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

Chapter 699: Let craftsmen also enjoy the dividends of industrial upgrading

After a concentrated discussion, they found that the problems in Tianzhu were more troublesome than those in the Han Dynasty. They could not paint on a blank sheet of paper, nor could they reform without scruples like the Han Dynasty. A person's knowledge is related to his environment. The Han Dynasty has been in a state of change since its establishment, with a small change every 10 years and a big change every 30 years.

For feudal society, change is a derogatory word, but for Liu Qi who lived in the Han Dynasty, change is a positive word. It is part of their daily life and part of social progress. They understand the kind of change in the Han Dynasty. They don't have much experience with the change with handcuffs like Tianzhu.

Liu Qi suggested: "Since we cannot reform from within, then we should drive the internal from the outside, starting from the point and touching the whole, using industry to destroy the current small peasant economy in Tianzhu. Instead of sprinkling limited resources on the land of Tianzhu like pepper, it is better to demarcate a piece of land in Tianzhu and build a new industrial city in the way of the Han Dynasty. The resources of the whole Tianzhu will be concentrated in this city. In this way, Tianzhu's industry will have a foundation. As the scale of industry increases, it will gradually destroy the existing small peasant economy in Tianzhu and gradually become an industrial country."

Zheng Zhuang asked curiously, "To develop industry, you need a market. Even a small industrial zone needs a huge market. If you want to develop industry, the best thing is to develop some light industries such as textiles, which have low technology and high profits. But now the wealthy nobles in India like Chinese goods, and the poor people can't afford local goods. In fact, because India is hot and there is no winter at all, people can barely survive by making a few pieces of cloth. It is difficult for India to develop even the simplest light industry. How can you build this industrial zone?"

Liu Qi said calmly: "The market is not only internal, but also external. The people of Tianzhu are still working for the landlords for free, but the minimum salary of craftsmen in our Han Dynasty has reached 3000 coins. The minimum salary in Chang'an and Kuaiji County has exceeded 5000 coins. In addition to the cost of machines, the most important thing for the textile industry is the cost of labor. In Tianzhu, we can support our families with a salary of coins, which is more than ten times lower than that of the Han Dynasty."

Ning Cheng shook his head and said, "No, no, developing industry cannot be solved by simply paying low salaries to craftsmen. Raw materials, skilled craftsmen, machines, infrastructure, etc. require a lot of conditions. Even for the textile industry with low technical content, it cannot be solved by recruiting some farmers and female workers."

Liu Qi said: "Let's discuss one by one. If we want to develop the textile industry, cotton is the most critical raw material."

Liu Qi then looked at Dong Zhongshu and asked, "Prime Minister, how many dan of cotton did Tianzhu sell to the Han Dynasty last year?"

Dong Zhongshu said: "900 million shi."

Then he smiled bitterly and said, "In recent years, the princes of the New World have also begun to grow a lot of cotton. In the past two years, the price of cotton has exceeded 900 coins and was about to break 720. However, a large amount of cotton from the New World has poured into the Han Dynasty, and this year the price has fallen to coins per stone."

This price made Dong Zhongshu extremely distressed. Cotton foreign trade was the pillar industry of India. If the price dropped by 100 coins per stone, India would lose more than 10 billion coins.

After decades of development, the New World began to fully demonstrate its potential. Not only was it self-sufficient in food, but it also imported 300,000 tons of flour to the Han Dynasty every year. The cotton industry was also competing with India, the Xiongnu, the Western Regions and other places. The tobacco industry competed with Nanzhong, and the spices, sugar, and rubber competed with Jiangnan.

The land of the New World was so vast and its potential was so great that he competed single-handedly with all the cash crops of the Han princes and directly lowered the prices of global cash crops.

Liu Qi said nonchalantly, "The raw materials in Tianzhu are cheap. We have no shortage of raw materials for developing the textile industry. One stone of cotton can only be sold for 720 coins, but if we weave the cotton into cloth, we can get 10 rolls of cotton cloth. One roll of cotton cloth is 300 coins, which is 10 coins. If we weave these 3 rolls of cotton cloth into clothes, we can make hundreds of sets of clothes of various colors, and the output value can reach at least coins. More importantly, if this industrial chain stays in Tianzhu, it can support dozens of people in Tianzhu."

