Chapter 108: I Have Come, I Am Here, I Will Be With You (Part Two)

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Zhang Qian actually knew only the barest fundamentals of assembly-line production and organizational management. But even that little knowledge was more than enough to dazzle the ancients, who had never conceived of such a thing as an assembly line.

Besides, while striving to reduce the production costs of windmills and tube wells, he had spent considerable time devising ways to establish production lines for these two powerful tools.

“Windmills and tube wells are both enormous and difficult to transport. Yet their core components make up less than a quarter of the entire structure. Therefore, the first step is to separate the outer components from the core.”

Taking up a brush handed to him by one of the eunuchs, he spread out a large sheet of white paper and roughly sketched a combined windmill-and-tube-well assembly. Pointing to the base and outer casing, he explained with a smile.

Everyone, including the emperor, Li Xian, understood only half of what they saw. Some frowned, others stroked their beards, and not a single person could think of anything to say.

“The outer foundation, the wellhead, the four walls, and the framework supporting the windmill can all be contracted out to local commoners and craftsmen for construction. Including materials and labor, each unit will cost less than two strings of cash!”

Having anticipated their reaction, Zhang Qian marked the outer section with a check and continued slowly.

Most people were still utterly bewildered, but Wu Qiu, an assistant registrar of the Water Conservancy Office, suddenly brightened.

Chang’an was surrounded by eight waterways. Every year, the Water Conservancy Office had to oversee hundreds of projects of all sizes throughout the capital region. If some of the less intricate mechanical components could be contracted out to local governments and gentry, then minor officials like them—the ones who actually did the work at the Water Conservancy Office—could save themselves an enormous amount of effort.

And when it came to contracting, one could not simply let anyone undertake the work, nor could one pay the contractor exactly two strings of cash for a job that cost two strings. So long as quality was guaranteed, there were countless ways to manipulate the figures.

Just as he was delighting in the possibilities, Zhang Qian continued, “Once the outer components have been contracted out locally, only twenty-seven core components remain. To make a single set requires two carpenters and three ironsmiths, accompanied by ten apprentices. They should be able to finish in about seven days. But if we make a large quantity—say, more than two hundred sets…”

“Practice makes perfect! I understand! Have them work together in one place—the more they make, the faster they’ll become!” Hu Nan, an official of the Ministry of Works with experience in manufacturing devices, could not restrain his laughter. He slapped his hands together enthusiastically.

At once, countless people around him glared furiously. Frightened, he hurriedly clasped his fists and apologized to everyone before quickly lowering his head.

Practice could indeed reduce labor costs. But going from one set in seven days to one set in four would save only three days’ wages and meals. It could not possibly cut the total cost in half.

Since Assistant Registrar Zhang spoke with such confidence, he must have a more sophisticated method than simply relying on craftsmen to grow more skilled with time.

Sure enough, before everyone had even turned their attention away from Hu Nan, Zhang Qian had already raised his brush again. He rapidly drew the twenty-seven core components on the paper, arranging them by size.

As he drew, he explained with a smile, “The core components can be divided into precision parts and ordinary parts. Precision parts, such as gears, drive wheels, and transmission rods, must be crafted personally by master artisans. The remaining ordinary parts—bamboo pipes, water-storage barrels, oxhide gaskets, and the like—can be made by apprentices. Some can even be purchased from outside according to fixed patterns and specifications.

“The key is that every component of the same type must be identical in size and precision. I call this standardization!”

“Indeed, naturally!”

The eyes of the crowd began to shine one after another. Those with beards stroked them, while those without beards rubbed their chins, all nodding gently.

“Whether precision parts or ordinary parts are made in-house, once the standards have been established, each component must be assigned to the same team of workers from beginning to end. Those who make gears should make one kind of gear from morning till night. Those who make transmission rods should make one kind of transmission rod from morning till night. Those who make windmill blades should make one kind of blade from morning till night.

