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Suzhou was the center of the government's weaving industry in the Ming Dynasty. Even the dragon robes that were offered as tribute were made in Suzhou.
However, unlike Songjiang Prefecture, Suzhou mainly produces silk.
Qin Mu and his party arrived at the east of the city. Xu Yingjie, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who was sent to Jiangnan, also hurried over to pay his respects. Seeing that he looked exhausted, Qin Mu said, "Mr. Xu, you have worked hard."
Xu Yingjie had not expected that Qin Mu would come to Jiangnan at this time. When he first saw him, he was a little excited. He bowed deeply and replied, "I dare not. The King of Qin is busy with all kinds of affairs every day. It is really hard for him to come to Jiangnan to inspect in person."
"Well, I don't have much time to stay in Suzhou. Xu Qing, please take me to see the newly established textile factory."
"Yes, King Qin."
Suzhou is a place with many waterways, which is very suitable for the development of water-powered weaving. The textile factories founded this time are all concentrated outside the East Gate, which is similar to an industrial zone. There are several rivers crisscrossing the area. Not only can freight be transported by boat, but many looms are also driven by water power. Water-powered weaving appeared in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and it is no longer a new thing.
Outside the factory, Qin Mu discovered the Huang Dao Po shrine and statue, so he stopped to look at it and asked, "Prefect Wu, was this built by Suzhou Prefecture?"
Wu Jiacheng quickly explained: "Your Majesty, this was built voluntarily by the people. In Jiangnan, there are many Huang Dao Po temples and statues, which were built voluntarily by the local people out of gratitude."
Qin Mu nodded and said with emotion: "Huang Daopo, this amazing woman, has taught us a truth through her personal experience. Only by going out and communicating with the outside world and learning from others' strengths can we make progress."
Qin Mu's perspective on things always makes Xu Yingjie feel novel. All along, everyone has seen the great progress that Huang Dao Po has brought to the Jiangnan textile industry, but few people have emphasized how this progress came about.
In fact, if Huang Dao Po had not been stranded on Hainan Island, she would not have learned the advanced textile technology of the Li people, and there would have been no great development of the textile industry in the entire Ming Dynasty.
But in one dynasty, the government restricted the movement of the people and bound them to the land, so they deliberately erased the fact that Huang Daopo "went out".
Now Qin Mu no longer emphasizes how much benefit Huang Daopo has brought to the textile industry. Instead, he emphasizes her technology. This perspective of looking at things is fresh even to Xu Yingjie, who comes from a business background.
"What the King of Qin said is absolutely right. We will definitely keep it in mind."
Qin Mu then went in to visit the "industrial zone", where there were a dozen factories. All of them were related to textiles. Some factories were still under construction. Some were already in operation, some were weaving cotton cloth, and most were producing silk.
In the spacious factory, the looms kept making noises. To Qin Mu, it sounded like a wonderful symphony.
After Xu Yingjie's introduction, Qin Mu learned that the largest silk weaving factory was actually opened by Jiao Menglong. Jiao Menglong and Xu Yongshun were both powerful people in the former Ming Dynasty. Last time, Qin Mu granted them a rank of seventh-rank official.
This time Qin Mu wanted to develop the textile industry, and Xu Yongshun keenly saw the opportunity. He discussed with Jiao Menglong, Liu Changzuo, Tang Guozuo, Fang Yiyuan, Xu Wenjue and others, and decided to cater to Qin Mu's interests. They sold a lot of land in their family and invested the funds in the textile factory.
In addition to Jiao Menglong, other people also opened textile factories in Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture.
After hearing the news, Qin Mu just smiled faintly and said nothing. Selling land and setting up a factory was exactly the capital transfer he hoped to see. What else was there to say
He made an exception and summoned Jiao Menglong who happened to be in Suzhou. Jiao Menglong was so excited that his hands were shaking. Qin Mu even suspected that he was pretending. He was a powerful person in the previous dynasty, so he wouldn't be so excited just to be summoned.
Jiao Menglong knelt down as soon as he came up, kowtowed repeatedly and said: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the King of Qin. Long live the King of Qin, long live the King of Qin, long, long live the King of Qin!"
"Get up." Qin Mu said with a smile on his face, "I called you here this time mainly to tell you that you can run your factory without worry. As long as you pay taxes truthfully, you don't have to worry about anyone making things difficult for you."
"Thank you, King Qin." Jiao Menglong kowtowed three times and nine times before standing up.
