My life skills in Daming Liver

For the landlords in Nanping County, they had mixed feelings when they received Su Ze's invitation.

If it wasn't for Su Ze, none of them would have come to this meeting.

Are you kidding me, rent reduction and interest rate reduction? What do they eat when the rent is reduced and the interest rate is reduced?

For landlords, the bulk of income comes from two aspects, land rent and usury interest.

Land rent is the rental money paid by the tenant farmers, most of which is 20 to 30% of the output per mu.

This doesn't sound like much, but it's actually the same as the official Tian Fu, and there are big discrepancies in it.

For example, the landlord will require the tenant farmers to hand over the high-quality refined grains. The price of refined grains is often several times that of inferior grains. In order to make up enough refined grains, the tenants have to sell grains to buy refined grains.

Another example is that in addition to renting and farming land, tenant farmers also need to work for the landlord's family, which is also a huge burden.

In addition to land rent, it is the interest of usury, which is a means for landlords to exploit tenants.

Ordinary people need seeds and farm tools to farm. If the weather is good, it’s okay. Agriculture that depends on the weather will always have various disasters. Once this happens, farmers may not have enough seeds to cultivate in the next year.

At this time, the landlord will lend usury to the tenants. These usury loans are often very high interest, and they are all interest rates. Through usury, the tenants are exploited, and the tenants who were originally employed are turned into slaves. Or force the tenants to sell their children. Selling girls to pay off debts was a trick played by the landlords in the Republic of China. "The White-haired Girl" is such a story.

But the person who invited these landlords was Su Ze, because of the name Su Ze, these landlords had to come.

In recent years, Nanping County has the only Juren, and this only Juren is Jie Yuan from Fujian. Su Ze is the pride of Nanping County.

Over the years, Su Ze has been writing books, writing dramas and medical books, running schools and doing group training.

In the barracks in front of Changning Wei, landlords of all sizes in Nanping County gathered together.

"Everyone, the current situation is difficult. There are Japanese pirates invading the sea, and the Feilong army in northern Fujian has also captured Tingzhou."

Speaking of the situation, the landlords frowned. Su Ze said that he was right. Although Yanping Mansion was in northern Fujian, it was also adjacent to Tingzhou Mansion. If the Feilong Army continued to go north, Yanping Mansion would be threatened.

The "mob uprising" of the Feilong army was always hated by the landlords. Although the slogan Zhang Lian chanted was not equal to the land, he also had the slogan of killing the evil gentry, and in order to raise military expenses, the Feilong army often ransacked their homes.

Ordinary people naturally have nothing to speculate in, and the target of ransacking is naturally the landlord.

Su Ze mentioned the Flying Dragon Army, and everyone looked at him. Everyone knew that the Yanping Guard was unreliable. If the Flying Dragon Army really went north after the spring, then only the Changning Guard could be relied on.

Not to mention the main force of the Flying Dragon Army, a "Flying Dragon Army" entered Nanping County a few years ago, broke through all the mines of the imperial court, and the guarding eunuchs were nowhere to be found. This also made some landlords near the south tremble.

Su Ze said: "My idea is also very simple, then reduce the rent and interest for the tenants. The land rent will not exceed the court's land tax, and the interest will not exceed five cents of simple interest. What do you think?"

These landlords look at me and I look at you. Su Ze's reduction in rent and interest rate is not too great. Some landlords present have almost the same amount of land rent and interest.

Some people have already reached this standard, and naturally more people support it.

Anyway, I don't need to cut interest rates, so why not sell it to Su Ze to save face?

This is the benefit of high prestige. When a matter only needs verbal support, people with high prestige can easily get support.

Sure enough, as several landlords took the lead in responding to support, the remaining landlords who were not far from the goal also raised their hands to express their support.

The situation has changed. Except for a few landlords with particularly high land rent and interest, more than half of the people have supported Su Ze.

Fang Aizhu, who was hiding in the crowd, quietly recorded the landlords who hadn't raised their hands in support at this time.

Su Ze continued to bet and said: "In addition to reducing rent and interest, in order to guard against the Feilong army and Japanese pirates, I suggest that each township and village can form a township group. In fact, it does not need many people to support the township group."

"One man from ten acres of land, or even one man from twenty acres of land, can be sent to the Changning Guard for drills, and we will provide weapons. Once you encounter the Feilong Army or Japanese pirates, the township regiments from ten miles and eight villages can gather together against the enemy."

"The township regiment doesn't need to confront the enemy head-on, as long as it can resist for a while, and then inform our Changning Guard until the Changning Guard dispatches troops."

