"Seeing that there are a lot of people who oppose forced land requisition, and only Uncle Mei supports it, so it seems that everyone chooses to redeem it?" Yang Rui said: "But I still don't approve of the redemption of public bonds. It is not a question of position, nor is it a matter of personal preference, but if the redemption of public bonds is implemented, it must be a matter of national chaos. ”

When Yang Rui talked about the national chaos, everyone was stunned, and Yu Zixun said: "Why is there a national chaos?" ”

"If these bonds are voided, it will be a national chaos." Yang Rui looked at him with a smile and replied slowly.

"If the bond has been issued, why should it be invalidated?" Yu Zixun's one-line economic outlook still couldn't understand what Yang Rui meant, so he asked again.

"Good! If a bond does not have a fee, then it has a legal repayment value, and if so, what is the difference between the bond and the currency? Billions of taels of bonds are issued, which is equivalent to more than one billion dollars of currency, which will definitely make the prices of the whole country rise instantly. According to the statistics of the Bank of Kanto, all the currencies in circulation now add up to only 2 billion silver dollars, or 1.5 billion taels. Once the bonds are issued, 400 million mu, we set the price lower, whether it is 40 taels of paddy field or 20 taels of dry land, each mu is counted as 5 taels of silver, here is 2 billion. Two billion bonds, even if they have a maturity of several decades, their value is more than one billion taels, and these two billion taels are put on the market at once, and they are ......."

Yang Rui looked at Yu Zixun, who was stunned, and didn't say anything at all, but changed the topic, and said: "The Meiji Restoration was a ransom, and it was given to those daimyo and high-ranking samurai, that is, the current Chinese 17.4 billion yen. The money was used to encourage Chinese people to invest in industry and commerce, but most of it was actually used to open banks. Turn around the bank, one or two becomes two. Two by two becomes four by two, and inflation is even worse; Even if this money is really invested in industry and commerce, it is still a soaring price of goods, and it is necessary to use hard currency to buy raw materials from abroad, and all of a sudden there is so much real money and silver flowing out of the country, and the domestic gold and silver will be insufficient immediately, and the price will also soar. Japan did not recover until the first day of the Japanese war, when it received 230 million taels from the Manchu Qing Dynasty. ”

There was silence in the room, only the sound of Zhizhi outside and the sound of Zhang Taiyan shaking a fan happily. Wang Jitong looked at the smile on Yang Rui's face. He said: "Is it possible to let those tenants pay as much rent as they want each year without issuing bonds, and then it will be 30 years, 20 years?" Ten years is fine. The land belongs to the tenants. ”

"Do the tenants pay more grain each year than before, or do they pay less than before?" Yang Rui asked, "If there are more than before, it must be unrealistic, not to mention whether to pay it or not, even if it is handed over, the tenants will also be full of resentment towards the revival." They can't see that the land will be their own in a few decades, and they will not have to pay rent in the future, they will only see that they are paying more now than before. Tenants resent. The landlords also don't like us, and it's not pleasing to do so. But if the tenants pay less rent than before. What's the difference between that and forced conscription? It's nothing more than paying a few more years of rent, and then the land is gone. ”

It seemed that the road to redemption was impossible, Xie Jintai said: "It is done, does it have to be forcibly expropriated?" ”

"So far, it seems. But maybe there may be a turnaround, maybe not. Yang Rui shook his head and suppressed an idea, and suddenly thought of Taiwan's method in the future, but this is not feasible for the current China, after all, Taiwan has been run by the Japanese for 50 years, and has built a lot of industrial industries, and today's China does not have so many belongings, and there is no public utility stock to exchange. Let's adjourn the meeting, and we'll discuss this issue tomorrow. He concluded.

