Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 723 How to Expand Domestic Demand
After watching his eldest son board the ship, Zhu Youdong hurried back to Beijing on a special train.
On January 20, the completion ceremony of the Dafangshan Thermal Power Plant, located southwest of the capital, was held in Fangshan County, Shuntian Prefecture, Northern Zhili.
This is the first power plant in Daming. Although as a time traveler, Zhu Youdong doesn't like the heavily polluting thermal power plants. But in this era of limited engineering construction capabilities, especially without high-voltage transmission grid technology. Daming's vast territory is to collectively enter the electricity era, and building thermal power plants in various places is almost the only option.
Of course, with the thermal power plant, hydropower plants will naturally be considered in places with rivers . The first hydropower plant in Daming, Miyun Hydropower Plant, needs to wait until the Miyun Reservoir is fully completed. It can only be connected to the generator after the water storage depth exceeds 100 meters. According to the Ministry of Construction's estimate, it will be at least next year or the year after next.
According to Yuan Yingtai's calculations, with the two power plants of Dafangshan and Miyun, the electricity supply for living and production in the Beijing-Tianjin area will be sufficient within five years.
After cutting the ribbon and giving a speech about the Ming Dynasty entering the electric age, Zhu Youdong summoned the Nanzhili Chamber of Commerce representative Xu Bengu, Fujian and Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce representative Huang Jizong, Shanxi Chamber of Commerce representative Yang Yanming, Sichuan Chamber of Commerce representative Zhu Pingzhang and others to a small temporary room in the venue.
In the business world before the Ming Dynasty, due to geographical and transportation restrictions, there were few large-scale chambers of commerce with business operations throughout the country. Basically, Shanxi merchants were in the north, and their main business model was the exchange of materials between northern China, Mongolia, and the Northeast. Jiangsu and Zhejiang merchants were in the south, mainly engaged in sea trade and smuggling. Huaiyang merchants were the most powerful because they controlled the trade on both sides of the Grand Canal and more than 70% of the salt sales in the country. As for Sichuan merchants headed by the King of Shu, they were basically limited to the three southwestern provinces and the snowy areas.
But now, due to the emergence of Zhu Youdong, the reform of salt administration and commercial taxation, and the sharp decline of the economic and trade status of the Grand Canal, the Huaiyang salt merchants have become very weak. Instead, the four major chambers of commerce in Nanzhili, Fujian and Zhejiang, Shanxi, and Sichuan have become the leaders of the Ming Dynasty business community. Moreover, the business of these four chambers of commerce is no longer single or limited to one place. In fact, there is a considerable overlap between them. In recent years, the upper echelons of the four major chambers of commerce have had many marriages, and their relationship has become increasingly close.
Zhu Youdong noticed the behavior of the top domestic businessmen banding together, but he did not interfere or restrict it too much: the Ming central government controlled almost all heavy industries, and all advanced technologies came from Fangshan - it was too easy to strangle these businessmen in terms of production equipment and technology.
Moreover, in the past decade or so, with the gradual promotion of compulsory education and the standardization of the civil service system, the situation in which wealthy merchants sponsored scholars to pass the imperial examinations and then let these scholars represent them in the officialdom has been completely reversed.
Not to mention, the royal family directly controls the army. If they are really pushed to the limit, they can just kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
Therefore, officials, troops, technology, and equipment were all controlled by the imperial court. What did these merchants have to fear?
Accompanied by Cao Sanxi and Li Guojun, the seven of them sat down. Zhu Youdong smiled at Xu Bengu first and asked, "How is your grandfather's health?"
"In reply to Your Majesty, my ancestor is ninety-three years old this year. He is still conscious, but his energy is not as good as before. He falls asleep after speaking less than two sentences."
"So, you can make the decision about the Xu family's affairs?"
"Your Majesty, if there is anything you need my family to do, please feel free to tell me."
"I don't have any instructions, but the court is in financial trouble now and needs your help."
"Uh..." Xu Bengu, who was almost fifty years old this year, hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have shares in several companies of my family, and you have sent someone to check the accounts. So you know the situation of my family best. Three and a half years ago, the Western bandits invaded India, and I had just invested more than 10 million yuan to establish several spinning mills, plastic factories, garment factories, canning factories, cement factories, etc., but they all went bankrupt because they could not find a market. In the past three years, there has been a war in the Indochina Peninsula for more than two years, and the maritime trade in Southeast Asia has been cut off for two years. My family only has the domestic market left... It is indeed an exaggeration to say that it is lingering on, but it is true that it is struggling.
