I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 69: The judge is so righteous, how can I fall behind him?
After receiving Lu Jian's kind advice, Zhao Zicheng quickly realized that he indeed lacked experience in officialdom and was prone to offending people in his work.

After all, he was just a history teacher in his previous life. He had a good sense of the overall situation and understood the general trend.

However, the handling of interpersonal relationships in the details of officialdom may not be as good as that of the old-fashioned officials in ancient times.

In order to more safely get through the transition period before Fang La's rebellion, he went to the government office early the next morning to visit Wei Xian, the prefect of the state, and brought with him the plan he had adjusted overnight.

He asked Wei Tongpan to help him check and coordinate the corvée and paddy field improvement work in the four counties of Suzhou this winter.

It would be best if even his own decision to "only hire soldiers from Yang Zhi's battalion at a high price to replace the people of Gusu County as corvée laborers, and temporarily ignore the other battalions" could be blamed on Wei Tongpan and said to be Wei Tongpan's decision -

Although this possibility is extremely slim, if it can be realized, Zhao Zicheng can play the villain and Wei Tongpan can play the villain. At that time, he can further win the hearts of the Suzhou army and turn a disadvantage into an advantage. It is really great.

Whether such a remote yet extremely satisfying thing can be achieved depends on how Zhao Zicheng handles his relationship with Wei Tongpan and what specific benefits he can give to Wei Tongpan.

In particular, Zhao Zicheng learned from Lu Jian that Wei Xian had previously written a letter to the emperor requesting him to reduce the flower and stone tax. Zhao Zicheng already knew how to deal with such a person.

Before coming, he also prepared a few other things that he believed Wei Xian would be interested in.

……

"Report to the judge, the new county magistrate, Zhao Zicheng, requests to see you." Early that morning, Wei Xian was handling official business in his office when his subordinates came in to report.

Wei Xian was very busy with official duties, so he didn't take it seriously at first. He just asked the doorman to keep the person there and serve him some refreshments until he finished his business.

This man hates evil and has cracked down on many corruption cases in construction and transportation in various counties of Suzhou in the past two years.

For example, he investigated two cases last year in which he investigated the money people handed in as substitutes for labor service and found out whether it was fully used to hire laborers, or whether more was collected than used and the balance was divided among the people.

He also investigated a case to investigate whether the extra "zhiyi" money levied by the imperial court on grain was actually used for grain transportation and whether the transportation cost was really as high as the "zhiyi" money.

(Note: After the local governments paid the grain, they were also responsible for transporting the grain to Tokyo or other places designated by the imperial court. The "transfer" money was an additional transportation fee. This money was used to hire specialized transport merchants to help transport the grain, so they did not have to transport it themselves.)
As for the Flower and Stone Gang, which Wei Xian hated the most, he kept a close eye on it. Although he could not deal with Zhu Zhen, he did uncover two local Suzhou officials who had tampered with the transportation fees of the Flower and Stone Gang.

Zhu Zhen also hated Wei Xian, but Wei Xian had a good reputation as an official, and Zhu Zhen could not find any obvious evidence against him, so he could not get rid of him immediately, but it was almost done.

Historically, this man didn't survive the Fang La Rebellion in Suzhou, ultimately being framed and exiled to a remote region by Zhu Jie. However, Fang La's rebellion effectively saved him, as the court desperately needed a reputable official to pacify the region, leading Zhao Ji to bring him back. Of course, none of this has yet to happen.

Wei Xian had been busy for almost the entire morning, and only when it was time for dinner did he remember that Zhao Zicheng was still waiting there. He didn't want to keep Zhao Zicheng for dinner, so he decided to postpone the dinner and have a quick meeting with him before dinner.

When Wei Xian arrived at the reception room, he thought Zhao Zicheng would be impatient waiting, but unexpectedly, Zhao Zicheng was very quiet, meditating and breathing alone.

Wei Xian was impressed by the young man's patience, but he also felt a little unhappy when he thought that he might be following the official trend of worshipping Taoism.

"County Magistrate Zhao is in a good mood. He even has the mind to breathe while waiting." Wei Xian said calmly.

Zhao Zicheng immediately opened his eyes, let out a long sigh, and smiled calmly: "I just have nothing to do. The magistrate is busy with many things every day. It seems a bit inappropriate for me to come and bother you today."