Zheng Zhuang was not optimistic and said, "Tianzhu is the origin of cotton. The raw materials are easy to solve, but what about the factories, the machines, and even the textile craftsmen? The nobles and powerful people in Tianzhu prefer to use local landlords as slave owners. The nobles from our Han Dynasty are also useless. The limit they can do is to be manor owners. There is some progress, but not much. If we want them to build factories, I am afraid they have neither the ability nor the skill."

Liu Qi said firmly: "We should find a way to recruit merchants from the Han Dynasty to open textile and clothing factories in Tianzhu. This will solve the problem of capital and factory management. We can also use the funds of merchants. Compared with the high human costs in the strictly managed Han Dynasty, the low human costs in Tianzhu are attractive."

Yan Yi frowned and said, "There is another problem that is difficult to solve, which is the credibility issue. In the past, it was not that there were no merchants from the Han Dynasty who wanted to come to Tianzhu to do business, but they basically returned with losses. Tianzhu's reputation has been ruined all over the world, and no merchants are willing to come to Tianzhu to do business."

Dong Zhongshu was also very embarrassed about this problem. He had only been in India for a few years and had no way to change the bad habits that had been passed down for years. The Indians showed their habit of seeking power over virtue to the fullest. In the past, the Indians were colonies of the Han Dynasty, and Han merchants could still trade with them according to their policies.

But after Xu Aijun became the King of India, the princes of the Holy Emperor became the Kings of India. Their own status was higher than that of the Han merchants in Vaisya, so their true nature began to be exposed, and the business environment in India deteriorated.

Liu Qi thought for a moment and said, "If you want to take something first, you must give it first. It is impossible for Tianzhu to develop without paying a price. In order to reassure the merchants coming to Tianzhu, please ask the Prime Minister to order the Tianzhu banks to lend money to merchants who want to come to Tianzhu, so that they can buy machines and build factories. In this way, the merchants coming to Tianzhu will only have to pay the time cost and will not have to worry about being cheated. As long as the new industrial city is established and the merchants make money, the situation will improve after the horse bones are obtained."

Dong Zhongshu said: "I can suggest this to the king, and I think the king will agree. However, the money in the Tianzhu bank is small, and there are too many merchants coming. I am afraid that the bank cannot lend too much money."

Ning Cheng said with a smile: "Prime Minister, you think that time cost is not a cost. Considering the reputation of Tianzhu in the Han Dynasty, it is a miracle that ten families can come."

Liu Qi said: "After the Prime Minister has decided on the location of the industrial city, I will go to the Han Dynasty to buy second-hand textile machinery and recruit merchants. My uncle has some connections in the business world, so such good conditions should be able to attract some merchants. Later, as long as I buy horse bones for a thousand gold coins, Tianzhu's reputation will slowly change."

After several people discussed and decided to develop foreign trade economy, they found a harbor fishing village 200 miles away from Mumbai on the map of Tianzhu, and then renamed the fishing village New Hancheng. This name was given by Liu Qi, saying that it was to show the merchants of the Han Dynasty that this was a city that followed the rules and laws of the Han Dynasty.

Then several people acted separately. Dong Zhongshu recruited laborers to start building the new city. Zheng Zhuang was the county magistrate of Xincheng and was responsible for renovating the new city. Ning Cheng and Yan Yi now began to train textile craftsmen and wanted to recruit a group of craftsmen who could enforce discipline and had the habits of industrial society.

Liu Qi went to the Han Dynasty to purchase machines and recruit merchants, while Liu Xian went to the Han Dynasty to recruit retired veterans. At least a battalion of new soldiers had to be formed to escort the reform.

May 56, 5th year of the Han calendar, Kuaiji County.

When he returned to the Han Dynasty again, he found that in just half a year, there were new changes in Kuaiji County. He could hear a loud voice on the dock, and soon he found the source of the sound. It was a huge loudspeaker that was broadcasting the news. Although this was a new thing, Liu Qi was familiar with it. It was the radio used for experiments in Chang'an City, but he did not expect it to have been used at Wuxian Wharf.

But when he came to the streets of Wu County, he found all kinds of cars on the road, including long cars, small four-way cars, three-wheeled cars, and even two-wheeled cars. The number of these new cars was so large that they seemed to be driving out horse-drawn carriages.

