As Yan Liqiang and Qian Su chatted, an incense stick of time passed quickly.
When the time came, Yan Liqiang and Qian Su returned to the canteen of the Artisan Camp. The people gathered in the canteen quieted down at this time. Just now, everyone was talking noisily. Everyone was sure that Yan Liqiang would not joke with them about such a thing. With such a stick of incense's time, everyone had made up their minds, whether they wanted to stay or leave.
"How about it, have you made up your mind?" Yan Liqiang stood on the stone steps, glanced at everyone and asked.
"I've thought about it!" Hundreds of people responded in unison, while others did not say anything but just nodded.
"Well, those who have decided to leave the Artisan Camp, come over here now!" Yan Liqiang pointed to the left side of the stairs below him, "I'll have someone give you money and handle the procedures for leaving the camp, and then you can leave!"
After Yan Liqiang said this, a few seconds later, someone from the crowd of hundreds of people pushed through the crowd and walked towards the place he said.
One, two, three, four... eleven, twelve...
There were not many people willing to leave, just twelve in total. Some of them looked calm when they came up, while others were a little hesitant, but in the end, those people still walked to the front under the gaze of the people in the Artisan Camp.
The twelve people who came out were a little embarrassed and lowered their heads.
“Master Camp Supervisor, I… I am old, and have been a craftsman in the craftsman camp for decades. While I can still walk and my skills are still there, I… I want to go back to my hometown in Chenzhou. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. You have allowed an old man like me who was sent to the army to be exiled to Ganzhou to avoid being bullied, and to save some money, which is a hundred times better than others. I kowtow to you, Master Camp Supervisor!” A gray-haired old craftsman with tears in his eyes bowed deeply to Qian Su.
"Old Chen, get up, get up. There is no need for such great ceremony. It is human nature to return to one's roots. In the past, your military status was managed by the higher-ups, and I had no say in it. Now the Inspector General has spoken, and you can go home. I am happy for you!" Qian Su hurriedly helped the old craftsman up.
"Thank you for your mercy, Governor!" The old craftsman said with trembling lips, and was about to kneel down in front of Yan Liqiang again, but Yan Liqiang quickly helped him up and did not let the old craftsman kneel down.
“The last time my mother came to see me, she said…she found a wife for me at home and asked me to go back and get married and have children…” Another man in his twenties touched his head, looking embarrassed.
"My parents are old, and my eldest brother broke his leg last year. If I don't go home, there will be no one to support the family..." another sergeant who came out said with an embarrassed look on his face.
…
Everyone has their own reasons, and those reasons, whether true or false, are why they want to leave the Artisan Camp.
Qian Su glanced at the people who came out and took a deep breath. "Since the Supervisor said that each of you has your own difficulties, then let's just part ways in peace. I won't make things difficult for you. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can also come to the Artisan Camp to find me. I will definitely help you within my ability. The Supervisor just said that everyone who leaves will be given ten taels of silver for travel expenses. I will personally pay out of my own pocket to give everyone ten taels of silver to settle down. I hope that everyone will have a safe journey after leaving the Artisan Camp. Those who want to go home or seek a new career will all go well. No matter where you are in the future, you can be upright and don't tarnish the reputation of our Huanglong Artisan Camp!"
"Thank you, Camp Supervisor, and thank you, Protector!" Everyone saluted Qian Su and Yan Li.
Qian Su waved his hand and called over a manager beside him, and ordered him in public, "Take them down to pack their things and go through the formalities of leaving the Artisan Camp. Give them ten taels of silver each from the camp's account and my personal pocket. Once everything is done, don't make it difficult for them, and let them leave!"
"Yes!" The head manager bowed to Qian Su, then called a few soldiers and took the twelve people who had walked out of the canteen courtyard.
"Let's wait for a moment and talk about it after Manager Zhu and the others come back. Manager Zhu and the others must also hear what we say next!" Yan Liqiang said to Qian Su.
Qian Su nodded, "Okay, you have the final say!"
…
After all, they were in the military camp, and those who left were considered military households. They did not have many personal belongings, except for a few pieces of clothes, some silver and miscellaneous belongings. They just packed up a simple gift and a backpack. It took only ten minutes, and the head of the management came back with a few soldiers to report, saying that the twelve people had completed all the procedures and left the craftsman camp.
At this time, Yan Liqiang, who had been waiting, smiled slightly, looked at those who were determined to stay in the canteen yard, and began to speak.
"First of all, I want to congratulate everyone who stayed. You just made the most important and luckiest decision in your life. Just now, I saw someone hear that those who leave can get 20 taels of silver, and they were a little tempted, thinking that it was a lot of money. What I want to tell you is that from this moment on, everyone who stays in the Artisan Camp, whether it is a sergeant or a craftsman, even if it is just the aunts and sisters-in-law who cook for everyone in the canteen, the income you get from the Artisan Camp every year will be at least more than 20 taels of silver. The people of the Huanglong Artisan Camp will become the envy of all the Artisan Camps in Ganzhou and even the entire Han Empire, because you will say goodbye to poverty completely. You will become the richest group of people in the entire Han Empire. In less than three years, many of you will be able to experience the feeling of being rich and being flattered wherever you go..."
