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

Chapter 620: A group of scattered sands and the Sun God want to build a kingdom of God

Chao Cuo heard the voices outside and said calmly: "The voices are quiet. From my experience, the number of people demonstrating should not exceed 10,000."

Zheng Qi was surprised and said, "It seems that he is not in a hurry."

Chao Cuo said, "In the past few years in Chang'an, I have witnessed hundreds of demonstrations, large and small. The largest demonstration had more than 30 people, and that was when the people begged the emperor not to abdicate. This is nothing. I will go out and communicate with the craftsmen in the demonstration."

Unlike Zheng Qi, he had seen too many marches and demonstrations in Chang'an City. Under the nurturing of the Supreme Emperor for decades, the arrogance of the people of Chang'an City was unique in the entire Han Dynasty. As long as they encountered injustice or dissatisfaction, they would probably hold marches and demonstrations. In addition, the people of Chang'an City had a lot of free time, so they would join in. There were marches and demonstrations in Chang'an City almost every month. In Chang'an City, if the scale of a demonstration did not exceed 10,000 people, even the government would not care.

When they arrived outside the Chen County government office, there were already Han officials blocking the demonstrators at the gate.

"The traitor Chao Cuo has come out." The leader shouted immediately.

The craftsmen immediately shouted excitedly: "Down with the cruel official Chao Cuo! Down with the cruel official Chao Cuo!"

Chao Cuo said loudly: "If you have any needs, you can send representatives to communicate with me."

The leader immediately said, "We must abolish the tyranny!"

"Yes, we want to abolish the harsh policies." The craftsmen had heard that the court was going to carry out reforms again and provide factory managers with rights and even the right to fire them. This was unacceptable to the craftsmen, especially the rogue craftsmen among them. They knew that their good days would be over if the new law was implemented, so they were the most active in this demonstration.

Chao Cuo said, "Do you know that the first step of the court's new policy is to cut the number of managers? This year, half of them will be cut to increase the profits of the factories. You don't want them to leave, do you want to leave? You should know that the premise for a factory to survive is to make a profit, and the income of many factories in Chen County is already extremely dangerous. Now that the economy is on the rise, it can barely make a certain profit, but as long as the economy is in a downturn, it is inevitable that the income will not be enough to make ends meet. The court discovered this trend and carried out reforms. You should think clearly about whether you are going to harm your own interests to protect those managers who get something for nothing."

Chao Cuo's words made the marching workers hesitate. The core of their lives was the factory. They knew exactly who was a relative and who was the second generation in the factory. They had long been dissatisfied with those managers who did nothing all day but received high salaries. If the court really targeted them, many workers would be happy to see it.

Many people immediately left the demonstration group. After all, Chenjun was not Chang'an City, and the local people did not have the political awareness of the old district of Paris in Chang'an. At the same time, they also realized that they were being used as pawns.

The leader said anxiously: "Don't listen to what this cruel official said. He said that he came to Chen County to implement the factory director system and to strengthen the power of the factory director. He can even fire the craftsmen. Think about it, why can this cruel official do this? We have been working in the factory since our fathers' generation."

Chao Cuo smiled and said, "You can only have a good life if the factory makes good profits, and what the court is doing now is for this reason. If the factory goes bankrupt, you will still have the good life you have now. The one-man system is for the good of the factory. Now the factory director cannot fire employees, so those rogue employees are lazy and unscrupulous, which harms everyone's interests. These people don't work seriously, but the factory has to support them. The factory is not doing well and will go bankrupt, and everyone will have no food to eat. Are you willing to be dragged down by these rogue craftsmen?"

The workers who were demonstrating were even more hesitant. They were all from the same factory, and they knew clearly who was capable and who was not, who was lazy and who was not. If the factory collapsed because of these people, then everyone would have nothing to eat. They had long disliked these bad apples. However, they were all related to each other, or had watched them grow up, so it was hard to say anything to them. Now if the factory director became the bad guy, they would actually feel relieved.

They did not think too deeply about it, and still had a simple sense of ownership in their hearts. Instead, they thought that this was a good thing for the factory.

