After chuckling to himself, Zhu Jinsong turned his gaze back to Ke Zhiming. "Are there any more updates from Europa? If not, let's move on to matters concerning our Great Ming."
Ke Zhiming bowed respectfully. "Reporting to His Majesty, there are indeed a few matters from Europa..."
Without waiting for Zhu Jinsong to ask, Ke Zhiming continued, "There is a large island overseas, called New Holland by the Dutch and New South Wales by the English. Nearly ten thousand English people have migrated there. Many merchants from the Old Port Administration and the Lanfang Administration have also headed there."
Upon hearing the words "large island," Zhu Jinsong inwardly cursed his own forgetfulness. After transmigrating for so long, he had forgotten about Australia, such a valuable place! Its isolated geographical location, its continental size, its abundant mineral resources – failing to secure this land for the Great Ming would be a crime against his descendants!
As for the nearly ten thousand English colonists... perhaps the Great Ming could use a few more laborers?
However, on second thought, Zhu Jinsong felt a pang of annoyance. The Spanish, who first discovered Australia, were not worth considering. The Dutch and English were equally insignificant. The Great Ming could easily handle them by dispatching a few troops from the Old Port Administration or the Lanfang Administration.
The crux of the issue was that the Great Ming did not have enough population to relocate to Australia. After all, Australia was a continent. Migrating a hundred or two hundred thousand people would not even make a ripple, let alone occupy the entire continent.
Just as Zhu Jinsong was contemplating how to acquire Australia, Ke Zhiming continued, "In addition, Europa, including the lands of Sha E, Sha Zei Ying, France, and England, as well as Xi Kunlun and the Ottoman Empire, have all experienced widespread grain production decreases. Grain prices in Europa are currently soaring."
Zhu Jinsong grunted and asked, "Grain prices soaring? Is the reduction in yield very severe? What about our Great Ming's grain reserves?"
Upon hearing Zhu Jinsong's question, the assembled dignitaries, including Zeng Cheng and Liu Huaiwen, felt a complex urge to complain, unsure of where to begin.
Why were grain prices soaring in Europa? Wasn't it precisely because His Majesty had been relentlessly acquiring grain?
Grain production decreases? Besides certain foolish countries abandoning grain cultivation for opium, wasn't the biggest reason His Majesty continuously instigating conflicts amongst the European nations?
Despite their inner grumbles, Liu Huaiwen respectfully answered Zhu Jinsong's question, "Reporting to His Majesty, the grain prices in our Great Ming have remained very stable. After all, the acquired grain has been used for reserves, and the grain eliminated from the national treasury in previous years has been used for fodder and winemaking, not directly entering the civilian market, thus not affecting civilian grain prices."
"As for reserves, Your Majesty can rest assured – our Great Ming's current grain reserves are sufficient for all fifty million of our citizens to eat their fill for a year. If we conserve, coupled with the autumn harvest, it can even sustain us for three years."
"However..."
Liu Huaiwen stammered, "However, the annual construction of numerous granaries incurs significant expenses."
Zhu Jinsong was amusedly angered by Liu Huaiwen's statement. "What? Do you expect me to subsidize the treasury from my personal coffers for building granaries?"
After retorting at Liu Huaiwen, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his fingers. "Our Great Ming's grain prices should also increase a bit – as far as I know, the money earned by our citizens from growing grain is far less than that earned from labor, to the point where many citizens are considering abandoning farming?"
This statement was rather shameless.
Why had the grain prices in the Great Ming remained stable?
Theoretically, from the day Zhu Jinsong formally ascended the throne, the grain prices in the Great Ming should have steadily risen until they reached a reasonable range before slowly stabilizing.
The so-called reasonable range was where citizens not only met their basic needs by growing grain but also earned money, improving their living conditions. At the very least, their income should not be lower than that of those working in workshops.
However, the reality was that the grain prices in the Great Ming had never increased, even though grain prices outside the Great Ming had skyrocketed. The prices at which the Ministry of Revenue's subordinate agencies acquired grain from other countries were already far higher than the Great Ming's own grain prices, yet the Great Ming's grain prices had not risen significantly.
