The discussion about the risks of full-scale war on Earth had suddenly shifted to the ecological environment of the Ming Dynasty's homeland, a testament to Emperor Zhu Jinsong's expansive thinking.
However, the esteemed officials in the Ming court were accustomed to this and could only bear with it.
Emperor Zhu smiled and asked, "What does our Ming Dynasty need more of right now: numerous workshops, or the products manufactured by those workshops?"
Liu Huaiwen bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I can somewhat guess Your Majesty's intention, which is to relocate workshops with low technical requirements and no risk of information leakage. However, our Ming Dynasty needs both the products manufactured by those workshops and the workshops themselves."
Zhu Jinsong suddenly found Liu Huaiwen quite irritating. The feeling of being interrupted mid-brag was akin to being disturbed by a ringing phone on one's wedding night, with Liu Huaiwen being the villain making the call.
Yet, Liu Huaiwen, unconcerned about offending Emperor Zhu, continued on his own accord, "Currently, the population of our Ming Dynasty has reached five hundred million, with over one hundred million citizens relying on workshops for their livelihood. If a large number of workshops are relocated, it will affect the livelihoods of many people."
This matter was quite perplexing.
Even before completely defeating the Great Qing, the Ming Dynasty had been relentlessly pursuing the development of small-scale industries. Basically, every county had a steel plant, a coal mine, a machinery factory, a cement factory, and a fertilizer plant.
Although the technological standards and efficiency of these county-level small industries were very low, with machinery factories mostly producing furniture, fertilizer plants relying on composting manure, and coal mines not necessarily yielding much coal, it was precisely the existence of these small industries that provided the Ming Dynasty with the capital to overturn the Great Qing and offered many young and middle-aged people opportunities to earn money.
After the Ming Dynasty had turned the tables on the Great Qing and gained a bit more confidence, a vigorous campaign of factory construction swept across the Ming provinces and counties. Numerous small workshops, such as garment factories and distilleries, sprang up like mushrooms after a rain. These workshops, while contributing significantly to taxes, also generated a large number of jobs.
Speaking of the distilleries in the various provinces and counties of the Ming Dynasty, one must mention the Shandong Provincial Administration. As the place of origin and a major grain-producing province, every county under the Shandong Provincial Administration had one or even two to three distilleries. However, the entire Shandong Provincial Administration lacked a single famous brand of liquor.
The reason was rather amusing: the liquor produced by each county was largely consumed by the local populace, leaving no surplus for sale outside, thus failing to generate brand recognition. This infuriated the Shandong Provincial Governor, who often cursed in his office.
Garment factories were similar. Although there were garment factories in almost every county among the over two thousand prefectures and counties of the Ming Dynasty, these factories had their own production specializations. Some exclusively produced formal wear, which was Hanfu with a right-hand lapel, while others produced work clothes or casual wear. Some even specialized in women's clothing.
The problem was that these garment factories found it difficult to achieve economies of scale, mostly being consumed within their local prefectures and counties. A small number of less popular styles with sluggish sales were simply packaged and sold to Europe. Styles that were slow-moving in the Ming Dynasty could fetch high prices in Europe, serving as a form of revenue generation akin to utilizing waste.
Other various tobacco factories, sugar factories, and the like were generally the same. They operated independently, and while everyone could make money, no one managed to create a particularly outstanding brand.
This phenomenon was extremely abnormal in terms of commerce, as normal commercial operations should exhibit a siphon-effect development, emphasizing branding and economies of scale, where the strong get stronger and the weak… the weak simply have no way to survive.
However, from the perspective of the Ming Dynasty court, this phenomenon was the most normal and also the most ideal.
This was because the court did not require brand-oriented operations; the large workshops under the Ministry of Revenue, bearing the royal name, were the best brands.
What the court valued were the employment opportunities provided by these workshops and the taxes they could submit. In fact, taxes were far less important than employment opportunities. The more workshops there were, the more workers were needed, and the more jobs there were for workers, the more the importance of workers was highlighted.
This, in turn, implied that workshops would have to increase workers' wages and benefits to retain them. The increase in workers' wages and benefits would then lead to the stability of the entire Ming Dynasty.
