Datang Nongsheng

Chapter 445 The Power of Industry and Commerce
When the peasants got down the city wall, Li Shimin said with a worried expression, "The imperial government needs to collect grain this time at a higher price than the market price. It is better for the imperial court not to earn money from the peasants."

When Sun Xiangfu heard the words, he smiled and said, "There is no need for this. After the Tang Dynasty, our grain production will only increase. What I said just now is just a white lie. Moreover, if the imperial court raises the price, it will harm the people." , those merchants, merchants and farmers are all subjects under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, Your Majesty can't treat one more favorably than another!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin was taken aback again, and after a while, like many ministers, he once again showed an expression of enlightenment.

"So, the imperial court's collection of grain this time is a loss-making business?"

"If you only trade in grain, it is indeed a loss-making business. The current grain price in the market is about [-] yuan per bucket of rice. In the next year or two, the price may drop by half again."

"Five or six dollars for a bucket of rice?"

Many courtiers exhaled an unbelievable figure. Since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the price of grain in the Central Plains has never been lower than it is now, but Sun Xiangfu said that in the next one or two years, the price of grain will fall by half. Is it time for the world to rule?

"You said that the court would lose money if it only traded in grains, so what about other trades?" Li Shimin keenly caught the foreshadowing left by Sun Xiangfu's words, and asked.

"That's the question of earning more and earning less. Grain can be turned into many commodities. Now the price of a catty of wheat is almost a penny. But grinding this catty of wheat into flour and making cold noodles can at least Make four servings, and the price of cold noodles at Chang'an Night Market is three Wen, and four servings is twelve Wen. Excluding the cost of about three to four Wen for the seasoning, you can still make a profit of seven or eight Wen.

If it is brewed into beer, it can be sold for at least fifty or sixty yuan at the market price, and if it is brewed into high-strength alcohol, it can be sold for at least three hundred yuan at the market price..."

How expensive wine was in this period, I don’t need to go into details one by one. Li Bai’s "Jiangjinjiu" contains "Doujijiu ten thousand for joy".In Wang Wei's "Youth Journey", there is "Xinfeng Fine Wine Fighting Ten Thousands".

It can be seen that the price of a bucket of good wine is 800 yuan, or 65 yuan, while a bucket of wine in the Tang Dynasty was [-] milliliters, about [-] catties. That is to say, the price of a catty of good wine is More than [-] yuan, and the data of future winemaking is about three catties of wheat brewing a catty of wine of about [-]. Blending and diluting it into the alcohol of this period is at least two catties, although because of the large-scale shipments of wineries, As a result, the price of drinks in this period was nearly half lower than that in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. However, Sun Xiangfu said that a catty of wheat, brewed with spirits, can be sold for at least [-] yuan, but this is a very conservative figure.

Because the wine sold at this price is basically a seller’s market in Datang. The winery sells spirits wholesale at a price of two hundred yuan a catty. There is a market to sell.

For example, the workers in Weinan want to drink some wine, and they have to rely on the relationship of the winery to make a small amount of wine for themselves, because the wine produced by the winery is usually shipped to the northern market, or even to the Western Regions, where it can be reflected. It's really worth it.

Moreover, there is no need to worry about its price dropping too much, because, in addition to the external market, the domestic demand is actually large enough. If you want the people in the Tang Dynasty to be like the people in the Song Dynasty, as long as it is an inn, there will be wine for sale, as long as the people are willing to spend money. If you buy it, you can drink it, and the winery's shipments will increase by at least twenty or thirty times.

The more he talked later, the breathing became heavier for Li Shimin and many courtiers. At this moment, they really realized the power of industry and commerce. It can magnify the economic value of some original output by many times and turn waste into treasure.

"Your Majesty, there are many ways to protect the imperial court from damage, and the immediate matter needs to be dealt with in a timely manner." Fang Xuanling pointed to the people under the city wall who still refused to disperse.

"Gao Qing quickly went out of Guanzhong, released the news, and asked the local government warehouses to bid for the grain in the hands of the people. The money will be paid by the Ministry of Finance. If there is not enough cash, you can find a loan from the bank. The grain collected will be handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture to be responsible for storage. From now on, Changping Warehouse will be the only grain storage warehouse in the government. The Ministry of Agriculture will be responsible for storage, the Ministry of Accounts will be responsible for transfers, and the Ministry of Finance will be responsible for approving accounts..."

After the reorganization, it is good, and the efficiency of doing everything is very high, especially in the Guanzhong area, all the departments of the Yamen, and the structure of the bank have been sound. Not only is the efficiency high, but the supervision is also very complete. , within a day or two, it can be implemented immediately.

Afterwards, Li Shimin naturally wanted to show off in person, and refused the guards' isolation. He went down the city wall himself, shook hands with the common people who brought food one by one, and expressed his gratitude to them.

