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

Chapter 499, Realists and Interns

The wise men at the scene also hesitated after hearing what Kuai Che said. People of this era have not yet completely changed from the agricultural social concept. Getting rich through hard work is still the truth they recognize. As Qin Bo said, it is not in line with their morality to support idle people.

Qin Bo looked at Kuai Che and snorted, "The morals of craftsmen like me are much higher than yours. If there is a choice, no one would want to work and live off their savings. This is an emergency measure. Unemployment benefits will definitely not be as much as salaries. It can only barely support oneself. Craftsmen who want a better life can only work."

Kuai Che sneered and said, "You use morality to measure people's hearts. This is not your Mozi Academy, but the Sages Conference. The sages present here are here to fight for the interests of the people of the world."

Ren Ming said: "If the craftsmen really don't have money to support themselves and their families, the court has provided them with a way out. They can go to the vassal states of the Han Dynasty to cultivate the land, go to the Western Regions, or go to Jiangnan. Jiangnan, in particular, has been reclaimed by the court into a land of fish and rice. It is said that one acre of land there is equivalent to three or five acres in the Central Plains. With 100 acres of land, you can become a small landlord in the Han Dynasty and live a life above the middle class in the Han Dynasty. Craftsmen who are unemployed must not have good skills. Master craftsmen with superb skills are scrambling for them, so it is impossible for them to be unemployed. Since they have poor skills and cannot support themselves and their families, why stay in the city? Going to cultivate the land can better support their families."

As soon as Qin Bo opened his mouth, merchants like Ren Ming knew that this loophole could not be opened. Unemployment benefits seemed to have nothing to do with them and would not affect their interests, but people like Ren Ming knew the current emperor too well, and the money for unemployment benefits would almost certainly be paid by them, so they naturally had to suppress Qin Bo's idea.

The Renming sages were even more hesitant. Among them, the farmer sage Wu Yue said, "Master Qin Bo, I think the current situation of the Han Dynasty is that there are too many wastelands, too many craftsmen, and too few farmers. You also said that farmers can better withstand the economic crisis. Why not arrange for more craftsmen to go to the south of the Yangtze River to cultivate the land? No matter how many crises break out in the city or how many people are unemployed, farmers still have a piece of land to feed their families.

"Besides, there are fewer craftsmen. If those workshops want to retain their workers, they must offer higher salaries. This is a good thing for everyone. Why bother with unemployment benefits? I think you Mohists should play a better role as organizations and organize craftsmen to go to Southeast Asia and Jiangnan to settle and reclaim land. This is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone."

Seeing Qin Bo under siege, Tian Yang said, "The court has always organized the people to cultivate land, and even has a government office for cultivation, so the Mo family does not need to intervene in the matter of cultivation. The unemployment of craftsmen we are discussing today is as inevitable as natural disasters for farmers, and the economic crisis caused by overcapacity is like a drought that occurs once a century. If a drought breaks out among farmers, is it possible that the court will not provide relief, but instead move the people to Jiangnan for cultivation?"

"I admit that there will be some cunning people who take advantage of unemployment benefits, but such people are only a small minority. Is the court going to give up the vast majority of artisans who are living in hardship for the sake of this small minority? Shouldn't the direction of our discussion be how to restrict those cunning and treacherous people?"

Wu Yue thought for a moment and asked, "This proposal for unemployment benefits was proposed by you, the Mohists. Naturally, it is you who should solve this problem. How can you limit the taxes imposed on those who cheat and deceive and harm the people?"

Qin Bo thought for a moment and said, "We can only give the minimum food subsidy to keep the craftsmen and their families from starving. If they want to live a good life, they must work."

At this time, Xu Fan said, "I think this proposal of the Mohists can be expanded. More than a decade ago, our Han Dynasty officially announced to the people of the world that hunger had been solved. Then our Han Dynasty has the responsibility to protect every citizen of the Han Dynasty from the threat of hunger. I think this unemployment subsidy bill applies not only to craftsmen, but also to anyone in the Han Dynasty. Anyone who loses income can apply to the court for relief. According to the number of people, a household can get 5 stone of grain, 5 catties of salt, and 5 catties of oil per month to ensure that the people can have a guaranteed life."