Of course, as long as the emperor needs it, I will do my best to arrange it, and I should be able to withdraw 13 million silver dollars from the old fund. This money can be used by the emperor first."
When Zhu Youdong was the grandson of the emperor, the Xu family quickly abandoned the Donglin Party and joined the royal family after being robbed by Li Guozhu. Over the past 30 years, the Xu family has been deeply involved in the business of the royal family. Zhu Youdong knew the Xu family's past. So, after seeing Xu Bengu's statement, he nodded with satisfaction. Then he turned to the representative of the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce, Yang Bo's descendant Yang Yanming.
"Your Majesty, the business of our Shanxi Chamber of Commerce is mainly to sell goods from the inland to the grasslands, and then sell the goods from the grasslands to the inland. In the past twenty years, with the large-scale construction of various sweater factories, meat canning factories, and milk powder factories on the Mongolian grasslands, our Shanxi Chamber of Commerce has gained a lot of benefits. However, in the past three years of war, on the one hand, the production of the southeastern coastal provinces has been reduced. With less production, fewer steam engines are running, and the production capacity of several large coal mines under the control of our Shanxi Chamber of Commerce is naturally excessive. On the other hand, consumption in the inland has been suppressed, and fewer people buy sweaters, canned meat and milk powder, and our business has also been greatly affected. Since last year, 25 of the 28 companies under the Chamber of Commerce have suffered losses... Of course, as Boss Xu said, we Shanxi people also know very well that if it were not for the emperor to sweep Mongolia and Xinjiang, our Shanxi Chamber of Commerce would not have the scale it is today. Therefore, today, I dare to express my position on behalf of the four major shareholders of the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce. As long as the emperor needs it, the funds of 23 million silver dollars can be used by the emperor."
"Your Majesty." Huang Jizong, the representative of the Fujian-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, stood up with a wry smile. "Merchants in Fujian and Zhejiang mainly engage in maritime trade. However, maritime trade was cut off in the past few years. The bankruptcy rate of the chamber of commerce managed by me is the highest among the four major chambers of commerce. If Your Majesty needs funds... I roughly estimated that the Fujian-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce can only come up with 7 million at most."
"Your Majesty." Zhu Pingzhang, a descendant of the Shu King's branch and a representative of the Sichuan (Southwest) Chamber of Commerce, was the last to stand up: "The main business of the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce is to go from Yunnan to Myanmar and then directly to India. After the Western bandits invaded India, we suffered the greatest damage. Because, even before the court took over India, my Sichuan Chamber of Commerce had already relied on the Burmese trade route to do business in India. And now..." He spread his hands miserably: "Ten million, this is the maximum amount of working capital that the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce can now mobilize. After this money is mobilized, if there is any disturbance, it will be impossible to circulate it."
"Hmm..." After the heads of the four major chambers of commerce reported their own assets, the figures were basically the same as those estimated by the Royal Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the Royal Guards. Zhu Youdong was still very satisfied.
However, you guys underestimate me. I am a little poor now, but I am not so poor that I have to beg for alms everywhere.
"I called the four of you together today not only to show you the completion of the first power plant in Daming, but also to discuss with you how to revive the economy of Daming.
In my opinion, the most basic thing about the economy is production and consumption. Among them, consumption is the driving force of production. Without consumption, production will naturally be suppressed.
In the past, our Ming Dynasty not only had India, a large market with a population of over 100 million and strong purchasing power, but also could do business directly with Europeans in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Europe had a huge demand for our silk, porcelain and tea, and bought a large amount every year, which was enough to ensure that our Ming Dynasty had a sufficient trade surplus. In this way, the consumer market was guaranteed, and our Ming Dynasty could fully produce. With higher wages , domestic consumption was guaranteed... This was a virtuous circle.
But now, although we have driven the Western bandits out of Nanyang and restored the maritime trade in Nanyang, the market in Nanyang alone is still much worse than the Indian and European markets we have lost. Therefore, I think that in order to revive the economy, in addition to further tapping the Nanyang market and developing the American market, the most important thing is to expand the domestic demand of our Ming Dynasty. "
"Well, Your Majesty, I and the common people have also realized that in the short term, the markets of India and Europe will not return. The markets of Southeast Asia, Japan, Fuguo, Guiguo and other places are also like that. And America is too far away. Therefore, expanding domestic demand is the only feasible way. But may I ask Your Majesty, how to expand domestic demand?"
