webnovelfull Chapter 658 Cao Wei Opens the Door, Free Trade
Chapter 658 Cao Wei Opens the Door, Free Trade
The fastest way to promote social progress is to increase productivity, and the most significant manifestation of increased productivity is the release of labor.
Guan Xing has been running the Wushang Steel Plant for over two years. During this time, he has produced a large number of agricultural tools that have been put into use by the people, instantly increasing the efficiency of farming several times over.
Moreover, during his campaign in Jiangdong, Guan Xing also created many watermills by adapting to local conditions. He built houses on the river, moved the stone mill inside, and installed wooden gears on the riverbed. The force of the water flow was used to drive the gears, which in turn drove the stone mill, thus eliminating the need for donkeys to pull the millstone.
In addition, Guan Xing built many waterwheels, using the power of machinery to transport water from the river to the mountain, which greatly saved manpower.
They also built simple cranes at the ferry port, using pulleys to easily load and unload goods.
Although Guan Xing has gone to Jiangling, these productivity-enhancing facilities have not been cancelled. On the contrary, they have been vigorously promoted by the local government. More importantly, this approach has opened people's minds, encouraging even lazy people to use their brains and come up with more seemingly insignificant but very practical tips, resulting in a visible and rapid increase in the productivity of the Han Dynasty.
As mentioned earlier, the most significant manifestation of increased productivity is the release of labor. What used to take three days to complete can now be done in just two days or even less with the help of tools, leaving the saved time for leisure.
But most people are destined to be busy and can't stay idle. It's more unbearable for them to stay at home than to work. The Han Dynasty didn't have movies, television, or other entertainment, and ordinary people couldn't afford to visit brothels. There were no such things in the countryside either. So naturally, they needed to find part-time jobs to supplement their family income, and commerce naturally developed.
In other words, commercial development is based on agricultural development. Only when agriculture is developed well and people have enough to eat can they have the energy to devote to commerce.
Thanks to agricultural development, Jiangdong's commerce is now more prosperous than it was during Sun Quan's reign. The roads, rivers, and even the sea are filled with the caravans and fleets of various families.
The Jiangdong gentry, who used to curse Guan Xing every day and wish he would be hit by a car, now speak of him with great praise and even wish they could build a temple to enshrine him.
It was Guan Xing who unleashed productivity, enabling them to recruit more cheap labor; it was Guan Xing who built larger ships, allowing them to carry more cargo; and it was Guan Xing who invented the pulley crane, which greatly shortened their transit time through the ferry crossing.
In other words, Guan Xing saved them more costs; what they saved was what they earned.
Therefore, in recent days, the Jiangdong gentry who lost their land have been doing booming business and earning more than when they owned the land.
However, business activities are profit-oriented, and profit requires a market, which in turn requires a population and a consumer base. In other words, the more people there are, the easier it is to do business.
The place with the largest population and consumer base is naturally the Central Plains, which was occupied by Cao Wei.
But the damned Cao Pi blocked all the ferry crossings on the Yangtze River, confiscating all the goods of any merchant caravan coming from Jiangnan. This banditry caused heavy losses to the Jiangnan gentry and temporarily dashed their hopes of heading north by land.
Although they suffered losses at the hands of Cao Pi, none of the Jiangnan gentry were willing to give up the huge market in the Central Plains. Therefore, they all crowded into the governor's mansion and asked Wang Fu, the governor of Yangzhou, for help.
The main hall of the governor's mansion.
Wang Fu grinned from ear to ear at the sight of the many uninvited members of the aristocratic families. He would have been in a real bind in the past, but things were different now. He had received a letter from Guan Xing and knew what to do.
Even if they don't come now, Wang Fu will take the initiative to find them. But it's even better if they come, because it means they need his help, and he can then control the conversation.
Wang Fu's gaze swept over each of the guests, and he asked knowingly, "What brings you all here today?"
The guests exchanged glances, and finally Zhang Xiu, the second son of Zhang Zhao who had resigned from his official post to become a merchant, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, as you know, many of the goods we recently sent to the north have been forcibly detained by the Wei army at the checkpoints. Not only that, the damned Wei army has also established a special investigation team to combat smuggling. They patrol along the Yangtze River for twelve hours every day, and they immediately mobilize any merchant caravans coming from the south. This has made our brothers afraid to go north."
"We've all suffered huge losses during this period. It doesn't matter if we lose some goods, but it's wrong for Cao Pi to seize these goods and use them against His Majesty to prevent him from unifying the country. So, my lord, you must find a way to get justice for us. We can't let the Wei army take advantage of us for nothing."
Wang Fu rolled his eyes. "You just want to recoup your losses, why are you making it sound so high and mighty?"
Wang Fu stroked his beard and laughed, "This matter is easy to handle. If we can't cross the Yangtze River, we can cross it by sea. First, we'll go to Xuzhou and discuss the delivery time and place with the major coastal clans. Then, we'll deliver the goods to the agreed location at the agreed time. Is that so difficult?"
Zhang Xiu bowed and said, “We also have the same idea, but we have heard that the traitor Luo Tong has been appointed as the naval commander by Cao Wei and is currently stationed in the sea area of Qing and Xu provinces. The traitor Zhu Huan’s navy is also patrolling the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and can enter the sea from the lower reaches at any time. If we run into them, the court will probably suffer unnecessary losses again.”
Wang Fu laughed and said, "So you came to me wanting me to ask Commander Zhou Xun's navy to escort you?"
Zhang Xiu chuckled and said, "Your Excellency is wise. Besides, sea voyages require large ships, which we currently do not have. The price of large ships is too high, and we cannot afford to buy them at the moment. So, Your Excellency, could you rent a few more from us?"
When the Guan family controlled Jiangdong, they confiscated all the warships and shipyards of the major aristocratic families. The shipyards built by the aristocratic families were not yet completed and could not be put into production. Therefore, the warships and newly built treasure ships in Jiangdong were all in the hands of the government and not in the hands of the aristocratic families. If they wanted warships or treasure ships, they could only buy them from the government.
But those are large warships, so you can imagine how outrageous the price would be.
As for shipbuilding, the cost is higher than buying a ship.
Wang Fu said, "We can rent it to you, or we can ask Governors Zhou Xun and Ji Jie to escort you. But I also have a small matter here that I need your help with."
Zhang Xiu exchanged glances with the others, then cautiously bowed and said, "Please speak, my lord. We are willing to go through fire and water and die ten thousand times."
That didn't sound sincere at all; not even Wang Fu and the rest of them believed it.
There's no way around it, working for the government is tough!
Wang Fu shouted outside, "Bring it in."
Soon, two soldiers carried a wooden box into the hall. At Wang Fu's signal, Zhang Xiu opened the box and found that it was full of books with "The Legend of the White Snake" written on the cover.
Wang Fu explained, “This is a novel written by Marquis Shence, a propaganda brochure designed for Cao Wei. This box is half books and half paper. Send all the books, along with your goods, to Cao Wei for free or for a fee, as long as they are all delivered. The remaining half box of paper will be your reward. Are you in or not?”
Paper mills have limited production capacity and prioritize supplying the imperial court and various government departments. As a result, very little paper reaches the general public, keeping paper prices high. Therefore, half a box of paper can yield a substantial profit, and even if it's not needed, it can be sold at a high price.
Upon hearing that it was just a few books to deliver, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Xiu bowed deeply and said, "Rest assured, my lord, we will certainly not fail in our mission!"