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

Chapter 483: The Trend of Merchants and the State-run Economy

November 16th, the 19th year of the Han calendar.

Xiangshan Academy, Kuai Che's study.

A group of Kuai Che's supporters stayed here dejectedly. They originally wanted to step on the shoulders of the Legalists to take the study of enriching the people to a higher level, but they did not expect to be defeated miserably by the Legalists. Although they suppressed Zhao Yu in the debate, there was nothing worth promoting about suppressing a 20-year-old Legalist junior.

If they had been defeated by Li Si, they could have advertised that it was an honor to lose. However, Li Si was cunning and did not take the field, which disappointed their expectations. Instead, he sent Meng Yi to take the field. Meng Yi was a high-ranking official in the Qianqin Qin Ran, but had been demoted to a commoner in the Han Dynasty. As he himself said, he was just a teacher in a middle school and did not have much reputation in the academic circle in these years. As a result, Kuai Che was defeated by such an unknown person, which was almost a heavy blow to the school of enriching the people.

Ren Ming said helplessly: "The fake prime minister Zhou Bo has invited Li Si, Meng Yi and other Legalist giants to meet. It is obvious that the fake prime minister Zhou Bo agrees with the Legalist's views more."

Everyone present was envious when they heard this. Although the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty had not yet been replaced, everyone understood that the fake Prime Minister Zhou Bo had already been chosen by the Emperor as the next Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.

In the past two years, the emperor has managed the affairs of the Han Dynasty less. He only shows up at the grand court meetings and sacrifices to heaven and earth. He rarely vetoes the proposals of ministers and prime ministers at court meetings. He is almost in a state of being in control. Everyone would have thought that Xiao He, the second prime minister of the Han Dynasty, would have far less power than Zhou Zhang, but they did not expect that Xiao He continued Zhou Zhang's power as prime minister. He could almost make decisions on the daily affairs of the Han Dynasty with just one word. This shows that the emperor attaches great importance to the power of the prime minister.

As for the so-called big events, the national strength of the Han Dynasty was at its peak, and the enemies in the four borders were either driven away or eliminated. For the Han Dynasty, there were almost no big events. The power of the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty was unprecedented and could influence the affairs of the entire Han Dynasty.

In the next ten years, Zhou Bo was the prime minister and ruled the country. The schools of thought that could be recognized by Zhou Bo would be recognized by the court and enter a period of rapid development in the next ten years. This could almost change the fate of a school of thought, but Ren Ming and others were sorry that they had set the stage, but the Legalists became the protagonists.

Especially being valued by the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, the treatment received by Li Si and others made them envious. Although their family assets of billions made them rare wealthy people in the Han Dynasty, they were just ants compared to the Prime Minister. It was such a great honor to be asked for advice on government affairs by the Prime Minister of the current dynasty, but now they had none of it.

Ren Ming and his people thought that as long as they won the debate, they would still be valued by Zhou Bo. But they did not expect that when Kuai Che proposed the idea of ​​officials retreating and civilians advancing, Zhou Bo gave up. It can be said that as long as Zhou Bo was still the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, the Fumin School would not be valued by the Han Dynasty court. Even before Zhou Bo and his group of founding fathers of the Han Dynasty died, the Fumin School would not be valued.

The founding fathers of the Han Dynasty all fought their way out of the dead. Being pragmatic is the basic ability of heroes who can fight their way out of the chaotic world, because those who don't pay attention to this are the ones who die the fastest. War is the fairest test in the world, and it selects talents through death.

However, these founding fathers could see at a glance that the policy of officials stepping down and civilians advancing was just a trick to enrich themselves at the expense of the public interest and to fatten the merchants at the expense of the profits of the Han court. Such remarks were even ridiculous to the founding fathers of the Han Dynasty. Merchants had always been the fat pigs of the courts of all dynasties. Even if the emperor said that he would control the hands of Han officials and strictly prohibit harassment of local workshops, as long as the court encountered financial difficulties, the first person the emperor would target was the merchant class.

