My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 279 Fairness! It's still fucking fair!

Jianning Prefecture City.

Compared to the tense situation of constant warfare in other parts of Fujian, Jianning Prefecture and its surrounding areas, under the effective control of the Restoration Army, exhibited an unusual order and vitality.

Pedestrians come and go on the streets, shops are open for business, and farmers in the fields are preparing for the late rice harvest.

This relative calm was not due to the absence of war, but rather the result of Qin Yuan's vigorous implementation of new policies and resumption of production over the past month.

Qin Yuan knew that war was a contest of logistics and overall strength.

Having a powerful army is not enough to conquer the world; a stable rear and a sustainable source of revenue are also essential.

His inspection of the newly built clothing factory today was to check the initial results of military production.

The first clothing factory of the Restoration Army was located in a large mansion requisitioned in the city, where the sound of looms could be heard incessantly.

The nearly 5,000 female workers were mostly military dependents, with a few impoverished women recruited locally.

These female workers are busy sewing military uniforms, leggings, backpacks and other military supplies.

Qin Yuan watched their skillful operation and nodded slightly.

He also advertised for local female workers in the "Restoration Daily" newspaper, but not many people applied.

In this day and age, it is extremely difficult to get women out of their homes and into organizations like factories.

Unless it is an official institution like the Jiangnan Silk Manufacturing Bureau, which specializes in producing textiles for the imperial court and government use.

Qin Yuan heard that the weaving bureau had more than two thousand looms, and the number of craftsmen plus management personnel was nearly ten thousand.

This is undoubtedly the official "factory".

However, the artisans and craftsmen of these textile bureaus were either trained from childhood or engaged in the profession for life, and their positions were hereditary, all of them holding official status.

Unfortunately, the Taiping army did not pay attention to these people after entering Nanjing.

As the former Wing King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Qin Yuan was also unaware of the whereabouts of these people in Shi Dakai's memory.

But ultimately it won't be too good.

If possible, Qin Yuan really wanted to find these people, since the products produced by the Jiangnan Textile Bureau included Yunjin, Ningchou, Songjin, Kesi, and Hangluo, representing the highest level of silk weaving techniques in the Qing Dynasty.

These products generate huge profits when sold overseas.

Fortunately, there were three Jiangnan Textile Bureaus, but the Jiangning Textile Bureau was gone.

However, the weaving bureaus in Hangzhou and Suzhou still exist.

There will be opportunities in the future.

"Commander, at the current pace, there should be no problem completing the first batch of 20,000 sets of winter clothing by the end of the month," the clothing factory manager reported respectfully.

"Very good. Make sure wages are paid on time and in full, and meals are also guaranteed," Qin Yuan instructed.

He adopted a "wage system" instead of the traditional corvée labor or forced conscription. Although the cost was higher, it was effective in mobilizing enthusiasm and was also a way to win the hearts and minds of the people.

After the inspection, Qin Yuan and Cheng Xueqi, who was accompanying him, talked as they walked.

"Xueqi, in your opinion, what businesses can our Guangfu Army still engage in after that?"

In the first instance, although Cheng Xueqi specializes in pharmacology, he is also constantly engaged in foreign trade.

He was not completely ignorant about business matters; on the contrary, he was one of the few people in this era who could communicate with Qin Yuan.

"In terms of commodity profits, porcelain, silk, and tea are undoubtedly the three trump cards. Even though the Qing government has been forced to open its markets to the British and French, it still brings in a large amount of silver from overseas every year. This is the fundamental reason why the British fought the Second Opium War and signed the Treaty of Tianjin, an expansion agreement."

“These are explained in detail in your serialized article, ‘Why Did the Great Powers Attack China?’”

Cheng Xueqi provided an in-depth analysis of Fujian's local advantages: "We have Wuyi rock tea from northern Fujian. As long as we take over Tingzhou Prefecture, the entire Wuyi Mountain tea-producing area will be under our control."

"At that time, we can follow the Anhui tea license system, but it needs to be improved. We need to organize tea farmers, unify standards, and expand production."

"Once we take control of the ports of Quanzhou and Xiamen, we can do business with the Americans and British, and the profits will far exceed those during the Qing Dynasty."

"Moreover, as far as I know, in addition to Jingdezhen porcelain being widely welcomed overseas, local Fujian porcelain such as Dehua white porcelain, Jinjiang Cizao kiln, and Xiamen Tingxi kiln are also famous and have a considerable market overseas, especially in the Americas."

