Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Back home, Ju Ming had no intention of doing any more experiments.

He found that if the sand-soil ratio was reduced and charcoal powder and sawdust were added, the briquettes could be made more flammable. If the sawdust is slightly carbonized, the briquettes will burn better.

But considering the cost, they all gave up.

It is better to go straight to the simple and rough method. Coal and soil can be burned. What more charcoal powder do you want? What more sawdust do you want?

80% coal, 20% mud, this is the best ratio, it will ignite easily if it burns for a long time.

There is no other choice for soil. Most of the soil near Kaifeng is yellow loam. Moreover, it is not the sticky yellow loam suitable for making honeycomb briquettes, but the sandy yellow loam that is slightly less sticky. All I can say is that it works.

"Ms. sir, there are guests waiting for you at home. They are listening to Mr. Chen's lecture." Bai Sheng took the reins and led the horse in.

Ju Ming asked: "Scholar?"

Bai Sheng said: "My surname is Che, and I claim to be the leader of the charcoal industry. I moved all the charcoal stoves and charcoal briquettes at home and hid them in the house so that he could not see them."

"Well done." Ju Ming praised.

Bai Chongyan and Min Zishun are still reading books to prepare for the exam, which has been determined to be held on the second day of next month.

Zhu Ming offended Cai Jing, and Cai Party took control of the official department.

Even if they pass the exam, they will probably be suppressed and thrown into a remote rural area for a few years without the possibility of moving.

Ju Ming will definitely bring trouble to his friends, and he doesn’t know how to comfort him.

But I saw Chen Yuan sitting in the corridor, giving a lecture to a businessman: "The Carbon Coal Department and the government-run business violate the theory of square rules. It is difficult for your coal industry to draw squares, so you have to seek a strike. This is right and understandable."

The businessman said happily: "In terms of knowledge, are we also reasonable?"

Chen Yuan nodded: "It's natural. The way of heaven is nothing more than the way of humanity. A benevolent person loves others. Businessmen are also human beings. The court should treat them with benevolent government."

The businessman asked: "But those gentlemen say that merchants are cunning people, and the court also says that we are industrial and commercial miscellaneous people."

Chen Yuan asked, "Isn't it true that there are many cunning people among merchants?"

The businessman couldn't argue with this, because it was a fact. He could only argue: "Businessmen are so cunning, don't scholars be cunning? How many of the husbands in the court are not cunning?"

Chen Yuan said: "If you don't want to be looked down upon, merchants should have a way to make money. It must be remembered that there is a way to make money, not a way to make money. Between the way and skills, the way comes first, and the skills come later. You are the leader of the charcoal line, if you Without government exploitation, wouldn’t you be able to hoard and drive up market prices?”

The businessman said: "Of course not, there are rules in the charcoal industry."

Chen Yuan smiled: "Since you are so hypocritical, you don't have to listen to my nonsense. Farewell."

"Sir, please don't leave," the businessman quickly stopped, "I like to listen to your great talk."

Chen Yuan said: "The bad reputation of merchants is not imposed by scholars, but a label you have given yourself for thousands of years. Did you know that there are Confucian merchants in the south?"

The businessman shook his head: "I don't know."

With the development of the commodity economy and the proliferation of scholars, from the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, more and more failed scholars began to engage in business.

Some of them combined Confucianism and business ethics and called themselves "Confucian businessmen". They adhere to the principle that "a gentleman loves money and acquires it in a proper way" and integrates the Confucian "discrimination between justice and benefit" into business activities. No matter what happens in private, at least it is blameless on the surface.

And Wang Anshi's new learning had the effect of fueling the flames of "Confucian businessmen".

Chen Yuan said: "Confucianism has righteousness and benefit. A gentleman is understood by righteousness, and a villain is understood by benefit. This is a sentence in the Analects of Confucius, and you must have read it long ago. But can a gentleman talk about benefit? Yes. A gentleman should manage his finances with righteousness... …”

Managing finances with justice is Wang Anshi’s point of view.

Recently, in order to give lectures in the capital, Chen Yuan re-read Wang Anshi's articles.

In the past, he read Wang Anshi with a critical eye and purely from the perspective of a disciple of Luo School.

Now when I read Wang Anshi again, the purpose is to absorb it, extract the available content of the new learning, and package "Tao Yongxue" into new learning for promotion.

The reading angle is different, and the perception is very different.

Chen Yuan found that most of Wang Anshi's theory of justice and benefit can be used as a footnote to Dao Yong Lun.

If we want to talk about justice and benefit, we must first talk about human nature.

