Speaking of economists in ancient China, Guan Zhong is the first to be mentioned.
Qi State is located on the coast of the East China Sea, and the area of arable land in the plains is not as good as that of the Central Plains countries. Coupled with the salinization of the land, there is basically no way out for the development of agriculture.
"The land is fertile and the people are few", and they are extremely poor.
How can we live a good life? Guan Zhong set the national policy for the development of Qi State: "Trading trade and industry will lead to the benefit of fish and salt." Then Qi's economy took off and the ancient Spring and Autumn Period version of "reform and opening up" was carried out.
It must be mentioned that the four occupational groups of "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce" were first proposed by Guan Zhong, and he divided the administrative region of the "country" into 21 townships, of which "six are the townships of industry and commerce", which is equivalent to Ancient "economic development zone". He turned nearly one-third of Qi into a "special economic zone" window and concentrated all industrial and commercial practitioners across the country into the six circles he drew.
This was an epoch-making feat, enough to make Guan Zhong forever immortalized in history.
Of course, Guan Zhong is most famous for his creation of "Nvlu" as the originator of the custom industry, and for imposing high "special industry taxes" on brothels and brothels...
Reduce the tax burden and benefit the people, "50% of the land rent and 20% of the city tax", the tax rate in the commercial industry is more than half lower than the tax rate in agriculture, and "shops do not tax", that is, renting a house in the market There is no tax on storing goods, which also speeds up the flow of commerce.
"What is levied at the customs level should not be levied on the city; what is levied on the city should not be levied at the customs level." If tariffs are levied on imported materials, no transaction tax will be levied; if transaction taxes are levied on exported materials, no tariffs will be levied. . "Close several inspections but not levy", which means only inspections are carried out in the import and export links but no taxes are levied.
This is almost the earliest duty-free zone in the world...
Since Guan Zhong's reign, Qi's national power has become stronger and stronger, and it has become the overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period.
This shows the importance of economic principles.
However, in Chinese history, there were very few talents such as Guan Zhong who were proficient in economics, and even fewer people who could govern the country with this. The reason is probably because the economic approach runs counter to the realm of Confucianism and has always been regarded as a lowly art...
Ma Zhou is indeed talented, but this talent refers to his ability to do things and his mental level. It by no means means that Ma Zhou is an all-rounder who knows everything. Economics is already a professional subject, but designing the country's inflation and macro-control is even more grand, complex, and spiritually mysterious.
Even though famous officials in ancient times would enrich the country and strengthen the army due to some measures and reforms, such as Zhuge Liang and Fang Xuanling, they could implement appropriate political strategies and rest and recuperate, but when it comes to the secrets of their various measures and political strategies, they are aware of them but not aware of them. That’s why.
To put it bluntly, they know how to distinguish whether a decree is correct or not, but they cannot explain the advantages and disadvantages of it.
This is the imagination caused by the theory of missing economic principles...
Ma Zhou was stunned by Fang Jun's question. He pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't it going into the pockets of those wealthy families who 'underwrote' renovation projects? Well, maybe some of it flows into the private sector."
The sky was high and the clouds were wide, and the wind coming from the lake was very strong, making their clothes flutter.
Fang Jun stood tall with his hands behind his back, feeling that he should teach Ma Zhou a lesson...
"How can we make the country rich? This is a big truth. It is difficult to have an accurate answer. It is nothing more than clear administration, smooth weather, etc. But one thing is certain, that is, we must first enrich the people. Hiding wealth among the people is the key to making the country rich. The foundation. The huge amount of money spent to renovate the East City and build this place seemed to increase the burden on the court and almost consume all the national taxes in the next few years. But where did this money go? Carpenters, bricklayers, laborers, Boatmen, trackers... Eventually, the money will flow into the people and the cellars of aristocratic families. The people will use the money to buy necessary daily necessities, such as grain, pork, medicinal materials, cloth, and even soap, candles, glass... Grain merchants, butchers, and drug stores have all made money, and the government's tax revenue has naturally increased. Then, the government will use these taxes to invest in larger projects, allowing more people to make money... In a general term, This is called 'stimulating domestic demand', which allows money to circulate and form a virtuous cycle. Money will have its own value when it circulates. Otherwise, whether it is buried in the cellar by the family members or piled in the government's warehouse, it will just be It's just a pile of scrap metal, worthless..."
Ma Zhou looked a little stunned.
This was the first time he heard someone explain the nature of money in this way...
