Chapter 54 Economic Control
"Qi silk and Lu silk, that is, wearing white clothes and eating grain."
Wei Shengxue started with a story that the other party was more familiar with.
"Civilians who should have been producing grain are now producing silk. As a result, there's less grain and more silk. Isn't it just like the silk is eating up the grain?"
This was said simply and directly, and Ying Zheng understood it immediately.
"Sheep eating horses means that people who used to raise horses on the grassland will be forced to raise sheep instead."
He stood up and took two steps, unable to contain his excitement, and shouted, "Call Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Meng Tian, and the Doctor of Diplomacy."
This plan is very good, but there are many factors to consider before it can be implemented, and it needs more people to discuss it.
"Fellow Daoist, please tell me more later."
Weishengxue had no objection to this. It made no difference whether he said it now or later. It was just that the topic had deviated to this point.
After receiving the order, several people came rushing over immediately and entered the Hall of Longevity in a short while.
The atmosphere of a group discussion is naturally different from that of a private chat between two people, so when they came over, they went directly to the outer study where the meeting was held.
"Greetings to His Majesty, and to the Immortal."
"No need to be polite, please take a seat." He then looked at Wei Shengxue and said, "Fellow Daoist, we may begin."
Wei Shengxue will first simply repeat what was said before, because the examples are simple and easy to understand and do not require much explanation.
The fighting power of nomadic peoples relies largely on their numerous cavalry. In addition, the cavalry are fast and highly mobile, so soldiers stationed nearby often have to wait until they have finished robbing and left before they can arrive.
They were now using the tactics of Li Mu, the famous Zhao general: luring the enemy deep into their territory, then shutting the gates and beating them. They were also building tall walls along the border to prevent harassment from the steppe cavalry.
Generally speaking, it is a passive approach with static control.
Wei Shengxue said, "It's human nature to pursue profit. When you find that raising sheep on the same piece of land is more profitable, you will naturally raise more sheep and reduce the number of horses."
"The Xiongnu are not the people of our Great Qin, how can they listen to us?"
Wei Shengxue: "Qi State didn't force the common people of Lu State to weave silk, so why did they all do it?"
"Of course it's because..." Meng Tian understood halfway through his words.
But the question is, can the Qin Dynasty eat so much wool?
If we were to spend a huge amount of money to purchase wool and then ship it back, I'm afraid the cost would be no less than sending troops directly.
"So we need to open up the market. We can use the money we earn from selling wool sweaters and other items to buy wool, process it, and then sell it, forming a complete industrial chain. This will provide a large number of jobs, stimulate the domestic economic cycle, and control the economic lifeline of other ethnic groups. It's a win-win situation."
Meng Tian's eyes were filled with dizziness: What what what?
He could understand the first part, and the rest was all familiar language, so how come he didn't know what he was saying?
Wei Shengxue was attracted by this overly outstanding and conspicuous bag, and glanced at the other people who seemed calm and composed, and it was unclear what they were thinking.
I see, they didn't understand.
"Is there anyone working in economics? If not, then someone working in business, please come and get one."
The Qin Dynasty prioritized agriculture over commerce, and while there were commercial talents, they did exist, but...
"He will be the heir of Ji Ran's family."
The Ji Ran School, also known as the Light and Heavy School, studied political economy and emphasized the use of economic means to deal with enemy forces. However, because the reforms of various countries coincidentally suppressed commerce, the school was not a large one and had even fewer members.
If Ying Zheng didn't have an obsessive-compulsive disorder of collecting ideas, it would be hard to say whether he could find anyone from Ji Ran's family in Xianyang City.
On the other side, Shi Ling, the heir of the Ji Ran family, who was bored to death at home, was fiddling with his abacus again.
Thinking about how to expand the family business and make more money.
Those who are doing well, like Fan Li, make money wherever they go; those who are doing poorly, like Shi Ling, can barely support their families by running a few shops.
Fortunately, the Qin Dynasty did not prohibit officials from engaging in business, otherwise their entire family would have starved to death.
