I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Facing these skilled craftsmen, Wang Jing also revealed his generous and kind side. He treated every craftsman with a pleasant face and warm words of encouragement, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze. No matter who came, they could see how much he valued the craftsmen.

As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. The leading role played by the person in power of a force is astonishing. Wang Jing wants to reverse the ruling class's contempt for technology in this way.

After all, only children would make the choice between magic and science, and Wang Jing wants both.

What's more, compared with the dignitaries in the court, Wang Jing felt that the craftsmen in front of him were much more simple and lovely. He always attached great importance to technical talents.

The craftsmanship, technology and advanced productivity represented by craftsmen are the backbone of a nation and the future of civilization.

In the past, the craftsmen had often been ordered around and treated like pigs and dogs by dignitaries. How could they have ever received such courtesy?

Suddenly, everyone was excited and wanted to open their hearts to Wang Jing to show their loyalty.

"You are all talented people. If you are dissatisfied with your current life, please feel free to speak up. I will do my best to improve it and create a platform that allows you to focus on your work and fully display your strengths."

Wang Jing's tone was sincere, his eyes were genuine, and his words were by no means perfunctory.

Coming from later generations, he knew very well that a reasonable distribution system was the real source and driving force for technological progress. You can't want the horse to run without giving it grass to eat, right?
Isn't that nonsense?
Therefore, if these craftsmen in front of him really have any needs that can be met, Wang Jing will definitely try his best to satisfy them. He only hopes that they can work well and create more value.

"Why did the general say this?"

"That is to say, life is already unimaginably good now, and if you still feel dissatisfied, you are simply not a human being!"

When he said this, several old craftsmen looked indignant.

"Haha, not really. If you have any needs, you can still ask for them. As long as I can do it, I will do my best to provide you with the best living conditions so that you can devote yourself to technological research and development without any worries."

Wang Jing chatted for a few more words, promised some conditions and benefits, and then followed Yang Xiu away: "Where is the stuff?"

Yang Xiu immediately pointed the way ahead: "My lord, please follow me to the shooting range. There is a prototype that has just been tested and has not yet been disassembled."

Wang Jing could not wait to follow Yang Xiu to the shooting range, and found that there was indeed a huge stone cannon parked there. The appearance had not changed much, but the internal structure and some key components had obviously been redesigned and improved, and the performance had been greatly improved.

Boom~
The 170-pound stone bullet was thrown 430 steps away by the huge inertial force. This range directly broke the previous highest record.

Not only did the weight of the projectile increase by twenty pounds, but the shooting distance also increased by more than thirty steps!
The effect of this plus one is not just a simple superposition, but a qualitative leap, which means that the improved boulder cannon that Wang Jing now possesses is more powerful, has a longer range, and can be used continuously for a longer period of time in battle.

This improvement in combat effectiveness is simply unimaginable.

"Not bad, very good, very good!"

Three consecutive "good"s were enough to prove how good Wang Jing's mood was at the moment.

Yang Xiu and Lu Fang, both of whom are young, have already become the backbone of the R&D department. This time they have brought him another big surprise.

But Wang Jing was also a thoughtful person. He quickly recalled all the abnormal behaviors of Yang Xiu when he came to see him before, and thought that he must be in a bad mood.

After all, he was a genius that he valued, so Wang Jing patiently asked, "Dezu, it is a great thing that you have improved the giant stone cannon. Why were you so unhappy when you came to find me just now?"

Yang Xiu sighed again, and then explained to Wang Jing: "My father thinks that studying Mohism is not doing his job properly. Zhengliang and I have been working day and night to study how to improve the giant stone cannon. We have made some achievements. I wanted to tell my father the good news, but he reprimanded me."

"This is happening!"

Wang Jing frowned when he heard this, and was obviously very dissatisfied with Yang Biao.

Even he himself treats the craftsmen with great courtesy. Why don't you, Yang Biao, follow the lead of me? Instead, you put on airs as a Confucian master. Are you itching for trouble?
Wang Jing was very unhappy with Yang Biao's attitude.

