OBS Chapter 1026 You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's belly!
Chapter 1026 You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's belly!
Emperor Zhu felt inexplicably sad.
They were saddened by the passing of their parents, brothers, and sisters, and also felt the hardship of the people's livelihood.
Being alive and living well are two different things.
We can keep people alive, but can we say that we can make them live well?
Unconsciously, Emperor Zhu picked up a small clod of earth from the ground and then unconsciously crushed it with his thumb and forefinger.
dare not.
The people of our Great Ming Dynasty are currently in the stage of "barely surviving," and there is still a very long way to go before they can "live well."
At the very least, the living standards of the people in the capital are not as good as those of the people in Ningyang.
The people of Ningyang County now have meat to eat every month and new clothes every year.
And what about these ordinary people in the capital?
Although they weren't dressed in rags, there were little kids running around naked everywhere.
Although it's not like people can't get a full meal, during the autumn harvest season, there's hardly any oil or grease in anyone's bowl.
Thinking about the living standards of the people in the capital, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but smack his lips again.
What a terrible thing! Last year when we were in Ningyang County, I heard with my own ears that some brats actually complained that fatty meat was too oily!
Damn it, they've squandered all that good fortune. Even I, the emperor, would think it's wasteful—what decent kid would turn away from fatty meat just because it's too oily? Only those brats from Ningyang County!
But when he thought of those mischievous kids, drooling as they pulled candy from their dirty little pockets and stuffed it into their mouths, mumbling "Candy, sweet, Grandpa eat," Emperor Zhu couldn't help but curl up his lips.
Forget it, they're just a bunch of kids, a bunch of good kids who've known how to respect the elderly since they were little. They're just picky eaters. Ningyang County is rich and can afford meat. Why should I, the emperor, bother with them?
Emperor Zhu's thoughts veered directly to the group of unruly children in Ningyang County. Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen exchanged a tacit glance, then turned their gazes into the distance with perfect understanding.
The ascension to power has begun again.
I don't know what she remembered this time, but she was able to curl the corners of her mouth even while her eyes were red.
It seems he first thought of something that made him sad, and then thought of something that could make him happy.
While Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen were inwardly cursing, Emperor Zhu suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Shanchang, Mr. Qingtian, do you have any thoughts?"
Li Shanchang stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty, I have carefully reviewed the process of how Ningyang County rose to prominence."
"In the beginning, it was indeed the oxen, seeds, and farm tools bestowed by His Highness and the Emperor that helped Ningyang County survive the most severe drought."
"Later, it was because of the four small industries that the Prince Consort stirred up in Ningyang County."
After a slight pause, Li Shanchang simply picked up a few small clods of dirt from the ground and arranged them into a pyramid shape as he spoke: "Although the Prince Consort started with a lighter workshop and a fried noodle workshop, and later a luncheon meat workshop and a papermaking workshop, he gradually got to where he is today."
"However, brick kilns, cement kilns, iron smelting workshops, and coal mines are the true foundation of Ningyang County."
"Brick kilns and cement kilns solved the housing problem for the people."
"The ironworks solved the problems of repairing farm implements and manufacturing new ones, which led to the development of the steam engine workshop."
"Coal mines solved problems such as steelmaking, kiln firing, and heating."
"In comparison, the original lighter workshop and fried noodle workshop were more like emergency measures for the prince consort to get on Chang Heizi's good side, and they have become less important in Ningyang County now."
Li Shanchang pointed to the small mound of earth at the very top of the pyramid: "This is what the Prince Consort was talking about as a long-term plan, with education as its foundation."
"No matter how skilled a craftsman is, he is still just a craftsman."
“But a skilled and literate craftsman can become a rare master craftsman.”
"Without the numerous community schools and persistent literacy campaigns throughout Ningyang County, Ningyang County would not have been able to develop a steam engine. Even if it had, it would have been difficult to miniaturize it."
Li Shanchang then pointed to the four small mounds of earth in the second row: "These are the four small industries that the Prince Consort has created."
"This is the foundation of all other different workshops."
At this point, Li Shanchang suddenly stroked his beard and said, "Has Your Majesty ever considered why other prefectures and counties have also followed Ningyang County's example in building roads, planting trees, and setting up workshops, yet few have become as prosperous as Ningyang County?"
Emperor Zhu was slightly taken aback and asked, "Why?"
Li Shanchang sighed slightly and said, "The reason why the Prince Consort was able to set up the lighter workshop first is because he knew how to make lighters."
"Otherwise, there should have been the four small workshops first, and then someone would have had a flash of inspiration and made a lighter."
Li Shanchang pointed to the small clods of earth in the third row and said, "These messy workshops were originally supposed to appear gradually after the four small workshops appeared, but the Prince Consort deliberately brought them forward, disrupting their original order."
"Geng Xingming and Zhou Liangyu, because they knew the correct order, did not start with those messy workshops, but instead focused on building brick kilns, cement kilns, small coal mines, and iron smelting workshops."
"They can even make adjustments based on the different situations under their jurisdiction."
“Zhou Liangyu from Luan County, for example, has been focusing on developing coal and iron mines, and basically doesn’t touch other workshops.”
"I have reviewed the year-end summaries and work reports of more than twenty counties."
"If nothing unexpected happens, in another three to five years, the development speed of these more than twenty counties will reach a new level."
“Luan County, in particular, is even stronger than Ningyang County.”
Emperor Zhu nodded unconsciously.
If everything is as Li Shanchang said, then many things that are difficult to explain can be explained.
For example, other prefectures and counties have also followed Ningyang County's example in building roads, planting trees, and developing small-scale industries.
However, very few states or counties have been able to produce any decent results.
These twenty-odd counties unanimously abandoned quick-profit workshops such as fried noodle workshops, papermaking workshops, and lighter workshops, and instead focused on cement kilns, brick kilns, iron smelting workshops, and small coal mines. In other words, they copied Ningyang County's approach from the very beginning: stabilize agriculture, develop workshops, and at the same time allocate manpower to build roads.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhu curled his lip once again.
Damn it.
Let's talk about why that bastard let people copy his homework so freely. Turns out there's an order to copying homework, and you can't copy it in the wrong order!
You really can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's belly!