Chapter 491 The dispute over interests in T-Zi Juan
I didn’t stay in Songjiang Prefecture for long, and I only briefly learned about the development of Songjiang’s cotton textile industry.
Feng Ziying has the impression that various historical books say that women weavers in every household in Jiangnan, with Songjiang as a model, were the "culprit" that led to the failure of China's industrial revolution to take place in the textile industry.
In other words, the reason why the germination of capitalism in China failed to truly emerge is that under the Ming Dynasty, the model of men farming and women weaving and the internal circulation model of all commercial operations made China not need an industrial revolution to liberate productivity.
Because this special "women's weaving" model has almost no labor costs, it completely kills the possibility of textile technological changes that want to liberate productivity, and then makes it difficult for capitalism, mercantilism and foreign colonialism to develop, making this This closed and trapped model increasingly lost its endogenous motivation for development, eventually leading to China's overall backwardness starting in the seventeenth century.
Europe officially began the era of great navigation and colonization in this era, which enabled them to continuously gain the upper hand in the open pattern, and then began to occupy a dominant position.
It is difficult for Feng Ziying to say clearly whether it is because of such a reason that China has become increasingly closed and backward since 1600. The principle of Manchu rule in China continued to strengthen this closed model, but in this time and space, he certainly cannot tolerate it. This situation occurs again.
Since the emergence of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and with him, in the future East Asia, even Asia and the world, should be a pattern in which the Great Zhou Dynasty and European countries compete and win.
Not only Southeast Asia, but also Central Asia, North Asia and North America should all have a share of the Zhou Dynasty's share of the pie, and this scoop should also have the largest share.
After inspecting the women's weaving model in Songjiang Prefecture, Feng Ziying had to admit that for Zhou Dynasty, which was in a similar situation to the Ming Dynasty, this kind of women's weaving did allow women in rural households in Jiangnan to obtain the best labor remuneration. A pattern. If you want to completely break this pattern and adopt the process of industrialization, the key lies in how to liberate these women and put them into factories.
This is not a technical issue, but a matter of ethics and patriarchal etiquette.
Whether it is a flying shuttle, a spinning jenny, a water-powered spinning machine or even a Muir spinning machine, it is not difficult for Feng Ziying.
In his previous life, when he was a university student, he was obsessed with the causes and processes of the British Industrial Revolution, so he spent a lot of time studying it, even including technical iterations. He studied it so hard that he was admitted to the university. The teacher denounced it as not doing his job properly.
Hence, he cannot be said to be thoroughly familiar with the basic technologies in these areas, but as long as he can find a few skilled craftsmen, through his own guidance and a lot of exploration, it is not a problem to roughly create a few prototypes that may not be exactly the same.
But if there were no women who could leave their homes and go to factories to spin and weave cloth, how could the industrial revolution liberate productivity?
Do they all use young and strong men?
So is it okay for them to operate machines in factories to compete with women who sit at home spinning and weaving? Is it appropriate?
Feng Ziying herself didn’t know what the outcome would be.
Feng Ziying is also very clear that relying on one person’s golden finger alone can promote the advancement of a technology and the development of an industry in a certain period of time in a certain industry, but this will not last long or even be sustainable.
To truly achieve this goal, in the final analysis, it is necessary to make a complete transformation from the system, productivity and production relations, business models, and even the ideological and public opinion cognition of the entire society, from the gradual cultivation and trial and error of education and training and various industrial businesses, can truly be achieved.
The problem is that this is a long-term process. Scholars and officials inside and outside the government are insensitive and complacent about this. If they are not pushed to the extreme, they will not make any changes at all.
Just like the opening of the sea, if the imperial court's financial resources were not so empty that it endangered the security of the nine borders and even directly faced the dangerous situation of foreign nations drinking horses from the Central Plains, they would not have made such a compromise.
Looking at a prefecture like Songjiang, from point to point, you can imagine that in the entire Jiangnan like Songjiang, tens of thousands of women sit in their houses all day long, spinning and weaving, and working constantly.
The traders would deliver cotton to their homes every day or every few days, and then collect the cloth they woven for dyeing and finishing. Finally, they would gather together and sell them to every inch of the entire Zhou Dynasty via boats and carriages. Land up.
This number can reach tens of millions per year!
Feng Ziying felt a kind of loneliness with no one to complain to.
From Songjiang to Suzhou, from cotton textile to silk textile, silk textile is certainly different from cotton textile, but the problem is that silk textile basically appears in the pattern of export and luxury goods. How many people in the entire Zhou Dynasty can really enjoy it? Start silk consumption?
The demand for cotton textiles covers the entire Zhou Dynasty, regardless of wealth or poverty.
Opening the sea can only be said to be the first step, but it is really difficult to say how much lasting power the opening of the sea will bring.
Wang Wenyan stayed in Suzhou, and it is estimated that he will come to Hangzhou later.
“A little bit.” Feng Ziying didn’t hide anything from these two people.
