Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 120 Redefine the World's Weights and Measures! (First Update)
Three days later.

A salt mine several miles outside Yingtian Prefecture.

Xia Zhibai gathered Zhou Ning, Li Sheng, Fang Mo and others.

He has a meeting.

There were not many people attending the meeting this time. Apart from those sent by the Ministry of Works, there were four clerks sent by Zhu Biao.

The total number of people is no more than twelve.

However, Xia Zhibai did not restrict it and the others just listened from the side.

When they heard that a meeting was going to take place, Zhou Ning and other engineers were also confused, not knowing what Xia Zhibai wanted to do.

I don't know why it's so serious.

At least in his opinion, it was very serious.

The Kyoto Salt Company and the coal yard were both established by Xia Zhibai, and he has absolute say.

Whether it is Zhou Ning, Fang Mo or others, they were only sent by the court to assist Xia Zhibai. They had no decision-making power, nor had they ever participated in decision-making. They had always done whatever Xia Zhibai ordered, and they had long been accustomed to this kind of superior-subordinate relationship.

"What does the number one scholar want to do this time? And he's so mysterious about it." People around the room were whispering.

Someone asked anxiously, "Are they really going to announce a new salary system? Xia Zhuangyuan said before that I have been able to earn at least one or two taels of silver per month on average for the past three months. If this is really changed, will I earn less?"

"Zhou Lao Er, just shut up. Don't you know how you earned this little bit of silver?" Someone glared at him and said contemptuously, "If I hadn't considered everything when I proposed the idea, I would have let you take advantage of this loophole. Now the top scholar obviously sees that it is difficult to improve the salt factory and the mine in a short period of time. We can't come up with any good suggestions, so we want to make some changes. Otherwise, we will not be able to earn a penny in the future just by making suggestions."

"stubborn."

"God is really blind to think that you can earn even a few ounces of silver with your brain."

"Xiao Liuzi, what did you say? Who are you scolding?!" Zhou Laoer glared at him with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

The other party was also determined not to give in, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Seeing that someone was about to start a fight again, the people around them hurried to persuade them to stop.

Recently, as the salt factory and the mine have been improved to a certain extent, there are fewer and fewer suggestions that can be recognized by Zhou Ning and others. The people in the salt factory and the coal yard are visibly becoming anxious and irritable, because this concerns their income. Now that their income has been greatly reduced, they are naturally unhappy.

Just when some people were mocking each other, Zhou Ning and others arrived wearing cloth clothes.

The surroundings instantly became quiet.

Today's meeting is held in the factory.

Very spacious.

Zhou Ning, Li Sheng and others also looked somewhat puzzled, wondering why Xia Zhibai had gathered them together.

These engineers have been very busy recently.

Some people were busy designing new "steam engines", while others were busy designing "textile machines". Sometimes when the machines in the salt factory and coal yard broke down, they had to rush over to deal with them in time, so they were basically never idle.

Fang Mo, Fan Xin and several other clerks also arrived.

As the salt shop got on track and almost monopolized the sales in Yingtianfu.

Their daily lives are becoming easier and easier.

Fang Mo knew something vaguely, but he was not very sure.

I only know roughly that the salt shop is going to expand.

The expansion of the salt shop was its own business and had nothing to do with Zhou Ning and other engineers. So no one knew why all these people had to be gathered together.

Everyone has different ideas.

But they all sat quietly in the factory waiting.

Not a moment.

Xia Zhibai is here.

He held several pamphlets in his hands.

Zhou Ning, Fang Mo and others quickly stood up and bowed.

Xia Zhibai raised his hand, telling them not to be so polite, and said with a smile: "I called everyone here this time because I really have something important to discuss."

"First, we need to redefine the salary system."

"Secondly, we will make certain personnel changes at the salt factories and mines."

"Third, let me tell you the subsequent development direction."

One word fell.

There were cries of surprise all around.

Xia Zhibai sat in the main seat, not paying much attention to the noise around him, and said in a deep voice: "The company I founded will implement a seniority system in the future. As the length of service increases, the income will be increased to a certain extent. The monthly salary of the newly employed salt workers is 200 wen, which will be adjusted to 300 wen after one year. After three, five, ten, and fifteen years, there will be a corresponding increase of 100 to 300 wen."

"Miners start much higher."

"The monthly salary is 300 wen when you first start working, and it will be adjusted to 400 wen after one year. It will also increase with the age of the workers."

When Xia Zhibai finished talking about the adjusted monthly salary, the noisy surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Two or three hundred liters?

This monthly salary is really too little.

I only earn two or three taels of silver a year, which is barely enough to support my family.

Xia Zhibai was naturally aware of the doubts and dissatisfaction around him. He remained calm and said in a deep voice: "I know that the initial monthly salary is relatively low. Compared with the monthly salary you receive now, it is much less. But you also know that the monthly salary you receive now is not normal in the first place, so it is naturally not to be regarded as ordinary."

"Besides." "This is just the basic monthly salary."