"I know all about the loyalty and patriotism of the elders. On behalf of Datang, I thank you. For the food, you can directly take it to the official warehouse in Chang'an County or Wannian County! I will send people to buy it now, don't you You don’t need money. The imperial court is not short of this money. If you get the money, you need to buy more clothes, farm tools, and livestock. You should also eat more food. Eat more salt and meat. Take care of your body and work. Jin, as long as you live your life well, it will be the greatest help to Datang and me..."

These words came to Sun Xiangfu’s mind urgently when he was going down the tower just now, and reminded him that the common people have money, but they have to spend it to improve their lives. Suppressing, the consumption concept of the ancients is not very strong. They are used to thrift, and they don’t want to throw away the patched clothes that they don’t wear. The agricultural tools are not worn out until they are really unusable, so they won’t replace them.

This is unreasonable in the Tang Dynasty, which is very rich in products. If the population is small and the people are so frugal, the products produced cannot be sold, resulting in a squeeze. vicious circle.

And the faster replacement will not only drive employment, but also make the original productivity stronger, so that more people have the opportunity to work, earn money, and then consume, and will also make the agricultural products grown by farmers in demand. Form a virtuous circle.

When the country stimulates domestic demand, it mainly focuses on the daily consumption of ordinary people. All industries stimulate each other, and those that are demanded cannot be stuck in one link.

These are also some problems that Sun Xiangfu saw after a short chat with the old farmer when he came by car just now. It is not so easy to change the consumption concept of the ancients, just like in later generations, a young man makes a Elderly people spend more money to buy things, don't be so frugal, most of the elderly will not listen.

Therefore, this matter has to be done by Li Shimin. The common people love to listen to his words. After the actual effect, the ministers will also understand the benefits of this policy of stimulating domestic demand. A pool of stagnant water.

During Li Shimin's political show, the ministers should not go to the glory. Seeing Yu Shinan also looked at the scene under the city wall with a gratified expression, Sun Xiangfu stepped forward and said, "Grandfather, the Ministry of Rites should make a special report on the situation here, and publish it in the newspaper." Post an article to publicize your majesty and the imperial court's policies."

Yu Shinan was taken aback when he heard the words, and put away his expression and said, "In the imperial city, you are not allowed to call me grandpa, you should call me an official position. You have to abide by these rules."

"Uh, what Yu Shangshu taught me is that this matter..."

"I'll hand it over."

"Well, please try to write in vernacular as much as possible, so that the common people don't understand."

"Understood, in the future, the Ministry of Rites will use a more straightforward writing method for this kind of announcement documents for the common people, so don't worry! In addition, managing food is not a good job, especially when it also involves interests. The Ministry of Agriculture That piece, the key position, you have to use honest and trustworthy people."

"Ah, what recommendation does Shangshu Yu have?" Sun Xiangfu almost asked by mistake.

"Among the students released by the Hongwen Museum back then, there were quite a few available talents. Now, they have been trained in the local area for a long time, and most of them have completed their three-year term. It is time to transfer back to the center to learn some higher-level management. , In addition, it is time for some new Hongwenguan students to go out to practice."

Hongwenguan is actually a higher-end educational institution than Guozijian. There are only dozens of students in each class, and they are all selected from the royal family and high-ranking officials. The students who come out of the Hongwen Hall are generally directly appointed by the emperor, and their grades are not low. Mastering them is almost a group of high-ranking officials who have mastered the future of the court.

Take the Eighteen Scholars of the Hongwen Museum as an example, the worst performers now are all regular servants on casual horses.And the group released after the first year of Zhenguan, such as Shangguanyi, Liu Yong, Li Xuan, Zhou Huaiwen, etc., served as county magistrates in the localities, or served as directors of meritorious officials in the state capital, and their political achievements were also good. Well, Yu Shinan had another intention to remind Sun Xiangfu in this way.

Don't look at the beaming look in the court now, that's because Datang is now in the rising period of its career, there are many career paths for officials, and there are benefits to be earned from the outside world, and the big bosses of each department have their own share. The cakes can't be eaten up, there is no need to form factions and compete for interests with each other, and when the country develops to a certain level, the situation may not be what it is now.

Sun Xiangfu may not know about other things, but he still knows a little about the party struggles in the Song and Ming Dynasties. How did the party struggles come about?
There is no major event in the country, and when it begins to enter the maturity period, the ascending channel is controlled, and if you want to obtain more benefits, you must start encroaching on other people's interests, which inevitably begins.

Yu Shinan is an old man who has experienced several short-term dynasties. He is now 71 years old. He has a more long-term perspective than Sun Xiangfu. He is currently the youngest senior official in the court. When they are all at the end of their lives, the imperial court is likely to rely on him to be the pillar. They must start early and cultivate a group of young and capable talents on the Internet to ensure that his status can be guaranteed in the future. stable.

Sun Xiangfu actually does not have much wisdom and foresight in politics. He just has seen too many examples of later generations, which leads to a broader perspective and a wider perspective on issues.

Therefore, regarding Yu Shinan's reminder, he took it very seriously. It is not a skill to be able to play well in a time when the ruler is wise and ministers are virtuous. considerations.

(End of this chapter)