Outside Hanyang Gate, there are several grain depots built with wood, occupying the most convenient transportation areas. There are also several grain depots of the same size that are under intense construction. However, among these huge grain depots

, but they are all empty.

At this time in previous years, grain ships from all over Huguang have crowded the docks in Hankou and Wuchang. The horse-drawn carriages and human-powered trailers coming and going are piled with heavy rice bags, vendors selling grain, and people loading and unloading ships.

Tens of thousands of coolies, as well as boatmen who sailed and sailed ships, were bustling around Hankou and Wuchang's docks.

However, it has been deserted since last winter until now, and not many grains of food have been transported here!

"If Huguang is sufficient, the world will have more than enough... Now that Huguang is insufficient, can there be more than enough in the southeast?"

Zhu Cixiang, who was about to leave in a few days, stood on the tower of Hanyang Gate, watching the situation at Hanyang Gate Pier and murmuring to himself.

Li Zicheng indeed chose a good day to send troops to Jianghan. It happened to be the point after the autumn harvest in the 18th year of Chongzhen and before the rice grains were trafficked to Hankou and Wuchang.

The southeast now has more people and less land, and too many cash crops have been planted. Food cannot be self-sufficient and needs to be purchased from Huguang, which is rich in rice.

From an economic point of view, this is no problem. Huguang has 200 million acres of land, nearly half of which is paddy fields, and the population is not too dense, so even if the harvest of the fields is not very good, there is still enough rich food that can be sold to the southeast

.

However, the population in the southeast is too large, the land is not wide, and along the rivers and seas, water transportation is convenient. After catching up with the Age of Discovery, it is just right to export a large amount of silk and cotton tea in exchange for silver, and then buy Huguang rice to support people.

This is the inevitable choice of the southern market economy in the late Ming Dynasty!

Although Zhu Cihong knew that this economic cycle was risky after he ruled the southeast - the Huguang area was not under Zhu Cihong's firm control and was also threatened by hostile forces! But what power did he have to fight against the liberalized market in the southeast?

Can he force his subordinates to change mulberry trees into rice with just a decree? This is stealing people's money and killing their parents...

And once the southeast changes from mulberry to rice, the five major textile centers of Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Songjiang will have a large number of unemployed people. The urban poor will start to make trouble again... They are the feudal crown prince Zhu Cixang's most

The scared proletariat!

Hubei Governor Qiu Yu, who was standing behind Zhu Cihong, heard the prince's words and had no good suggestions. He could only comfort him and said: "Master Qiansui, there are already many rice merchants who are willing to go to Hubei to harvest rice under the protection of the navy...

....By next month, millions of stones should be shipped to Jiangnan."

Last year's harvest in Hubei was actually pretty good. If Li Zicheng hadn't sent out troops at the perfect time, and Zuo Menggeng's Thousand Sword Killer had plundered merchant ships from Hankou and Wuchang, tens of millions of pounds of rice from Hubei would have been shipped to Jiangnan by now.

.

These days, due to the rise in rice prices in the south of the Yangtze River, many merchants from the southeast are looking for wooden boats. Now they are coming to Wuchang and Hankou one after another, preparing to sell rice down and make a big profit.

Zhu Cixiang looked back at Qiu Yu, and then turned his attention to He Tengjiao, the governor of Hunan, and Du Yinxi, the governor of Jingzhou.

"He Qing, Du Qing, you two have been officials in Huguang for many years and know the local situation well. Let's talk about it!"

He Tengjiao said: "Qiu Shibo (Qiu Yu is the earl) is right. Now as long as Hubei can be stabilized and grain merchants dare to go out to harvest rice, there will always be millions of stones. Although it is not as much as in previous years, it can also slightly alleviate the shortage in the southeast.

Food shortage.

In addition, Hunan had a good harvest last year, but it was only because Wuchang and Hanyang fell, and most of the Yangtze River grain ships were plundered by Zuo Menggeng, that grain could not be transported out. As long as the imperial court can open up the waterway between the Xiangjiang River and the Yangtze River, Hunan will

At least 10 million stone white rice can be transported!"

Du Yinxi shook his head, with a solemn expression: "Master Qiansui, food is the most important thing for the people! Food cannot be neglected at all. Nowadays, the population in the southeast is densely populated, and food cannot be self-sufficient. It all depends on the efforts of Huguang to supply it. Although Huguang has a wide field

, but in the past two years, they have been disturbed by rogue bandits, and their output is not as good as before. It is possible for Hunan to purchase 10 million yuan of rice, but for Hubei... I think it is not possible!"

