Chapter 1158: Lord Rabbit's Policy
Kaixian County, the county town.
A brand new factory had just been completed.
Padi Tu stood at the factory's main entrance, a smug expression on his face.
The factory was named the "Kaixian Tujia Ethnic Folk Arts General Factory," abbreviated to "Kaiyi Factory." Its primary offerings were three distinct products: the traditional Tujia woven fabric known as Xilankapu, delicate handcrafted scented silk fans, and finely woven bamboo sleeping mats.
This unusual factory piqued the curiosity of the Kaixian county magistrate.
Consequently, the magistrate's sedan chair now rested at the factory entrance. He approached Padi Tu, asking, "Lord Rabbit, what exactly is the meaning of all this?"
Padi Tu simply replied, "As you can see, I've opened a factory."
The magistrate shook his head. "These local Tujia crafts," he began, "you could simply spend some money to procure them from their mountain villages. Why go to the trouble of establishing a factory for production? Once a factory is built, the risks are considerable. Should the goods not sell, you'd still be obligated to pay their wages, and you could end up losing everything."
Padi Tu let out a knowing chuckle. "Your Excellency, that's where you miss the point," he said. "The real purpose of this factory is to draw the Tujia people down from their mountains."
Padi Tu's expression turned serious. "Your Excellency," he began, "and you claim to be an official managing domestic affairs. Do you not know why the myriad ethnic minorities of Sichuan remain so stubbornly difficult to govern peacefully?"
Upon hearing this, the magistrate had a sudden epiphany and finally grasped the implications.
"Of course!"
Countless conflicts perpetually simmered between the ethnic minorities and the Han Chinese.
The various ethnic groups nestled in the mountains often formed autonomous domains, ruled by their chieftains, resulting in a fractured Sichuan, rife with countless independent mountain strongholds and petty powers.
But if these mountain people could be persuaded to descend and live alongside the Han Chinese in the county town, a natural integration of cultures would occur, and the perpetual fragmentation of independent strongholds would undoubtedly dissolve.
"The method is sound," the magistrate conceded, "but if these ethnic minorities can't sustain themselves in town, they'll inevitably return to their mountains."
"Precisely," Padi Tu affirmed. "Which is why we must offer them employment."
He turned triumphantly, gesturing to the sprawling factory behind him. "Now," he declared, "we'll see how many Tujia people I can 'entice' down from the mountains to settle and work here in the city."
Though Padi Tu was, by his own admission, a bit of a blustering fool, he had served under the Heavenly Lord for many years and intimately understood the Gao Family Village model. Moreover, Li Daoxuan had appointed him as a senior manager in Xi'an and later to oversee the labor reform camp at Tianzhu Mountain, granting him considerable administrative experience.
Now, putting the established template into practice was no longer a challenge for him.
Recruitment advertisements were swiftly drafted and sent out to every village for miles around.
"The Kaixian Tujia Ethnic Folk Arts General Factory is hiring! Now recruiting! We seek 300 female workers for Xilankapu production, 100 workers for bamboo sleeping mats, and 200 workers for scented silk fans... Skilled laborers will earn two taels of silver per month!"
Gao Family Village now adjusted wages to suit local conditions. Previously, all skilled workers universally received three taels of silver. However, upon expanding into the Jiangnan region, it was discovered that three taels wasn't considered a particularly high wage there. Consequently, skilled workers recruited on Zhoushan Island saw their wages increase to four taels.
Sichuan, however, had historically been an impoverished region with significantly lower labor costs. Thus, an offer of two taels of silver per month for skilled workers was perfectly in line with local economic conditions.
As anticipated, the announcement of a two-tael monthly wage sent shockwaves through the numerous Bashan Mountain villages surrounding Kaixian. The Tujia villagers, who usually toiled for mere coppers, were astonished to hear of two taels of silver—a staggering two thousand copper coins!
Immediately, an endless stream of villagers descended from the mountains, eager to apply for work.
Padi Tu set up a table at the factory entrance, personally overseeing the entire recruitment process.
A vast crowd of Tujia people—men, women, old, and young—formed a formidable queue that stretched from the factory gate all the way to the entrance of the county town.
Padi Tu's eyes immediately caught a girl who looked no older than ten. "Hey, little girl," he exclaimed, "what's your deal? Applying for a job at such a tender age?"
The little girl flinched, startled. "Sir," she stammered, "I... though I am small... I can still weave Xilankapu."
Padi Tu shook his head emphatically. "Absolutely not! I cannot employ child labor," he declared. "Otherwise, the Heavenly Lord will surely strike me down. All children in this line who are under eighteen, step out! Step out! We are only hiring workers who are at least eighteen years of age."
At his booming command, the faces of the underage children instantly fell with disappointment.
Some children, sixteen or seventeen but appearing older than their years, remained stubbornly in place, shrinking back further into the queue. They thought to themselves, "Lord Rabbit won't know my exact age. As long as I look old enough, he won't pull me out."
Just as these thoughts crossed their minds...
Padi Tu declared, "I will verify everyone's birth details. Anyone caught falsely reporting their age or attempting to sneak through will be arrested and given a good spanking."
At this pronouncement, the sixteen and seventeen-year-old girls instantly blanched. "Girls can't possibly be spanked!" they thought. "If we are, how will we ever get married?"
In an instant, the queue drastically shrunk once more.
Padi Tu surveyed the scene, noting that only the girls had stepped out. "So, that means the boys are still stubbornly clinging to their spots in line, eh?" he mused aloud.
He snorted. "Any boy who falsely reports his age," he declared, "will be castrated and sent to the palace to serve as a eunuch."
This pronouncement sent a wave of terror through the boys, their faces draining of color. This punishment was far more severe than what awaited the girls. Several, utterly terrified, scrambled out of the queue on hands and knees.
Padi Tu burst into boisterous laughter. "Trying to pull one over on me? Lord Rabbit was roaming the martial world, slaying demons and monsters across the land, when you lot were still suckling at your mothers' breasts!"
The children's faces clouded with disappointment. Two taels of silver a month—to watch others earn it, it was truly a pity.
Padi Tu, however, smiled. "Don't worry, children!" he said. "In a few days, I will open a school right here in the county town of Kaixian. I'll invite teachers to instruct you, and of course, it will all be completely free. The school will even provide you with complimentary meals. While you won't be able to earn money for your families right now, eating at school will certainly lighten their load. Once you've gained knowledge and turned eighteen, then you can come out to work. By that time, Lord Rabbit will have opened all sorts of other factories, offering you even more diverse and enriching job opportunities."
The Tujia people, upon hearing this, erupted with joy.
This immediately made the nearby Han commoners green with envy. "Lord Rabbit," one asked, "do only Tujia children get free meals—ah, no, I mean, free schooling?"
Padi Tu chuckled, chiding them playfully. "I knew it! You just want your children to eat for free, don't you? Whether they learn anything is completely unimportant, I suppose?"
The Han commoners awkwardly shuffled back a couple of steps.
"No problem," Padi Tu reassured them. "Children are the flowers of our nation's future, after all. Those who want to learn, come and learn. Those who just want to eat, well, come and eat! Because if you grab a meal from Lord Rabbit, I'll always find an opportunity to cram some new knowledge into your heads."
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