The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 155 Hearing the gentleman's words was like seeing the sun after the clouds had parted.
"The connection is very strong!" Li Yichen's tone suddenly became more serious.

"Your Highness, consider this: what would happen once the system of paying wages in lieu of service is established and gradually implemented?"

"First, the imperial court has gained a stable and additional source of monetary income!"

“This money can be used to do many things that we wanted to do before but didn’t have the money for. For example, we can expand the scope of employment and gradually reduce the proportion of conscription. This is the benefit of turning corvée labor into silver.”

"Secondly, and more importantly,"

Li Yichen's eyes were sharp and piercing.

"It began to gradually transform the labor force from those dependent on the state into freelance workers in the market!"

"Although this process will be lengthy, once the direction is established, it will be of great significance."

"For those from poor families and artisans, they can buy back their time with money!"

"They can focus more on improving their skills, managing their businesses, and creating more wealth. Their upward mobility has been broadened by the liberation of time!"

"But for those powerful and influential families, this is a huge blow!"

A slight smile appeared on Li Yichen's lips.

"They can no longer use the power of conscription to indirectly exploit the farmers who depend on them, or to suppress those poor elites who try to become independent."

"Because the imperial court provided a legal channel for paying wages in lieu of service, the people had another option. The implicit control that powerful families had over local human resources was weakened!"

"More importantly,"

Li Yichen put forward an even more impactful idea.

"With the accumulation of labor service funds and the maturation of the employment system, the imperial court could even establish a special 'Construction Bureau' or 'River and Canal Bureau' to cultivate a professional engineering team belonging to the imperial court!"

"They were skilled in their craft and far more efficient than farmers who were temporarily conscripted. The court's control over large-scale projects actually increased, and it no longer needed to rely excessively on the assistance of local powerful families."

"If this policy is implemented, it may seem like just a minor adjustment to the method of collecting corvée labor, but in reality, it is a hidden move to compete with powerful families for control of human resources, to free the poor and common people from their burdens, and to lay the foundation for eventually replacing forced labor with monetization and professionalization!"

Li Chengqian was deeply moved, and his breathing became rapid involuntarily.

He seemed to see a path hidden beneath the existing system that could subtly alter the balance of power and ultimately shake up the entire landscape!
"Then... what does 'turning slaves into laborers' mean?"

He pressed for details, sensing that Li Yichen's scheme went far beyond this.

"Your Highness, turning slaves into laborers is an extension and sublimation of turning corvée labor into silver, and it is also a crucial matter concerning the strength of the nation!"

Li Yichen's eyes were burning.

"But to truly understand its essence, Your Highness, you must see clearly a force that has never been truly valued by the officials of the court—the power of craftsmen and the skills of artisans!"

Li Yichen paused briefly to gather his thoughts.

"Your Highness, all these changes cannot be accomplished overnight; they require time, patience, and, more importantly, finding the right place to exert force. Why have powerful clans been able to endure for hundreds of years without falling?"

"Its foundation lies in two points: one is the monopoly of land, which controls the most important output."

"Secondly, it monopolizes knowledge and controls official careers and discourse. Farmers depend on its land, and students seek knowledge from its book collection, so its power is immense and difficult to shake."

“However,” he changed the subject, his gaze sharpening.

"There is another force in the world that aristocratic families cannot completely monopolize, and even their own development depends on it. That is the skill of craftsmen and the ingenuity of all trades."

"If this force can be properly guided, nurtured, and unleashed, it can become a new source of real power for His Highness and the Great Tang Dynasty, bypassing the constraints of aristocratic families."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, clearly still having doubts about whether the "craftsman's skill" could reach such a high level.

"The skills of craftsmen may supplement the weapons of the military and the nation, but how can they be compared with land and scholars, and thus become the foundation that shakes the foundation of aristocratic families?"

"Your Highness, this idea is wrong!"

Li Yichen categorically denied it and then began to dissect it layer by layer.

"Please allow me to explain the truth to Your Highness."

“Let’s start by discussing the land and the farmers,” Li Yichen said.

"Since the collapse of the well-field system, and the implementation of the equal-field system in this dynasty, land has always been the foundation of the nation's wealth. Farmers cultivate the land and produce millet, wheat, silk, and hemp to feed the nation. However, the output of the land has its limits."

He cited facts.

"Chao Cuo of the Former Han Dynasty once said that the harvest of a hundred mu of land is no more than a hundred shi. In our dynasty, the weather is favorable and the land is cultivated with care. Even a mu of good land can only yield one and a half to two shi of millet per year."

"This is the law of creation and nurturing by heaven and earth. Even if Shennong were to be reborn, it would be difficult to make one mu of land produce ten shi of grain. The farmers' efforts are limited to this."

“The powerful clans, relying on their political privileges and economic strength, annexed land and took in tenants.”

"They control this limited, visible output. The majority of the imperial taxes, the salaries of officials, and the army's provisions come from this."