As soon as Yan Liqiang finished speaking, there was a loud bang in the entire canteen yard, and everyone became excited at once. Most of the people in the craftsman camp were simple craftsmen and soldiers, and they could not withstand Yan Liqiang's incitement with his pyramid scheme words. Of course, Yan Liqiang was not doing pyramid scheme here, but he really had the means, and the confidence in his words was even more contagious.
"Sir Inspector, we will do whatever you say. Anyway, we will all listen to you from now on. What do you think is right..." Qian Su gave a look, and a craftsman shouted in the crowd at the right time, and immediately there was a response from all around.
"Yep… "
Countless people followed suit and shouted, "From now on, we will follow the governor and enjoy the good life..."
"Well said, it means to eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks!" Yan Liqiang continued on the steps, "Have you ever thought about how the wealth in this world comes from? Why do some people have to do nothing and can have silk and satin, wine and meat, and endless money, while some people work hard all day long and still can't eat enough or wear warm clothes? Where does this wealth come from? Did it fall from the sky or grow from the ground? I tell you, neither. There are two sources of wealth in this world, one is production, and the other is circulation. The production of wealth depends on our hands. Our hands, through labor and our wisdom, have changed the appearance of things on the ground and underground. We have turned iron ore into steel, and steel into swords. , turning ash wood into spears, turning wood and stone into materials, turning materials into houses, turning barren land into fertile fields, turning things in the fields into food, turning underground minerals into gold and silver, and making gold and silver the yardstick of wealth. These are wealth. Only labor can create wealth. Without labor, stones are just stones, wood is just wood, and things buried underground will only be buried underground forever. It is because of labor that these things have changed their appearance, can be sold for money, and are the symbol of wealth. The people in our craftsman camp are the most hardworking and hardworking people in the world. We have the most skilled craftsmen and the most skillful hands here. We produce the most wealth. Why should we be poor and suffer?"
When all the hard-working people in the craftsman camp heard what Yan Liqiang said, their eyes lit up and their bodies, minds and souls were deeply touched. What Yan Liqiang said were issues that many people in the craftsman camp had never thought about in their lives, or had thought about them but had never figured them out. After hearing what Yan Liqiang said, everyone felt like they were enlightened, and everyone's hearts brightened up and they were very excited.
Not to mention the ordinary people in the craftsman camp, even Qian Su looked thoughtful and deeply touched after hearing Yan Liqiang's words.
These words have never been summarized by anyone in the Han Empire from ancient times to the present, and no one has been able to explain them clearly. Yan Liqiang explained them clearly, and his words were impeccable, timeless and profound. Yan Liqiang said it bluntly, but the more people who heard it thought about it, the more they felt that these words made sense and had connotations.
Of course what Yan Liqiang said makes sense, because in his previous life, the person who summed up this truth was named Karl Marx.
Yan Liqiang, who said these words, looked like he was possessed by holy light in the eyes of a group of poor workers and soldiers in the Artisan Battalion.
Of course, Yan Liqiang said this not to encourage these people to become revolutionaries and rebel, but to make everyone in the craftsmen camp understand and firmly understand that only by following the supervisor can you make a fortune, and everything the supervisor does is to maximize the value of everyone's labor. Only with this understanding can Yan Liqiang's subsequent series of reforms to the craftsmen camp be carried out in a logical way, so that everyone can loyally support and identify with them.
"All wealth comes from labor. Labor creates wealth. All wealth is usable things. Circulation, that is, trading, sells the usable things created by our labor to those who need them and have money. It turns the things we create with our hands into gold and silver that we can touch. What are the best-selling things? The best-selling things have two characteristics. One characteristic is that your things are cheaper than others of the same quality. The other characteristic is that I have something that you don't have, and there is a huge demand for this kind of thing. There are countless people who want it. These two things are the best-selling things!"
Looking at the silent dining hall, Yan Liqiang's eyes sparkled. "In the past, the products produced by our craftsmen's camp were directly supplied to the Governor's Mansion. We could not do business with the Governor's Mansion. But now, everyone has become my subordinate and you all listen to me. From now on, the products produced by our craftsmen's camp will no longer be supplied to the Governor's Mansion. I will lead everyone to do business together. We must not only produce things, but also do business. We will turn the products we produce with our own hands into real gold and silver, so that everyone can live a good life that they never dared to think of before!"
"Speaking of this, perhaps some people will say in their hearts, this Craftsman Camp is yours, and it is up to you to decide how to divide the money. Even if you don't share it with us, we have no way to do anything. It's just like a shopkeeper and his clerks. There are many shopkeepers who have made a fortune in this world, but there are not many clerks who have made a fortune. How can we trust you? It's very simple, because I do what I say. I say that I want everyone to make a fortune with me and eat and drink well together. That is definitely not an empty talk. There must be a guarantee. What guarantee? Because I will make this Craftsman Camp belong to everyone. Everyone who stays here today will become a shareholder of this Craftsman Camp and have shares in the Craftsman Camp. In the future, when the Craftsman Camp makes money, we will divide it according to everyone's shares. Everyone will have a share. I will establish the charter of this Craftsman Camp..."
Hearing that Yan Liqiang distributed shares to everyone in the Artisan and Machinery Camp, not only the poor people in the Artisan and Machinery Camp, but even Qian Su was shocked and looked at Yan Liqiang with an unbelievable look...
This is something that has never been done before, and in a way, it is a groundbreaking event...
(End of this chapter)