From the establishment of the tax supervision order at the beginning, and the use of armed troops to collect taxes, to the later tax reforms, and even property taxes, every time he did so, he targeted merchants. It was just that the emperor liked to have a legitimate reason, and each time he passed these laws at the Assembly of Sages, but the purpose remained the same. Even in the Han Dynasty, merchants were still pigs and sheep, but the emperor kept a close eye on them and did not allow them to slaughter them at will. I want to find an excuse to kill them again, but they think the emperor is on their side. They don't want to go to the table, but want to sit down and eat. This is ridiculous.

Ren Ming and his men have not figured this out yet. If they want to influence the government, they can only learn from the Donglin Party of later generations. Cultivate people who agree with their ideas to enter the Han officialdom. Of course, they don't have the initiative to do so now, but they have already begun to do so. Xiangshan Academy is the starting point for them to cultivate their own people.

Kuai Che, who lost the debate, was not too discouraged. Instead, he smiled and said, "The failure of this debate is not without benefits. At least it has found the flaws in our theory of enriching the people. As long as we make up for these flaws, our theory of enriching the people will surely reach a higher level."

Compared with Ren Ming and others, Kuai Che was very self-aware and understood the theory of enriching the people. Now, let alone being on par with the great schools like the Legalists, he was not even as good as the small schools like the novelists and the famous writers. At least he had people in the court and was a founding hero recognized by the Han Dynasty. It would be impossible for a new school like the theory of enriching the people to become the mainstream of the Han Dynasty without more than ten years of dedicated cultivation.

"But Prime Minister Zhou Bo has already invited the Legalists to a gathering. We have spent such a huge amount of money, but ended up making wedding dresses for the Legalists. If we had known this would happen, why would we have spent so much money to host this debate?" Wuyan De sighed.

This debate caused a sensation in the Han Dynasty, and tens of thousands of scholars gathered there. The cost of these tens of thousands of scholars was not low, and was all provided by Xiangshan Academy.

Kuai Che smiled and said, "We have not gained nothing. At least the reputation of Xiangshan Academy has been spread. After today, Xiangshan Academy will definitely become the academic center of the south. Moreover, the emperor said something that I think is very reasonable, that is, the general trend of the world is mighty and powerful. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish. As long as the court does not change its national policy of taking industry as the foundation of the country, the general trend of the world will stand behind our Fumin Academy and will definitely push our Fumin Academy towards a more glorious future."

Wuyan De was puzzled and asked, "How did Kuai Zi know that the world's situation was behind us?"

The others also looked at Kuai Che with confusion.

Kuai Che said confidently: "You should all listen to the emperor's lessons more often. You should always carry the emperor's "Record of the Holy Words" with you. Read more of its contents when you have time. It can be said that it is full of wise sayings, and many of them even point out the direction of future development. Even if the emperor does not become an emperor, he can still be compared with Confucius, Laozi, Mozi and other sages of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Many of the views in my "On Enriching the People" were inspired by the emperor."

The smarter a person like Kuai Che is, the more he admires the emperor. He is well-versed in military, politics, and economics, and can become a master in any field. Even his business ability far exceeds that of others. A proud person like Kuai Che can only bow down to the emperor. As he said, he always keeps the "Record of the Holy Words" with him, and often reads its contents to draw wisdom from it.

Kuai Che continued, "In fact, ten years ago, when the emperor was teaching the Mohists, he said something like this. 'Which force can master advanced technology and continuously produce its own companions will become the master of the world. This is the effect of distribution on production in reverse.' This is recorded in the Records of the Holy Words, which happened in the ninth year of the Han calendar. Haven't you read it?"

Ren Ming and others were extremely embarrassed. They had indeed purchased the Emperor's "Record of the Sacred Words". It would be a bit too much to say that they had not read it at all, but to say that they had studied it in depth was to overestimate them. These books were generally decorative items and were placed in their study. Now Kuai Che wanted them to recall the contents of the nine years of the Han calendar in the "Record of the Sacred Words". Where could they recall it! Kuai Che could only say to himself: "After the Emperor finished speaking, the Mohists present still believed that they must be the masters of the world.

