The Great Industrial Ming Dynasty Started from Beiping

Chapter 577 Zhu Di had no choice but to discover that he was the stupidest person

Beijing.

"Cough cough."

The weather turned cold, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not visit privately incognito for a long time.

"The weather is bad today, saint. We should wait for good weather before leaving the palace. There is no rush."

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's coughing behavior, Li Daoxin couldn't help but pucker up in his heart and spoke to comfort him.

As the saying goes, old children are old children.

With a family tradition of benevolence, filial piety and kindness, the elderly in the family will live more like children, but this requires economic support. People who are struggling for food and clothing, even children must become independent early, not to mention the elderly whose labor force has declined. And running around is the normal state of life.

"It's been a few days and it hasn't gotten better. I was able to go there before, and I can go now. I'm feeling very well."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked dissatisfied.

The old face is full of wrinkles.

"Sage, why don't we go to Wenhua Hall? It's very lively there now." Li Daoxin coaxed.

"No."

"If no one listens to what we say, I will leave the palace today."

Zhu Yuanzhang was so stubborn that no one could persuade him.

He has a good son and a good grandson, and his descendants will be successful. Just like the traditional peasant thinking, what makes Zhu Yuanzhang most proud will always be his descendants, not other things.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang had been emperor for many years, he still retained a trace of peasant thinking. The worries about labor in his later years, with the arrival of Prince Yan and his son in Beijing, all the hidden dangers that worried him disappeared.

As if a heavy burden had been lifted, Zhu Yuanzhang had never lived so comfortably in the past few years.

Li Daoxin couldn't help but didn't want to disappoint the old man.

Thirty-four years after Hongwu's death, the old man's health was visibly declining, and his condition was getting worse day by day.

"Try to satisfy the saint as much as possible."

Li Daoxin thought to himself.

However, Li Daoxin insisted that he must ride a carriage and not move around as before. It was too strenuous to avoid aggravating his condition.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it for a while and finally nodded.

Indeed, he couldn't walk anymore. In the past few years, he could walk for a whole day, but now he felt tired after only walking for half an hour. Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "Time is not forgiving."

Under the arrangement of Li Daoxin.

As soon as the carriage left the palace, Zhu Di came in person.

Zhu Yuanzhang stuck his head out of the car window and cursed loudly before Zhu Di could speak, "You unfilial son, I want to go out for a walk, and you still stop me. Are you thinking that we are old and you dare to take advantage of your youth?" You won’t listen to us anymore.”

Zhu Di was confused by the scolding.

He smiled bitterly and stepped forward to explain, "Father, I will go with you."

It turned out that Zhu Di was coming to spend some time with his father.

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands on the window eaves of the car, his old eyes moved up and down, and he looked at Zhu Di. Finally, he smiled happily and said, "Come on, let's ride together, father and son."

"Eh."

Like an ordinary farmer's son, Zhu Di agreed honestly and climbed into the carriage without anyone's help.

Seeing his son's clean and neat movements, Zhu Yuanzhang was both pleased and envious.

"You have already made up your mind."

Seeing Zhu Di dressed in casual clothes, Zhu Yuanzhang came to his senses.

"When I learned that my father was leaving the palace today, I couldn't help it. Going out with my father is much more interesting than being in the palace."

"You can't be lazy."

Zhu Yuanzhang accused.

"Father, after years of hard work, let your son be lazy for one day." Zhu Di said with a smile.

The two father and son gradually became quiet.

"Knock, click."

The horse's hooves make a crisp sound when they step on the stone bricks.

Li Daoxin and the groom sat in the front.

There were people riding horses and people walking around, scattered far and wide.

The carriage left the palace from Xihua Gate.

To the north of Xihua Gate is the large kitchen. It was originally a large kitchen that supplied the palace. Later, under Zhu Gaochi's reforms, it was undertaken by the Palace Affairs Bureau and changed to a labor system.

