Zhu Houzhao himself does not understand the relevant technical principles in the cotton textile industry and how to improve, although the consciousness of textile equipment similar to the Jenny machine represents backwardness, but he still can't build it.

However, this is not fatal, improving the loom is not a zenith technology that only foreigners will and Chinese will not, and the key to the development of technology lies in demand.

Just like a bitter war, it can promote the technological progress of musket artillery.

Once trade is initiated, trade itself will spontaneously generate an incentive to improve production technology.

Besides, just improving the loom is actually a very limited change.

The rest, such as seamanship, should be improved? Should shipbuilding technology be improved? Is there any improvement in the burning of ceramics and the making of tea?

If these are all up to Zhu Houzhao to order the technology tree by himself, then he has to bring an artificial intelligence.

And what if the business environment doesn't change, if the concept of trade doesn't change, and the impetus for productivity improvement disappears?

Business hi is a competitive thing, you can't improve it once and then eat it all over the world, who will do the follow-up improvement?

Therefore, the most fundamental method must be to reshape the business environment of Daming from the underlying logic, mobilize the power of the people, and open up overseas trade to the people.

This is the place that distinguishes it from the tributary trade of the early Ming Dynasty before the sea ban.

In the past three or four years, Zhu Houzhao would stress that Zhejiang and Fujian are mountainous and have little land, and although commerce is the last business, it is an important supplement to agriculture, and attention should be paid to encouraging and standardizing it.

The rural people in northern Zhejiang gradually regarded cotton weaving and weaving as an important sideline business in addition to farming.

There are a lot of loom workshops hanging in the city of Hangzhou, from the most ordinary loom craftsmen to the large and small households that operate the workshops, and the lively scene in the streets and alleys has scrubbed the blood stains when the sea was opened in the first year of Zhengde.

There was news from the governor's yamen that the Hangzhou banknote customs had been cancelled and the imperial court wanted to build a sailor to protect the merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty...... These statements, which sounded a bit sci-fi in the past, really happened.

The small households who were not qualified to enter the yamen also sent people to listen to the news at the door, and as soon as they heard that this was the case, the families all over the street scattered at once, and then they looked for their own ways and returned to their own homes.

"What you said is true?"

In an ordinary courtyard, an old man stood up with a cane.

The family's surname is Song, and there are more than ten looms, which are not small in this city of Hangzhou, and of course, not big.

"The little ones don't dare to lie, and now it's all spread outside."

Old man Song has a lot of experience all his life, and he will always be skeptical about this kind of pure good news, "What about the silver of the water builder?" Did the government get businessmen to pledge donations? ”

The little guy who reported was dumbfounded, and he hesitated, "This...... No one talked about it. Why don't you ask again? ”

"Okay, you go and go."

Next to the old man Song stood his granddaughter, twenty-eight years old, with bright eyes, and skin with the fairness and softness of a Jiangnan woman, giving people a very clean feeling.

"What does grandpa mean, the government is taking this opportunity to let the merchants give money?"

Old man Song sighed slightly, "It's just that there is such a possibility." However, if those sailors really protect merchant ships, it doesn't hurt to pledge some silver, but I am afraid that in the end, this sailor will collect another protection fee from us. ”

Spread out like this, it does look a bit like the government's previous style.

"It should not be ...... The granddaughter heard that the saint was wise and martial, and she would never allow the officials below to act recklessly. ”

"The Ming Dynasty, the great, the saint is kind, but there are many people with bad intentions, sometimes they can take care of the north, but they can't take care of the south. But it's useless to worry about that, since the imperial court encourages silk spinning business, we can still do this business. Is everything okay now? ”

"Grandpa, rest assured, the mulberry and the craftsman are all normal. As long as Nanyang Company still goes to sea as usual this year, then our goods can be sold. It's just that the granddaughter feels that she can't just keep guarding these dozen looms. ”

"You're wild. If your father can keep it, I will be blind to death, and many people can't even keep it. ”

The girl's name is Song Wenxue, she was born with a pair of eyebrows, and there is a kind of sharpness dyed by wisdom when she beats, "Grandpa, since my granddaughter took over the management of this loom workshop, her heart has been hanging all the time. Sure enough, Zhengde's four-year income fell by two percent according to last year, if the granddaughter is not doing well, it will be fine, but the income of Daming Nanyang Company has also declined, although it is okay now, but this business is ...... It's always a bit worrying. ”

"That's how business is, it's not easy at every step. But what can be done? ”

"Can you think of a solution? Let the silk woven by our family be different from others? ”

"What do you mean?"