Wu Yue sighed and asked, "Your Majesty, although your policy is good, I dare to guarantee that after the farmers know about this decree, they will really lie at home and wait for relief from the court, and the number will not be small."

Wu Yue has been in Shangjun for six years and has seen all kinds of farmers. There are those who want to work and create wealth, those who are sneaky and play games, and those who are lazy and just want to get by.

Xu Fan said: "It is not so easy to get the relief from the court. If you still don't have a job that can support yourself after three months, it means that you can no longer survive in the local area. You have to obey the arrangements of the court and let the court find a way to support you. These days, rights and obligations are equal. If you eat the food from the court, you have to obey the court's command. The court's relief system must also follow a principle, that is, to help in emergencies, not to help the poor."

Since the emperor had said so, the Mohist unemployment benefit bill was changed into a relief bill and passed.

On October 15th of the 20th year of the Han calendar, the Han princes convened a meeting.

The five princes represented by Ying Bu's tribe requested the court to support them in expanding the city. Of course, the Han court was willing to support them in expanding domestic demand.

However, a very funny thing happened later. The envoy of the Kushan Empire stepped forward and strongly condemned the Indian trading company represented by Hu Hai, who had committed all kinds of evil in India. Not only did they threaten them to buy 300 million pieces of expensive cloth, but they also seriously damaged the economy of the Kushan Empire. The envoy asked the emperor to punish Hu Hai and the Indian trading company.

This was the first time Xu Fan knew that even the Kushan Empire was threatened by Hu Hai. He was a little bit amused and helpless for a moment. The classical Kushan Empire in history was rated as one of the four great empires, so how come its fighting power was so poor that even Hu Hai did not dare to offend it?

However, Hu Hai also made great contributions to solving the crisis for the Han Dynasty, and Xu Fan would not abandon him. Without Hu Hai's plundering of India to get an order for 1100 million pieces of cloth, the Han Dynasty would certainly not have gotten out of the economic crisis so quickly.

Through this incident, Xu Fan has a clear understanding of himself. After all, he is not an idealist, but a more pragmatic realist.

At this time, Ji Bu opened his mouth and scolded: "You have become the princes of the Great Han Dynasty without any merit. Buying cloth is a merit for the Great Han Dynasty. Don't you want to serve the emperor? Do you need me to go to your Kushan country to teach your king to learn the rules of the Great Han Dynasty?"

Ji Bu was a well-known figure in the Kushan Empire whose name could stop children from crying at night. His scolding frightened the envoy so much that he dared not speak for a while.

This scene caused all the princes present to burst into laughter, and the matter ended there.

The 25th day of the 10th month of the 20th year of the Han calendar, in the Yan Palace.

Xu Fan ordered someone to find the newly appointed Shaofu Ling Yang Xiong.

"What do you think about the management of the workshops under the Shaofu?"

Yang Xiong said: "Continue to carry out the emperor's orders, develop technology to improve production efficiency, increase the profits of the workshops under the Shaofu, and provide financial assistance for the Han Dynasty to build a harmonious world."

Strictly speaking, Yang Xiong was the one who had spent the longest time with Xu Fan in the past ten years. He naturally understood that the emperor valued the Shaofu workshop the most for its technological research and development, which would lead the industry and quickly spread the new technology throughout the Han Dynasty. The second was the profits earned by the factory to support the court's finances. The emperor said more than once that factories should focus on efficiency, and the court was the place that managed fairness.

Xu Fan nodded and said, "I am relieved that you can see it so clearly."

Then Xu Fan called in a young man, who was Xu Fan's eldest son Xu Aimin.

When Yang Xiong saw Xu Aimin coming over, he immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness, I, Yang Xiong, pay my respects to you."

Xu Aimin said, "Hello, Uncle Yang."

Xu Fan said: "There is no need to be so polite in private occasions."

Then Xu Fan said: "Ai Min graduated this year. I want him to gain more knowledge. I want you to guide him so that he can understand how the factory operates and how the Shaofu operates."