Feng Ziying has always tried to make her classmates and friends around her slowly accept her views and ideas.
In his opinion, these people are younger than the officials who have been in officialdom for many years. It is easier to accept new things, and they don’t have so many worries about looking forward and backward.
Facts have proven that this view is basically correct, but it may not be entirely correct.
It is true that Fan Jingwen and He Fengsheng gradually accepted many new ideas while following Feng Ziying during this period. However, Cui Jingrong, whom Feng Ziying had not had much hope for, was beyond Feng Ziying's expectations and understood and supported many of Feng Ziying's ideas.
On the other hand, Wei Guangwei, Wu Liangsi and others who originally had some hope have made little progress, not to mention people like Sun Juxiang.
"What's wrong? Weren't you very optimistic about the silk industry in Suzhou and Hangzhou before?" He Fengsheng asked in surprise: "We looked at it and did some research. It does have great potential for development."
"Their silk weaving technology is unparalleled, with a wide variety of colors and unique styles. I am afraid that Yangzhou and Jinling are inferior. Hangzhou silk and Su satin are famous overseas, and they also have a large number of skilled workers. I also asked specifically if they want to expand production. , how to solve the problem of hiring workers and looms? They said that looms are easy to solve. Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Jinling, and Huzhou all have workshops specializing in making such looms. As long as there is demand, it can be made in three months at most. After production, as for the hired workers, they also said that the old will lead the new, there may be some impact in the first few months, but in half a year, or even less than half a year, they will all be experienced hands."
Having followed Feng Ziying for a long time, He Fengsheng and others gradually accepted Feng Ziying's new words, such as "industry". Feng Ziying's explanation is that an industry that can produce a specific output can be named an industry.
In fact, this word is not a new coinage. Originally, industry was understood more as property and family business, or the business of accumulating property. However, Feng Ziying gave it a new definition, which is that it can be different from other industries and can produce products that are important to the entire industry. Industries that produce socially beneficial outputs.
“It seems that these businessmen have also realized the changes that the opening of the sea may bring and are making preparations?” Feng Ziying was in a slightly better mood.
"Of course, do you think these people don't have spies in the court?" Fan Jingwen said coldly: "It's just that the opening of the sea is beneficial to the south of the Yangtze River, but it is of little value to us in the north. Ziying, what about the issue over Denglai? It didn’t say how to solve it.”
Fan Jingwen was particularly touched by this trip to the south of the Yangtze River. He was deeply aware of the huge gap between the north and the south of the Yangtze River, which made him even more anxious.
The strategy of opening up the sea has given another great boost to the development of the entire Jiangnan area, but what about the Northland?
Get nothing.
It was even promised to build a shipyard in Denglai, build sea-going ships, and promote the shipping route between Liaodong-Denglai-Songjiang, so that grain and cloth from Jiangnan can be directly transported to Liaodong, so as to minimize the logistical pressure in Liaodong. , now also stranded.
Looking at the dilapidated appearance of the two major shipyards in Longjiang and Qingjiang and the lazy loss of craftsmen, and then thinking about the ships needed for long-sea routes, Fan Jingwen simply did not believe that the imperial court could quickly build a shipyard in Denglai to meet the needs.
Fan Jingwen has made up his mind. As soon as he returns to the capital, he will mobilize northern scholars and classmates to make suggestions to Qi Yongtai, Zhang Jingqiu and others. If the court cannot come up with a solution, then the strategy of opening up the sea cannot be approved so easily.
Of course, if Feng Ziying can come up with a convincing strategy, that would be another matter.
"Mengzhang, I think it is unrealistic to rely entirely on the court to solve the shipping problems in Denglai and Liaodong. It is most appropriate to encourage and support private businessmen to set up shipping yards in Denglai and even Liaodong. However, the power of the private sector is limited, so the court How to support? I have already said this situation. Craftsmen and technicians, money and credit, court orders, and policy support are all indispensable. But you also know that Lord Wei, Lord Wu, and Lord Sun are all firmly opposed..." Feng Ziying said He spread his hands and said, "What can I do?"
"A bunch of Luli!" Fan Jingwen said bitterly. If these people were from the South, he would have argued with them regardless of their superiority. But these Wei Guangwei and Sun Juxiang are both from the North, and Wu Liangsi He is from Huguang. If we say that everyone is in the same trench, but when it comes to the interests of their respective departments, even if they are all from the north, they still have to argue.
The craftsmen and technicians are all from the Ministry of Industry, so how can we just say they will be exempted?
Where does money and credit come from? It must be the Ministry of Finance, so how can that be done?
The imperial court's order for shipbuilding has nothing to do with Longjiang Shipyard in Qingjiang. It still needs to pay a deposit first, which neither the Ministry of Industry nor the Ministry of Household Affairs can agree to.
In addition, the imperial court also provides other support, which is simply more generous than the imperial court itself. What has become of this?
Even if it were taken to the cabinet, I'm afraid it wouldn't be able to pass.
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(End of this chapter)