The reason for this situation was primarily the court's continuous intervention in the Great Ming's grain prices. Whenever grain prices rose, the court would release a batch of reserve grain to suppress them. If grain prices fell, the court would purchase large quantities of grain to maintain stability.
The fundamental reason was to keep the income from grain farming lower than that from workshop labor, thereby encouraging citizens to work in workshops. While citizens could achieve subsistence and even a decent living by growing grain, it was slightly inferior compared to working in workshops.
It might seem ruthless, but without this measure, the citizens of the Great Ming would cling to their small plots of land and refuse to work in workshops.
It was precisely because the Great Ming court had been controlling grain prices that a large number of citizens, in addition to their farming duties, would go to workshops to work or engage in other various small-scale handicrafts to increase their income.
This was a necessary tactic to promote the progress of industrialization.
Now, Zhu Jinsong was allowing the grain prices in the Great Ming to rise slightly because many citizens were no longer willing to stubbornly hold onto their small plots of land, believing that farming income was not as profitable as direct labor. This was another point to consider in promoting industrialization.
After all, the Great Ming's industrialization level had not yet reached the stage of fully mechanized automatic cultivation. The stability of food supply still relied on a large number of farmers. If a vast number of citizens abandoned farming, even the most substantial grain reserves would eventually be depleted, and the Great Ming's food supply could face problems.
To put it plainly, the world revolved around food. The history of the Central Plains over thousands of years was sufficient proof: a peaceful era was when the people were well-fed, and when they were not, the dynasty faced turmoil.
Of course, adjusting grain prices was not something that could be decided by Zhu Jinsong with a few words in the Wenhua Hall. It would require subsequent discussions by the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Revenue, and even the Ministry of Works, Ministry of War, Ministry of Railways, and others before it could be gradually implemented. This process could take anywhere from one to two months to one to two years, and it was by no means a quick matter.
The reason was that the grain prices of the Great Ming were not just about grain prices; they affected the overall commodity prices in the Great Ming. And the Great Ming, as the foremost among the "Five Good Neighbors" of the broken pot, and the largest exporter, any slight change in commodity prices could impact the entire broken pot.
In other words, if the economy of the Great Ming sneezed, the economies of all other countries on the broken pot would catch a cold, and in severe cases, they might even collapse immediately.
Just as Zhu Jinsong was considering the matter of the Great Ming's grain prices, Zeng Cheng suddenly bowed. "Your Majesty, is New South Wales not currently a colony of England? Coincidentally, English grain prices are also soaring. Perhaps..."
Zhu Jinsong's interest was piqued. "Oh? Please elaborate, Minister Zeng."
Zeng Cheng bowed and replied, "Commander Ke just mentioned that grain prices across Europa are soaring, and England has just finished a war with France. Their consumption of resources must be immense, so grain prices should rise even more. If our Great Ming also increases its grain prices, the entire supply of grain in England might face a crisis."
This was a perfectly logical scenario.
Firstly, the conflict between England and France had led to soaring prices in England. Prices always rose fastest during wartime, and grain was the first to be affected. As the saying goes, "antiques in prosperity, gold in troubled times." During wartime, antiques and gold were worthless compared to grain!
Secondly, the increase in grain prices in the Great Ming would lead to a general rise in grain prices across the broken pot. This was because merchants were always profit-driven. If the Great Ming acquired grain at a higher price than other countries, these merchants would be more willing to sell grain to the Great Ming.
Moreover, compared to the notoriously unreliable barbarians of Europa, the credibility of the Great Ming court and its Dragon Yuan Bao鈔 was impeccable. Major trade on the broken pot now defaulted to using the Great Ming's Dragon Yuan Bao鈔. Merchants favored Dragon Yuan Bao鈔 and did not care if selling grain led to the starvation of their own people.