"Therefore, whoever controls the land and the farmers who depend on it controls one of the lifelines of the country."

"This is the cornerstone of the power of aristocratic families, and also the area they are most wary of and strictly guard against others touching. Your Highness would find it as difficult as moving a mountain to contend with them in this area."

Li Chengqian nodded slowly. He had a deep understanding of this point. During his trip to Shandong, he had witnessed land disputes and the hardships faced by tenant farmers, all of which were related to this.

“Let’s talk about merchants again,” Li Yichen continued.

"Merchants circulate goods and regulate supply and demand, and their profits are substantial. Sima Qian, in his 'Biographies of Merchants,' also did not shy away from acknowledging their ability. For example, Yi Dun rose to prominence through salt, and Guo Zong through iron smelting, both of whom became as wealthy as kings. The power of commerce and the speed at which it accumulates wealth are indeed beyond the reach of agriculture, and its upper limit seems to be even higher."

“However,” he changed his tone, his voice carrying a cold insight.

"What do merchants intend to do after accumulating vast wealth? Has Your Highness considered this carefully?"

Before Li Chengqian could answer, he asked and answered his own question.

“What they seek is not merely wealth. They use wealth to acquire land, become landlords, use wealth to curry favor with officials, and seek protection. Ultimately, they will cultivate their children, have them study for the imperial examinations, and enter the ranks of scholars!”

"Why? Because only by becoming a 'scholar' and gaining control over knowledge and discourse can one ensure the longevity of their family business, truly achieve a status on par with established clans, and even... become a new aristocratic family!"

He cited recent examples.

"Your Highness, look at the wealthy merchants in Chang'an and Luoyang today. Who among them doesn't amass vast estates? Who doesn't strive to cultivate relationships with officials? Who doesn't hire renowned teachers to urge their children to study diligently, hoping to one day achieve academic success?"

“During the Sui Dynasty, many wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, such as the Shen and Zhang families, had sons who entered officialdom and gradually formed alliances with the old aristocratic families through marriage.”

"Although this dynasty values ​​lineage, the imperial examination system has been gradually established, so this path has not been cut off. Therefore, the ultimate development of the power of merchants is often not to dismantle aristocratic families, but rather... to try every means to become an aristocratic family themselves, or to merge with the old aristocratic families."

"They themselves may become a new aristocratic force that Your Highness will have to face in the future."

Li Chengqian was startled; he had never thought so clearly about the ultimate fate of merchants. After Li Yichen's explanation, everything suddenly became clear to him.

Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—scholars were ranked first, and merchants last; the path to advancement for these classes was remarkably clear.

"Now, let's look at the craftsmen and the skills of various trades."

Li Yichen's voice was steady and powerful.

"The power of craftsmanship is completely different from the previous two."

"Firstly, its output can be increased almost infinitely," Li Yichen pointed out the key point.

"Land productivity is limited by soil fertility and weather conditions, and has its limits. However, when craftsmen improve their skills and increase efficiency, the resulting gains can be ten or even a hundred times greater!"

"Does Your Highness know that Zhao Guo of the Former Han Dynasty created the Alternating Field Method and invented the Seed Drill, which doubled the efficiency of farming, and the annual harvest could exceed that of ordinary fields by more than one bushel?"

"This benefit is due to agricultural tools, but it is truly the work of craftsmen! Take, for example, the improvements made to the spinning machine in previous generations; one person could spin several times more yarn in a day than with the old method. Such gains could not be achieved simply by expanding the fields or increasing the number of farmers."

"Secondly, the source of its power is difficult to be completely monopolized by aristocratic families."

Li Yichen provides an in-depth analysis.

"Knowledge and classic texts can be stored in secret pavilions, and vast tracts of fertile land can be enclosed within high walls."

"Although the ingenuity of craftsmen and the secrets of their skills can be kept secret, their essence lies in 'application' and 'transmission'."

"Once a new type of plowshare is made and used in the field, its form and function are difficult to completely conceal."

“An excellent craftsman may have unique skills, but the process of training apprentices and passing on skills is itself a process of diffusion.”

“A family may be able to win over some top craftsmen, but it is by no means possible to monopolize the source and circulation of all the skills in the world, just as it monopolizes the classics, histories, philosophical works and literary collections.”

He elaborated further.

"More importantly, skills need to be exchanged, to be challenged, and to be continuously improved in practical applications. If you work behind closed doors, your skills will inevitably become rigid and outdated."

"Therefore, the artisan class, by its very nature, possesses a certain openness and mobility. This is the most fundamental difference between them and the gentry who cling to the barriers of knowledge, and the powerful clans who cling to the boundaries of their land."

"Thirdly, its benefits are universal, reducing the operating costs of the world, but it is difficult for it to become a new aristocratic family."

Li Yichen put forward his most crucial argument.