The Han Dynasty was better than later generations in one respect, that is, it established a bankruptcy system when the industry was just established, and at the same time clearly told the craftsmen that if the factory was not profitable, the court felt that it was insolvent, or if it was not profitable, it would go bankrupt. During the past forty years, the Han Dynasty has been practicing this concept. Whether it is a county factory, a prefecture factory, or a Shaofu factory, there is no shortage of bankruptcies. Of those craftsmen, a few were reintegrated into new factories, and most were resettled in the south. There were even more private factories with flaws.

Therefore, although the craftsmen of the Han Dynasty also had the concept of treating the factory as their home, they had also seen too many factory bankruptcies and had a stronger sense of crisis. Since Chao Cuo said that the one-man system was to allow the factory to survive better, everyone believed it, because the court had not deceived them, and they did not have a deep understanding of the damage to their rights caused by the one-man system. Instead, they felt that it was good for the factory. In addition, the court's spearhead was aimed at those who were dissatisfied with their usual connections, and the demonstration team began to dig, leaving only some rogue craftsmen and the leading manager.

Chao Cuo shook his head and said, "The fact that they can't even organize a demonstration shows the gap between Chenjun and Chang'an."

At this time, those rogue craftsmen also began to escape cautiously. They liked to take advantage of the power of others. Now that the craftsmen had dispersed, they were worried that they would be targeted by Chao Cuo, which would be terrible. They still understood the principle that the people should not fight with the officials.

Led by these rogue craftsmen, the protesting crowd quickly dispersed, leaving behind only the managers who were dissatisfied with the half-strength cut in staffing. There were probably several hundred of them.

Chao Cuo said calmly: "Now that the onlookers have left, it's time to get down to business. I can tell you clearly that cutting the number of managers is a strategy set by the court, and it will not change because of your demonstrations. You parasites have been eating the imperial court's rice salary for so many years, and now you should be self-reliant."

The head steward immediately changed his tone to one of grievance and said, "I and others have worked like slaves for the imperial court for decades. Now the imperial court sees that we are old and wants to lay us off. Is this fair?"

But Chao Cuo was unmoved. He said, "You are still being treated like slaves by the imperial court. Do you think you are living in the tyrannical Qin Dynasty?"
"Although we have failed today, we are unwilling to accept the defeat. We will go to Chang'an City and meet the emperor to file a complaint. We want the entire Han Dynasty to know that you, Chao Cuo, are a cruel official who oppresses the elderly and lonely people with cold blood."

Chao Cuo frowned. He hated people like this who were throwing tantrums and making unreasonable demands, but their threats were real.

After the emperor introduced the suggestion box, there were several cases of complaints to the emperor every year, and countless Han officials were punished as a result. Among them were two prefects with a salary of 2000 stones, who were directly ordered by the emperor to retire early because they violated Han laws.

You have to know that in the Han Dynasty, the two thousand stone officials were already a small mountain, and their power was not much less than that of the princes in the Warring States Period, but in the end they fell to a few ordinary people. The threat of filing a complaint to the Han officials was greater than that of the Imperial Censor.

Although he was upright, it was not a good thing for them to do this, so he thought: "Don't say that I have driven them to a dead end. Changsha County, Lingling County, and Wuling County are going to carry out the government-run reform, so they lack sufficient management talents and craftsmen. If you are willing to make progress and pass the assessment in the technical school, I can arrange for you to go to the three southern counties."

The head steward hesitated and asked, "Changsha County?"

Chen County is a first-tier city in the Han Dynasty, so Changsha County, Wuling County, and Lingling County in the south are probably not even as good as third-tier cities. In many people's impressions, they are all wild and desolate places in the south.

Chao Cuo said seriously, "After decades of reclamation by the imperial court, Changsha County is no longer as barren as before. This is your best choice. You can go to Changsha to work and come back when you retire. Otherwise, you can retire now or go to the New World. They are also building a railway there and are short of master carpenters. Do you want to go to the New World?"

