The people live on food.

Therefore, the issue of the rise in grain prices in Fuso was carefully discussed by Naohide, Okubo, and others.

With the natural disasters easing, it is possible to recover the grain production of Fuso. However, what is good or not is that after Fuso is reopened to trade, because of the high export prices of raw silk, tea, and other special products, the area under grain cultivation will be greatly reduced, so the grain price will not be able to fall.

In fact, in Naoxiu's original world, this increase in grain prices continued for more than a decade from 1856 onwards, and it would accelerate again in 1878-1880.

The solution is not none, one is to purchase grain from overseas, the second is to find ways to increase the grain output of Fuso, and the third is to reduce grain consumption.

Buying grain from overseas, not to mention the question of whether there is money or not, this shipbuilding and obtaining a license to trade with the sea are two great difficulties -- as for thinking about Westerners transporting grain to Fuso to help the suffering, it is too much to think about it, and people have their own profiteering business, and they are easily unwilling to do such a low-profit business.

As for the latter two methods, they are both related to Hakodate:

The largest piece of land developed by Fusang is in the north; Reducing food consumption depends on oil, and the fishery of Ezo is the first in Fuso.

But what is frustrating is that although Naohide has been saying it for a long time, everyone here is still skeptical - can't it, on June 2 this year, the box house traded with Westerners, and the price of goods has risen, but it is so powerful?

There is more than a hand behind him, and there is no way to turn back.

Now that there is a moment of danger when there are starving bones on the road, I don't know if this thing really happens, so it's no wonder that everyone doesn't believe it - in fact, even Okubo is half-convinced, but this kind of big thing, "I would rather believe it than believe it", let's believe it.

After the cold scene, the topic had to turn back to rich countries and strong soldiers.

The "rich country" proposed by Heishiro Yokoi in "The Three Treatises on the Country" can actually be called "a rich country by trade", that is, getting rich through industry and commerce.

Speaking of which, this topic is still full of embarrassment. The shogunate is based on Zhuzi Confucianism, and this theory of doing business is not beneficial is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people; Besides, "merchants are cheap business", and it is still a shogunate decree that samurai are not allowed to do business.

However, there are examples of Hizen, Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa, all of which became rich through business, and there are Westerners who remind them that they have to know about overseas information, and naturally they know that "trade is very profitable."

But the problem is that doing business is risky, this trade can make you rich or poor, who can guarantee that you will not lose money!

You can do it straight!

In his original world, the shogunate's economic performance was not very good during the period from 1859 to 1868, when Edo opened the castle without blood, so it finally fell from power.

But the eldest brother Mo said that the second brother, the subsequent restoration of the government did not do a good job at the beginning.

The advantages and disadvantages of this have been studied by countless descendants, and many of them are insightful, which can certainly be taken out and discussed:

First of all, it is necessary to reveal a truth, that is, the early days of the Restoration government really did not do a good job, tossing Fusang to death, and it was not until the eighties of the nineteenth century that these bureaucrats repented, and then the Fusang economy began to develop rapidly.

Of course, Naohide can't talk about things that haven't happened as examples, so the speech is still based on logical assumptions.

Without agriculture, there is no stability, so let's start with agriculture.

The secret of the success of Fuso agriculture is to clarify land rights, set up agricultural teams, and encourage the extension of technology.

Yes, the development of agriculture after the Restoration was good:

Before 1880, the value of agricultural output fluctuated up and down, but the combined annual growth rate reached about 1.7%; For more than two decades after 1880, the annual growth rate was about 1.1 percent.

But the role of the government in it is more funny, there are rights and wrongs, and it may be more than good.

What are these guys doing?

Blindly introduce improved breeds, promote machinery and Western-style cattle and sheep grazing methods.

To give a few examples, the introduction of precious cattle breeds almost made Wagyu extinct in the hands of the new government, and the blind promotion of potatoes, corn, and sorghum led to a decline in total grain production, and large farm machinery was not suitable

Extensive small plots of land, Western grazing methods are also not adaptable.

Of course, the Restoration government was still stronger than the shogunate, at least the physical confinement was much looser, and the promotion of agriculture was much more vigorous and organized—especially after 1881.

