On the river, the breeze was gentle, and the steam-driven water-fire wheel was moving rapidly on the river, stirring up countless white and crystal waves. Yan Liqiang, the governors of the six states, and the head of the Zhong family were on the deck of the water-fire wheel, drinking wine in the wind, and talking about the mountains and rivers. It was so pleasant...
Today is the third day since the six provincial governors came to Qiyun County. After seeing everything they needed to see, Yan Liqiang took the six provincial governors to board a boat at the dock of Qinghe County, and then let the boat sail directly to Pingxi City. There will be a farewell dinner in Pingxi City tonight, and tomorrow the six provincial governors will return to their respective provincial capitals.
As for the head of the Zhong family, Zhong Hongyan, after receiving Yan Liqiang's call, he had been waiting in Qiyun County for several days, just to be able to take a boat back to Pingxi City with the six governors today.
The steamship that everyone is riding on now is the second batch of steamships built by the manufacturing bureau. The second batch of steamships has once again made a huge improvement over the first batch, because a large number of top craftsmen have joined the manufacturing bureau, and many of those craftsmen have built large ships before. Therefore, the second batch of steamships has made great improvements in the manufacture of the hull compared to the first batch. At the same time, the steam engines and rudders installed on the ship have also undergone some changes. Now the performance of this second batch of steamships is more stable, they run faster on the water, are more adaptable, and make less noise, and they can basically be fully put into use.
This "No. 1 Water-Fire Wheel" specially made by the Manufacturing Bureau for Yan Liqiang was extremely gorgeous and unique. The double-decker deck and many of the woods of the ship were made with the new baking paint process used on four-wheeled carriages. The ship also used springs to make sofa-like soft couches and stools. The engine room that originally made noise was made of double-layer sound insulation with maple wood and cotton, which made less noise. The ship was magnificent with carved beams and painted buildings. Wherever there was a chimney, a whistle made by craftsmen from the Manufacturing Bureau was installed for the first time. When the whistle sounded, the leisurely sound echoed on the river like a horn, which was really cool. Wherever the ship went along the way, the boats on the river hurriedly pulled over when they saw the big flag of the Pingxi Palace hanging on the ship, and many sailors on the ships cheered and saluted the ship from afar.
After coming on board the ship, the six governors once again felt that their eyes had been opened. It was the first time for them to ride on such a ship. The comfort and speed of this cargo ship once again refreshed their understanding of riding on a ship.
"The general trend of the world is just like the water of this river in front of us, vast and mighty, surging endlessly. Because the general trend of the terrain of Ganzhou and the northwest is high in the west and low in the east, the water of the river in front of us also flows from west to east. Everything in front of us seems simple, but it contains the ultimate truth. What is this ultimate truth? It can be summed up in one sentence. The development and changes of all things will always follow the direction of least resistance. This is the Tao. The so-called Tao is from high to low, that is, the path with least resistance. This principle is also true between regions, between countries, and even between races in the entire Silver Continent..." Yan Liqiang stood on the bow, looking at the scenery on both sides of the river and the river bank, full of vigor and vitality, "If water wants to become powerful, it must come from high and go from high to low. Only in this way can it wear away stones and become mulberry fields and seas. The same is true for a country to become powerful. If the Han Empire wants to become powerful, it wants to dominate the world and sweep across the world, what it should be high about, do you know where it should be high?"
Upon hearing Yan Liqiang's question, some of the governors on the bow frowned, while others looked at each other. After everyone pondered for a moment, Gu Tong'an spoke first.
Gu Tongan looked at Yan Liqiang with a humble and respectful attitude, and then said in a flattering way, "As long as there are wise rulers and virtuous ministers, the Han Empire will be able to regain its former glory and dominate the world in no time!"
Yan Liqiang shook his head. "Where there are wise rulers, there are incompetent rulers. Where there are virtuous ministers, there are treacherous ministers. A wise ruler may not necessarily meet virtuous ministers, and virtuous ministers may not necessarily meet a wise ruler. So throughout history, there are only a handful of cases where wise rulers and virtuous ministers can meet by chance. It's a flash in the pan. A dynasty can last for 400 years, but when wise rulers and virtuous ministers meet, it's less than a hundred years. The glory of a country is never like this!"
