Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 349 - 229 Luo’s Reforms (8600 Words for Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 349: Chapter 229 Luo’s Reforms (8600 Words for Monthly Ticket)

"Meng’s reforms..."

Wang Wenchuan looked at everything completely unfamiliar in front of him, yet inexplicably felt some fondness toward the protagonist who was about to reform.

After all, they were both reformers, and despite spanning nine hundred years, they naturally felt a kindred connection.

As the camera shuttled back and forth on the foreign streets, Meng Yuan began to explain the reasons behind the great crisis that had occurred nine hundred years later using very concise language.

"Mr. Jing, nine hundred years later in this foreign country, it is not a land governed by emperors or scholars, but by merchants.

"And this crisis was triggered by the merchants."

Wang Wenchuan felt it was incredible, "How can merchants control a country?

"Merchants do not engage in production; they are the lowest among ’scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant’. If they were to control a country, wouldn’t everyone prioritize profit over people, resulting in widespread famine and suffering?"

Meng Yuan explained, "In Mr. Jing’s era, it was indeed the case.

"But, please think about it, Mr. Jing, if someday in the future, one person could use various craftsman-made devices to farm hundreds of acres and produce enough food to feed thousands of people, would the farmers’ status still be important?

"Would land still be the most precious resource in the world?

"If craftsmen could make machinery that would allow people to reach the skies and the netherworld, with machines racing on land much faster than fine horses and flying from Da Ming Prefecture to the capital in just a short two to three hours, what would the status of craftsmen be then?

"Now think again, Mr. Jing, if farmers cultivating land and craftsmen producing machinery all had to be done under the management of merchants, it is not surprising at all for merchants to control a country."

Wang Wenchuan nodded as if he had realized something, reflecting deeply.

Although he was a man from a thousand years ago, his various reformative actions showed that he was a person with advanced thoughts and supreme intelligence.

Now, seeing the various aspects of this foreign country and after hearing Meng Yuan’s explanations, he somewhat understood.

Meng Yuan continued, "However, indeed as Mr. Jing predicted, there are problems with merchants ruling a country.

"People prioritizing profit can indeed generate enormous momentum for the country during special periods, allowing rapid development of national power. However, it also gives rise to various problems.

"Mr. Jing is worried about widespread famine because everyone is doing business and no one is producing. Yet, hundreds of years later, with just a few people using machinery for farming, enough food can be produced to feed thousands. So normally, the widespread famine Mr. Jing worries about does not occur."

Wang Wenchuan keenly sensed the underlying meaning in Meng Yuan’s words, "You mentioned ’normally’? What about abnormal situations?"

Meng Yuan nodded, "Abnormal situations, that is what Mr. Jing sees now, what later generations call the ’Great Crisis’, ’Great Depression’.

"An example can be used to explain this crisis:

"A child in a broken house, suffering from hunger and cold asks his mother: ’Mother, why can’t we burn coal for warmth and why is there no food?’ The mother says: ’Because your father has lost his job.’ The child asks: ’Why did my father lose his job?’ The mother replies: ’Because your father worked in a coal mine, and they produced too much coal.’

"This ’coal’ is what was known as coal in the Qi Dynasty. Does Mr. Jing understand?"

Wang Wenchuan furrowed his brows, but after pondering for a while he said, "There is no idle land, yet farmers still starve to death. Those draped in silk are not silkworm feeders.

"Although the miners excavated a vast amount of coal, the poor craftsmen and farmers couldn’t afford to buy it. And since the excess coal remained unsold, there was no longer a need for these craftsmen. Thus, they lost their jobs and had even less money to spend, creating a vicious cycle."

Meng Yuan nodded, "Exactly.

"If it was just one mine, there are naturally many solutions. Craftsmen could find other jobs, and the mine merchants could consider selling coal to neighboring cities or countries.

"But what if it triggered a chain reaction, causing such problems in every sector controlled by merchants throughout the country?

"That would be the scenario Mr. Jing is seeing now."

The camera continued moving through the cities, many homeless people turned into vagrants, lying confusedly on park benches or streetside, clutching their chests with a despondent look.

Once-millionaires had even resorted to selling fruit on the streets.

Meanwhile, the current President claimed, "Fruit vendors are a naturally occurring profession in a market economy, selling fruit allows some clever people to break free from their original jobs and earn more profit."

Such a laissez-faire policy further exacerbated the crisis.

Meng Yuan asked, "If Mr. Jing were in power, what would you do?"

Wang Wenchuan thought for a moment and then said, "I haven’t lived in a foreign country hundreds of years later, but since it involves merchants’ greed causing chaos, it seems similar to measures taken during famine years to stabilize grain prices.

"The state would open warehouses to release grain for relief, suppress the excessive profits of merchants, measure property holdings... no, it should clarify the farms and workshops controlled by these merchants, imposing heavy taxes on those who profited the most, in order to replenish the state treasury.

"Or even make an example of one to warn the others, to instill fear in the merchants."

...

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

Clearly, Mr. Jing, as a person from a thousand years ago, although not well-acquainted with the modern society’s operational principles, was ultimately a brilliant and visionary genius of that era, thus understanding the predicament at a glance.

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