Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 244 To achieve great things, one must first benefit the people.
In this deathly silence, the emperor's voice rang out once more, adding an exclamation mark to the day's shock, leading into the future:
"But this is just the beginning. To make this massive shipbuilding project truly operational, and to ensure that the artisans of my Great Ming can master and surpass these skills, I need a completely new set of laws to evaluate, reward, and promote all the skilled craftsmen in the empire."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each horrified face, and then uttered, word by word, the name destined to be recorded in history:
"I will call it—'The Record of Craftsmanship'."

While the ministers were still in shock and trying to decipher his meaning, Zhu Youjian had already taken his seat, his expression shifting from excitement to a calm and calculating demeanor.

He knew that an empty law was meaningless; only by filling it with flesh and blood could this sleeping imperial behemoth truly awaken.

Zhu Youjian did not rush to explain, but instead turned his gaze to Bi Ziyan and the officials of the Ministry of Works, his voice steady and clear, as if he were explaining a perfectly ordinary truth:
"To accomplish great things, one must first benefit the people. The essence of my 'Record of Craftsmanship' lies in people. I will build a three-tiered pagoda for the great shipbuilding project of the Ming Dynasty to gather the talents of the world."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became solemn.

Everyone held their breath and strained their ears, afraid of missing a single word.

They had a vague feeling that an unprecedented change was about to be proclaimed by the emperor to the entire world.

"The top of this pagoda is named—'Drawing the Dragon into the Sea'!"

Zhu Youjian's gaze fell on the elderly Dutchman named Van der Meer, his tone filled with delighted affirmation: "Mr. Van der Meer and the other Western masters are the pinnacle of this pyramid, the wellspring of our Ming Dynasty's naval craftsmanship. What I need are not ordinary craftsmen who can hammer and tinker, but top masters who can design sea fortresses in Europe and make warships cut through the wind and waves!"

After these words were translated by those around him, Van der Meier and the others showed expressions of excitement and flattery.

Although they were exceptionally skilled, the status of craftsmen in Europe was ultimately limited. They never imagined that an emperor in the distant East would give them such high praise.

Immediately, Zhu Youjian turned to Bi Ziyan, his voice as firm as metal and stone, and issued his first specific edict:

"The Ministry of Personnel shall immediately take the lead, in conjunction with the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War, to establish the 'Royal Overseas Recruitment Office' in Tianjin and Guangzhou, dedicated to recruiting skilled craftsmen from thousands of miles away for me! I will not concern myself with the process, I only care about the result!"

He stretched out his finger and gestured in the air, as if the whole world were his chessboard:

He stretched out his finger and slowly traced the outline of Southeast Asia on the map, as if the whole world had become his chessboard.

"The first net must be cast in Haojing! This place is a melting pot of all sorts, a trading port for Western countries. We should use hefty rewards as bait, treating them differently! Focus on finding those engineers and shipwrights who are ostracized by the Portuguese and Spanish because of their Protestant beliefs. They are frustrated and unfulfilled in the Western lands, and this is the time for our Great Ming to recruit them! Tell them that in the Ming Dynasty, their skills will receive unparalleled respect!"

His fingertip paused slightly, then moved to Luzon: "The other route is to penetrate deep into Luzon! This place is occupied by the Spanish, and it is also a vital passage for our Ming Dynasty's merchant ships. Recruiting here must be done under the guise of trade, while secretly conducting intelligence gathering! Utilize our dynasty's trade relations with the Spanish to carefully search for European technical talents who have scattered here. Anyone with a skill, regardless of nationality, can be used by us!"

Finally, his finger pressed heavily on the most crucial location on the map—Batavia! A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes as he mentioned the name.

"And the most crucial place is Batavia! This is the Dutch stronghold, the core of their East India Company's operations. Sending people there is extremely dangerous, but the rewards are also the greatest! Minister Zheng, this matter needs to be handled by your most capable and cunning merchants and spies!"

"Go deep into the heart of the Dutch, recruit their people! Don't skimp on the money! They offer one salary, I'll offer ten! They reward with silver coins, I'll give them the full amount in gold and the finest silk! They promise positions, I'll not only grant them official ranks, but I'll even bestow upon them titles!"

With a few words, he effortlessly mentioned Macau, Manila, Batavia, and other places, and the three lines of communication progressed layer by layer, instantly spreading out a vast network of recruitment spanning thousands of miles of sea.

Such a grand vision, encompassing the entire world and the East and West Oceans, stirred the hearts and blood of everyone in the headquarters!
Having arranged this crucial "external acquisition" strategy, Zhu Youjian turned his gaze to the palace.

He looked at the several master craftsmen from the Ministry of Works standing to one side, as well as two young scholars who were students of Xu Guangqi, and his expression became gentle and encouraging:
"Western craftsmen are the sharpest weapons for overcoming difficulties. But the foundation of a nation ultimately lies within our Great Ming itself. This second step, I call—'Transforming the Barbarians into Chinese'!"

