My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 331 Catfish Effect
"I have told you so much, but I don't know how much you have absorbed. How about this? I will give you a topic and send your answer to me next time I write to you, just like writing a policy paper for an imperial examination.

As for the writing format, just use plain language as much as possible. There is no need to be picky about words. However, there is one thing you should pay attention to: the words and sentences must be precise, and don't use too much useless verbiage. "

No, Lao Li, you really came here to test me!

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned at first, then he couldn't help laughing. Looking around the world, he was the only one who could test others, but he didn't expect that he would be tested by others this time!

Old Li, you are truly the best person in the world!

"The question is very simple. I won't ask you anything else. When you are regulating the resources in Jiangnan, you must know in advance what advantageous resources each prefecture has in the Jiangnan area, how these advantageous resources should complement each other, and how to use the advantageous industries in various places to form an effective and complementary industrial chain?
At the same time, due to the accelerated flow of personnel, what strategies should be adopted to manage mobile personnel and how to better integrate mobile personnel into industrial manufacturing. "

Good title!
After reading the topic, Zhu Yuanzhang deeply felt for the first time what it meant to put knowledge into practice.

If the imperial court wants to integrate resource allocation in the Jiangnan region, it must understand in detail what is in Jiangnan.

It is not a general talk that Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, Shaoxing rice wine is famous, and Suzhou weaving is world-famous. Instead, we should talk about the advantages of Changzhou's raw silk and what are the specific advantages compared to Suzhou's raw silk industry which is famous for weaving.

Be it technology, price, output, etc., once the advantages are compared, how can we complement each other's strengths?
This not only tests the local officials' understanding of the areas under their jurisdiction, but also tests the Ministry of Revenue's statistical capabilities in various places, and even more so, tests his own coordination capabilities as the head of a country.

Each of these is the most basic ability to govern a country!

This is the true way to govern a country, rather than thinking about who is loyal to you today and who is a treacherous minister tomorrow.

Lao Li is telling himself in advance what he should do. Perhaps these abilities required for economic development can also be used as one of the criteria for evaluating officials.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that the standards for officials' examinations must be revised.

"Secondly, the second change brought about by the construction of the railway network is what I call the catfish effect."

Catfish effect? ​​Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned at first, and then he was quite speechless. What kind of word is this? It looks quite appetizing.

If you want to use uncommon words, Lao Li, you should use some that look more upscale, such as macro-control and invisible hand, which are full of mysteries at first glance.

Like this catfish effect, it seems to be related to fish farming. Moreover, what kind of fish is catfish? I have never seen it before. Can I eat it?

"Old Zhu, you don't need to worry about what kind of fish catfish is. It's native to Africa and tastes pretty good. It has few bones and a lot of tender meat. When the Ming fleet can sail to Africa in the future, it would be great to bring it back as edible fish.

Of course, I am not here to discuss with you how to eat this kind of fish, and the catfish effect has nothing to do with fish. "

Just now, Old Zhu almost drooled when he read the letter, and was still thinking about how tender the catfish meat is. But Old Li, you said that the catfish effect has nothing to do with fish?

Why did it take such a bad name?
This has made Old Zhu sit here and think about things for a long time. No, I have to ask the imperial chef to cook fish for us tonight.

"The original meaning of the catfish effect is that during the transportation of sardines, adding catfish can activate the living environment of the sardines, making them more active, thereby reducing the probability of death from lack of oxygen. This phenomenon is called the catfish effect. In market economic life, it means that by introducing external factors or strong players, the competitive vitality of the weak or internal members can be stimulated, thereby improving overall efficiency and innovation capabilities."

So that's how it is. Zhu Yuanzhang touched his chin. He certainly knew about the mullet. Fishermen in the Song Dynasty caught it in the East China Sea. It was also called sand fish at that time. Nowadays, the mullet has become the main edible fish in the coastal areas.

How about asking the imperial chef to make eel soup tonight? When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of this, he felt his stomach growling a few times and he actually felt a little hungry.

Stop, stop thinking about eating. It's all Lao Li's fault. He kept thinking about eating fish.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed at himself and thought of another example. When he joined the rebel army to resist the Yuan court, Xu Da joined his army early because they were childhood friends.

Although Xu Da was both wise and brave, he became somewhat proud and complacent after his repeated achievements, which led to a lazy mentality.

Later, with the joining of another more powerful general, Chang Yuchun, Xu Da may have felt that his position was not secure, so he started to get serious again and made great military achievements one after another, including the great victory at Poyang Lake, in which he annihilated Chen Youliang's main force of 600,000 in one fell swoop.

This may be one of the manifestations of the catfish effect, and Chang Yuchun is that brave catfish.

"So, back to the original topic, the economy of Jiangnan region has developed rapidly since the railway was built, which naturally attracted foreign manpower and capital, which are the catfish.

The influx of outsiders will further disrupt the original population structure in various parts of Jiangnan, and the original clan local forces will be further disintegrated.

When local interest groups feel threatened, all they can do is compete with outsiders. What else can they do to survive?

Apart from relying on the imperial court and the imperial power, I am afraid they do not have many choices. "

call!
Zhu Yuanzhang let out a long sigh. Seeing this, Old Li's true intentions were finally revealed. However, this dagger was aimed at the stubborn aristocratic class in Jiangnan.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, apart from the Yuan court, the Jiangnan gentry was the biggest headache for the Ming Dynasty. Although Shen Wansan was expelled when the country was first established, the power of the gentry was too large and intertwined. In order to maintain political stability, the Ming Dynasty could only compromise with the gentry in exchange for their support.

Later, with the help of Lao Li, through a series of miraculous operations, the gentry was repeatedly defeated and made to make many concessions. To this day, the gentry no longer poses any threat to the imperial power.

But their foundation is still there, and they still control the economic lifeline of the Ming Dynasty. Although the establishment of factories and the development of maritime trade have allowed the court to somewhat free itself from the control of the gentry in terms of silver and money, these are still in the initial stages and cannot yet compete with the gentry.

Moreover, there were not only aristocratic families in the Ming Dynasty. The clan forces in southern Fujian, Chaoshan and other places, as well as the Hakka forces throughout Fujian and Guangdong, were still deeply rooted in the local area. The imperial court could only rely on the garrisons to maintain its power in the local area, but it could not penetrate into the grassroots level.

But today, Old Li has provided an idea that can fundamentally solve these problems without the need for violent confrontation. It can be said to be a bloodless solution, and even invisibly, it has resolved these problems that have plagued the court for many years.

Railways bring convenient transportation, promote the flow of people, and break through the original system. These are not only applicable to Jiangnan, but also to all territories of the Ming Dynasty!
In the Ming Dynasty, everyone can be each other's catfish!

(End of this chapter)