“At the end of each year, there will be an evaluation within the company, and the top-ranked employees will receive additional rewards.”

"besides."

"10% of the annual profits of the salt factory and the mine will be distributed to you as year-end bonuses."

"In short, the more salt and coal the salt factories and mines sell, the more money you will get in the end. Of course, there will still be some differences. At least I will still adhere to the concept of more work, more pay, and more ability."

"Otherwise it would be unfair to those who work harder."

"Of course, when I say 'work harder', I don't necessarily mean an individual, but can also refer to all employees on the same production line or under the same steam engine."

"At the same time, if you can continue to propose improvement measures for salt factories and mines and have them adopted, you will still receive generous rewards."

“There will be no change to this.”

Xia Zhibai calmly told about the changes to the salt factory and mine.

After hearing that there were other reward mechanisms, the crowd, which had been a little restless at first, gradually calmed down.

Some of them also heard some meaning.

Does this mean that the shifts of workers in salt factories or mines will be fixed in the future? Otherwise, if everyone stays on all production lines for a few days, then won't everyone get a share of these rewards?
Xia Zhibai said: "Some of you may have guessed it."

"The salt factories and mines will make staff adjustments, and once they are adjusted, they will not be easily changed."

"I have always valued unity. Salt factories and mines are physically demanding jobs. Without teamwork and mutual assistance, how can the efficiency of the factory be improved?"

"If someone is dissatisfied with others and deliberately acts badly, then don't expect to receive these rewards."

"In serious cases, they will be kicked out of the salt factory or mine directly."

"Besides."

“The salt factories and mines will expand.”

"We are currently planning to open branch factories in Shouzhou Prefecture and Chuzhou Prefecture."

"So some people will be transferred there, and your seniority will still be retained. If I remember correctly, most of you are refugees from Shouzhou and Chuzhou. Being transferred back is also considered a return to your hometown. However, I am not forcing you at the moment. If you are interested, you can go to Fang Mo to sign up."

"If you don't want to, don't force it."

Many people were excited to hear that they could return to Chuzhou or Shouzhou.

Although Yingtian Prefecture is nice, it is not my hometown after all.

However, some people are hesitant because the new factory will not be able to make profits so quickly, which also means that the rewards they can get at the end of the year will be less.

On one side is hometown, and on the other side is money, many people are caught in a dilemma.

Xia Zhibai was not actually worried about the diversion of personnel from the salt fields and mines. Even if not so many people chose to go back in the end, he could quickly recruit manpower from the local area. Many people in Shouzhou and Chuzhou now relied on government support. If someone suddenly offered them a job to make a living, most people would be willing to go.

His main purpose this time was the booklet in his hand.

Xia Zhibai handed the booklets in his hand to Zhou Ning and others one by one.

Zhou Ning and the others were startled, knowing that it was their turn. They did not dare to delay at all and quickly took the booklet in their hands and read it carefully. However, after just a cursory glance, their faces all changed.

"Mr. Xia, you..." Zhou Ning looked at Xia Zhibai with shocked eyes.

Xia Zhibai nodded and said, "You should have seen the contents inside. This is the 'steam engine blueprint' that I will be distributing in a few days. In addition to the detailed introduction and structure of the steam engine, more importantly, I have re-drafted a set of 'weights and measures'."

"The world's weights and measures have been out of order for too long."

"There are differences between the north and south, between the east and west, and even between a prefecture and a county."

"The country has been unified for eighteen years. How can we allow such differences to continue to divide the country? How can we allow such chaos to continue to exist and disturb the lives of the people for a long time? I, Xia Zhibai, am not talented, but I want to change this situation."

"I want to rebuild the unit system of the world."

"Through continuous observation and accumulation during this period, I have roughly summarized three basic units."

"The length is meters, and one hundred centimeters is one meter."

"Weight is jin, ten liang is one jin."

"Time is called a breath, sixty breaths make one minute, and fifteen minutes make one ke."

“In this booklet, there are certain statements.”

"Below the centimeter, there are millimeters and micrometers; below the ounce, there are grams; above the breath, there are minutes, ke, and hours."

“We also made certain symbols to further simplify the distinction.”

"We will quantify and materialize all the measures, so as to further reduce the disparity in the world."

"The drawings on the steam engine are all marked according to the above unit system. Although this unit system is used all over the world, there are always big differences in different places. However, as the creators of the steam engine, you should be very clear about the importance of accurate weights and measures."

“Weights and measures have a serious impact on people’s livelihood.”

"Locals sell small measures and buy large measures, and there are endless cases of shortfalls in weights and measures."

“The people suffered greatly.”

"In addition to being related to people's livelihood, it is also related to industry and commerce."

"The enterprise I founded will expand to the world in the future. In order to reduce costs and unnecessary losses, it is imperative to redefine the world's weights and measures. Moreover, this set of weights and measures must be spread throughout the world and accepted by all people."

"This steam atlas is the beginning of the reset!"

(End of this chapter)