Longzang

Chapter 715 Don’t worry about scarcity but inequality
After the ceremony, nearly five hundred more Daoist cultivators emerged from the Daoist army and immediately returned to the northern mountain gate. However, while they had come in wearing only a single layer of clothing, they returned in full armor, each carrying four flying sword spears and dozens of cannonballs under their buttocks.

Just then, someone came to report that Li Chengfeng from the Zhao Kingdom had come to visit and was already waiting for them in Zhike Town on the border.

Wei Yuan treated Li Chengfeng very well. After all, he had sold millions of bolts of cloth and collected tens of millions of kilograms of silk through him during this period. He had also collected 100,000 sets of medicinal materials for refining the Lesser Qi Cultivation Pill and raised nearly 200,000 refugees.

When Wei Yuanfei arrived at Zhike Town, he saw Li Chengfeng, who had changed into casual clothes and was only accompanied by two attendants, walking around the town looking around.

Zhike Town is no longer just a town, but a sizable city.

It undertakes increasingly diverse functions. The first stop for migrants is to register and screen them in Zhike Town before they are assigned to different cities in Qingming.

New caravans must first register in Zhike Town, where they will usually unload their goods. All goods publicly sold by Qingming are also stored in Zhike Town, allowing caravans to pick up their desired goods and return without needing to go elsewhere.

If an unfamiliar team enters Qingming without passing through Zhike Town, they will be attacked once discovered. Qingming has the Peerless Dao Domain, making it virtually impossible for a team of more than ten people to infiltrate.

Over time, Zhike Town grew larger and more prosperous.

The town of Zhike that Li Chengfeng now sees has a permanent population of 10,000, while there are tens of thousands of temporary residents, migrants, and merchants. There are hundreds of shops of all sizes in the town, restaurants and eateries line the streets, and all kinds of goods are on display. Whenever any rare or precious items appear, the roads are blocked by pedestrians.

Li Chengfeng, accompanied by two trusted advisors, disguised himself as an ordinary merchant, wandering through the streets and alleys, constantly observing the surroundings. Later, Li Chengfeng intentionally left the bustling commercial street and headed towards the side streets.

Even in the back streets and alleys, the roads are paved with bluestone and there are underground drains on the side.

Most families live in four- or five-story buildings with courtyards in front, where exotic plants are grown. People hurry to and fro on the road, but everyone has a cheerful face and a healthy complexion.

A group of children ran past Li Chengfeng, laughing and playing, each carrying some fruit to eat.

Li Chengfeng stopped the children and said kindly, "What are you carrying? Can you give them to me? I'll buy them from you for one or two taels of silver."

The children looked at each other, clearly aware of the value of the immortal silver, then handed their snacks to Li Chengfeng, took the immortal silver, and ran off.

Li Chengfeng had a variety of items in his hands, including fried dough and sugar-coated fruit, sugar figurines made from syrup, and roasted sausages the size of a finger.

Li Chengfeng showed these to his two advisors and asked, "Did you see anything?"

The older staff member seemed thoughtful, but then shook his head.

The younger ones, without so many reservations, said, "I've always heard that everyone in the Azure Netherworld can eat their fill. Now it seems that not only can they eat their fill, but they eat very well?"

The older advisor snorted and said slowly, "As the sage said, 'It is not scarcity that is to be feared, but inequality.' When has there ever truly been a shortage of food in this world? If there were no shortage of food, why would there be so many displaced people? Therefore, the law of the jungle, the cunning and the forceful are the norm, and inequality is the eternal and unchanging scene of humankind."

No matter how much grain is available, it cannot withstand the hoarding and speculation of wealthy and powerful families. Although Qingming is renowned for its grain reserves, this principle still applies. No matter how much grain is available, it will only end up in the hands of a few; how can there be a situation where everyone is free from hunger?

Li Chengfeng seemed thoughtful, looked around, and said, "The number of places where ordinary people live in this town is probably almost comparable to that of the capital. It seems that Wei Yuan knew this place was a showcase, so he gathered his wealth to build such a place?"

The older aide said, "That must be it. How could there be a place where no one goes hungry?"

The young aide, however, was unconvinced and said, "What if Wei Yuan upheld the idea of ​​universal love and equality for all people? Wouldn't it be enough to just distribute the grain to every household?"

The senior aide immediately sneered: "Free food distribution? You should think about what the consequences would be. If you can eat your fill without doing anything, who would be willing to work? Where would the food come from? Would it fall from the sky?"
Furthermore, how much grain should be distributed to each household? Should sixteen-year-old adults and five-year-old children eat the same amount? If grain is distributed equally per capita, then everyone gets the same regardless of how much they work, so who would be willing to work a little harder? In the end, everyone will compete to be lazy and shirk responsibility, and everyone will go hungry!

The young staff member was indignant, but upon closer reflection, he became increasingly alarmed and at a loss for words.

