Hu Changan took a few more steps along the path.

Without the cover of the stove, a cerebral congestion scene instantly came into view.

I saw a few craftsmen sitting around, rubbing mahjong in full swing!

Compared with the scene where the iron has just been struck, it is obviously much more lively here.

There are both playing cards, betting, and onlookers, which is comparable to a casino.

Seeing this, Steward Jiang shouted angrily: "You all get up and work for me!" Today, the Ministry of Industry Shangshu came with the newly promoted Ministry of Industry to inspect it! You are not ashamed! ”

The craftsmen were obviously startled by this shout, and they all turned their heads to look at Steward Jiang.

But after a moment of silence, the craftsmen burst into flames again.

"Steward Jiang, did you eat gunpowder today? Such a big temper? Haven't you been playing mahjong here? It's not that you don't know. ”

"It's not like we haven't worked, and we have sixty knives a month, aren't we still fighting honestly."

Even some thick-skinned craftsmen whistled at Hu Changan.

"Pretty young, the new Ministry of Works? Come on, come on, do you want to come with us for a few laps? ”

Steward Jiang looked at the free and casual appearance of these craftsmen, and his face turned red with anger: "It's really uncontrollable!" Shame on you! I'm in charge, shame on me! ”

Even Xue Xiang, the secretary of the Ministry of Works, looked embarrassed: "Hu Shilang, you shouldn't have seen this." This is already an old problem in our Ministry of Industry, and it will not be solved for a while. ”

However, Hu Changan didn't think so.

The decline in the quality of the Ming Dynasty's official workshops is a big thing related to the fortunes of the Ming Dynasty!

Historically, the government-run handicraft industry has been the mainstream.

After all, they are run directly by the government, and they can use the power of the state to recruit the best craftsmen, regardless of the cost.

Use whatever material is good.

Use it boldly, without limits!

So in the early years of Hongwu, the quality of the products produced by the government-run workshops far exceeded that of the private workshops.

However, in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, this situation was reversed.

Since the government-run handicraft industry is under the jurisdiction of the government, there are no effective incentives, and the enthusiasm of artisans continues to decline.

Moreover, because the government-run handicraft industry is not connected with the market, there is no impetus for development, and it will always only produce according to the ancestral system, and there will be no progress.

Over time, the government-run handicraft industry was overtaken by the private handicraft industry.

This brought two major disasters to the Ming Dynasty.

First, smuggling is rampant at sea.

After all, regular trade could only buy what was produced by the government from the city.

These things are expensive and not good, and foreign traders naturally move to buy things from private workshops.

The things produced by these folk workshops are not only good and cheap, but also do not have to pay taxes, which is simply perfect.

Therefore, sea smuggling became more and more rampant, and gradually became a major scourge in the Ming Dynasty.

Second, the army's weapons are outdated.

Those silk fabrics and porcelain are not a big problem, after all, even if the things produced in the government-run workshops are not good, they can still be used.

But the weapon is sloppy!

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, China's weapons were still at the forefront of the world.

But with the decline of the government-run handicraft industry, the weapons of the Ming Dynasty have been the same for hundreds of years, and there has been no progress at all.

Even due to the negligence of the craftsmen, the quality of the weapons is getting worse and worse!

It is said that the soldiers preferred to use the bird gun (a type of rifle) produced in the early Ming Dynasty rather than the bird gun produced in the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

There is no other reason, only quality.

The bird guns produced in the middle of the Ming Dynasty not only often jammed, but even burst from time to time, endangering the lives of officers and soldiers.

Since the weapons are all so crotch-pulled, it is really normal for the Chinese sons and daughters of the late Ming Dynasty to be unable to beat the cavalry of the Qing Dynasty.

Hu Changan never expected that the government-run workshop during the Hongwu period had already shown signs of pulling his crotch!

This is still a workshop under the Ministry of Works, and the atmosphere is already so loose!

What kind of scene is the workshop under other states and counties, Hu Changan doesn't dare to think.

No, we must prevent the gradual decline of the government-run workshop!

However, at present, Hu Changan does not have the authority to deal with this matter, so he can only be lured first.

Hu Changan frowned, strode towards the craftsmen, and overturned the mahjong table with a snap!

Suddenly, all the craftsmen were stunned.

They never imagined that the young squire who had just taken office would have such courage and directly give them a dismissal?!

However, these craftsmen did not dare to show Hu Changan's color.

After all, in the final analysis, Hu Changan is still an official of the imperial court.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was a felony to beat an official of the imperial court!

They can't commit a crime just because of this little thing as big as a sesame mung bean.

Some of the short-tempered craftsmen only let out a cold snort from their noses and stood in place with their arms crossed.

Seeing this, Xue Xiang was also relieved in his heart.

Oh, he couldn't get used to these free and loose workers for a long time, and now someone finally did the right thing for heaven!

However, Xue Xiang didn't have much hope for the next situation.

After all, these craftsmen are all old fritters!

It's okay to flip the table, but you want them to do the work?

I'm afraid it's unlikely!

Sure enough, these craftsmen watched the table being lifted, and one by one they were still holding their arms and were indifferent, and they had no intention of getting up to work.

The atmosphere fell into a stalemate for a while.

But Hu Changan smiled slightly and said generously: "Everyone, I don't know how much your monthly money is?" ”

The craftsmen were silent.

In the end, it was Steward Jiang who took over Hu Changan's words: "Hu Shilang, the monthly money of these craftsmen is one or two silver per month. ”

Hu Changan nodded.

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang is quite generous to the working people.

This month's money is much higher than that of the craftsmen in the private workshops in Yingtian City.

Hu Changan smiled slightly and said, "Do you want to make some extra money?" ”

"As long as you make an extra knife, I'll give you an extra 250 copper coins!"

What?

Everyone's breathing couldn't help but become short.

As long as you get four knives a month, you can get an extra month's salary!

Just when everyone was excited, Xue Xiang pulled Hu Changan over and whispered: "Hu Shilang, you can't do this!" ”

"I know you want to do good for the Ministry of Works, but how can you throw money around like this?"

"In my opinion, it's better to keep it as it is!"

"Anyway, there are sixty knives a month, and the above can barely be handed over, so don't be nosy!"

"I know that Hu Fu has a lot of money, but this money is not used in such a way!"

Hu Changan listened, but he just smiled slightly, and replied to Xue Xiang: "It's okay, I'm happy to spend this money." ”

"Anyway, if you have more money, you can put it away, so it's better to take it out and do something practical."

"And now the output of the Hu family's soap has risen again, and the income is more than 20,000 taels per month!"