He changed Tiwat

Xingqiu couldn't help but recall the day he and Han Fulai captured Maocai Gong, during which Han Fulai had a conversation with him—

What is the Seven Star Government pursuing?

"Stability. Society functions normally, preventing chaos, stopping division, and standing firm."

"If the Seven Star Government doesn't do good, what is its purpose?"

"Xingqiu, the government is not concerned with good or evil, but only with order or chaos."

"Brother Han, are you saying that Liyue is going to be in chaos...?"

"Not for now, but only for now." Han Fulai's voice gradually lowered. "If we don't make proper preparations, then unrest is inevitable."

He suddenly raised his hand and pointed to his face—"And the source of the turmoil is me."

"Huh?" Xingqiu stared at Han Fulai in even greater surprise. He never expected that Han Fulai would say that he was the source of the turmoil.

Han Fulai nodded solemnly.

"Because of the 'Liyue's Radiance' project that I'm leading, we'll be establishing a brand new chemical industry system for Liyue. We'll have fertilizers, all sorts of industrial products, and Liyue's industry will be transformed... Hmm, that might be too abstract, so let me put it simply—"

He then pointed to the muffins on the table.

“I’ve expanded Liyue’s ‘pancakes’ production. With more pancakes available in Liyue, there will be a greater distribution gap. If the current distribution gap between Liyue merchants and workers is 97 to 3, and the workers can still tolerate it… then what do you think will happen when the number of pancakes reaches 1,000?”

“This…” Xingqiu’s eyes flickered.

Although Liyue's economic model is not as simple to estimate as this example, he still knew that the wages of Liyue workers had only increased slightly over the past few hundred years.

Perhaps things aren't so hopeless that all 1,000 yuan will end up in the hands of the businessman. As is customary, wages should always rise a little after industrial upgrading.

But... even if the distribution ratio is 990 to 10, the gap will still be unbearably large.

"Perhaps compared to a few years ago, the lives of laborers are relatively better, but compared to those wealthy businessmen... the gap will only widen. This is what is called 'relative impoverishment'."

“When this gap becomes so large that even the hardest-working laborers cannot ignore it, unrest will occur, and more Lao Mengs will take up sharpened weapons and confront their employers.” Han Fulai waved the kitchen knife in his hand again.

Chapter 337 The Ilyich Trap [4k5]

Xingqiu stared thoughtfully at the knife in Han Fulai's hand.

"So... Brother Han said that the purpose of establishing this organization is to 'distribute pancakes,' but how exactly will that be done?"

Han Fulai already had a plan for this problem.

“Establish an organization and create momentum. That alone will be enough to force those businesses to the negotiating table and make them give up some profits to appease the workers.”

"...Is it really that simple?" Xingqiu asked suspiciously.

"It sounds simple, but it's not easy to do... However, as long as we can successfully establish this organization, it will be enough to achieve the effect I want in Liyue today. Just like I said before—'What we need to solve is not the question of whether it's useful, but the question of whether it exists at all.'"

Xingqiu frowned and pondered for a while, but finally shook his head. "Please enlighten me, Brother Han."

Han Fulai thought for a moment and asked Xingqiu a few questions: "Let's take the matter of Dongsheng and Lao Meng as an example... Second brother, have you ever thought about why, in our Liyue, the status of merchants is actually higher than that of workers? Why is Dongsheng able to bully Lao Meng at will?"

"Of course, it's because merchants have more assets and more power than workers," Xingqiu replied without hesitation.

“That’s not the essence of it.” Han Fulai shook his head.

Xingqiu frowned. If this isn't the essence, then what is?

"Does Liyue have any rule that people with less wealth must obey people with more wealth?" Han Fulai asked.

"Of course not." Xingqiu shook his head.

"Is a monthly salary of 300,000 Mora high?" Han Fulai asked again.

“Naturally not high.” Xingqiu continued to shake his head.

Such a large general store, with so many daily necessities to stock and move, all required Old Meng's helper to manage. His workload actually far exceeded his pay. Even renting just a dilapidated little house in Tiger Rock would cost 300,000 Mora a month. Old Meng's income was barely enough for him to live in Liyue Harbor without eating or drinking.

"Then why would Lao Meng accept such a low salary? Why couldn't he ask Dong Sheng for a higher salary? If they couldn't reach an agreement, he could always say, 'If this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will.' Let's think about what happened to Mao Cai Gong before. Why didn't Gu Huapai's servant, who broke his leg carrying the sedan chair, just abandon the sedan chair and run away? Why didn't he change jobs even after breaking his leg?" Han Fulai continued to ask.