Isn’t the foundation of a powerful country the reduction of government expenditures, the reduction of corvee and the reduction of taxes, and the encouragement of frugality?
According to Fang Jun, not only should we not encourage frugality, but we should also vigorously encourage people to spend money and even develop a social trend of extravagance, because only in this way can the circulation of money be accelerated to a greater extent and domestic demand better stimulated.
Ma Zhou even thought that the best way to stimulate domestic demand was not even large-scale construction such as renovating the east and west cities, but war.
After a war, countless amounts of money and supplies are consumed. If the court spends this money, how much domestic demand will it stimulate?
What if war is launched every year? However, "Sima Fa" said: "Although the country is big, if it is warlike, it will perish; although the world is safe, if it forgets to fight, it will be in danger." "Book of Changes" says: "A gentleman should use weapons to remove weapons, but he should not be disciplined. Soldiers should not play with them, but if they play with them, they will be in danger." There is no authority; soldiers cannot be eliminated, otherwise they will call for bandits. In the past, King Wu Fu Chai was a belligerent and died, and King Xu Yan was destroyed without military force. Therefore, when the Ming Dynasty ruled the country, the superiors did not play with military force, and the subordinates did not abolish military force..."
How to find a balance between wars is the way to govern a country.
But according to Fang Jun's theory, just fight a few wars when nothing happens. In a few years, the country will become rich and powerful!
This is almost completely contrary to the philosophy of governing the country that Ma Zhou has learned since childhood...
He couldn't help but ask: "If we follow Erlang's words, wouldn't war be the best way to enrich the people and strengthen the country?"
Fang Jun nodded happily, surprised by Ma Zhou's clear thinking: "That's exactly what he said!"
When the cannon goes off, you get ten thousand taels of gold. Is this really a joke?
Emperor Mi is looking for trouble and fighting all over the world. Do you think he is so idle? After a war, the economy, military, technology, etc. all rise to a higher level. Military expenditures are paid by the defeated country, and the national power is soaring like a rocket!
Ma Zhou shook his head and said: "Erlang is ridiculous! The war is fierce and dangerous. If we are blindly warlike, the country will be destroyed! Moreover, if we want to start a war, we need to prepare money, food and equipment in advance. The court will inevitably increase taxes, and the people will be miserable. Word?"
Fang Jun smiled helplessly.
Typical Confucian thinking, Laozi belongs to the Heavenly Kingdom, so naturally he must have the majesty of the Heavenly Kingdom. The barbarians came to invade us and robbed me of our food and grass. It was heartbreaking and extremely sinful for women to kill my people and burn my city, but that was also true. If we also retaliate against the barbarians, what would be the difference to the barbarians?
Just like if a dog bites a person, how can the person bite him back again?
It sounds reasonable.
In fact, it makes no sense...
Since ancient times, the Central Plains dynasties have always paid for the wars regardless of victory or defeat. They have suffered for their own people, but they are kind to other people's bastards. It is simply unreasonable.
If a dog bites a person, the person cannot bite him back, but shouldn't you kill the dog with a knife? Instead, I have to coax it with a piece of meat and tell it to eat the meat obediently and don’t bite me again...
A mouth full of benevolence, justice and morality, a mouth full of propriety, justice and integrity!
If you are polite to a dog, he will not be polite when he bites you.
Confucianism is good everywhere, but this aspect is really disappointing...
Fang Jun felt that he should work hard, maybe he could influence Ma Zhou and not learn from the hypocritical benevolence and righteousness of those self-righteous Confucian scholars. A big country must have the domineering power of a big country. I will beat anyone who messes with me!
"As the saying goes, if the name is not right, the words will not go smoothly, and if the words are not right, the things will be unfavorable. There must always be a reason for war, and we must always be on the side of justice. Since the war is launched justly, then why do we not need compensation from the enemy after the victory? What? Of course, our goal is not to compensate, but to let the enemy remember that if they dare to mess with us, they will pay a price."
Fang Jun felt that he should give those great Confucians who were full of benevolence, righteousness and morality a step up. They just couldn't improve their reputation. They couldn't deliberately fight at a loss, right?
Ma Zhou shook his head firmly: "Erlang's words are totally inappropriate! Our Tang Dynasty is a kingdom of heaven, and we should have the majesty of heaven. How can we be like those barbarians? Money is a trivial matter, justice is the most important thing ! If we ask for compensation, where is the majesty of the heavenly kingdom?"
Fang Jun was speechless.
Is all my nagging for a long time in vain?
