After listening to Fan Wencheng's preliminary report on the domestic situation in North Korea, Huang Taiji glanced at Ganglin and Xifu on the side, and then instructed Fan Wencheng: "You sort out all the detailed information about North Korea's domestic situation, and then hand it over to Xifu." Heefu, you will focus on the affairs of North Korea in the future, and no matter what method you use, I hope that you will be able to get in touch with the anti-royal faction in North Korea as soon as possible.

Whether it is incitement or bribery, it is necessary to promote a rebellion against Wang Shizi within Korea, and if necessary, transfer some people from the Han army banner to disguise themselves as Ming people to assist them, I do not want Wang Shizi of North Korea to live past this year. Only when he dies will those rebels have to turn to our country, so that we can gain more power over North Korea. ”

Fan Wencheng and Xifu responded in unison, and Huang Taiji continued to ask Fan Wencheng: "Just now Tuna suggested that following the Ming Dynasty's self-built iron plant can greatly reduce the price of refined iron and expand the source of refined iron, what do you think?" ”

Since Fan Yongdou fled, financial affairs have fallen on Fan Wencheng. Although he is not as familiar with business as Fan Yongdou, he has finally been trained by Huang Taiji, and he always knows more about economic affairs than other Manchurian bachelors.

Therefore, after hearing Huang Taiji's question, he just pondered for a while, then shook his head and said: "Back to the master, from the perspective of the minion, Tuna only knows one thing and does not know the other, if he really does it according to his idea, this iron price will not be reduced." ”

Huang Taiji suddenly raised his eyebrows, and asked with some surprise: "Why is Xiandou so assertive, you might as well say it and let me hear it." ”

Fan Wencheng straightened out his thoughts and said unhurriedly: "Although China has now found iron ore and coal mines in Haizhou and the surrounding areas, it is probably unrealistic to want to carry out large-scale development like the Southern Dynasties.

First, these iron and coal mines are hidden deep in the mountains, and a few iron-smelting furnaces can be built on a small scale, and the transportation on horseback and people can also be supported. However, if you want to build a large iron factory, you must first build roads that can be used for traffic, and it is better to have a railway with iron bars on the ground, as in the Southern Dynasties, otherwise the transportation costs will be too high for us to bear.

Second, it is not possible to smelt steel directly from coal, and it is said that the Southern Dynasty also processed coal first, and then smelted steel. We don't have this technology, and if we want to smelt steel on a large scale, we have to cut wood and burn charcoal, and then use charcoal to smelt iron ore. There is wood in our country, but if we want to cut wood and burn charcoal, we will not have so many manpower, unless the timber that is now exported to the south of the DPRK is completely stopped, and then a group of Koreans and Han people who farm the land are transferred to burn charcoal, then it is possible to meet the demand for charcoal smelting in the iron factory.

But if this is the case, it is better to pay some money to buy fine iron from the merchants of Ming and Korea at a high price, so that at least we can make up for the losses in the timber trade. Otherwise, if we lose the timber trade with the Southern Dynasties, our country's economic losses will far outweigh the loss of purchasing that bit of refined iron. ”

Huang Taiji was a little silent, the economy was not his forte after all, otherwise he would not have been taken to the pit by Fan Yongdou. His understanding of the economy is about the same as that of the Shang Dynasty a thousand years ago, and the country was built by farming and warfare. And this is also a huge pit that Confucianism has never been able to jump out of for thousands of years, and it has focused all its energy on agriculture when it goes around and around.

But although he was limited to his own gaze and couldn't refute Fan Wencheng's statement, he didn't completely agree with the other party's idea, so he soon said as if talking to himself: "But it's better to buy this one, I just don't feel solid in my heart." Once it comes to a critical juncture, the other party suddenly grabs our neck and refuses to sell, won't we be subject to others? When the time comes, it will be too late to build any iron works. ”

Fan Wencheng was silent for a moment, if the Ming Dynasty in the south is still the Ming Dynasty in the past, then although the amount of steel produced by the other party in a year is far more than that of the Qing Dynasty, the amount of steel that the Ming court can grasp will not be much more than that of the Qing Dynasty, plus the Ming Dynasty has so many borders to guard, so the amount of steel that can be used to equip and deal with the Qing army may not be as much as the Qing Dynasty.

But now the Ming Dynasty, the number of production in a year seems to be endless, equipping the Ming army with muskets and cannons, and at the same time, it can also export ordnance. In this way, the steel grain used for armaments in the Ming Dynasty is at least hundreds of times that of the Qing Dynasty.

With so much steel, as long as the Ming people are willing, they can easily raise one army after another. Especially the kind of army with muskets, the Ming people could use the musketeers as consumables to fight against the Qing army. Fan Wencheng didn't think that the unarmored soldiers and Mongolian light cavalry of the Han army banner would be more effective than the musketeers of the Ming Dynasty, and with the training speed of the musketeers mentioned by Tuna, even if the musketeers of the Ming people were not used for field battles, just garrisoning the fortress city was enough to make the Qing Dynasty completely lose hope of entering the customs.