Wei Xian said in a businesslike manner: "There's nothing inappropriate. As long as it's official business, you can say it."

Zhao Zicheng roughly stated his ideas and asked Wei Tongpan to take charge of the situation.

Wei Xian was somewhat surprised by his request: "Aren't you from the Yingfeng Bureau? Which of the capable officials in the Yingfeng Bureau is not good at construction and grain transport? Do you still need me to coordinate them?"

Besides, your county doesn't plan to build canals or seawalls this year, it's just developing polder fields, which can be completed by the county itself. If I intervene, hehe... the contributions of each county will have to be weighed, and the person in charge will not get any benefits. Are you sure?"

In such a closed-door occasion, Wei Xian did not bother to hide his inner prejudices and dissatisfaction, and spoke rather harshly.

But what he said did conform to officialdom rules. If the projects involved during the winter farming off-season were small-scale and did not cross counties, and each county raised its own funds, the money and grain accounts would not need to be reviewed by the prefecture level, and the people in the county would be able to make more money.

However, as long as it involves coordination by the state government and cooperation among counties, the accounts must be stricter, because there will definitely be different divisions of labor among counties. For example, County A provides more manpower, County B provides more grain, and County C provides more tools and ironware.

At this time, how much is the labor worth, how much is the food worth, how much is the ironware worth, and whether each county has actually contributed the full amount they said they contributed, all of these must be coordinated and reviewed at the state level to ensure fairness and make the counties convinced.

Otherwise, Gusu County would complain that Kunshan County had withheld grain, Kunshan County would complain that Wujiang County had not worked hard, and that the number of corvée laborers had not been paid, and the dispute would become endless.

County officials who wanted to make more money absolutely did not want the state government to coordinate. Even for a major project like building a canal, which involved crossing counties, coordination was necessary.

Zhao Zi said that when he saw Wei Xian's surprise, he knew that this matter was going to happen. Wei Xian had not been friendly to him before, probably because he thought that he was secretly recommended by Zhu Jie and there was a misunderstanding.

Knowing the crux of the matter, Zhao Zicheng clarified in a calm and open manner:
"It seems the magistrate has quite a few misunderstandings about me. A true man should be open to all things, so I will clarify a few things: First, I am a top student in the Imperial College, appointed as the magistrate of Gusu County according to the established law of the court. I am not a student of Zhu Jie, nor was I recommended by Zhu Jie.

Secondly, my previous involvement with the Yingfeng Bureau was simply forced upon me by my involvement in the Huashi Gang shipwreck. Seeing my friend wrongly accused, I felt compelled to stand up and speak out. Zhu Jie, seeing my wit, sought to win me over, which was his business. However, I have never wronged the people, nor have I ever profited from my official duties by taking ill-gotten gains.

Finally, regarding this year's corvée labor in Gusu County, I have no intention of making a penny from it. So far, I've even paid my way into the position. As long as Wei Tongpan is willing to take charge, the corvée expenditure accounts for Gusu County will definitely withstand scrutiny."

Zhao Zi claimed that he was absolutely not greedy for money; at most, he spent money lavishly, but he certainly didn't take any money for himself. And since the money came from Gusu County, he wanted to pay the hired soldiers in full, and even give them some bonuses, without outsiders having to complain. This was his reasoning for asking Wei Xian to intervene.

Wei Xian was quite surprised when he heard him state several key points in a righteous manner, and his impression of him changed slightly.

Wei Xian pondered for a moment, then said with relief, "It seems that you only seek fame and not wealth in your official career. This is understandable. It's human nature for young people to want to achieve success and fame, and not to engage in petty pursuits. It's great to be young. When I was young, I was also passionate about serving my country and was fearless. Only after experiencing so much do I realize how difficult life is.

"But you're planning to use me as a pawn. You're not greedy yourself, and you don't want to be hated by others for treating the corvée soldiers well and rewarding them generously, so you're bringing me into trouble and making me offend. Why should I do this for you?"

Wei Xian's attitude changed subtly. He had come to understand Zhao Zicheng and no longer harbored ill feelings towards him.

But understanding does not mean helping Zhao Zi to fish in troubled waters. These are two different things, and there is still a big gap between them.

Wei Xian asked this not for any benefit or reputation for himself, but at least Zhao Zicheng could tell him: if doing so is beneficial to the country and the people, then it is okay.

