Chapter 556 Don’t Buy Land If You Have Money
Yang Jinshui, who was elected as the honorary chairman of the Ming Federation of Industry and Commerce, glanced at everyone and continued speaking.

“The Emperor has written an inscription for our Ming Dynasty Federation of Industry and Commerce: prosperity, justice, and harmony. His divine intention is profound!

First of all, we want to be rich and strong. We traveled far and wide, engaged in trade with foreign merchants, and worked hard to build factories.

We work so hard, endure the wind and rain, for what?

Yang Jinshui paused deliberately.

He looked at more than 300 pairs of expectant eyes, waited for ten seconds, whetted everyone’s appetite, and then continued: “The emperor gave us a definition, that is, prosperity and strength. Enriching the people and strengthening the country!
This is the significance of our development of industry and commerce!”

Once Yang Jinshui’s fire of noble values ​​was ignited, the spirits of everyone present were lifted.

The representatives from various regions who were able to form the Federation of Industry and Commerce were, of course, all outstanding from the crowd. They were all educated and had a sense of patriotism.

In the past, in order to make a living, they could only work as merchants, which was considered a lowly profession by the world. They were ridiculed by scholars and were under great mental pressure.

Now the Emperor has decreed that everything you do is for the purpose of enriching the people and strengthening the country.

It turns out that what we do is so meaningful, and a sense of pride suddenly rose in my heart.

“What do the words ‘justice’ written by the emperor himself mean?” Yang Jinshui continued, “It’s very simple. The most basic way for us to develop industry and commerce, and to enrich the people and strengthen the country, is to enrich the national treasury.

Since the 46th year of Jiajing, the previously tight treasury has gradually become more abundant. Repairing rivers, building city walls, paving roads and building bridges, providing for the elderly and orphans. In addition, the southeastern Japanese invaders have been eliminated, the northern borders have been peaceful, and the South China Sea has been developed. Without a rich treasury, so many great achievements could not have been made.

It can be said that our Federation of Industry and Commerce has made great contributions to the revival of the Ming Dynasty.

So with every sip and every bite, the more you give, the more you should gain!
The emperor personally wrote the word “fairness” and everyone should understand it.”

As soon as Yang Jinshui finished speaking, everyone present showed surprise.

There must be rewards for your efforts, this is justice!
This is the emperor’s promise to us!
But when will this promise be fulfilled?
Yang Jinshui saw through everyone’s thoughts and said with a smile: “We are all businessmen. We know that if there is buying, there must be selling. If there is profit, there must be loss. If we gain, others will lose. So we can’t be impatient. We have to let the emperor make the plan.”

It was explained so clearly that everyone present was smart and understood it immediately.

If benefits are bestowed on industrialists and businessmen, the scholars and Confucian scholars will certainly not be happy. Now there are still local gentry in the officialdom, and they are still the main ones.

It would be bad if you act too hastily.

Yang Jinshui continued, “Everyone, the word fairness is not only the emperor’s imperial pen, but also the emperor’s promise. The emperor sees who is contributing to the Ming Dynasty.
I believe that in the near future, the emperor will give everyone fair treatment.”

Zhu Yijun stood in the corner, blending in inconspicuously among the crowd.

Yang Jinshui is right about this.

To enrich the people and strengthen the country, we must rely on industry, not on words or pens…

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun suddenly had an idea. Yang Jinshui was right!

In fact, his goal was the same as Zhang Juzheng’s, which was to make the Ming Dynasty rich and strong.

But right now the biggest disagreement between him and me is about how to achieve it.

Zhang Juzheng was limited by history and believed that it was only necessary to clean up the bureaucracy and curb the annexation of powerful people; implement the Single Whip System to make the tax system as fair as possible; and use Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism to improve the moral standards of the court and the people… and then the goal of enriching the people and strengthening the country could be achieved.

I must make him understand that the only way to enrich the people and strengthen the country is to develop industry and commerce and run real businesses.

His method is just to change the pattern of dividing the cake so that the cake can be divided more fairly.

It is just a stopgap measure that only treats the symptoms but not the root cause.

The real solution is to improve productivity, make the cake big enough, and quietly change the pattern of dividing the cake while making the cake bigger.

He must be made to understand as soon as possible what the fundamental way to enrich the people and strengthen the country is. He is a man of great wisdom, perseverance, means and courage. As long as he understands this, the Ming Dynasty’s new policy reform will be on the fast track.

How can I make him understand?
People can’t teach others, but things can be taught by others.

Zhu Yijun thought of a solution in his mind.

Yang Jinshui continued on stage: “Harmony is even simpler. Harmony brings wealth.”

This harmony seems the simplest, but it is actually the most difficult to explain. Even Yang Jinshui finds it difficult to explain it thoroughly.

harmonious!

