At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 486: Opportunity for Reform

The 20th year of the Han calendar, January 25th, Chen County, night.

Zhou Bo walked alone on the main road of Chen County. Since the economic crisis, the once bustling streets have become deserted. Even if there are a few pedestrians, they are walking quickly. Looking at the rows of kerosene lamps standing on the street, they are now all extinguished due to lack of money, which adds a bit of a sense of desolation.

This was a political achievement project built when Wang Dao came to Chen County as the prefect. A few years ago, the reputation of Chang'an City as the City of Light spread throughout the Han Dynasty. Those small counties without money could only watch and light a few kerosene lamps on the streets outside the government office. But Chen County was one of the top three richest counties in the Han Dynasty. After kerosene became the main raw material for lamp oil, the price dropped several times. Chen County could afford this fuel cost, so he built 5000 kerosene lamps on the main roads of Chen County. After dark every day, all of them were lit, and the light was as bright as the sun. The nights of Chen County began to become prosperous, and night markets began to appear on streets of all sizes, and the economy became more prosperous. The increased tax revenue alone offset the money consumed by the oil lamps.

Of course, this was also possible thanks to the cheap kerosene in the Western Regions. Two years ago, after the railway connecting Guanzhong and the Western Regions was opened, kerosene and asphalt from the Western Regions were continuously transported to Guanzhong through this railway artery, and then from Guanzhong to the entire Han Dynasty.

Among them, kerosene from the Western Regions swept the entire Han market with its low price. A pound of kerosene, even if it came from the Central Plains across thousands of mountains and rivers, was half the price of traditional lamp oil fuels such as soybean oil. This price reduction attack made it invincible in the lamp oil market of the Han Dynasty.

At the same time, the asphalt left over from refining kerosene has also become a cheap raw material for road construction. Asphalt plus some crushed pebbles can make a waterproof and smooth road. Not only is the effect better than cement roads, but the cost is also more than ten times lower. The most important thing is that the asphalt roads are not only strong and durable, but also have extremely low maintenance costs, even lower than highways. If there is any damage, just pave some filter stones on it and compact it with a stone roller, and it will be repaired. Relying on the low-priced asphalt, Guanzhong has begun to build a two-way four-lane expressway, and asphalt has become the most important road construction material in the Han Dynasty.

After more than ten years of hardship, Ji Bu finally had a breakout and became a wealthy man. There was no other way. Kerosene was too profitable. As long as he loaded the kerosene into barrels, transported it to the train and shipped it to Guanzhong, money would pour in like a flood. In the first year that Western kerosene entered the Han Dynasty, Ji Bu made 500 million yuan.

The next year, the Han Dynasty began to pave asphalt roads. The asphalt, which had previously been difficult to sell at a high price, could now make money, and even more money. That year, Ji Bu made 15 billion yuan by selling kerosene.

The Silk Road has become an energy road. The transportation of this kind of bulk commodity has greatly benefited all the counties in Hexi. The princes in the Western Regions are even more crazy about finding oil fields and drilling oil wells in their own territories. As long as an oil well is drilled, it means decades of wealthy life for future generations.

Industries in the Western Regions also began to serve the pyrotechnics. Steel produced by steel mills was made into tin cans to hold pyrotechnics. Machinery factories also began to produce machines for well drilling and factories that produced wooden tracks for steam locomotives. In short, as long as any industry was related to pyrotechnics, it would be no problem to make a fortune.

But after the economic crisis, Chen County's money was used to protect people's livelihood, so naturally they couldn't afford to light kerosene. Zhou Bo looked at these unlit ones and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I wonder if Duke Ji will blame me for affecting his business."

The economic crisis that broke out this time was more severe than the last one, and the scope of impact was wider. What was more critical was that it was himself who ignited the fuse. Zhou Bo was a little worried because his position as prime minister would be lost because of this incident, so he came out to wander around at such a quiet time in the middle of the night.

At this moment, an old man with a red armband followed Zhou Bo.

When Zhou Bo spotted the old man, he said, "It's so late, and you're still catching people breaking the law."