But getting angry and furious cannot solve the problem. After all, Yang Biao is not only a member of the New Party, he is also Yang Xiu's biological father. His scolding of Yang Xiu is not out of malice.

But the craftsmen of this era did have a very low status, even lower than the bandits who came from the grassroots.

In the Records of the Three Kingdoms, there are many records about various bandits, especially during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when many grassroots heroes emerged. No matter whether they left their names in history or were infamous for eternity, at least they left their names behind.

But what about the craftsmen?

How many famous craftsmen are recorded throughout the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period?
Ma Jun was the only craftsman who left his name and biography simply by relying on his own abilities, without any background or official position!
Moreover, this person was not taken seriously in Cao Wei. At best, he was just a minor official in Luoyang. Any powerful person with a little status could order him around.

In such a social context, it has to be said that Yang Biao's words of advice to Yang Xiu are indeed true "golden words".

After all, he was the son of Si Tu, a descendant of one of the Three Dukes. No matter who his father was, it would be impossible for him to accept the fact that he gave up Confucianism, which was a smooth path to becoming an official, and devoted himself to studying Mohism, a "lowly profession".

Yang Biao was very well-mannered as he didn't hit anyone directly.

If the status issue of craftsmen is not resolved, what good will it do even if Wang Jing goes to Yang Biao's house and scolds him?

Wang Jing is also a person who understands the rules of how society operates, so he knows that in order to change the ecology of a civilization and support talents in a certain field, it is necessary to provide sufficient fame, benefits and status.

If any of these three points is missing, it will be useless.

Before this, Wang Jing repeatedly suppressed Confucianism, suppressed the academic status of Confucianism, and supported Confucianism and Taoism that he had modified. However, it is undeniable that any school of thought other than Confucianism is still in an absolutely weak position.

In the eyes of traditional Confucian scholars, all kinds of crafts were menial occupations, and artisans were an inferior status.

If Yang Biao wants to take Yang Xiu's research results seriously, he must give Yang Xiu an identity that is not to be looked down upon.

Wang Jing had been busy with wars before and had no time to think about these things, but now that he had encountered a problem, he had to think about it carefully.

His preferential treatment of craftsmen could at most mobilize the middle and lower class dignitaries and wealthy families, while the influence of important officials such as Yang Biao was still very limited.

There is nothing that can be done about it. After all, Yang Biao is old, and his worldview has long been formed. It is almost impossible to change his mind.

But in order to promote technological progress, this is something that must be taken seriously.

As soon as this thought came to mind, Wang Jing immediately began to make plans in his mind.

After thinking for a while, Wang Jing quickly figured out how to persuade Yang Xiu, and immediately said: "Dezu, if you want your father to change his mind about you, the first thing you have to do is to change your own mind."

"Change your mind?"

"That's right. If you want others to recognize your achievements, you should recognize yourself first. If you can't even recognize yourself, how can others recognize you?"

Wang Jing's words went straight into Yang Xiu's heart.

It was indeed as Wang Jing said, Yang Xiu felt lost and hesitated only because his own beliefs were not very firm. Even deep in his heart, he might have secretly agreed with his father's words.

After hundreds of years of brainwashing by Confucianism, the idea of ​​looking down on craftsmen has become subtly instilled and deeply rooted.

Wang Jing's eyes were sharp as knives. He stared into Yang Xiu's eyes and asked word by word, "Ancestor De, do you also agree that all craftsmen are menial jobs?" "This..."

It was difficult for Yang Xiu to answer, or rather, the answer was something you couldn’t say out loud.

Wang Jing sighed leisurely, then sneered: "I don't know since when did the Confucian school become so high and mighty, and even denounced all kinds of craftsmen as lowly occupations. You must know that in this world, craftsmen came first, not Confucian scholars. Even back to the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, were there any Confucian scholars in the world?"

This statement directly shattered Yang Xiu's three views.

It's just because this question goes straight to the essence of civilization and the angle is something he has never thought about before.