However, in the first ten years of the Restoration, the main achievement of agricultural development was due to the enthusiasm of the peasant uncles themselves, which was the main reason for the high enthusiasm of the peasants after the land tax reform in 1873.

However, during this period, the government expropriated and expropriated land, and the "landlord kingdom" headed by the royal family began to see its eyebrows - by 1883, the proportion of land cultivated by tenants was 36%, and the proportion of their number was 60%, which indicates that a large number of yeoman farmers went bankrupt and fell into poverty.

In this way, the life of the peasants did not improve much, and the people began to miss the former lords and shogunate, so rebellions broke out one after another.

After talking about agriculture, let's talk about industry.

The development of Fuso's industry still depends mainly on the private sector, and what the government can and should do is to "improve basic measures, formulate enlightened policies, promote compulsory education, and provide industrial support and subsidies".

The three major slogans of the Restoration were enriching the country and strengthening the army, promoting the industry through colonization, and civilizing and civilizing, but when the shogunate and the daimyo collapsed, the foundation left behind was mainly the government-run mines and ordnance factories. However, like its predecessors, the government of the Restoration did not do anything earth-shattering before 1881, and the proportion of agriculture in the economy was still the vast majority, and the proportion did not rise much at all.

In light industry, there were only three Western-style textile mills ten years after the Restoration—including the original one of the Satsuma Shimazu family.

In heavy industry, shipbuilding and machinery manufacturing, the Western-run Kobe Iron Works stood out, and in the early 1880s, iron ships began to be built, and the level of craftsmanship was beyond the reach of those government-run shipyards. What the Restoration government was able to handle was the three major iron works of Nagasaki, Yokohama, and Yokosuka, which were prepared by the shogunate.

Mining is developing well, but it is all due to the old and new chaebols of the shogunate to update their processes and machinery.

Steelmaking was even more tragic, the first large-scale steel mill, Yawata Iron Works, was prepared in 1891 and started production in 1901, while in 1900 Fuso's steel production was about 50,000 tons, while in the same period, England and Mi were 4.98 million tons and 10.35 million tons, respectively.

As for the railways, by 1880 all the Fuso railways combined were less than 160 kilometers.

Many boats were bought, but the government kept losing money, so in 1875 they were all sold at a low price to Yataro Iwasaki's Mitsubishi Steamship Company, and Iwasaki began to dominate the shipping industry off the coast of Fuso.

Although a large number of demonstration enterprises -- 52 government-run model factories -- have popularized science and technology and cultivated talents, most of them have been transferred to individuals because they have been losing money. Of course, the original banner was "demonstration", which is not too discouraged.

These companies include the famous Kagoshima Textile Works, Shinmachi Textile Works, Senju Velvet Works, Tomioka Silk Reeling Factory, Kamaishi Iron Works Works, Osaka Artillery Factory, Naito Shinjuku Experimental Ground, and Mita Agricultural Laboratory, among others.

Although everything is difficult at the beginning, it is difficult for the government-run model factory to start from the beginning to the end, which is unreasonable.

In contrast to the state-run enterprises, the mining and shipping industries of the old and new chaebols appear to be vibrant,—— although they receive little or no support:

In the seventies and eighties of the nineteenth century, Shiseido, a Seiko watch store and cosmetics company, was very popular from the very beginning, and it has been growing rapidly.

Although the trade volume of handmade shell buttons was small, by 1896 the export volume had grown to 175,000 fusang yuan, occupying most of the international market;

The gold and silver leaf industry in Hokuriku Kanazawa, which was only manufactured in Edo and Kyoto during the shogunate period, was suppressed at the time, and after the Restoration, the privilege restrictions no longer existed, so it flourished, accounting for nearly 90% of the world market in 1918.

Between 1877 and 1900, Fuso's food processing and textile industries contributed 40 percent and 35 percent respectively, respectively, to 75 percent, meaning that three-quarters of Fuso's industrial growth in the late 19th century was based on the development of light industry – and the main force was private enterprises.