The old men and women wearing red armbands were a major feature of the Han Dynasty and a welfare benefit. The country had been at peace for 20 years, and with the increase in per capita resource possession, the popularization of health knowledge, and the improvement of medical services, the life expectancy of the Han people increased rapidly, and many elderly people who would have had difficulty surviving before now survived. But to be cruel, this increased the burden on ordinary families.

Later, in order to solve this problem, Xu Fan thought of the elderly people wearing red armbands in later generations, so he moved this system to Dahan. He recruited some elderly people over 50 years old, asked them to wear red armbands, supervise the hygiene habits of pedestrians, and also asked them to be responsible for cleaning the streets.

The Han Dynasty court gave them one stone of rice and flour, one pound of oil and salt every month, a basic living allowance of 100 to 200 coins and the most basic medical insurance. During festivals, they also gave these elderly people some salted fish, sugar and other benefits.

Don’t underestimate these things, but they can allow an old man to live with dignity. These old people are also very satisfied with the job assigned to them by the court.

The old man asked, "Why are you still walking on the street so late? Is there something bothering you? Do you want to talk to me about it? I have survived all the chaos and wars in the past. What difficulties can you not overcome in this peaceful and prosperous time?"

Zhou Bo was stunned when he heard this. It turned out that the old man thought that he was the one who was unable to get over it.

When the economic crisis broke out, many people jumped into the river at the dock outside the city. Zhou Bo arranged rescue operations and told his subordinates to patrol more closely and find ways to save those who were trying to commit suicide. But he never expected that this incident would happen to him.

Seeing Zhou Bo remained silent, the old man continued to persuade him, "You don't look like someone who is short of money from your clothes. It's just that business is difficult. This is comparable to the previous wars. When Qin attacked Chu, and then the emperor rebelled against Qin, my Chen County was the main battlefield. Batches of people died, and many of them had their entire families wiped out. But as long as they are alive, everyone will struggle to survive. Life must go on. Now business is just a little difficult, but you are trying to kill yourself. You people have been spoiled by the emperor.

Zhou Bo asked, "Uncle, has this crisis had any impact on your family?"

The old man sighed and said, "How could there be no impact? My daughter-in-law is a worker in a textile factory. Last year, she was rated as a skilled craftsman with a salary of more than 2,000 coins. All the neighbors praised my daughter-in-law for her ability. But now the textile factory has closed down and she has lost her job. My daughter-in-law's spirit has been crushed. Fortunately, my son is a craftsman in the Chenjun Steel Factory and has not been affected by this crisis. Otherwise, this family would have collapsed."

Then the old man said sympathetically: "There are several families in my neighborhood where both husband and wife are unemployed. The pillars of the family have collapsed, and there is no land to be distributed. The family does not know how to survive. After all, working is not as stable as farming. Even if the grain cannot be sold, it can still fill their stomachs. There is no job in this job, and the whole family can only wait to starve to death."

When Zhou Bo heard this, he became serious and asked, "Are there many families like this?"

The old man said, "Hundreds of factories in Chen County have closed down, and tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Many of them are the backbone of their families, so how could they not be affected? Fortunately, the world has been peaceful in the past two years, and families have some savings, so everyone can still hold on for a while. But if the situation does not change, many people will really not be able to survive. I have heard that many families are planning to go to the south of the Yangtze River to farm. Fortunately, the emperor is wise and has finally given me and other common people a way to survive."

Zhou Bo said: "Yes, if you can't farm, you can go to the south of the Yangtze River to reclaim wasteland."

At this time, Zhou Bo was thankful that the Han Dynasty had a large amount of wasteland, which could provide a retreat for these unemployed craftsmen.

When the old man heard Zhou Bo's words, he thought that Zhou Bo had figured it out, and said with a smile: "It's good to think this way. Remember, even if you can't stay in the city, you can go to the countryside to farm. Don't let yourself get upset."

Zhou Bo bowed and said, "Thank you for your comfort, old man."

Zhou Bo parted ways with the old man, but not long after she left, his clerk Zhang Hui found him and said with relief: "Prime Minister, why did you leave the office alone? This is too dangerous."