Then Wang Jing added weight to the argument, continuing to use the past to illustrate the present: "In ancient times, the Three Sovereigns, Suiren drilled wood to make fire, Fuxi made nets to catch fish, and Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs to establish medical principles. These are the most holy and wise men of the human race. Without them overcoming difficulties and using their smart minds to promote technological innovation and the advancement of civilization, how could the Chinese people have the prosperity they have today?"

"Could it be that what they are doing is also a lowly business?"

Wang Jing directly brought up the Three Sovereigns, and then discussed the Five Emperors and many ancient sages: "Who among the ancient sages was not a promoter of technological progress? Therefore, discriminating against craftsmen and being hostile to technology is anti-humanity and anti-civilization, and is a sinner for all ages!"

First, put a big accusation on someone, and then criticize them verbally and in writing.

Wang Jing is not unfamiliar with this routine, so he will first explain the reason.

Of course, after reversing Yang Xiu's views, it was still necessary to continue to improve the social status of craftsmen and scholars from non-Confucian factions so that they could once again form an academic force that could compete with Confucianism.

However, this matter involved the fundamental interests of Confucianism and the aristocratic families, so Wang Jing had to summon two strategists, Guo Jia and Xun You, to discuss countermeasures.

After all, Xun You was from the Xun family of Yingchuan, and the Xun family was also one of the orthodox Confucian families, so he did not speak at the first time.

On the contrary, Guo Jia, who came from a poor family, had a wide range of knowledge. He was not only proficient in Confucian classics, but also had some knowledge of military science, Taoism, Yin-Yang school, and diplomacy. He had fewer conflicts of interest with Confucianism, so he could speak without scruples.

Guo Jia asked Wang Jing directly in front of him: "My lord, do you want to promote the Hundred Schools of Thought and destroy Confucianism?"

Although Confucianism has its problems, it is not to be dismissed out of hand, so Wang Jing shook his head: "Not really, I have no hostility towards Confucianism, I just think it needs to keep pace with the times and make changes to adapt to the new situation."

Guo Jia shook his head and laughed, thinking that Wang Jing's words were too shameless. He had messed up Confucianism to such an extent, and he still said that there was no hostility?
Even Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of scholars was not as cruel as you, although those who were buried alive were actually a group of Taoist alchemists and scammers.

Seeing Guo Jia's teasing expression, as if he wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, and was having a hard time holding it back, Wang Jing knew what he was thinking, and immediately said unhappily: "Feng Xiao, I'm definitely not joking. I really don't have much hostility towards Confucianism. Rather than saying that I'm hostile to Confucianism, it's better to say that I'm hostile to aristocratic families and powerful clans."

Guo Jia also stopped smiling. He was extremely smart. With just this one sentence, he instantly understood what Wang Jing meant. "My lord, now I understand. In the final analysis, this is not a dispute over beliefs, but a dispute over interests."

The four words "struggle for interests" clearly explain the entanglement and contradiction between Wang Jing and the Confucianists and the aristocratic families.

Wang Jing was also deeply touched by this: "The birth and continuation of Confucianism to this day does have positive significance, but any academic thought, once it is linked to real-world interests, will inevitably become a brainwashing tool for the ruling class."

This kind of thing actually still happens in modern times, two thousand years later.

Many people talk about science all the time, but they probably haven't even learned what scientific analysis and dialectical methods are. How many people are against science under the banner of science?

Not to mention other schools of thought, once interests are involved, they immediately change their nature.

Confucianism, as an ideological tool to ease social contradictions, was born out of the Qin Dynasty's implementation of the county system and a unified national system, which harmed the interests of too many people. It used harsh laws and cruel punishments and exploited people at will. It was too cruel to both the common people and the nobles under its rule, leaving no way for them to survive.

Therefore, as soon as the First Emperor died, the whole world rebelled.

At the beginning of the Yanhan Dynasty, relatively independent feudal states such as counties and kingdoms were allowed to exist. Although this was a historical reversal, politically, it could actually be seen as a compromise and concession of the imperial power to the middle and lower landlord classes in exchange for the other party's cooperation and to rule the world together.

The emperor can rule, but he cannot have a highly centralized power or a complete monopoly. To put it bluntly, he cannot take away all the benefits in the world. He must always leave some sweet benefits for the people below, and everyone can share the meat together. Only in this way can there be long-term stability.