I will treat you fairly, but you must remember one thing: what I give you is yours, and you cannot take it away for yourself.

If you want to play beheading and hanging street lamps in the Ming Dynasty, it is absolutely not possible!
So you can fight with each other, but you must fight without breaking each other!
How can Yang Jinshui explain the subtle mystery behind these two words?
So he quickly changed the subject.

“With the support of representatives of wise men from all over the country, the Ming Federation of Industry and Commerce was established. The next step is to establish the Federation of Industry and Commerce in each province. The two capitals of the north and south, Zhili, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong are the top priorities.

Shanghai stands out, and the council’s decision means that in addition to the Jiangsu Federation of Industry and Commerce, a separate Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce will be established.”

Everyone was whispering and talking quietly.

Someone with a curious mind asked, “Eunuch Yang, what are the rules and regulations for the local Federation of Industry and Commerce? How are they established?”

Yang Jinshui replied with a smile: “The same constitution is adopted by the members of each provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce. All factories, businesses, banks, transportation agencies and other industries that pay more than 500 silver dollars in annual taxes can become members.

The detailed rules and regulations will be issued by the Secretariat of the Federation of Industry and Commerce Council.

The members of the Federation of Industry and Commerce registered in a certain place have the right to nominate the directors of the Federation of Industry and Commerce of that province. The number of directors of the Federation of Industry and Commerce of a province is between ten and fifteen, depending on the number of members in the province.

Ten members jointly nominate a candidate. All candidates take turns to go on stage and give a speech to the members, telling them how they can help everyone after becoming a director.
Then the members voted in secret, one vote per person, and wrote down the names of the candidates they wanted to be directors and put them in the ballot box. The top ten to fifteen with the most votes were elected as directors.

After that, the directors will elect a chairman and three to five vice-chairmen. It is still the same method. Each director will go on stage to give a speech to the members, saying how they will lead everyone to continue to grow and become stronger and create more glory after becoming the chairman and vice-chairman.

Then the members vote in the same way, the one with the most votes becomes the chairman, the one with the second most votes becomes the vice chairman, and so on.”

Some people say that true democratic elections in the West began with the election of parish priests by Protestants.

Protestantism is the great rebellious son of Catholicism. Protestants are also rebellious and have to discuss everything. The priests of the parish are elected by the believers one level at a time. Through elections, the spirit of modern democratic elections is cultivated.

This is amazing! I will also cultivate the spirit of democratic election among the people of the Ming Dynasty, starting with the Federation of Industry and Commerce.

It is better to unblock than to block. I am at the forefront of the times, leading the pace of the times, and creating freedom, democracy and equality with the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty.

As long as I run fast, the guillotine can’t catch up with me!
Yang Jinshui continued on the stage: “In the coming days, Chairman Song of the Ming Federation of Industry and Commerce, the five vice chairmen and the directors of the board of directors will go to each province to guide the election of local federations of industry and commerce.

Another point is that colleagues elected as directors of the Daming Federation of Industry and Commerce cannot be nominated as directors, chairmen, or vice chairmen by local federations of industry and commerce. “

Everyone discussed it quietly and felt it was very reasonable.

This way there will be more vacancies and more opportunities for everyone, which is a good thing!

After Yang Jinshui made a few remarks, he invited Song Yingqing, chairman of the Ming Federation of Industry and Commerce and one of the emperor’s fathers-in-law, to speak.

Song Yingqing spoke a lot of encouraging words and then announced a big event.

“After the meeting of the Federation of Industry and Commerce, the first major decision was to propose the establishment of the Zhili Railway Company to raise funds to build the Datong Railway from Dagu via Tianjin to Tongzhou, and the Tongluan Railway from Luanzhou to Tongzhou.”

Build a railway?
Is it the freight train that’s powered by mules, donkeys, cows, and horses, and pulled on two railroad tracks?

It has to be said that it has been used in the port area for several years and is indeed useful, saving a lot of manpower and costs. But Dagu to Tongzhou, Tongzhou to Luanzhou, is more than a thousand miles long. Why did they suddenly think of building such a long railway?

After hearing everyone’s questions, Song Yingqing explained: “Luanzhou’s industry is booming now, and the biggest bottleneck for development is transportation. Oxen pulling and people carrying things on shoulders, according to Shixin’s saying, is too inefficient.

The railway has been used in Wusong, Ningbo, Xiangjiang, Tashan Port and other port areas for six or seven years, and the effect has been good.

Later, the Wusong-Shanghai and Tashan-Guangning railways were expanded and used for three or four years, with very good results. In particular, the Tashan-Guangning railway strongly supported the construction of western Liaoning and the Liaohe River, with remarkable achievements.

