Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Do you think you're funny?" Li Yuanzhao's gaze was somewhat dull.

"Lao Fang, I'm not joking with you. This level of labor intensity is absolutely not something a person can withstand. Back in the medical team, I wasn't someone who hadn't done those rough jobs. If this continues, I'm telling you, problems will arise sooner or later."

Fang Zheng remained noncommittal: "Then does Your Highness have any solutions? Just raising the problem is far from enough."

Li Yuanzhao pondered: "I actually have some ideas. I was thinking about how to solve it on the way here."

"These days, I've been to over a dozen factories and obtained their production records. I've found that during the few days when the Juren entered the factories and cooperated in acting to shorten working hours, the production efficiency didn't drop too much, only about 20%, and some factories even reduced it by only 10%. And the data for these few days compared to their usual month-end data hardly decreased."

"What does this mean? It means that management methods have a great impact on efficiency! Blindly forcing people to work may not achieve maximum profit. When workers are well-rested and in a good mood, their efficiency is higher... So I think we can completely collect more data, or change the production process, and come up with a way to find a balance in it. This way, it won't affect production capacity, nor will it affect workers' rest."

They're already starting to use management and data analysis?

Fang Zheng blinked, astonished: "Did you come up with this yourself?"

"Otherwise? I've been alone recently. At first, what I thought of wasn't actually this method," Li Yuanzhao said.

"I'm all ears."

Li Yuanzhao recalled: "I thought that since Dongjiao University controls the lifeline of many factories, why not directly issue regulations to make them give workers generous treatment."

"But after a long time, I realized that many new factories have been established. Although they seem to be large in scale, they are actually funded by raising funds and borrowing money. There is heavy pressure from no short-term profits. If regulations are forcibly imposed, it will definitely affect the factory's efficiency. On the contrary, it may cause those black factories that we can't supervise to take advantage of the situation."

"On the other hand, I worry that the workers will become unscrupulous if they know that the imperial court fully supports them and ask for exorbitant prices. The factory owners and workers are originally like fish and water. If they stand against each other and regard each other as thieves, then in the end, only the fish will die and the water will dry up, resulting in both sides being hurt."

"So after thinking about it, we still have to start with methods and management processes."

Fang Zheng clapped his hands and praised: "Your Highness, one should look at you with new eyes after being separated for three days... You are already an amazing person."

"Oh? Why are you suddenly flattering me?" Li Yuanzhao was amused.

"This is not something everyone can think of, especially when Your Highness holds great power and can decide the life and death of others with a single word. Instead of using power, you make good use of the rules. This is great wisdom, and I admire you from the bottom of my heart," Fang Zheng said solemnly.

After speaking, he took out a stack of documents from the drawer beside him and placed them on the table.

"Take a look, Your Highness. My people haven't been idle recently either."

Li Yuanzhao picked up the documents and examined them carefully, flipping through them one by one, his expression gradually becoming surprised: "This... isn't this in line with my thoughts? Lao Fang, you thought of it long ago!?"

This stack of documents clearly recorded the production records of all the factories, as well as the data comparison after the Juren entered the factories.

Fang Zheng nodded: "That's right. In fact, Dongjiao University has long been aware of the situation of black factories, and many factories have even started hiring child labor to work in order to reduce costs. This time, when the Juren entered the factories, I also took the opportunity to send people to conduct a large-scale investigation."

"Then why didn't you take care of it earlier? Many of those black factories that desperately exploit people are industries that rely on the railway for survival."

Fang Zheng sighed softly: "Your Highness, we represent the imperial court and stand in the center of the balance."

"Whether it's the factory owners who invest in setting up factories or the ordinary people who work, in my eyes, there is no difference. The workers are certainly tired, but they are guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood. The factories have huge profits, but they also bear greater risks and competitive pressure. At present, no one is interfering, and a balance has already been formed between the two. Since there is no large-scale dissatisfaction, it's best to do nothing."

"Speaking of which, those workers weren't so tired before. Although they looked a little bitter, at least it was easier than farming. And they have money to take. Look, many places on the streets outside are drying clothes, which means they all have new clothes to wear and clothes to change into."

"Moreover, in fact, humans are the most adaptable animals. Don't look at how tiring the work is, but no animal can compare! People can survive eating anything. If you change it to an animal, if it eats the wrong thing, it will die for you in minutes."

Li Yuanzhao's old face collapsed: "Do you want to hear what you're saying? Is that human language? If that's the case, then why are you changing your mind now?"

"First, the collective trouble caused by the Juren has already shown bad signs, and this trend must not be expanded. Second, if we don't intervene again, the competition will become more and more fierce, and those black factories will go too far. It will take a long time for those honest people to realize that they know how to fight for their own interests," Fang Zheng said helplessly, holding his hands.

Li Yuanzhao was still flipping through the stack of documents, without raising his head, he said: "So, you've now completed such a thorough investigation, do you already have a complete solution?"

Fang Zheng shook his head: "Your Highness, you are extremely talented, you should understand that it is not easy to change the methods and processes of many factories and find a unified and feasible solution. People's hearts, technology, environment, and various factors must be deeply understood and put into practice. These alone are far from enough."

Li Yuanzhao couldn't help but feel a little discouraged: "So that means you are also at a loss?"

"Not at all! I already have some quick and feasible solutions," Fang Zheng raised his hand and said.

"What?" Li Yuanzhao immediately perked up.

Fang Zheng asked with a smile: "Does Your Highness know who determines the workers' wages?"

"Naturally, it is determined by those factory owners and bosses."

"Wrong, the workers' wages are determined by the workers. If a factory owner invests two taels of silver a month and recruits ten positions, if someone applies, that's two taels. If a hundred people apply, I'm afraid he can still recruit qualified workers even if he cuts it in half. But if only one person applies for two taels a month... if you were the factory owner, how would you solve it?"

"Raise the wages," Li Yuanzhao said without hesitation, suddenly his eyes lit up, "That is to say, we can completely unite the workers through publicity and collectively raise their treatment?"

Fang Zheng denied: "At present, the job market is in short supply, this is absolutely unrealistic. Moreover, although those workers are all of the same status, they are more prone to infighting than unity."

"Really? According to my observation, the workers in those factories are honest and simple, and treat people with sincerity."

"That's because you're wearing good clothes and you're also with servants. Try changing your clothes and they'll change their faces immediately," Fang Zheng said lightly, "They look honest, but in reality, they are no different from the evil bosses who exploit them."

A worker who is exploited by the boss every day, when he goes home at night to read novels, will also use rewards and urging updates to enslave a weaker, more pitiful, and helpless author~

The evil soul of the capitalist is hidden in everyone, and each has his own calculations. How is it possible to unite until a moment of desperation?

......