Kant nodded.

He has studied rural China in detail.

The extreme poverty and hunger are appalling.

If Wu Dunyuan didn't lie to him.

It is indeed much better to come to Shanghai to work than to stay in the countryside.

In rural China, it is not easy for a family of five to rent 10 acres of land, so it is calculated according to 10 acres.

I didn't earn a few stone rice that year.

That's it, or in the case of good weather.

If you encounter a little drought or flood disaster.

Then I am afraid that I will have to owe usury that can never be replaced, and with usury on my back, life will be even more miserable.

And working in a factory.

If the husband and wife enter the factory, they will have an income of about eight yuan a month, which is 96 yuan a year, counting the red envelope given by the boss in Guangdong, I don't know if there is a hundred yuan.

A hundred bucks.

That's 20 koku of rice.

If three children are over the age of 10, they will also come to work.

You can transfer about 150 yuan a year, and you can save 100 yuan if you save money.

Moreover, it is also a drought and flood to ensure harvest.

It's much better than farming.

And this.

It is also the fundamental reason why capitalists like Wu Dunyuan can hire a large amount of cheap labor with a salary of five yuan - the population of the Ming Empire is too large, and it is impossible for the surplus labor left in the countryside to make any money.

Now there's a way out, and everyone wants to squeeze their heads in.

"Demographic dividend.."

Kant suddenly crossed his mind.

Just when Kant was inspecting the factory in Shanghai.

Several horse-drawn carriages also entered the slums of Shanghai.

As the cradle of the proletariat of the Ming Empire.

The city of Shanghai is finally beginning to resemble those that emerged during the First Industrial Revolution.

Black smoke from the chimney drifted overhead.

The sewage is discharged directly into the river.

The whole city emitted a pungent and choking smell - a stench that represented progress, civilization, and industrialization.

The city is now inundated with industrial exhaust and garbage, and the air smells of soot, feces, sewage, tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid and all sorts of other deadly bacteria.

Such a terrible scene in the middle of the 19th century absolutely meant the strength of the state, the rise of the nation, the awesome military power and the industrialization that countless poor and weak countries dreamed of!

In this era, it means that the Ming Empire has the only two industrialized cities in the world, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"Guangzhou should be similar like this, right?"

Luo Fangmei frowned, covered her mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief, and sighed sincerely: "I'm afraid we can't live in our house in Guangzhou." ”

Do you want to go back to Guangzhou?

The old house should have been demolished a long time ago.

It's just that Luo Fangbo, Gu Song and others all think that it is "the place of Longxing", which is related to the feng shui of the Ming Dynasty and cannot be demolished.

According to Emperor Zhu's thoughts.

Even if you go back to Guangdong, it is best to live in Qingyuan, Zhaoqing, and other places with beautiful mountains and rivers.

Who is going to live in Guangzhou, which is full of industrial pollution?

When Emperor Zhu thought of Guangzhou, he remembered how he fled from Guangzhou in embarrassment.

Until now.

It's been thirteen years.

I have been in this world for thirteen years.

These thirteen years.

It was like a dream to him.

He went from a traveler to a wanted criminal, and then to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

And these thirteen years.

The Eastern world has been turned upside down.

The Mites Qing Dynasty no longer exists.

Instead.

It was a Ming Empire that started the process of the Industrial Revolution.

For Zhu Daohua.

Shanghai is a city that gives him a special affection.

Belch.

Because Boss Zhu's first love is a Shanghai girl, if nothing else, he will go to Shanghai to find a hospital to work in after graduating with a master's degree in medicine, and then find a way to fool the Shanghai father-in-law and mother-in-law who don't look down on him very much to marry his daughter to him.

It's a pity.

The unexpected still came.

"The sewer project in Shanghai has to be stepped up, this place really stinks."

Emperor Zhu said with a frown.

"We have to plan the industrial zone and protect the water source, otherwise if the entire Yangtze River is polluted, what water will the people of Shanghai drink?" The upstream water source must be planned first, and it is best to let Shanghai pay for the construction of reservoirs, and the water of these reservoirs will be eaten by Shanghainese people in the future. ”

Emperor Zhu said.

