"Luo Shi's Reform..."

Wang Wenchuan looked at everything completely unfamiliar in front of him, but inexplicably developed some affection for the protagonist who was about to reform.

After all, they are both reformers. Even though they span nine hundred years, they will naturally feel sympathy for each other.

As the camera traveled back and forth on the streets of a foreign country, Meng Yuan also began to try to use very concise language to explain to Wang Wenchuan the reasons for this great crisis nine hundred years later.

"Jing Gong, the foreign country nine hundred years later is not a country of emperors and scholar-bureaucrats, but a country of merchants.

"And this crisis was caused by businessmen."

Wang Wenchuan felt a little incredible: "How can businessmen control a country?

"Businessmen are not engaged in production and are the lowest class of scholars, peasants, industrialists and merchants. If they were allowed to control a country, wouldn't everyone value profits, and the world would be starved to death, and the people would not be able to survive?"

Meng Yuan explained: "In Jing Gong's time, this was indeed the case.

"But please think about it, Mr. Jing. If one day in the future, one person can use various tools made by craftsmen to plant hundreds of acres of land and produce enough food to feed thousands of people, then the status of farmers will be

, will it still be so important?

“Will land still be the most precious thing in the world?

"If craftsmen can make machines that allow people to go to heaven and earth, and the machines can fly on the ground many times faster than horses, and in the air, they can fly from Daming Mansion to the capital in just two or three hours, then the status of craftsmen will be

How high will it be?

"Jing Gong thought about it again, if farmers farm and craftsmen produce machinery, all need to be completed under the unified management of merchants, then it is not surprising that merchants control a country."

Wang Wenchuan nodded suddenly, thoughtfully.

Although he was just an ancient man from a thousand years ago, judging from his various reform measures, he was a man with advanced thinking and extremely smart.

At this time, I saw various aspects of the foreign country, and after Meng Yuan explained it like this, I had some understanding.

Meng Yuan continued: "But it is true that as Duke Jing expected, when merchants govern the country, there will naturally be problems like those mentioned by Duke Jing.

“Everyone’s emphasis on profit can indeed give the entire country a great deal of motivation in a special period and allow the country’s national strength to develop rapidly. However, various problems will also arise from this.

"What Duke Jing was worried about, that the world would be starved to death, was that everyone would engage in business and no one would engage in production. But hundreds of years later, as long as a few people farm with machinery, they can feed tens of thousands of people. So under normal circumstances

, the starvation and death that Duke Jing was worried about will not actually happen."

Wang Wenchuan was keenly aware of the implication of Meng Yuan's words: "Under normal circumstances? What if it is an abnormal situation?"

Meng Yuan nodded: "The abnormal situation is what Duke Jing saw at this time, which later generations called the 'Great Crisis' and the 'Great Depression'.

“The causes of such a big crisis can be explained with an example:

"A child was hungry and cold in a broken house. He asked his mother: Mother, why can't we burn coal for heating and have no food? The mother said: Because your father lost his job. The child asked: Why did his father lose his job? The mother said:

Because your father is a coal miner and they produce too much coal.

"The 'coal' here refers to the coal of the Qi Dynasty. I wonder if Duke Jing understands this?"

Wang Wenchuan frowned slightly, but after thinking for a while, he said: "There is no idle land in the world, and farmers are starving to death. Those who are covered with silkworms are not silkworm farmers."

"Although the merchants' coal mines dug out a large amount of pebbles, the craftsmen and farmers at the bottom were extremely poor and could not afford to buy. The merchants' piles of pebbles had no market, so naturally these craftsmen were no longer needed. As a result, the craftsmen lost their jobs and had no money to buy.

It becomes an unsolvable situation.”

Meng Yuan nodded: "That's exactly it.

"If it's just a coal mine, there are naturally many solutions. Craftsmen can find other jobs, and coal miners can also consider selling coal to other cities or neighboring countries.

"But what if it triggers a chain reaction and causes such problems in the entire country and in all areas controlled by businessmen?

"That's what Duke Jing saw at this time."

The camera continues to travel across the city, with many homeless people becoming homeless, lying confused on the streets and on park benches, with their hands folded, looking sad.

The former millionaire was even reduced to selling fruit on the streets.

The president at the time declared: "Fruit vendors are a profession that naturally arises under the market economy. Selling fruits can free some smart people from their original jobs and earn more profits."

Such a laissez-faire policy further expanded the crisis.

Meng Yuan asked: "What would happen if Duke Jing were in power?"

Wang Wenchuan thought for a moment and said: "I have never lived in a foreign country hundreds of years later, but since it was a profit-seeking rebellion by businessmen, I think it was similar to the efforts to stabilize food prices in the famine years.

