Chapter 480 The Station System! The Dynasty Gravedigger Is a Postman!
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Build roads!
This matter is understandable.
After all, the Lao Zhu family has always attached great importance to post stations and roads since Emperor Taizu Gao.
The so-called post station is an official office that transmits official documents and information, facilitates the transportation of officials and officials, and provides transportation. It is usually set up on the main traffic roads across the country and is under the jurisdiction of government commissioners.
The establishment of post stations began in the Warring States Period. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the post station system became more complete. The Ming Dynasty was the peak of the development of the post station system. The post station network covered the whole country and covered the transportation arteries from the capital to the provinces.
After Emperor Taizu Gao Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty, he opened up ten land and water channels that radiated across the country with Nanjing as the center. Post stations, delivery stations, and express delivery shops were set up on each water and land channel, and a complete post delivery system was built.
This makes Nanjing, the imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty, equipped with very convenient water and land transportation conditions. It is known as "Jinling Wanhubi and Liangji, radiating to the four seas."
In fact, Hu Yuancheng can also understand the importance of post roads.
Just as Taizu Emperor Gao said: "Yi Chuan spreads orders and reaches the four directions of government. Therefore, although it is in a different area and has an absolute domain, it is indispensable."
Without convenient post roads extending in all directions, imperial decrees would not be able to be issued to local governments at all, let alone local administrations based on imperial policies.
However, important is important. Now Prince Han suddenly wants to build a road, which is a bit outrageous!
After all, the cost of post stations and postage is a huge expense. In the tenth year of Guang Yongle, the money consumed by post stations across the country reached more than 3.13 million taels.
The funds for each post station are generally provided based on the size of the post station, the number of personnel, carriages and horses, and are used to supplement the station's materials, improve and maintain the station's infrastructure, and pay the postmen's remuneration, etc.
Especially when some dignitaries stay at the inn, they must eat and drink well, which increases the expenses of the inn.
The post station is nominally affiliated to the Ministry of War among the six ministries. In fact, its funding mainly comes from taxes and levies collected from the private sector. In other words, the local government is responsible for the local post station expenses.
As a result, in order to maintain the normal operation of the inn, local officials had to raise money in various ways, such as increasing taxes under clever pretexts, or directly defaulting on the funds owed to the inn.
No matter which method local officials adopt, either the people at the bottom will suffer, or the post office officials will suffer.
To put it bluntly, this post station is a mess, and whoever takes over will make a mess.
His Highness the King of Han now wants to attack the post station, but Hu Yuancheng will never agree.
Therefore, he did not hesitate and immediately pointed out the hidden beasts in the post road, hoping that His Highness the King of Han would understand the stakes and not get involved.
After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu just smiled faintly.
"Old Hu, you still haven't opened up your business. Who told you that building roads is a high-cost business?"
Hu Yuancheng: "???"
What?
No money?
Are you haunted by ghosts?
How can you dig a gold mine?
Seeing Hu Yuancheng's disapproving expression, Zhu Gaoxu immediately laughed angrily.
This Hu Yuancheng is the god of Ming Dynasty firearms. It is understandable that he does not understand economics and business.
"Lao Hu, I want to ask you, how long does it take to transport a load of goods from Yingtian to Shuntian?"
"Huh? This..."
Hu Yuancheng hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "It will take a few months if you don't talk, right?"
"Then it will be calculated based on one month, but if this road is built, then this time will be shortened at least half. It will only take half a month for a truck of goods to travel from Yingtian to Shuntian!"
Hu Yuancheng nodded with confusion, but still didn't quite understand.
That's the truth, but what does this have to do with road construction?
"It's still a load of goods. From Yingtian to Shuntian, it seems that there is no change, right?"
"But what's important? It's time and efficiency!"
"A businessman could only make one trip a month and earn money for one trip, but now he can make two trips a month and earn money for two trips!"
"In other words, after this road is completed, the efficiency of all cargo transportation from Yingtian to Shuntian will be more than doubled!"
