Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 560: Throwing out a grand plan to solve the problem once and for all, Emperor Wu asks for a loan - 4 million~
The ministers cheered louder and louder, causing the temperature in the hall to rise sharply.

Although it is already autumn, many people's foreheads are covered with sweat.

Every pore of their body is screaming madly:

Change of dynasty!!
However, there are also a few calm people who cast pious and slightly thoughtful glances at themselves.

For example, the father-in-law of the emperor and the Minister of Finance Hu Xueyu.

For example, Economic Minister Fan Jing.

They both thought to themselves that it was well known that His Majesty had been suppressing the pace of the army's attack. So, was the current chaos in the north what His Majesty expected to see, or did he not want to see?
During the Northern Expedition,
How to deal with the peasant uprising army?

How to resettle countless refugees?

How to deal with those northern gentry?

How to deal with the group of bannermen in the old city?
How to treat the Shandong Yanshenggong family?
……

In fact, there is a more serious problem in the imperial court - the power between the north and the south.

only,
More than 90% of Wu Ting's new nobles are from the south, so no one will stand up and call for some northerners to enter the court to discuss national affairs.

Human nature dictates.

This problem is not big at the moment, but it will become bigger and bigger sooner or later.

Li Yu looked around at the excited faces with a smile.

My thoughts have long since flown away to the sky.

Adjournment.

He summoned some important officials, including Fan Jing, Du Ren, Hu Xueyu, Lin Huaisheng, Liu Qian, Liu Wu, Wu Ao, Fan Zhongmo, and Huang Wenyun.
The long table wasn't even full.

……

Hu Xueyu expressed his concerns:

"Your Majesty, I am worried that it is easy to conquer the north, but difficult to settle there."

Everyone was silent.

There were countless starving people in the Central Plains and the order was in complete chaos. The only way to solve the problem was to have silver in the left hand and a gun in the right hand.

Mainly silver.

First provide disaster relief, then resume production.

Li Yu made the final decision:
"We must properly resettle them, no matter how much money it costs. We must grit our teeth and resettle them. We cannot leave a powder keg inside the empire, otherwise the empire's army and navy will not be able to concentrate on taking over Southeast Asia."

"But I suddenly have a bold idea. Great order can only come after great chaos. Since there is chaos, we might as well seize this opportunity to solve the problem of too many people and too little land in the Central Plains once and for all."

Everyone stared at him.

Li Yu uttered two words:

"migrant."

……

After hearing the detailed plan, all the ministers were shocked.

Your Majesty's actions are simply like cutting mountains and filling the sea, which is too crazy.

First, launch the Northern Expedition and then quickly overthrow the Qing Dynasty.

They surrounded the rebels from all sides, cleared the Central Plains, restored order, and forced all the rebels to lay down their arms by force.

In the early stage, a small number of starving people were relocated to the Liaodong Peninsula by sea transportation.

Then they carried out continuous land migration, organizing refugees to cross Shanhaiguan on foot. Eventually, the number of people who migrated reached tens of millions, and the time span was also very long.

All immigrants, regardless of gender, were given 80 acres of land after leaving the country and were not required to pay taxes for 5 to 10 years (depending on the latitude).

The only condition is that immigrants must settle outside the Great Wall for life.

……

"Do you have any questions?"

"Your Majesty's plan is grand and magnificent. It is unprecedented and unparalleled, and it fully expresses your Majesty's love for the people. But I am worried that the national treasury cannot support it." Hu Xueyu's face was full of worry.

"I am worried that the hungry people are unwilling to leave their homes." Fan Jing was equally worried.

"I am worried that there will not be enough manpower to carry out such a large-scale migration operation." Huang Wenyun also spoke.

"I am worried about the bitter cold outside the Great Wall. If the immigrants are unable to build complete villages and reclaim enough wasteland, the situation will be unpredictable when the cold winter comes." Fan Zhongmo was rarely disobedient.

Li Yu cast his gaze towards the few people who had not spoken yet~
Lin Huaisheng:
"The War Department is at the mercy of His Majesty."

Du Ren's face was solemn:

"I think we should give priority to developing the coal and iron complex industry in Fushun to feed back agriculture."

Liu Qian whispered:

"Why not wait a little longer and let the abscess burst on its own, forcing the hungry people to obey the migration, and the pressure on the court to mobilize will be reduced."

Wu Ao:

"I am a doctor by birth. Before the migration, we need to treat patients with infectious diseases and carry out mass shaving and disinfection to prevent any accidents."

……

At lunch time, more than 20 tycoons from all over the country who participated in the court meeting sat on both sides of His Majesty's dining table. They were excited, their faces were rosy, and their feet were dizzy.

Looking through the history books, is there any other merchant besides Lu Buwei who could drink at the same table with the king?

This pair of bamboo chopsticks in front of me is of great significance~
Li Yu raised his glass first:

"Drink this cup to the full for the sake of the empire."

Everyone drank it all in a hurry. One cup made them half drunk, two cups made them very drunk, and three cups made them feel euphoric.

Li Yu smiled:

"My fellow gods of wealth, I want to do something big but the treasury is short of money."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to donate 50 taels."