“Wise rulers and virtuous ministers only make decisions in the court. If the Han Empire wants to dominate the world, it still depends on the large number of soldiers and generals. For example, the Chamans can mobilize an army of one million. If we can mobilize an army of three million, how dare they repeatedly invade the territory of the Han Empire? If my Ganzhou had a million strong army, how could the seven Shatu tribes have been so arrogant in the Gulang grassland for so long? The so-called power still has to be won by swords and guns..." Lei Sitong said in a rough voice.
"The previous dynasty had tens of millions of armored soldiers and tens of thousands of brave generals, unmatched in the world. However, because of excessive taxation and extortion, it perished after three generations. How could it be said that it could dominate the world?" Yan Liqiang asked Lei Sitong with a smile.
"This..." Lei Sitong was speechless for a moment.
"If a country wants to be strong, its treasury must be full and it must have abundant money and grain. Therefore, the country's strengths lie in the two words money and grain!" Zhong Hongyan said.
Yan Liqiang smiled and shook his head. "In the eyes of robbers, local tycoons who like to save money and store grain are all fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. If the country relies on the money and grain stored in the government treasury, then such a country is no different from those misers. Once there is a change, the prosperity of a hundred years will turn into scorched earth in an instant!"
"Then I wonder, in your Highness's eyes, how high does the Han Empire have to be to dominate the world?" Lin Zitong asked cautiously.
Yan Liqiang smiled but did not say it directly. Instead, he pointed at the river under the boat deck and said, "If two people were traveling with us when we left Qinghe County Pier today, and one of them had no money to take a boat, so he jumped into the river and wanted to swim to Pingxi City, and the other person was just riding an ordinary boat, while we were riding a water-fire boat, who do you think would reach Pingxi City first? If the person riding the boat and the person swimming clashed with us, who would win in the end?"
"Uh..." Everyone on the deck listened to Yan Liqiang's words and fell into deep thought.
"For example, in the past, an embroiderer from an ordinary family in Qinghe County could only barely provide clothing for her family and earn a little money and food after working for a year. But now, if an embroiderer from an ordinary family in Qinghe County enters the No. 1 Factory, she can not only feed her family and keep them well fed and clothed, but also save more money every year, enough for her family to live a good life. This embroiderer is the same person, in the same place, doing the same thing, why can the latter live a better life than the former? The No. 1 Factory is not doing a good deed by recruiting embroiderers. The embroiderer earns more money for the No. 1 Factory and creates more wealth. The No. 1 Factory can also use this money to hire more guards and manpower. Where do you think this money comes from?"
"For example, the Dragon Tooth Army's cavalry archers. Why do the seven tribes of Shatu have people with horses, but never have cavalry archers?"
The concept of productivity was too unfamiliar to these people, and it was hard to explain it to them, so Yan Liqiang simply used a few things to explain it. Looking at the thoughtful expressions of the people, Yan Liqiang smiled and said, "You can think about this question slowly, but there is one more thing at hand that requires your strong support after you go back..."
"Oh, I wonder what Your Highness needs my support for?" Bo Rui asked.
"Seriously speaking, it's not support, but a profitable thing that benefits both you and me!" Yan Liqiang glanced at Zhong Hongyan, the head of the Zhong family, and said, "I plan to cooperate with the Zhong family to open a bank in the northwest..."
"Ah, bank, what kind of business is this?" Lei Sitong asked with a puzzled look.
"Ahem, this bank is a bit like a money house, in fact, it is similar to a money house..." Zhong Hongyan, the head of the Zhong family, stepped forward and looked at the governors with a smile, "In order to thank you for your support, His Highness told me that in the future, if you deposit your gold and silver in our Chase Bank, no matter how much you deposit, our Chase Bank will not charge you any withdrawal and custody fees. I hope you will support us..."
What? I don’t have to pay withdrawal and storage fees when I deposit money in Chase Bank. Is there such a good thing in the world
Several provincial governors suddenly felt that His Royal Highness the Prince of Pingxi was taking too good care of them. Those who were more active immediately thought that if they deposited all the official silver or other people's silver into the Datong Bank, then the custody and withdrawal fees of the official silver and other people's silver in other money houses could be saved, and the money could flow into their own pockets...
(End of this chapter)