Zhao Zicheng knew he had passed the first hurdle, so he continued to talk: "If the Tongpan is willing to take charge of the overall situation, it will benefit the country and the people in at least two ways:
First, division of labor brings efficiency. Each county has its own strengths. Gusu County boasts a thriving industry and commerce, and a flourishing silk and tea industry, but we don't grow much grain, and the surplus available for corvée service is also limited. In contrast, Kunshan County has a substantial surplus. If all counties cooperate and coordinate, each leveraging its strengths, we will undoubtedly save costs and achieve twice the result with half the effort. Zhao Zicheng then outlined to Wei Xian his understanding of Adam Smith's later economic theory of "efficiency through specialization and division of labor." He also included some quotations from classics, citing some simple economic observations from Confucian sages, particularly Mencius, to illustrate his point.

Wei Xian was also a well-educated scholar with very solid knowledge, but he had certainly never heard of the later economic theories that Zhao Zicheng talked about. He also combined the words of Mencius and made up stories, which immediately amazed Wei Xian.

"Although this boy is young, he has a solid knowledge. He achieved the distinction of being a top student in the Imperial College. I'm afraid he didn't cheat by relying on his royal family status, but rather earned it through genuine examinations... and he's probably ranked among the top students."

Wei Xian couldn't help but think so in his heart. He agreed with Zhao Zicheng's economic and academic views, and also had more ideas about supporting talented younger generations.

Seeing that he was interested, Zhao Zicheng took the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot and said, "If the Tongpan is willing to take charge of the overall situation, Gusu County is willing to cooperate with the other three counties. At that time, Gusu County is willing to contract all the ironware, tools and stones for the winter paddy fields in the four counties this year.

As for labor, each county can raise a portion on its own, but the other counties will need to provide Gusu County with laborers and food for the garrison troops. As for the specific price that Gusu County can fetch for the ironware and stone materials it contracts, and how much food and labor it will receive in exchange for the other three counties, it will be up to the Tongpan (Tongpan) to decide impartially.

At this point, Zhao Zicheng's plan had become completely clear. He hoped that the Tongpan would take charge of the overall situation and set prices for production factors such as labor, ironware, and grain in the four counties according to the original market prices.

Zhao Zicheng's hometown, Gusu County, had a clear advantage in iron tool production efficiency. Furthermore, while serving as the Tokyo General, he had developed primitive cement technology for the Genyue Project, which could be used to build dams and dikes at a low cost, replacing the stone that would otherwise be needed.

To build polder fields, one has to dig deeper and pile up the silt in places like swamps and wetlands, making the water-filled areas even deeper and turning the originally shallow areas into flat fertile fields.

However, large-scale dike construction requires consideration of whether the dike bank is prone to collapse due to long-term immersion in marshland and lake water, whether the mud that collapses back into the pond will reduce the water storage capacity, and whether small boats will be stranded and blocked. Therefore, stone banks are often needed in many places, just like building a river bank when building a canal.

Zhao Zi said that the original cement they had developed was initially only used to build rockeries for the Genyue Mountain, and they didn't dare use it to build houses, fearing that the quality would be poor and it would collapse over time and bury people. The quality requirements for cement used in rockeries are obviously much lower than those for building houses.

Anyway, they are directly replacing the rocks in the Hua Shi Gang and are solidly piled up, so there is no need to worry about low tensile strength.

After replacing the rockery stones, Zhao Zicheng keenly captured the second use of the original cement, which was to repair the banks of the embankments.

He wasn't yet confident in using cement directly for seawalls or dams, as poor quality could lead to a dam failure, which would be extremely harmful. By contrast, the pressure on the banks of polder fields was much lower, so any minor quality issues would at most cause the reservoir to silt up and the waterway to be blocked, but would definitely not result in a major flood.

First use cement to repair polder fields, pilot it for one or two years, then slowly improve the process and come up with a better formula. Once everything has stood the test of history, use cement for large-scale construction, and everything will be a natural outcome.

Just like the original model of the steam engine, which could only be used to pump water in coal mines, it could only find more application scenarios after its quality became more and more reliable and its efficiency became higher and higher.

We cannot develop technology in isolation. We must find suitable commercial application scenarios for the budding technology while we are developing it. This will form a flywheel effect of positive feedback loop.