Li Chengfeng, meanwhile, surveyed the four-story buildings with interest, secretly scanning their interiors with his divine sense. He considered the argument between the two advisors more of a battle of egos, and not worth listening to.

For him, the amount of grain didn't matter; as long as he had enough to feed his army and withstand natural disasters and man-made calamities, that was enough. How others distributed the grain or hoarded it was unimportant. At most, he would set up soup kitchens to provide relief during years of famine, and that was all.

These are all matters for minor officials and clerks to consider. For Li Chengfeng, who aspires to a high position, the more pressing concern is how to defeat powerful enemies on the battlefield. Just as they were pondering this, Wei Yuan's voice suddenly rang out beside them: "This gentleman has an uncanny insight into human nature, which is truly admirable. I have a few questions that I still can't understand. I wonder if you could enlighten me?"

The three turned around and saw Wei Yuan standing at the alley entrance, dressed in black casual clothes and dark patterned boots. He had clear eyes and a slight smile on his face. When he saw the three of them, he walked steadily towards them.

When the older staff member saw that Wei Yuan was looking at him, he recognized Wei Yuan's identity and dared not be negligent. He quickly bowed and said, "If Lord Wei has any questions, I will answer them to the best of my knowledge."

Wei Yuan then said, "If we determine different amounts of grain based on the different circumstances of each household, disputes are inevitable. Just as you just said, we are not worried about scarcity but about inequality."

But if everyone is treated the same, it's unfair, and it will ultimately lead to people going through the motions without putting in the effort. Sir, do you have a way to achieve both?

The older aide stroked his beard and said, "I only have a humble opinion, and there is no perfect solution."

Wei Yuan said solemnly, "Please speak, sir."

"I have heard that the Azure Sky Fields belong to the Realm Lord, and private individuals do not own land but rely on rations to survive. In my humble opinion, the rations should be divided into three parts. The first part should be given to everyone, so that everyone can receive the benefits, but the amount should not be too much, just enough to keep people from starving, not enough to fill their stomachs."

The second portion is the salary and wages for various tasks and even positions. This portion is based on the principle of rewarding diligence and ability, with more pay for more work done and more pay for those who are capable.

The third portion addresses any gaps or omissions, allowing for flexible use. It can be used to provide relief to the disabled, reward the descendants of meritorious officials, and so on. With these three portions of grain complementing each other, a fairly complete framework can be established.

The core principle is that lazy people shouldn't be fed; otherwise, it will discourage capable and meritorious individuals, ultimately leading to widespread laziness and a lack of willingness to work even a little extra.

Wei Yuan bowed and said, "Sir, you are truly talented!"

The distribution method mentioned by the advisor had actually been analyzed and demonstrated by Wei Yuan many times in real-life situations, and the final result tended to be equal distribution to everyone.

Wei Yuan originally thought the human touch approach was quite reasonable and morally sound, but he never expected the senior advisor to mention the last layer.

Upon careful consideration, Wei Yuan realized that the outcome was almost certainly what the senior advisors had predicted: everyone was lazy and no one was working. Even if they were forced to work, many would only go through the motions without putting in any effort.

Currently, Qingming's main focus is on Body Forging cultivators and Template Dao Foundation cultivators. Right now, Body Forging cultivators are all working hard for their Dao path, since there is a full 10% chance of advancing to Dao Foundation, and everyone feels that they will be among that 10%.

In order to solidify their foundation, the template-based foundation dares not slacken in the slightest, and everyone is dreaming of making a breakthrough in the mid-term.

However, the fact that there are no problems now does not mean there will be no problems in the future. In fact, once the first batch of template roadbed foundation is completed, the issue of paying wages will arise.

If things go smoothly, this will be in four or five years. Looking further ahead, the blood oaths of the earliest cultivators to serve Qingming will expire in seven or eight years, and how to retain them at that time will also be a problem.

Looking at this older advisor, Wei Yuan had the idea of ​​poaching him.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengfeng immediately said, "I have known Mr. Shi for twenty years and he has been kind enough to teach and guide me. This is something I absolutely cannot give up."

Wei Yuan also expressed some regret, saying, "Of course, I cannot take away what the Fourth Prince loves."

Li Chengfeng smiled and said, "Qingming is thriving, what kind of talent doesn't it have? Lord Wei only needs to raise his voice, and scholars from all over the world will flock to it."

Wei Yuan smiled wryly and said, "The Western Regions are a desolate and barren place, who would want to come here! Your Highness is joking."

At this moment, the older advisor's expression was somewhat strange. He couldn't help but think to himself, "He only joined Li Chengfeng's camp half a year ago. How could there be so many entanglements?"
After exchanging pleasantries, Wei Yuan went straight to the point and asked, "What brings you here, Fourth Prince?"

Instead of speaking directly, Li Chengfeng asked, "What does Lord Wei think of the Prince of Jin, and what about the Prince of Zhao?"

(End of this chapter)