"The key for our Restoration Army is to integrate resources, improve technology, and open up export channels."

Qin Yuan smiled. "Xueqi, where did you learn all this from?"

Cheng Xueqi explained, "Since I have chosen not to engage in fighting and killing, I will naturally prove my worth in this Restoration Army."

“During this period, I have been conducting research and investigation with some merchants in Jianning Prefecture.”

Qin Yuan found Cheng Xueqi increasingly pleasing to the eye. Historically, Cheng Xueqi was a traitorous general in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and a killer in Li Hongzhang's Huai Army.

Now that Cheng Xueqi has come to him, although he has lost a formidable general, he has gained a top talent in medicine and has also gained insights into finance and business.

He made a fortune!
"Xueqi, I'm assigning Xie Xinyuan and Wen Yang to you. We haven't started researching aspirin yet, but you'll be in charge of overseeing the Wuyishan tea and porcelain business."

Xie and Wen are also players who have come to join us, and they are capable of being employed.

"In addition," Qin Yuan's eyes were particularly sharp, "we still don't have enough tea and porcelain. I will have He Mingbiao take over the entire Tingzhou area. Once we get to Tingzhou, you can go to Ninghua County and have some of the local tea farmers switch to growing tobacco."

Upon hearing the word "tobacco leaves," Cheng Xueqi immediately understood that Qin Yuan was planning to build a complete cigarette manufacturing business!
Opium cannot be eradicated in this era, but cigarettes can serve as a substitute to some extent.

All revenue from cigarettes in later generations became an important source of military spending.

In that era, some tobacco leaves were planted, and a cigarette factory was built. Whether the cigarettes were sold to inland provinces, the harm of opium could be reduced, and the outflow of silver could be decreased.

Whether it's exporting from Quanzhou or Xiamen to overseas markets, it's a highly profitable business.

Cheng Xueqi laughed and said, "Commander, if we want to set up a cigarette factory, we don't need to go to Ninghua County."

“We can grow it in our Pucheng. In the first dungeon, I was a Pucheng native. Some of the tobacco leaves for everyday cigarettes like Seven Wolves Soft Cigarettes and classic Fuyan come from Pucheng.”

Qin Yuan was greatly surprised when he heard this.

What he didn't know was that Fujian has many tobacco-growing areas.

Besides Ninghua County being the largest planting base in the province, Youxi County is also a national-level seed production base.
Tobacco planting bases can be found everywhere, including Pucheng County, Changting in Longyan, Nanping, and Gutian.

But this is all good news.

"This matter is entrusted to you for planning! The necessary manpower and funds should be allocated with priority!"

Qin Yuan immediately made the decision.

If tea, porcelain, and tobacco can be put into operation, the financial foundation of the Guangfu Army will be extremely solid.

Moreover, there's Cheng Xueqi's old profession—pharmacy.

Once conditions are ripe and a preliminary chemical industry is established, capable of mass-producing basic drugs like aspirin, its strategic and economic value will be immeasurable.

At that time, he could sell an aspirin for an astronomical price.

After all, this is a drug that Westerners do not yet possess, and it will take another forty or fifty years before the side effects can be eliminated and the drug can be successfully developed.

Qin Yuan was even more eager to take over the entire Fujian province.

The two discussed the specific details as they walked out of the clothing factory.

The anticipation for the future made Qin Yuan's steps lighter.

However, not far from where they stepped out of the factory gate, a man dressed in a faded long gown, looking like a scholar, held a roll of white cloth in his hand, on which large characters seemed to be written in thick ink, and looked excited as he tried to rush toward Qin Yuan.

"Commander-in-Chief! Commander-in-Chief of the Restoration Army! This student has something to say!" the scholar shouted as he tried to break through the cordon.

But before he could take more than a few steps, he was quickly stopped by several capable members of the training corps around Qin Yuan.

These training regiment soldiers were elites selected from various armies. They were not only literate and reasonable, but also quite agile, and easily subdued the impetuous scholar.

"Insolence! Step back!" Jiang Weichen, the instructor team leader, shouted sternly, his hand already on the hilt of his knife.

Qin Yuan noticed this scene. His gaze went past the guard's shoulder and landed on the white cloth strip that the scholar was holding up, which read: "Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger. Please, Commander, have compassion on the people."

He frowned slightly and raised his hand to signal, "Weichen, let him go and let him come over. Let's hear what he has to say."

