What is Chapter 7049?

What is Chapter 7049?
The state-run workshop problem can be said to have arisen because of Chen Xi's existence. Therefore, before the problem arose, Chen Xi had considered what aspects might cause the problem and how to solve it. So when Man Chong suggested how to punish it, Chen Xi found it quite interesting.

Compared to sentencing based on other charges, the punishment of dereliction of duty, which eliminates superfluous factors and focuses directly on competence, is quite interesting. At the very least, this punishment directly eliminates almost all questions of right or wrong and focuses directly on competence.

Clearly, Man Chong's attitude is that he doesn't know whether what he did was right or wrong. He can see the hidden dangers of these actions, and he can also feel the benefits they can bring. He also can't accurately judge where the line of this thing is, so he can only give his judgment according to the rules that were previously set.

“Dereliction of duty?” Sun Qian, who was sitting to the side, seemed to be thinking when he heard this. Then he looked at Chen Xi naturally, only to find that Chen Xi was looking at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle. But that’s right. What is Yi Ji? This is the real pitfall of the problem.

What state-owned workshop? If there really is a largest state-owned workshop in the world, it is definitely not Yanzhou Agriculture and Grain, but the Transportation, Logistics and Road Construction under Sun Qian's name. This thing may seem like just a government department, but after so many years, how could Sun Qian not know the nature of this thing?

"I don't agree with this ruling." After hearing Man Chong's explanation, Yi Ji felt somewhat relieved, because although dereliction of duty is a troublesome issue these days, given Yi Ji's situation, this ruling wouldn't actually result in any real punishment.

After all, many things that happen for the first time and are brought to the public for trial, as long as they don't escalate to a very serious level, are only considered dereliction of duty and at most result in a few reprimands.

This was not a big deal for an official whose rank was second only to the Nine Ministers. Moreover, this kind of reprimand was not the kind that would kill you or force you to hang yourself in order to get an answer. So all you had to do was write a reply. But this was not the answer that Yi Ji wanted.

"Tell me about it." Man Chong looked at Yi Ji without silencing him. Although he knew that trying to smooth things over was an option at this point, since the matter had already occurred, he had to consider the future consequences. So, since Yi Ji said he disagreed, Man Chong had to hear why, so that he could come up with a more appropriate way to handle the situation in the future.

"Before I explain, I need to ask one thing." Yi Ji glanced at Sun Qian out of the corner of his eye. He had some connection with Sun Qian. Then he glanced at Chen Deng, Liao Li, Shi Xie, and other governors. After all, they were not fools. As things had developed, Yi Ji did not think he was taking the most radical approach. It was just that the agricultural and grain industry in Yanzhou was there and developing well, so he had to step forward.

But now that things have come to this point, Yi Ji felt it was best to be absolutely certain about certain things before speaking, such as the most important point in this matter, which is the fundamentally unsolvable question of what exactly Yanzhou agricultural products are.

"Lord Chen, may I ask you a question?" Yi Ji asked Chen Xi.

"Is Yanzhou Agriculture and Grain part of the national government or part of local commerce?" Chen Xi asked Yi Ji with a somewhat calm expression. Even if Yi Ji didn't speak, Chen Xi could guess what the other party wanted to ask. After all, this question was an unavoidable Achilles' heel surrounding state-owned enterprises, and if the issue of dereliction of duty was to be discussed, this was something that could not be bypassed.

After Chen Xi uttered those words, many people who hadn't understood how things had happened before started to take it seriously. Chen Xi's question could be said to have clarified the root cause of Yi Ji's current predicament.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask. Compared to Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain’s establishment of preschools, schools, residential areas, and security departments in various regions, these are not serious problems for me. What I find difficult is, what exactly is Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain?” Yi Ji looked at Chen Xi very seriously and asked, “The above are just issues of spending money and authority.”

Chen Xi knew that the establishment of kindergartens was not something he forced to do. His education efforts had not yet reached that level, but kindergartens naturally emerged within large state-owned workshops.

Everyone involved could understand these inexplicable expenditures. Even when Liu Bei received a message from a local veteran saying that a kindergarten specifically for three- or four-year-old children had appeared in their area, Liu Bei not only didn't see anything wrong with it, but also praised the state-owned enterprise managers who built the kindergarten for their foresight and ability, and for their proactive contribution to society.

Of course, these words were not spoken openly, but rather as private praise. When meeting the other person in person, one would simply pat them on the shoulder to indicate that they had done a good job and that they could continue to promote education in the future if they had the ability. This is the essence of cultivating talents over a long period of time.

When Liu Bei returned, he specifically praised to Chen Xi what he had seen in this large state-owned enterprise, saying that it was really good and that it solved social problems at a deeper level, and so on. Chen Xi, however, remained noncommittal.