When the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict arrived, Shi Ling pulled his sleeves and negotiated a two-cent discount with the other party.
"Look at the color and appearance of this, there's no other place like it in Xianyang. Whether it's a gift or displayed to entertain guests, it's an extremely impressive item."
At this time, the purchasing power of Qin Banliang was not low, and it was not an expensive piece of fine craftsmanship. The customers were not willing to spend more money for this special thing and turned around and left.
"Hey, hey, hey, one cent, I'll give you a discount!" Shi Ling rushed out and grabbed the man, looking like he had suffered a great loss.
This behavior was no different from that of an ordinary vendor, so the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict did not dare to step forward for a moment, for fear of recognizing the wrong person.
"But Mr. Shi Ling from Ji Ran's family is here in person?"
Shi Ling had actually noticed these people who didn't fit in here a long time ago, but since they didn't say anything, he didn't want to meddle in other people's business and just turned a blind eye. But he asked about Ji Ran's family!
"I am! I am a disciple of the Ji Ran family!"
My ancestor, my Ji Ran family is also going to make a name for itself!
The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was dressed conspicuously. As an official of the Qin Dynasty, he still had some common sense in officialdom.
His Majesty must be thinking of Ji Ran’s family!
In front of several major schools of thought such as Legalism, Confucianism, and Mohism, His Majesty specifically asked to see Ji Ran's disciples!
Master, I have made it!
"Please wait a moment, eunuch. I will go wash up and see Your Majesty immediately."
Shi Ling also knew that it was not appropriate for him to go before the emperor in his current state. Although the Qin Dynasty did not care about this, what if something happened? The Ji Ran family had been waiting for this opportunity for hundreds of years, and no mistakes were allowed.
It took quite some time for the eunuch to find someone, but it didn't matter if he took a moment longer. He just said, "Go quickly and come back soon. His Majesty is waiting."
Who dares to keep His Majesty the First Emperor waiting?
Upon hearing this, Shi Ling's already fast movements became even faster.
"Da Lang, quickly go and call your father over and ask him to look after the store for a while. I need to go to the palace to see His Majesty."
When Shi Jia Dalang heard this, his first reaction was, "Dad, you are daydreaming again."
Being highly valued by the king is a dream that all frustrated people have had. However, for the disciples of prominent schools, it is a goal, but for their small sects, it is just a dream.
Shi Ling raised his hand and slapped him on the back of the head. "You bastard, you're going to eliminate your own father! This time, the eunuchs are really here. Hurry up and go!"
In less than half a minute, Shi Ling put on his official uniform and walked out quickly. He nodded to the eunuch and said, "Excuse me, eunuch."
The national taxation is in charge of the Internal Affairs of Grain. The Qin Dynasty does not neglect commerce. Why would there be a need to use Ji Ran's family?
…
"What does the Ji Ran family do?"
In the Hall of Longevity, Weishengxue asked this.
Ji Ran's family... well, what a coincidence, no one knows about it.
Wang Jian looked at the sky. Ah, it was indeed the sky of the Changsheng Palace, so clear.
Meng Tian looked at the ground and saw that there were not even any ants on the ground. It was amazing.
Wang Ben looked at the clothes and said, "Oh, this sachet made by my granddaughter looks so beautiful."
So his eyes fell on the only civil servant in the audience.
The descendant of the Zongheng family: ...I really want to thank you.
"The Ji Ran family, also known as the Qingzhong family, is said to have been worshipped by Fan Li as his teacher. They value commerce and believe in using it to stop war."
After saying this, he shut up.
As a small school within a small school, if he didn't have such a wide range of knowledge, he wouldn't even be able to come up with these few words.
Where on earth did Your Majesty collect these little people from?
The group of people drank tea, and drank tea again and again in this awkward silence.
After waiting for three refills of tea, the person finally arrived.
Ying Zheng: "Send it quickly."
Also coming in was the Internal Secretary Zhisu, who was coming to see Your Majesty with government affairs.