"This……"

Xingqiu had never considered these questions before. He had always acted as a chivalrous knight, helping the needy and rescuing the distressed, using his strength and wisdom to eliminate injustices he witnessed—but why did these injustices happen in the first place?

Upon closer reflection, it seems that these laborers, oppressed by "unscrupulous merchants," had a way out: "If you can't beat them, run away." But why didn't they run away? Are there factors beyond "human nature" that cause these injustices to occur?

Xingqiu was filled with countless thoughts. He felt that by piecing together many details that he had never noticed before, he seemed to have seen a different world that he had never discovered before.

Han Fulai stared at Xingqiu's face and asked another question: "In Liyue, people should be equal, right?"

“Yes,” Xingqiu replied immediately.

Even though in reality, the social status and social standing of the people of Liyue vary greatly, creating many real-world differences, in the face of the contract, everyone must and inevitably be equal. "Those who break their promises shall be punished by eating the rocks," is a divine law established by the God of Contracts.

"In Liyue, the relationship between workers and merchants should be a two-way choice. Merchants have the freedom to hire workers, and workers have the freedom to choose their jobs, right?"

"Yes." Xingqiu's answer was still without hesitation.

In theory, both Old Meng and the servant from the Guhua faction can change jobs. They are not signing any kind of "indentured servitude contract." The laws of Liyue support their refusal to accept unreasonable demands from their employers, and they have the right to refuse.

For acts like Dong Sheng deceiving Lao Meng with counterfeit money, or Mao Cai Gong causing his servants to become disabled, the laws of Liyue will still punish them. Workers are not slaves, and merchants are not slave owners.

“Since people are equal, and merchants and workers are equal, then where exactly does the difference between theory and reality lie?” Han Fulai didn’t wait for Xingqiu’s answer and continued, “The answer is that labor relations are unequal. And the reason for this inequality lies in the organization.”

“The organization…” Xingqiu recalled what Han Fulai had said before, “The Seven Stars and Eight Gates are all businessmen. The workers and farmers have no say at all; they can only accept the distribution from the businessmen.” Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind—

"I see, because the merchants have united... and have been united for over three thousand years."

Han Fulai nodded.

"There are two models to achieve equal labor relations."

"The first model involves a large number of scattered employers and a large number of scattered workers. This is an ideal production relationship with two-way freedom."

"The second model involves a small number of oligopolistic employers who monopolize employment positions against a small number of labor associations that monopolize labor. This is a form of collective bargaining to balance production relations."

"But the current situation in Liyue is the third type—a few oligopolistic employers monopolizing jobs and a large number of scattered laborers. And the consequence is..."

Han Fulai paused, then gave an analogy: "It's like when we were watching a concert in the Hall of Rebirth. The people in the front row stood up, so the people in the back row had to stand up to see the stage. Once everyone was standing up, some people would stand on their tiptoes, and eventually all the audience members would be standing on their tiptoes to watch the concert. That's called 'involution.' The laborers of Liyue are facing the same situation."

"Dong Sheng and Bo Lai usually fight like madmen because they both see the profits in becoming 'oligarch employers.' They both want to become monopolistic grocers because monopoly means maximum profit. But what if their employees ask for a raise? Do you think they'll engage in a 'price war' as usual, vying to offer their employees higher salaries?"

“No, they will sit down and work together to set an industry minimum wage, forming a defensive alliance. Even if some wealthy businesses are willing to pay workers high wages... it won't last long.”

Although young, Xingqiu already possessed a wealth of business experience. Over the past few years, he had witnessed many well-off, conscientious businessmen being crushed by competitors using low-cost strategies—it was said that Dongsheng's boss used to pay his assistants significantly more than he did now. But when market conditions forced them to become short of money, they would inevitably resort to the same methods to cut costs: why hire two people when one could handle the task with free overtime?

Meanwhile, the wealthy merchants in Liyue Harbor, such as the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, Blackrock Depths, and Ningguang Merchant Guild, have all established de facto monopolies in their respective fields. They have the confidence to tell their workers, "The wages are fixed; if you don't want to work, there are plenty of others who will."

The workers in Liyue face a "take it or leave it" situation.

and……

"...Moreover, Boss Dongsheng has the ability to make it so that Old Meng can't find a new job in Tiger Rock. Lord Maocai also has the ability to make it so that servant of the Guhua faction can't find a new job." Xingqiu continued, "As long as Boss Dongsheng intends to suppress him, Old Meng really can't gain a foothold in Liyue Harbor."

