C536 polyprecious pot (1/2)
Tian Erdan asked the thoughts of all the Green Battalion present, and even some servants pricked up their ears to listen.
Ye Qiu and Pang Chaoyun were a little speechless. They, the two second generations of merchants, had never thought about this issue before. Although the two families weren't families that dealt with business seriously, as members of a large family, their family's financial resources couldn't be underestimated.
In their eyes, although the beef and canned fruit were delicious, they were far from being considered as fresh and exquisite. In their hearts, it was still the brine beef cooked by the family chef using the old soup that was the most delicious.
”Aiya …” ”Aiya …” Ye Qiu couldn't say anything for a long time, but in the end, it was Pang Chaoyun who took over.
”The prime minister is definitely rich, but I can tell you one thing. The prime minister doesn't have a treasure pot, and the prime minister only earns money bit by bit. He's not like the rumors about him …”
”There is only one reason for all of you to think this way. The Prime Minister said that the gap between the rich and the poor in the Qing Dynasty is too great …”
Xiao Letian had once discussed this issue at an economic conference inside the Letian Firm. Ye Qiu and Pang Chaoyun's family had the honor of listening in.
Since the Qing Dynasty was rich and lacked money, this question would appear to be different from different perspectives. It was very difficult to explain it clearly with just a few words, and Xiao Letian's analysis had hit the nail on the head with regards to the 'gap between rich and poor, the outflow of capital'.
Yes, in the long history of China, no matter how the dynasties changed, how the rivers and mountains changed, China was like a giant magnet constantly absorbing the wealth of the entire world.
There were indeed non-humankind beings invading this place, and there were even barbarians who had taken over the world. However, this slow gold-sucking tool had never stopped working.
At that time, Chinese civilization was renowned throughout the world, and even if the war horses of the northern nomadic peoples rushed into the Central Plains to plunder large amounts of gold and silver, the wealth would gradually return, some even more during normal trade.
It was nothing more than the attraction of a higher civilization. The non-humankind needed the Central Plains' salt and iron tea, exquisite crafts, silk and porcelain, and even the Central Plains' cultural products, such as the 'Spring Palace Painting'. Would they really be able to create foreign exchange?
The Central Plains was vast and prosperous. All kinds of goods flowed out, and all kinds of gold and silver were brought in. After thousands of years of accumulation, China, a country that originally lacked gold and silver veins, was born and stored for the world's number one precious metal.
Don't underestimate that ship's porcelain and silk, not to mention the carts of salt and iron tea. China is thousands of years old, and its wealth is unimaginably deep.
This situation continued all the way to the middle of the Qing Dynasty without any sign of ending. This trade deficit eventually caused the British to collapse. They could not bear to let the Qing Dynasty profit for nothing by gathering precious metals from the colonies.
Opium at that moment was not just a drug, but a weapon of financial and economic warfare. It was a powerful medicine used by Britain to fight the golden monsters of Huaxia, and the final side effect of this drug was war.
”The Prime Minister once said, 'Our China is not short on money. How can the wealth accumulated by the people be limited to just gold and silver mountains?'. But why is it that now the poor have no place to stand, while the rich have no desire? ”Wealth distribution is unfair. One reason is that corrupt officials and foreign bandits are rampant, and the other reason is because we have been suppressing business since ancient times …”
”That's right, the business people in China are fat people in the eyes of power. No matter how capable you are, you can forget about doing anything big, because you have to use money when you do things. As long as you move the money, the silver mountain will attract the corrupt officials to go all out.” ”That's right, the business people in China are fat people in the eyes of power.
”No one is stupid, after a while, people will finally understand this world. If you have money, you have to hide it, hide it in the cellar, or turn into a good land. Finally, you have to give up everything to a scholar to become an official, this is the helplessness of the Chinese people, they can only use this way to adapt to the environment …”
Pang Chaoyun's words might have been a little too lofty and his surroundings were filled with confused looks, making him feel very awkward. However, at this time, Ye Qiu was also thinking for a long time, so he finally spoke.
”What Old Pang said is the Prime Minister's words. It's only right that you guys don't understand, but you understand it very clearly. You are poor, we are rich, and the crux of the problem is that Prime Minister Xiao of the East China Sea and his subordinates all have good conscience and are clean …” Can you understand that? ”
”Understood …” This time, all the Green Battalion s nodded their heads as if they were pounding garlic. ”That's right, I have been in the army for so many years, this is the first time I see an officer that kowtows without beating or scolding …” They are friendly and did not corrupt us by selling our rations. Just look at the food, all of Prime Minister's subordinates are officials! ”
It was still a very simple thought coming from the peasants. Once life was better, it would be the contribution of the Duke of Ming, Qing Guan. If life was tough, they would not dare to scold the Emperor, so they could only scold the Emperor for his greed.
Ye Qiu drank a mouthful of hot soup and nodded his head, ”You guys only understand the first point. There's a second point after that …. The Prime Minister respects the merchants and calls this' mercantilism '. The Purging Demons and the other scholars all look down on the merchants, so this is the main reason why you are poor … ”
”Since ancient times, China's business has not been developed. The grain merchants, cloth merchants, and grocery stores that you usually deal with are actually not just simple merchants. They are just a bunch of government merchants who support corrupt officials, relying only on monopolies to make money.”