As soon as Ling Tianfang finished speaking, His Highness immediately fell into silence. Xiao Tang and Su Qin looked at each other. They did not expect that today's discussion of court affairs would turn into a working meeting of the Privy Council, but it was obvious that the Privy Council's This envoy from the left had put in a lot of effort and was well prepared. The detailed and reliable information, vivid descriptions, and alarmist words moved some ministers including the Government Affairs Council. As for His Majesty the Emperor, Xiao Tang and Su Qin I have realized that this is more like the Privy Council and His Majesty the Emperor secretly working together to set up a trap for the Government Affairs Council to exploit. Under this situation, if you still firmly oppose the formation of the Latin Ocean Fleet, you are undoubtedly ignorant of current affairs. But once this hole is opened , the gold coins in the vault of the Imperial Treasury are probably flowing out like water again. Today, the Council of Government has really been taken advantage of.
Seeing the livid faces of Xiao Su and Tian Yi's bitter smile, Wu Feng couldn't help but find it funny. How could Xiao Tang, who was once calm and carefree, and Su Qin, who was so free and easy, become so complacent about spending money? A Latin Ocean fleet made the two of them feel like they were mourning for their heirs. Thinking of it, Here, Wu Feng couldn't help but want to laugh out loud.
"Xiao Tang, Su Qin, what do you two think of Ling Zuoshi's opinion?" Wu Feng is trying to force the palace.
"Your Majesty, you should also be aware of the financial constraints of the empire. If finances permit, the Government Affairs Council will of course provide full support, but you also know that the empire's finances are now exhausted. According to Ling Zuo's vision, the scale of this Latin Ocean fleet will definitely not be small. And now our navy is undergoing a comprehensive refit, and the cost is staggering. To build the Latin Ocean Fleet, it must become the most advanced and largest fleet in the empire. After all, it may have to directly face the provocations of the powers in the Western Continent. So I think this plan needs to be carefully considered and come up with a reasonable plan before we discuss it." Xiao Tang also used a delaying tactic. As long as he didn't express his position now, there were many ways to delay this plan.
Of course Wu Feng and Ling Tianfang understood Xiao Tang's idea of hitting the ground, but what the other party said made sense. The navy is in the process of changing its equipment, which costs a lot of money. It is of course difficult to build such a fleet now.
"Your Majesty, I believe that there is no need to delay the construction of this fleet. If the Government Council has difficulties in investing in the construction for a while, I suggest that some of the ships that have been refitted from the Atlantic Fleet and the Southern Ocean Fleet can be transferred to the Latin Ocean Fleet to build a new fleet. However, several naval bases in the New World must start construction immediately. They cannot be built in a day or two. We must firmly control the eastern and southern areas of the New World before other countries, and at the same time, as much as possible We will advance our forces to the central part of the New World, and we must establish our strongholds as much as possible in the north and west of the New World. Ensure that our naval fleet can sail and patrol around the New World at will. As for the funding issue, Chen Xiangchen has just said, I believe the Government Affairs Council has ways to solve this problem."
Of course, Ling Tianfang would not agree to his idea being shelved silently. This time he came prepared and wanted to give an accurate answer in the court. He couldn't tolerate this torturous mood torturing himself.
Seeing that Su Qin was still trying to argue, Wu Feng waved his hand decisively to stop the dispute between the two parties. His purpose was to let the courtiers understand the importance of the New World. If such an unprincipled argument continues, the point of discussion will be lost.
"Xiao Tang, Su Qin, Tian Yi, and Tian Fang have proposed a compromise plan. I think this Fang'an is acceptable. The Privy Council will immediately come up with a construction plan and budget and send it to the Ministry of Finance. The ships and personnel can be used from the Atlantic and Ocean as appropriate. From the two fleets in the Southern Ocean, the selection of naval bases must be forward-looking, and the location must be in line with the long-term interests of the empire. Well, if there are indeed difficulties in financial funding, I can use some of it from my internal treasury, and there are other shortcomings. We can issue naval treasury bonds, and we must build the Latin Ocean Fleet into a naval fleet that can compete with the Western Continent in the shortest possible time!"
"Everyone, the New World is related to the great interests of our empire in the future, so we must not lag behind anyone. We grit our teeth now, and we will surely receive rich rewards in the future. After you go back, you should launch a propaganda campaign to let the people Fully understand the wealth and superiority of the New World, and encourage people, especially the Tang people, to actively immigrate to the New World. The Government Affairs Council should also re-formulate policies to encourage immigration to the New World and provide guarantees and support from all aspects. I suggest that after the navy builds national debt, additional New World debt can be issued. National debt, speed up the infrastructure construction of the New World, and at the same time open the route from Sikkim to Lilac Island in the shortest possible time to ensure that the spices on Lilac Island can be imported into the empire as soon as possible to meet the needs of the people of the empire. For the Great Lakes region, we can give priority to The Imperial Navy is conducting surveying and mapping, and the Imperial Government Council must immediately send people to intervene. This land must be in the hands of the Empire. At the same time, gentry and merchants in the Empire can be encouraged to invest and start businesses. The Empire encourages agricultural development here, and will also introduce a series of We should provide favorable conditions to attract them, such as land policies.”