“Even the individual stages can be subdivided further. Those who prepare sand molds need only prepare sand molds. Those who cast rough blanks need only cast rough blanks.

“Working this way, the number of craftsmen and apprentices required will increase threefold, but production can rise more than tenfold. In the same seven days, two hundred sets of core components can be completed with ease. If we make a thousand sets, or ten thousand, the time and labor costs saved will be even greater!”

“Ah!”

Someone gasped softly, then pulled the tablet used for taking notes during court from his sleeve. He borrowed a brush from a eunuch and began recording the details. Others lowered their heads in thought, their eyes flashing with sharp brilliance.

At that moment, most of the people present were “technical” minor officials from modest government offices. Their positions were beneath the notice of those who bought official posts, so nearly everyone present possessed intelligence well above the passing mark.

Moreover, Zhang Qian explained his ideas with both words and diagrams. It took very little time before most of those present had calculated the approximate savings that could be achieved through assembly-line production.

If only eight or ten windmills and tube wells were made, the assembly-line method would greatly increase costs rather than reduce them. If more than thirty were produced at once, the cost would be roughly equal to that of the old method. Once production exceeded one hundred units, costs could be substantially reduced. And if two hundred, three hundred, or even five hundred units were manufactured in one batch, the reduction would be far more than half the original cost!

“By manufacturing the core components in one place and transporting them to the localities, they can be assembled and adjusted according to the drawings. Since every component is standardized, if one breaks, it need only be removed and replaced with a spare. There is no need to rebuild the entire windmill and tube well.”

As though afraid the crowd’s astonishment was not yet great enough, Zhang Qian continued speaking. With every sentence, their eyes shone more brightly.

“Where are the localities supposed to find so many craftsmen?” Only Lu Zhengming, Vice Minister of Personnel, raised an objection. Though he knew perfectly well that he had already lost, he could not bring himself to admit defeat and stubbornly continued picking bones from an egg.

“If the counties do not have enough, the prefectures certainly will. If the prefectures lack them, the places where the regional headquarters are located certainly will!” Zhang Qian answered without the slightest hesitation. “In truth, I do not recommend that every county seek out craftsmen to manufacture these machines. The localities should be responsible only for constructing the outer portions, while the core components should be concentrated in the prefectures and regional headquarters.

“They could even be concentrated in places such as Chang’an, Luoyang, and Gusu, where water transport is convenient. That way, hundreds or thousands of windmills and tube wells can be manufactured in one place. The government will provide the funds and spread His Majesty’s benevolence throughout the realm.”

Afraid that Li Xian might hesitate to allocate money from the treasury, Zhang Qian thought for a moment, then drew a millstone beside his sketch of the windmill.

“The windmill’s usefulness is not limited to drawing water. Once floods and droughts have been brought under control, the windmill can also power a millstone to grind rice and flour. If two coins are charged for each grinding, the government can recover its entire expenditure in less than a year—and may even earn a modest surplus!”

“This…”

Zhang Qian’s fantastical train of thought left everyone briefly stunned. Then, including Li Xian, ninety-nine percent of those in the hall revealed excited light in their eyes.

It was true that, like the dynasties before it, the Great Tang pursued the policy of valuing agriculture while looking down on commerce. Yet the emperor Li Xian and the officials present all suffered deeply from the emptiness of the imperial treasury.

The “technical officials” summoned to attend this late-night court session had to endure countless difficulties every year merely to secure a little funding. The investment-and-return model Zhang Qian had unveiled tonight had plainly opened a window before them.

If a windmill-and-tube-well complex could grind flour for the common people during idle periods and recover its own cost, then could the construction of a windmill and millstone be used to generate profit? If investing in windmills and millstones could make money, might the court adopt the same model when producing other devices beneficial to the people?

If every bureau and office could earn back hundreds or thousands of strings of copper cash each year, who would still need to go begging at the Ministry of Revenue? If everyone could fill their purses through legitimate means, who would still take the risk of scheming to embezzle a little public money?