"The common people donated 60 taels."

"I am willing to donate 45 taels."

A group of people put down their chopsticks and rushed to express their loyalty.

……

however,
Li Yu smiled and shook his head, uttering two words:

"not enough."

Xu Xiang, vice president of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Textile Association, bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, please tell me a number. We businessmen will sell everything we have to help your Majesty."

Li Yu looked around at everyone.

Some people looked resolute, while others looked worried.

Then he said seriously:

"The Central Plains is corrupt, with too many people and too little land. This problem has existed for a long time, and even gods cannot solve it."

"I want to relocate 2000 to 3000 million hungry people to the outside of Shanhaiguan to open up wasteland and settle down. The court needs to provide most of them with food, cotton clothes, tools for opening up wasteland, and pots and pans~"

"Who can help me calculate this account?"

Lu Baiyu, president of the Anhui-Jiangxi Tea Chamber of Commerce, counted on his fingers:

"The migration journey takes about 100 days. For one person to complete 100 days, he needs to consume about 3 shi of grain, which is equivalent to 4 taels of silver. He needs a set of cotton clothes, cotton pants, hats, shoes and socks, which cost 2 taels. He also needs a set of farm tools, pots and pans, and each household needs 4 taels of silver."

"There is no shortage of forests outside the Great Wall. You can build your own house and keep warm."

"In addition, there are seeds, oxen, salaries for officials, and support along the way. If we spread it out evenly, each household will have to pay at least three taels more."

The table suddenly became eerily quiet.

Based on 13 taels of silver per person, it would cost 3000 million taels of silver to relocate 4 million people outside the Great Wall.

……

4 million~
Based on the annual income during Emperor Qianlong's peak period, it would take eight years to save.

According to Wu Ting's current annual income of half of his fortune, it would take three years to save up.

4 million~
It was more than enough to pay for the Treaty of Shimonoseki, but slightly less than the Boxer Protocol.

No wonder all the wealthy men present turned pale with fear. Even if all the merchants of Wu State were eaten alive, they could not gather 4 million taels.

Li Yu drank the chicken soup slowly and was not in a hurry to express his opinion.

After finishing a bowl, he slowly spoke:

"4 million sounds like a lot, but it doesn't need to be spent all at once."

"After the Northern Expedition, the imperial court will definitely clear out the imperial farms, banner fields, private fields of officials and gentry, and hidden fields in the north, which will also be a huge source of income."

“The gap is actually not that big.”

……

"How about this, the court will loan you money. Before winter comes, the first batch will be 1500 million taels. You can discuss the specific distribution privately. There are many members in the Chamber of Commerce, so you can spread it out."

"I am prepared to repay with the land, indigenous population, and some minerals of the South Sea." "At the earliest, next spring, at the latest, next winter~ The empire's army and navy will be deployed in large numbers, pointing their swords to the South Sea to spread civilization. Wherever the military boots go, wherever civilization spreads, it will be our land!"

"The fertile land in Nanyang will be given to you at the price of 5 taels per mu."

"Natives, every ten thousand people will get five thousand taels of silver. We'll talk about the minerals when the time comes. Anyway, there is a precedent for contracting."

It's a grand and romantic plan indeed.
……

Just like the damn shy name of the empire. Wu: It’s good for your mouth, and it’s good for the sky. When you open your mouth, you go up to the sky.

A bold businessman asked:
"Your Majesty, do you mean to hand over the title deeds to the Nanyang lands to us? To own those lands for generations?"

"Of course! But after the land is reclaimed, one silver coin must be paid to the court every year for each acre of land. There is no tax on raw land."

Li Yu observed everyone and sure enough, his expression eased a little.

He laughed again:
"Once the Central Plains and Zhili are resolved, the court will focus its main energy on Southeast Asia in the next year. Timber, rice, and minerals can solve the court's urgent needs."

……

"Lend me all the liquid cash you have, and I will spend it right back and give it to your factories to purchase daily necessities needed for migration. I will charge you at the market price, whatever you have."

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"Based on the current production capacity, I am afraid you cannot support the food, clothing, housing and transportation of 3000 million people."

Everyone was stunned. Once they agreed, it was like boarding a high-speed chariot.

My own pocket → His Majesty's pocket → My own pocket
It's a bit confusing and I can't figure it out.

In short, you can pay cash and get massive orders and overseas land~
Accompanied by the rapid expansion of factory production capacity.

in business.

Who won in the end?

Everyone thought hard, and even the veterans in the business world couldn't figure out the gains and losses. The plan was too grand, too exciting, and too unrealistic.

Where will Your Majesty lead the empire in the future?
……

Some people were not so excited.

For example, representatives of the Tea Chamber of Commerce, representatives of the Silk Chamber of Commerce, and representatives of the Shipping Association. Because this piece of fat meat was eaten by the cotton spinning industry and the iron smelting industry, they could not get it.

However, this does not pose a problem for Li Yu.

