December 25th.
As the New Year approached, Chu Qian's memorial reached Liu Hong's desk.
After reading the contents of the memorial, Liu Hong also showed a satisfied smile.
It seems that he had indeed chosen the right people. On their first voyage, Chu Qian and his men had laid a solid foundation for the future overseas expansion of the Han Dynasty.
With these overseas bases in place, it will be much more convenient for the Han Dynasty to launch overseas expeditions and develop overseas immigration in the future.
However, these things will still take a very long time.
After years of steady development, the people of the Han Dynasty are well-fed and clothed, medicine has continued to advance, the infant mortality rate has been greatly reduced in recent years, and the population has exceeded 90 million.
With such a large population, it is the largest in the world at this time, and no country can withstand such a huge population pressure.
However, this population was far from enough for Liu Hong.
The areas of Jiangnan, Nanman, and Liaozhou are still under development, and large tracts of land on the Japanese islands are also vacant, urgently requiring population migration and development.
Furthermore, the Qiang region, the Western Regions, Southeast Asia, and even the Middle East will require a large population to support the empire's hegemony.
"Hmm, it seems it's time to consider some policies to increase the population!"
After putting down the memorial, Liu Hong murmured softly.
"Summon Cao Song, Minister of Revenue; Yang Ci, Minister of Rites; and Hua Tuo, Dong Gan, and Zhang Zhongjing, Doctors of the Medical School, to an audience!!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!!"
Zhang Rang, who was serving nearby, respectfully agreed and then quickly ran out.
Before long, the people who had been summoned arrived at the hall together.
"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"
"Gentlemen, please dispense with the formalities and be seated!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"
After exchanging greetings, Cao Song and the others sat down on either side of Liu Hong.
Liu Hong first looked at Cao Song, the Minister of Revenue, and asked, "Minister Cao, what is the current situation of the national treasury's revenue and expenditure?"
"Your Majesty, grain production is high year after year, and commercial and industrial activities are becoming more and more prosperous. Including the income from road tax, commercial tax, salt and iron, and royal trading companies, the national treasury income, converted into silver coins, can reach seventy million per year."
After deducting expenditures on water conservancy, roads, bridges, and military expenses in various states and counties, there is a surplus of 30 million annually.
Currently, the official granaries and grain depots in various regions have ample grain reserves, enough to guarantee the needs of all the people of the Han Dynasty for two years. There are also 60 million taels of silver remaining, sufficient to cope with any situation!
Cao Song, beaming with pride, briefed Liu Hong on the state treasury situation.
Having managed the purse strings for so many years, Cao Song was overjoyed to finally achieve annual surpluses and substantial reserves, and felt proud to report back.
"Hmm, not bad, thank you for your hard work, Minister Cao!"
Upon hearing Cao Song's report, Liu Hong's face showed a satisfied expression.
Over the years, projects such as the construction of the Grand Canal, the development of shipyards, the building of schools, and the encouragement of invention and innovation have cost a fortune.
Unexpectedly, the national treasury not only did not run into deficit, but its revenue actually increased, which was undoubtedly due in no small part to Cao Song's hard work.
"This is my duty, and I dare not complain!" Cao Song replied with a cheerful smile.
Liu Hong smiled, then looked at Hua Tuo and the others, "Doctors, how is the situation at the medical school regarding childbirth and infant treatment?"
Healthcare is of paramount importance in ensuring the continued growth of the population.
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Hua Tuo spoke first: "Your Majesty, the Department of Surgery at the Medical College has now compiled a set of theories on cesarean sections. After repeated experiments, it can now ensure that most pregnant women can deliver smoothly in the event of dystocia."
"good!!"
Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Dong Gan and Zhang Zhongjing.
Zhang Zhongjing respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the Department of Internal Medicine at the Medical College has now compiled a set of theories on infant health care and the diagnosis and treatment of various common diseases, which can ensure the successful survival of most infants!"
"good!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction. "The medical school can set up a separate maternity and child health hospital, specifically responsible for childbirth and infant care, and recruit a wide range of staff to quickly expand to various counties and prefectures!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Hua Tuo agreed, then looked at Liu Hong with a hesitant expression.
"However, the hospitals affiliated with the medical school are not very profitable. If we want to recruit staff as soon as possible and expand to various counties, the funding will probably be..."
As Liu Hong requested, under the supervision of the Medical Administration Department, hospitals in various counties and prefectures were all non-profit institutions, and ordinary patients only had to pay for some medicine.
As for the doctors' salaries and the hospital's equipment, these were the responsibility of the imperial court and government.
If the scale of expansion is to be expanded, the funding will naturally come from the imperial court and government.
Upon hearing this, Cao Song, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch his lips and also turned his gaze to Liu Hong.
Liu Hong smiled and said, "That's not a problem. The national treasury can provide five million silver coins. As for the shortfall, the local governments will share the cost!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!!"
Upon hearing that the national treasury would only need to pay five million silver coins, Cao Song breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Hong then continued, "The main reason I summoned you all here today is to discuss increasing the population of the Han Dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned serious, and they immediately sat up straight.
In the past, the Han Dynasty's large population might have been a headache for many.
However, with the development of industry, commerce, and shipping, as well as the development of various regions, the Han Dynasty's limited manpower is clearly insufficient.
Population is the foundation of the economy and hegemony, a consensus shared by Liu Hong and his bureaucrats.
Liu Hong then picked up the population registers sent by various local governments and said in a solemn voice:
"According to statistics from various regions, a large number of young people of marriageable age in the Han Dynasty are still unmarried, which is extremely detrimental to increasing the population!"
Cao Song: "Your Majesty is right. Although in recent years, the Han Dynasty has successively introduced more than 600,000 women from Wuhuan, Xiongnu, Goguryeo, Xianbei and other places."
However, all these women were assigned to border soldiers and relocated civilians, leaving most eligible men in the inner prefectures still single.
Liu Hong nodded: "Therefore, we need to intensify our efforts in bringing in women."
Now that Chu Qian and Jian Shuo have begun constructing port bases in the South Seas and opening up new sea routes, the imperial court can order local governments to issue a slave purchase decree to merchants trading in the South Seas, allowing them to buy local women!
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Cao Song nodded in response.
"Of course, besides bringing in women, the most important thing is to encourage married young people to have more children."
After all, more children mean more blessings!
In the end, Liu Hong couldn't help but laugh out loud.
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