At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 318, Industrialized Thinking, the Basics of Mohism

Regarding the dispute between merchants and farmers and Pang Yuan, the supervisor of Chen County, Xu Fan did not join in, but let the Han officials in Chen County make their own decisions.

They may be fighting for the interests of Chen County, but for Xu Fan, who is standing in the Han Dynasty, this is just a process of wealth transfer within the Han Dynasty. He needs to try to be fair. Put yourself in the position of an arbiter.

After the meeting, Xu Fan asked the merchants and farmers for information on the Chen County rangers who bullied the market.

For Xu Fan, affecting people's income is actually digging into the foundation of the Han Dynasty. He was deeply influenced by later generations and believed that the middle class of each society is the foundation of an empire. What is the middle class of Han Dynasty? They are those who make money through their own labor.

The Han Dynasty has already collected a tax, so it is necessary to protect these people from being exploited by other forces. From an ideal point of view, this is the responsibility of the Han Dynasty. From a realistic point of view, this is the leek of the Han Dynasty. What do you think of some of your ranger groups? Onions, dare to cut the leeks of a big man.

The merchants and farmers handed over the management of their collection to Xu Fan. Only then did he understand the development process of Chenjun Ranger.

When Xu Fan was in charge of Chen County, the knight-errants naturally did not dare to cause chaos in Chen County, but after Xu Fan led the army to attack the violent Qin Dynasty, and then directly established the capital of Chang'an City.

The Han's direct control over Chen County weakened, and the prestige of merchants and farmers was insufficient. In addition, Chen County became increasingly wealthy, attracting a large number of outsiders. Among these people were scholars, businessmen, and farmers. Rangers began to appear in Chen County.

The rangers know too much about building a dynamic organization, and they are very familiar with it. They first used force to intimidate the workers who controlled the porters and occupied the dock, and then found ways to repel other active ranger organizations and gain de facto control.

As their control of the docks was established, unloading charges were raised and maintained. The caravan does not want to be exploited by the rangers, so it is impossible to find someone to unload the goods by itself. These rangers will organize their own people to fight off the outside porters, forcing the caravan to accept their services.

It seems that the porters have also increased their income. If they really do this kind of thing that is not self-interested and only benefits others, they will not be a ranger organization, but Mohists.

The increased income will naturally be obtained by these rangers. At the same time, these rangers will also charge some kind of protection fee from the farmers they control, which is usually about 30%. Anyone who dares not to pay this fee will be directly chased away.

Even in the name of helping to save, they don't give porters a salary and only give them a little living expenses. They use this method to control the porters. As long as the porters dare not listen to these rangers, they will find ways to deduct the porters' salaries.

According to data obtained by merchants and farmers, porters are generally charged 30% of their income by these rangers. In this way, most of the income of the porters a mile away is obtained by these rangers.

It can be said that because of the control of these rangers, the porters did not gain much benefit, but were squeezed. The caravans coming to Chen County generally paid 10% more.

The extra money paid by the caravan neither entered Chen County's county treasury nor reached Chen County's dock workers. Instead, it was taken by the rangers, but at the cost of increasing the operating costs of the entire Chen County society. The existence of these ranger organizations has caused complaints among small businessmen throughout Chen County.

Shang Nong said: "According to my estimate, the entire Chen County ranger group takes more than hundreds of millions of dollars from caravans and porters every year."

Xu Fan sneered: "I'm afraid there won't be too many of them falling into the hands of Han officials."

As for the Ranger group, later generations have already summarized it well, it is just a chamber pot. They also have to pay protection fees to higher-ups, and their wealth will move closer to power. This is a secret that is almost known to everyone in later generations.

For Xu Fan, if these rangers can organize workers together, improve the efficiency of dock workers, and provide better services to the fleet, even if they make some money, he can accept it, because this is the organizational ability of industrialization , they can be regarded as providing services. In the words of later generations, they are also representatives of advanced productivity.

But look at what they do. They have not improved their organizational skills, nor have they made money through management. Instead, they have relied on monopoly to exploit both sides, bribed people, and used the feudal system of personal binding. They have just turned the dock workers into slaves. .