You have to know that half a year ago, even on the streets of Chang'an City, there were rarely any cars. This rapid change made Liu Qi feel that things had changed and people had changed. After a trip to Tianzhu, he thought that Kuaiji County was even more prosperous.

He stopped a carriage.

Then he talked to the driver and asked, "There are a lot more cars on the streets of Kuaiji County. I came to Kuaiji County half a year ago and it was not like this."

The driver said helplessly, "This is all to blame on the blacksmiths in Chen County. They built several car factories in one go. It is said that they can produce 3,000 cars every month. In order not to fall behind, our Kuaiji County also started to build car factories and converted the tractor factory into a car factory. This month, they produced thousands of cars. With the cars pouring in from Chen County, how can there not be a lot of cars on the streets?"

Liu Qi said: "Look at you, brother, do you not want to see the cars on the street?"

The driver said with a bitter face: "I have been driving a horse-drawn carriage all my life to support my family. Now there are so many cars on the streets that have taken away our jobs."

Then the old man continued, "The Kuaiji County Bus Company also purchased a large number of taxis and buses, but I am already in my fifties, so how can I learn how to operate these new vehicles?"

Then he enviously said: "Those youngsters learn quickly and have already started to replace us old masters. We are old and useless after all." Liu Qi said: "You are a meritorious official of the Han Dynasty. The court will not let you lose your job."

In the Han Dynasty, the income and treatment of taxi drivers and bus drivers were above average among all walks of life. They were the place where the Han Dynasty used to take care of retired veterans and meritorious officials, so Liu Qi knew that the court would not treat these retired veterans unfairly.

The driver smiled bitterly and said, "The company's policy is that those who are 55 years old can retire early, and those who are 50 years old can still drive horse-drawn carriages. The remaining workers must all learn to drive cars. Those who can't learn can only be assigned new positions. I can't drive horse-drawn carriages for many more years."

Liu Qi smiled and said, "Father-in-law, it's not bad to retire. It's not bad to take care of your grandchildren and enjoy your old age."

The driver smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, it's not bad to live out your life in peace."

However, if given a choice, the rickshaw driver would not want to retire. In recent years, industrial upgrading has brought about an increase in the overall wealth of the Han Dynasty. In addition, the global market of the Han Dynasty has begun to gradually improve. The economy of the Han Dynasty has once again entered a period of rapid development. The minimum wage standard, which has been suspended for several years, has begun to increase substantially again. The income in Kuaiji County has risen even more. In recent years, more people can take a taxi. An old rickshaw driver can earn eight or nine thousand yuan a month when he earns least, and tens of thousands of yuan a month when he earns most, which means an income of more than 100,000 yuan a year.

After he retires, he only has a basic pension of 600 coins from the court and a pension of 2500 coins from Kuaiji County. That is to say, after he retires, he only has a pension of 3100 coins, a % reduction in income. If he has a choice, the old coachman still wants to work for a few more years.

When Liu Qi saw the old driver's expression, he roughly understood what was going on and could only smile bitterly. The people of Tianzhu could not even solve the problem of food and clothing, while the people of Han were worried about the decrease in income after retirement. The development of Tianzhu still had a long way to go.

The carriage stopped at the stock exchange, where Liu Qi met his uncle Liu You.

Liu You felt sorry for Liu Qiyou when he saw him and said, "You look dark all over. The sun in Tianzhu is too strong. How are you doing in Tianzhu now?"

Liu Qi smiled, showing his white teeth, and said, "The king attaches great importance to my nephew. As soon as I arrived in Tianzhu, I was appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household."

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Liu You comforted him, "That's good. You have talent. If you can't make a name for yourself in the Han Dynasty, it's good to be able to make a name for yourself in Tianzhu."

He also knew the ceiling of his nephew. For many veteran families of the Han Dynasty, 2000 shi was their ceiling, so they retired early and paved the way for their descendants. But now for the Liu family, Liu Heng was the pillar, and there was even room for him to rule the world, so the Liu family could only sacrifice Liu Qi's future.

Sometimes he admired the emperor's methods, which were a naked conspiracy, forcing those older veterans to retire. If you don't retire, the longer you stay in the court, the more worrying the future of your descendants will be. Retiring early can also protect your descendants.