Zeng Cheng continued, "England is currently experiencing soaring prices and grain shortages. Even if they wish to maintain their colonial rule in New South Wales, they are likely to be unable to do so due to lack of resources. Therefore, why don't we take this opportunity to directly purchase New South Wales from the English?"
Zhu Jinsong grunted, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as he pondered the feasibility of Zeng Cheng's proposal.
The primary concern was the Great Ming's population numbers. The Great Ming had entrusted even the small territory of Benghazi to France due to its inability to relocate enough people. How could it possibly occupy the vast continent of Australia?
However, Zhu Jinsong was reluctant to simply let it go, given Australia's strategic location and mineral resources.
After pondering for a long time without arriving at a satisfactory solution, Zhu Jinsong turned to Zeng Cheng and Liu Huaiwen and asked, "If England agrees to sell New South Wales, where would our Great Ming migrate so many people from?"
Zeng Cheng replied without hesitation, "Reporting to His Majesty, I believe Your Majesty is thinking in the wrong direction. While our Great Ming certainly needs the strategic location of New South Wales, under the current circumstances, our Great Ming needs the mineral resources of New South Wales even more."
"Even if we didn't need the mineral resources of New South Wales, our Great Ming still needs ownership of it."
"At worst, we could follow the example of Benghazi and place New South Wales under the trusteeship of England, which would help England recover its strength and prevent it from completely collapsing."
Upon hearing this, Liu Heming, who had been somewhat distracted, also became energized and bowed respectfully. "I concur. France has recently defeated England and obtained the trusteeship of Benghazi, its prestige in Europa is unmatched. A powerful France is clearly not in our Great Ming's best interest. Therefore, I believe Minister Zeng's proposal is sound. We can provide some support to England through New South Wales to contain France."
However, Ke Zhiming suddenly interjected, "According to intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, apart from France, all other countries in Europa, including Sha E and Sha Zei Ying, have retained the research and development of steam engines, firearms, and cannons. This means that France is wholeheartedly aligned with our Great Ming, but other European nations still have their own agendas."
Liu Huaiwen, who had initially intended to support Zeng Cheng, suddenly changed his stance. "Since England and other nations are still planning to develop firearms and steam engines themselves, our Great Ming need not support them further."
Liu Heming, however, countered, "Their development of firearms and steam engines does not conflict with our Great Ming purchasing New South Wales and providing minor support to England. They are entirely unrelated matters."
"Moreover, what use would firearms, cannons, and steam engines developed by the armies of England and other countries be, even if they succeeded? The armies of any of our Great Ming's Protectorate Commands could easily sweep them aside."
Zeng Cheng also added, "Supporting England is necessary. Otherwise, France's sole dominance would not be a good thing either."
As Zeng Cheng finished speaking, the entire Wenhua Hall erupted into a cacophony. Some ministers argued that England should be moderately supported to prevent France from becoming too dominant, while others argued against supporting England to avoid nurturing a future threat. In short, each side presented valid arguments, and no one could persuade the other. Meanwhile, Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, sat smiling on his dragon throne, watching the spectacle.
The court should be like this, with occasional disputes. If all these ministers were of one mind, Emperor Zhu might have trouble sleeping.
Only when the ministers had argued until they were red in the face, and it looked like a physical confrontation was imminent, did Zhu Jinsong clear his throat. "Enough, there is no need to quarrel over the matter of New South Wales. Buying New South Wales will not cost much. As for entrusting it to England, I don't think it's necessary. Rather than entrusting it to England, it would be better to entrust it directly to all of you, my esteemed ministers."
Zhu Jinsong's statement left all the assembled dignitaries in a state of bewilderment.
The term "entrusted" was easily understood, as was "esteemed ministers." But what did it mean to entrust it to the esteemed ministers present?
While all the ministers were still in a daze, Zhu Jinsong smiled and said, "I recall I once said that I would allow all of you to go overseas and establish kingdoms, facing south and calling yourselves 'Gu' [孤, a term used by ancient Chinese rulers]. Now that Europa is in chaos, is New South Wales not a good place?"