"That's probably because I'm overthinking it..." Guo Kang scratched his head.
"I think you have not come into contact with too few people." Theodora said bluntly: "You have been dealing with that businessman recently, and he has evil intentions. Of course, you can't see their usual routines."
"These people's thoughts are not much better than those of the barbarian nobles." She shook her head and said: "Sometimes, nobles need to care about their reputation and show their generosity and generosity to gain the support of others. And big businessmen often Not even these.”
"I think businessmen have a low status, so they have to make more compromises and abide by existing rules..." Guo Kang explained.
"You have to look at what kind of businessman he is." Theodora shook his head and said, "The small vendors setting up street stalls are not much different from ordinary citizens. As for the big businessmen who operate across countries, ordinary local nobles sometimes have to look at them. Face."
"The status of big businessmen is not high, compared to that of kings and big lords. People with such funds have either already grasped power, or are supported by those in power. Isn't it easy for people to bully ordinary people?"
"Take your new friend Florence as an example. There is no king in that place now, but do you know how they manage it?"
"Why are you just staring at this..." Guo Kang began to wonder if she was too hostile to a certain businessman, causing her to be hostile to all her colleagues.
"Who made her an example?" Theodora straightened up and told him: "Florence is a city ruled by big merchants, and the local 'nobles' and 'merchants' have been combined with each other. In this case, the merchants There is no difference from aristocrats. These powerful businessmen can do the same things that aristocrats can do."
"Nominally, it is a city-state democracy, but in fact only some guilds have the right to speak, and the opinions of ordinary people have no value. Even small guilds will be suppressed by big guilds and can only exist as vassals."
"In order to safeguard the interests of large guilds, the city-state has formulated many regulations, such as restricting the treatment of apprentices and ordinary craftsmen, in order to maintain the profits of high-priced textiles. It also actively suppresses the development of cheap textiles to prevent technological progress and increased production from making luxury textiles price reduction.”
"The structure of those commercial city-states is different from ours. The largest population is not land-owning farmers and craftsmen with workshops - the number of these people in them is very limited. The mainstream in that kind of city is A wealthy businessman and a poor craftsman with almost nothing.”
"This is obviously intentional." She explained: "When ordinary craftsmen are poor enough, they have no confidence in bargaining and can only rely on big businessmen. Therefore, the compensation theory you mentioned only exists In imagination. Just think about it and know what it will be like in reality.”
"That being said, it is indeed the case." Guo Kang thought for a moment: "You know better."
"I must always pay attention to the status of the barbarians. This is our duty." Theodora disagreed: "The current war is no longer the time when the country was first founded, when a few princes took the lead in charging and could drive away the local nobles. . We need to consider many things, especially understanding the enemy in order to discover their weaknesses and conflicts with each other, so that we can have a greater chance of winning."
"Since I can't go to the battlefield, of course I have to pay more attention to these things. Otherwise, dealing with barbarians every day would be a waste of money."
"Okay..." Guo Kang had to admit: "Then what do you think we should do?"
"We certainly cannot imitate them." Theodora said without hesitation: "Even if we abandon morality, it is not feasible. The barbarians can drive poor people into workshops, but if we do so, the citizens will mutiny. Only Only people who don’t consider the consequences would think so.”
"I think it's enough to put Slavic slaves into the workshop. Haven't you tried it before?" She suggested: "According to your description, the barbarian craftsmen who entered the workshop did not have any technical level. They If we can do it, Slavic slaves can do the same. Anyway, the cost of slaves is very low, and we are not afraid of barbarians competing with us."
Guo Kang thought for a while and found that he had not thought about it clearly before.
The theories he had learned all said that slavery was not suitable for the development of productive forces in the new era. But on the other hand, historical facts continue to prove that disguised slavery, and even direct "original" slavery, have existed for a long time, and there is no conflict between them and the new era.
The theories he understood generally bound capitalism to industrialization. Capitalism obviously does not reject slavery. The "free trade" they emphasize most has nothing to do with whether slaves are used or the proportion of slaves in total production.
In the early days of industrialization, in order to reduce costs, workers' treatment and living conditions were extremely poor, and their life span was even lower than in the Middle Ages. If it were the uncles of the Purple Horde Khanate, faced with such a lifeless environment, they would definitely rebel with swords. Therefore, Theodora's suggestion is the most suitable for the current environment. In their case, it was indeed better to fill the factories with Slavic slaves.
"That's okay." Guo Kang thought for a while and nodded: "Anyway, we are at an important node in trade. We can continue to promote free trade in the future. If the profits are enough, it will not be difficult to convince more people to invest firmly in industry. .”
"Why rely on free trade?" Theodora asked puzzledly.
"Uh... because it's more beneficial." Guo Kang gave her some popular science: "According to the theory I understand, capitalism is more suitable for industrial development. This 'capitalism' is a kind of factory, machinery, etc. that are all privately owned. , and a social system that carries out free trade. This system is the most suitable for industrial development."
"I don't think it's right." Theodora shook his head: "How can a society that pursues private profits be the most suitable for industry? Workshops are obviously not the most profitable way. In this kind of society, people will not quickly turn to Is it loan sharking and debt speculation? Your 'new friend' is a banker. Don't you know that this is the most profitable business in Italy now?"
"Uh...then what do you think it is?" Guo Kang asked.
"Of course it's war." Theodora said: "War doesn't care about these messy concepts. It only depends on who has more and stronger soldiers, sharper and stronger ordnance, and more abundant grain and grass logistics. These can best reflect the advantages of industry. Bar."
"Moreover, how can the motivation to pursue profits be compared to the motivation to preserve life? How can the benefits from trading commodities be compared to the benefits from victory in war?" She asked rhetorically: "Obviously, war is the one that can best persuade people to invest. Industrial, not freedom and profit."
"Don't worry about that, just prove that your invention is useful for war." She told Guo Kang: "No matter how much businessmen invest, can it be compared to the investment of the entire Rome? You should first find a way to establish an ordnance production War Workshop. As long as it shows its advantages, the whole country will support you."
(End of chapter)