These managers did not dare to speak out. The New World had recruited 500 billion to build a railway network. They knew that Chenjun had also received an order for 50 billion rails, and all the steel mills in Chenjun were busy.

But they knew from newspapers that the New World was full of savages and wild beasts, and they were stunned by all kinds of supernatural stories. After this comparison, they suddenly felt that Changsha County was okay.

Chao Cuo said: "I want to explain to you that the industry in the three southern counties is not prosperous, and the number of places is limited. You should seize the opportunity."

"We will go to the technical school tomorrow." These managers immediately seized the olive branch thrown by Chao Cuo.

After everyone left, Chao Cuo breathed a sigh of relief and said thankfully, "Fortunately, the Mohists did not organize this demonstration."

Those managers with connections knew they were no match for the powerful, so they simply found a way to transfer out of Chenjun. Without these people stirring up trouble, Chao Cuo's management went very smoothly. At the same time, the factory directors also began to drive those factories and rogue craftsmen they disliked to Chenjun Technical College.

Those people didn't want to leave, but the factory director told them clearly: "From now on, your positions will be transferred to the technical college, and your salary will no longer be paid by our factory, but by the technical college. If you don't go to the college, it will be equivalent to resigning automatically."

These people had no choice but to go back to technical college. They thought they could just fool around and pretend to learn technology. After all, it is difficult to change one's nature. They didn't learn technology well when they were young. Now they are old, how can they be willing to put in the effort to learn technology?
But what these rogue craftsmen never expected was that what greeted them was not school desks, but the instructor's whip.

Lieutenant Chen shouted, "From today on, you will be on duty at 6 o'clock. You will have three drills a day: physical training in the morning and evening, military training in the morning, and skills training in the afternoon. If you dare to disobey orders, I will punish you with my whip."

"Ah!" All the craftsmen were dumbfounded. Is this a school?
Chao Cuo knew the character of the craftsmen who were driven out. He thought that sending them to Changsha County would cause trouble for Jia Yi, so he found the county lieutenant and asked him to give military training to these craftsmen who came for training, to get rid of their laziness and break their lazy habits.

June 41, 6rd year of the Han calendar.

"Beep, beep, beep!" A train slowly stopped at Changsha North Station.

"Line up, stand under the brand sign, and look out for each other if you know each other. Don't stand in the wrong place." A team leader shouted loudly.

The people who got off the train looked at the signs around them. Some said Chenjun Iron and Steel Factory, and some said Chenjun First Textile Factory. The craftsmen of each factory stood under the sign of their factory. Soon there were more than a dozen rows.

These were Chenjun craftsmen who came to support Changsha's construction. Seeing the scenery around the train station made them feel relieved. Although it was not as good as Chenjun, it was not the wild place they imagined. It was almost as prosperous as the small county of Chenjun, which was not bad.

However, many young craftsmen gathered together and said angrily, "Chao Cuo, I am not done with you. My father has done all the hard work, and I am here to enjoy the good life. You still want me to work like a beast of burden? No way."

They didn't want to come to Changsha County at all, it was just that the whip of the technical academy was too hard to bear. But now that they came to Changsha County and were free from the fear of the whip, some of these people's bad habits relapsed.

But one of his younger brothers whispered, "Brother, it is said that the governor Jia Yi is Chao Cuo's boss. He dared to go against the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. I am afraid he is a cruel official who is ten times worse than Chao Cuo."

The eldest brother immediately looked terrified and said, "We must do a good job this time, so that the new governor will also know our brothers' abilities."

At this time, Jia Yi appeared in front of the team and said with a smile: "Welcome to Changsha County. Although Changsha County is not as prosperous as Chen County today, there are more opportunities here than in Chen County. As long as you work hard, I promise that you will have a day to shine. The vast world of Changsha County will surely become a place where you can make great achievements."

June 45, 3rd year of the Han calendar.

Alexandria, Han Consulate General.

As soon as Zhang Pijiang returned to Daqinzhou, his old friend, Theodos, the court minister of the Ptolemaic Empire, found him and made a request that surprised him greatly. He wanted the Han Dynasty to help them build a capital city like Chang'an.

