Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

On the Taihu Lake, boating and playing.

Zhu Guoxiang was very interested in this and warned the local civil and military officials not to drive away merchant ships and fishing boats.

Of course, although the emperor said not to disturb the people, the officials of Suzhou Prefecture could not ignore it.

A large number of officials changed into civilian clothes and ran to the merchant ships and fishing boats to watch.

The merchant ships were ordered not to get too close and to quickly transport the goods over, so as not to disturb the emperor's interest.

Not only can fishing boats fish normally, but occasionally one or two are commanded by officials to get closer. It would be best if the fisherman could sing a fishing song while casting the net. The emperor would definitely like it when he heard and saw it.

"Hey, what are those over there?" Zhu Guoxiang suddenly pointed to the lake in front and asked.

The county magistrate wanted to answer, but he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.

Can't steal the limelight from the prefect!

The prefect Chen Zaiting introduced: "Reporting to the emperor, that area is for cultivating lake pearls."

"I see," Zhu Guoxiang was very happy and asked, "Does the local government manage it?"

Chen Zaiting explained: "The prefectures and counties around Taihu Lake have each demarcated the lake boundaries. In their own lake boundaries, they have demarcated the pearl cultivation area. Large-scale pearl cultivation must be purchased. There are also small-scale pearl cultivation, and the government does not protect it."

That is, large households that cultivate pearls artificially need to contract the lake area from the government and obtain full protection from the government.

Small-scale pearl cultivation is illegal, but the government is too lazy to care. If there is a problem, such as pearls being stolen, don't think about going to the government to complain.

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Is it the same in the former Song Dynasty?"

Chen Zaiting said: "The former Song Dynasty had many tyrants and bullies who divided up Taihu Lake for themselves. Not to mention cultivating pearls, even fishermen had to pay taxes to the tyrants before fishing."

In fact, in the first few years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Taihu Lake was still occupied by those tyrants.

Until the imperial court started the project of returning farmland to the lake, the chief officials of prefectures and counties around Taihu Lake were all dismissed or demoted due to the initial poor progress. The newly appointed chief officials of prefectures and counties were trembling with fear and fully cooperated with the officials sent by the Ministry of Works to manage the lake, and confiscated the property of more than 20 powerful and evil gentry!

The Taihu Lake area was cleared up all of a sudden, and the fishermen and pearl farmers of Taihu Lake finally lived a normal life.

Chen Zaiting was very perceptive. He had arranged for several pearl farmers to wait for summons on a boat on the nearby lake.

Soon, the pearl farmers were summoned.

Those guys were all rich, but in order to please the emperor, they all wore cotton clothes. Not extravagant, not poor, just right.

Zhu Guoxiang asked the names of several people and asked about the market situation of artificial pearls.

A large breeder in Lu Yixing said: "Thanks to the blessing of the two holy emperors, pearl farming is becoming more and more profitable. In recent years, merchants who purchase pearls not only sell lake pearls in China, but also ship many to ports to sell to sea merchants."

Another large breeder named Su Huai said: "The lake pearls sold overseas are also different from those sold in China. Pearls can be collected in the sea, and they are not rare for ordinary pearls. But if they can be cultivated into various shapes, people overseas like them very much. Especially Buddha pearls, which are the most popular overseas. There are also many unknown gods, which are said to be Bodhisattvas of Brahmanism. Some merchants come to order with statues of gods."

Zhu Guoxiang was very happy to hear this. This method is indeed very profitable.

From India to Southeast Asia, Buddhism and Hinduism are widely believed. A pearl that grows into the shape of a god or Buddha will naturally attract believers. Many Indian princes specifically asked for this thing, so merchants brought statues of gods to Taihu Lake for customization.

First, carve out the mold, then stuff it into the clam, and it will become a pearl of god statues after being cultivated. Merchants will be able to sell it at a high price when they transport it to India.

At the beginning, it was a sky-high price. In recent years, the number of transactions has increased and the price has dropped a little.

Zhu Guoxiang talked with the pearl farmers for a while, and then took a boat to the northwest. The prefect of Changzhou had already been waiting there with officials.

The emperor was a little hungry, and was invited by the prefect of Changzhou to have a meal.

The landing point was a town. Zhu Guoxiang scanned the houses along the street: "Are many of the shops here newly built?"

Changzhou prefect Wang Kejia said: "Reporting to the emperor, this town is called Xiazhu Town. More than ten years ago, it was just a fishing village. Now the Ming Dynasty is in its heyday, with a thriving population and prosperous industry and commerce. Xiazhu Village has also gathered into a town because of the lakeside dock."

The city and the town were originally different.

From the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, people could not just find a place to sell their goods. The court designated exclusive areas and sent tax collectors. They had to do business legally in designated areas.

With the development of productivity, the original market system collapsed in the Northern Song Dynasty, and more grass markets were formed in rural areas.

The above is about cities, and towns are also changing.

The original meaning of town is military town, which is to station troops. In the Northern Song Dynasty, town was transformed into a "quasi-administrative district", and officials were stationed in all of them, just like the field, prison, village, and fort.

These towns, fields, prisons, villages, and forts ranged from deputy state level to deputy county level according to their respective importance.

In areas far away from the front line of the war, the cities and towns of the Northern Song Dynasty gradually assimilated and began to be collectively referred to as "towns". But they were not completely assimilated, because the town still retained its jurisdiction, generally governing an area of ​​5 miles.

