Chapter 7 Liaodong New Year's Eve
He Xi didn't know what had changed in Nanjing.
He Xi was already exhausted.
At the end of the year, even ordinary people have to take stock of their family fortunes, not to mention the situation in Liaodong.
But He Xi knew without a game that the situation in Liaodong was very bad.
He Xi had to admit something.
During his two years in Liaodong, the people's power was used too harshly.
First came the Northern Expedition, then the campaign against Goryeo, not to mention all kinds of construction, and then, the immigration. There was even a little commotion at one point. After all, humans are not machines. Even if a machine is used beyond its limit, it will break down.
Therefore, the people's power is almost exhausted.
He Xi had no choice but to issue an order to cancel everything except necessary defense this winter, so that everyone in Liaodong could have a good winter's rest. After next spring. It’s not too late to make arrangements.
The source of most of the other manpower is Korean immigrants. These people suffered greatly under Lan Yu's hands and suffered greatly. All of them were in shock, and if they were not comforted, one of them would break out into a big rebellion.
He Xi is not worried, this is too big a mess. Just one casualty is also a loss for Liaodong, right?
Therefore, these immigrants who have just arrived this year will be fine as long as they build their own houses.
That's it for manpower.
If manpower is depleted, will other aspects be rich?
No, it's not.
At this moment, in the governor's office of Liaodong.
He Xi sat down in the middle, with civil and military officials on both sides sitting side by side. Under the corner, there was a row of tables with various account books. It is to calculate the total expenses and balances for this year. Count how much money he has in his hands.
Yang Shiqi said loudly: "Teachers are ready."
Yang Shiqi was called here from Nanyang on what night, and now he is participating in politics. As mentioned earlier, political participation was very important in the Tang and Song Dynasties. But now he is just an assistant to the Chief Envoy. Whatever matters he takes care of depends on the arrangements from above.
Zhu Yuanzhang gave He Xi full power.
He Xi issued the summons without hesitation and called all the people inside him. Yang Shiqi is one of them.
He Xi soon asked Yang Shiqi to take charge of all expenditures in Liaodong as a political participant.
In fact, the current system in Liaodong is very chaotic.
However, as He Xi was the first governor of the Ming Dynasty, this official position was new, and the following officials were appointed following He Xi. After all, there is someone on He Xi. All he had to do was propose the structure, name the people, report it to Nanjing, and go through the formalities.
At this moment, He Xi's entire structure in Liaodong is.
He Xi served as the governor's general manager.
Huang Zicheng collaborated with Ye Wang in managing civil affairs.
That's right. Because most of the people in Liaodong are military households, their management power lies with the military. Therefore, even if Ye Wang lets Huang Zicheng take care of these matters, Huang Zicheng can only help. And is responsible for the most important thing now, which is resettlement. and farmland water conservancy, etc.
Ye Wang manages the army.
No need to mention it here.
Yang Shiqi managed the finances and took over the Liaodong Wood Factory. Liaodong Iron Works. Has been involved in the trade affairs of Lushun, Niuzhuang and Changchun Fort.
Here I would like to mention Changchun Fort.
As the northernmost part of Liaodong. It is also the northern section of Liaosong Canal. Unknowingly, it became the trade center of Northeast China.
Although the Northeast is desolate, it is not without a single person. There are actually quite a few people. Most of them are just sitting on the fence back and forth between Ming Dynasty and Can Yuan. It was originally a small-scale trade. But it is the fur in the deep mountains and forests that makes money.
You know, it was the profits from the fur business that lured a certain countryman to take risks in Siberia. Nowadays, all aspects are short of money.
Changchun Fort's trade suddenly emerged.
One more thing to mention here. It was Ping An who was stationed at Changchun Fort.
This is what Feng Sheng meant.
Feng Sheng was bent on the Northern Expedition, so he naturally had to place one of his own at a key position. as a forerunner. Changchun Fort is one such location.
However, Ping An is now in charge of three thousand cavalry as a commander. It can be regarded as rising step by step. Enough to guard this place.
Before this, Changchun Fort had a lot of troubles due to trade. In the end, Huang Zicheng straightened things out and started discussing things. Even the Mongols stopped attacking. Although food and ironware are still prohibited from leaving customs. But other things can still be traded.
The Mongols also need this kind of exchange of needs.