This is the real dilemma Lao Meng faces. Of course, the merchants who eat at Huyan also have their own circles. As long as Boss Dongsheng makes a few disparaging remarks, no one will hire Lao Meng anymore. To some extent, the merchants have actually established an invisible credit system to protect their interests—if a worker leaves his job because of a conflict with his employer, he will be met with cold shoulders from almost all employers.

Because at this moment, Lao Meng is not facing a boss, not a shop—but a class.

The closure of the Laminaria Gorgon in Liyue previously left many able-bodied men unemployed, forcing them into a "competitive frenzy" where they demanded low wages just to survive. This is why Mao Cai Gong felt confident enough to mistreat his servants, and why the owner of Dong Sheng only paid his employees 300,000 Mora per month.

Moreover, in this process, businessmen will gradually test the workers' bottom line—they will gradually know where the workers' living standards are at their lowest point and where their labor intensity is at its highest point.

If the laborers of Liyue still have a way to survive, it's because the merchants don't know how long the workers can grit their teeth and endure... If Old Meng endures receiving fake Mora, then it's foreseeable that the wages he receives in the future will also be counterfeit.

So... once Liyue's industry develops, labor efficiency and productivity increase, and some tasks that originally required three people can now be done by just one person and one machine... what kind of consequences will that bring?

Han Fulai had no choice but to plan ahead.

"...That's why I think it's time for the laborers to have their own organization. The 'Liyue Laborers' Association' can increase the bargaining power of Liyue laborers, and more importantly, it can increase the labor costs for merchants," Han Fulai concluded.

The workers of Liyue did not unite, but the merchants of Liyue had long since united.

For the workers of Liyue to form a political force, someone needs to organize them, speak on their behalf, and fight for their interests.

If there are countless old men in Liyue Harbor who can support themselves with a salary of only 300,000 or even 290,000 Mora, then the workers' wages will never exceed 300,000 Mora.

However, if the workers in Liyue could unite to demand a pay rise and threaten a strike if they weren't paid, the merchants would always have to offer them some "pancakes" as a form of appeasement. For the merchants, asking for a pay rise wasn't out of a change of heart, but because it would motivate the workers to work harder.

After a while, Xingqiu softly raised his question: "...Won't this labor association itself bring about greater unrest? After all...this organization might also be the 'chaos that the Seven Star Government wants to quell.' And from your perspective, why would you want to establish such an organization?"

Xingqiu's concerns are not without merit.

During his chivalrous journey with Han Fulai a few months ago, the two shared their understanding of chivalry. Han Fulai pointed out to him that he was the one the Seven Star Government needed to quell.

If it's true that "martial arts masters break the law," then doesn't the "Liyue Labor Association" also break the law?

A labor organization covering the entire Liyue region... This is unique not only in Liyue, but also across the entire Teyvat continent.

As for the so-called "increased labor costs for merchants," Xingqiu certainly understood what that meant. Putting aside everything else, just imagining the scene of tens of thousands of laborers gathering on Yujing Terrace to demonstrate... made Xingqiu's palms sweat.

For a government that aims to maintain stability, the "Liyue Labor Association" is itself a destabilizing factor.

From Han Fulai's perspective as the Deputy Minister of Yue Haiting, theoretically he should have resolutely nipped such destabilizing factors in the bud, and his position should even have been one of opposition to the laborers.

To put it simply, Xingqiu suddenly felt that Han Fulai's image in front of him seemed to have become blurred—he originally thought that Han Fulai's stance had always been the stance of the Seven Star Government, but now, he was not sure.

Han Fulai was silent for a moment before explaining, "I have two reasons. One reason is that only in this way can true 'stability' be achieved."

"Actually, Russia... well, the Winter State, which now has a fairly strong industrial base, has also experienced this situation. There was a Winter scholar named Vladimir Ilyich who proposed a form of political instability, which we'll call the 'Ilyich Trap'."

“‘Ilyich Trap’…?” Xingqiu pondered the new term.

"Simply put, a country can achieve political stability mainly because of 'two things remaining the same'," Han Fulai said. "The rulers can continue to rule as before, and the ruled can continue to live as before."

“If the ruled in a country can no longer live as before—for example, miners like Lao Meng can no longer make a living by mining—then unrest is not far off. And if the rulers of a country can no longer rule as before—for example, if the miners all join treasure-hunting gangs, then the day of the regime’s demise has come.”

“The rule of a regime has its limits, and the resources that any regime can allocate are limited. For example, there are only a thousand pancakes in Liyue. Even if the rulers don’t eat or drink, they can only come up with a thousand pancakes. They have to decide whether to distribute these pancakes to laborers like Lao Meng, so that Lao Meng and his men will not overturn the table for the time being; or to distribute the pancakes to civil servants like me and the Thousand Rock Army, so that we can keep an eye on Lao Meng with our swords and prevent him from overturning the table.”

