After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

This is undeniable; everyone here is knowledgeable and well-informed. They know that economics is important, and they have already studied relevant historical materials and have a comprehensive understanding.

What Yi Mei said before all matched their understanding. They could also deduce what Yi Mei had outlined. Her policy essays were not written in vain, and her years as an official were not for nothing.

But the concept of civilizational competition that Yi Mei is talking about is new to them.

"The gradual replacement of the land-based Silk Road by the Maritime Silk Road is closely related to the southward shift of the economic center during the Song Dynasty. The flourishing of maritime trade made sea routes an important window for foreign exchanges and communication, and also brought about tremendous changes to the economy of the Song Dynasty."

"Trade and economy are mutually influential. The continuous development of handicrafts in the Song Dynasty led to increasingly diversified commodities and more and more exports, which in turn made the maritime Silk Road flourish. The flourishing maritime Silk Road gradually changed the economic structure of the Song Dynasty."

Yi Mei pressed a button, and a structural diagram with several circles appeared on the PowerPoint presentation. "Later, it gradually transformed into a structure that emphasized both agriculture and commerce. As we learned in the previous lesson, the merchant and craftsman classes expanded rapidly, and the urban population and economy grew rapidly..."

"Gradually, a century-long competition of civilizations ensued!"

"The competition between industrial and commercial civilization, agricultural civilization, and nomadic civilization!"

Within the Song Dynasty alone, there was already competition between industry, commerce, and agriculture. Nomadic civilizations immediately brought to mind the existence of Liao, Western Xia, and Jin.

(Does the nomadic civilization refer to the Liao people?)

(It should be that they are to the west and north. We would like to take the overland Silk Road but dare not. Since we cannot go that way, we can only go by sea.)

(You can earn even more at sea, because there are bigger ships!)

……

The comments on the screen were chattering away, and they were pretty much the same as what Yi Mei had said.

However, economic matters are not only subject to external factors, but also to geographical factors, international situations, and so on.

It's not something that can be easily discussed in a short time.

Soon after, Yi Mei also mentioned the disruption of the land route, saying, "Some people say that the rise of the Maritime Silk Road is related to the disruption of the land Silk Road, and that is indeed one of the reasons that historians have found."

"Some people say it's because technology developed rapidly at that time, with the advent of the compass, and the improvement of my country's navigation and shipbuilding technologies. That's one of the reasons. There's another one that most people probably don't talk about."

"Can anyone guess?"

Upon arriving at this point, Yi Mei kept everyone in suspense.

From the perspective of later generations, this was an absolute advantage, because information traveled slowly in ancient times, and the Chinese people have historically paid less attention to external affairs, so they did not consider this aspect.

Those below began to discuss it in hushed tones, and even those under the canopy started talking about it.

Many people are talking about war, or about how the south has more seaports, making it easier to do business, and some even say that sea travel is faster than land travel.

Etc., etc.

Five minutes later, Yi Mei tapped the table lightly and adjusted her glasses. "This answer is difficult for everyone because we don't have the relevant information and we don't know the international situation."

A world map gradually appeared on the PPT. Yi Mei reached out and zoomed in on a portion of the map, which showed some black and red trajectory lines and arrows to help everyone understand the situation.

"There is also a less common theory that the Arab peninsula was unified in the 7th century. According to records from the Tang and Song dynasties, it should be called the Abbasid Caliphate. The Abbasid Caliphate emerged out of nowhere, and Muhammad, who ruled the Abbasid Caliphate, had merchant blood. So from the beginning, the Abbasid Caliphate had a commercialist lineage."

Those under the sky could also see the territory marked by the Abbasid Caliphate expanding little by little.

"As their territory expanded, their population grew, their economy prospered, and given their geographical location, they began to act as messengers between East and West, and started to go out to sea to do business."

Zhao Kuangyin also saw that the territory of the Abbasid Caliphate bordered the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean, all of which were by the sea, so he naturally wanted to go out to sea to do business.

He also recalled that when he had gone to track down Zhao Ji several times during the reigns of Emperor Qinzong and Emperor Huizong, he had vaguely heard about it, but not much.

At that time, expelling the Jurchens was certainly still the top priority.

Looking at the world gives you a broader perspective. As Fan Zhongyan gazed at the world map, a sense of the grandeur of history slowly unfolding before him washed over him.

Oh, world!

At the same time, their limited perspective, confined to only one corner of China, also made them seem somewhat narrow-minded.

"These claims are popular because they are all based on historical inferences. In my opinion, the reasons for the southward shift of the economic center and the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road cannot be generalized; it is a complex process."

"Frequent political changes and economic restructuring from the late Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, coupled with the growth and competition of different civilizations, were the reasons for the southward shift of the economy."

"If you read the records, you will know that during the late Tang Dynasty, there was war everywhere. In addition, the weather was too cold, which led to a continuous reduction in crop yields. The Yellow River flooded, and there were floods and droughts everywhere, which slowed down the pace of development. As time went on, by the Song Dynasty, the development speed in Liangzhe and even further south increased, far exceeding that in the north."

"At this time, whether it was the area of ​​cultivated crops, the efficiency of cultivation, or the level of development of handicrafts, it had far surpassed the Central Plains. In fact, two-thirds of the tax revenue of the Song Dynasty came from the South."

"This has also attracted more and more people to the south."

"The economic center of gravity has naturally shifted south."

"This also means that more and more goods need to find a new channel for transportation."

“The sea outlets in the southeastern coastal areas are very close to these handicraft production bases, which can save time and reduce transportation costs for goods.”

Yi Mei nodded. "What do you all think is the advantage of the Maritime Silk Road over the land-based Silk Road?"

The people below have already whispered the correct answer.

Zhu Qinggu could guess that shipping by ship would definitely be faster and allow for more cargo to be transported.

These officials from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties had already guessed it.

Even Zhao Bing said to Zhao Kuangyin, "Larger ships can transport more!"

Zhao Kuangyin patted his head.

Seeing that they had spoken up so quickly, Yi Mei wasn't so serious anymore. Which teacher wouldn't prefer a classroom with feedback and a lively atmosphere?

Yi Mei was the same.