Wu Feng's words made Xiao Tang, Su Qin and others understand that His Majesty the Emperor had already made up his mind to build this Latin Ocean fleet. He would rather spend money from the internal treasury to start construction immediately, and also issued a special naval treasury bonds, and now it is proposed to issue New World treasury bonds to promote the infrastructure construction of the New World. The land issue in the Great Lakes region is probably a bait thrown by His Majesty the Emperor to attract the imperial gentry and merchants to invest in purchasing land in the New World. This is not only It can supplement the empire's finances, and more importantly, it can greatly speed up the development of the New World. Once the land is purchased, the gentry and merchants will never let these fertile lands go to waste. They will do everything they can to make these fertile fields deserted. The land has become their hen that lays golden eggs. It seems that His Majesty the Emperor is ruthless and refuses to give in. He wants to compete with the powerful powers of the Western Continent in the New Continent.
As Wu Feng expected, his words at the State Council immediately caused a stir in both the government and the opposition. As we all know, the empire has been divided into several regions and treated differently in terms of land policy. The land policy of the territories outside the original Tanghe Empire, such as the Tengger Grassland, Northern Luzon, and the Peninsula, is completely different from the land policy of the empire and the Indian region. , the empire's mainland and the Indian region have always adopted a policy of higher taxes, especially strict restrictions on land transactions and mergers. However, this does not restrict the long-term psychology of the gentry class who are full of desire for land. Precipitation and psychological fixation make them more inclined to use land to maintain their wealth. In their view, only land is the most reliable way to preserve value.
However, the empire's policy restricted unlimited land annexation. When the land became more concentrated, the higher the taxes that landowners had to bear, and the tax rate for land transactions would continue to rise. This greatly restricted land transactions and annexations. At the same time, the empire The agricultural administration department has also adopted a strict policy of prohibiting the abandonment of land. Once it is found that the land has been abandoned for more than one year, the land will be unconditionally nationalized. This also forces the gentry and landlord class to lower the land rent to attract farm laborers and tenant farmers. Otherwise, once the land is abandoned, it will be abandoned. Land will be lost, which also greatly limits the enthusiasm of landowners and gentry to acquire and purchase land. After all, no one is willing to do business that has no profit or may even bring losses.
Wu Feng mentioned at the State Council that he would make adjustments to the land policy in the New World and would provide preferential policies to encourage gentry and merchants to invest and purchase land. This immediately made the gentry and merchants with a keen sense of smell notice the difference between them. Business opportunities, although His Majesty the Emperor did not explicitly state how the land policy in the New World will be different from that in the Empire, but think about the excellent water and heat conditions, fertile and flat land in the Great Lakes region introduced by Ling Tianfang, and the large amount of indigenous labor force hidden there. , these points are enough to arouse the strong interest of the gentry and merchants. If the preferential policies mentioned by His Majesty the Emperor are consistent with those in the Northern Luzon region, it will undoubtedly sound the clarion call for the gentry and merchants to advance to the New World.
Northern Luzon has now become a hot spot for the development of agriculture in the empire. The rapid development of industry and commerce in the empire has also led to a strong demand for cash crops, such as gum trees, tobacco, sugar cane, coffee, tea, cocoa, palm, olives, and cinchona. The growing demand for these cash crops from the industrial and commercial circles has also indirectly promoted the investment of imperial businessmen in Northern Luzon, Central and South China, Burma County, and Nanhai County, which are suitable for the production of these cash crops. However, due to the infrastructure and conditions Generally speaking, Northern Luzon, which has taken the lead, is far better than other counties in terms of the stability of policies, the efficiency of government agencies, road transportation and water conservancy and irrigation facilities. It is natural that Northern Luzon will become It is a place favored by businessmen.
All the wasteland in Vito Mansion, Shuangdui Mansion, and Volcano Mansion were quickly snapped up by the swarming imperial merchants, but this was far from meeting the demand. Fortunately, the pace of empire development never stopped. Pamir Mansion, The inclusion of Kuecun and Patmao has set off a wave of investment and land purchase in Northern Luzon County. Kong Yunzhen's smooth and flexible methods also played a very good role in attracting plantation investors from all over the empire.
Larger planting circles are constantly emerging in the six prefectures of Northern Luzon, and the rapid expansion of the planting area of cash crops has also brought development opportunities to the cash crop processing industry in Northern Luzon. Primary processing enterprises of various economic agricultural products are spread all over the country. In the town of Zhendian, there are a lot of transport trucks and merchants going to these areas to purchase primary products. The prosperous processing industry also drives the development of commerce. This is the main reason why North Luzon County has become the fastest growing region in the empire's economy.