After the personnel appointments were properly arranged, Zhu Youxiao started to do another thing. He wanted to start changing the old system of craftsmen and establish a reasonable reward and punishment system as well as the hope of promotion.
He divided craftsmen into five levels, namely small craftsmen, medium craftsmen, great craftsmen, masters and masters.
The biggest problem of the Ming Dynasty was its own national policies and systems.
When Taizu established the craftsman household system, it was reasonable, and the Wei system was also reasonable. However, this rationality was only limited to the Hongwu period and only applicable to his era.
It was under this system that after decades of war in China, the newly established Ming Dynasty could quickly rejuvenate. Without the rule of Hongwu, how could the so-called Yongle era have come about?
But as soon as Taizu died, these systems collapsed one by one. In fact, in his later years, disadvantages and contradictions had already emerged in endlessly. Unfortunately, at that time, he was focused on suppressing the upper class and paving the way for his grandson, and had no intention of managing these things.
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After more than two hundred years, there were countless craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty, but these people with unique skills could not even get a full meal.
Countless people fled because of this, and they became black households and hermits. They would rather be tenant slaves of powerful landlords than cling to their so-called ancestral property.
His current centralization effect is very good, and he has basically mastered the power of the government. This is the period when imperial power was at its peak since the Chenghua period, but this power is not enough to change national policies and systems.
But he can make small-scale changes with just one word, and those courtiers will not come to die.
Therefore, he set his first target on the craftsmen, those in the arsenal.
I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, let alone in such a big country.
The arsenal has been established for so long, and it is time to put it in the open. In the past, the government was unstable and had to take this strategy to hide the arsenal, but now it is no longer needed.
He planned to merge Wang Gong Factory and the Ordnance Bureau of the Ministry of War in the capital with his own arsenal.
Then the arsenal will serve as an independent government office and will not be under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries of the Cabinet. Instead, it will become an independent government office just like the War and War Bureau.
There are a large number of craftsmen in these two places, all of whom have been veterans for many years. Their ancestors have worked in these two yamen for generations, and they can be considered top-notch.
The most important thing is to have complete equipment and technology.
Except for a few craftsmen recruited in the arsenal, none of them have the skills to build cannons.
Especially heavy artillery such as the General Cannon and the Hongyi Cannon are impossible to attack.
There are also essential materials such as raw materials, gunpowder, refined iron, etc. The arsenal also needs to buy them from outside at high prices. The cost is really too high.
But the Ordnance Bureau and Wang Gong Factory will not have this problem. What Wang Gong Factory is most in need of is raw materials such as gunpowder.
This is the largest gunpowder depot and firearms research and development base in the Ming Dynasty. The skilled craftsmen inside are even more skilled than the Ordnance Bureau.
The Hongyi Cannon and the General Cannon were imitated from Wang Gong Factory.
However, the merger of these three yamen is not enough. A new yamen must be established to be responsible for the research and development of new technologies and weapons, called Tiangongyuan.
The Arsenal and Tiangongyuan are not under each other, but they are both under the jurisdiction of the Arms Pavilion.
The Arms Pavilion is a new department that I am planning to establish. Its status will be the same as that of the Six Ministries and will be under my jurisdiction.
The personnel scheduling, appointment and dismissal of the arsenal and Tiangongyuan, and all matters in the yamen were all handled by the Arms Pavilion, which was directly responsible to him, and all power over affairs belonged to the emperor.
In this way, an effective cycle can be formed, and the craftsmen will have hope, a path for promotion, and new goals to strive for.
If you want to become a worker, you must first pass the arsenal's exam. If you pass the exam and prove yourself, the arsenal will issue you an iron waistband.
With this badge, after becoming a small worker, you are eligible to apply for employment in the arsenal, and you will receive wages and food every month.
To become a middle-level worker, you must be a small-time worker, and so on, rising level by level.
Zhu Youxiao's wages for the small workers in the arsenal were two taels of silver and ten stones of grain and rice, ensuring that these craftsmen and their families could not survive well.
They are equivalent to general workers, engaged in the simplest tasks in the factory, and they only need to complete the tasks assigned by their superiors step by step every day.
The salary for a medium-level worker is five taels of silver, ten stones of grain and rice, and one piece of cloth per month. The salary for a large-scale worker is much higher, with ten taels of silver per month, ten stones of grain, rice, and five pieces of cloth.
To become an intermediate worker, you need more than just craftsmanship. You also need a certain amount of technical thinking and reserves, and you must be proficient in a certain aspect of technology. For example, if you are making cannons, then you must be familiar with the manufacturing process and technology, as well as the principles.
Wait for a series of questions.
Another important point is to be literate.
There is a watershed between medium and large-scale engineering, because the required skills are very different, and large-scale engineering is basically at the top level.
These people will be the main technical personnel of the arsenal, responsible for management and teaching, and become big workers. Zhu Youxiao will grant them seventh- to ninth-grade official status, and they can also receive salaries as official officials.
Zhu Youxiao also deliberately set the standard in this way. If the upgrade to a higher level only adds a few taels of silver, many small and medium-sized workers will be content with the status quo, because the problem of food and clothing is solved, and they no longer have to worry about their livelihood.
People cannot be comfortable. This lesson is too profound. The Tang Dynasty was so prosperous, but because it was too comfortable and lost its enterprising spirit, An Lushan and other rebels seized the opportunity, which led to
disaster.
The conditions for craftsmen who can be promoted to masters can be said to be extremely demanding, because they are no longer ordinary craftsmen, they will become upper-class people.
Grandmasters not only need to be top-notch in technology, they cannot be limited to manufacturing weapons and cannons. They must be proficient in other aspects. They also need to have a certain culture and have a pioneering and enterprising mind. Their task is to lay the foundation for future industries.
Therefore, the standard he set for the master was far beyond that of a major work: thirty taels of silver per month, fifty stones of grain and rice, a piece of silk and satin, and a second-class house in the inner city of the capital, plus a fifth- or sixth-grade official status.
Tiangongyuan is also the yamen established by Zhu Youxiao for the master.
Of course, some major engineers can make exceptions and enter Tiangong Yunyuan, but the premise is that you must be extremely outstanding in a certain aspect or technology, or make significant achievements and contributions.
As for the masters, they belong to the country's top elite talents.
Once you become a master, you can join the Armament Pavilion. They will no longer be given an official status, but will be officially appointed as a second- or third-level minister of the imperial court to assist the emperor in managing armament matters.
When others see them, they have to call them cabinet ministers in a polite manner, and their status will not be much lower than that of a cabinet minister.
But now in the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the master, even the grandmaster level is unmatched. I am afraid that Song Yingxing can barely achieve this ability at the moment. Xu Guangqi and Bi Maokang may be able to achieve it if they work harder.