He came to Shanghai this time.

It's for the "health check".

Because with the expansion of the slums.

The concentration of the population and the increase in environmental pollution.

Last summer, small plagues broke out in Guangzhou and Shanghai almost simultaneously.

Shanghai is plague.

Guangzhou is cholera.

After the plague.

The governments of Shanghai and Guangzhou accepted the advice of His Majesty the Divine Physician Emperor.

1. Establish an epidemic prevention institute and an environmental sanitation office, which will focus on urban environmental sanitation.

2. Improve the urban drainage system.

In fact, ancient Chinese cities had drainage systems.

However, this drainage system cannot meet the drainage needs of industrialized cities.

Therefore, it needs to be well designed.

And Emperor Zhu's visit to Shanghai this time was a private visit to Weifu.

The Shanghai Municipal Government was not notified.

did not bring a large number of Praetorian Guards, but only brought dozens of plainclothes guards and Empress Luo Fangmei, and came to Shanghai without knowing it.

Today, he and the Empress walked around the industrial areas and slums on both sides of the Wusong River, the dirtiest part of Shanghai.

It can be regarded as fully appreciating the dire life of the working class under the vigorous development of industrial civilization.

And what he saw and heard in Shanghai also fully understood what capitalism is

Now Xing Yusheng, the mayor of Shanghai.

As one of the three hundred brothers.

Of course, he implemented Emperor Zhu's suggestion without discount.

He has really put a lot of effort into disease control and environmental sanitation.

However, Xing Yusheng Dazhi City seems to only think that the rich area, the financial district, and the business district are Shanghai, as for the slums

He didn't care at all.

In the affluent area, there are people on the streets who specialize in cleaning up garbage.

There are also rodent extermination teams, which drop rodenticide drugs in various places.

But these treatments are not available in the slums.

In particular, the slums, which are made up of low-rise shantytowns, are as filthy as garbage heaps.

There was a stench everywhere, the narrow streets were full of beggars, and you could even see corpses that I didn't know if they had frozen to death or starved to death.

Children in tattered clothes who are barefoot and frolicking in this environment, and who certainly have no chance of receiving an education, do not know if they will become the exploiters of the bourgeoisie or gravediggers in the future?

Emperor Zhu shook his head when he saw it.

This country under its own rule.

It's really a bit of a golden jade.

But in fact, the ancestors of later developed countries also suffered in this way.

In this day and age.

Whether it is a powerful industrialized colonial empire or a traditional feudal country, the people at the bottom are not having a good time.

Among the post houses in Shanghai.

An old friend of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Empire.

Mr. Kant, the famous philosopher, was writing in his room.

Dear Heinrich, I am now writing to you in Shanghai, the most promising industrial city of the Ming Empire, how are you lately? Say hello to Davari and little Vivien for me, love from China. ”

From 1791 to 1796, it took me five years to basically complete the basic investigation of the Ming Empire and the Eastern world, and perhaps after writing this letter, I will return to Europe. Before this, I have a little inspiration and feelings, the Ming Empire is under the leadership of Emperor Zhu Daohua, earth-shaking changes are taking place, maybe this change will completely change the course of the entire human society, the industrial revolution brought about by the steam engine, people can't help but palpitate, I may have witnessed a great turning point in China, the productivity brought by industrial production has increased geometrically, and the entire Ming Empire has entered a period of rapid expansion, they are getting rid of feudalism, getting rid of the shackles of the land, Towards an unpredictable new era, and in the process, it is also quite cruel and dirty."

"The Ming Empire waged wars to the north, to the south, and to the west aimed at gaining land, and the purpose of these wars was to digest the surplus population of the Ming Empire itself. At the same time, in the process, the agricultural production of the Ming Empire also changed. ”

With the reduction of grain prices, the industrialization of the Ming Empire seems to have become faster, and my emperor friend seems to have anticipated this a long time ago."

In fact, Zhu Daohua's expansion policy was not aimed at increasing agricultural output.

Rather, they want to seize more living space for future generations.

In this way, the dynasty he created can last longer.

