New Shun 1730

Of course, for this very important official event in Dashun, the difficulty of transportation due to the dangerous mountains and rivers has never been a real problem. At most, it is just a reason to add it.

In fact, there is another important reason for returning to China via the classic east-west trade route from the Atlantic this time, and that is to use Liu Yu's bones and the theories attached to these bones to carry out diplomatic activities with Europe.

For Dashun, the crucial European market is on the eve of a drastic change.

A huge cloud for Dashun's trading system is spreading across Europe.

And this pervasive gloom is closely related to the coffin that is about to be taken out and sent back to Dashun.

On the other side of the waterfall, among the French troops greeted here, Napoleon Bonaparte, a young French major in his early twenties, looked at the coffin being slowly pulled out on the other side of the river and took off his hat.

However, the tribute was short-lived.

After a brief salute, Napoleon put on his hat and said to the adjutant beside him: "The Chinese sent Physiocrats, the law of nature, and the natural order and free trade that resulted from it. But equally, they also brought There came the Flour Wars, the riots, and the likes of a national uprising over famine and food—or revolution—that we’d never seen before.”

The Adjutant did not pass judgment on this particularly grand subject, or, rather, did not consider these historical processes, but spoke only of Napoleon's self-struggle.

"Isn't it because you suppressed the Flour War for eighty-nine years that you stand out?"

The adjutant accurately used the official French translation of the idiom "stand out". The drought in 1988 directly led to the Flour War the following year.

The young Corsican in front of him, who had already risen to prominence, became famous precisely because he decisively adopted a method of suppression that no one had thought of during the Flour War.

Napoleon nodded, he did not think this was a stain in his life.

"Yes. However, when the Chinese people spread Physiocrats, they deliberately ignored the terms 'emphasis on agriculture and light on commerce' and 'hoarding goods'."

"Similarly, when they spread free trade, they deliberately ignored the Grand Canal and rice they once owned-the real materials that the central government controlled, other than gold and silver currency."

"Turgot completely ignored the greed of businessmen. He thought that free trade would bring all good things. But it was precisely because of his free trade policy that it directly led to the two great food chaos in 1976 and 1988. "

"He overlooked one thing. In France, the state should be a tool for market development. As for food, before engaging in free trade, the government must have sufficient food reserves and transportation capabilities."

"Turgot learned the unified domestic market from the Chinese, but he did not learn their Grand Canal, Changpingcang, and we still lack a 'salt and iron discussion.'"

Of course, this is the story of this time and space.

In another time and space, or in the original history, what happened in 1988, and the free trade reform before Turgot, by this year, had reached the point where the king had to chop his head off.

Historically, Turgot was praised by Lao Ma as "in feudal France, wearing the skin of feudalism and implementing a radical system after the French Revolution". His status in classical economics is also very high.

His masterpiece "Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth" is the germ of "The Wealth of Nations".

In later generations, few people know that his article originated from a question and answer between two "Chinese students": Gao Leisi and Yang Dewang.

Turgot's masterpiece was historically in the form of a "question and answer".

In other words, using vocabulary that is easier for Chinese people to understand and using the form of "ask right" is actually writing this in a... how should I say, rather awkward "archaique" form caused by translation problems? articles.

Asking questions is a very [antique] style of writing.

Many of "Tang Taizong Li Wei Gong's Questions and Answers", "Yanzi", "Guanzi", "Mozi", and even "The Analects" have this [question and answer style].

What does asking about the right style mean?

Someone asked: XXXX.

He said: XXXX.

This is asking the opponent.

To put it simply, Turgot's masterpiece is written in the form of two "Jesuit Chinese students studying in France", Gao Leisi and Yang Dewang, who asked questions and he answered them.

Right now:

Gao Leisi's first question: Is it possible to equalize the land?

Turgot replied: "No. If the land were so equally divided among all the inhabitants of a country that each of them would have exactly as much land as was necessary to support his own life, and nothing to spare.]

[Obviously, then, since everyone is in the same situation, no one would want to work for someone else. At the same time, no one will have anything in their hands that can be used to pay for other people’s labor...]

