Chapter 609: The sharpness of the Confucian general, joy leads to sorrow
Seeing those enthusiastic and proactive craftsmen, Jiang Hua felt that his three views were overturned.
He asked Jiang Qingzhi what methods he used. Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and smiled, "It's not that I won't teach you, Lao Jiang, but the Ministry of Industry is not suitable for these rules."
"Why?" Jiang Hua felt that Jiang Qingzhi was hiding something.
"Maybe the craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry can get more if they do a good job?"
"According to the rules, those craftsmen work for the Ministry of Works for free ten days every month. Even if I want to pay them, the Ministry of Revenue will not approve it!"
This is the artisan household system, which was said to allow people to build cities, palaces, and artifacts without spending a penny...
"Old Jiang, free things are always the most expensive."
Jiang Qingzhi left after saying this.
Jiang Hua was stunned for a long time. After returning to the Ministry of Works, he called his subordinates to discuss the matter.
"I don't know what methods Long Wilbur used, but later I watched those craftsmen working... and I was amazed at how dedicated they were."
Jiang Hua swore that he had never seen such a proactive and enthusiastic craftsman.
"Do you have a solution?" Jiang Hua said angrily. He looked at his subordinates and said, "If those craftsmen perform well under the leadership of Chang Wei Bo, someone will accuse our Ministry of Industry of being incompetent."
Everyone looked at each other.
Then everyone expressed their opinions, which were nothing more than threats or increasing the severity of punishment.
As for the rewards... where would the money and food come from?
At the small court meeting, Jiang Hua tentatively mentioned this matter, "Those craftsmen are quite good, should we give them some money and food every month?"
Minister of Revenue Lü Song came out of the class and glanced at Jiang Hua, his face stern, "The Ministry of Revenue's money and grain have a place to go. Besides, the craftsman system has been implemented for many years, and it is a rule to serve ten days a month. Your Ministry of Works broke this rule, so do the craftsmen in the world have to follow it? How much grain will be spent every month because of this, Minister Jiang, can you calculate it?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this.
Yes!
There were many craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty, and the official construction every year relied on these people's free service.
If this system is broken and free becomes paid...local government officials will scold the Ministry of Works like dogs.
Jiang Hua laughed dryly and said, "Only in the Ministry of Industry... is it feasible?"
"The world is full of problems, not just equality. If your Ministry of Works gives money, all the craftsmen in the world will clamor. Will you give it?" Lu Song said coldly, "Where will the local governments get the money? If you give it, the craftsman household system will be meaningless. Then, should we also reconsider the military household system? What do you want to do, Jiang Hua? Abolish the ancestral system?"
Lu Song was a Confucian general, and as soon as he said this, the atmosphere was filled with tension.
Yes!
Once the artisan household system is broken, the military households will certainly become restless.
Jiang Hua and Jiang Qingzhi were good friends and had a good impression of the Mohist school. Lu Song's words hit him hard and he also took the blame and put it on Jiang Hua's head.
Of course, Jiang Qingzhi and the Mohist School were also implicated.
The Mohists disdain the ancestral system!
The Mohists are plotting to abolish the ancestral system!
If this word gets out, how many people in the world will call for the killing of Mohist school and Jiang Qingzhi?
When a system is implemented, some people will benefit and some will suffer losses.
Under the artisan household system, artisans suffered losses while other artisans benefited. Some people served the government, so they were exempted from conscription.
The same is true for the military household system. If someone's descendants join the army, the general public does not have to worry about becoming cannon fodder.
Therefore, the reason why innovation is difficult is that the difficulty lies in how to break the existing interest structure and how to suppress those vested interests.
Jiang Hua was so frustrated by these words that he cursed inwardly and prepared to call it a day.
But Lu Song was not willing to give in. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works made a bet with Lord Chang Wei and eventually lost to Lord Chang Wei's 100 craftsmen. Those craftsmen were just artisans after all. How could they work for a private individual?"
Jiang Hua coughed dryly, "Those craftsmen in Mohism also made firearms for the Ming Dynasty."
"I know this." Lu Song said calmly, "What I want to say is that the firearms are made by the Arms Bureau, so why don't you let them make them?"
"Chang Weber has a lot of wonderful ideas and needs craftsmen to make things!" The father-in-law fought back.
Jiang Qingzhi did not come today, but the Mohist School, or the Jiang Party, now has its own people. When the father-in-law took action, Zhu Xizhong and others were watching covetously, ready to criticize at any time.
Lu Song said coldly: "I guess those wonderful ideas are all for the country and the people, right?"
"Of course." Li Chong nodded.
"Isn't the Armory Bureau for the country and the people? Why can't Long Wilbur teach those wonderful ideas to the Armory Bureau to make them? Is there any taboo, or... Mohist things can only be made by Mohists?"
This statement is implying that Mohism is an independent kingdom, so be careful!
Damn it!
Li Chong was furious. "Why would Lord Chang Wei have such an idea? Could it be that the firearms that the Armory is making nowadays were not taught by my son-in-law?"
The father-in-law's habit broke out, "My son-in-law is devoted to the country. He made firearms and didn't ask for credit for his family. He handed them over to the Armory without asking for a penny.
We have all seen what the Tiger Guards are like. The power of their firearms... Hehe! What contributions did the ancestors of those dukes and marquises make to make them rich and powerful? Is my son-in-law any worse than them?"
What the hell!
Lao Li!
Are you trying to slap His Majesty in the face?