This is the fundamental reason why the feudal system could continue to exist in the Han Dynasty.

It was not until the wise and capable Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne that the first feudal emperor who wanted to break this situation appeared in the Yanhan Dynasty.

Emperor Wu of Han used Confucianism to achieve his idea of ​​great unification, helping him to centralize state power, thereby consolidating national strength and defeating the Xiongnu, the biggest foreign enemy of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, success is due to Confucianism, and failure is also due to Confucianism.

After the death of Emperor Wu of Han, his move to promote Confucianism was also used by Confucians. The rise of Wang Mang, a Confucian emperor, was due to the fact that after Confucianism became dominant, the aristocratic families elected prominent figures who took this opportunity to break the political structure of the emperor's monopoly of power.

In the end, the aristocratic families and powerful clans succeeded. First it was Wang Mang, and then Liu Xiu, and the shadows of the aristocratic families were behind them.

From then on, the power of aristocratic families and powerful families continued to expand. During the reign of Emperor Ling, Liu Hong even found it difficult to interfere in the selection of officials. He could only make use of eunuchs and break the deadlock by means of the Party and Factions Persecution.

As for selling official positions and titles, that is also easy to understand.

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, thought that since officials were selected through the system of recommendation, even he, the emperor, could not interfere, so he might as well not interfere. Whoever gives me money can become an official!
Rather than letting you sell the official position, and as the emperor I won't get any benefit from taking the blame for you, I might as well sell it myself.

Even though it looks ugly on the surface, it’s actually useful inside!

It was in such an historical context that Confucianism and aristocratic families had become two sides of the same coin, living and dying together, sharing honor and disgrace, and even the imperial power was helpless against Confucianism.

Aristocratic families and powerful clans continued to promote Confucian ideas of governance in order to consolidate their own positions and monopolize the power, wealth and population of the entire society. They could even criticize and suppress others arbitrarily with words alone.

All kinds of craftsmen were inexplicably reduced to menial jobs, fit only to work like slaves for the wealthy families.

why?
Because the wealth created by the craftsmen was wanted by the noble families and wealthy families for free, they could only get it for free by demoting the craftsmen to dust.

In order to monopolize academia and gain the right to speak in public opinion, Confucian scholars do not allow any other schools of thought to be on an equal footing with themselves. They are the only ones who are supreme in the world!
Confucianism did not directly participate in suppressing technological progress, but the result of Confucianism's dominance was that technological progress was suppressed, and the technological progress of Chinese civilization slowed down from then on.

After all, the smartest, most outstanding, most resourceful and most talented people in the entire civilization are all studying how to be officials. Few people are willing to develop new technologies and promote the development of productivity. So how can new technologies be born? How can civilization progress?

Historically, Europe encountered the same problems as Chinese civilization, but thanks to the great geographical discoveries, they ushered in the Age of Exploration, the power of the bourgeoisie grew rapidly, and in turn promoted the development of productivity.

After all, the European church and aristocracy at that time monopolized land resources, and the emerging bourgeoisie had no choice but to open factories and pursue technological innovation in order to make profits.

Today's China does not have such conditions.

None of the lands ruled by Wang Jing were near the sea, so he could only use other means to break the ideological monopoly of Confucianism.

The aristocratic families and powerful families behind Confucianism owned large amounts of land and property, and their main income came from agricultural output. Therefore, they had no urgent need for technological progress and even resisted any change.

After all, if industry and commerce developed, would they still be able to monopolize most of the wealth of the entire society and enjoy a superior social status by relying on large amounts of land and property as they do now?
It is therefore not surprising that Confucianism despises craftsmen and merchants.

Those who don’t do this are the odd ones out.

Wang Jing thought a lot, and finally said: "Fengxiao, Gongda, I want to establish the Imperial Academy of Engineering, and those who can be selected will be craftsmen and scholars who have made significant contributions. They will be awarded the title of Engineer, which is different from ordinary craftsmen. What do you think?" (End of this chapter)