Continue the speech:

"Once the empire controls Southeast Asia, there will be no more food shortages. Starting next year, the mulberry fields and tea mountains in the country can be expanded. Hunan, Hubei, and Guangdong can all convert fields into mulberry fields and mountains into tea mountains."

The tea merchants and silk merchants' faces instantly turned red with excitement.

He originally thought that he would not be able to get a share of the profits, after all, the imperial court could not pay for the tea and silk clothes for the hungry people who came to Guandong.

As a result, Your Majesty benefited equally.

Your Majesty is wise and sage.

"Also, before the road from Zhili to the outside of the Great Wall is opened, the first batch of hungry people will all be transported by sea. In the future, the communication between Southeast Asia and the mainland will also be inseparable from sea transportation."

The shipping representative was also trembling with excitement.

……

The entire wealth lunch lasted for one hour, and His Majesty spoke eloquently.

The audience seemed drunk, excited and excited.

They yearned for the stars and the sea, romantic ideals, and the desire to serve the country for their entire lives, and signed the "Long-term Loan Agreement between Chambers of Commerce of Various Industries and the Wu Royal Family" on the spot.

The regulations are clear in black and white and with a bright red seal.

At last,
Li Yu concluded:

"You must always remember that the empire belongs to me, but it also belongs to you."

"If you don't actively integrate into the empire, what's the point of making a fortune? Can you keep it?"

"If you want to be on par with the scholars, you must take the initiative to pay the blood tax and have a sense of ownership instead of just thinking about making money. If you integrate into the empire and become part of the imperial power, you will naturally have a say and will naturally be able to enter the court."

Everyone nodded their heads in gratitude.

……

The meeting continued in the afternoon.

All the civil and military officials were shocked by the "Loan Treaty" and suspected that His Majesty had drugged these merchants.

The first loan was 1500 million taels, and additional loans were made every three months.

When has the merchant community ever been so patriotic?
When have you ever been so generous?
So weird.

In the evening, Wu Tingcai ended this long court meeting.

There was a high degree of consensus within the empire.

Once the fleet gained a foothold on the Liaodong Peninsula, it began this massive operation, code-named "Operation Northern."

In order to carry out this operation, the Empire needs to carry out an unprecedented large-scale mobilization and an unprecedented military expansion.

……

A small red flag representing "communication required" was raised on the communication tower located in a corner of the Wu Palace.

Not long after, the nearby tower also raised a small red flag.

The signalman recorded the numbers through a fixed telescope.

Write it down in your dedicated telegram book:
"4458, 0328~"

The communication tower project was upgraded again, and more scientific flag signals were adopted based on postal clear code communications, with every four digits corresponding to a unique Chinese character.

After successful reception, a small yellow flag was raised on the top of the tower and the first small red flag was lowered.

If there is any doubt and reconfirmation is needed, a small green flag will be raised.

……

In the entire communication network, each tower is a node.

Made of bricks, the tower looks similar to the cylindrical water towers popular in the 80s, gradually narrowing upwards and with a small house on top.

There are two communications soldiers stationed at each node.

Commuting, climbing from inside the tower.

Those working at heights enjoyed additional subsidies, as well as the absolute luxuries of the era: leather jackets, leather boots, and pocket watches.

Two-thirds of the nodes are not equipped with plaintext.

Only communications soldiers are qualified to hold coded books at important nodes and translate the intelligence into Chinese characters.

……

Each "telegram" has a fixed format.

There must be a sender at the beginning and a recipient at the end, followed by a node digital code.

Wu Palace node code is 0, Jiangning node code is 13, and Guangzhou code is 404.

The name of the on-duty signalman and the date and time must be signed at the bottom of each telegram page.

The content must not be altered or torn up.

Signal soldiers must carry telegram books with them and seal them regularly for inspection. Those who make mistakes will be severely punished, and the error tolerance is zero.

If the transmission is forced to be interrupted due to force majeure.

You should ask for help from the nearest city or garrison to assist in finding the interrupted node.

Anyway,

Wu Ting spent a lot of effort to build an extremely large communications network, dedicated to covering all provincial capitals, water and land hubs, and fixed garrison bases.

Such a visual signal communication network is expensive, but it is worth it.

……

The saved postal capacity is used for private communications and small remittances.

E.g,

Ms. Zhang from Dongguan County, Guangzhou Prefecture, could send a letter home through the local post station and attach a small-amount deposit certificate from the Sihai Piaohao.

There are two types of letters.

Ordinary letters use white envelopes, while remittance letters have red lines drawn on the envelopes, each line representing 10 taels, to prevent the money from being embezzled in the middle.

Parcels are transported by different means such as carriage, ship, etc.

Upon arrival, postal staff will open the parcels and separate official and civilian mail.

Ms. Zhang's family opened the letter and checked the red lines to confirm that the remittance amount was correct. After that, they could take the small deposit certificate to the nearest Sihai Bank to exchange it for cash at any time.

Witness is redemption.

……

Communication and transportation are two indispensable aspects of civilized society.
Civilization was not built in a day.

Your wise and powerful Majesty is working to export civilization abroad and reshape civilization at home. One day, the light of civilization will spread all over the world.

Just like this country name~
(End of this chapter)