Hearing that Su Ze was willing to protect the Yanping Mansion, the remaining landlords also gave up resistance. Anyway, there are many ways to exploit the tenants. Su Ze is not a government, and he can't check the accounts, so he agrees first.

Seeing that everyone agreed to reduce the rent and interest rate, Su Ze smiled and let the landlords eat in the camp for a while.

"Duke Xie Yuan, what is this?"

A young landowner looked curiously at the whale oil lamp on the table, which was custom-made by Su Ze's workshop in Fuzhou according to the style of kerosene lamps in the late Qing Dynasty.

Although the firing method of glass has been written in "Tiangong Kaiwu", due to the problems of materials and furnace temperature, the impurities of glass fired in Jiangnan area are still very high, and the price of pure white glass is still the price of luxury goods. .

However, the price of ordinary glass with impurities has dropped rapidly, and the whale oil lamp uses the variegated glass lampshade ordered from Jiangnan Workshop.

The base of the whale oil lamp is made of iron, and the wick is controlled by a brass knob to control the brightness of the oil lamp.

The whale oil is filled in the oil seat of the base. Compared with candles, this kind of whale oil lamp has too many advantages.

The flame is bright, and the glass cover can prevent wind, so it will not go out when the wind blows.

The size of the flame can be adjusted, and it is not easy to go off after filling with whale oil, and it will automatically extinguish after burning.

Landlords in Nanping began to ask where the whale oil lamp was bought.

Su Ze said with a smile: "Changningwei sells these whale oil lamps. You can have as many as you want."

This is not surprising, but what Su Ze said next surprised everyone.

Fang Aizhu brought a plate, which contained the disassembled parts of the entire whale oil lamp.

Glass lampshade, base, wick, brass knob, these are the main structure of whale oil lamp.

Su Ze said generously: "It's not difficult to make a whale oil lamp. It mainly consists of four parts."

"The method of firing glass is found in "Tiangong Kaiwu". I think there are also local glass shops in Nanping City."

"The base is made of iron, and it can be made by sand casting. There is also a method of making it in "Tiangong Kaiwu", so I don't need to go into details."

"The wick is a special cotton rope, but it is a thicker cotton rope for weaving. Any woman who knows how to weave can make it."

"The last one is the brass adjustment knob. This thing is stamped, which is a little difficult, but it is also possible to make it by hand."

Then Su Ze assembled it on the spot, and he said:

"Actually, everyone can make this whale oil lamp by themselves. This product sells very well in Fuzhou, and one can sell for two taels of silver."

Two taels of silver?

Among the landlords present, some had workshops at home.

These quick-witted people calculated according to the price of raw materials. If the glass cover is purchased, the cost of such a lamp is less than one tael of silver.

If you can burn glass yourself, I am afraid that the cost will be less than six renminbi.

You can earn a tael of silver for a lamp!

Everyone's thoughts have shifted from reducing rent and interest to whale oil lamps.

"This whale oil?"

Su Ze said: "Whale oil is extracted from the body of a whale. This whale is not a rare thing, and it is also found in the open sea."

"One whale can extract ten thousand catties of whale oil. Whale oil is sold in Fuzhou. The price is much lower than candles, and a pot of whale oil can be burned for a long time."

"In the next year, in several cities in Fujian, there will be shops selling whale oil."

Now everyone is relieved, no wonder whale oil lamps sell well in Fuzhou.

If whale oil is cheap, whale oil lamps are a one-time cost, and you only need to buy whale oil to light in the future.

Xie Yuangong is indeed the God of Wealth descending to earth! Just so generously naming the elders in his hometown as a source of income!

A few rich and powerful people bought a few whale oil lamps on the spot and went back to study them.

Su Ze smiled and watched everyone studying kerosene lamps. Now that they can sell for two taels of silver, it doesn't mean they can sell them for two taels of silver in the future.

The fire ignited by "Heavenly Craftsmanship" has already begun to burn. This time Su Ze went to Jiangnan and saw many strange products.

When industry and commerce are rolled up, more products will naturally be created.

If any product has a profit, more merchants will follow up, and then roll down the price.

The previous workshop owners had to either improve their craftsmanship and increase production efficiency, or fight a price war to bring down the price.

Two taels of silver can only be afforded by rich people in Fuzhou.

But if it is reduced to one tael of silver, then ordinary families of hired workers in the city can afford it even if they grit their teeth.

If it is reduced to six renminbi, then some poor families can afford it.

For a full meal, this time the landlords in Nanping ate a lot of delicious fish, shrimp and seafood.