Qin Mu said casually: "If you want to make more money in a factory, there are only a few points. Continuously improve the quality of products and enhance market competitiveness. Continuously stimulate the enthusiasm of workers and increase production. Another thing is to reduce costs and reduce expenses. The best way to reduce costs is not to deduct workers' wages, but to improve production technology. This is the long-term strategy and the only way to remain invincible. Relying on deducting workers' wages without technological innovation is a short-sighted behavior. You must remember this point firmly. Technology is the primary productive force."
"King Qin's good advice is something we will never forget." Jiao Menglong patted his chest again and again to assure them. Finally, he asked hesitantly, "King Qin, please forgive me for asking a question. I wonder when the court will recover Fujian."
"It will be done soon. Don't worry about it. Just take care of your factory."
Seeing Qin Mu's tone turn cold, Jiao Menglong couldn't help but said in surprise: "The King of Qin has misunderstood. The main reason I asked this is that I also opened a printing and dyeing factory. The King of Qin doesn't know that printing and dyeing cannot be separated from indigo. This dye is used for printing and dyeing. The color will not fade for a long time, and the color is bright and beautiful. It is known as the 'Golden Beam Jar'. After a piece of white cloth is dyed, its price can be doubled. The indigo dye used in Jiangnan mainly comes from Fujian.
Now the Zheng family has seized Fujian, cutting off Fenshui Pass and Xianxia Pass, and the sea route is not very smooth. Indigo materials are now extremely scarce and expensive, which has had a great impact on the printing and dyeing industry in Jiangnan. I have no other intention in asking this, but I hope that the court can recover Fujian as soon as possible so that the trade route can be unblocked. "
After a piece of white cloth is printed and dyed with indigo, its price can double or even several times. This surprised Qin Mu. No wonder Jiao Menglong is so concerned about this. This can quickly double the output value.
Qin Mu kept this in mind, but did not directly answer Jiao Menglong's question. This involved military secrets, and Fujian must resolve it as soon as possible, but before it was resolved, the schedule could not be revealed to someone like Jiao Menglong in advance.
He only visited the textile factory on his way south this time. He had confidence in Xu Yingjie in this regard, so he didn't need to worry about it. His main goal was actually Fujian.
After leaving the factory, the governor of Suzhou hosted a banquet for Qin Mu. During the banquet, Wu Jiacheng said, "King Qin, Suzhou is building a large textile factory. This is of course a good thing, but it will also cause a great impact on the local people."
Qin Mu took a sip of tea and asked, "Prefect Wu, tell me in detail."
"Reporting to the King of Qin, there are few people in Jiangnan, so every family weaves cloth. During the slack season, even men will weave cloth together to supplement their family income. Almost every family in Jiangnan has a loom, and spinning and weaving is one of the main livelihoods of ordinary people in a year. Now that textile factories have been established, it is bound to have a significant impact on ordinary people's homes. The court must have a corresponding measure in advance for this matter."
Wu Jiacheng could think of this, which shows that he is not bad, at least he is not the kind of dull official. Intensive enterprise production can reduce costs, improve efficiency and promote technological innovation. It will definitely have a great impact on those family workshops.
Jiangnan is a small and densely populated area. If the people's textile income is hit, life will probably become very difficult.
"Don't worry, Governor Wu. I have my own plan."
What countermeasures does Qin Mu have
In fact, there is no countermeasure, but the original retail production method of Jiangnan is not conducive to the development of the entire industry. Change is necessary. In the process of change, it is inevitable to endure some pain. This pain is not necessarily a bad thing. It may force the people of Jiangnan to change their original way of life and force them to go out. This is exactly the effect Qin Mu hopes to achieve.
Since ancient times, Chinese people have been too homesick and no one is willing to go out, which is extremely detrimental to social development.
If it really doesn't work, there is another solution, which is immigration.
In fact, when each dynasty was founded, there were often large numbers of immigrants. For example, in the early Ming Dynasty, a large number of immigrants from Jiangnan were sent to the border. There were as many as 200,000 to 300,000 people who moved from Jinling to Yunnan alone.
Now the population of the north has dropped sharply due to the famine caused by more than 20 years of war. It can be said that there is no sound of chickens for thousands of miles. After the recovery, if we want to restore the people's livelihood in the north as soon as possible, immigration is very necessary. This can also solve the problem of too many people and too little land in the south of the Yangtze River.
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ps: Here is the third update. To be honest, I am almost exhausted. Monthly tickets, monthly tickets... ...and monthly tickets... ... There are still four hours left. The little wish that I have waited for four years is right in front of me, but it may become a mirage at any time.
Xiaoxi is almost catching up to my buttocks, my anus is about to break. Brothers, check your ticket folders, see if there is any? Please vote again. I urgently need the monthly ticket to protect my anus!
Last four hours, urgently need monthly tickets!
I rolled on the ground and cried for a monthly pass, okay
.(To be continued..)
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