It is mainly responsible for the dining area for officials and eunuchs such as the Sixth Section, the Third Courtyard, and the Sixth Ministry, as well as the guards and servants.

Daily vegetables, fruits, meat, drinks, and tea are purchased from the market.

"Your son is dedicated to the people and has done better than you and us. However, as he said, everything has its limits and excess is never enough. You have to take care of him to prevent him from making mistakes."

What Zhu Yuanzhang cannot let go of will always be future generations.

The Chinese are all like this.

I can't help but worry until I die.

Even at the last moment when he was lying on the hospital bed, he had to give instructions to his children again and again, for fear that their children would not have a good life after he left. This is exactly the influence of Confucianism, which has both dross and essence.

"With my father watching over me, neither I nor Chi'er will make any mistakes."

Zhu Di laughed.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "You are different from your brothers. They were ineffective and died early, which broke our hearts. You are full of life and very good. From now on, you must not only know how to fight."

Zhu Di nodded repeatedly, extremely filial.

There are social studies in rural areas.

The county has a county school.

There is a state school in the state capital.

The provincial government has a government school.

There are four Imperial Colleges.

On the street, it was originally a school day, but you could see groups of teenagers.

They were wearing work clothes, Chinese uniforms, or strange costumes, carrying knives on their waists, and some even carrying bows and arrows. They were making loud noises on the streets, looking like they were the best in the world.

Bow and arrow clubs, pot throwing rooms, bamboo courts, Cuju courts and other places are the most common places for wanderers.

"If you don't study hard, you don't know how to cherish it."

Zhu Yuanzhang cursed unhappily.

Hate that iron is not steel.

"How could we be like this before? Reading is so precious. Children who can go to school would dare to be disobedient."

"Some children from wealthy families are not good at studying."

Zhu Di explained with a smile.

More and more ordinary people have a full stomach, some money in their hands, a stable job and life, and not too many worries, and the image of their fathers will naturally become taller.

For children growing up in a family, their father is their god, and naturally he is the one they worship and imitate.

He is unwilling to go to school and regards skipping school and showing off his power as a manly thing.

It is a social phenomenon that emerged after the birth of the working class. Human nature is not different because of the Ming Dynasty or the United States. It is an inevitable phenomenon in society, and it is not something that a few movies can lead to bad behavior for most children.

The carriage was aimless, wandering around the capital from the inside out.

Car dealerships emerged in the capital, and the industry prospered.

on the street.

Horse-drawn carriages with the names of various car dealerships can be seen everywhere and have become one of the main means of transportation.

"In these trades, because they travel a lot and are well-informed, it is easy to deceive and exploit the simple and honest people, so we can't let it go." Zhu Yuanzhang relapsed and said in a teaching tone.

"Car dealerships, tooth shops, and boat shops are all under the supervision of the court, and they must hold a certificate for employment. With the permission of the certificate, the industry can be easily regulated. No one dares to waste the hard-earned business certificate, and those who do not have a certificate will inevitably We will take the initiative to suppress and report.”

Zhu Di smiled and explained some operations, "The imperial court only needs to manage people with certificates to manage these industries."

"Yes, there is some truth."

Zhu Yuanzhang admitted.

"It should be a sign of progress in productivity."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought hard.

Live to learn. Although Zhu Yuanzhang has not been dealing with state affairs in these years, he has not given up studying. Zhu Yuanzhang saw a lot of new things in Ming society during his long-term private visits incognito.

Unlike ordinary people, he will ponder the truth.

If you think clearly about something today and think about something clearly tomorrow, your talent will exceed that of ordinary people.

"What's the explanation?" Zhu Di asked curiously.

"With more producers, labor costs will increase. People cannot afford the manpower and can only rely on the car dealer model." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "In the past, one family had one driver, but now several families have one driver."

"In the past, a family had a coachman, and the coachman was often idle. In order to avoid waste, the owner would call the coachman to do other chores."

"Nowadays, the division of labor in the industry is detailed. Several families support one coachman. The coachman only works in his own profession and earns high wages. Other industries are done by other people. This is not only proof of the progress of productivity, but also a reflection of society. The refinement of the division of labor.”

