"I have finished reading the book, 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature', that my sister-in-law gave me. The content of this book is very helpful to the Dai Viet Dynasty. I would like to thank Princess Rui on behalf of the Dai Viet royal family and the people. I would like to offer a glass of tea to my sister-in-law instead of wine." The prince first expressed his gratitude, then raised his teacup to toast Ye Han.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is too polite. This is what I should do as a member of the Dai Viet Dynasty. After all, who doesn't want their country to get better and better?" Ye Han said as he picked up the teacup and drank the tea in it.
"Hahaha, what a great sentence! I hope my country will get better and better. It is an honor for the Great Viet Dynasty to have my sister-in-law here." The prince laughed heartily for a few times, and then said seriously.
"My father and I came here this time because we are planning to vigorously develop these things after reading 'The Exploitation of the Works of Nature'. I came here this time to listen to any good suggestions from my brother and sister-in-law." The prince did not act arrogantly in front of Ye Han and only used "I" to refer to himself.
"My suggestion? Your Highness, I am actually just an ordinary citizen in the flower-growing family. I don't have much knowledge of this kind."
"But that is a world that is thousands of years beyond the present. Your vision and thinking are still worth learning from." The prince said truthfully.
This was indeed the case. Regardless, Ye Han had grown up standing on the shoulders of giants. Even if she were just an ordinary person, her opinions and suggestions would have made the ancients' eyes light up. This wasn't a gap in IQ, but a gap in cognition or experience.
To be honest, the wisdom of the ancients is really no less than that of modern people. In fact, in many aspects, modern people cannot catch up. However, the lessons learned from thousands of years and the cognitive gap are real.
So even if Ye Han's words were superficial and lacked systematic knowledge, they were still valuable to the rulers of the Dai Viet Dynasty, and they might have saved them from many detours. One must know that sometimes the price of a slight mistake was the change of dynasties.
Ye Han nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, "Your Highness, what are your initial thoughts?"
"My initial idea is to give priority to the development of agriculture-related things. After all, food is the primary need of the people, and agriculture has been the top priority of all dynasties." The prince did not hide anything and expressed his initial idea.
Ye Han nodded and continued to ask, "Then what?"
"The second is the textile industry. Let's have enough food and warm clothing. Let's solve the basic problems of the people first." The prince frowned after he finished speaking.
"Why is the prince frowning? Does he feel something is wrong?"
"I'm debating whether to start researching weapons and armor in the first batch. Military strength is important, but starting with so many at once will strain the national treasury."
Ye Han thought for a while and said, "Your Highness, from my perspective, I think we should prioritize the development of agriculture and the military. The textile industry can be postponed for two years, or we can simply allow the private sector to participate in some of the textile industry to reduce the pressure on the national treasury."
"Can I hear the reason?" The prince seemed to vaguely understand why Ye Han said that, but there seemed to be a fog around him.
"First, developing agriculture is like what you said, Prince. Food is the primary need of the people. Grain has always been the foundation of a country's survival. Therefore, it is unquestionable to give priority to developing agriculture and promoting increased grain production."
"Secondly, a country cannot just have money and food; it must also have the strength to protect itself, otherwise its food will always be taken away by others.
Although Dai Viet's military strength is no weaker than the other two countries, and even during my father's reign, it has shown a tendency to surpass the other two countries, no one can say for sure whether Dai Viet can withstand the joint attack of the two countries.
Although the three kingdoms signed a peace treaty during the reign of the previous emperor, will this treaty still be effective if there are sufficiently large interests involved?"
The Crown Prince and Yue Chengyu both fell into deep thought. The Crown Prince pondered, wondering if the other two countries would be tempted to seize high-yield grains and technologies to increase production. He ultimately concluded that, yes, he would. When war offered sufficient benefits, he wouldn't care about treaties. Anyone who claimed they wouldn't start a war was saying it was unprofitable.
The prince nodded secretly after thinking it through, and then said, "What did my sister-in-law mean by allowing the people to participate in the textile industry? Does it mean to encourage business?"
"I can't say it's encouragement, but the policy of prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce can slightly relax restrictions on merchants. But supporting commerce is not appropriate now, at least not in the current Dai Viet Dynasty."
Ye Han frowned at the Crown Prince and continued, "Merchants are not completely useless. At the very least, they play an irreplaceable role in the circulation of goods. At the same time, merchants are extremely sensitive to what people need and often react much faster than the government. Furthermore, in order to make their products stand out from other similar products, they will constantly upgrade their appearance and functions, thereby promoting the continuous upgrading of technology."
"Another point. Regarding employment, appropriate commerce can greatly help promote employment. When people have jobs, they earn money, and when they have money, they spend it. Because of this consumption, various industries, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation, will further expand, and new jobs will be created. This forms a virtuous cycle. And the government can collect taxes at every stage... Do you understand?"
Ye Han's mouth was dry as she spoke. If someone didn't understand, there was nothing she could do. This little bit of information had already drained away everything she had seen, heard, and known from various channels. She really couldn't add any more.
"I understand, but won't merchants arbitrarily raise prices when they become big? How can this be solved?"
"This is a simple question. The lifeblood of the country must be firmly in the hands of the state, such as grain, salt, iron ore, etc.
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