But the emperor himself admitted that under modern productivity conditions, the more the Han Dynasty's industry develops, the larger and more numerous the workshops become, and the more workshop owners appear, the more we will be the masters of the world in the end. Think back, everyone, did the family property begin to expand in the past twenty years of the Han Dynasty?
Ren Ming said in surprise, "Before the Han Dynasty, my family was just a small merchant. After the emperor exiled the nobles of the six kingdoms, we had the soil to develop. Then, taking advantage of the Han Dynasty's trend of taking industry as the foundation of the country, our family property expanded rapidly. Now it has increased dozens of times. Without the emperor, my Ren family would definitely not have the current family business."

Ren Ming never expected that the emperor actually looked favorably upon them. This was too beyond their expectations. Ren Ming made up his mind that he would recite the articles in the "Record of the Sacred Words" after returning, otherwise he would not even know that the emperor actually looked favorably upon them.

Others also agreed with Kuai Che's words. They had a short history of making a fortune. They had almost completed their primitive accumulation in the past twenty years of the Han Dynasty. In fact, this was inevitable. Before the founding of the Han Dynasty, they had experienced the baptism of the Qin Dynasty's unification war, the baptism of the Qin and Han Dynasty's wars, and finally experienced Xu Fan's extermination of Xiang Yu and the thorough cleansing of the nobles of the six countries. The original nobles and powerful people were cleansed by Xu Fan. This created a fertile ground for the development of people like Ren Ming. Not to mention that Xu Fan also opened multiple plug-ins, the merchants of the Han Dynasty naturally developed ten times better than in the original history.

However, for Ren Ming and others, rather than standing behind the so-called general trend, they value the emperor's recognition of them more.

Kuai Che smiled and said, "Even the emperor has acknowledged it. I will definitely be the master of the world in the future. The emperor can only suppress our development, but cannot change this trend. As long as this trend is dormant today, it is preparing for its growth tomorrow."

"We are so ashamed that we didn't read the Emperor's "Record of the Holy Words" carefully. As a result, if it weren't for the teacher's reminder, we would not have known such an important thing." Wu Yande sighed.

Although the Han Dynasty had been suppressing their development, they also worshipped the emperor. It took only three years for a teacher to lead 800 prisoners to destroy the Qin Empire with a million soldiers. In the remaining 20 years, they brought the Han Empire into an unprecedented glorious era. Their trust in the emperor of the Han Dynasty was even higher than that in himself. Even the emperor admitted that the future must belong to them. At this time, they were full of confidence in the Fuminxue.

"So we don't need to be anxious. Let's train disciples in Xiangshan first and lay a solid foundation. When the great trend comes, this world will eventually belong to us." Kuai Che said confidently.

On the other hand, Zhou Bo entertained Li Si and other Legalists in the study room arranged for him in Xiangshan Academy.

Zhou Bo smiled and said, "I am deeply touched by what the Legalists said today. The Legalists are indeed a prominent school of thought in the world. Their insights into the Han Dynasty's economy are so unique and profound. Especially the economic model you came up with, it was like a revelation to me. It simplifies complex problems. Even a warrior like me can see it."

"You are too polite, Prime Minister. It is just some academic opinions." Li Si said calmly. At his level, he did not care much about anything except his reputation and the future of the Legalist school. Could the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty be more noble than the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, so he was not too excited about Zhou Zhang's praise.

But the other young students of the Legalist School were extremely excited. As for the bigwigs of the school like Li Si, they naturally didn't care. They were still young. If they could be noticed by the prime minister of the current dynasty, they would have a glorious future.

Zhou Bo smiled and said, "I would like to ask you about the workshops. The number of government-run workshops in the Han Dynasty has been expanding over the years, with both success and failure. Although I don't want to admit it, the development speed of government-run workshops is far slower than that of private workshops, and the proportion is decreasing. Even in the textile industry, they are no longer able to compete with them, and even the emperor has to start giving up the textile industry. You just said that in order to expand the government-run workshops, what should be done?"