"While the skills of foreigners are exquisite, they may not be suitable for the conditions of our Great Ming. The size of boats, the curvature of the keel, and the density of the sails must all be adapted to the time, place, and materials. I hereby order you to immediately form the 'Royal Bureau for the Compilation of Building Standards' together with Mr. Van der Meer and other Western experts."

"I order you to record, translate, and verify every word and stroke of their oral traditions, including their blueprints, their experience, and their oral instructions, and ultimately compile them into the 'Royal Shipbuilding Manual' of my Great Ming Dynasty!"

This arrangement was like a warm current flowing into the hearts of the local artisans.

They originally thought that the emperor had hired foreign craftsmen because he didn't trust them.

Only now did they realize that the emperor wanted them to learn, absorb, and surpass!

This meticulous consideration—which combined the strengths of the Western barbarians with the foundation of Chinese civilization—earned the approval of seasoned statesmen like Bi Ziyan.

The emperor's move was not a sign of worshipping foreign things or fawning on foreigners; on the contrary, it was a long-term strategy to "learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to control them"!

"However, even with the sharp blade and the solid foundation, we still need a rock to support us," Zhu Youjian's voice became steady and full of strength. "This final step is also the foundation for success, which I call 'gathering all kinds of craftsmen'! The great cause of the shipyard cannot be accomplished by just a few people. Its development depends on tens of thousands of skilled craftsmen."

He turned to the officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works: "I order the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works to immediately select the best military craftsmen from the coastal garrisons and send them to the shipyards in Tianjin and Shanghai. At the same time, I hereby issue an imperial decree that the Ministry of Revenue allocate special funds to openly recruit civilian shipbuilders in the three provinces of Jiangnan, Fujian, and Guangdong with generous rewards and high pay! Tell all craftsmen in the land that as long as they possess exceptional skills, the court will not hesitate to reward them. I want the royal shipyards to become a place that craftsmen from all over the land aspire to visit!"

"External acquisition", "internalization", and "broad adoption"!
From recruiting Western masters to adapting their skills to our own, and then to gathering the strength of craftsmen from all over the world, a grand and meticulous strategy for attracting, utilizing, and cultivating talent was clearly laid out in the emperor's words. The grand scale and thoroughness of his thinking are truly astonishing!

However, just when everyone thought that this was the entire contents of the "Record of Craftsmanship", Zhu Youjian leaned forward slightly, and a cold and sharp aura instantly enveloped the entire camp.

"Now that the people are ready, the laws and regulations are needed to govern them. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished, but in my shipyard, the old rules are nothing but scraps of paper!"

His tone turned grim, as if every word carried the clang of metal: "Within the Royal Shipyard, all craftsmen, whether officials, soldiers, or civilians, shall have their monthly stipends abolished and replaced with a system of payment based on labor!"

The moment the words "payment according to work" were uttered, the entire room was astonished!

Zhu Youjian completely ignored the astonishment of the crowd and continued to announce his new policies in an unquestionable tone: "All trades will be divided into nine grades and eighteen levels according to the skill level! All processes will be paid differently according to their complexity! The more you work, the more you earn; the better you work, the better you earn! Payment will be made monthly and distributed on the spot! The monthly salary of an eighth-grade master craftsman who rivets dragon bones can, and must, be higher than the annual salary of a seventh-grade county magistrate!"

These words left Bi Ziyan frozen on the spot, as if the blood in his body had instantly frozen.

"Insane... Your Majesty... This is utter madness!" His heart screamed in terror, but his lips remained trembling with shock. To place the wages of artisans above those of court officials?!
How can someone with such a lowly profession be elevated above even a high-ranking official?!

This is shaking the very foundation of the nation!

The social order of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants was established by the sages and is the ironclad order that has maintained the operation of the world for thousands of years!

Is it possible that everything will collapse completely with just one word from His Majesty?

Are we to abandon the proper order of ruler and subject, father and son, superior and inferior?

In Bi Ziyan's mind, countless terrifying words such as "the collapse of social order" flashed by in an instant.

He almost stepped forward immediately to dissuade the emperor from retracting this outrageous decree.

But...for some reason, deep within his heart, which had been steeped in Confucian classics his entire life, a faint voice trembled and refuted:

"But... if that's really the case, wouldn't those craftsmen work themselves to the bone to build the best ships? Every year, the Ministry of War cries out about the decay of military equipment, and the Ministry of Works reports on the craftsmen's slackness. Isn't this because of unclear rewards and punishments? Although Your Majesty's method is unconventional, it seems to directly address the deepest desires of people's hearts! Perhaps this is the true way to 'enrich the country and strengthen the army'?"

In just a moment, Bi Ziyan’s beliefs clashed violently with the cruel yet efficient reality before him!