"sit."
Seeing this, Zhisui Nei Shi stuffed the memorial into his sleeve as if he was in the right place, found a place to sit down, and waited for the immortal to give him some special treatment.
Zhi Su Nei Shi: As for luck, it depends on me.
Shi Ling originally thought that he only needed to follow the instructions since there was a big boss leading the way, but he didn't expect that in the blink of an eye he would be facing His Majesty alone.
"Ji Ran's family Shi Ling, I pay my respects to your Majesty and meet the immortal."
"No thanks." Ying Zheng said solemnly, "Tell me in half a minute."
Say? What?
Shi Ling shuddered. Is His Majesty going to listen to Ji Ran's family's advice?
"Your Majesty, the Ji Ran family was founded by our ancestor Ji Ran..."
Wei Shengxue took notes on the side: he advocated the development of commerce and the circulation of goods, so that people from all walks of life in the country could profit and ultimately achieve the goal of national prosperity.
Adjust domestic commerce in the name of the court; use commercial means to subvert enemy countries and avoid war; motivate soldiers with rewards, and all foreign wars will be profitable.
She changed the description of the key points she wrote down: macroeconomic regulation, economic sanctions, and war profiteering.
Weishengxue: 666, they are so good at it.
It turns out there is nothing new under the sun.
But there is no market for such big men here. Is it because of different customs and politics, or is it because the economic foundation is not strong enough to support it?
Wei Shengxue liked Shi Ling very much, and she felt that this person should be able to understand what she said directly.
"Macro-control...economic sanctions...make money from war..." Shi Ling looked at the twelve words written by the immortal.
He couldn't help but let out a wry smile, "The Immortal is so talented. I studied so hard for years, but I can't even compare to the Immortal's few words. I really brought shame upon myself."
Except for the last sentence which is too straightforward, the others can be said to have fully revealed the core ideas and methods of Ji Ranxue.
I thought this meeting was a complete failure, but I didn't expect that after hearing his words, other people's eyes lit up even more.
He really understands!
"Mr. Shi, please take a seat. This plan is only possible for you." If Ying Zheng could coax people into action, the power he could bring could be seen from what happened to Wang Jian before the war to destroy Chu.
When Shi Ling saw this for the first time, he was so confused that he wanted to sacrifice his life to repay the king.
Wei Shengxue: "How many people are there in Daqin?"
The Minister of Grain, who was in charge of taxation, said without hesitation: "Four million and eight hundred thousand households." There were certain discrepancies in the lands of the original six kingdoms.
Weishengxue asked again: "How many people?" I don't understand.
The Internal Secretary Zhi Su was stunned for a moment before answering, "About 20 million."
Wei Shengxue: "If we give ten of them one sweater each, even if we shear all the sheep in Daqin, it still wouldn't be enough to supply them all."
The world's largest population is enough to create an equally large market.
Zhi Su Nei Shi shook his head and said, "This is too arbitrary." Many people in Guizhou had to take turns wearing clothes that they could wear outside, let alone buy sweaters.
Wei Shengxue: "Goal, this is the goal. With the current productivity, it's hard to even support ourselves, let alone expand the market. But you have to eat one bite at a time. If you make a good start, the rest will be easier."
"Let's set a small goal first: to encourage more sheep to be raised on the grasslands."
Shi Ling clenched his fist: I know this question!
"Nomadic peoples are formed by the gathering of different tribes, and then the most powerful one is elected as the leader, who is called Khan."
The heir of the Zongheng family pricked up his ears: Different forces? The DNA is moving!
"Large tribes, small tribes, nobles, and herders—their interests aren't always the same."
The heir of the Zongheng family: Brothers, it’s time to work!
Wei Shengxue picked up the teapot and poured it onto the ground. Some yellow tea leaves fell to the ground.
"The next thing to talk about is how to use tea to control nomadic peoples."
"I'll be clear in advance that this is purely theoretical, and you'll have to figure out the details."
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