This is one of the very few things that Chen Xi did not promote, but which gradually evolved on its own during the development of state-owned enterprises. Moreover, it automatically formed supporting facilities. Now it has developed to the point that it has been exposed to Man Chong, who bluntly said that it has encroached on the functions of a prefect. This is enough to explain a lot of problems.

However, Chen Xi knew that these things, viewed in a broad and general way, focused on social progress, and in a very sophisticated way at that. But if you looked at the problem from a different perspective, using Chen Xi's own understanding, you could actually see a lot more.

For example, how do kindergartens come about? Without any active promotion, the reason for their formation is simple: parents have enough assets to cover the education fund. To put it more deeply, parents have calculated that investing this money to hire someone to take care of their children is less costly than taking care of them at home, and may even be more suitable.

This is why, in later generations, long before the concept of kindergartens was even widespread in rural areas, all large state-owned enterprises naturally developed internal kindergartens.

From a humanistic perspective, this is one of the comforting facilities provided by large state-owned enterprises for their employees, allowing them to escape from the complexities of family life and devote themselves more efficiently to their work.

However, from a practical point of view, large state-owned enterprises have found in the process of promoting this that the losses from having skilled workers do housework are greater than the losses from hiring people at their own expense to replace skilled workers in handling housework.

In that case, let's look at the issue purely from a profit perspective—build large canteens so that these people don't have to worry about cooking and can eat directly from the canteen, giving them more time to rest and allowing them to work in a more energetic state.

Building kindergartens allows them to focus their energy on building businesses, freeing them from having to devote their time and energy to the most important and complex tasks at home.

Building hospitals, managing security, the judiciary, and so on—if these extensions of influence are completely stripped of humanistic concern and social progress, they are essentially just about you being a skilled worker who can create more profit, so I'll sacrifice a small portion of my own profit to allow you to create even greater profit.

Of course, this refers to state-owned enterprises that can make large-scale profits. The logic behind many state-owned enterprises in later generations is not entirely the same. After all, the survival logic of state-owned enterprises changed in the later period and can be roughly divided into profit-making and stability-maintaining.

But state-owned enterprises in Chen Xi's era were different. These were all capable of generating large-scale profits, and from a certain perspective, some of them were even monopolistic enterprises. This was why Chen Xi was able to earn unimaginable wealth to support the country and maintain the army.

Therefore, in Chen Xi's era, the issue of internal expansion of authority in state-owned enterprises was essentially the same as the aforementioned final decision made with the aim of maximizing profits.

Even if those in charge don't have the intention of encroaching on government power, once they realize that doing so can greatly increase their own profits, generate more wealth, and improve the cohesion and happiness of their staff, then the decision to do it becomes self-evident.

As for how the government feels?
Who cares what the government thinks? I'm the government too!
That's right, that's the most crucial point. In this era, state-owned enterprises cannot be simply regarded as businesses, but must also be seen as part of the government.

This is a critical issue, which is why Yi Ji went straight to the heart of the matter at this time, asking Chen Xi whether Yanzhou Agricultural and Food was a government action or a commercial one.

If it's a government action, then there's nothing to say. With the Minister of State Affairs behind it, the other party's actions are guaranteed by the state, so there's no problem with it.

Is it really a problem to encroach on local government power? To put it bluntly, this is called strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches, or increasing the penetration rate of the central government. You don't know anything about this, right?
But if it's a business transaction, then there's no point in talking. I'm a real 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), and I'll just punch you and make you spit out everything you ate. Did I let you eat it?

"It's both government and business," Chen Xi said truthfully. Many people present looked solemn. Although it's shameful to talk about business these days, and the major families, including the Zhen family, don't actually engage in commerce, this is just their sidekick. But those sitting here all know that commercial activities are very necessary. How much money can you make by farming?

Surely no one really believes that those large aristocratic families amassed their vast fortunes by toiling in the fields and having their family books copied, right? What a joke! The money of these great families was earned little by little through local protectionism and the manipulation of their own resources.

That's right, it's about local protectionism, not business!

Because let alone in this day and age, even in future generations, it's not so easy to make money purely in business. Not to mention the possibility of unexpected events, policy changes alone are enough to ruin many people. There has never been such a thing as free trade throughout history.

Businesses must be constrained by national policies and the political situation.

This is also why the major families are so wealthy; they themselves are a reflection of the political system of their respective regions. Therefore, while other families may not make money from the same business, their own families certainly will.

Essentially, this is the manifestation of power.

To put it bluntly, if the Zhen family hadn't inherited the title of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure), it would be a miracle if their business had spread all over the country. Without this status, the Zhen family's wealth would have been completely taken over long ago, and the entire family would have been taken over.

Therefore, to put it all together, the most profitable way to do business is through collusion between officials and businessmen.

Chen Xi's current answer is the ultimate and most refined version of the previous answer: collusion between officials and businessmen? No need for that. He is both an official and a businessman, which clearly explains why others cannot defeat him.

