choke element

Chapter 971 Dining Table (Part )

In the past, no Central Plains dynasty had such a strong demand for manpower as the Great Zhou. A regime based on farming would only try its best to suppress the flow of people until land annexation destroyed the foundation of the countryside; while a regime based on the inland could not afford the cost of the flow of people.

The Great Zhou had too many advantages in this regard. The stable relationship between the Great Zhou and the Southern Song Dynasty was enough to ensure the continued expansion of trade benefits; the Great Zhou's many years of operation on the sea was enough to connect Goryeo with various parts of the Central Plains at the lowest cost.

What's more, Goryeo itself is an important part of maritime trade, with stable and reliable routes from Licheng Port to Tianjin, Denglai and other places.

Since last year, there have been constant proposals from merchants to the Zuoyousi and Qunmu, saying that the huge amount of materials produced in the northeast can be transported to Tianjin by land after being collected in Liaoyang Prefecture. A considerable part of them can be directly transported to the sea from Chengzhou or Fuzhou, or to Shandong, or transferred at Licheng Port in Goryeo, and then directly put into the trade routes to Song and Japan. In this way, the time saved alone can bring a 30% profit increase.

At the time, these suggestions were shelved.

The reason is that they need to expand the port and roads, and they need to recruit a large number of people. The people of Da Zhou have had a peaceful life in the past two years, and their horizons and appetites are stronger than before. The recruited people must be provided with food and accommodation from the first day of arrival. The food, clothing, accommodation, processing fees and rewards for 10,000 people will be at least 200,000 strings of cash a year.

It's not that they can't afford it, but the Great Zhou has too many places to spend money. Not to mention the expenses of the large number of troops stationed in the north, the many newly built factories and newly opened trade routes in which the court has a stake are also a heavy burden before they generate profits.

The system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was different from that of previous dynasties, and no one had any experience. In the past few years, Guo Ning had actually made the mistake of expanding too quickly and too aggressively, so that the entire military and political group was like a giant beast on the verge of going crazy, and it couldn't be stopped even if the bridle was pulled. Fortunately, the trouble was temporarily solved.

Originally, because the profits from Liseong Port were enough to feed Cui Zhongxian's party, the Goryeo Kingdom, out of the need to stabilize its own political situation, did not want to see itself being too deeply tied into the maritime trade routes, and had always resisted expanding the scale of Liseong Port, not to mention opening up other ports in Goryeo.

But after Cui Zhongxian's party was destroyed, much of their accumulated wealth fell into the hands of the Great Zhou court, enough to ease the financial difficulties. Now that the thin dam that originally blocked Goryeo and the Central Plains had disappeared, the Goryeo people inside the dam and the Han merchants outside the dam would rush in and out, and no one could stop them.

Then, the port construction needs of Fuzhou and Chengzhou can be solved by encouraging a group of merchants to make contributions. As for how to expand the port of Licheng in Goryeo, the new king and his ministers who finally returned to Kaesong will definitely be very active.

The ordinary people of Goryeo had been living in poverty for a long time. Not only were they highly motivated to respond to the recruitment, but they also ate less and worked more. According to common sense, after the local natives left to work, they were in an unfamiliar environment, without their previous connections and reputation. Even if they had many ideas in their minds, they could only be humble and do things honestly according to the rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If there were only a few hundred thousand such people to fill the fleets, docks and factories everywhere, the benefits would be immediate.

In Goryeo, the blank space created by the exodus of a large number of able-bodied men was a perfect opportunity for Han merchants to paint freely on a blank sheet of paper. No matter how poor Goryeo was, it was still a great country in the east of the sea, and within its three thousand miles of rivers and mountains, there was enough for people to stir up trouble.

During this process, Yin Chang, who was in charge of Goryeo, didn't even need to do anything.

Which business that has the strength to set foot on the sea and the courage to reach out everywhere does not have powerful military officers behind it? This kind of business has all the soft and hard means. Yin Chang only needs to play the role of an intermediary between him and the Goryeo monarch and his ministers, and he does not need to intervene in everything.

If Yin Chang was smart, he would have understood that his next task in Goryeo was to pull the reins for the emperor, or in other words, to maintain order at the table.

"I saw this document, it was signed fifteen days ago. It was delivered to Zhongdu so quickly. Yin Chang's messenger should have arrived in the city at the same time as me? There has been no sea transport recently, so I'm afraid it took a lot of effort on the way."

"Yes, the envoy rode into the sea on a horse-drawn boat, using human power to row along the way to speed up. After crossing the Laotie Mountain Waterway and arriving in Tianjin, he rode a post horse to Zhongdu. The documents arrived here when Your Majesty was in the palace. In addition..."

The clerk's report slowed down a bit, and Guo Ning asked, "Where are the reports from the Left and Right Offices and the Recording Office?"