Jiang Weichen hesitated for a moment, but under Qin Yuan's calm yet unquestionable gaze, he still signaled his men to loosen their grip.

The scholar broke free of his restraints, and somewhat disheveledly straightened his torn clothes, his face bearing a tragic expression of "pleading for the people."

He approached Qin Yuan, cupped his hands in greeting, and declared loudly and righteously, "Commander! I have read your magnificent article in the *Guangfu Xinbao*, and know that you are determined to 'restore China and expel the Manchus,' and deeply abhor the corrupt practices of the Qing court!" "However, I do not understand, if that is so, why, after you took power in Jianning, have your actions been so contrary to your words, even resorting to cruel methods?!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone around changed.

Jiang Weichen glared angrily, almost stepping forward to grab the person again.

Qin Yuan remained calm, raising his hand to quell the agitated guards, and asked indifferently, "Oh? The actions of a cruel official? What makes you say that?"

Seeing that Qin Yuan was not angry, the scholar became even bolder and raised his voice eight octaves: "Commander, you are wise! When the Restoration Army first entered Jianning, they did take measures to bring peace to the people, and I was also impressed."

"However, since the promulgation of the 'New Regulations on Grain Tax Payment' a month ago, your army's officials who have come to the countryside have been like tigers and wolves, disrupting the old tax system that has been operating in our area for decades or even hundreds of years, forcing local gentry to pay heavy taxes, and frequently arresting innocent people under the pretext of 'tax resistance,' and even... even confiscating their property!"

"If this is not a cruel official, then what is?! How is this any different from the Qing dynasty's rampant extortion and tyranny?!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, as if he had suffered a great injustice: "The local gentry are the cornerstone of the region, and have enjoyed preferential treatment and exemptions throughout the ages. Now they have suffered this calamity, and the people are also fearful and uneasy. If this continues, we will lose the hearts of the people!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan knew that the scholar was a fool who had been incited by someone to come and die.

"Hmph!" Jiang Weichen couldn't hold back any longer and sneered, "Commander, why waste time arguing with such a pedantic fool? He must be one of those corrupt gentry who were investigated and fined, sent to stir up trouble. Tie him up and hand him over to the military court. He'll behave himself after a few days in jail!"

Qin Yuan shook his head, a meaningful smile even appearing on his face: "Wei Chen, if we imprison him without distinguishing right from wrong, wouldn't that just confirm his claim of 'cruel officials and cruel government'?"

He turned to the scholar and said calmly, "You say I practice cruel governance. Then let me ask you a few simple questions."

"Isn't it a principle that has always been followed since ancient times to cultivate the land, pay taxes, and bear the burden of levies?"

The scholar was taken aback, and subconsciously replied, "It is...it is the way of nature."

"Very well." Qin Yuan pressed on, "Isn't it only natural that those who own land should pay taxes?"

"Yes……"

"Those with more land pay more, those with less land pay less, and those with no land pay nothing. This is the most basic fairness, isn't it?"

"This..." The scholar was speechless, feeling as if he had fallen into the other party's logical trap.

Qin Yuan didn't give him time to think and continued, "The core of my Restoration Army's new policy is this: those with more land pay more, those with less land pay less, and those with no land pay nothing. All military dependents' families can also enjoy tax reductions or exemptions."

"Let me ask you, how has this word 'fairness' become what you call 'cruel governance'?"

He stared intently at the scholar: "Do you think that the 'good governance' was when those wealthy landowners who owned vast tracts of land could enjoy preferential treatment and exemptions based on their academic achievements and power, and even pass on the tax burden to landless or land-poor tenants?"

"And now I want them to pay taxes based on the actual land they own, cutting off their source of wealth from exploiting the people, is that 'cruel governance'?"

The scholar's face flushed red and then paled, and he stammered, "Since ancient times... the preferential treatment of gentry and commoners has been a sign of the court's compassion... and it also helps to stabilize the local areas..."

"Stability?" Qin Yuan scoffed, his voice suddenly turning cold. Though he didn't raise his voice, it carried a chilling aura. "The stability you speak of is making the rich own vast tracts of land while the poor have nowhere to stand? Is it ensuring that for thousands of years, the vast majority of people have been forever trampled underfoot by a tiny minority?"

He took a step forward, and the invisible pressure made the scholar involuntarily retreat: "Let me tell you, what my Restoration Army is trying to overthrow is not only the Manchu nobles who ride on our heads, but also the injustices that have lasted for thousands of years!"