Even if you become a capitalist association, if Xu Fangao takes a look at them, it can be regarded as a progressive force, and at most it can limit their excessive greed.

But when Xu Fan thought about it later, this idea was a bit unrealistic. Even in later generations, those people only wanted to be landlords and rich people, or even slave owners. Their structure was not worthy of the title of capitalist, let alone Don't talk about these rangers now.

The remnants of this kind of big man should be paired with the frontiers and allowed to repair the earth, so that they can play a more positive role.

Zhang Liang advised: "Your Majesty, if the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if the people are careful, there will be no disciples."

Xu Fan sneered and said: "That's because those fish like to live in muddy water, but these fish are not what I need. What I need are fish that can survive in clear water."

"Prime Minister, send an order to the Imperial Censor's Palace, asking them to send a traveling censor to Chen County to clean up the Ranger organization. If the Han officials in Chen County dare to cover up these Rangers, they will be severely punished. If they find out the background of the Rangers, we will deal with them together."

For Xu Fan, corruption is not terrible. What is terrible is the phenomenon that people do not dare to deal with. If the court takes one step back, the Han officials will take two steps forward and continue to test the court's bottom line. Xu Fan didn't want to say such nonsense to his prince that if he checked the Han officials, the court would be destroyed, and if he didn't check the Han officials, the world would be destroyed.

You yourself are the source of all corruption, and you have the nerve to say such things.

Zhang Liang said helplessly: "No"

Xu Fandao said, "Producers cannot get their legal remuneration, which is destroying the foundation of the Han Dynasty. And these rangers are not engaged in production, they are just the new rentiers of the Han Dynasty. No matter what their merits, they dare to eat the profits of the Han Dynasty. Prime Minister, you must remember that if you find such a pest, I will deal with it, so that my empire can be stable. "

Zhang Liang said: "Promise"

At the same time, Xu Fan also decided to mobilize the Han officials in Chen County to better solve the problem of Chen County's rangers.

Then Xu Fan looked at Shang Nong and said: "Your teacher is old and can no longer bear the heavy government affairs. I plan to transfer you back to the imperial court as the chief agricultural officer, and Xu Shi will become the principal of the Agricultural College. What do you think?"

The merchant asked: "Can I farm in Guanzhong?"

Xu Fan smiled and said: "Of course you have to know how to farm, Da Si Nong. Not only do you need to farm, you also need to teach more people in Guanzhong to farm scientifically."

Shang Nong said: "I am willing to go to Guanzhong."

Then Xu Fan went to inspect the Chenjun Iron and Steel Plant.

After Qin Bo led a group of Mohist elites to Guanzhong, the rapidly developing steel plant came to a standstill. Although new blast furnaces were built in the past two years, larger blast furnaces have not been built. In the words of later generations, Chen The research and development capabilities of the county steel plant have reached a stagnant stage.

Xu Fan told Chen Lei, director of the steel plant, hating that iron could not make steel: "You can't just think about making money without investing in the research and development of new blast furnaces. Now there is a blast furnace in Guanzhong that can refine 10 kilograms of iron. You two are at the top of the furnace, and the Guanzhong Iron and Steel Works is still moving forward, but you are standing still, and the gap between the two sides will become wider and wider. Sooner or later, Guanzhong Iron and Steel will enter your Chen County territory, and then you Chen Jun The county steel plant has no choice but to close down."

Even a small steel plant can see the difference between industrial thinking and agricultural thinking.

Chen Lei is a typical agricultural thinker. Without Xu Fan's order, he would have no motivation to develop a new blast furnace, because in his opinion there is no need. If the blast furnace would not burn out, he would like a blast furnace in Chen County to be used all the time. It is best to keep it in use. The furnace has been passed down for three generations. Once you invest, you will always benefit.

This can be said to be the fixed thinking of the entire world. A sword must be passed down to three generations, and a set of armor must be passed down to three generations. This is how family heirlooms come about.

If this kind of thinking continues, it will appear that in martial arts novels, the master's sword can be passed down for several generations, and a martial arts secret book can be passed down for hundreds of years, and one can never learn the highest level. The older the better, the leaders of previous generations were stronger than the leaders of modern times.

