Chapter 27: Daqin State-owned Enterprise [Jinjiang Authentic Edition Exclusive Release: Your Majesty, Take the Medicine…
Hanyangli, located in Hanzheng County on the outskirts of Xianyang City, is the place where the largest number of old Koreans gather near the imperial capital.
Ten years ago, after the Han capital Xinzheng was captured by the Qin army and renamed "Yingchuan County", His Majesty the Emperor then carved out a new small county on the wild land outside Xianyang City. The county was divided into two pavilions and twenty villages, which were specifically used to accommodate all the fallen nobles and wealthy families in the Kingdom of Han. Among them, Hanyangli was where all the top fallen nobles in the former Han capital - Xinzheng City were accommodated.
After more than three thousand days and nights of development, this small county with a radius of about sixty miles has completed preliminary integration with other counties in Guanzhong County. Countless old Qin people and old Han people have married, some have married out, and some have been married in, making the small county almost a mixed place for Han and Qin people to live in. Among them are some Chu, Yan, Qi, Wei and other people who migrated here after the country was destroyed and got married.
It can be said that this is a region with extremely diverse cultures and complex accents.
On a midsummer morning, the big red sun slowly rose in the east, and the golden sunlight shone on an extremely tall ancient locust tree with very lush leaves.
This ancient locust tree grows right at the entrance of Hanyangli. Its beautiful umbrella-like crown is green and shining under the sunlight. Fine rays of light leak through the gaps between the leaves to a dirt platform more than five meters high below. This is where the head of Hanyangli stands every time he summons people to convey matters from higher authorities.
There are about a hundred households in the entire village, with a total population of about seven hundred people.
With the village head holding a gong and shouting loudly along every street, in less than two quarters of an hour, both adults and children, with sleepy eyes, arrived in front of the ancient locust tree one after another.
The rebels who had secretly gathered together to plot last night rubbed their bloodshot eyes. Mixed in the crowd, they watched with tired eyes as a village headman, dressed in a black robe and with gray hair and beard, about fifty years old, came up the earthen steps, carrying a gleaming golden gong. He then looked at everyone below, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly in Qinqiang:
"Fellow villagers, I have gathered you all today mainly to announce the decree I received from the headman yesterday evening."
"I'm sure everyone has heard about the much-publicized stone-ground bean and wheat food in the capital yesterday. That's what I'm going to talk about today."
"First of all, this is indeed true!"
"This stone mill, bean food, wheat food, and the new cooking method—'iron pan stir-fry'—were all obtained by our emperor's eldest grandson, Detian Ai, from the black bird. It is a blessing bestowed by the black bird upon our Great Qin!"
"Hahahahaha, okay!"
As soon as the village head mentioned the Xuanniao, the old Qin people who believed in the Xuanniao in the crowd immediately smiled happily and clapped their hands excitedly.
The rest of the Han and Chu people who moved from outside the Great Wall all had complicated expressions. After all, these people who moved here had extraordinary identities before the country was destroyed. When they heard the head of the village say this, they thought it was a deliberate attempt to rally the people's hearts for the Qin royal family.
The immigrants from the six countries who had put aside their national hatred and family feuds were relatively calm when they heard these deliberately "smuggled" words, but the remnants could not help but clench their fists and their eyes became deep.
Seeing that the villagers below were whispering to each other, the old village head, who was standing on a high place, immediately clasped his two big hands together in a "shut up" gesture and shouted loudly:
"Everyone, please be quiet. I haven't gotten to the point yet."
The residents who had been turning around to communicate fell silent again and turned their gazes back to the platform.
Seeing this, the old village head, who was over fifty years old, took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve, opened it, and put it a little further away. He looked at the rows of black characters written on it and continued to shout loudly:
"Yesterday at dusk, the two pavilion chiefs conveyed the three imperial edicts issued by His Majesty to the twenty village chiefs..."