Li Si thought for a moment and said, "This is the core idea of ​​our Legalists. We should make full use of the power of the land, eliminate the five pests, and finally enrich the country and strengthen the army. Even if the Han Dynasty took industry as its national policy, the core idea of ​​the Legalists was still not outdated. The five pests in the past were nobles, gentry and knights. These pests infringe on the interests of the country and damage the country's strength. If these pests are not eliminated, the country will surely decline.

Now, the Han Dynasty, with its industry as its foundation, also has new pests, namely those merchants engaged in reselling, workshop owners who exploit craftsmen, and financial bankers who make money without working. They devour the wealth of the people of the world, erode the skin of the Han Dynasty, and harm the interests of the people of the world. The economic crisis in the Han Dynasty is the external manifestation of these people.

After listening to Li Si's words, Zhou Bo nodded in approval. He had been the Tax Inspector for more than ten years and had been dealing with the merchants of the Han Dynasty for more than ten years. He knew these merchants best. These people would do anything for the sake of profit. The Tax Inspector punished hundreds of merchants for tax evasion every year. Even if he was more strict, the number of merchants was already increasing. Wanting a merchant not to be profit-driven was like asking a person not to eat. It was impossible. Only severe punishments and swordsmanship could intimidate them a little. But it was normal. As long as the benefits were enough, not only would the law fail to intimidate them, even death could not intimidate them. He had seen too many merchants who died for money.

Li Si continued: "The Han Dynasty wants to completely get rid of the economic crisis. The only way is for the court to take over these workshops. Now the court's official workshops account for less than 10% of all the workshops in the Han Dynasty. This number is too small, so it is difficult for the court to control the economy of the Han Dynasty.

The court should control most of the workshops. It should control these workshops by participating in various forms of equity purchases, and supervise the workshop groups with officials and craftsmen, so as to control the economy in this way. This economic model is called the official-run model. The court does not exist for profit like the workshop owners, but for the strength of the country and the prosperity of the people.

Zhou Bo frowned and said, "The Shaofu has always wanted to do this, but he doesn't have the ability. Even the court has to withdraw from some highly competitive industries. Kuai Che's Fuminxue is not completely unreasonable. Business also requires talent. The difference between talented people and untalented people is greater than that between humans and dogs. A good shopkeeper can make a workshop prosperous, so their boss is willing to give high salaries or even shares to attract talents, while a stupid manager can make a prosperous workshop decline."

At this point, Zhou Bo even felt a little disappointed, because most of these idiots happened in government-run workshops. No matter how strict the supervision of the court was, it was no match for the desire of private workshop owners to protect their property. Many times, when the court had found that a manager was not competent for management, a workshop had already been ruined. The talents discovered by the Han Dynasty court in recent years were selected at the cost of countless workshops. The cost of trial and error was too high, so high that the Han Dynasty court could not afford it, so it could only concentrate talents in some important fields.

Li Si said: "Merchants also have their uses. The court cannot kill them all at once. In the early stage, officials and civilians can jointly operate. The court can allow these workshop owners to obtain a part of the profits, or even transfer the management rights of the workshops. The court only needs to do the responsibility of supervision. In this way, the court can maximize the management ability of these merchants, but also limit their greed for profits. It strengthens the power of official workshops, strengthens the court's ability to control the economy, and even cultivates talents for the court.

This can suppress the merchants' unscrupulous greed for wealth. Most of the wealth is used as the salaries of craftsmen and the taxes of the country to improve machines and increase production efficiency. This is a way to redistribute wealth efficiently. It is beneficial to both the country and the craftsmen. However, these workshop owners will not be completely abandoned. Instead, their efficient management can be utilized. When the time is right, the court can use the policy of redemption to purchase the shares of these merchants. If these merchants are capable, the court can also select and recruit them. In this way, with the help of the power of merchants, the court workshops will gradually swallow up the shares of private workshops, and eventually the court workshops will occupy the main market in the world. "

The more Zhou Bo thought about it, the more excited he became. He felt that what Li Si said hit the nail on the head. If he followed Li Si's method, the court would be responsible for distributing the profits. The balance between craftsmen and workshop owners could maximize profits while maintaining stability throughout the country, without causing an economic crisis. This was simply a perfect economic state.

(End of this chapter)