Various Longquan swords in Xianxia novels have been around for thousands of years, or the older they are, the more powerful they are. The god-level equipment that always appears in Xianxia novels is Xuanyuan Sword. It doesn’t matter that Xuanyuan Sword is just a bronze sword.

But the thinking of industrialization is that products will be updated and production lines will also be updated. Even if a blast furnace is not broken, as long as a new blast furnace with higher efficiency appears, the ironmaking plant must introduce a new blast furnace in order not to be eliminated. Entering the era of industrialization, competition is everywhere. Therefore, many industrial novels will emphasize that industrialization is not just a matter of a few machine factories, but also a new idea, a new society, and a new way of life.

In the history of agricultural civilization for thousands of years, the progress of productivity was too slow. As a result, the thinking of people living in the feudal era was static. It also took them thousands of years to use various rules and regulations to solidify this kind of society. A state of stillness.

Industrial thinking is dynamic, especially since Xu Fan has experienced the most intense 40 years of change. For him, change in the world is the norm.

Xu Fan didn't understand this before and thought that as long as factories were built, industrialization would slowly occur. However, after living in this world for a few years, he understood that there was still a long way to go before industrialization. Society, even if he invented the steam engine, the train would only replace the horse-drawn carriage of the feudal era.

Chen Lei immediately assured Xu Fan: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will recruit craftsmen to start designing a new blast furnace. I will not let the Guanzhong Iron and Steel Plant surpass the previous ones."

Xu Fan continued to ask: "How many Mohists are there in Chen County?"

Chen Lei said: "136 people."

Although there is a Mohist Academy now, Qin Bo was extremely cautious in absorbing Mozi. He did not recruit people who could not recognize Mozi's thoughts into the Mohist school. It was useless to pretend that he supported Mozi's thoughts.

The law of Mohism stipulated that Mohists should be simple. Even if Qin Bo became the ninth minister of the Han Dynasty, as long as it was not a court meeting, Qin Bo usually wore linen clothes and wore straw sandals. His daily expenses could not exceed the ordinary people of the Han Dynasty. This is what Xu Fan persuaded Qin Bo to improve. Otherwise, according to the original system of the Mohist family, most of their basic necessities, food, clothing, housing and transportation would have to be solved by themselves.

This led to the fact that even with the full support of the Han Dynasty, there were a large number of scholars who wanted to enter the Mohist family, but the Mohists barely exceeded a thousand people. A large number of scholars used the Mohist family as a springboard. After entering and becoming Han officials, they could not stand it. The strict Mo Lu withdrew from the Mohist family again.

Qin Bo was not only not angry at such morale, but he was relieved. The strict Mo rules became Mo Zhe's best filter and purified Mo Zhe's team. Qin Bo did not want the Moh family to experience another split during the Warring States Period in his hands.

Xu Fan also felt that it was good that there was such a filter that could help the Mo family identify people who truly shared the same goals.

Xu Fan continued: "Find a few Mohists with strong organizational skills to come see me."

"promise"

Not long after, Chen Lei brought five Mohists to see Xu Fan and said, "These are all my senior brothers."

Although Chen Lei has a high position in Chen County, he does not have much status in the Mo family.

"The Mohists Tian Yang, Feng Nan, Ji Tuo, Meng Qi, and Lou Yi have met Your Majesty." The five people saluted Xu Fan.

Xu Fan said: "No need to be polite."

Xu Fan said: "I am looking for you today because there is a major matter concerning Chen County."

Then Xu Fan told the merchants and farmers about Chen Jun’s ranger investigation.

He said solemnly: "The Chenjun Rangers have become a cancer. I will definitely not allow them to exist. Soon the imperial court will send out an inspection team to clean up these cancers."

"But as long as these docks and grass markets are still there and we can gain profits, even if I clear out these rangers today, in less than a year, new rangers will be entrenched in these places, oppressing the people, and doing all kinds of evil. So I want to use you to Come and replace the rangers and manage these longshoremen."

