Chapter 710

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Unbeknownst to them, tiny snowflakes suddenly began to fall from the sky.

Standing by the window watching this scene, Xiao Ming felt a surge of emotion. Another year was about to pass, and in that time, he had finally completed the initial unification of the Great Yu Empire.

Li Kaiyuan noticed Xiao Ming’s expression. In his view, Xiao Ming seemed to have a special fondness for winter, though he didn’t know why.

“I will not disturb Your Majesty’s enjoyment of the snow. I will now return and prepare the ‘Commercial Law’,” Li Kaiyuan said. He still felt some pressure in Xiao Ming’s presence; after all, serving a monarch was like accompanying a tiger.

Nodding, Xiao Ming said to Li Kaiyuan, “I plan to officially designate the Chamber of Commerce as the Ministry of Commerce on a chosen day. From then on, you will formally become imperial officials. I have explained the functions of the Ministry of Commerce to you many times. You are to begin overseeing the commerce of the Great Yu Empire according to these functions, starting now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Kaiyuan replied, tightening his cotton-padded coat and stepping into the snow. This winter was colder than the last.

Watching Li Kaiyuan leave, Xiao Ming looked north. This winter was colder than previous years; this time, the barbarians would likely suffer greatly.

He could foresee that livestock in the northern grasslands would freeze to death again this year, which would make the barbarians’ lives even more difficult.

And barbarians lacking food and clothing would only do one thing: plunder. Thus, it was foreseeable that a war between the barbarians and the Great Yu Empire was imminent. After all, the food production on this land was limited; for every extra bite the Great Yu Empire ate, several barbarians would starve to death.

In truth, human history was nothing more than a history of cannibalism, the difference being whether one ate others or one’s own kind.

During the Age of Exploration, the West chose to exploit people from other continents, leading to their current prosperity and strength. On the land of the Great Yu Empire, it had always been a matter of its own people exploiting each other.

After pausing to watch the snow for a while, Xiao Ming once again immersed himself in designing the industrial plan for the six provinces.

At this auction, there were only one hundred steam engines, but in reality, the steam engine workshop had manufactured a total of three hundred steam engines during this period.

Upon obtaining this number, he ordered that only one hundred be given to merchants, for after all, compared to private workshops, the official workshops were the most important.

After all, private workshops were meant to provide various goods for the common people; what could truly guide national development were the official workshops.

In his plan, he intended to establish two more large-scale steel workshops. These steel workshops would not be in Qingzhou Province, but rather in Laiwu and Kaiping Province, near Youzhou Province.

Laiwu, needless to say, was the largest coal and iron producing area in the Shandong region. Building the Laiwu Steel Workshop there would greatly reduce the cost of transporting ore.

And this Kaiping Province was the Kaiping Town of the late Qing Dynasty, also famous; it was essentially contemporary Tangshan. This place was rich in coal and iron, and he planned to build the Kaiping Steel Workshop there.

Accompanying these steel workshops would naturally be coal and iron mines. However, besides these two minerals, Xiao Ming also planned to simultaneously develop the gold and silver mines in Laizhou Prefecture.

Coal and iron were for industry, gold and silver were for finance. Seizing this rare period of peace, he wanted to rapidly develop industry.

Japan, during the Meiji Restoration, became a strong nation in just forty years, and that was Japan directly transitioning from a feudal society to a Western society during the Second Industrial Revolution.

So for Xiao Ming, he wouldn’t need forty years; just giving him ten or eight years would be enough for the Great Yu Empire’s industry to catch up with the West, and then completely surpass it.

However, to concentrate his efforts on major undertakings, he still had to solve one problem: the issue of population mobility in the Great Yu Empire.

In feudal dynasties, the population was almost immobile, primarily to prevent the emergence of unstable elements like vagrants.

But now, Xiao Ming wanted to develop industry and capital, which would inevitably require a large population.

The population in the six prefecture was limited, and most had their own land. These common people were not at all eager to enter workshops. Therefore, both he and the merchants of Qingzhou Province now needed a large population to develop industry.

At this time, he naturally turned his attention to the displaced people generated by this northern war. More than a year of chaotic warfare had not only resulted in significant population loss in the north but also created a large number of displaced people.

If according to old custom, these displaced people were to return to their hometowns to farm, but now there were two other paths: entering workshops.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming put down his pen. He noted this issue down, intending to bring it up together during tomorrow’s morning court session.

Besides this, he had prepared some other matters, and even given them a resounding name: the “Three-Year Plan.”

The next day, Qingzhou City was covered in a night’s worth of snow, turning it silver-white.

After playing with Fei Yuer and his son in the bedchamber for a while, he took his three-year plan to the council hall.

After a heavy snowfall, the ministers’ clothes were visibly thicker. Xiao Ming smiled, “Are all your robes lined with cotton-padded jackets sewn by the textile workshops, my beloved ministers?”

Pang Yukun led the response, “Your Majesty, these cotton-padded jackets are thick and resistant to cold. This year, not only officials but most common people also wear these padded jackets.”

“I, your old servant, have lived in Chang’an for decades, and always thought Chang’an was the wealthiest place under heaven. I never imagined that in just five or six years, the common people of Qingzhou Province would live even more comfortably than those in Chang’an. In the past, not everyone in Chang’an had cotton-padded jackets to wear during winter,” Fei Ji said with a smile.

The officials echoed, and Chao Jun said, “From this, it can be seen that Your Majesty is far-sighted. The comfortable lives of the common people of Qingzhou Province are due to abundant resources, and abundant resources are inseparable from commerce and industry.”

“Minister Chao is absolutely right. The resources of Qingzhou Province are indeed more abundant than Chang’an.”

“It seems commerce and industry also have their benefits.”

“…”

Actions spoke louder than words, and the officials echoed one after another.

Slightly satisfied with the performance of the officials in the great hall, Xiao Ming unveiled the most important national plan before the end of the year. He said, “All you beloved ministers are discerning people. Having lived in Qingzhou Province for a long time, you can clearly see right from wrong. This morning court session is not for other matters, but specifically for the development of industry and commerce. For this purpose, I have formulated a Three-Year Plan.”

With that, Xiao Ming had Qian Dafu distribute printed pamphlets.

Fei Ji and Pang Yukun immediately read them upon receiving them, and their expressions instantly turned to shock.

The pamphlet clearly documented the major undertakings the imperial court planned for the next three years, covering everything from agriculture to commerce, from governance to military affairs.

“Everything I need to say is in here. For the next three years, the six prefectural offices of Qingzhou province must strictly follow the plan outlined here. If it’s not completed after three years, whoever lags behind will be held accountable by me. So, take this opportunity to ask whatever you want.”

The officials looked up at this point. This was the first time they had seen such a method of governing.