"We must change this saying, 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, people freeze to death!'"

"My reasoning is very simple: it's about fairness."

Qin Yuan's voice was resolute, "If this principle can't be explained to those who are used to privileges..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the breathless soldiers of the training regiment, then over Cheng Xueqi, before finally settling on the ashen-faced scholar. His tone was terrifyingly calm:
"Then I'll shut my mouth and use the swords and guns in the hands of my Restoration Army to talk to them!"

The words were filled with murderous intent, and even a scholar like him could not fail to understand them.

His face turned pale instantly: "Commander, how many people are you going to kill?"

Qin Yuan chuckled, as if he were talking about a trivial matter: "How many people to kill? That depends on how many people are unwilling to listen to my 'fair' principle."

“If they accept my reasoning and obediently pay their taxes according to the regulations, then I will naturally treat them with courtesy and spare their lives.”

"If they think they can disown me just because they have some land, some power, or can rely on the 100,000 Qing demons in Nanning Prefecture..."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Qin Yuan's lips:

"Then I'll kill them until they admit it!"

"Kill them until they understand that under the rule of the Restoration Army, fairness is more important than their land deeds, their privileges, and their fantasies!"

"Kill them...and I'll willingly submit to your command!"

The wind seemed to have stopped at that moment.

Standing behind Qin Yuan, Cheng Xueqi was utterly shocked!
Although he knew Qin Yuan had extraordinary courage, this was the first time he had ever seen him display such a domineering and ruthless side.

This goes far beyond the ruthless decisiveness of ordinary tyrants; it is a resolute determination to uproot the old order and not to compromise in the slightest!

Is it because of this genuine connection with the world that Jingye was able to stand out in the business world?

He was deeply moved.

After a brief moment of shock, the soldiers of the training regiment around them suddenly blazed with fanatical fervor in their eyes!
Why did they join the Taiping Army and the Restoration Army?
Isn't it all for the sake of "fairness"?

Those with more land pay more taxes, those with less land pay less taxes, and those with no land pay no taxes.

The most fundamental meaning of this sentence can be summed up in just two words.

Fairness, it's all about fucking fairness.

But in this world, fairness has never been given to these poor people, which is why they rose up in rebellion.

Now that Qin Yuan has said it in such simple words, it truly touches their hearts.

When they were discussing the establishment of a complete tax system within the military, the commander they saw was steady, orderly, and methodical.

They originally thought the commander-in-chief was going to compromise with these gentry and landlords.

But now it seems that this was hardly a compromise.

This is about establishing a chasm that absolutely cannot be crossed.

It is to fight a bloody path for them, these peasants, and to reclaim the justice that is rightfully theirs!

"The commander is wise!"

"That's exactly how it should be done!"

Someone shouted first, which immediately drew a chorus of suppressed excitement.

The soldiers looked at Qin Yuan with eyes filled with almost worshipful loyalty.

The scholar was completely terrified by this scene.

Only then did he realize that he had been used as a pawn, and that the person questioning him was a terrifying figure.

This is no longer a disagreement over political views, but a life-or-death class struggle!
But... Commander,"

The scholar struggled to maintain his last shred of "reason," saying, "Even if... even if you kill those tax-resistant gentry, the land... the land will be left barren, and the taxes... the taxes still won't be collected..."

Qin Yuan looked at his faded clothes, his tone tinged with pity: "Judging from your appearance, you're not from a wealthy family. Why are you speaking up for those who exploit you?"

"Did they promise you a bright future, or do you think I'm easy to talk to and they're difficult?"

Before the scholar could answer, he coldly said, "Don't worry, the land will still be cultivated no matter who's gone!"

“Kill the landlords who resisted taxes, confiscate their land, and distribute it to landless or land-poor farmers. Once the farmers received the land, they would naturally be eager to pay taxes.”

"As for those who harbor illusions and dream of making a comeback by relying on the Qing Dynasty..."

"They will soon realize that they only have two choices: money or their lives!"

Qin Yuan looked at the scholar again: "And this choice was also your own."

"Should we choose to stand on the side of fairness that the vast majority of people expect, or should we continue to sacrifice ourselves for the privileges of the minority?"

Qin Yuan looked down at him, his tone still refined, but behind it was a complete transformation, so much so that even his scholarly air couldn't help but suffocate.

"Report! Urgent military news!"

Just as the scholar opened his mouth, about to say something...

The sound of horses' hooves thundered as a communications soldier galloped towards them.

(End of this chapter)