I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 388 Industrial Farm Online

In this era, only the industrialized large-scale farm model can rapidly promote the development of agricultural production technology.

As for farmers, although they will take good care of their land, they are simply unable to improve agricultural technology due to lack of funds and technology.

At the same time, small farmers are also very conservative.

Joseph remembered that in the 19th century, French farmers still maintained the old farming habits and preferred to use the simplest and cheapest farming tools. At the same time, they resolutely resisted planting cash crops. After all, a full barn would give the family peace of mind.

However, large farms backed by capital are not aiming to provide food and clothing, but to pursue higher profits!

With the pressure of profit margins, they must constantly upgrade new agricultural machinery, develop more advanced planting techniques, try more expensive but better new fertilizers, and plant crops with higher economic value.

This will greatly promote the agricultural and industrial development of France.

Yes, farming is also the basis for industrial development.

The simplest point is that Britain's textile industry relies on massive amounts of self-produced wool and South Asian cotton to dominate the world.

If France wanted to challenge Britain in the textile industry, it would first have to have sufficient cotton production. If farmers only grew food, it would be difficult to get close to Britain in terms of cost if they relied solely on imported cotton.

In addition, France's traditional advantage in the textile industry - silk - also requires a large number of mulberry tree plantings.

These are the projects that are most suitable for large-scale industrial farms.

Mirabeau and his group had a keen sense of money-making. With a little guidance from the Dauphin, they immediately realized the vast "money" prospects of the new estate in the future.

Coupled with the favorable land purchase system, they immediately decided to invest a large amount of money to enter the industrialized estate market and fight for it.

Of course, the reason why Joseph wants to vigorously develop agricultural service consulting companies is that he wants to use a unified management model to gather scattered small farmers together and make them competitive with large farms to a certain extent.

Seeing Viscount Dick still excitedly talking about the bright future of the new manor, Mirabeau just smiled and responded.

What he was thinking about at this moment was what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had said to him a few days ago.

His Highness mentioned that after large industrial farms are put into operation, the land that originally required three to four hundred people to cultivate may be managed in an orderly manner by less than one hundred workers after the extensive use of livestock, machinery and new agricultural tools and the implementation of strict standardized management.

He quickly thought, where would the remaining two or three hundred people go?
There is only one answer, that is, they can only go to big cities to make a living. In addition, with the help of agricultural service consulting companies, ordinary farmers' families no longer need all family members to participate in farming to ensure land output. When it is difficult to purchase more than 30 mu of land per person, idle family members will also go to the city to make money.

When these people flock into the cities, the factories will be extremely well staffed, and one of the biggest factors restricting factory expansion will disappear.

And these people living in cities need to purchase all the necessities of life, which means they will bring about a huge consumer market.

After foreseeing these, Mirabeau made repeated calculations and found that investing in large farms at this time would not be as profitable as planning ahead for industries such as textiles and steel that require a lot of manpower.

So he just bought some land suitable for investment, ready to sell it as soon as it appreciated. He bet most of his funds on the automatic loom factory in Lyon, and a small part on the coal mine in the Southern Netherlands. Well, the latter was actually invested on the advice of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Although the place was still in the midst of war, he believed more in His Royal Highness's vision.

In fact, Mirabeau still missed one point.

Joseph had anticipated the possibility of land speculation half a year ago - he had experienced the real estate boom in the early 21st century and was well aware of the tricks used by major companies to speculate in land - so he had laid mines in the Food Production Act early on.

As long as the land is designated as arable land by the government, the purchaser must immediately fulfill the obligation to achieve a certain yield per mu after obtaining its ownership. Even if the land is sold, if the minimum yield is not achieved during the harvest season, all landholders in this planting season will be jointly liable.

Of course, this does not include situations where disasters occur.

Therefore, Mr. Mirabeau will find that he has to sow seeds immediately after purchasing the land, otherwise he will face a fine until the land is forcibly auctioned by the High Court!

While the capital aristocrats were thinking about how to maximize their profits through investment, nearly half of the nobles in the petitioning crowd in front of the Petit Trianon Palace still had tense expressions, and some even crumpled up the "King's Fund Application Form" in their hands and threw it on the ground.

They were the "time-saving people" among the nobles. Perhaps it was because they had little land and received limited annual tribute, or perhaps it was because they lived too extravagantly and could not make ends meet. In short, they had no spare money at all. Many of them even relied on borrowing to make ends meet - maintaining formal attire for various occasions, paying for the living expenses of illegitimate children, participating in routine salons, hunting or gambling, all required a lot of silver coins. And these were the basic elements of life for the nobles of the Palace of Versailles.

They simply have no money to invest in the King's Fund, which means that in eight years they will be cut off from income and starve to death.

Soon, a tall nobleman with curly hair that was obviously out of shape took a few steps forward against the crowd going to subscribe to the fund and shouted to the crown prince on the steps: "Your Highness, land rent and tax is the traditional right of the nobles. It is the honor bestowed on our ancestors by the old king. You can't abolish it so easily!"

There were echoes from all around immediately:

“Yes, we want traditional rights, not funds!”

"Those Nian Gong are what I inherited from my father, and they deserve respect!"

Joseph just looked at these people calmly. He had expected this situation to happen and had made a plan long ago.

Those nobles who do not subscribe to the King's Fund are the poorest and therefore have the weakest influence, but we must also take into account the damage they may cause to the country due to their lack of means of living.

It was under such circumstances that the official at the post station in the East named Li directly overthrew an empire.

Joseph coughed lightly, looked sharply at the tall noble who jumped out first, and said coldly:

“Perhaps you still remember how your ancestors obtained the fiefdom?”

The latter was a little stunned by the sudden question: "Yes, yes..."

Joseph pointed at him menacingly:

"It was they who followed the king's army and won their own glory with their extraordinary bravery and fearlessness on the battlefield!"

(End of this chapter)