“The state opens warehouses to release grain, conducts relief operations, suppresses merchants from making huge profits, and measures farm properties... No, it should clarify the farms and workshops controlled by these merchants, and impose heavy taxes on those who make the most profits to replenish the national treasury.

"Even killing one person as a warning to others will make businessmen fearful."

…

Hearing Wang Wenchuan's answer, the audience in front of the screen couldn't help but nod.

Obviously, as an ancient man from a thousand years ago, Jinggong didn't know much about the operating laws of modern society, but after all, he was the smartest and most forward-thinking genius of that era, so he can tell the truth.

All we can say is that the principles of everything in the world are always the same.

If we summarize ancient reforms and modern reforms in a simple and crude way, their causes and treatment methods are similar.

The cause is simply that the rentier class in the middle is too bloated, exploiting the bottom, and trying every means to block the passage from the bottom to the upper. As a result, there is a strange phenomenon in which people at the bottom are starving everywhere, the treasury of the upper class is empty, but the middle class is over-expanded, and the tail is too big to lose.

The way to deal with it is simply that someone at the top uses some means to let the bloated middle-level rentier class spit out some benefits and redistribute them to the hungry people at the bottom and the treasury at the top, so that the country can be stabilized again.

Whether this middle class is feudal landowners, scholar-bureaucrats, or capitalists, the truth is always the same.

Therefore, although Wang Wenchuan's method is not very feasible under these social conditions, at least the idea is completely correct.

…

Meng Yuan nodded: "Jinggong saw the problem thoroughly and grasped the key points in an instant.

"However, although Duke Jing's idea is correct, it may not be feasible to implement it this way.

"Don't forget, Mr. Jing, that this is a country dominated by businessmen. It is almost impossible to use state power to suppress businessmen in the past way. Otherwise, you will be overthrown and step down in an instant.

“We still have to make the best of the situation and act within certain rules.

"For reform to be successful, it ultimately depends on two aspects: details and execution."

Wang Wenchuan deeply agreed: "That's exactly it. I wonder if Luo's new method will be successful in the end?"

Obviously, Wang Wenchuan encountered so much resistance in the process of implementing the New Deal, which made him deeply aware of the importance of details and execution in the reform process.

His reform was destined to fail precisely because of insufficient execution at the grassroots level.

At this time, people were naturally concerned and worried about whether Luo's New Deal would be successful.

In his heart, of course, he was looking forward to Luo's new law being implemented, but he also felt that this matter was very difficult.

Meng Yuan continued to wave his hand, letting the fog in front of him gather and disperse.

A series of measures in the reform were displayed in front of Wang Wenchuan and all the audience.

…

“The first step in Luo’s new law is to make everyone in society believe in the country. Only when confidence is restored can all industries thrive again.

"And to do that, all it takes is a conversation with everyone in the country."

After all, Wang Wenchuan was a person from a thousand years ago, and it was difficult for him to understand what was happening in front of him. Therefore, Meng Yuan tried his best to explain it in a way that he could understand.

Every household sat in front of the radio, listening to Roche's in-depth explanation of the working mechanism of the banking industry, and using his own charisma and authority to re-establish people's trust in the entire economic system.

Early the next morning, a large number of people came to the bank and deposited back the money they had just desperately withdrawn from the bank due to panic some time ago.

In just two weeks, bank deposits across the country increased by 50%, and three-quarters of banks resumed operations.

Immediately afterwards, new laws and measures were quickly introduced in a vigorous and vigorous manner.

The "Emergency Relief Act" was announced and a large amount of money was allocated to provide relief to people who were trapped in unemployment.

The "Agricultural Adjustment Law" was promulgated, and the state stepped in to adjust, control the output of agricultural products, and guide supply and demand to restore balance.

The Industrial Recovery Act was promulgated, requiring each industry to set maximum working hours and minimum wage standards, and giving workers the right to unite and bargain collectively with capitalists.

Companies that comply with this bill will receive a special logo, and the state encourages people to shop in stores of such companies.

The Securities and Exchange Law was promulgated, and a committee was established to supervise the entire stock market and combat financial fraud, false statements, insider trading and other behaviors.

The National Housing Law was announced to reduce mortgage interest and extend the loan period from ten years to thirty years.

The Social Insurance Law was introduced, bringing pension insurance and unemployment insurance.

Introduce progressive tax rates based on income and assets, with a maximum inheritance tax of up to 70%.

With work-for-relief, large-scale infrastructure construction rolled forward in eight years, employing more than eight million people, laying water lines, repairing buildings, building roads, and constructing water conservancy projects... The new law has left its mark in every corner of the country.

trace.

…

One law after another was displayed in front of Wang Wenchuan.

At this time, Wang Wenchuan was receiving a massive amount of information while murmuring in his mouth.

"Farmland Water Conservancy Law...

"Young Seedling Method..."
To be continued...