Once the Qing Dynasty lost hope of entering the Central Plains to replace the Ming Dynasty, would those Mongols and Han slaves at the bottom still be as honest as they are now? Thinking of this, Fan Wencheng finally couldn't help but shudder, he somewhat understood why Huang Taiji was so uncertain after listening to Tuna's words just now.

Just when Fan Wencheng was slightly distracted, Gang Lin, who heard Huang Taiji's words, hurriedly stepped forward and admonished: "Master, this logging business can not be stopped. Since the stock market went wrong, the flags have been able to make ends meet with logging and soybeans.

In comparison, logging is more important than soybeans, after all, soybeans only grow once a year, and logging can be cut every day except in winter and rainy days. Once the logging trade is stopped and they are allowed to cut wood and burn charcoal for free, I am afraid that the poor households of the banners will be in chaos. Please think twice. ”

Huang Taiji glanced at Ganglin, who was a little flustered, and knew that what the other party said was actually good. Liaodong is an undeveloped piece of land, and the forests and plains can be regarded as abundant. In fact, in addition to a little climate, more because of the Manchurian war, there were too few man-made people and resources to put into production.

Later, Lin Dan Khan moved westward, and a large number of Mongolian tribes in eastern Liaodong came to invest, which also made the grain produced insufficient, and the price of rice soared for a while. But it doesn't mean that Houjin has nothing to do, in fact, as long as some of the Manchurians are moved back to the mountains and forests, they can also get through such a year, but Houjin, who is in a state of war with the Ming Dynasty, does not dare to do this.

In the following years, Huang Taiji vigorously encouraged farming, and even put many private slaves under the name of the state, and gave these slaves land and property rights, and soon resumed the production of Houjin, solving the most basic food ration problem. But people can't live just by eating, at least they have to dress, especially those who are full of relatives and nobles, they follow Aixin Jueluo's family with their heads, not just for a reason to eat a full stomach.

During the Nurhachi period, the requirements of the Manchu and Mongolian subordinates could be satisfied by plundering the Han people in Liaodong. But after Huangtaiji ascended the throne, the Han people who could loot in Liaodong had already been looted, and those Han people in Liaodong either became slaves of the Manchus, or simply abandoned their families and businesses and fled back to the rule of the Ming Kingdom.

When Huang Taiji first ascended the throne, he fought Jinzhou once, and then bypassed the Ningjin defense line and broke into the pass directly from Jizhou, but these two attempts to loot supplies ended in failure. Realizing that it was no longer realistic to rely on war and plunder to meet the needs of the Houjin, the Manchus had to accept limited trade with the Ming Kingdom.

After the stock market in Shenyang collapsed and most of the assets of the middle and lower households of the Eight Banners were wiped out, the banners attached more importance to trade with the Ming Kingdom. Since the Khan King can't lead everyone to plunder the Ming Kingdom like the Heavenly Mandate Khan, at least he can't interfere with their trade with the Ming Kingdom in order to make a living.

If Huang Taiji had to cut off this trade exchange, but could not come up with a plan to compensate for the losses of the flags, the already contradictory flags would probably really have an armed rebellion. Huang Taiji still knew the stakes in his heart, but just Lin jumped out in such a hurry, so he didn't want to see him.

He couldn't help but remember that the guards had told him that this Ganglin had been in close contact with Dolgon's confidant Qi Chongge recently, and that the two white flags seemed to account for nearly half of the logging trade, and this man's mind seemed to be a little crooked.

Although he thought so in his heart, Huang Taiji said with a smile on his face: "It's just a casual remark, why should the university scholar be so nervous." Okay, let's not talk about this, Xiandou, do you think it is possible for those Ming merchants to take out the money to invest in the construction of the iron factory? Or build a railway connecting Haizhou to Shengjing? ”

Fan Wencheng had already sobered up at this time, he thought for a while, then shook his head and said in embarrassment: "I'm afraid this is a little unlikely." Although those Ming merchants visited our country, the largest investment was only sawmills, rosin farms and furniture factories.

If you want to invest in an iron factory like the Southern Dynasty, this investment is not something that small businessmen can afford, and big businessmen do not dare to disobey the orders of the Southern Dynasty. As for the railway, it is a project that the Southern Dynasties banned from investing in our country, and it is estimated that this matter will not be completed. ”

Huang Taiji thought for a while, but emphasized to him again: "I think, you should contact those Ming merchants again in this matter. Tell them that no matter what happens between the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty in the future, I will ensure the safety of their industries in the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, even if they don't pay for it, it is nothing, as long as they can get the technology to smelt steel, especially the technology of coal processing, we can convert them into shares. As long as the iron works can be built, everyone can share the benefits. You might as well try it now and see if anyone responds. ”

Fan Wencheng no longer shirked, and after bowing to Huang Taiji, he silently retreated.

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