As soon as Yang Rui said that the meeting was over, everyone didn't want to leave, Yu Zixun hurriedly said: "It's done, don't wait until tomorrow, what is the current plan?" You'd better talk about it first. ”

"The current plan is to forcibly expropriate, and there is no way to do it without forcible conscription." Yang Rui said. "In addition to those of us today, the most important thing is the peasant association, and most of the peasant associations are tenants and yeoman farmers, and if they want to be satisfied, it is necessary to reduce their burden after the founding of the country and increase their income. In this way, we can stand firm, we can receive nearly 600 million taels of taxes, and we can use this money to build railways and factories, which is the capital we can make during the war in Europe. ”

"But this is going to cause chaos in the whole country." Yu Zixun said heartbrokenly. "Then the gentry will rebel."

"What are you afraid of!" Yang Rui didn't care, "The number of landlords with more than 50 mu in rural households will not exceed 5 percent, and these people have other family properties in addition to the fields, and they dare not mess around." …… Okay, let's adjourn the meeting for now, and we'll talk about this issue tomorrow. ”

After Yang Rui finished speaking, he went upstairs, the meeting had been held for almost half a month, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter. The room was closed during the meeting, and it was even hotter inside, and he had to go back to the room to take a cold shower after every meeting.

Yang Rui left easily, Zhang Taiyan also left, and everyone else didn't want to disperse, looking at Yu Zixun who was restless, Wang Jitong smiled and said: "What are you anxious about, I'm afraid that you have already made up your mind." ”

Of course, he was confident, and with an order, as soon as the land was harvested, the land reform was completed. It's good that the landlords and gentry who are not satisfied don't make trouble, but if they make trouble, they will either be charged with a crime and be pulled out and shot, or they will be dragged to the ancestral hall and be beaten by the people, and life is better than death. What is this called? Yu Zixun looked resentful, "I feel more and more that the Revival Society is a robbery and murder gang, first with the Han people to loot the Manchu people, and then with the poor to loot the rich, and in the end, they will definitely come up with tricks to loot the poor people who are assigned to the fields." ”

"Zixun!" Zhong Guanguan saw that what he said was getting more and more outrageous, and couldn't help but drink him loudly. He has the best relationship with Yang Rui, is one of the founders of the Revival Association, and is also a fellow villager of Yu Zixun, so many things are difficult to say. In his heart, he was in favor of redemption, but he didn't expect that a redemption that seemed quite reasonable to him would have so many consequences. "He didn't say that he was dead, didn't he say that there would be a turnaround."

"If it turns out to be a forced conscription, there is no way." Xu Huafeng thought of Yang Rui's words and said, "The current China is not a question of fairness, but a question of efficiency. It's yours and mine, it doesn't matter. The key is to build industry as quickly as possible. When doing this, there will be people who will suffer, but if they don't suffer, things won't be done. When the time comes, the foreigners will go to war again. It's the people who have to lose money. Jiawu lost 230 million, plus the interest is afraid that there is 400 million, Gengzi said that it is 400 million five, plus the interest is also 900 million close to 1 billion, and the loss of those rights and interests, the silver earned by foreigners every year, all these years add up. It's already enough for two billion taels. ”

Xu Huafeng is an industrial party after all, and he hopes that all of China will be railways and factories, so that the country can be strong. Yang Rui's fifty-six plans made him excited. As for the gentry, there was only sacrifice.

"Uh, can't the two billion earned from the war in Europe be used to buy land?" Xie Jintai, who was looking down and thinking about it, suddenly thought of this method, he only felt that the two billion were just equal to the two billion that he bought the land.

He said so. Everyone was stunned. However, Zhong Guanguan knew more details, and said: "The plan is to make two billion, but that is the money earned by the whole country, not exactly the money made by the government's investment in industrial projects." I think the most profitable thing to make here is steel. Now the price of iron is 241 tons, and when the planned iron plant is built, there will be 1 million tons of pig iron, 1 million tons of steel, and one ton of steel will be counted as two tons of pig iron. A total of 300 tons of pig iron, if the war lasts for two years. If the price of iron is doubled, then it will be 180 million taels, and if it is tripled, it will be 340 million taels, and if it is tripled, it will be 500 million taels, which will be quadruple......"