After hearing this, Hu Yuancheng finally understood, and his eyes burst out with light.
However, before he could speak, Zhu Gaoxu continued: "How prosperous will Beiping be after this road is built? When the Peiping business circle is successfully built, it will attract businessmen from all over the world to gather here to do business and trade. Consumption!"
"Moreover, Lao Hu, you can imagine what the scene would be like if all the post roads in our country were replaced by this kind of expressway?"
Hu Yuancheng: "!!!"
hiss……
The efficiency is more than doubled!
Business will be more prosperous!
Communication will be more convenient!
People no longer have to worry about the pain of separation!
Such a Ming Dynasty would probably be a truly prosperous age!
“If you want to get rich, build roads first. If you want business to prosper, road building must be put on the agenda!”
"So your Royal Manufacturing Bureau must pay attention to this core business. Not only must you recruit more craftsmen, but you must also cultivate surveying and mapping capabilities and create a professional Royal Engineering team to be responsible for this!"
"If this big project is really completed, even if you, Hu Yuancheng, are from Annan, you will be enough to leave your name in the history of the Ming Dynasty and be famous for generations to come!"
Hearing this, Hu Yuancheng blushed with excitement at first, but then became a little suspicious after calming down.
Why did he always feel that he had heard what Prince Han just said before?
Leave your name in history!
Famous for eternity!
Why?
"Ahem, Lao Hu, hurry back and prepare. Tomorrow I will come to Xishan to inspect, and then start to form a royal engineering team."
Seeing Hu Yuancheng looking at him with suspicion, Zhu Gaoxu's heart skipped a beat and he immediately issued an eviction order.
Damn it, if you fooled me once, it won’t be easy to fool you the second time!
Zhu Gaoxu used this rhetoric last time when he asked Hu Yuancheng to study basic science and train new youth for the Ming Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, old Comrade Hu still remembers it to this day.
After sending away the weird-looking Hu Yuancheng, Zhu Gaoxu fell into deep thought alone.
How could Zhu Gaoxu not be aware of the shortcomings of the post station system mentioned by Hu Yuancheng just now?
The official inn of the Ming Dynasty was just like a high-end hotel. It had the same facilities as the main entrance and drum tower, as well as many wing rooms, kitchens, warehouses, stables, etc. It was also fully equipped.
Most standard inns have VIP rooms for officials to live in, as well as general rooms for officers to live in. Accommodation that can accommodate dozens of guests at the same time, of course, must have above-standard meals.
After all, it is a place for officials to stay while on business trips. The quality cannot be lowered, and the food cannot be worse.
What's more, the post station actually has the residence and office of the postmaster, so it needs a set of offices and related service personnel. Of course, it also needs supporting kitchens and stables.
These buildings and halls, which are obviously beyond the functions of the post station, not only occupy a large amount of funds, but also require corresponding management and service personnel. The annual commission expenses alone are a huge amount.
In addition, there are layers of exploitation and oppression.
Regardless of whether they are officials, big or small, when they come to the post station, they can not only enjoy travel expenses and services, but the officials can also get money from the post station in turn. If they can't get the money, they will beat the post station attendants until they get the money!
However, you know that this thing has disadvantages, but you can't act rashly and just cut it off with a knife.
Because the Ming Dynasty Station system supported dozens of millions of related officials and people, if the station were to be reformed suddenly, it would probably cause huge chaos.
Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang who ended the Ming Dynasty, was once a postman.
Because the treasury was empty, Zhu Youjian, the war god of Meishan, reformed and streamlined the post in the first year of Chongzhen. As a result, tens of thousands of postmen and postmen were laid off. Li Zicheng was also laid off because he lost his official documents, lost his job and went home, and was owed money. Debt.
Then, this ruthless man became the gravedigger of the Ming Dynasty!
So this matter must be done, but it cannot be done in a hurry. At least the livelihood of the postmen at the post station must be guaranteed first.
To get rich, build roads first!
The roads have been repaired and some toll stations have been set up, which are enough to support the needs of the inn.
This is a best-of-both-worlds strategy.
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