"In my opinion, these dock workers can be said to be the natural base of your Mohist family. Instead of letting the rangers control them, it is better for your Mohist family to organize them and set up a dock workers' club by you Mohists so that the dock workers can work more efficiently. Serve the fleet, and at the same time they will not be exploited by the rangers, and your Mo family also has a solid foundation. "

"The environment affects people's thinking. Most scholars are a wealthy group. If you want to find a scholar among this group, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But the dock workers are different. They have a deep understanding of the oppression they are receiving and practice it personally, which is more effective than reading a book 10,000 times. They are people who can endure hardships in the Han Dynasty and at the same time recognize Mozi's thoughts. These dock workers can make up the majority, but no one teaches them Mozi's thoughts. You should spread Mozi's thoughts among them, so that it will be easier to find like-minded partners. "

Tian Yang and others looked at each other and said, "Your Majesty, can we please discuss this?"

Xu Fan said: "Of course."

After Tian Yang and others discussed for half an hour, they agreed to Xu Fan's request.

In fact, they were also very worried about the situation of the Mohists at this time. After the Han Dynasty unified the world, the emperor changed the policy of obscuring the people and promoted universal education throughout the world. Hundreds of schools of thought entered a period of rapid development in the Han Dynasty in the past few years. Taoism, Confucianism, and even The Legalists who climbed out of the abyss were also rapidly increasing their number of disciples.

With the emperor Xu Fan's strong support in manpower, material and financial resources, the academic world prospered rapidly and there were more and more scholars.

However, due to the strict Mohist laws, the development momentum of the Mohist school is far less than that of other schools of thought. It is true to say that they are not worried about this situation.

Now the emperor says that dock workers can become the basis of their Mohist family, and they agree. Since the governance power is not enough, people must come together. There are tens of thousands of dock workers in Chen County, and one percent of them believe in Mohism, so they can add hundreds of people. If one tenth of them believed in Mohism, the number of Mohist disciples would increase by several thousand.

After Xu Fan stayed in Chen County for three days, he turned to Nanyang County, and then entered Guanzhong from Wuguan.

This made the Han officials in Chen County breathe a sigh of relief. They thought that the emperor did not care about the Chen County Rangers.

But he did not expect that one month after the emperor left, the prefect Shang Nong was promoted to Da Si Nong, one of the Nine Qings of the Han Dynasty. Shang Nong went to Chang'an City under the envious and jealous eyes of the Han officials in Chen County.

Three days after the merchants left, the imperial inspection censorship group came to Chen County, accompanied by 500 imperial guards.

This made Chen County Supervisory Army Pang Yuan and others frightened. The court sent so many soldiers to protect the Yushi Group, which clearly did not trust them. He understood that a storm was about to hit Chen County officialdom.

After a month, Mei You once again set foot on the land of Chenjun. The dock of Chenjun was full of cargo ships from the Central Plains and the Huaihe River.

Every time a ship enters the dock, a large number of dock porters will disembark the cargo and move it to the warehouse near the dock. Or the goods in Chenjun warehouse are moved onto the cargo ship, and when the cargo is full, the cargo ship leaves the dock.

Busy dock workers and sailors, bustling docks, Chenjun is still the most prosperous in the world, and the rich Chenjun is the envy of people all over the world.

But Mei You's sense of Chen Jun was not very good. He was a salesman. A few years ago, he made a little money relying on Chen Jun's cheap goods. With some primitive accumulation, he bought a hundred-year-old ship made by Jingjia Shipyard. Shi Xiao's cargo ship was specially designed to transport Chen Junbu to Handan for sale. After two years of hard work, his fleet grew from one ship to three.

But since the past two years, it has become more and more difficult for small businessmen like them without backends to do business in Chen County. First, the transportation fee increased, and then the warehouse costs also increased. Later, the rangers in Chen County became more and more expensive. They also need to pay for tea and organize the hard work of porters.

Mei You saw that half of the money he earned went to these heroes who did not work in production. Mei You was angry and secretly cursed these heroes every day. But he still had to hand it over. If he dared not to hand it over, these heroes would let him return empty-handed. Or the goods could not be sold at a high price in Chen County, so he could only sell them elsewhere at a loss.

When Mei You was recalling, his fleet had already docked under the command of dock employees.

(End of this chapter)