"How exactly to allocate the resources depends on which method costs less muffin. In business terms, the benefits of governance must outweigh the costs of governance."

"The problem is that Liyue's governance costs are far too low. In the past, we had the support of our faith in the Emperor, so we didn't need to spend so much. But now? If we're unwilling to invest, where will the benefits come from?"

"Actually, the nobility in Mondstadt was overthrown because of the 'two things can't remain the same.' At that time, the soldiers of Mondstadt collectively defected and joined the uprising with Vanessa. And look at me, your brother Han, I've made it big in the civil service system in Liyue, but I still have a mortgage on my mortgage... No matter how hard I work, my assets probably can't compare to a single hair on Ningguang's or Keqing's head... I'll feel resentful too."

“If I’m already like this, it’s even more difficult for the others. Of course, the two in Liyue who are ‘as usual’ can’t stay the same. If Liyue continues like this, in a few years, we’ll see the Seven Stars fall headfirst into the ‘Ilyich Trap’.”

Xingqiu chuckled to himself, thinking that if he wanted to make money, he could easily rake in a fortune just by trading policy information with wealthy merchants. However, he also understood that it was precisely because Han Fulai's mind wasn't on Mora that he was thinking about how to avoid turmoil and disaster, which was why he knew this Brother Han.

Han Fulai raised his palm, and on the back of his hand, a golden three-leaf knot was shimmering.

“Another reason is the contract I bear. A contract, witnessed by the divine power of the Geo Archon, that cannot be changed for life—'To seek the greatest well-being for the majority of lives in Liyue.'”

"And I believe that establishing the 'Liyue Laborers' Association,' allowing the people of Liyue to earn their own living, to be rewarded for their labor, and to live with dignity in the world without having to kowtow to anyone... this is the greatest blessing for Liyue."

Chapter 338 He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world [6k] (Bonus Chapter 19/20)

Xingqiu had only thought that Han Fulai, his fellow disciple from the Ancient Hua Sect and the rumored "successor of the Emperor," had a special affinity with immortals, like Xiangling, and had been instructed by the Emperor, the "ancestor of all immortals." He never expected that Han Fulai's connection with the Rock King Emperor was so profound.

In Xingqiu's memory, a contract that can be established with the power of an emperor is exclusive to the Liyue Immortals.

The immortals of Liyue have protected Liyue for thousands of years, supposedly in accordance with a pact made with the Emperor thousands of years ago.

From this perspective, does it mean that Brother Han has a value equivalent to a celestial being in the eyes of that Rock God?

"Can I ask you a question?" Xingqiu's expression turned serious.

Han Fulai nodded earnestly as well. He knew that the main event of the day was about to begin.

He told Xingqiu so much in order to make Xingqiu his staunch ally—Xingqiu is not just a young master with a chivalrous dream; behind him is the behemoth that has been operating in Liyue for thousands of years, the Liyue Yun Clan.

During the Lantern Festival, Zhongli and he specifically talked about the Yun Clan, and it wasn't just a casual remark.

In fact, almost every word Zhongli said to him that day was a hint on how to control Liyue.

The contradictions that Han Fulai could see in Liyue in just six months, Zhongli could certainly see in the past three thousand seven hundred years as well.

If Zhongli left the Silver Plains Hall so that the Salt Demon God could one day be revived in another form and become his ally, then what was the purpose of leaving these contradictions behind?

When Han Fulai first arrived in Liyue Harbor, he had a conversation with Zhongli after drinking. Zhongli, of course, knew about the things he mentioned.

Zhongli was certainly not the kind of perfectly upright head chef the people of Liyue imagined, smilingly handing out a fair pancake to everyone with a knife. Even a god would die from overwork trying to do that.

But Zhongli's laissez-faire attitude seemed very strange.

If we say that he can rule Liyue forever as a god, these contradictions are of course not a problem. After all, even if a god slacks off for five hundred years or lives in seclusion for five hundred years, it will not diminish the god's authority.

However, Zhongli knew perfectly well that he could not rule Liyue forever. He had already planned his abdication, begun to set up a larger scheme, and even secretly supported the "rule by man" ideology of Keqing, preparing to entrust Liyue to humanity.

Why would he leave so many conflicts to his successors?

He could have simply established the rules using his divine authority; even if absolute fairness wasn't possible, relative fairness would have been achievable. But he chose not to.

He was like a head chef who was busy making more pancakes, but didn't care at all about how everyone distributed them.

Some might say that Zhongli believed that human affairs should be left to human beings to solve, and that even gods cannot change human nature.