Su Ze introduced: "These seafood are all caught in the open sea, using fishing boats that can sail in the open sea."

Hearing the fishing boats in the open sea, the landlord who was originally interested in such things also lowered his head.

The Ming Dynasty banned the sea, and the control of the fishery was very strict, "do whatever you want".

According to Hongwu Lord's rules, it is not allowed to go into the sea with a piece of wood, and fishing is also prohibited.

However, after strict enforcement in the early Ming Dynasty and before the rise of Japanese pirates in the middle Ming Dynasty, the fishing court turned a blind eye to it.

After the Japanese Insurrection broke out, the imperial court banned the arrest several times.

Nowadays, the policy of the imperial court is also ambiguous. Many villages in the coastal areas go out to sea to fish. As long as they are not detected by the patrolling guards, the imperial court will not care.

Su Ze asked someone to bring a huge grouper skeleton from the back kitchen, and said to everyone: "What everyone eats in today's meal comes from such a fish."

Everyone exclaimed, there is such a big fish?

In fact, with the current fishing net material, it is impossible to catch such a large grouper.

Grouper is a carnivorous fish that lives near coral reefs. The meat is delicious. In the historical timeline before Su Ze traveled, Su Ze had never seen such a large grouper.

But now that the fishery resources in the entire open sea are abundant, such a huge grouper was accidentally forked by fishermen on Dong'ao Island.

The fisherman fought the grouper at sea for two days, and finally dragged the fish back to the port and dedicated it to Su Ze.

Su Ze just dragged the fish back to Changningwei to entertain the landlords. Fortunately, it is winter now, if not for the fish would be stinky.

Before the invention of stronger high-sub-composite fishing nets, catching such a large fish was to rely on the courage of "The Old Man and the Sea" to fight against the big fish.

But Su Ze didn't lie to them. Nowadays, there are abundant fishery resources in the sea. As long as you cast a net, you can always catch some sea fish. Going to sea is definitely not a loss.

But Su Ze naturally hid a paragraph, he said: "Including the whale that produces whale oil, it can be seen everywhere in the open sea. The unit price of whale oil is not high, but a whale produces high oil, and the fat in the whale can also be used to make soap. "

There are already shops selling soap in Nanping County. Although the price is not high, the business is booming.

Hearing this, the landlord's eyes lit up again.

Su Ze continued: "In fact, Changningwei also has a few idle fishing boats. If you don't want to buy them, you can rent them."

"These ships are the flags of the guards, and they will not be intercepted by the Haidao Yamen. If they are detained, the Changning Guards will ask people to ask for ships."

Having said that, some daring coastal villages have made up their minds.

In fact, in the early Ming Dynasty, the sea fishing industry was very developed.

But fishermen, whose boats are their homes, are highly mobile and difficult to manage.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Fang Guozhen's maritime group, which troubled Zhu Yuanzhang, started from fishing and smuggling salt.

And Fang Guozhen also has a large number of fishermen and sea merchants.

It can be said that the powerful power of the Fang Guozhen Group is also an important reason why Zhu Yuanzhang banned the sea.

On the timeline before Su Ze crossed, after Longqing opened the sea, the fishing industry in Zhejiang and Fujian developed rapidly, and a large number of sailboats went out to sea to fish, and even went as far as North Korea and Southeast Asia.

Therefore, the Chinese are not a sea nation, and the people of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong were the first to express dissatisfaction.

Now that the Japanese pirates have not been wiped out, Su Ze is just throwing out an introduction.

When order is restored at sea this year, some people will naturally want to rent a boat to go fishing.

The landlords were sent away, and a few days later the first batch of township regiments were sent to Changningwei.

These are all tenant farmers of those big landlords, and some of them are trusted servants.

Su Ze quickly distinguished, he practiced the two groups of people separately, and showed these tenant farmers:

"This is a statement on rent reduction and interest reduction signed between us and the landlords in Nanping County. They all agreed to reduce the land rent to the level of the imperial government's land tax, and the interest will also be reduced to less than five cents of simple interest."

These tenant farmers looked at each other in blank dismay, there is such a good thing?

Su Ze added: "But you have to protect your own rights. After you go back, you can meet to form a peasant association, and when the landlord collects the rent, you can unite to fight against the excess land rent interest."

All the tenant farmers pricked up their ears and listened carefully to Su Ze's lecture.

They practiced during the day and listened to lectures under whale oil lamps at night.

The time has come to February of the 41st year of Jiajing.

Li Zhi and Liang Ruyuan arrived in the capital.