However, in the process, there are also some "side effects." ”

The two policies of seizing and reclaiming fertile land and striking at and containing the bureaucratic landlord class led to the emergence of more efficient capitalist agriculture.

This high efficiency refers to labor productivity and economic efficiency, rather than simply pursuing an increase in unit grain production.

After writing this letter, I am going to bid farewell to the Emperor, the Ming Empire will have a liaison ship with the European embassy every month, and I can take this ship back to Europe at that time, and the experience in the East will be enough to become the focus of my work in the next ten years - a book about the East, about the Ming Empire, just thinking about it is very exciting. Looking forward to our re-meeting in Europe – your friend: Immanuel Kant. ”

After writing this letter.

Kant placed it in an envelope, then opened the door and handed it to one of his attendants.

The ships of the Ming Empire to Europe will depart from the port in two days

Kant's letter sailed to Europe with the ship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ming Empire.

And at the same time.

United Kingdom.

London.

A room next to Downing Street.

The décor is not luxurious, it looks very old, at least not quite in line with the power of the British Empire.

This is the famous 10 Downing Street.

A house with 60 rooms and more than 100 years of history looks old and dilapidated because of poor maintenance.

William Pitt, the Prime Minister of the British Empire, is already planning to raise funds to renovate 10 Downing Street.

But as soon as the news came out.

His political opponents began to launch newspapers attacking William Pitt Jr. for "spending taxpayers' money indiscriminately."

So this prime minister's official residence has always been built, and not many people dare to build it.

It has the charm of the dilapidated yamen of the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, Prime Minister William Pitt Jr. has his own manor and villa, and he is unlikely to live here.

It is only used as an office and a place to hold meetings.

After a tangled with the members of the parliament.

Williambert Jr. hurried back to 10 Downing Street, where King George III had been waiting for a long time.

During this time, there were many bad things in the British Empire.

But there are two most important things.

"Is the matter on the Tsarist side confirmed?"

George III, sitting at the large conference table, asked when he saw Williambert Jr. come in.

"It is confirmed, the Russian Tsar Petrovich ordered the Russian army to enter the Balkans and the Caucasus in two ways, and it seems that the war between the Russians and the Turks is going to continue again!" Williambert Jr. said: "Russia has received a lot of weapons from the Chinese, it seems that the Ming Empire and the Russian Empire have reconciled, Russia's eyes have turned to the south, and the Chinese have begun to look to the other side of the Pacific Ocean!" ”

Hearing the words of Prime Minister Williambert Jr., George III's face was solemn: "This is not reconciliation, it is submission!" ”

Williambert Jr. nodded.

Indeed it is yielding.

Russia lost vast expanses of Eastern Siberia.

And they couldn't wait to launch the war against Ottoman Turkey, which was also meant to reassure the Ming Dynasty.

Tsarist Russia, scared by the Ming Dynasty!

But that's it.

The British Empire is in trouble.

"The Russians are making good progress in the Balkans and the Caucasus, and the Ottoman Empire simply cannot withstand the Russian army, which is armed with Ming-style weapons."

Williambert Jr. said with a frown.

George III took a deep breath.

"What is the situation of the French now?"

Mention of the French.

Williambert Jr.'s brow furrowed even tighter.

The anti-French coalition was defeated.

At a time when London feared that the French would take advantage of the situation to occupy the German region, conquer Spain, and establish a continental power - this was not impossible with the performance of the French army in this war, and their superiority in equipment.

And if this happened, it would mean the failure of the British Empire's balancing policy towards the European continent.

But thankfully.

At a critical moment.

The commander of the French army, Napoleon, the Duke of Jiaguo of the Ming Empire, was suddenly transferred from the front.

This made the anti-French coalition breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, it was also given a respite.

The two sides are now in a state of standoff.

But.

Williambert Jr. knew that before the British Empire or other European countries acquired the same weapons as the French army.

War will not be fought.

"The French missed the opportunity to occupy half of Europe."

A hint of mockery appeared on George III's lips.

"They don't have a king, so. The struggle for power continues, and there is no intention of expanding externally. ”

"But there is no doubt that their army is strong now." George III said.

(End of chapter)