Zhou Bo said: "This is the city of our Han Dynasty. How can it be dangerous?"

Zhang Hui said, "Teacher, come to Chenjun to meet the Prime Minister."

Zhou Bo looked at Zhang Hui in surprise. After the debate between the Legalists and the School of Enriching the People a few months ago, Li Si did not return to Chang'an City, but went to his hometown Shangcai, intending to spend his remaining years in his hometown. After all, Li Si was already over 90 years old at this time, and he might not be able to get up after a sleep. He also had the idea of ​​returning to his roots.

But sometimes the situation is just so coincidental. Just as he proposed the idea of ​​a state-run economy, the Han Dynasty encountered another economic crisis. In Li Si's view, this was simply an opportunity given to the Legalists by God.

The Legalist reforms during the Warring States period were all carried out at a time when conflicts among the states were the most intense and the survival crisis was the most serious. The fierce competition among the states led to the fact that if they did not reform, the entire country would be gone. The seven major powers of the Warring States period all carried out reforms to a greater or lesser extent. Those states that were unwilling to give up their interests and reforms all became the prey of other powerful states.

If the Han Dynasty had always been in a prosperous period, no one would be willing to change this situation, and the demand for reform would naturally be insufficient.

But now the Han Dynasty is in an economic crisis. At this time, there is a need for change from the officialdom to the people. Especially the Prime Minister Zhou Bo, he has the strongest desire for reform. Although he did not cause this economic crisis, he triggered it. If he fails to handle this crisis, I am afraid that the prime minister's throne will be lost. If he wants to reform, he needs someone from the Legalist School to preside over it. With the help of Zhou Bo, the Legalist School can once again become the mainstream of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Hui continued, "The current situation is not favorable to the Prime Minister, but fortune and disaster go hand in hand. If the Prime Minister can resolve this crisis, then with the prestige accumulated by the Prime Minister, in the next ten years, the Prime Minister will be able to implement his ideas throughout the Han Dynasty."

Zhou Bo thought about it and decided that he really needed Li Si to help him solve this problem, so he said, "I will send troops to escort Li Shi here."

On the 28th day of the first month of the 20th year of the Han calendar, Chen County, the County Magistrate's Office.

Zhou Bo bowed to Li Si and told him the various situations of the economic crisis in the shortest possible words. Then he asked, "Now the entire Han workshop is closed down, consumption is sluggish, and even those merchants dare not do business anymore. Master Li, do you have any solution?"

Li Si said: "Although Chen County is now in the center of the crisis, it has also created conditions for us to reform and establish a government-run economy. According to the Prime Minister, the merchants in Chen County now owe the court as much as 100 billion coins, but their workshops cannot pay back the money because they can't sell their goods."

Zhou Bo said with a bitter face: "That's right!"

"But these merchants are not without assets. The workshops they mortgaged to the court far exceed 10 billion yuan."

Zhou Bo said: "But the court's money houses don't need their workshops. The court doesn't have that many shopkeepers to run these workshops. What the court needs is for them to repay the money. This 100 billion will not become a bad debt."

If the accounts were so easy to settle, Zhou Bo would not be so distressed. If the debts were not repaid, he could just confiscate the workshops and then sell them to other people.

This model has no problem at all in daily life. Not only will the court's money houses not suffer losses, but they can make a lot of money from it. The profits are even higher than those from lending.

But it is not feasible in this economic crisis. Even if the workshop can produce goods, it cannot sell them, so the workshop is naturally worthless. However, the only thing that is valuable is money. Those who still have money will desperately hold on to their money and wait for the right opportunity to make a move.

Li Si smiled and said, "Making money is not the main responsibility of the court, but maintaining stability throughout the country. To maintain stability in the country, we must keep these workshops running."

"Now we just can't find a way to operate the factories. The production capacity of these workshops is too huge. The people don't want so much goods. The more goods the workshops produce, the more they lose. This is why the crisis broke out."