"Your Highness, imagine if a craftsman improved the waterwheel, greatly increasing irrigation efficiency. The beneficiaries would be farmers across the land and the imperial court's grain tax."

"If a craftsman improves the loom and increases the production of cloth, the beneficiaries will be the people of the world and the national treasury's tax revenue."

"If a craftsman refines steel, making weapons sharper and farm tools stronger, the beneficiaries will be the soldiers and the farmers."

"Such contributions are of immense merit to the country and its people. However, can the craftsmen who built waterwheels, modified looms, and refined steel become powerful families like the Cui, Lu, Wang, and Xie clans because of this?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and replied, "It's almost impossible."

Li Yichen nodded slightly and continued to explain.

"Firstly, once their technological achievements are promoted, they become a public asset, making it difficult for their families to monopolize and profit from them for a long time."

"Secondly, the social status of craftsmen was limited by the millennia-old concept of 'valuing the Way over tools,' making it difficult for them to suddenly rise to the level of gentry families who passed down their classical studies."

"Thirdly, and most importantly, the realization of the value of craftsmanship often depends on... the power of merchants."

He sketched out the complete chain.

"Craftsmen create powerful tools, which need to be sold by merchants to all corners of the world in order to benefit the people. The profits are shared by the craftsmen and the merchants."

"As mentioned earlier, after merchants became wealthy, they aspired to become members of the gentry. Therefore, the enormous value created by the artisan class was shared by merchants during the circulation process, and the upper limit of their social status was suppressed by the gentry concept."

"This leads to a remarkable result. The artisan class can create disruptive power, greatly enhancing national strength and reducing the cost of running the entire society."

"However, it is difficult for them to use this power to form a stable, hereditary political force that can compete with the imperial power in the long term, like aristocratic families."

Li Chengqian felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, instantly illuminating and connecting many of his previously vague thoughts!
He involuntarily stood up and paced slowly around the hall, digesting this groundbreaking analysis.

Land has its limits and is easily controlled.

Business seeks transformation, ultimately leading to mastery.

Only the skills of artisans can break through limits and benefit the world, but their creators rarely achieve great things, and their power ultimately converges in the wrong direction...

It is to enhance the strength of the entire country and strengthen the control of the imperial court!
"Therefore... therefore, the gentleman's advocacy of 'converting corvée labor into silver' and 'transforming slaves into laborers' was not merely about caring for the people or competing with powerful families for manpower in the short term..."

Li Chengqian's voice trembled slightly with a hint of realization.

"More importantly... it lies in clearing obstacles and laying the foundation for the flourishing of this 'craftsman's power'!"

"Your Highness is wise!" Li Yichen nodded heavily.

"That's exactly right! Forced and indiscriminate corvée labor binds a large number of potential outstanding craftsmen to the land or consumes them in inefficient hard labor, stifling their time and potential to study, improve, and pass on their skills."

"By converting corvée labor into silver and allowing them to use their earnings instead of labor, we can free up time for them to hone their skills and create more value!"

"The transformation of slaves into laborers and the conversion of some hard labor into employment not only improved the situation of laborers, but also demonstrated the court's proactive efforts to cultivate a professional and efficient team of craftsmen and engineers."

"This force is directly under the command of the imperial court, relying on its skills and efficiency rather than depending on any powerful or influential families!"

"They built stronger cities, opened up more convenient roads, constructed more efficient water conservancy projects, and forged more sophisticated weapons... All of this is to truly enhance the court's resources and solidify Your Highness's foundation!"

Li Yichen concluded in a deep and powerful tone.

"Your Highness, all of this will take time. But direction is more important than speed."

"What we need to do now is to subtly change the system by using strategies such as turning corvée labor into silver and slavery into labor, and gradually untie the shackles that bind the power of artisans."

"At the same time, taking advantage of opportunities such as the development of Xizhou, we will vigorously encourage technological innovation and reward skilled craftsmen, so that this force can begin to sprout and grow."

"When this power grows strong, it will bring about a doubling of agricultural output due to new farming tools, a more prosperous commercial circulation due to improved transportation, a stronger military force due to sophisticated equipment, and a more solid control of the court over all directions due to improved engineering capabilities."

"And the ultimate beneficiaries of all this are the Tang Dynasty and the common people of the world. As for those powerful families that rely on monopolizing old resources, their relative advantage will gradually weaken in the face of this overwhelming new force."

Li Chengqian stopped and turned around, looking intently at Li Yichen. His face was no longer filled with doubt, but instead with an unprecedented clarity and determination.

“Hearing your words, sir, is like seeing the sun after the clouds have parted! I… now know what to do. Following the imperial edict, studying the data in depth, and conducting trial work in Xizhou… I will proceed step by step and implement this strategy.”

"The power of these craftsmen and the prosperity of all trades began with 'turning corvée labor into silver' and 'transforming slaves into workers,' laying a new and unshakeable foundation for our Great Tang Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)