Today the Mongols are much worse off than the Ming Dynasty. Some Mongolian dignitaries may not want this tacit peace to last longer. So that they can lick their wounds.
Then there is Ge Tiangong, the general person in charge of all aspects of technology.
This is not to say that Ge Tiangong is proficient in all technical categories, that is impossible. Rather, it is said that Ge Tiangong manages the entire technical team of Liaodong.
He Xi said: "Let's get started."
Yang Shiqi said: "Liaodong's income includes the following items. First of all, the income from various industries. The largest income is Liaodong Wood Factory, which sold more than 70,000 large logs and received 500,000 dan of grain. In addition, it is Lushun, The draws from Niuzhuang and Changchunbao include more than 20,000 taels of silver, one million guan of banknotes, and 130,000 shi of grain. Then there is the shipping grain and grass. This year, it is 2 million shi. However, the Ministry of Revenue explained . This is Goryeo's military ration and cannot be used in Liaodong."
"Then there is the surplus grain from the local farming in Liaodong."
"Wait a minute." Ye Wang coughed violently and said, "Sir, you have built so many factories in Liaodong. Why is it that only the Liaodong Wood Factory has output? Other places? Especially the Liaodong Iron Factory, why is there no profit at all?"
Ye Wang has been very ill recently.
I don’t know if it’s because of my old age, but I’ve missed many meetings.
So there is one thing I don't quite understand.
His question made He Xi extremely embarrassed.
Yes. There are many things you won’t know if you don’t do them. You won’t know until you do it. Industrialization requires continuous capital investment. Especially for heavy industry. It is not that easy to make money and get back your money.
Don't say anything else. Even the already mature Taiping Iron Works. The balance of payments has just been balanced. This is because the Nanyang vassals like to use the weapons of the Ming Dynasty in their wars. That's a good return.
But that doesn't mean they aren't important.
Because many things cannot be counted as money.
The Taiping Iron Works produced more than 70% of the military equipment of the Ming Dynasty. This alone saved the court huge costs and also brought about a huge increase in combat effectiveness. However, these things cannot be reflected in the financial statements. Or it cannot be directly reflected on it.
Because the weapons produced by the Taiping Iron Factory are directly allocated to the Ministry of War and distributed by the Ministry of War. If you look at it from this aspect, Taiping Iron Works is actually very profitable. He made money for the armaments of the Ming army.
The situation of Shenyang Iron Works is different from that of Taiping Iron Works.
Shenyang Iron Works and Fushun Coal Mine originally directly supplied the front line. Regardless of the previous Northern Expedition or the current Goryeo battlefield, all weapons used were weapons produced here. Without them, He Xi would not dare to promise to supply the consumption of the Goryeo battlefield.
However, what is more important in He Xi's view is the machinery manufacturing industry born on the basis of Shenyang Iron Works.
Textile machines, sewing machines, water turbines. Bearings, production of various mechanical accessories. Great support for other aspects. But nowadays, although textile factories produce a lot of linen. But there are only a few scattered buyers. No big deal has been done yet.
This is also a market problem.
Liaodong cannot digest these linen cloths. What the people in Liaodong need is thick and warm cotton cloth. And linen is good though. But it is more suitable for southern people to wear in summer. It is normal to be unable to sell it for a while and squeeze it into your hands.
In short, in addition to the timber trade lines that have been straightened out before, there are still more things that need to be done.
Ge Tiangong coughed and said, "It's because of our incompetence that we betrayed the teacher's trust."
He Xi sighed and said: "Forget it. It was my miscalculation. There is no need to cover it up. Just keep talking."
"Yes." Yang Shiqi said: "Liaodong military households are stationed in the fields. It is estimated that the total harvest is 1,230,000 dan. However, the remaining grain that can be collected does not exceed 250,000 dan. It is not enough to pay salaries to officials and soldiers at all levels. The court needs a subsidy of one hundred thousand dan every year. If there is a war, it can be doubled several times."
"However, there is no need to think about these incomes. I just took stock of the treasury, and there are only more than 300,000 shi of grain, more than 10,000 taels of silver of various colors, 10 million guan of treasure notes, and more than 100,000 guan of copper coins. Everything else is... there is none left."
"These are just enough for next year's rations. Don't replace them with anything else."