Zhu Cixiang asked: "Why?"

Du Yinxi said: "Because the land is equalized according to the calculation of mouth and mouth!"

Zhu Cixiang remained silent. This issue has been debated at the Wuchang Palace for a long time, and there is no final conclusion yet.

Du Yinxi said, "Gentlemen and merchants are one. If the gentry dies, merchants will not survive! If His Highness wants to restore Hubei's grain roads as soon as possible, then please His Majesty immediately restore order to the chaos in Jingxiang and restore a bright future to Hubei!"

Du Yinxi's point of view certainly makes sense! Zhu Cixiang is not a bandit or a Tatar. He is the crown prince of Fujun in the Ming Dynasty. He represents the old world, not a new order that was smashed and then rebuilt.

Therefore, after recovering Jingzhou, Chengtian, Xiangyang, De'an, Hanyang and other prefectures in Hubei, it is natural that the land should be returned to the old owners.

Du Yinxi added: "His Royal Highness, the government must distinguish between public and private affairs! Public land is public land, and private land is private land. Otherwise, the victims will not be the Hubei gentry, but also the northern warriors who followed His Highness the Crown Prince to the south!"

Many of the northerners who followed Zhu Cixiang to the south of the Yangtze River were also landlords. If Zhu Cixiang could not bring order to the Hubei gentry, how could he bring order to the north? If he recognized Li Zicheng's "land reform achievements" in Hubei, of course he would also

Will recognize Dorgon's results in equalizing land in the Central Plains.

In this way, what motivation does Zhu Cixang's Beifu generals have for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains?

Zhu Cihong glanced at military advisor Li Yan. He was from Henan, so of course he was a big landowner!

"Your Highness the Crown Prince," Li Yan, of course, understood Zhu Cixiang's thoughts and quickly said, "There are more than 40 million acres of flag land in the North, which is enough to raise the merits of strong men. As for the land given to ordinary people by the Eastern captives...

If we want to return to the original owner, the more than 10 million northerners will probably become the confidants of the Donglu!"

Zhu Cixiang smiled slightly, this Li Yan had been a bandit, he was very enlightened after all!

"Yes!" Liu Kongzhao, who was already a sincere master in overcoming the difficulties, agreed, "There are millions of northerners and millions of warriors. If they are all the pioneers of the Eastern invaders, will the Central Plains be restored? I think the court should recognize that the rogue bandits have been equalized.

The fields belong to the tillers!”

Although Liu Kongzhao came from the noble landlord class in the south, he has now completely surrendered to Zhu Cihong, and of course his butt will have to move with him.

"But where does the food come from?" Du Yinxi said, "If the chaos is not corrected, Hubei's food roads will not be fully restored. At least several million dan will be lost a year, and the people in the southeast will starve... This

It’s not something that happens in one or two years!”

"Um..." Zhu Cihong smiled, "Have Zuoban Supervisor Yushi Ji Kun and Libu Yuanwailang Huang Zongxi arrived?"

Ji Kun and Huang Zongxi came to report to Zhu Cihong on the "Nanjing rice robbing incident" on behalf of the Supervisory Council and the Cabinet. The Generalissimo's Office also sent someone, Zhang Dingbian, the commander of the Xiaoling Guard New Army.

Li Yan replied, "Ji Kun and Huang Zongxi arrived in Wuhan yesterday."

Zhu Cixiang nodded and smiled: "These two people have some ideas. We can ask them to participate in the palace discussion tomorrow. Everyone should listen to their opinions."

In fact, Zhu Cixiang had long thought in his heart that it was impossible to return the land in Hubei to the so-called "original owner" - not to mention the millions of people living in the four major agricultural cities of Jingzhou, De'an, Chengtian, and Hanyang.

Anyway, just talking about how much taxes those "original owners" paid for the Ming Dynasty over the past many years determines that their private property cannot be protected.

Huguang is such a big city. The total tax and grain tax is only more than 2 million shi per year. How many years does it take for this amount to be collected? And how come the rice grains exported from Huguang to Jiangnan every year are only 10 to 20 million shi? The Ming Dynasty

How much tax did the imperial court collect on the Yangtze River?
Chapter completed!