The most powerful town governed an area of ​​40 to 50 miles, which was almost the same as the county-level administrative district, and there were a large number of town officials. The chief officer of this town was higher than the county magistrate.

In the past 20 years, the Ming Dynasty court has carried out a series of administrative reforms.

Villages and forts were largely abolished, local garrisons were reduced, and excess troops were moved to the newly recovered territory.

The farms and supervisors were also reduced and merged, and the civil rights of the supervisory officials were abolished. It is equivalent to changing from the original "quasi-administrative region" to a state-owned enterprise or tax agency, returning the management rights of local people to states and counties.

The town has been strengthened with the "quasi-administrative district" attribute and merged with the local grass market attribute. A few economically developed towns were established as deputy county-level administrative districts, and occupied the ecological niche of townships - townships did not have officials.

In today's sub-county-level towns, the imperial court would station low-level officials. Such towns directly annexed township-level jurisdictions.

A general town does not have administrative jurisdiction. It still belongs to a certain township. The imperial court would send tax collectors, but the tax collectors were not stationed in the town permanently. They only went to collect taxes from shops on fixed market days, and they did not even collect taxes from itinerant vendors.

Don't underestimate this kind of administrative reform. Its direct impact is that the number of cities and towns across the country has increased sharply, and the township economy has achieved unprecedented development!

Of course, the main reasons for the economic development of townships are population growth and agricultural progress.

Human history is an upward spiral, and this upward spiral also includes industry, agriculture, and commerce.

During the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, except for the Yuan Dynasty, which was a bit strange, the industry, agriculture and commerce of other dynasties followed this pattern. The Qing Dynasty must be stronger than the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty must be stronger than the Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty must be stronger than the Tang Dynasty.

Do you mean that business in the Qing Dynasty was not as prosperous as in the Song Dynasty?

That is tantamount to insulting the intelligence of the people in the Ming and Qing dynasties!

The prerequisite for commercial development is technological progress in agriculture and industry. The more food can be produced per unit of land, the more people can be fed. The increase in urban and rural population will increase the demand for goods and promote the progress of handicraft industry.

Zhu Guoxiang not only brought corn and sweet potatoes, but also appointed agricultural officers to promote the development of original agriculture.

In the Ming Dynasty, it is common to have three crops every two years in the north and two crops a year in the south.

This so-called number of crops per year does not specifically refer to staple foods, but can also be important economic crops such as rapeseed and soybeans.

If we follow the normal historical development trajectory and want to achieve three crops every two years in the north and two crops a year in the south, we must reach the goal by the middle of the Ming Dynasty. This kind of agricultural progress is also a necessary prerequisite for the rapid development of industry and commerce in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Wang Kejia, the prefect of Changzhou, said: "From the founding of the Ming Dynasty to the present, the number of large-scale towns in Changzhou has increased by more than 50%. Many farmers no longer go to county towns, but work in their hometown towns. This Xiahu Town It has developed rapidly, and the people have become richer and richer thanks to the Taihu pearl industry.”

Chen Zaiting, the prefect of Suzhou, did not want to be left behind: "The number of towns in Suzhou has increased by more than 70%, and the number of factories is particularly large."

"Suzhou is already richer, why are you so embarrassed to compare with Changzhou?" Wang Kejia complained.

Chen Zaiting asked back: "Why can't we compare? It's because you don't dare to compare."

Wang Kejia said: "If I become the prefect of Suzhou, the place will definitely be more prosperous and prosperous!"

The officials they each brought also joined in the quarrel, comparing the pros and cons of the two governments from different angles.

Zhu Guoxiang did not interrupt and listened to the officials arguing with a smile.

Inside and outside the town, the smell of fish is quite strong, and there are many shops selling salted fish. They not only retail, but also wholesale. When large foreign customers find the store, they can come in and talk in detail.

There are also engraving and jewelry industries.

This town is actually not famous for its sculptures. Overseas orders have increased in recent years, requiring a large number of tiny statues of gods to be carved into pearls. As the number of statues ordered by large farmers increased, businessmen and carving craftsmen came to stay there permanently.

Gradually, not only did it carve molds for statues of artificial pearls, but its business also expanded to the production of other sculpture handles and ornaments.

Not only are there such carving shops in Xiazhu Town, but also many Linhu towns in Suzhou and Huzhou have developed carvings, forming a jewelry and sculpture craft belt around Taihu Lake.

More than half of their products are exported.

For example, the Japanese royal family spent a lot of money to buy a Bodhisattva Lake Pearl. The bead was extremely large, flawless and exquisitely carved. It was of the highest quality even in the Taihu Lake area. The late Emperor Toba bought it by selling iron.

Now, Bodhisattva Lake Pearl has become Japan’s national treasure!

This thing was even sold to Europe. Arab merchants who hated the Crusaders very much customized Jesus' crucifix beads for their Crusaders' employers... and then through merchants from Venice and other countries, they sold them to Italy at higher prices, and then resold them to France. .

A superb crucifix bead, worth a small castle in France (including the land and population surrounding the castle).

Zhu Guoxiang and Zhu Ming and their sons encouraged industry, commerce and maritime trade, and unleashed terrifying industrial and commercial potential over the past two decades.