pdf-ebookys Chapter 931 You two went to study behind my back?
Chapter 931 You two went to study behind my back?
Yang Shaofeng looked at Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong with a blank expression.
Should Ryukyu and Burma supply tung oil to the Ming Dynasty?
Ask the Koreans to bring more Silla maids and shipbuilding timber?
Should we get the monkeys more bananas and rice?
Let the shorty get more gold and silver?
No.
Who the hell taught you two this?
Did you two secretly go to the US for further training behind my back?
Li Shanchang said matter-of-factly, "Shouldn't we?"
"It is the responsibility of these vassal states to share the burdens of the Ming Dynasty."
"Moreover, the Dengzhou border market has been doing the same thing all along."
At this point, Li Shanchang suddenly changed the subject: "But!"
"When Dengzhou border market was doing this, it didn't have a complete plan. Basically, it just took whatever the local vassal state produced, which wasted a lot of resources."
For example, sappanwood.
This thing can come crashing down at any time, weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
Although the price offered at the border market was low enough.
However, because its uses are not like star anise or angelica, which can be used both as medicine and as a spice, tens of thousands of kilograms of sappanwood can easily lead to stockpiling.
Take tung oil, for example.
Theoretically speaking, since Dali can produce tung oil, then Myanmar, Siam, and Cambodia should also be able to produce tung oil.
The Dengzhou market was also able to drive down the price of tung oil produced in vassal states such as Burma and Siam to an extremely low level.
In comparison, tung oil from Dali is relatively expensive.
Then the problem is coming.
Buy tung oil from Dali; it will cost more.
If we don't buy tung oil from Dali, it will affect the local people.
There's even a possibility that tung oil from vassal states like Myanmar and Siam might go to Dali, take a detour, and then become Dali tung oil – a rather absurd situation.
There is a saying in the "Expedient Means" chapter of the Lotus Sutra: "Many grains of sand can form a tower."
These seemingly insignificant little problems, when piled up together, can cause significant issues that will inevitably involve numerous officials.
Of course, Yang the Madman can stand on the dry bank and watch the show.
In the end, it was the cabinet and various ministries that had the biggest headache!
Li Shanchang went straight to the point, saying, "We need to transfer a few managers from the Dengzhou border market to talk to the officials of various departments and see how to come up with a concrete plan."
As Li Shanchang finished speaking, Yang Shaofeng was completely at a loss for words, unsure where to even begin his rant.
The manager of the market should have a good talk with the officials from various departments.
Good heavens, at best he's just a seventh-rank market manager sitting with a bunch of third-rank officials doing planning.
Tsk tsk.
It's not appropriate to say that the manager of the market has become successful, but rather that the vice ministers are too incompetent.
Just as Yang Shaofeng was mentally ranting, Li Shanchang stroked his beard and smiled, tentatively asking, "Um... I heard that you had people ask various vassal states for more than 300,000 laborers? And you said they were all assigned to Liaodong?"
As Li Shanchang finished speaking, Yang Shaofeng immediately became wary.
What's wrong? Has this old scoundrel really set his sights on all the laborers?
That won't do. If we give it all to Liaodong, won't all the projects in Dengzhou Prefecture be affected?
"The Koreans have 100,000 laborers and 100,000 cattle and horses, all of which are for Liaodong."
"The short, ugly family also had 100,000 laborers, who were also sent to Liaodong."
“The grain and provisions from other vassal states were also basically given to Liaodong.”
"The rest are laborers from various vassal states in Southeast Asia. Even if we send them to Liaodong, they won't adapt to the environment there."
"In addition, Wang Buzheng's side has been keeping a close eye on things."
Yang Shaofeng laid it out directly: "Therefore, 50,000 Ryukyu laborers will remain in Dengzhou and Ningyang County, while the rest will be assigned to the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission."
As expected, Yang the Madman, who was in charge of recruiting laborers for Liaodong, still used the opportunity to line his own pocket!
Li Shanchang rolled his eyes and sneered, "I don't intend to take all the laborers. After all, there are only about 300,000. If we put them on 600 farms in Liaodong, each farm can only get 500 people at most, which won't be of much use."
This time it was Yang Shaofeng's turn to roll his eyes.
Three hundred thousand laborers aren't much of a help?
You old scoundrel, how dare you say that!
If you really don't care, why don't you give all 300,000 laborers to Dengzhou Prefecture?
Li Shanchang stroked his beard and pointed south: "Your Highness, don't forget that those laborers will pass through Huai'an on their way to Dengzhou. You should think about how much your good student will embezzle!"
……
At the port of Huai'an Prefecture, Zhou Jingxin and Xu Jingyu looked back and forth at the docked ships.
"Poor thing, so very poor thing."
Looking at the laborers walking back and forth on the boat, Xu Jingyu wiped away the tears from the corner of her mouth with a heavy heart.
"Look at life in Southeast Asia, how miserable it is for people!"
"Of the 20,000 laborers in Siam, at least 2,000 were weak and sickly."
"Of the 20,000 laborers in Myanmar, at least 2,000 are in poor health."
"And there's Malacca, Srivijaya, Brunei..."
"It's so bitter, so incredibly bitter!"
"So many workers, all suffering from heatstroke or seasickness, it's heartbreaking to see."
At this point, Xu Jingyu patted his cotton-padded coat and turned to the group of assistant officials behind him, instructing, "Quickly, have someone arrange for them to disembark and rest, and have a doctor come and treat them."
"And that other guy, send someone to tell the magistrates of each county to quickly prepare and clean out houses to accommodate these weak and sick laborers, and let them go to Dengzhou Prefecture after they recover."
After the officers behind him agreed, Xu Jingyu turned to Zhou Jingxin and said, "How about we deduct a little more? We've already deducted 20%, so what's another 10%?"
Zhou Jingxin was immediately startled: "Are you crazy?"
“Taking a 20% cut would already offend Governor Wang; if we take a 30% cut, we might offend even Magistrate Xu.”
"Let me tell you, don't think about those things. We'll have to have someone load some more grain onto the ship later, and say it's from Huai'an Prefecture supporting Liaodong."
"Don't forget, the master has to return to the capital every year to report on his duties."
"Last year, it was delayed because of the Fenglangjuxu ceremony. After the Fenglangjuxu ceremony, he still has to pass through Huai'an Prefecture."
"Then it will truly become a case of settling scores after the fact!"
After Zhou Jingxin said that, Xu Jingyu had to give up his idea of deducting another 10% from the laborers, but he still couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
It's a pity, it's such a pity.
There were so many laborers from the vassal states, that's about 100,000 to 200,000 in total.
Cutting 20% would only amount to 20,000 to 30,000, at most 40,000 to 50,000.
But if we deduct another 10%, we could at least gain another 10,000 to 20,000 manpower.
The Shandong and Liaodong Provincial Administration Commissions are large and powerful, so a difference of 10,000 or 20,000 laborers wouldn't be a big deal. But in a poor and remote place like Huai'an Prefecture, 10,000 or 20,000 laborers would be extremely useful!