Wang Anshi overturned the views of Mencius, Xunzi and others, and directly pursued Confucius's "nature is similar, but habits are far apart". He believes that nature does not matter good or evil, neither good nor evil, and it depends purely on acquired learning.

Then, he said that righteousness and benefit are not opposites, but can be unified.

Public interest is righteousness. Managing the country's finances is about profit, but the result is righteousness. He also said, "In one "Book of Rites of Zhou", financial management is only half of it. How can the Duke of Zhou benefit from it?"

He also said that Yang Zhu only knew that benefiting oneself was unrighteous, Mozi only knew that benefiting others was unkind, but benefiting others and oneself combined was benevolent and righteous.

Chen Yuan has continued to write articles recently, and he is almost finished writing the "Principal on Justice and Benefit", in which he quotes a lot of Wang Anshi's views.

But there is one thing: Chen Yuan does not support Wang Anshi.

He believed that "righteousness comes before benefit", while Wang Anshi believed that "profit comes before righteousness".

Wang Anshi was too radical, saying that only by having constant nature, longevity, regular childbirth, and not being harassed and exploited can people have good moral sentiments. Without a stable material life, people cannot have good morals, and without good morals, society will be in turmoil.

It can be simply summarized as: poor people are not qualified to talk about justice! Don't talk about morality, poor guy! The court must reduce the number of poor people, and then through moral education, there will be more gentlemen, and society will be stable.

This view made Chen Yuan feel extremely uncomfortable.

Why don't you talk about it when a gentleman is poor?

This businessman came to visit Ju Ming in the afternoon and listened to Chen Yuan's talk for three hours.

Finally, he bowed and said: "Sir is really a great scholar. I have a son who is studying in a government school. I wonder if I can become a disciple of you?"

"Okay," Chen Yuan said with a smile, "Other merchants can also come to study."

The businessman said: "I am the head of the Tan trade. When I get back, I will tell them that all the merchants in the Tan trade will send their children to be apprentices."

Of course, what merchants value is not knowledge, but social recognition.

Although the social atmosphere is becoming more and more profit-seeking, businessmen are becoming more and more tolerant. But the background is still discrimination. There is no psychological burden when exploiting, and businessmen are only used as tools to make money.

That's why Xu Xiang's father went to Bianliang to do business with goods. When he saw the Jinshi people queuing up from Donghua Gate, he sighed: "This is how you should be when you have a son." So he stopped doing business, only kept a few shops, and devoted himself to training his son to study. Imperial examination.

There is also a Niu Jian Shu who pays grain to buy an official position. He earns more than a thousand guan every month by collecting rent and has countless other properties. However, he lamented that he was "in a humble place, but it is difficult to reach the nobility". He visited famous teachers everywhere, made friends with famous people, spent crazy money to entertain scholars, and finally donated food to buy a minor official, and happily clocked in to work every day. Not only is he not greedy, he also gives money to do a good job.

The businessman in front of him felt that Chen Yuan was willing to speak for the businessman and that Chen Yuan's knowledge must be good, so he sent his son to become a disciple.

Hearing Ju Ming's footsteps, Chen Yuan stood up and said, "Tanhua Lang is back. You guys go and talk."

The businessman hurriedly bowed to Zhu Ming: "Young man Che Guirou, pay your respects to Zhu Xuezheng!"

Ju Ming smiled and said, "Please take a seat at the head of the carriage."

Che Guirou took out the wooden box, pulled off the red cloth, and opened the lid: "Zhu Xuezheng spoke uprightly and impeached corrupt officials like us for the charcoal dealers, but he was fined two months by the officials. All the Tokyo charcoal dealers admired him so much that he prepared a little preparation A small gift is not a sign of respect."

In the box lay two gold cakes, worth about two hundred guan.

In the late Northern Song Dynasty, the price of gold was extremely high. One tael of gold was worth at least 20 guan, and sometimes even 30 guan.

Ju Ming glanced at it and pushed the gold back: "No need."

Che Guirou said: "This is not a gift from my family, but a joint venture between the charcoal merchants."

Zhu Ming didn't say whether he would accept it or not, but instead asked: "This charcoal store is going on strike. How long are you planning to stop? Is it to raise the price of charcoal?"

Che Guirou said: "The Carbon Corporation is forcing us to sell charcoal at a low price, but at the same time it prohibits non-local charcoal dealers from selling to us. The charcoal shops are on strike not to raise prices, but just to purchase goods at a fair price. Non-local charcoal dealers are also unable to withdraw." If we can retreat, we can only make an appointment to strike out together. Please Zhu Xuezheng, and then go to Shu to impeach the Carboniferous Department!"