Taking the silk reeling industry as an example, because they could not afford to use expensive imported machinery, the folk initially struggled with simple workshops, wooden machines and hydraulic power, introduced the seat reeling machine in 1870, began large-scale imitation in 1872, and in 1876 the folk silk industry developed greatly, and in 1909 the output of raw silk surpassed that of China.

The period from 1886 to 1990 was the first industrial upsurge in modern Fuso, in which the main force was mainly private enterprises.

Of course, the contribution of the government to the Restoration is also very large, which is reflected in the improvement of basic measures, the formulation of enlightened policies, the implementation of compulsory education, and the provision of industrial support and subsidies.

But compared with contributions, black spots abound, take this Fuso "compulsory education" as an example, the majority of the funding still comes from the people - not from the tax to pay euros, but directly to the residents and student families near the school. From 1869 to 1877, the majority of the government's financial expenditures accounted for 55.2% of the military expenditure, while the education expenditure was 0.4% of the frenzied expenditure!

It was not until the end of the 19th century, after snatching China a hand, that Fuso began to implement "free primary compulsory education" - of course, this free policy was not realized early in the world's countries at that time: England was fully implemented in 1891; Although the rice people began in 1834, it was not until 1919 that the last Alabama state began to practice; Francie was early and fully implemented in 1879.

Another example is patent law.

In 1871, Fuso promulgated the Monopoly Guidelines, but it was repealed the year after its enactment, citing the fact that it could not be enforced due to the tyranny of power.

Fourteen years later, in 1885, the "Patent Ordinance" was promulgated and the patent office was established, and the patent system of Fuso really began to be established, and the relevant laws and regulations of other countries were established in 1624, 1790, 1791, and 1877 - the comprehensive Westernization of the Restoration.

"Enriching the country and strengthening the army, cultivating and prospering the industry, and civilizing and civilizing", in the early days, the government of the Restoration could have a clear conscience and a "strong army" -- the so-called "wise and martial arts, and good enough" sounded as uncomfortable as swallowing flies.

On the contrary, "ignoring people's livelihood and environmental pollution, acting arbitrarily, the bureaucracy is deeply colluding with businessmen, the disparity between the rich and the poor, the slow progress of the rule of law, the ignorance of the people, the recklessness of military force, and extravagance and corruption".

In the early days, the Fusang government was so happy with its achievements that it ignored the right path of modern industrialization, which was mainly based on the development of agriculture and light industry, and tossed and turned indiscriminately in the field of heavy industry and in the midst of reckless military force.

Saigo Takanaga once commented on the industrial policy of the early Restoration government, "If you rush forward because you are envious of the strength of other countries, and do not consider the limitations of your own strength, you will eventually be exhausted and achieve nothing." We must immediately abandon the construction of the railroad and strive to build up the strength of the military. ”

Of course, there is a big problem with his last sentence, but what he said earlier is to the point!

It is no wonder that in 1881, when Matsukata Masayoshi took charge of Fuso's finances, he admitted in his capacity as secretary of state that "in the past, the government was sometimes too aggressive, but in the future, it will give more consideration to the actual situation in Fuso, and on the basis of doing what it can, the economic laws must be in line with reality." ”

As a matter of fact, there are still many experiences and lessons to be learned from the modernization of Fuso.

But what Zhixiu said was foaming at the mouth, but the boring content that could hide his head and tail made most of the people listening to the lecture drowsy. Mrs. Yingzi saw that it was dark at night, so she stepped forward to let everyone go home.

"After this village, there is no such shop! Not listening is a loss. Naoxiu had no choice but to give up.

These contents were discussed by him and Koguri Tadashun this year, and it was because of this that he decided that the shogunate was going to start a rich country and strengthen the army.

Speaking of which, since the shogunate initiated the Ansei reform in the 7th year of Kaei (1854), it is really time for this rich country business to take a big step forward, and there are only a few modern industries such as the Hikariyama Ironworks, the Yokohama Ironworks, the Yushima Cannon Foundry, and the Ishikawajima Shipyard.

But the question is, the shogunate has been suffering for a long time, is it too late?

Hey, "Father dies and mother marries, and I take care of myself", this northern land is still a mess, where can I have the energy to manage a lot!

At the end of 1859, the shogunate finally began another round of reform, and the situation in Fuso entered a more intense period.