Yang Xiong asked somewhat stiffly, "Your Majesty, this is unreasonable, isn't it? Prince Aimin should learn more about how to govern a country instead of following me."

Xu Fan said: "Knowing how to run a workshop is the most practical way to govern the country. Only by getting in touch with the petty officials and understanding the operation of the court can you avoid being deceived by the officials below. Don't worry, I won't make it difficult for you. He will be called Chen Aimin in the future. He will be a clerk who organizes documents for you. You don't need to treat him specially. This foot has been strong since he was a child. You can use him when you need to."

Before Xu Fan traveled through time, he read what an uploader said. Why did the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty have the highest quality in the two thousand years of feudal history? Because they had a fiefdom to practice governing the country in advance. Later kings gradually lost this system. Before becoming an emperor, they could not manage anything. When the old emperor died, they immediately took over a huge empire. It was normal for this inheritance system to produce a foolish or even mediocre monarch. If all monarchs could produce wise monarchs, then this monarch would be a rare genius.

Xu Fan still agreed with this statement, so after Xu Aimin graduated, he planned to let Xu Aimin work as a minor official in various departments of the Han Dynasty to understand the normal operation of these departments. He didn't want him to become an experienced old official, but only to become a monarch in the future so that he would not be deceived by the people below and would not think that an egg costs thirty taels.

Yang Xiong could only show an ugly smile and said, "Yes." After Yang Xiong left, Xu Fan told Xu Aimin, "When you go to the Shaofu, read more, learn more, and ask more questions. Don't hinder the Shaofu from handling government affairs normally. The Han officials are all experienced officials with more experience than you."

Xu Aimin hesitated and asked, "Why does my child want to go to the Shaofu?"

Xu Fan said, "I let you see the appearance of my Han villages in the past two years. This is to let you know the hardships of my Han farmers. The reason for going to Shaofu is that the future of the world lies in Shaofu's factories. The future of the world's governance will be in these factories. If these factories prosper, my Han will prosper. If these factories decline, my Han will decline."

"It's the same for the king. If the king understands how these factories work and can control these factories, he will have power. If he loses these factories, he will lose power."

Xu Fan knew too well what would happen with industrialization. The workshop owners slowly gained power through the accumulation of wealth, replacing the aristocracy dominated by the kings. A large number of European aristocrats and monarchs died. Xu Fan understood that even his descendants would be executed if they could not adapt to the new era and reforms.

October 26th, Juxian Building.

Xu Aimin, Yingxiong, Chen Mai and Zhang Jiangpi, four friends, get together to practice for Yingxiong. The four of them have graduated from college, and Yingxiong is going to return to England with his father.

Xu Aimin said sadly: "It will be hard to see you again after this separation."

Yingxiong smiled and said, "What's so difficult about this? At most, I will follow my father to Chang'an City every year for the princes' meeting. I will bring you canned fruits from England, especially the oranges there are the most delicious."

But he soon said sadly, "I don't want to leave either. What's so good about England? It's just a big country. But I can't help it. My father said he is going to retire and I have to inherit England's legacy. I can only go to the countryside every day from now on."

At this point he looked at his friends and said, "When you have time in the future, you must come to England to see me."

Xu Aimin said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult. My father has found me a job in the Shaofu, and I will be taking up the post in a few days. The Shaofu is the busiest government office in the entire Han Dynasty. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to leave Chang'an City."

Chen Mai said with a bitter face, "It's good enough that you can stay in Chang'an City. I don't know what's wrong with that master in my family. He actually found me a job in Jincheng. Do you know where the office is? In Hexi, near the plateau, there are nothing but mountains. The people under his rule are all Qiang people who can only herd sheep. Herding sheep, how can I know how to herd sheep? I even doubt whether I am his biological son. This is not a job, but an exile to the frontier, and it's a thousand miles away."

Zhang Jiangpi said: "I have heard something about this. Since the discovery of fierce fire oil, the Western Region has become more and more important to our Han Dynasty. After the railway was built, the Hexi line has become increasingly prosperous. I heard that Hexi will also be upgraded to a county, and there will be several of them. According to the court system, those who serve in Hexi should be given priority for promotion. If it is upgraded to a county, a large number of Han officials in Hexi will rise with the tide. If you really work as an official in Hexi, you can be promoted to a county magistrate in less than ten years."