"If that's the case, then I can't accept this at all." Yi Ji sighed softly and looked at Man Chong. "Minister of Justice, do you think I've also failed in my duty under these circumstances?"

"Zichuan." Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi. He had realized that what this group of people were actually eyeing were the state-owned ranches and workshops under Chen Xi's control. Liu Bei had observed those things everywhere and they were truly the cornerstone of the country, the foundation for the country's current prosperity. But now this group of people were actually arguing about whether these things belonged to the government or to commerce. Did that even matter?

Chen Xi shook his head, indicating that Liu Bei didn't need to do that, and that these people couldn't win the argument against him.

Man Chong calmly looked at Chen Xi and asked, "Zi Chuan, do I need to explain?"

Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, looking at Man Chong with some surprise. So, he didn't have to say anything? He originally thought he would have to explain, and to be honest, Chen Xi was prepared to explain during the Grand Assembly. But now Man Chong was saying he would explain it himself.

"Then it's up to you." Chen Xi thought for a moment and said, also wanting to see how others perceived his actions.

“As the Minister of Justice, I don’t need to consider whether this is a government matter or a business matter. I only need to consider how to deal with the defendant,” Man Chong said expressionlessly.

Yi Ji paused for a moment, then sat up straight, wanting to see what Man Chong would say.

“When the local enterprises reported the situation in Yanzhou to me, I also investigated and verified it.” Man Chong looked at Yi Ji calmly and said, “So I am also aware that the Yanzhou Prefectural Government is requesting some financial support from Yanzhou’s agricultural and grain resources.”

The room was filled with whispers, but Yi Ji remained calm. He hadn't spent a single penny of the money he wanted on himself; it had all been invested in education and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises throughout Yanzhou. After all, living in Yanzhou, Yi Ji had clearly recognized the imbalance in development. To put it bluntly, the living standards and welfare enjoyed by the people working in Yanzhou's agricultural sector now surpassed those of the landlords he had encountered in Jingzhou.

Although much of this progress is due to the advancements brought about by Chen Xi and the development of the road transportation and logistics industry, the internal structure of Yanzhou Agriculture and Grain has completely surpassed other parts of Yanzhou. This imbalance is alarming to Yi Ji.

An ordinary worker at Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain Company doesn't need to cook; he goes to the canteen on time. He doesn't need to worry about his children's education; community management staff will take care of everything for him when the time comes. Then he can take his children to kindergarten. If he gets sick, someone will treat him, and even if he is seriously ill, he will receive humanistic care.

In addition, there are those seemingly unimportant internal benefits, and all sorts of things given out according to the four seasons. The big shots at the top don't care much about them, but the people at the bottom really need these things.

These various benefits, along with the hidden perks in their living areas, directly created a two-tiered hierarchy between members of Yanzhou Grain and ordinary Yanzhou residents.

Realizing this, starting in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, Yi Ji directly demanded a portion of the profits from Yanzhou Agriculture and Grain to invest in road construction in remote areas of northern and southern Yanzhou. He did not pursue three-lane or four-lane roads; Yi Ji's requirement was simply ordinary paved roads to reduce the difficulty for people to leave the village.

It can be said that Yi Ji himself didn't spend a single penny of this money; he invested it all in Yanzhou.

Therefore, Yi Ji was not afraid of being investigated by Man Chong. As for the fact that he took a lot of money, even more than Zhao Yu did back then, it was really not a big deal, because the money Yi Ji took was profit, not the root of Yanzhou Agriculture and Grain, and it did not affect the development of Yanzhou Agriculture and Grain.

Furthermore, every penny of money either went to education, road construction, or the construction of small and medium-sized workshops at the village and town level, so Yi Ji really doesn't care about investigating this.

If Zhao Yu had made money and done these things back then, even if he had been investigated, it would have been nothing more than a slap on the wrist, because he was doing legitimate business.

"Can I just watch the workers of Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain Company live like that and ignore the rest of the people?" Yi Ji said with a sneer. "Lord Chen, there are only a few hundred thousand formal workers at Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain Company. If you include the people who rely entirely on Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain Company for their livelihood, there are only a little over a million. But are the 560 million people of Yanzhou just supposed to watch Yanzhou Agricultural and Grain Company eat meat and not even be able to drink a sip of soup?"

"So the workers at Yanzhou Agricultural and Food Company are the only human beings? The farmers aren't even human beings? They only deserve to be squeezed for excessive profits by Yanzhou Agricultural and Food Company?" Yi Ji asked the crowd with a cold look.

"Not exactly." Chen Xi coughed lightly, feeling it necessary to interrupt.

"If that's not the case, then why can't I?" Yi Ji asked directly.

This is also a fatal flaw, and it is also an extension of the problem of government and business.

Slipped away