Zhang Pijiang asked curiously, "Why would your king have such an idea?"

The court minister Diodos said: "In recent years, many nobles of our country have gone to the Han Dynasty to study. After seeing Chang'an City, they thought it was the kingdom of gods in mythology. Only gods can live in such a place. The king is the incarnation of the sun god, so he should naturally live in the kingdom of gods.

This bizarre reason made Zhang Pijiang feel embarrassed.

In recent years, the exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations have become more frequent. The Great Han Dynasty's Sage Meeting and the Princes' Assembly are not closed meetings. Xu Fan has always been willing to let the people of the Great Han Dynasty understand the government affairs of the Great Han Dynasty directly, so the Sage Meeting and the Princes of the Great Han Dynasty will open up some areas for the people to watch. In recent years, the nobles of the Great Qin Continent also like to watch the Great Han Dynasty's Sage Meeting, where they can understand the inside story of the Great Han Dynasty.

The nobles from Daqinzhou who came to Chang'an City were all stunned by this future city. The magnificent city, towering buildings, developed transportation, powerful industrial areas, wealthy citizens, and all kinds of strange tools made the nobles from Daqinzhou feel awe for the Emperor of Han Dynasty. They believed that the power possessed by the Emperor of Han Dynasty was more powerful than that of the God-King in mythology. If there really was a God-King in this world, it must be the Emperor of Han Dynasty.

When these overseas students returned to their own countries, they immediately became elite Han princes, constantly bragging to others about everything they had experienced in the Han Dynasty, the huge cities, the prosperous country, and all kinds of magical tools. In particular, the Han Dynasty had begun to popularize the telegraph on a large scale in the past two years, and experimental electric lights had begun to appear. This made these nobles believe that the Han Dynasty had mastered the power of the gods.

The Ptolemaic Empire was originally a multi-religious country, and they had always claimed themselves to be the god of the sun. But after hearing about the grandeur of the Han capital, the new king wanted to build his own capital like the one boasted by the nobles as if it were a fun toy.

Zhang Pijiang held his forehead helplessly and said, "Do you know how much the Han Dynasty invested in Chang'an City? It cost 1 talents of gold every year, and this investment lasted for 40 years. Only then did we have the current Chang'an City. Do you think the Ptolemy Kingdom can come up with this money?"

The court minister Diodos said: "Ptolemy and the Han Dynasty are allies, so please help our country. Of course, we also understand that it is unrealistic to build a Chang'an City, but even a smaller Chang'an City is acceptable. You can propose any conditions you want."

Zhang Pijiang shook his head and said, "To build a capital city like Chang'an requires an extremely huge material and spiritual foundation."

The court minister Theodos said: "The ambassador underestimates our country. Our country is also a country that built huge pyramids, and the wealth of Ptolemy is second to none in the entire Mediterranean."

Zhang Pijiang thought for a while and said, "Our emperor once said that if you work hard, you will have enough food and clothing. Ptolemy needs to build a huge basic industrial system, including the steel industry, cement industry, machinery industry, and mining industry. These are the most basic industries for construction. Ptolemy has a population of over ten million. If we unite as one to build, we can build a capital city that is not much worse than Chang'an City."

"First, you should build five small industrial systems to meet your material needs. According to Dahan's calculations, it will cost about 5 billion coins to build these five industrial systems. I will contact some master craftsmen to help you build these systems."

"One billion dollars?"

"That's 1 talents of gold."

The court minister Theodos was speechless. After all, Ptolemy was a big country with a population of tens of millions. In addition to the dividends from the Age of Discovery and the construction of the Suez Canal, the fiscal revenue of Ptolemy had exceeded 3 talents of gold in recent years.

But the Ptolemaic Empire earned a lot and spent a lot. Ptolemy VI had to build his palace, the monks had to build their temples, and the nobles had to hold their luxurious banquets, all of which cost money, not to mention that this group had to buy a lot of Han luxury goods. 3 talents of gold were not enough for their annual expenses, so where would they get the money to build the capital?

(End of this chapter)