If, as Emperor Zhu Jinsong suggested, a large number of workshops were directly relocated to places like Europe or the Ottoman Empire, where labor was cheaper, it would appear to reduce costs and increase efficiency. However, the ultimate impact would be on the income of the populace.
It was precisely for this reason that Liu Huaiwen had unceremoniously rejected Emperor Zhu's proposal.
And once Emperor Zhu understood the intricate reasoning behind this, he immediately began to resent all the "experts," "professors," and "people prone to whining."
Experts claimed that the existence of numerous low-end factories polluted the environment and that they should follow the example of the "silly eagle" country and relocate low-end industries to harm others. Whiners argued that the "silly eagle" country's deindustrialization had effectively protected its environment.
Most detestably, these experts, professors, and whiners relentlessly criticized a certain librarian, claiming that the practice of using three people to do the work of two was a waste of human resources, a case of "eating from a common pot," a step backward, and so on—basically, everything was wrong.
Although Emperor Zhu understood the reasons behind employing three people for the work originally done by two, he had unconsciously accepted the notion that low-end meant pollution and relocation meant protection.
Now, he felt thoroughly embarrassed!
Of course, as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, a seasoned participant in the "Zu'an Arena," and the foremost keyboard warrior of the Keyboard Association, Zhu Jinsong would never show embarrassment. Even if he knew he was wrong, he wouldn't blush.
Emperor Zhu tapped his fingers on the table and said with a blank expression, "My thinking on this matter was indeed flawed."
Then, the Emperor automatically skipped over this topic. "Speaking of which, the 'Little Broken Ball' Games have been held for several sessions, yet our Ming Dynasty's football team has consistently performed poorly. Not only can we not compare to England and France, but we even lag behind the 'silly eagle' country, which doesn't play much football. Doesn't that seem unreasonable?"
Zeng Cheng, Liu Hemming, Liu Huaiwen, and other esteemed officials were deeply impressed. "Look, look, this is our Ming Dynasty's Emperor. Even when he realizes he's said something wrong, he can change the subject without batting an eye, no matter how awkwardly!"
Despite their admiration, Zeng Cheng, Liu Hemming, Liu Huaiwen, and the other officials could only follow Emperor Zhu's train of thought. After all, the Emperor had just suffered a significant embarrassment and was in need of a topic change.
Since Emperor Zhu had brought up the issue of Ming Dynasty football, Zeng Cheng, Liu Hemming, and Liu Huaiwen were naturally happy to chime in. After all, regardless of whether football was good or bad, it wouldn't have any significant impact on the Ming Dynasty.
After some thought, Minister of Works Song Yucheng adopted a rather amusing approach. "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe the main reason for our Ming Dynasty's poor football performance lies with Grand Commandant Gao Qiu. Since the time of Gao Qiu, the level of Cuju in our Central Plains halls has plummeted!"
Song Yucheng's statement was meant to be amusing, while Liu Hemming's was aimed at problem-solving. "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe we can directly select some players from the army to replace the current useless ones. I feel that even if those 'killers' in the army play poorly, they can't be worse!"
"If that doesn't work, I have another idea: we could select some death row inmates to form a football team. If they win, their sentences will be reduced; if they lose, they will be executed directly. I don't believe that even with this, we still won't win."
As Liu Hemming finished speaking, Zeng Cheng and other officials from the civil bureaucracy glared at Liu Hemming with disdain. Meng Fanzhi, the head of the Ministry of Rites, snorted, "Utterly absurd! As the Grand Governor of the Five Military Commissions, how could you, Liu Hemming, utter such nonsense?"
Liu Huaiwen's suggestion was more practical. "I believe there's no need for such trouble. Since those useless players can't even play football well, why don't we just stop playing? That way, we can also save funds."
Zhu Jinsong was amused by these officials.
Indeed, after the time of Grand Commandant Gao, the football career and player quality of the Central Plains halls had plummeted. Especially after Emperor Hongwu's vigorous crackdown on gambling, football lost its original appeal due to the inability to place bets. The already mediocre football activities completely died out.