Thinking that quadrupling would cost a hundred taels per ton of pig iron, Zhong Guanguan shook his head with certainty, "This is impossible." It's scary enough to triple it. In addition to the money that can be made from steel, there are sulfonamides, explosives, alkali, shipbuilding, airplanes, and tractors, and the amount of these things cannot be as large as pig iron, and the total is probably not 500 million taels. Speaking of this, he asked Xu Huafeng again, "Mr. Huafeng, these ones earn the most money, how much can they earn?" ”

"I don't know about sulfonamides, but explosives make a lot of money. At the time of the Jiangnan Bureau, the cost of making 100 pounds of smokeless medicine was 200 taels, and a ton was 4,400 taels, and now with synthetic ammonia, the cost of a ton will not exceed 1,000 taels, and there is a price difference of more than 3,000 taels. If you can sell a thousand tons, that's ...... That's only 70 million. Xu Huafeng didn't know how many tons of explosives he could sell, but he was just blindly estimating, but he felt that the money was less, "The amount of foreign alkali is not large; Shipbuilding, this ...... I don't know how big the shipyard will be built in the end, this estimate can't be made, airplanes and tractors, airplanes I don't know, tractors are sold in the United States for more than 1,000 dollars, one is a profit of two or three hundred taels, and it is estimated that it will rise after the war, but no matter how it rises, it will not exceed 10,000 units a year, that is, millions of business.

Except for pig iron, the others are around the millions, and these will not add up to more than 200 million. In addition, it is the export of various ores and raw materials across the country, such as pig bristles, tung oil, and other things in Sichuan. It is estimated that it can earn two billion, and it is estimated that the best situation can occur. ”

Listening to Xu Hua's calculation of profits, Yu Zixun said: "There are soybeans and soap that have not been calculated. However, it seems that the money that belongs to the government is still seven or eight billion. Add to this the annual fiscal surplus of more than 200 million, and we will be able to get 2 billion in six years, and if we take this money, we ......."

"This can't be!" Zhong Guanguan interrupted him: "The money for the war in Europe, as well as the annual financial balance, is to be invested in industry, and it costs money to build railways and factories. If the gentry invest the money indiscriminately, it would be better to concentrate it as it is now, and all the projects will be matched, such as railways, coal mines, iron works, machinery factories, and chemical plants. ”

"Xian Feng is right!" Xu Huafeng agreed, "Investing all the 400 million yuan in Shanxi, and dispersing the 400 million yuan in various places, must be the most effective in concentration, which is what it means to build an industrial base as mentioned before." Tonghua is also doing this, this money can't be invested casually, it has to be planned. ”

"Isn't that why the gentry are shareholders?" Xie Zhangtai was unwilling to let his proposal be vetoed by everyone, and proposed another proposal. "400 million mu is calculated as five taels, that is, 2 billion, 7 or 8 billion yuan earned from the European war, 3 or 4 billion yuan was invested in Shanxi a few years before the founding of the People's Republic of China, plus the financial balance in the future, and we took over the factories and mines left by the Manchu Qing Dynasty after the founding of the People's Republic of China, this money is enough for 2 billion. 400 million mu of cultivated land, according to the actual calculation, one mu three taels, with one or five cents per mu of rent, that is 600 million taels of rent per year, the return of the factory and the rent is different, 600 million taels. With the return of the factory's profits, maybe a factory with a billion taels of assets would be fine. ”

Seeing that Xie Zhangtai, a Cantonese man, was so energetic, Xu Huafeng smiled and said, "Serious case." According to the statement, now we are investing in heavy industry, which is the indispensable foundation of a strong country, but although it has a large investment, the rate of return is very low, such as steel mills, Ma'anshan because of depreciation. It's still a loss. If you invest in chemical industry and light industry, you will make money, and a yarn factory is estimated to come back in three years. It's a pity that we don't have the money to invest in light industry. ”

Although Xu Huafeng dispelled the enthusiasm of a few more people, everyone still did not give up, and still felt that Xie Zhangtai's method was the best way. If the redemption can't be done, then exchange shares. Let those landlords become industrial and mining owners. This can also be regarded as protecting the legal property of the individual.