Zhu Di's eyes widened.

If he hadn't seen his father next to him, he would have thought it was his son.

It seemed like I was back when my son was teaching me lessons.

Zhu Di remained calm and suppressed his inner instability.

Not to mention his son, even his father knew more than him and learned quickly, which put Zhu Di under a lot of pressure. In the past, he could comfort himself that his son was extraordinary. Now with Zhu Yuanzhang's learning speed, Zhu Di could not deceive himself. .

Zhu Yuanzhang explained all the way, and Zhu Di had no choice but to deal with it.

Along the way, he had promised to accompany his father to fulfill his filial piety, but in the end he was hit one after another, which made Zhu Di smile bitterly after returning to the palace.

at this time.

Wenhua Hall.

Large meeting room.

Sitting at the round table were officials such as Song Li, Minister of Industry, Minister Xia Yuanji, Right Minister Zhang Bing, as well as the Ministry of Industrial Planning and the Economic Regulation Department of lower-level departments, the Ministry of Workers' and People's Union, and the big coal businessmen Zhou Yourong, Chen Yu, Zhou Wen and others.

Zhou Yourong glanced over, but did not find Zhang Xiancai, and looked at Chen Yu, Zhou Wen and others. Although everyone's expressions were as usual, they already knew in their hearts that Zhang Xiancai's remarks in the newspaper had aroused the dissatisfaction of the court.

These people, the first businessmen who followed Zhu Gaochi in Peiping, also relied on the rise of coal to become the richest group of people.

The Zhang family is the leader among them.

In the years when Zhang Dehui stopped being a director due to illness, although his son was doing well in the business, he was sometimes too radical and he didn't know where the Zhang family would be taken in the future.

"His Royal Highness the Emperor's Grandson has arrived."

At the door, there is a roll call at the small yellow gate.

After hearing the words, everyone stood up one after another. When they saw Zhu Gaochi's voice and shadow, everyone bowed and saluted, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Emperor."

"No courtesy, please sit down."

Zhu Gaochi calmly took his position, waited for everyone to sit down, nodded, and asked the organizer of the meeting to start directly without wasting everyone's time. "The number of workers in the coal industry, according to the survey conducted by the Research Department, concluded that there are at least 40 workers directly engaged in coal mining in Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Gaochi has no doubts about this data. It is most likely accurate and the people below did not make mistakes.

Although the superiors do not need to understand everything in detail, they need to know the evaluation standards in their hearts and be aware of them. Only then will they not be easily deceived by those below and formulate policies that can be implemented.

In the United States in the 100th century, there were hundreds of thousands of railroad workers and about [-] million coal miners.

Today, in Ming Dynasty, there are 60 railway workers and around 30 coal workers, which is in line with the population and industry data of the United States. However, the technology of Ming Dynasty is backward, and there are more than 40 coal workers.

In fact, there were more than 60 railway workers in the Ming Dynasty, and there were 50 eunuchs in the Northeast.

"The coal industry is the most important industry in the development of industry. Although under the supervision of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Ministry of Workers' and Civilian Union, the social treatment and life of the workers have been guaranteed, the poor working environment has caused a large number of casualties. , in addition to those who died directly in the mining accident, there were also those who died indirectly."

"This year, workers in the coal industry have a very high disease rate and their life expectancy is much lower than workers in other industries."

The manager of the Research Department reports various data.

Zhu Gaochi actually didn't ignore it.

China Heavy Industries is directly involved in the Miyun Iron Mine, but does not directly manage the coal mines in Xishan and Fangshan areas of Beiping. It is precisely because of its backward technology that it cannot protect the working environment of coal miners.

It happened often in later generations, not to mention today's ancient times.

In the 100th century, in the United States, where technology had made great progress, the number of direct deaths of coal workers remained at more than 20 within 2000 years, with an average of [-] direct casualties per year.