Zhao Zi said that the path planning for cement technology is actually very reasonable. At the beginning, the worst ones are used to build rockery. When the rockery effect is good, they are further improved and rebuilt into polder fields. Then it is the turn to use cement to build houses and repair dams. The whole process may require many years of continuous technological iteration and update, but this is definitely the most stable step.

As long as Zhao Zicheng's plan is implemented, Gusu County will actually need to contribute very little to the corvee project this winter.

The estimated market value of stone and ironware was very high, and they could be exchanged for a large amount of resources from the other three neighboring counties. Zhao Zi claimed that the new technology had greatly reduced costs, but the price he offered to Wei Tongpan would not be reduced immediately.

For example, the stone that can be bought for one guan of money on the market, Zhao Zi said that using his latest improved cement, the cost may be only two hundred coins, and he gave Wei Xian a slight discount, converting the price to seven or eight hundred coins. In this way, Wei Xian and the other three counties also reduced the stone cost by two or three percent, and Gusu County could also double its gross profit.

He was able to reduce taxes and levies, do more things at a very low cost, and make all the wealthy families in the county grateful to him.

Zhao Zi said that the plan to rapidly expand the iron workshop could also be covered up under the account of "providing iron tools for winter corvee labor in the four counties of Suzhou", and many of the initial investments could be amortized into the account.

……

Wei Xian didn't know how powerful Zhao Zicheng's technology was, but when he heard Zhao Zicheng say in general terms that he had a way to solve the stone problem at a low cost, and that division of labor and cooperation would be beneficial to both sides, Wei Xian temporarily believed it.

Finally, Wei Xian had only one additional request, hoping that Zhao Zicheng could answer this question, and he would fully support Zhao Zicheng's plan.

"How effective is that new material you mentioned as a 'low-cost alternative to stone'? Could I take a look? This is a serious matter, and words alone are no proof."

Zhao Zi said, "It's not difficult. The judge can come anytime he wants when he has time. I will tell you everything I know."

Wei Xian: "It's better to do it today than to wait for a day. Since we've talked about this, we can go and see it today."

Zhao Zicheng was not vague either, so he took Wei Xian to the cement factory he had just built outside the county that day.

The cement technology here was developed by him and Jia Dan, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Works, a few months ago. Later, Zhao Zi encouraged the craftsmen to find ways to gradually improve it when he had the chance. The current product quality has improved slightly compared to when he said goodbye to Jia Dan, and he also left behind many valuable experimental records.

Traditional craftsmen certainly didn't keep written records of their experiments. While they did produce research results, they were often discovered by chance. Zhao Zi said this was unacceptable; he needed systematic research. Only by keeping records of experiments could they learn from experience and continuously improve and iterate.

Wei Xian watched the craftsmen's demonstration on site and was also amazed at the effect of cement.

"This material can replace stone in many projects that don't require high standards! If the government used this material more often when building Mount Gen and palaces, the world wouldn't have to be burdened to this extent by the Flower and Stone Gang!"

This was Wei Xian's first reaction, as he had been having trouble with the Hua Shi Gang for several years.

Zhao Zicheng knew that after hearing him say this, this person was finally brought into the same front.

Zhao Zicheng agreed with him, saying, "The judge is quite right. In fact, I originally hated the waste of money and manpower caused by the Flower and Stone Gang. So after I escorted the Flower and Stone Gang to Tokyo, I had a chance to discuss with some capable officials and craftsmen from the Ministry of Works and came up with this idea.

"But I am too humble to offer this to the government for the construction of Genyue. However, I will have the craftsmen continue to improve these techniques, and I will not let this pearl be buried in the dust."

These last few words completely pulled Wei Xian into Zhao Zicheng's camp.

When Wei Xian heard that Zhao Zicheng had also long wanted to persuade the authorities to abolish the Flower and Stone Gang, he finally stood in awe.

With solid physical evidence before our eyes, the story of the invention of cement cannot be fabricated.

No one can fabricate his true intentions by inventing something new, so Zhao Zicheng must be a 100% Daohua Shi Gang school.

"I've done what you asked for. You have such a heart for the people, which is a blessing for the people of Jiangnan. I'm already old, and I'm feared by the Red Dog. What future do I have? I'll do something for you young people."

(End of this chapter)