"First, His Majesty has ordered that, starting today, every prefecture, county, pavilion, and village throughout the country must construct a dedicated propaganda wall to display the latest decrees issued by the court. While the specific method of disseminating these decrees has not yet been determined, they have mandated that the walls be completed within a month."
"Secondly, His Majesty the Emperor recently learned from the Xuanniao a great secret that has deceived the world for a thousand years with the help of the Emperor's eldest grandson!"
The villagers had never heard of the "propaganda wall". When they heard this strange imperial edict, they were eager to discuss the propaganda wall in a low voice. When they heard the village head say "the big secret that has deceived the world for a thousand years", their eyes lit up and they looked at the village head intently.
The rebels standing in the crowd couldn't help but feel a little curious and wanted to know what the big secret that Qin Shihuang had learned was.
"Village head, please tell me quickly, what exactly is this great secret that His Majesty heard from the black bird?"
An old Qin man saw that the old village chief had just whetted everyone's appetite and then looked around, and was reluctant to continue speaking. He couldn't help but ask loudly in his Bashu accent.
As soon as these words came out, they were echoed by the other Lao Qin people:
"Yes, yes, please tell us quickly, Headmaster!"
Seeing that no one was slacking off anymore, all eyes were focused on him. The old village chief then took the bamboo slips in his hand and read carefully, not missing a word:
"The Xuanniao said that the golden vessels and copper cauldrons used by the nobles for thousands of years since the Shang and Zhou dynasties are actually something called 'alloy.' 'Alloy' is not 'gold.' Although this material looks as beautiful as gold, it actually contains a toxin called 'heavy metal poison'! This heavy metal poison is so strong that even the doctors of the Qin Dynasty cannot diagnose it by taking a pulse!"
"boom--"
The villagers who were waiting to hear the explosive secret did not expect to hear such a big secret concerning life and death from the mouth of the village head. Almost as soon as the village head finished speaking, the common people below suddenly exploded like a volcano erupting - "buzz--".
"Oh my, how could this happen! I used to envy those nobles for being able to use auspicious gold vessels all day long, but I never thought that those auspicious gold vessels would be poisonous! Tell me, oh my! Isn't this awful!"
An old Qin man exclaimed in an exaggerated expression.
The old Korean man standing next to him could no longer hold back. With a flushed face, he looked up at the old village head and asked anxiously:
"Head, is this great secret you're talking about true or false? Jijin vessels are precious instruments used by the nobles for thousands of years. How could they be poisonous?"
"Yes, yes, is there something wrong? We have never heard of this!"
Before the motherland was destroyed, the nobles outside the Great Wall who had used the precious metal utensils for many years raised their arms and cried out loudly, completely unable to believe it and unwilling to believe it.
Looking at the red-faced and excited faces of the immigrants below, the old village head, standing high up, held the bamboo slips in his hands and continued loudly, "
"My fellow countrymen from outside the Great Wall don't need to be so anxious. Old Qin people don't deceive new Qin people, and Xuanniao will not deceive all Qin people who believe in it."
"This toxin, called heavy metal poison, enters the body little by little through precious metal utensils and copper cauldrons when people eat or drink. Over time, when the toxin reaches a certain dose, it will cause a serious illness! Therefore, its presence cannot be detected immediately."
"Your Majesty told the officials in the palace that since ancient times, people have regarded auspicious gold vessels as noble objects that only the nobility can use, but in reality, they are poison weapons wrapped in honey!"
"Your Majesty has issued an edict: Qin people should refrain from using this poisonous weapon if possible! Those who have used it can drink goat's milk daily to recuperate their bodies. Goat's milk can help alleviate this toxin. Of course, using tableware made directly from pottery or wood would be healthier and more harmless. Those who really don't want to cook in a pottery pot can replace it with an iron pot if they have the money."
The uneasy immigrants from outside the Great Wall, after hearing that "goat's milk" was useful, their faces, which had been pale with fear, gradually regained some color, and they began to believe that although Qin Shihuang had a bad reputation, his prestige was still very high, and it was impossible for him to deliberately deceive these fallen nobles on tableware.