Yang Dewang’s second question: Did equalizing fields exist in ancient times?

Turgot replied: [This hypothetical situation will never exist. Because the land has already been cultivated before it is distributed]

[This kind of farming, that is, reclamation work, itself is the legal basis for allocating land and protecting personal property...]

It is probably in this form, with a total of 101 questions and answers, elaborating in detail on things such as Physiocrats, Taoism and Nature, and natural order.

In other words, in Lao Ma’s words, it is [the more radical minds in Physiocrats, especially Turgot, who completely despised this appearance (that is, they did not even wear the skin of feudalism). Turgot took Physiocrats to The socialist system is discussed as a new capitalist system that penetrated into feudal society]

Historically, Turgot became the French Finance Minister in 1975 and carried out reforms based on Physiocraticism.

However, the next year, something happened.

The essence of Physiocrats is to follow nature, that is, the idealized capitalist free trade system.

Then, obviously, the history of France is too short. Turgot only understood what free trade was, but as Napoleon said at this time, he did not understand what it meant to emphasize agriculture over commerce, hoard goods, buy salt and iron. I have been arguing about these things for nearly two thousand dollars.

The next year, the game collapsed.

In fact, the reason is very simple.

Was there a real France before Turgot's reforms?

In fact, it doesn't exist. At least at the economic level, where is France? Where is France?

In fact, France at that time was a decentralized, regional market - this was different from China. Before the Grand Canal was abolished, no matter what, rice was requisitioned to ensure food prices in North China.

Historically, Turgot's reforms were very "radical" - this was compared to France.

Regional markets in each region were cancelled, transaction restrictions in various regions were cancelled, and an attempt was made to build a unified domestic market.

The first thing to be cut is the food.

Break up the regional market and use grain - in theory, in theory, once the unified market is formed, domestic grain trade is free and regional controls are banned, then grain will definitely level off. If the price of food here is high, there will naturally be businessmen transporting food here to keep the price down. It's an invisible hand.

But reality... is cruel.

75 years of reform.

In 1976, Turgot was immediately dumbfounded.

Businessmen choose to hoard goods and raise food prices, and capital enters the market to control food prices. This is not the legendary Taoism at all. Once controlled by an invisible hand, food prices stabilize, and expensive places will immediately have low prices. Food comes in...

No.

But France is in complete chaos.

What is going on? In fact, the reason is very simple. It goes something like this. Don’t use that mysterious vocabulary when it comes to economics. It’s actually quite easy to understand.

That's probably what happened.

Originally, there was no unified national market called "France", especially for grain.

But in the geographical concept of France, there are several regional markets such as A, B, C, D and so on.

There is a famine in land A... In the Chinese language, it is called: Hexi is famine, so move its grain to Hexi.

The famine in land A will not affect land B; the food shortage and rising food prices in land C will not affect land D.

And with Turgot's reforms, if you believe too much, or dare to believe in the invisible hand and laissez-faire, even in things like food, it is really too long to live.

[Prior to Turgot's decree, each region faced its own shortages, so that some regions would suffer from real famine, while others were completely spared and supplied by a stable price guaranteed by the state (the royal family or Central government intervention would have been required, and undoubtedly available, to secure supplies to the most affected areas and thereby mitigate the worst effects of the famine)]

[However, with Turgot's free trade reforms, grain owners began to speculate by storing grain]

[Moreover, in an effort to monopolize the market, there is also a tendency to buy collectively in areas with good harvests in order to sell in areas with bad harvests where profits may be greater, leading to huge price increases and shortages across the country (reduced grain in good harvest areas leads to price increase)]

In short, this resulted in a situation that France had never encountered before:

That is: it is no longer a regional food crisis, but due to the cancellation of various controls, food shortages quickly caused a national crisis. Then, this is a national crisis, not a local crisis.

This is something France has never experienced before: What the hell? Never seen it. How could the lack of food in this area lead to nationwide chaos?

Another example.

In fact, there is no shortage of food in Dingdi.

However, capital collectively went to Dingdi to buy grain and hoard it, causing grain prices in Dingdi to rise.