The Surveying and Mapping Bureau has been surveying and mapping the geography from Luanhe River to Tongzhou and Tongzhou Dagu. Now that the route surveys of the two railways are completed, the roadbed laying work can begin.
The total capital of Zhili Railway Company was 4.4 million yen, of which the Shaofujian contributed 2 million yen, and the four banks of Huijin, Fuguo, Tongshang and Huimin contributed a total of 1.2 million yen. The remaining 1.2 million yen was publicly sold at 1 yen per share.

The citizens of the Ming Dynasty, regardless of gender, age or place of origin, can purchase the shares in an anonymous form and can be resold. The prospectus of the Zhili Railway Company has been printed and is available for collection.

It contains detailed information on the routes of the two railways, intermediate stations, construction plans, profits and income, etc.”

People present didn’t care much about it. It was just two animal-powered railways. Was it necessary to make such a big fuss about it?

They didn’t care, but Zhu Yijun, who was in the crowd, cared very much.

The first railway in the Ming Dynasty will certainly encounter various problems and it is estimated that it will take three to five years to complete.

Huang Daolin has already made some progress in converting the steam engine from a vertical to a horizontal one. He will be able to assemble a steam engine within three to five years. By then, the vehicles running on the railway will not be animal-drawn vehicles, but steam locomotives.

The efficiency is incomparable, and the ability to make money is also vastly different.

These two railways will become cash cows and treasure pots.

The steam engine was assembled so quickly?
The First Industrial Revolution had the lowest threshold and the lowest technological content.

There is no need for electricity and electromagnetism, organic chemistry and polymer chemistry, calculus and Newton’s three laws of motion. All you need is coal and iron, and then great effort to make miracles happen.

Looking at the inventors who changed human history during the First Industrial Revolution, most of them were craftsmen, with little theoretical knowledge but strong hands-on skills.

Many inventions that have boosted human productivity were created through their hard work.

Taiyuan and Luanzhou have no shortage of coal and iron.

There was no shortage of craftsmen either. He gathered the best craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty together and, over the course of nearly ten years, forced them to change their previous lax habits and cultivate good habits such as recording at any time and repeating experiments.

Unified the precise measurement standards. The vernier caliper has been around since the Eastern Han Dynasty. After some improvements, it can make measurements more precise.

More importantly, you know where the right direction is.

Around the first industrial revolution, people spent the most time on trial and error.

Just like finding a way in the dark, you have to try almost all the roads before you can find the right one.

Now that I am in the Ming Dynasty, there is no need to test it. The direction I point to must be correct because I am standing on the foreheads of many historical giants.

The meeting was very lively and the atmosphere became increasingly relaxed.

Someone started to make a fuss, “Yang God of Wealth, please show us another way to get rich.”

Yang Jinshui thought for a moment and said, “Okay, since we are all gathered together today, I will mention this. After we leave this door, I will not acknowledge that I said this.”

“Good!” Everyone cheered and gathered around, listening carefully. The hall immediately became quiet.

“Everyone has some wealth, and many people have begun to squander it and build up their family business. Let me remind you that you can open a new factory, expand your business, buy a house, raise a troupe, and take concubines, but you must not buy land.”

Yang Jinshui’s words made the hall even quieter.

After a silence of more than ten seconds, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Eunuch Yang, why?”

Yang Jinshui did not give a direct answer, but added: “If you must buy land, you should learn from Fan Wencheng of Suzhou and put the land you bought in the name of the ancestral hall as charity land for the clan.”

No one asked why anymore, everyone was thinking carefully about what Yang Jinshui said.

Zhu Yijun walked around in the crowd, claiming to be the son of a noble family, and had a free buffet meal. He also had a pleasant chat with more than a dozen representatives of the Federation of Industry and Commerce from Luanzhou, Taiyuan, Datong, Shandong, Jiangnan, and Guangdong and Guangxi.

Finally, Zhu Yijun quietly went to the fourth floor and met with Yang Jinshui, Song Yingqing, Zhou Muxian and other presidents and vice presidents of the Federation of Industry and Commerce.

Before leaving, Zhu Yijun said to Yang Jinshui and Song Yingqing: “In the name of the Shaofu Supervisor and the Ming Federation of Industry and Commerce, you invite me and Master Zhang to do a survey in Luanzhou.”

Research?

Yang Jinshui and Song Yingqing immediately responded: “Yes!”

After returning to the Western Garden, Zhu Yijun asked someone to deliver the sour plum powder and other snacks he had bought to Xue Baoqin, Song Liuli and other concubines. He changed into a leisure suit and just arrived at the Ziguang Pavilion, a pile of memorials and petitions surrounded him.

“Mr. Hai has arrived in Nanjing? He is determined to conceal his true intentions to the end!”

“The Xu family was betrayed by their family? Interesting.”

family!
What a familiar name, as friendly as leeks.

(End of this chapter)