The clerk quickly presented the other two documents that he had in his hands: "The reports from these two families arrived earlier, Your Majesty, please take a look."

The arrangements of the Great Zhou in Goryeo were not limited to the few people Yin Chang brought with him temporarily. Before Yin Chang launched the operation, the Left and Right Departments and the Recording Department also had a number of hidden men in Hanshang and even in Kaesong. The credit for the success of this event was inseparable from their continuous efforts to add fuel to the flames for several years. The court also needed their eyes to see any movement in Haidong.

Guo Ning took the other two documents, found a chair and sat down to read. After a while, he chuckled a few times, "We have been peaceful for a long time. Three groups of messengers rushed into the mansion in succession. It was quite a commotion. All the people outside my mansion were born in the Year of the Dog, and they have good noses. Someone must have surrounded us by now."

The clerk was stunned, thinking about how to respond. Jing Anmin happened to step in, and when he heard Guo Ning say that the dog's nose was dizzy, he immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty guessed correctly, there are quite a few people who come to inquire. I will arrange a side hall to receive them?"

At the end of last year, Jing Anmin claimed that he was old, and then retired from his position as the governor of Xijing, and returned to Zhongdu to be appointed as the Minister of War and the Vice Minister of State Affairs. However, the military power of the Great Zhou was concentrated in the Capital Marshal's Office, and the Ministry of War was not actually responsible for fighting, but was mainly responsible for organizing military households to cultivate land, caring for retired soldiers, and also used to favor veterans and old ministers.

Jing Anmin, a second-rank county marquis with 200 households, was naturally a leader among veteran generals. He did not often go to the government office, but spent more time with Guo Ning to discuss military and political affairs.

"That's how it should be."

Guo Ning nodded repeatedly and said, "The side hall must be stocked with exquisite snacks and herbal tea to dispel the heat. However, those old guys always try to climb up the ladder, so don't agree to anything easily."

"I saved it." Jing Anmin took the order and left.

Just as Guo Ning had said, at this time dozens or even hundreds of people gathered from all over the city area south of the Capital Marshal's Mansion.

The population of Zhongdu Daxing Prefecture exceeded one million at the peak of the Jin Dynasty, and the amount of grain transported through Tongzhou exceeded one million dan every year. However, after the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the population of Zhongdu continued to evacuate because many new powerful institutions and commercial management institutions that generated money were in Tianjin Prefecture.

The population decreased, but the size of the city expanded. For example, the south of the city was developed into a commercial area, a storage area, a large residential area and a military camp. In addition, there were manors for officials and nobles to live in.

Many people living in this area were either rich or noble, and their faces were full of brilliance when they traveled on the road. Among them, many were veteran soldiers or retainers of capable officers, and they were also qualified to enter and leave the Marshal's Mansion.

For safety reasons, a large flat open space was reserved near the Marshal's Mansion, and outsiders were generally not allowed to stay there at will. Suddenly seeing people gathering, the outer guards of the Marshal's Mansion immediately activated the warning, and then soldiers with halberds came up to question them. In a blink of an eye, another team of cavalry came, holding bows and arrows and on guard, observing and confirming their identities nearby to prevent any accidents.

Everything had a solid and reliable process, the response was very fast, and there were no loopholes. The surveillance and interrogation by the guards were also meticulous.

These imperial guards were not just for show, they were all selected from the army and experienced fighters. When they were ready for battle, they naturally had a murderous aura, and the cold light flashing from their weapons and armor was even more frightening.

This kind of solemn majesty unique to the army is a deterrent to ordinary people, but the people gathered in front of them are not afraid of this feeling. Instead, they feel particularly friendly, just like a spring breeze blowing on their faces, making them feel indescribably comfortable.

Everyone looked at the knights with a smile on their face. Even when the qualified old knights were showing their names and certificates for inspection, they would turn around and shout, "Look at their armor, look at the long swords in their hands, how bright they are! Their horses are also good, fat and strong! Their riding skills are also good, they have practiced a lot!"

Another old man in the crowd waved his hands again and again: "Little Shuanzi! Little Shuanzi! I know you are in the team! Come out and let me see you!"

Some of them had relatives and younger generations serving in the Imperial Guards, and it happened to be their turn to guard the Marshal's Office. The old soldiers had boasted to their companions many times about this on weekdays, and now they were eager to call their relatives out to make themselves look good.

Sure enough, a young man in the cavalry was called out by his superior. He jumped off his horse with a red face and ran to his elders to salute.

The old men nearby were immediately delighted to see the young man's imposing manner. They came forward, patted the young man's armor affectionately, and asked him what his current position was and whether he was married.

While the noise was going on, Jing Anmin came out from the side door and coughed softly, "What are you making a fuss about! Are there any more rules? Everyone, stand still. If you have something to say, speak up!"

(End of this chapter)