However, as Zhu Jinsong was chuckling uncontrollably, Zeng Cheng suddenly spoke, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe the suggestions of the Grand Governor and Minister Liu are laughable. I humbly believe that playing football is not simply about scoring goals or winning or losing, but about human relationships and social interactions."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jinsong was stunned. Song Yucheng, Liu Huaiwen, Liu Hemming, Meng Fanzhi, and the other officials were equally taken aback.
Zhu Jinsong asked with a smile, "What does Minister Zeng mean?"
Zeng Cheng bowed slightly and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, currently, our Ming Dynasty, whether in terms of territorial area, industry, military, agriculture, or other aspects, far surpasses all other countries on this 'Little Broken Ball.' While such achievements naturally make the people of our Ming Dynasty proud, they also evoke significant dissatisfaction among the barbarians. Although our Ming Dynasty does not necessarily fear these barbarians..."
Liu Hemming chuckled, "What does it matter if the barbarians are dissatisfied? Whoever is dissatisfied can just bottle it up!"
Zeng Cheng glared fiercely at Liu Hemming, then continued, "Our Ming Dynasty's poor football performance provides these barbarians with an outlet for their frustrations, which is not entirely a bad thing."
Liu Hemming immediately laughed, "So, according to Elder Zeng, our Five Military Commissions are provoking enemies everywhere, and the football team is bearing the brunt of their anger? That's a novel perspective, hahahaha~"
After Liu Hemming finished speaking, the officials present burst into laughter. Even Emperor Zhu Jinsong couldn't help but smile and say to Liu Hemming, "Did you hear that? The football team is indeed bearing the brunt of your Five Military Commissions' anger! After all, those barbarians can't defeat you, so they can only vent their frustrations on the football field."
After the officials had another round of hearty laughter, Zhu Jinsong gradually ceased his smile and began tapping his fingers on the table again. "Football's performance is disappointing, but let it be. After all, it serves to appease the anger of the Five Military Commissions, so it has its merits. However... in terms of industry, our Ming Dynasty absolutely cannot afford to be disgraced."
Emperor Zhu's expression grew increasingly serious. "Previously, when England and France were at war, a significant portion of England's military equipment was produced domestically. Later, as England and France reached a peace agreement, this matter was overlooked."
"However, what my uncle Huaiwen said earlier about the Ming Dynasty needing workshops has given me an idea. Since England has its own military equipment production workshops, perhaps they have other workshops. The other great benefactors and their countries are naturally no exception."
"If they only need these workshops to provide employment opportunities, then there's no issue. But what if they are secretly engaged in their own research and production? Although our Ming Dynasty's technologies are somewhat ahead of theirs, the gap is not insurmountable."
"I can say without exaggeration that our Ming Dynasty has not done anything good in the years since the establishment of the 'Little Broken Pot.' It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we have been sucking the blood of all other countries on this 'Little Broken Ball.'"
"Now, since their technology is inferior to ours and their strength is inferior to ours, they can only, as Liu Hemming said, bear their dissatisfaction silently."
"But if they were to master technologies that surpass ours, they might not be willing to let our Ming Dynasty off the hook."
Hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, the faces of the officials present gradually turned serious.
As the saying goes, a blind man eating wontons knows what's in his heart. The Ming Dynasty has indeed not done anything good in recent years, and as Emperor Zhu said, the Ming Dynasty has been leeching off other countries. This is because the struggle for national destiny is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall back. To maintain the Ming Dynasty's leading position, the officials present had spared no effort in curbing, and even harming, other countries.
Almost everyone understood that if the Ming Dynasty were truly overtaken by other countries, those barbarians would absolutely not let the Ming Dynasty off the hook.
After some thought, Zeng Cheng bowed and asked, "May I know Your Majesty's intention?"
Zhu Jinsong slowly tapped the table and said leisurely, "My intention? I don't really have any particular intention. I just feel that we must find a way to maintain the Ming Dynasty's leading position and not give those barbarians a chance to surpass us."
The faces of Zeng Cheng and the other officials immediately darkened.
His Majesty's words seemed to say nothing and yet to say everything.
It truly was a case of "listening to a single discourse is better than listening to many."