Chen Mai was dissatisfied and said, "You always think of such crooked ways. Can't I be a county magistrate when I am an official in Guanzhong?"

Chen Mai was not dissatisfied with being an official in Hexi. He had been to the mountain villages in Shangjun before. He knew how poor Hexi could be. He was just dissatisfied with his father's arrangement of his life and his complete disregard for his opinions. This made Chen Mai feel that his father did not respect him at all.

Chen Mai's generation were basically born after the founding of the Han Dynasty. They caught up with the wave of the First Industrial Revolution. Their material life became richer, so they naturally pursued spiritual independence. In addition, they were in a rebellious period and hated the feudal patriarchal style of doing things for their own benefit.

Xu Aimin looked at Zhang Jiangpi and asked, "Did your master arrange any job for you? Will you stay in school or go to Southeast Asia and Korea?"

Zhang Jiang said: "The master didn't arrange anything. He said that I have graduated from the academy and I am an adult. I can do whatever I am interested in, as long as I don't go astray."

Chen Mai said with a little envy: "This is the difference. No wonder Prime Minister Zhang can become a master of learning, but my master can only become a teacher by relying on power."

Zhang Jiangpi said: "This may be the advantage of being the second son. I don't have a vassal state to inherit, and the family's inheritance does not need me. Having an elder brother is enough, and I can naturally do what I want."

"I have decided that I will go to Southeast Asia to see my elder brother in the spring and see what the Korea he founded looks like. I will also go to India to see a different civilization from my Han Dynasty. Then I will go to the Xiongnu Kingdom in the Western Regions by land to see what the westernmost vassal state of my Han Dynasty looks like. Then I will return to Chang'an from the Western Regions. This journey is about 30,000 to 40,000 miles and it will probably take two to three years."

Xu Aimin, Yingxiong and Chen Mai all looked at Zhang Jiangpi with envy. These words made people envy them. Being unrestrained and free was something that they would never be able to do.

November 1st, the 20th year of the Han calendar.

Chen Aimin wore the uniform of a Han official and became one of the glorious Han officials.

When he entered the Shaofu Mansion, it was full of busy clerks. These people were holding huge documents and walking in a hurry. Chen Aimin almost bumped into people several times.

At this time, a clerk asked, "Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Chen Aimin immediately said, "I am a new clerk in the Ministry of Personnel."

The clerk frowned and looked at Chen Aimin suspiciously and said, "The Shaofu doesn't have a recruitment plan either, and it's impossible to recruit only one person?"

Chen Aimin immediately took out a document and said, "This is a transfer document from someone."

"The Imperial Horse Supervisor!" The clerk smiled and said, "No wonder, the Imperial Horse Supervisor is a government office that will soon be abolished. You are smart enough to escape in advance."

Then the clerk said proudly: "We are different from the Shaofu and the Taipu. We are in charge of one third of the Han Dynasty's money and grain. I am the Shaofu with a great responsibility. I have to do the work of two people. I am different from the retired government officials like you, the Taipu."

The Shaofu of the Han Dynasty was completely different from that of the Qin Dynasty. The Shaofu of the Qin Dynasty was mainly to serve the royal family, from food, clothing, housing and transportation to birth, aging, sickness and death. If the craftsmen who built the imperial mausoleum were counted, there would be more than 100,000 officials, just for the family of the First Emperor, which was a bit like the Taizai of the Spring and Autumn Period.

This became one of the official offices of the imperial court. It controlled hundreds of workshops and could earn millions of gold in profits every year. Among the nine government offices of the Han Dynasty, the Shaofu was the largest and managed the most wealth. It was also the most important department in the entire Han Dynasty court. Naturally, the petty officials here were arrogant.

Chen Aimin immediately said, "I am very hardworking."

The clerk said, "You follow me first and move the documents. The new lord wants to know the situation of the workshops under my lord."

Chen Aimin said: "Yes."

Then Chen Aimin followed this minor official and began his life as a Han official.

(End of this chapter)