The rest of the common people of Old Qin were all very grateful in their hearts. When they looked at each other, they all had the same expression on their faces: they really didn't expect that one day they would be able to escape a terrible poison just because of poverty!
Tsk tsk! It's true that fortunes often come with misfortunes, and misfortunes often come with fortunes. Actually, not everything the nobles do is something that the common people envy!
"Alright, everyone, be quiet. This is the second thing I want to publicize. The last thing is closely related to all the villagers. Please stop talking and listen carefully."
The old village chief rubbed his throat with his fingers, and when the crowd below had completely quieted down, his face flushed, and he shouted joyfully at the top of his voice:
"The black bird showed compassion to the Qin people and bestowed blessings upon them! Through the mouth of the emperor's eldest grandson, he brought the Qin people stone mill patterns and methods for processing bean and wheat foods, helping them transform the unpalatable and difficult-to-swallow beans and hard wheat into healthy delicacies suitable for all ages."
"Your Majesty is wise and compassionate to the common people. You know that while bean and wheat food are delicious, the stone mills needed to produce bean and wheat flour are not readily available in every household. However, all common people need stone mills. Therefore, Your Majesty has issued a decree that, starting today, funds will be allocated from the national treasury to build an official stone mill workshop for the common people in every village in all counties. Designs of stone mills and iron pots, along with a list of recipes for making wheat and bean food, will be posted on the walls of these workshops."
"If you have money, you can find a stonemason to make a custom stone mill for your home. If you can't afford it, you can wait until the official stone mill workshop is completed and carry your wheat and beans to the workshop to help process them. You only need to pay a processing fee based on the weight of the wheat and beans."
When they heard the words "official stone mill workshop", the immigrants outside the Great Wall had not yet reacted, but the old Qin people in the crowd were so shocked that they widened their eyes and looked at each other in disbelief.
This is because since Shang Yang's reform, Qin law has always encouraged farming and cracked down on merchants. Among the six countries in the Guandong region, Qi, which is adjacent to the East China Sea, has the strongest domestic business atmosphere because of its convenience of fish and salt. However, in Qin, the westernmost country, this land has hardly nurtured any big merchants.
The people of Qin had lived this way for generations, and were completely familiar with the national tradition of "extremely emphasizing agriculture and extremely neglecting commerce." They had never expected to hear that one day His Majesty would allocate funds from the national treasury to build "markets" throughout the country. If every village in the country built a market, how much would it cost? Wasn't this the imperial court trying to open up official commerce?
The people of Qin were so shocked that they couldn't help but discuss this unheard-of event.
A middle-aged Korean man in green clothes listened to the conversation of the people around him, and couldn't help but lower his eyes and quickly calculated in his mind. This investment was not small. The court spent a lot of money in the early stage, but after the market was built, it would be a unique business in the world.
Today, the total population of the Seven Kingdoms is nearly 20 million, and no more than one-tenth of them can afford to order a stone mill for their own home use. Even if the remaining people only spent one Qin half liang each year in this market, the national treasury would receive nearly 20 million Qin half liang in a year!
Hiss—who on earth came up with such a great and profitable idea?!
The Qin State valued laws and the Legalists despised commerce. The more the middle-aged Han thought about it, the tighter his brows furrowed. He would never believe that this golden idea that was practical, profitable, and could win the hearts of the people could have been thought up by Ying Zheng and his group of arrogant Legalist ministers!
[Could it be that another master has emerged in the court?]
The middle-aged Korean man unconsciously clenched his fists at his sides, squeezing them until veins popped and joints crackled. Meanwhile, the elderly Qin people around him were all beaming and chattering excitedly, asking the village headman questions about the market.
for example--
"Village head, if the stone mill workshop is built, will the stone mill there come from the Shaofu?"
"Yes! The millstones used in the workshop will be fine stone mills meticulously crafted by the stonemasons of the Shaofu."
"Oh my goodness! Your Majesty is really going to spend a lot of money this time!"