Liu Qi said nonchalantly, "Uncle Six, have you purchased the machine my nephew wanted?"

Liu You smiled and said, "In order to buy your broken machines, I went to more than a dozen factories and acquired 600 textile production lines. If these machines are fully operational, they can produce million pieces of cotton cloth a year."

Liu Qi asked, "How much did Uncle Six spend?"

Liu You waved his hand and said, "This is Uncle Six's support for your mission in Tianzhu."

Liu Qi shook his head and said, "Father taught me to distinguish between public and private matters. I will pay whatever my uncle spends, and I will give him 20% of his labor fee."

Liu You said without hesitation: "Then Sixth Uncle would like to thank you for taking care of the business."

Liu Qi then talked about his plan to build an industrial demonstration city in Tianzhu and asked Liu You to build a factory.

Liu You shook his head and said, “Sixth Uncle can give you money, but he won’t go to Tianzhu to build a factory. That would just be a waste of time.”

Liu You is also very busy now. A new technological revolution has broken out in the Han Dynasty. New technologies and new industries have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. If these new industries want to develop rapidly, they must raise funds. Kuaiji County is the financial center of the southern part of the Han Dynasty. Almost every day, new factories here want to get angel investment and go public for financing. Liu You is now busy investigating new industries and new factories, so where can he go to Tianzhu to waste time?

Liu Qi said: "All officials of this industrial demonstration city will be Han Chinese, and Uncle Liu does not need to pay. Tianzhu Bank will lend money to Uncle Liu. I cannot guarantee other places, but in New Han City, the laws of the Han Dynasty are implemented there, and I guarantee that no one will dare to infringe on Uncle Liu's interests."

Liu You thought about it and decided to invest tens of millions of dollars in Tianzhu as a way to support his nephew.

Later, Liu Qi, through his relationship with Liu You, summoned a large number of textile merchants from Kuaiji County and told them about the new industrial city of Xinhancheng. He also told them that the new city would follow the laws and rules of the Han Dynasty and that they could also enjoy tax and loan advantages.

This made many merchants excited. They thought the imperial court was too bullying. They said that the industry was upgrading and the wealth created by the textile industry had increased. Craftsmen were the creators of this wealth and they should get a part of the new wealth. Then they kept raising the minimum salary standard. In three years, the income of craftsmen in Kuaiji County increased by 60%.

This year, the income of a textile craftsman has reached 8000 coins, and judging by the court's intention, the minimum salary standard will not decrease unless it exceeds tens of thousands of coins.

Why should we let the craftsmen also enjoy the dividends of industrial upgrading? It's their fault. They pay the money and the court gets the name. There is no such thing as bullying people.

In fact, merchants in the Han Dynasty have been exporting capital for decades. Unfortunately, the Han Dynasty is the only country in the world that has fully completed industrialization. The scale effect formed by the Han Dynasty's industry should be enough to offset the high salaries. As long as the Han Dynasty can still make money, it is impossible for factory owners to give up the Han Dynasty.

As for industries with high labor costs like textile factories, they have long discovered the abundant human resources in India. The textile factories in the Han Dynasty have long wanted to open factories in India. Everyone will do the math. There is no need to calculate anything else. As long as the business is opened in India, even with shipping costs and tariffs, their profits can still be doubled.

But the Kingdom of India is a hopeless case. Apart from its abundant human resources, it has nothing else to offer. The key is that it has no business ethics and is a fraud. If the King of India was not the third brother of the local emperor, they really wanted to form a fleet to let the Indians know what strong ships and powerful guns are.

The Indian industrial and commercial development policy announced by Liu Qi this time is still attractive. Indian money houses provide loans, so they don't have to worry about financial losses. Moreover, Liu Qi's statement that the new Han city is full of Han officials is also a guarantee for these merchants.

Even though the Han Dynasty had many faults, compared with other countries around the world, these merchants had to admit that the Han officials in the Han Dynasty were the most law-abiding, and they would abide by the laws they made themselves. Don't look at this sentence as ordinary, but it is difficult to do in other parts of the world.

Then several textile factory owners asked about the infrastructure of the new Han Dynasty city, the details of the preferential conditions, the situation of local craftsmen, laws, etc. They asked very detailed questions, and Liu Qi answered every question.

(End of this chapter)