In stark contrast to Bi Ziyan's civil-official-style shock, Zheng Zhilong on the other side was terrified the moment he heard these words, and his eyes flashed with a terrifying light!
"What...what ruthless methods!" he roared inwardly.

"This is ten thousand times more effective than using gold, silver, and swords to drive my men to become pirates! With clear rewards and punishments and profit at the forefront, who in this world wouldn't risk their life for me? If I could use this method... No! That's not right! Only the emperor can use this method! Only a ruler who possesses the entire world has such ambition and resources!"

Before this Emperor, my meager skills in managing subordinates are utterly childish... Give him five years—no! Perhaps not even five! What a terrifying force a fleet built using this method would be! At that time, who in this world would be his match?!

What Zheng Zhilong saw was not chaos, nor the collapse of social order.

With the keenest intuition of a maritime tycoon, he discerned the ultimate efficiency and the potential for the rise of an invincible fleet hidden behind this "pay-for-work" system!

Little did they know, the thunderbolts unleashed by the emperor were far from over.

He looked at Bi Ziyan, who was almost unsteady on his feet, and raised his voice again, as if striking the final straw that broke the camel's back in everyone's hearts:
"Salary is only one aspect! I also want to give all the artisans in the world a chance to bring honor to their ancestors! I will establish the 'Luban Prize' at the Royal Shipyard!"

"Those who make significant contributions to improving technology, saving materials, increasing efficiency, or inventing new tools will be personally awarded by me! Third prize: 100 taels of silver, recorded in the merit book! Second prize: 500 taels of silver, and their children may be admitted to the Imperial Academy! First prize: 100 acres of fertile land, 1,000 taels of silver, and may be granted the hereditary title of 'Craftsman Official' without exception, and be allowed to... enter officialdom!"

"Enter officialdom!"

The emperor practically squeezed out the last four words through gritted teeth.

These four words seem light and airy, yet they carry a weight heavier than Mount Tai.

They struck the very center of the camp like a real thunderbolt!
The entire headquarters was deathly silent.

Beside the emperor's desk, a court historian was already drenched in sweat, his right hand holding the pen trembling like a leaf, yet he still wrote furiously, relying on the instincts of a historian honed over many years, daring not to miss a single word.

He knew that every word he recorded would be enough to shake up the world for the next century.

Zhu Youjian paced slowly, his face devoid of any emotion, only displaying the decisiveness of a ruler.

Looking at the ministers who were completely intimidated, he began to issue the final edict that would turn the abstract into reality.

"Preach my will!"

Zhu Youjian pointed heavily at the location of Tianjin:
"Start immediately! I'm giving you two months! Within two months, all civil engineering work at the shipyards in Tianjin and Shanghai—leveling, dredging, foundation construction, and building—must be completed!" He turned to the Ministers of Works and Revenue, his eyes sharp as knives. "If there is even the slightest delay, I will hold you accountable!"

Having said that, his finger traced south along the canal, sweeping across the vast inland region, as if summoning the lifeblood of the empire:
"Proceed simultaneously! I'm giving you three months!"

He looked at the Dutch craftsman and the compiler behind him, "Mr. Van der Meier and the compiler must finalize the master plan and keel drawings for the 'Weijing-class' battleships!"

He then looked at Bi Ziyan, his tone as heavy as a mountain, "Bi Ziyan, I order you to mobilize the wealth of the entire nation to ensure that the fir trees of Fujian, the giant camphor trees of Huguang, and the ironwood trees of Yunnan and Guizhou are all transported without interruption!"

Then, standing among his ministers, his imposing presence made the ministers at the very front almost unable to breathe: "Six months from now! I want to personally witness the first keel of the 'Weijing-class' lead ship being steadily laid on the slipway at the Tianjin shipyard!"

His gaze turned to Zheng Zhilong, who had already been appointed as the head of the South Factory. "At the same time, the first batch of seagoing vessels used by the Shanghai branch for practice must start construction simultaneously! Zheng Zhilong, I entrust the affairs of the South Factory to you. If any mistakes are made, I will hold you solely responsible!"

Finally, he walked to the entrance of the camp, looked at the cloudless sky outside the hall, and his voice suddenly rose, filled with unwavering will and boundless expectation: "Two and a half years, I will personally witness the launch of the first ship of the 'Weijing-class' from Tianjin Port! That day will be the beginning of my Great Ming's dominance of the deep blue sea and the dragon's roar across the four seas!"

The emperor suddenly turned around, straightened up, and his gaze swept over all the ministers in the hall who were completely shocked by him.

"All of this requires the best talents in the land, the resources of the entire nation, and the strictest laws to implement! I have already told you all my strategies!"

"My lords, go and carry out my will!"

"Let this world truly feel the roar of the dragon from the East!"

(End of this chapter)