opinion, the departure of this great craftsman caused a dock to stagnate for a period of time, which is a loss. The death of the great craftsman is an even greater loss! To train a great craftsman, it is not a matter of ten or twenty years, but also requires talent!

As the most powerful and influential person in the world, Zhu Yijun had to do something. What kind of emperor was he? Everyone wanted to take over his property.

Must hit hard!

"The Langya Wang family of Taicang." Wang Daokun briefly explained the situation. The Langya Wang family of Taicang was the main family of the Langya Wang family, and had great influence in the Southern Court. Even though it was no longer the era of aristocratic families, people like Wang Yangming were also a branch of the Langya Wang family, the Sanhuai Wang family.

"I've made a note of it." Zhu Yijun said very calmly. This time, there was another goal for the southern tour. The treasury would be depleted immediately because of the construction of the Chidao. He would feel nervous if there was silver piling up, and he would be even more nervous if there was no silver!

Once it's written down in the emperor's notebook, there's absolutely no way to escape. It would be best if the Wang family of Taicang Langya abides by the law and has no dirty deeds, otherwise they will definitely be turned upside down by His Majesty.

"Since the bypass of degrees, the Ming Dynasty has made many breakthrough progress. Specifically, there are the shipbuilding accuracy in shipyards, the breeding temperature and withering of crops in agriculture, as well as the extremely important land surveying, clarification of tax bases, tax reform, drawing and surveying geomancy maps, the promotion of mathematics in culture and education, etc. These are the results of the bypass of degrees." Wang Guoguang was recounting his own achievements.

The method of bypassing degrees is to use specific numbers to measure the infinite things in the world, so as to draw inferences from one instance to another and make the Ming Dynasty better.

This is an extremely important part of the Wanli Reform and is the application and practice of the Ming Dynasty's mathematical and scientific thinking.

"Your Majesty, the contradiction tells me that everything has two sides. Not only does it have advantages, but it also has disadvantages. The negative consequences of degree bypassing are also becoming more prominent." Wang Guoguang changed the subject and turned to self-criticism, personally telling His Majesty the Emperor that degree bypassing not only has advantages, but also disadvantages.

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "For example?"

Wang Guoguang said calmly: "For example, in the plantations in the New World, slaves can eat 120 kilograms of meat and 400 kilograms of various grains a year. If we calculate that 6 kilograms of feed produces 1120 kilogram of meat, this slave can eat kilograms of grain a year. This is incredible."

"Isn't this a typical rumor?" Zhu Yijun spread his hands and sneered, "The Jingying elite soldiers consume about 1.5 kilograms of rice, 2.4 ounces of meat, 876 cents of oil, cents of salt, and kilogram of vegetables every day, which is equivalent to kilograms of rice per day, and kilograms of food per year."

"So, the soldiers in the Beijing camp don't eat as well as the slaves, right?"

Zhu Yijun didn't believe it. He knew the food for the elite soldiers of the Beijing Camp. This food was already the best treatment in the entire Ming Dynasty. This was the treatment that could be provided under the Zhenwu Camp. Zhu Yijun went to the Beidaying every day, and he knew exactly what the soldiers ate.

Now, the empire's accountant told Zhu Yijun that slaves ate better than the Ming Dynasty's elite soldiers, but Zhu Yijun didn't believe it.

"If they really eat so well, how can they be so skinny?" Zhu Yijun has seen slaves before. Li Yashi, a believer, will repent for the evil he has done in the New World. Of course, repentance is repentance, but he will still be exploited.

"But it's true, at least in terms of degree bypass." Wang Guoguang took a deep breath and said, "This is a plantation account book. The total output minus the amount sold, minus the consumption of the plantation slave owners, and finally the average of all people in each manor, including slaves, to get such a bizarre number."

If you get high scores in journalism, you will also get high scores in statistics. As long as you change the definition, you will find that numbers can also be deceptive.

Wang Guoguang continued, "This seems reasonable, but in fact this calculation is not representative. First of all, this plantation has excellent benefits. It is a good field that can be harvested by sowing seeds. Secondly, there is fraud in the accounts. If you do some calculations, you will find that this is an account deliberately made to avoid tax collection by tax collectors. The income and expenditure do not match. In addition, the plantation has winemaking, but the winemaking is not included in the accounts."

"In the end, it's not right to be so average."

The sample selected in the accounts was a single and isolated example with good performance. In order to avoid taxes, sales were falsified and the grain used for brewing was not calculated and could not be averaged.

"In fact, the slaves on this plantation eat less than once a year, even though they are the ones who produce it. The annual grain consumption of one person is about 200 kilograms, and the salt is coarse salt, which costs only about half a penny a day."

“When dealing with specific state affairs, we cannot blindly believe in statistics. We need to gain in-depth understanding and make comprehensive judgments based on actual practices,” Wang Guoguang made his final summary.

Coarse salt is a kind of salt that the emperor could not touch at all. It was probably the product of directly drying seawater. This salt was extremely bitter, but no matter how bitter it was, people had to eat it. If they did not eat salt, they would not have the strength to work. If they did not work, the slave owner's whip would arrive.

After every military review, Zhu Yijun would have a large bowl of herbal tea. The herbal tea is sweet and salty because it needs to replenish sugar and salt. A large bowl of herbal tea is also the supreme drink for the poor laborers who do heavy physical work. Of course, it is best to have it chilled.

"200 kilograms, people will really starve to death..." Zhu Yijun was not ignorant of grains. An adult in the Ming Dynasty would consume kilograms of grain a year. As long as the grain output of a place was lower than this standard and was not replenished, famine would immediately occur and many people would starve to death. If it was lower than kilograms, there would be a civil uprising.