These workers have been counted. There are unknown numbers of small coal mines and groups that use a large number of illegal workers.

And before the nineteenth century.

The backwardness of technology has resulted in the direct death of thousands of miners in the United States every year. What is even more serious is that most of the miners suffer from black lung disease and are tortured by the disease.

Ming Dynasty's manpower is precious and cannot be wasted like this.

In many surrounding regions and countries, their manpower is worthless.

"According to the latest research, the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and the development of overseas trade have led to population exchanges. Many illegal people from outside the Ming Dynasty have poured into the Ming Dynasty. The large-scale use of maids in the Ming Dynasty has stimulated external Entry of population.”

"Their hard work and so on moved many families of the Ming Dynasty, and they received help from the people of the Ming Dynasty. Many of the maids' families paid for their family tickets and came to the Ming Dynasty by ship."

"There are still many factories that use illegal labor. Administrative prohibition alone goes against the will of society."

"Therefore, based on the latest research and discussions, it has been decided to relax employment restrictions and recruit non-Ming dynasty workers in the coal mining industry and some industries with harsh environments and low technology."

"At the same time, hundreds of thousands of workers were released from the coal mining industry. These valuable manpower joined other industries and became the new middle class. It not only improved the living standards of the people of Ming Dynasty, but also boosted Ming Dynasty's productivity. , which stimulated the Ming Dynasty’s economy.”

Everyone began to discuss.

Zhou Yourong, Chen Yu, Zhou Wen and other big businessmen in the coal industry couldn't help but whisper to each other.

"The coal industry is not very profitable."

Zhou Yourong said proactively.

"The energy price system formulated by His Royal Highness the Emperor Taisun is mainly to promote the development of all walks of life, and is protected by the rights and interests of the Workers' and Civilian Union. In terms of protecting the welfare of coal miners, coal mines are not actually as profitable as the outside world thinks. Quite big."

"Actually, we are a vulnerable group. We support many workers, but businessmen can't make much money."

"Haha."

"Ha ha."

Everyone in the conference room was amused by Zhou Yourong.

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

"We are very poor."

Zhou Yourong's face was calm, as if showing the utmost sincerity. Now even Zhu Gaochi couldn't hold it back and started laughing. The people around him were laughing to the point of tears.

The big coal mine owners say they are poor.

Are there any rich people in the world?

"Okay, don't be a coward. If you have any demands, just tell me."

Zhu Gaochi laughed.

Zhou Yourong then smiled and said with a smile: "The price of the coal industry can continue to decrease, which will effectively promote the production costs of all walks of life and stimulate the development of productivity."

"However, since it is proposed that we use non-Ming workers to free up Ming's manpower, then the Workers' and Citizens' Joint Office will have no control over our coal mines. How to use them, how much they will be paid, and how often the work will be done will be determined by the market."

"No."

Zhu Gaochi rejected it on the spot.

"There must always be a bottom line to avoid vicious competition."

Zhu Gaochi said compassionately: "The daily working hours cannot exceed seven hours, and the food must be enough for everyone. The safety regulations of the mine and ensuring the safety of the workers are still the first priority."

Zhou Yourong said quickly: "Safety must be the first priority. In addition to the mining disaster, not only will the workers sacrifice their lives, but the mine will also suffer huge profit losses."

As for working regularly, Zhou Yourong had no objection.

Working hours shall not exceed seven hours.

Do you need to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner?
The time for eating cannot be calculated. Each meal is counted as half an hour, and the total is one and a half hours. You can make a fuss about this. The actual time for eating should be controlled at half an hour.

The remaining hour is devoted to work.

In this way, the actual working hours every day often reach eight hours, twice as much as before.

Although the working hours used to last for six hours, the meal time and the lunch break at noon actually only lasted four hours. There are also two days of holidays every ten days, which will also be canceled in the future.

Calculated in this way, even if wages are not reduced, working hours alone will increase by two and a half times.

What does this represent?
Double the profit.