Zhu Ming smiled and said: "It turns out that I can't collect these two pieces of gold in vain. I have to help you dig them up again."

"How dare you, after the thing is done, there will be a thank you gift." Che Guirou said.

Ju Ming asked: "There are dozens of merchants in the charcoal business, but there are no other officials to help?"

Che Guirou said with emotion: "Thirty years ago, Tan Xing was still able to talk. Then it became weaker and weaker. Where can I still make friends with Qinggui?"

Government-run enterprises squeezed the coal market starting from the Renzong Dynasty. Officials went directly to make money, which of course was more than what businessmen could get from their filial piety.

Nowadays, the merchants in the charcoal business are financially weak and can only bribe small officials like Zhu Ming.

Besides Ju Ming, who else but Ju Ming is the person who dares to talk about matters in court?

Ju Ming said: "I want to open a charcoal shop. Can I join the charcoal shop?"

Che Guirou was startled at first, and then became happy: "Welcome!"

Private coal merchants are not afraid of officials opening stores to compete, but they are afraid of government-run enterprises coming to ruin their business.

Of course they are willing to accept Ju Ming, and they wish they could bring in more officials so that they can better deal with the exploitation of the Carboniferous Department in the future!

Ju Ming asked: "Are there any rules in the charcoal business?"

Che Guirou said: "You cannot raise or lower prices privately, you must advance and retreat together. If you encounter government exploitation, you are not allowed to communicate with the government privately, and you must advance and retreat together. Other than that, there are some small rules."

Ju Ming said: "I want to open a charcoal shop outside Nanxunmen. Can you help me contact charcoal dealers from other places?"

"Put it on me!" Che Guirou said with a smile.

Tokyo's coal market is large enough, and competition among private companies is not fierce. The real enemy is the government-run coal mines.

Let’s put it this way, the homeless people in Tokyo had no choice but to build shacks on both sides of the Cao River more than ten miles away. Because the several miles around the city wall are all normal settlement areas.

In "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", ships crossing the bridge are afraid of being hit, and it was made into a very famous animation. This place, seven miles outside the city, is still very prosperous.

Ju Ming's coal shop can already make money as long as it has enough customers in a certain area outside the city. There is no need to compete with the shops in the city for the market.

Ju Ming returned the gold and said, "I don't want the money anymore. Just help me contact the charcoal dealer. If you go on strike and cause a big stir, I'll go to Shangshu to impeach you."

Che Guirou said with sincere admiration: "They say Tanhua Lang is as honest as water, but today I know it's true!"

Zhu Ming added: "I am an official and cannot do business according to the regulations, so the charcoal shop is run by my personal followers. I have also offended the governor of Kaifeng and it is not convenient for me to come forward. Please help me with the paperwork."

Che Guirou said: "I also know a few subordinate officials. Leave this to me."

You also need a license to open a store, and it’s best if the charcoal bank helps you apply for it, otherwise you will most likely be stuck on purpose.

In addition, although there were countless officials doing business in the Song Dynasty, the law did not allow it. Ju Ming didn't want to be left with any clues, so the legal person of the coal shop must have Bai Sheng's name written on it.

Local charcoal shops went on strike, and foreign charcoal dealers went on strike.

People in Kaifeng went on a buying spree, and those who had some savings carried load after load of coal to their homes.

In less than ten days, the government-run factory could no longer bear the burden. Not only did it fail to lower the price as ordered by the court, but it also raised the price of coal to more than 15 Wen.

The more the price rises, the more enthusiastic people will rush to buy.

Half a month later, the inventory was sold out, and the entire Tokyo fell into a coal shortage.

The Carbon Coal Division turned to the governor of Kaifeng for help, and the governor of Kaifeng took official officials and forced private coal shops to open for business.

Coal prices are soaring anyway, and these businessmen are happy to sell.

But the inventory was quickly sold out, and the charcoal shop was organized. The bosses took their workers to surround Cai Jing's house.

Cai Jing could not go out, so he sent someone to call for support, and the Palace Front Secretary dispatched with the imperial army.

But the Forbidden Army soldiers also couldn't buy coal, so they all came to the scene just to watch the fun.

"Rebellion, all rebellion, these profiteers!" Cai Jing was furious and a little scared.

Mr. Cai was stuck at home and unable to go to work. The incident finally became big enough that some eunuchs even went to report to the emperor.

Song Huizong's first reaction was to laugh: "Haha, it's very interesting."

Then he got angry and said, "You don't listen to my orders. Those people in the Ministry of Revenue are so brave!"