"Yes! Yes! But, village head, was the location of the stone mill chosen by the people in our village ourselves, or was it decided by the higher-ups?"
"The head of the pavilion said yesterday that His Majesty's imperial decree states that the location of stone mill workshops in every village in all prefectures should be decided by the village head and the villagers in their own village. Once the location is determined, the village will first raise funds to build the workshop. Then the head of the pavilion will report the detailed bill of the village's expenses to the head of the pavilion above. After the head of the pavilion reviews it and confirms it is correct, he will reimburse the bill and distribute the stone mills to the Shaofu. The head of the pavilion can then return to the village with the stone mill and the Qin half liang compensation from the national treasury, install the stone mill in the market, and then return the compensation money to the common people in the village according to the fundraising list."
When the old Qin people heard that they had to raise funds to build the market square first, they did not have any other thoughts in their minds and nodded in understanding. After all, after Shang Yang's reforms and the erection of wooden poles at the city gates, the old Qin people from top to bottom had a strong sense of rules. They knew that as long as the superiors said so, the money would definitely be returned to them. Qin law was strict and had layers of supervision from superiors and subordinates and provisions for collective responsibility. They did not have to worry about someone being so bold as to go against their conscience and take money. Therefore, everyone discussed the site selection of the market square and the construction of the propaganda wall in their village with bright eyes and joy.
However, the other immigrants from outside the Great Wall who were watching did not trust the Qin royal family deep down in their hearts, and they were very conflicted. It sounded good to raise funds to build the workshop, but what if they spent the money first and the court did not compensate them in the future? Or what if the compensation from the court was swallowed up by the county governors, county magistrates, pavilion chiefs, and village heads?
But seeing the high spirits of the Qin people, the immigrants from outside the Great Wall naturally wouldn't openly "question the upper class" and incite the people in such a public place. Instead, they cleverly asked other questions -
"Village head, if every village builds a stone mill processing workshop, will they also recruit processing workers and accountants?"
The old Qin people, who were so happy that they almost unilaterally finalized the two important sites, were all stunned when they heard the new question asked by the old Han. They immediately realized the situation and looked at the head of the village standing above.
The old village head looked at the Qin people and the immigrants from outside the Great Wall who had completely different temperaments, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. No wonder these immigrants from outside the Great Wall were nobles before. Look at these literate people, they are much smarter than the common people of Qin who only know how to fight and farm.
The common people of the old Qin Dynasty were like fools, only thinking about quickly choosing a location to build a market, while the immigrants outside the Great Wall could quickly remember how to manage the market. If they seized the opportunity, wouldn't they rise again soon?
Although the old village chief was filled with emotion, he nodded sincerely and said with a smile:
"According to what I heard from the head of the pavilion, this official processing plant is a state-owned enterprise of the Great Qin. There will be many more of these state-owned enterprises in the future, and they will recruit a lot of staff. As long as common people meet the requirements, they can actively apply, but the final admission will be based on merit."
"I heard that the stone mill workshop that will be built soon will mainly accept two types of people. One type requires more knowledge. Applicants must be proficient in classical Chinese, Qin characters, writing documents, Qin laws, mathematics, and accounting. Both men and women are welcome to apply, and the best candidates will be admitted."
"The second type doesn't require high education, but it does require high height and weight. They're mainly recruited for work. Commoners will carry beans and wheat to the millstones to process them. State-owned enterprise personnel will need to control the donkeys pulling the millstones to help the commoners grind the beans and wheat into flour. They'll also need to help with moving and lifting. This job requires physical strength, so priority will be given to veterans who have served in the battlefield, or strong men and women with considerable strength. Of course, this is just what I heard from the headman. The specific details won't be known until the millstones are built."
Even though the old village chief emphasized that the accuracy of his words was still in doubt, after he finished speaking, everyone below stopped talking instantly, looked up at the village chief, and fell silent.
Because the "Daqin State-owned Enterprise" thing that the village head mentioned was so new! I had never heard of it before!