So, what will the people in Ding do, especially those who need to buy food? Obviously, they will destroy grain stores, shops, and warehouses: the price of grain here has been driven up by you people!

It should be said that in history, Turgot didn't wake up until this moment.

But, it's too late.

Is there any food in France?

have.

There is no shortage of food overseas.

But does the central government have enough transport capacity?

No.

Let’s put it this way, it can be said that Turgot’s reforms are somewhat similar to the “rice ban” farce caused by Prince Dashun’s reforms in Hubei: Is there any food in Dashun? Yes, there is plenty of food in Nanyang, Tohoku, Ezo, and Fuso. Does Dashun have enough transportation capacity to transport grain to Hubei within a month to attack those grain speculators?

No ability.

Turgo's reaction was quite quick.

First year of reform.

In the second year, I realized: Damn it, we can’t just follow Taoism and follow nature. We still have to have the state control some daily necessities. Food is nothing else. Big trouble is going to happen.

At that time, Louis XVI had just come to power.

Who would give up everything right after taking office? Who would not think about doing something right after taking office?

So, Louis XVI wrote a letter to Turgot at that time: [Sir, I received your letter. I am very happy that the logistics problem has been solved and the bridge has been repaired: In fact, we should have expected that the reform would cause various undesirable phenomena in the countryside, but we still have to carry out the reform to the end...]

The letter was written on May 6.

On May 8, the national regulatory policy was immediately introduced: [Different bonuses will be given to transporters of cheap grain to different places. Especially Alsace, Lorraine and the three bishoprics, where the price of grain is soaring, subsidies will be paid: 15 sous per dan of wheat, 12 sous per dan of rye...]

The idea is good.

The reality is cruel.

Do you know what subsidies the Ming Dynasty gave to solve the food problem of the border war?

Salt! Opening China and France!

What merchant would do a subsidy of 15 sous per dan of wheat?

By the time Turgot realized that this was not going to work and that the central government had to directly regulate prices, it was too late!

In short, the child died and the milk came.

Turgot considered that he had to solve the logistics problem, the transportation problem, and the road problem. Only after all these were solved could he engage in free trade. But the problem is, roads, bridges, logistics, local protection, and aristocratic power, these things, can you accomplish them by just issuing a policy?

Moreover, do you have a Changping warehouse in France? Is there a Pinglian warehouse? Is there a grain transport? Is there a grain transport governor's office? How much transportation capacity does the central government have?

You don't have any, how can you stabilize prices?

Just relying on your [moral economy] influenced by Confucianism?

Of course, from a political point of view, Turgot's failure was inevitable.

In short, Turgot, want to be Li Kui, Wu Qi, Shang Yang, Sang Hongyang, Yao Chong, Wang Anshi, Zhang Juzheng...

Who are you?

Can you complete the journey that these people took two thousand years to complete in a few years?

Another thing, who are the people standing behind these people? To what extent has the imperial power been strengthened?

Is Louis XVI the right person?

Building a unified domestic market is not only an economic issue, but first of all a political issue. You, France, certainly have the ability to do this. Didn’t you demonstrate it in 1993? Paris conquered the whole of France.

But, do you, Louis XVI, have the ability to do this? Versailles, conquer the whole of France? Who are you? Where does your power come from? Do you have the imperial examination system? Did you kill the nobles? Did you open up the fields and break the well fields? Do you have Huang Chao to help you trample on the streets? Do you have money? Do you have an army that is truly fed by the emperor?

You don’t have any hair, you are just a puppet of the local nobles and the old forces, what right do you have to reform?

Do you have the selection system of the imperial examination system, a complete set of civil bureaucratic system, and the county system? Without even this, you still want to move the noble power by strengthening the monarchy? Are you crazy? Do you know how many years it took for Dashun to get to where it is today, from the time when Duke Zhuang of Zheng shot the Zhou emperor, to Shang Yang's reforms, and then to all the subsequent things? In addition to the imperial power, the nobility, the aristocratic families, the poor, and the small farmers, how many real heroes from the common people used the most violent means to sweep many things into the garbage dump?