Chapter 23 Introduction

There is a discipline called political economy, considered the study of the statesman or legislator, which proposes the following two goals.One is to directly provide the people with sufficient income to maintain their livelihood; or to create conditions for the people to be self-sufficient.The second is to provide the country with sufficient income to enable the smooth running of public affairs.In short, strengthening the country and enriching the people is its main purpose. Different citizens in different eras have different levels of wealth, so there are two political and economic discourses on strengthening the country and enriching the people, emphasizing commerce and emphasizing agriculture.I shall endeavor to give a detailed and unambiguous account of both accounts.Next, I will start from the theory of mercantilism, which is often said in modern times, to facilitate the understanding of the British people today.