The common people of Qin, who had known only farming and fighting for generations and could not even read a single word, had never imagined that one day they would have the opportunity to serve in a place with the title of "Da Qin"?!
It must be said that this newly minted state-owned enterprise greatly alleviated the anxiety of some newly adult Qin men. After all, the six kingdoms had been completely destroyed, and there seemed to be no more wars to fight. This also meant that the twenty-level military merit system that Qin had used for hundreds of years would gradually become a decoration. Without the ability to fight on the battlefield, how could the new generation of young and strong Qin men expect to gain titles through military merit and change the fate of themselves and their families? But now they saw a new path. Although this state-owned enterprise sounded like a business, the word "state" in the front made it different from ordinary business. The old Qin men and women who could not read but had plenty of strength began to think about it. Once the market was completed, they would seize the opportunity to sign up for the second type of personnel in the market.
However, the immigrants from outside the Great Wall who had fallen into a lower social status set their sights on the first job in the processing workshop that required literacy. They were already proficient in classical Chinese and mathematics. In the ten years since they moved to Xianyang, they had become almost familiar with Qin law and were no problem with Qin characters. As long as the people responsible for making the decision and finalizing the quota did not deliberately block their immigrant status, many of the fallen nobles from outside the Great Wall felt that they still had a lot of hope, and the confusion and despair in their hearts were unknowingly reduced a lot.
But the middle-aged Korean man in green at the end of the crowd was practically gnashing his teeth. If just now he had only suspected that a master had appeared in the court, now he was absolutely certain that a formidable figure must have appeared beside Ying Zheng. Otherwise, how could someone come up with such an unheard-of "state-owned enterprise" method?!
Humph! Damn it! I never thought Ying Zheng's luck would be so good! He was able to pick up incredible talents both before and after the unification!
The middle-aged Korean pursed his lips, with a gloomy look in his eyes.
"Alright, we've pretty much finished what the village chief wanted to say today. Everyone can go home now. When you go back, you can think carefully about which two locations in Hanyang Village are suitable for building the publicity wall and the stone mill processing workshop. Let's gather under the big locust tree at this time tomorrow and quickly decide on the two important locations. Build the publicity wall and the stone mill processing workshop as soon as possible. This way, we'll be closest to the capital and can enjoy the blessing of the black bird sooner."
“Yes, yes!”
A group of old Qin commoners nodded in agreement. When they saw the old headman cough twice, pinch his dry throat with his fingers, turn around and walk down the dirt steps, the middle-aged Korean standing behind the crowd immediately turned around and left quickly.
…
In the next ten days, after receiving the imperial edict from the head of the next higher level, the village heads in all counties across the country hurriedly gathered the villagers to publicize the imperial edict from Xianyang.
In the scorching daytime of late May, the entire Qin Empire was bustling with activity. Common people, led by their respective village heads, were busy building propaganda walls and stone mill workshops. The rich and powerful also used stone mills and iron pots, and enjoyed the delicious and healthy food made from wheat and bean according to the methods passed down from the palace.
The new empire, which was originally lifeless, full of resentment, hatred, and internal friction in winter, was instantly diverted to people's livelihood during this long summer because of the emergence of new things such as stone mills, wheat food, bean food, iron pot stir-fry, and the Qin state-owned enterprises. For a while, the atmosphere of the entire huge empire became slightly better.
Of course, His Majesty the Emperor, who lived in the royal city deep in the imperial capital, did not notice this slight change.
However, there is a matter that is both very big and very small that is placed before His Majesty the Emperor.
On a sunny afternoon, an old Taoist priest with white hair and beard stood in the inner hall of Zhangtai Palace. His body was terribly thin, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.
The other party raised his hand and opened an ink-colored jade box, revealing five large round balls inside. He said to His Majesty the Emperor, who was kneeling at the lacquer table handling government affairs, with great joy:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Thanks to the Black Bird's blessing, I have finally refined a furnace of an extremely perfect immortality elixir that has absorbed a lot of the essence of the moon. Your Majesty, please take the medicine quickly with water!"
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