With such an idea, Zhong Guanguan soon came to Yang Rui's residence, and at this time, Yang Rui was eating and arguing with Zhang Taiyan about something. Seeing him coming, Yang Rui put down the bowl and beckoned him to sit.

"Actually, now that everyone has discussed a new plan, do you think it will work?" Zhong Guanguan has not yet sat down.

Seeing him so eager. Yang Rui glanced at Zhang Taiyan and said with a smile. "Then you can say it, Uncle Mei and I are listening."

"Is it possible to exchange shares with those landed gentry? Is it to exchange the shares of the state-owned road factories and mines that were taken over from the Manchu Qing Dynasty, as well as the road factories and mines built after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the road factories and mines that will be reinvested in the future? Just now, everyone calculated that after the war in Europe, it would be almost two billion, just enough to buy two billion of land. Zhong Guanguan briefly said what he had just discussed, "In addition, the output value of these 400 million mu of cultivated land, three taels per mu per year, and half of the rent, that is, 600 million taels." As long as the shares exchanged can bring a profit of 600 million taels, then they won't have any opinions, right? ”

"You're asking me to pay rent to the tenants with industrial profits, after all?" When Zhang Taiyan was still thinking about it, Yang Rui immediately understood that this was a copy of Taiwan's land reform in later generations. However, the difference is that at that time, Taiwan exchanged shares for public utilities, such as waterworks and power plants, of course, this was only a small part, and the other part was still redeemed in the form of rent paid by tenants. The price of the land is calculated on the basis of two and a half years of output, that is, if the tenant pays the normal rent for five years without the use of stocks, the land is gone.

"That's right. It's not that there were many rents before, but now you have to give the gentry as many rents, 600 million taels is too much, and 200 million is fine. "I finally came up with a solution, and Zhong Guanguan had to stick to it.

"This won't work!" Yang Rui shook his head very firmly, "Not to mention that these are key national projects, just to say that the industrial profits are given to the gentry, it is completely unacceptable." These are hens, you take the hens away, how do you raise chicks? The money was given to the gentry, and they would only take concubines, build houses, and smoke hibiscus ointment, and they didn't get down to business anyway. ”

"What about the railroad?" When Zhong was sightseeing on the road, he came up with a solution inspired by Xie Jintai, "Convert the China Railway Corporation into shares, and then issue shares according to the area of cultivated land expropriated." Moreover, when the shares are issued, the gentry are only shareholders, only dividends, and do not participate in management, just like we contracted the Tonghua Railway to the Americans. ”

"Xianfang, the current railways are all trunk lines, if you really want to give them them, they are afraid that it will be too late to laugh. This railway will still be able to make money even if it is a few hundred years from now. We have given them the railroad now, and we will be scolded if we die. Yang Rui looked at Zhong Guan anxiously, knowing that he did not want to protect the interests of the gentry, but to maintain the unity of the Revival Association. He only got up and poured him a cup of herbal tea, and then said: "The land reform will not start until next year, and there are still great variables in between." ”

"Variables?" Zhong Guanguan was puzzled, "What variables will there be?" ”

"I don't know yet." Yang Rui replied. "And it suddenly occurred to me that it is unlikely that you would invest the money you made from the war in Europe and then exchange the shares for the landlords, and that money would have another use."

"Isn't it another use to invest in road mining factories?" Zhong Guanguan asked.

"It's not! All the money earned is foreign exchange, and a large sum of gold like two billion still has to be reused. Yang Rui changed the topic again as he spoke, and said, "Xianfang, do you know how Japan got to where it is today?" After asking, he replied without clock, and then continued: "In the beginning, it was to save money, and in order to buy a warship, the Japanese emperor is said to have eaten one less meal. But in an agricultural country, no matter how much you save, you only have so much money, and you still have to transform to industry in order to become rich and strong. But it's not a simple thing. In a country with no industrial base and few industries that can make money in international trade, Japan has seized on sericulture and textiles. In this way, they earn foreign exchange and try to get surpluses and build domestic industry with these surpluses.