Average is average, and this also involves a most critical issue, which is distribution.

The rich have wine and meat, while the poor freeze to death on the streets. This has never changed since ancient times.

Zhu Yijun thought of Song Renzong's Baoqi Palace. Before the harvest, the eunuchs of Baoqi Palace would transplant double ears of wheat to Baoqi Palace in order to please Song Renzong and create auspicious signs, eventually creating a yield myth.

"The murder case of Annamites in Guangxi has been investigated by Wang Jiaping, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi." Wang Chonggu, the Minister of Justice, talked about a case.

The Annanites killed Annanites in Ming Dynasty. The case was not complicated. The Annanites would sneak into Ming Dynasty to cut sugarcane and trees. Cutting sugarcane was 30 wen a day, and cutting trees was 20 wen a day. It was the kind of flying money, but the big bosses would take 15 wen and 10 wen, so that the commission would be half and half.

The cost was already extremely high, and the boss was greedy and even withheld three months' wages.

"Was it the boss who was killed, or was it the coolies who were cutting trees or sugarcane who were killed?" Zhu Yijun asked about the identity of the victim. After the bodies were discovered, it was difficult for the Ming government to figure out the specific identities. The memorial Zhu Yijun received in October last year was extremely vague. It was only known that it was because of an internal dispute over labor remuneration.

"The boss killed the coolies." Wang Chonggu said with an extremely ugly face: "This boss, relying on his relatives in the Ming Dynasty, can find work and directly take half of the commission without paying. That's fine, but when someone resists, this boss incites other coolies and kills the coolies who dare to resist."

"The boss promised to pay the wages after the troublemaker was killed. But the troublemaker was killed and the boss still didn't pay the wages."

"This leader has fled back to Annan. Wang Jiaping sent a letter to the usurper Le Viet Dynasty, asking Annan to hand over the prisoner. He committed a crime in Ming territory and should be punished by the Ming Dynasty. If he refuses to hand him over, he will be beheaded in Annan and sent to Guangzhou Prefecture."

The reason why the case had to be discussed in court was because the criminal had run away.

Wang Jiaping's request for the prisoner was a matter of course, but in Annan's view, this was an Annan killing an Annan, so should the Ming Dynasty intervene? Wasn't that a bit too much?

"What did Annan say?" Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "If this big boss is not brought to justice, the big bosses in Guangxi will follow suit, and Guangxi will also be affected."

Zhu Yijun had already taken a step back before and did not ask Annan to hand over the people. It was fine for them to behead themselves as a public display. In short, the punishment had to be fair and honest, and Guangxi's production activities could not be disrupted.

Grand Master Wan Shihe whispered, "The Le Viet usurper of Annan is playing dumb and not responding."

The reason why they were called usurpers was that the King of Annan called himself the emperor internally and was a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. He did not respond and acted as if nothing had happened. This twisted reaction of Annan was also its rather embarrassing current situation.

If they really listen to the Ming Dynasty in everything, in a few years, the people of Annan will dare to go to the Ming capital to file complaints and beat the drum to report their crimes. But if they don't listen, the Ming Dynasty will have to use force to intimidate them. It's not worth it to do it for a scumbag.

So, I can only not respond.

"You are unwilling to hand over the prisoner, and you are unwilling to accept the punishment yourself! Send an order to the Annan Governor-General. The imperial decree is valid. Within one month, the prisoner must be handed over to Guangzhou Prefecture, otherwise you will bear the consequences!" Zhu Yijun exhaled and said, "If Annan is not like Mang Yingli, I will grant their wish!"

Is the Ming Dynasty's request excessive? From a legal point of view, there is no kingdom in Annan. Annan is a territory. The Annan Governor-General Mo is a hereditary chieftain of the second rank of the Ming Dynasty. As a territory, it is reasonable for the court to ask for the transfer of a criminal. From a legal point of view, if an Annanite kills an Annanite, the Ming Dynasty is willing to investigate the case and give justice. This is to maintain justice.

From the perspective of the Ming Dynasty, this was a completely reasonable request. From the perspective of Annan, it was just that the Ming Dynasty was overreaching. As they did not dare to resist openly, they had to pretend to be confused. However, Zhu Yijun did not give them the opportunity to pretend to be confused. They either had to hand over the prisoners or die with them.

Sugarcane is Guangxi's pillar industry and cannot be destroyed.

The first court meeting in the 13th year of Wanli was extremely long, so much so that Zhu Yiliu, the Prince of Lu, who followed the emperor to attend the meeting, yawned before it finally ended. Because he was the regent, Zhu Yiliu had to get up early to attend the meeting.

"It's finally over." Zhu Yiliu stretched, looked around and whispered, "If my brother lets me supervise the country, I will immediately take action against those cheap Confucian scholars who are talking nonsense! The gatherings in the capital of the Ming Dynasty are too free!"

Zhu Yiliu intended to retreat in order to advance, and tried to use absurdity to achieve his ambition of not staying behind and going to the south of the Yangtze River with his royal brother. He chose a very clear target, the chattering and despicable Confucian scholar.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "It's up to you. Since you are allowed to stay, you will be in charge of all matters except for the vassal kings, foreign affairs, and reforms."

"I didn't do anything to them because I was afraid they would do more. Covering one's mouth can easily be turned into a scandal by the bureaucrats. It's just right for you to do it."

"I support you."

Zhu Yiliu's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Okay, I'll take charge of the Northern Yamen!"

(End of this chapter)