Since ancient times, feudal dynasties have always valued agriculture and suppressed commerce, and this was the case in Jiang Ming's previous life!
The stated reason is that merchants prioritize profit over morality, do not produce any social value, and merely exploit value in the process of trade, living a parasitic existence.
If everyone goes into business, wouldn't that mean no one is doing their proper job?
Some people complain that their ancestors were old-fashioned and did not know how to develop commercial civilization because of this.
If commercial civilization had been developed earlier, we might have entered a capitalist society much sooner and been at the forefront of the world.
But thinking this way actually overlooks a fundamental logic.
The reason our ancestors made these choices was because they learned lessons through blood and tears.
A country and a nation must solidify their most fundamental elements, which are food and soldiers!
Once these two basic points are met, then we can discuss other things...
If you allow these two foundations to be shaken simply for the sake of commercial civilization or economic development, then others can easily crush you!
It's like a tall building; no matter how beautiful or magnificent it is, if it loses its load-bearing beams, it will collapse immediately with just one kick!
Therefore, the truth of history is not as simple as "emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce," but rather that everything else had to take a backseat except for agriculture...
However, this is the era that Jiang Ming traveled to.
It was in the transitional period from slave society to feudal society...
Many countries have suffered severe beatings, yet the lessons learned from those beatings have not been profound.
Like the states of Wu and Chu, there were still many slaves and human sacrifice practices in the country. In addition, Wu was rich in resources and had a sufficient supply of rice, so it did not fully realize the danger of "agriculture dying in one fell swoop".
On the surface, after Jiang Ming implemented the gold standard monetary system, he standardized the types of currency throughout the world, accelerated the circulation of goods, and avoided ineffective internal economic friction.
But in reality, it also firmly secured the economic lifeline of the nations.
Because if you want to counterfeit gold coins, you must have gold; otherwise, people won't recognize your work!
Gold is rare and therefore valuable, playing an irreplaceable role in stabilizing market prices.
By adopting the gold standard, Jiang Ming firmly controlled the ability to mobilize resources from all over the world.
Sometimes, relying solely on force is unreliable. In the past, attacking other countries and forcing them to hand over certain things was not only costly but also lacked stability!
But if you control the economic lifeline and understand human nature, the other party will obediently hand over what you want!
After securing the money, Jiang Ming began to tout the virtues of everything from the Wu Kingdom!
The jade, lacquerware, armor, wood, and clothing of the Wu Kingdom are excellent; even their baskets are well-woven!
Originally, the Wu Kingdom was far from the Central Plains cultural sphere, and many areas were relatively backward.
However, Jiang Ming's praise was irresistible... Countries flocked to buy, greatly boosting the development of Wu's handicrafts and manufacturing industries.
The agricultural population of the entire Wu Kingdom also decreased significantly, with a large number of people flocking to small workshops to make various tools and handicrafts.
If there is a food shortage, we can simply buy it from other countries...
Everything can be a "boiling frog" scenario.
After Jiang Ming moved the capital to Dukang, he advocated that all countries should be one family... and that all countries should exchange goods and help each other. Each country had specific "duties" and "obligations".
The states of Chu, Wei, and Han occupied the most fertile land in the Central Plains, which they specialized in producing grain.
The State of Zhao, relying on its abundant coal resources, became the provider of heating for the entire world.
People didn't know the benefits of coal before, but once they started using it, they found it was much better than wood!
Large quantities of coal also flowed into the Wu Kingdom, further accelerating the extension of various industrial chains in Wu Kingdom... and further reducing the decline in the agricultural population.
Two full years later.
In the Wu Kingdom, practically no one was growing grain anymore, or to be more precise... the rice produced was simply not enough to feed the entire population.
Large numbers of rice paddies have been converted into mulberry fields or tea plantations... People have all gone to work elsewhere, and only those who are truly incompetent and know nothing else go to grow rice.
The economy of Wu also developed rapidly, becoming the richest country among the states, even surpassing the most prosperous state of Qi!
The King of Wu was also very pleased with this wealth, saying that the people of Wu were clever, and that they could make a lot of money by manufacturing simple things!
With Wu's current economic strength, buying up the entire world wouldn't be a problem!
It seems that Jiang Ming, this so-called Uncle Fang, has really chickened out!
This is quite good; we can subdue the enemy without fighting!
However, just as Jiang Ming learned that Wu's recent grain production was still insufficient to meet the consumption of one-sixth of the population, he realized that the time was almost right and it was time to harvest!
He immediately imposed economic sanctions on the State of Wu, citing the fact that the King of Wu had not come to Dukang to pay homage to Ji Bochang every year!
Completely blockade Wu's trade, forbidding any other state from selling even a single grain of food to Wu!
Furthermore, troops were stationed on the border to prevent the Wu Kingdom from launching a counterattack if they became desperate due to hunger!
This completely baffled the Wu Kingdom!
It is true that the State of Wu was rich in the world, but the grain stored in its reserves and the rice in its paddy fields were simply not enough to feed them.
Jiang Ming's timing in ordering the sanctions was rather unethical; he deliberately chose a time when the rice was not yet ripe, which exacerbated the famine in Wu!
Whether it's arable land or rice paddies, these things can't be made to produce food immediately just because you want them to. There's a cycle of a year or half a year!
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