But they have a problem, that is, the surplus they earn every year is not as good as the price drop of silver. In 1870, the London Exchange was worth sixty pence per ounce of silver, and thirty years later, it had fallen by more than half. Today, an ounce of silver can only be exchanged for twenty-four and a half pence. The assets of the whole country are depreciating, and the profits from foreign trade are only a small part. When I got the last deal, I found that I was poorer than in the early years of the Meiji era.

If it was originally an industrial country, it didn't matter, because only raw materials were imported. Sell the product. You can add the profit and sell it as much as you want. However, because the construction of an industrial country is a matter of buying machines, this account cannot be counted in this way. If the factory is opened, no matter how expensive the machine is, it will be bought, and the low price of silver will mean that the price of the machine will increase in disguise, and the price of the machine will rise, so those who should have bought ten can only buy five, and those who originally bought five can only buy three, so industrialization. It is several times more difficult than other countries.

The Japanese also found out about this problem at the time, because they followed us all the time. It was also the silver standard, and when I found that the price of silver was falling, I thought of changing to the gold standard, but the gold reserves of Japan as a whole were insufficient, and the gold reserves of the whole country were only 32.34 million yen, which could not be changed to the gold standard until the First Sino-Japanese Naval War, and the Manchus lost 230 million taels to them. The money was not delivered in silver at all, but was designated by the Japanese to be delivered in pounds sterling in London, and the 230 million taels were exchanged for more than 37 million pounds. Now we have to take this step too! ”

Yang Rui said something profound, but the description was very plain, Zhong Guanguan said: "If you really want to do this, what about the domestic silver?" ”

"Sell it. It's just to spit back into the international market, but now only Mexico is on the silver standard, and the international silver price will definitely fall sharply, and the silver miners must be unemployed in a large area, but what does this have to do with us? Yang Rui said, "As long as the pound and dollar in our hands will be recognized by the United Kingdom and the United States, then we can completely change to the gold standard." ”

Yang Rui talked at length about currency, Zhong Guanguan was a little stunned by him, and said after a while: "It's done, how can the land reform be decided?" Can't you exchange shares? ”

"Well, it can't be replaced." Yang Rui shook his head, "We don't have so many industrial stocks to exchange for those landlords." The reason why those industries have to be grasped is only to build more industries. Now in this world, there are no millions of tons of steel in hand, there are no various heavy industries in hand, and foreigners still have to bully. He said this, and said with a smile: "But this method is better than the previous one, and only a fool would do it if he issued bonds to redeem farmland."

"If you take someone's land, you always have to give it back." Looking at his own thoughts is not good, Zhong Guanyu said leisurely.

Yang Rui smiled, "Many things in the world are unfair. On the Manchu side, we paid so many taxes, what did they do? Isn't it unfair that the territory is cut, the grass people are killed, and the money is compensated? ”

Seeing Yang Rui say this, Zhong Guanguan was even more lazy, and left after sitting for a while. As soon as he walked here, Zhang Taiyan, who didn't speak just now, said: "It's done, let's continue to talk about ours." You sue me, why can't the land you take from the landlord be given to the tenants, and if you do so, will they support us? ”

"It's not that the land is not given to the tenants, but that ownership is not given to the tenants. Once given to them, within twenty years, they will return to their current appearance. People are always diligent and lazy, hardworking and thrifty, earning more and more money, and in the end they become landlords, lazy and lazy, and they have to pawn houses and sell land, and finally become tenants. Now at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, we can suspect that the landlord's land came from the wrong way, and the money to buy the land came from the wrong way. After a few decades, then we will not be able to say such things again, and it will be very troublesome to carry out land reform at that time. Yang Rui said.

"But you might as well give them the ownership together, and then ban the sale of land. Why bother? Zhang Taiyan understood what was going on, but he only felt that this method was verbose.

"Uncle Mei, I won't make such a move, it will always be useful to do so. Anyway, after the land reform, you have to see if the income of the tenants has doubled, and see if they are eating better and better every year. If so, then the purpose of land reform has been achieved, and they will do whatever we say when the time comes. Yang Rui looked at him and said. (To be continued......)