Song Wenxue stretched out her plain hand and took out something different from her cuffs, "There are also people from overseas in Hangzhou, and according to what they said, the buildings, streets, and cities over there are different from those of Daming." Can we weave some patterns that are more acceptable to them? ”

While the two of them were discussing, the person who had just gone out to hear the news also returned.

The little guy was panting, and came back and forth, "Master, the cancellation of the banknote must be true, and it can't be wrong." As for whether the preparation for the establishment of the water division is a denial of donation, it is now a voluntary principle. The government is not compulsory, but there are people who have the same idea as the lord and take the initiative to pledge. The largest was Zhang Yourong's family, who pledged 5,000 taels of silver. ”

Old man Song muttered, "Voluntary? ”

"Hmmm! That's right. ”

"Tsk."

This is annoying, other families pledge, do you say they pledge or not? If you don't pledge the donation, if something happens at that time, the government will not give you protection, and it will not be a holiday.

Of course, the government can still speak, this is called voluntary, and no one forces you.

……

……

In the governor's yamen, Zhang Li, Mei Kejia and Gu Dayong were all there.

They're pretty happy.

“…… The merchants responded enthusiastically and took the initiative to donate money to help the imperial court. Zhang Li held a brush in his hand and said with a smile: "How about writing this letter like this?" ”

Mei and Gu both felt that there was no problem, "Your Majesty has sent down good governance this time, and it is reasonable for the merchants to thank Jun for his kindness." ”

"Next, it's this year's merchant ships to go to sea."

Modern people may not understand that in the age of sails, if human beings want to sail on the sea, they must pay attention to one thing - the monsoon.

Therefore, many of the Ming Dynasty's Japanese troubles were concentrated from March to May, because at this time, starting from Japan could reach the coast of China with the help of the monsoon.

For trade, there are mainly two routes for the Ming Dynasty, one is to go to sea in the first half of the year, go to Japan, and then come back when the wind direction changes again in winter;

On the other hand, in October, the northeast monsoon begins to blow south of the mouth of the Yangtze River, when merchant ships can sail all the way south with a full load of goods, and even cross the Strait of Malacca. When the southwest monsoon begins to blow in the summer of the following year, you can set sail north.

So the fleet that will come back in two months is the one that went out last year.

Zhang Li put the last word into writing, and then said: "This is also the note of the good news, so I have to hand it to Your Majesty quickly." As for the next thing, Ping Haibo, when are we going to see the treasure ship of 2,000 materials? With the merchants' contributions, the money was more abundant. ”

In order to prepare for the construction of the sailors, the emperor had already allocated 460,000 taels of silver in advance at the Great Imperial Conference, of which 200,000 taels were used to build large ships, and the price of these ships was 2,000 taels, which was not cheap.

However, the emperor now has money, and with a wave of his hand, it is 200,000 taels, and he will build 100 ships first, and if this is pulled to the sea, the size of the fleet will scare the Japanese to death just by scaring them.

Of course, it is one thing to have money, but it is another thing to spend three or ten years to build it, raw materials, craftsmen, and the number of docks are all limiting factors.

How to effectively alleviate various constraints is the key, and the so-called pragmatic and concrete work refers to these.

"As long as Zhongcheng has time, he can go to see it at any time."

"The day after tomorrow? When the time comes, let the people of the political envoy department together, then Song Heng was originally in charge of the capital planning department, let's all go and see it. ”

"Good!"

Mei Kejia was still a little unaccustomed to walking out of the governor's yamen, after all, he had changed people. But...... Zhang Li doesn't seem to be much inferior to Wang Qiong, no matter what, this is also a doer.

After he left, the governor also took out a horse from the yamen, and then quickly went north with the song, and it was left behind all the way to the city of Hangzhou, where everyone was in it, and saw it more and more prosperous.

(End of chapter)