Construction of roads, bridges and water conservancy facilities were usually done by hard labor during the Qin Dynasty, including the construction of the Great Wall.
That is, those who violated Qin's laws and were punished with hard labor for as long as they wanted. If these people didn't die from exhaustion and could go back alive, they would be considered lucky, and they wouldn't get any wages.
This is one of the reasons why the taxes in counties during the Qin Dynasty were not high but various activities continued as usual.
They don't need to pay for building roads, building bridges, etc. They just need to pull the slaves up.
If there is any cost, it is to provide some food to keep these hard laborers alive.
Of course Shen Bing couldn't do this. Craftsmen and ordinary people were sent to build roads and bridges, and they were also paid.
Even the wages are higher than those of other workers, twenty-three dollars a day. Physical work is more tiring than that of a textile workshop, so you should get more money.
Immediately, another group of workers came to build roads and bridges.
Shen Bing was responsible for this part and the water conservancy facilities. He had worked in field ditches and water diversion before joining the army, and he was more expert in this area.
Educate Shen Bing and make Fusu responsible.
There is no problem in letting the common people learn Confucianism. It is best if everyone learns to be a modest gentleman, but of course it also requires Fatzi Tun to perform some magic tricks and Cang Jiao to teach some wood skills.
The main one is arithmetic... After industrialization, science talents are more needed. At the same time, learning arithmetic will also improve people's IQ and make them more flexible.
Shen Bing himself was responsible for strengthening the army.
If the Qin army wanted to organize an army, it wouldn't actually cost much...the troops came directly from the people without any need to pay. If there was any cost, it would be grains, and the grains would come from the taxes paid by the people.
Even the clothes that the people wear are brought by themselves.
A considerable part of the equipment also comes from the common people... If the common people commit any crime, they will be punished with a shield or an armor. Some of the shields and armor used by the soldiers are part of it.
Most of the equipment used for standard mass production is hard labor.
This is all a cheap calculation... This is how a country's war machine operates, so when productivity is extremely low, the princes and nobles are extremely luxurious.
Shen Bing took another route in building his army:
From smelting iron, making equipment to recruiting soldiers, use money generously but sparingly.
Why not spend a little money to improve the combat effectiveness and morale of your troops in a series?
Because from the perspective of a soldier, serving the country as a soldier means going through life and death, and even the clothes have to be provided by the family... If the family is poor, they have to endure hunger and cold, and of course they feel unbalanced.
But if after joining the army, regardless of whether they have a title or not, if they are fully provided with food and clothing and some appropriate subsidies for their families, then the soldiers will have no worries and can devote themselves wholeheartedly to the battle.
There is a saying that "people are more infuriating than others." No other army in this era, including the Qin army, had such conditions. A comparison of which one is better and which one is worse will soon give the answer.
As a result, morale, loyalty and combat effectiveness will rise to the next level.
The only thing Shen Bing was worried about was whether doing so would be too conspicuous, causing Zhao Gao and Li Si to say sarcastic things to Ying Zheng.
In the end, Shen Bing really guessed it right.
It was Li Si who proposed this matter. At this time, Ying Zheng had returned to Xianyang...
Every harvest season is the busiest time in Xianyang. Which areas have good harvests and which areas need disaster relief due to poor harvests all need Xianyang's coordination, so Yingzheng must return to Beijing to take charge.
Li Si reported to Ying Zheng in the court:
"Your Majesty, it is said that Yunzhong County relies on the cloth industry to recruit soldiers, and even those without titles are given grains per person."
"Once this precedent is set, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction among soldiers from all over the country."
Li Si's words were quite accurate.
It can be said that Shen Bing's move was not illegal. Yunzhong County paid the full tax according to Qin law, and then used the money at his disposal to give the soldiers extra pay. This has nothing to do with others.
The problem is that what Shen Bing does will make other Qin troops jealous:
"We are still fighting as soldiers, so why are the soldiers in Yunzhong County treated better?"
"How can the soldiers of Yunzhong County have food and clothing if they are also going through life and death?"
…
If other Qin armies follow the same standards as Yunzhong County, how much money will it cost the whole country?
But Ying Zheng replied without thinking:
"Yunzhong County is a bitter and cold place outside the Great Wall."
"Back when Li Mu stationed troops in the north, he also rewarded his troops by killing three oxen a day."
"Shen Bing has managed things well, and within a few months he managed to turn Yunzhong County's wild land into a wealthy one."
"Why not use the cloth industry to strengthen the army to resist the Xiongnu?"
After saying this, Li Si was speechless.
Ying Zheng was indeed unwilling to spend the money, but what he said was fine.
Where is Yunzhong County?
It is a barbaric land far away from the Central Plains and far from home. It will be harassed and attacked by the Xiongnu at any time.
What happened to a little subsidy?
What happened to the extra grain?
If soldiers from other armies are jealous... then go garrison in Yunzhong County!
What's more, they used their own money for subsidies and did not ask for a penny from the central government.
In fact, there is another reason why Ying Zhenghui said this. Fusu had already reported the textile workshop to Ying Zheng from beginning to end. Ying Zheng knew everything about the matter and even copied several hydraulic looms in Xianyang.
There is no need for Shen Bing to hide this from Ying Zheng, and he can't hide it either... There are tens of thousands of hydraulic looms in Yunzhong County that can produce thousands of pieces of cloth every day, and thousands of workers work in the production process every day. , want to hide Ying Zheng?
Precisely because Ying Zheng knew everything about Yunzhong County, he had more trust and confidence in Yunzhong County.
Otherwise, given Ying Zheng's character and Li Si said this... it would be difficult to think of it.
At this time, Ying Zheng could only sigh at the exquisiteness of the water-powered loom:
"You can actually weave cloth with water power."
"How much labor can be saved in this way and how much wealth can it bring to our country, Great Qin?"
"Shen Bing's creation of this thing can be said to be another great achievement!"
Zhao Gao said from the side:
"Your Majesty, isn't Xianyang like Yunzhong County...producing these looms in large quantities?"
Ying Zheng thought for a while and said:
"No rush."
"If it is mass-produced in Xianyang and promoted nationwide, wouldn't it cut off Yunzhong County's financial path?"
"The current situation is that Yunzhong County is most important and difficult to resist the Xiongnu. Let's let Yunzhong County stabilize before we talk about anything else."
From this we can also see Ying Zheng’s vision and ambition.
If it were someone else who could unify the Central Plains in sight, even if the last remaining Yan, Dai, and Qi were not worth mentioning, this would be his ambition for many years.
Normally in this final stage, you should be anxious and eager to win it right away.
But Ying Zheng looked further and knew that the only opponent at this time was the Huns.
Of course, the Xiongnu was not the "only" opponent. At this time, Ying Zheng did not know that "there are mountain people outside the mountains", that there were Western Regions outside the Xiongnu, and Europe outside the Western Regions...
The earth is huge, and it is not just the Central Plains in front of us that is the "world".