Zhu Xizhong quickly winked at Li Chong. Li Chong was startled and realized that he was bragging about his son-in-law out of habit, but it seemed a bit like... criticizing Emperor Jiajing for his unfair rewards and punishments.
You continue... Lu Song watched Li Chong return to class with a cold eye, and then said: "One thing is divided into two places. This is the reason for the redundant officials and redundant expenses in the former Song Dynasty. As the head of the Ministry of Revenue, I naturally cannot tolerate it. Even if Chang Wei Bo is here, I will still say the same thing."
This is a provocation!
Yan Song glanced at his son and Yan Shifan smiled slightly. He originally wanted to drag Jiang Qingzhi into the chariot against the Ministry of Revenue and even prepared benefits. He didn't expect that without any action, Lu Song forced Jiang Qingzhi to the point where he had to come forward.
God grants one's wishes... Yan Shifan and Yan Song looked at each other and smiled. We can watch the show from the sidelines again.
What a nice day.
The Jiang Qingzhi they were talking about was currently at home writing stories for his unborn child.
"Who does my child like more, Snow White or Calabash Brothers?"
"How about Baldy Qiang? Forget it, let's wait until the child is older."
"Or...Sun Wukong defeats the White Bone Demon three times."
Jiang Qingzhi was racking his brains to think over the solution when Zhu Xizhong came and snatched the paper from his hand. He took a look and saw that there were some little people drawn on it. He couldn't help but get angry.
"You still have the mind to do this!"
"What's the matter? Did Altan go south? Or did your sister-in-law find out that you, Old Zhu, have a mistress outside?" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
"Today, Lu Song got angry in the court, saying that the Mohists had opened a workshop to make firearms, which was two different things. This was a repeat of the old path of the Song Dynasty with redundant officials and excessive expenses."
What the hell!
This reason is very powerful!
There were many reasons for the fall of the Former Song Dynasty. At that time, the rulers and ministers of the Song Dynasty had a consensus that the main reason was that there were too many officials and too much expenditure.
Lu Song used this reason to attack Jiang Qingzhi and the Mohist School, implying that the Mohist School would definitely become the driving force behind the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
"...They said that the Confucians and Mohists were in a war, and your majesty favored the Mohists and you. For this reason, your majesty allowed the Mohists to build a workshop, which was very costly..."
"Fuck!" Jiang Qingzhi scratched his head, "This wave of attacks is quite interesting!"
"Interesting?" Xia Yan also came. "If you don't handle it properly, those people will make a fuss and Your Majesty will not be able to protect your workshop outside the city."
A king can be unreasonable, but the scope of unreasonableness is definitely not politics. Otherwise, if you, the emperor, take the lead in being unreasonable, can we, the ministers, follow suit?
This head cannot be opened!
So Xia Yan was also quite troubled when he heard the news.
"Let's talk about this!" Jiang Qingzhi said playfully, "Lü Song has ulterior motives."
"Qingzhi." Xia Yan said, "The Ministry of Revenue has blocked the expansion of the Huben Zuowei Army. Your Majesty ordered Yan Song to investigate corruption in the Ministry of Revenue as a warning and counterattack. Lu Song's move this time is a counterattack. If things go wrong, your plans will fail!"
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "Waste?"
"Yes, it's a waste!"
Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian also came.
"My Lord, Lü Song seems to be devoted to the public, but when this extra expense comes out, it's like a soft knife killing someone." Xu Wei said: "The Confucianists should not be underestimated when they make a fuss."
Hu Zongxian said: "What those people are best at is collective punishment. They link Mohism with the shortcomings of the former Song Dynasty, and equate Mohism with the decline of the country. This soft knife is no worse than a magic weapon."
Zhu Xizhong took a sip of tea. "It would have been fine if Lu Song hadn't taken action, but once he did, he made people feel incomparably frustrated. He is indeed a Confucian general."
Xia Yan felt a little embarrassed, "Just making something again... No, it's a waste."
Xu Wei nodded. "What Lu Song said is not an exaggeration. The Ming Dynasty is a bit wasteful. The annual expenditure is getting bigger and bigger, while the income has not increased much. If this continues, it will inevitably repeat the mistakes of the former Song Dynasty."
That's why Emperor Wanli sent many tax inspectors to various places to collect taxes.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Juzheng introduced the Single Whip Law.
Finance is the foundation of a dynasty. Once this foundation is shaken...
The Taoist priest could only bow his head.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "The Ministry of Works is willing to accept the loss. Since those 100 craftsmen have joined our Mohist school, they should not even think about going back. As for Lu Song's criticism... shouldn't we warn Yan Song and his son?"
Xia Yan nodded, "It's time to mention the corruption case in the Ministry of Revenue."
"Besiege Wei to save Zhao!" Zhu Xizhong's eyes lit up, "I will raise this matter in the court tomorrow. If Yan Song and his son dare to pretend to obey but secretly disobey..."
Hu Zongxian said: "With your Majesty watching, I don't think they would dare to do that!"
The atmosphere became lively. Xia Yan was old and had no taboos, so he asked Li Tian how the current baby was.
"Very good!"
Li Tian eats and drinks very well.
After everyone left, Jiang Qingzhi continued to think about his fairy tale.
Suddenly, the big cauldron in my mind vibrated.
During this period, Jiang Qingzhi was immersed in the joy of his wife's pregnancy and ignored Uncle Ding.
He sensed it.
The speed of the cauldron's rotation increased slightly.
A sense of majesty filled my mind.
Jiang Qingzhi felt as if there were many sharp thorns poking his head madly.
He held his head in his hands and closed his eyes in pain...
(End of this chapter)