Li Si said: "The people still have needs, but they don't have the money to meet their needs. In a certain year, it costs five bolts of cloth to buy clothes. If the needs of the people in the entire Han Dynasty are the same as mine, the whole world will need 3 million bolts of cloth. But can textile factories produce 3 million bolts of cloth now? It is far from this number."

Zhou Bo said: "You are the master of all schools of thought. In the entire Han Dynasty, there are probably no more than 1 households with better living conditions than you. It is meaningless to use you as an example."

Li Si said: "Of course it makes sense. A living person will not die from urination. The court does not need to care about interests. It can naturally create demand and activate the Han economy."

"Right now, Guanzhong is building a kind of highway called asphalt road, and Luzon is also building railroads. Chenjun is the most important industrial center of the Han Dynasty, and it transports tens of thousands of goods to the surrounding areas of the Han Dynasty every year. Doesn't Chenjun need asphalt roads and railroads to transport goods?"

Zhou Bo said: "The cost is not low, especially for the railroad. One mile of road costs 500 million coins. This is really like paving the ground with gold."

Li Si said: "But the court can do all this to stimulate the economy, which is worth it. If the money collected is not spent, it will be meaningless for the court."

Zhou Bo said: "But using the court's money to support the merchants' workshops doesn't make sense."

Li Si said: "Then make these workshops the property of the court. They have already mortgaged these workshops to the court."

Zhou Bo said: "I have already mentioned this issue before. The court cannot handle it."

Li Si said: "Then let them manage it themselves. The court can use the debt to take up most of the shares of these workshops and let these workshop owners work for the court. This will kill two birds with one stone. It will not only solve the problem of lack of talent in the court, but also find a job for these workshop owners."

Zhou Bo said: "These people have been bosses before, I'm afraid they won't be satisfied with being managers of the court. When the time comes, these people will passively resist the court. Not only will the court not be able to make money from these workshops, but it will also bear a huge burden."

All kinds of problems would arise in the court's own people. Not to mention these profit-seeking merchants. According to Li Si's ideas, these people would definitely not work honestly for the court. If these people only enriched themselves, the harm would not be great. The only thing to worry about is that these people would make the workshop lose money and become a bottomless pit for the court.

Li Si said: "Give them 20% to 30% of the shares. These workshops also have their share. They will naturally work hard to run the business. The court should not ignore everything. It should do a good job of supervision, reward the diligent and punish the lazy, and formulate a reasonable system. These merchants will naturally be used by the court."

In the past, his Legalists even ruled millions of Qin people and made them obedient. How many people can there be in the Shang Dynasty now? Tens of thousands are considered a lot. These tens of thousands of people are not a big deal. This is easier than completing a small country reform. It is a simple task.

In this way, through the questions and answers, Zhou Bo was completely impressed by the reform strategy formulated by Li Si.

He immediately wrote a letter to the court in Guangbao, requesting the emperor to agree to his implementation of the official reform in Chen County to completely resolve the economic crisis that was causing the Han Dynasty.

Because the content of the reform was too long to be transmitted by telegram, Zhou Bo asked his trusted confidant to take the memorial on the implementation of the reform and take a train to Chang'an to deliver it to Xu Fan.

Xu Fan read the content of this so-called reform, which mainly involved the state investing in infrastructure to stimulate consumption, and at the same time, nationalizing those bankrupt workshops, restricting the workshop owners from occupying the means of production and social wealth, and allowing more wealth to circulate throughout the world.

After reading it, Xu Fan was filled with admiration for Li Si's abilities. It contains some of the elements of Roosevelt's New Deal, as well as some of the elements of the official and private sectors in later generations. One can also see some shadows of the methods used to solve crises in later generations here. It's a bit like a patchwork monster.

But this is also very remarkable. The Han Dynasty has only experienced two economic crises so far, and Li Si was able to find ways to resolve the crises through these two examples. It can even be said that he found ways to completely resolve the crises.

Of course, solving the problem also brings greater consequences, which is also the flaw of the Legalists. The system is always too precise, without any margin, and it is easy to collapse completely when encountering a problem.

However, Xu Fan still agreed to conduct a pilot project in Chen County.

(End of this chapter)