Zhou Yourong and other big businessmen quickly understood the calculation and supported the latest policy with both hands.

Compared with the cheap manpower from abroad, as well as the unprotected rights and interests of workers with high conditions, the businessmen of Ming Dynasty are unwilling to use them.

"You have to understand."

Zhu Gaochi reminded: "No matter what aspect of your business, you must be managed by the court. There are good times and bad times. Today you feel good and strongly support it. The court will have new policies in the future. What do you think? If it’s not good, start to oppose it.”

"I dare not wait."

"I'll say it up front."

"Any group or individual is surrounded by society. Society is composed of everyone. Everyone participates in the construction of society and enjoys rights and responsibilities. Everyone and groups must serve society."

"The reason why you are letting go of your restrictions today is because of the needs of society, and it is also because of the needs of society that you can regain control in the future."

"As businessmen, you enjoy the convenience brought by society and obtain a large amount of social resources. You also have to shoulder social responsibilities, which are more responsibilities than ordinary people."

“The greater the resources we occupy from society, the greater our social responsibilities.”

"In this way, you, us, the country, society, and the people can go further and further, and everyone can coexist in harmony. Otherwise, because of selfish interests, it goes against the needs of society. How happy we are now, how miserable we will be in the future."

Zhu Gaochi said it hard to hear.

Everyone is willing to say nice things, but how many are willing to say unpleasant things?

The relaxed atmosphere just now turned solemn as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's beating.

soon.

The imperial cabinet and the Ministry of Industry issued employment guidelines for non-Ming dynasties, as well as industry restrictions and regulations.

Miners' wages, the minimum wage, have also risen to one yuan and fifty cents per month.

A large number of illegal workers who were not from the Ming Dynasty and stayed in the Ming Dynasty flocked to the mines to sign up and became miners in the Ming Dynasty.

Miners in the Ming Dynasty were very hard.

Working conditions were harsh.

But a full stomach is the first choice.

Just like in the coastal areas in the 90s, the working environment and treatment were so poor, and there were still "scabs" who could talk about it as long as they didn't get paid and just had enough to eat.

It's not that their quality is low, but that food and clothing are more important than the sky.

Only with a full stomach can we talk about moral standards.

Full.

It is the greatest instinct of biological genes.

"Squeak."

Department of Prisons.

Several officers came to the prison, where hundreds of arrested non-Ming men were imprisoned.

"You guys are doing well."

"Sleep when you are full, eat when you are full."

The prisoners in each cell lay weakly on straw mats.

One meal of rice porridge a day, and you can only get food unless you pay.

Give them one dry meal every three days to avoid starving to death.

Either you have to pay for it and be sent back to your country, or you can send it back to various countries by regular ships. The latter often requires waiting for two to three months, or even half a year.

If you are sick, you will be held in solitary confinement.

If they die, they will be burned directly.

"Have a place to work."

The clerk said.

"Can you have enough to eat?" The first thing the prisoner in the cell said was that he was concerned about whether he could have food.

"Not only can I have a full stomach, but I can also get wages every month."

After hearing the officer's words, everyone didn't care what kind of work it was, whether it was paid or not, they just wanted to have a full stomach.

For as long as they can remember, many people have felt hungry every day when they opened their eyes.

hunger.

It seemed like I was never full.

I heard that the Ming Dynasty was not only well-fed, but its people were also extremely rich. Gold was everywhere, making it an ideal place for people around it.

pity.

Although Ming Dynasty is good, it has nothing to do with them.

Daming is very stingy.

Groups of non-Ming people were sent to the mine.

really.

The big pot is full.

People ate with big mouthfuls and shed tears of happiness.

Then I heard that there was indeed wages.

These people, who were living in the dark, were laughing so much that they were speechless. The Ming Dynasty was indeed a celestial dynasty and a utopia.

The merchants paid the wardens according to the number of workers they sent.

The Prison Department Yamen used this money to improve the welfare of the officials and improve the office environment.

Everyone is happy.

(End of this chapter)