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“This is Qin law! This is Qin law! Assistant Registrar Zhang, you are using Qin law to mislead His Majesty. What are your intentions?”

Just as everyone was happily calculating the possibilities, Lu Zhengming’s shouting reached their ears once more. It was ten times more irritating than the barking of a foolish dog at the sun.

“Indeed, the Qin dynasty used a similar method to manufacture military equipment. It simply was not as refined.”

Since Zhang Qian claimed to be an heir of the Mohist tradition, he had naturally spent some time in his leisure reading up on Qin history and its legends. Hearing Lu Zhengming invoke Qin law, he immediately admitted it with a smile.

Ignoring the astonishment in the other man’s eyes, he paused before quickly adding, “But standardizing the written script and the width of cart axles were also Qin laws. Building the imperial roads to connect the nine regions was also Qin law. Even the thirty grades of official rank in our Great Tang, from the junior ninth rank upward, cannot escape the shadow of the Qin system.

“Qin law was harsh, but not every one of its provisions was evil. Besides, our Great Tang merely selects what was good and discards what was bad!”

Thoroughly weary of being harassed by this Lu fellow, Zhang Qian did not wait for him to find another fault. He raised his voice and continued, “What constitutes a good policy? In my opinion, any policy that establishes the nation and benefits the people is a good policy. Even if it originated in the Qin or Han, it may be studied and adopted.

“Moreover, the land beneath our feet was once Qin territory. If we abandoned everything connected with Qin simply because we disliked the Qin state, then the capital of Great Tang ought to be in Luoyang rather than Chang’an!”

“You—you…”

Lu Zhengming could find no suitable words with which to answer. His beard trembled wildly, and his vision darkened with rage.

The surrounding “technical officials,” however, showed little sympathy for him. One after another, they smiled and added to Zhang Qian’s praise.

“The assembly-line manufacturing technique offered by Assistant Registrar Zhang is not limited to windmills and tube wells. In fact, every kind of device produced by the Ministry of Works each year could be made in this way!”

“Military equipment—military equipment above all. If this method were adopted, the cost of armor, bows, crossbows, swords, and spears could also be cut in half!”

“Not only would it save money, but identical components could be replaced at any time. This would be especially useful for carriages and vehicles. Every repair would save a great deal of time!”

And so on.

“Excellent!”

The Heaven-Responding Divine Dragon Emperor Li Xian was not a man known for having firm opinions, but there was no suspense as to who had won tonight’s debate. Stroking his beard happily, he nodded and said, “Minister Zhang is truly learned and talented. Who would have thought that your mind concealed such a remarkable technique for strengthening the nation and benefiting the people?

“Very good, very good. The Water Conservancy Office recently reported to Me that autumn rains have caused stagnant water to accumulate in many places around the capital, while the Directorate of Astronomy has warned Me that even more storms are on the way.

“I shall follow the ingenious method you have presented. Let the Directorate of Imperial Works begin construction at once and produce five hundred windmills and tube wells, then hand them over to the Water Conservancy Office to relieve the flooding around the capital. If the trial proves successful, we shall extend the method throughout the realm next year!”

“His Majesty is wise!”

The minor officials from the Water Conservancy Office and the Directorate of Astronomy bowed in unison. Every face showed joy mingled with relief.

“On behalf of the people of the capital region, we thank Your Majesty for his boundless grace!”

When one person rises, all those around him lift him higher. Seeing that Zhang Qian’s rise through the ranks had become unstoppable, the minor officials who had waited with him earlier for the late-night court session also bowed toward Li Xian, helping to create an atmosphere of celebration.

The Heaven-Responding Divine Dragon Emperor Li Xian was basking in the flattery. He immediately decided in his heart to raise the reward he had originally planned to grant Zhang Qian by another full grade.

But before he could compose the words, Ji Chune, Minister of the Imperial Stud, suddenly covered his mouth and began coughing softly.

“Cough, cough… cough, cough… cough, cough…”

A young eunuch immediately hurried over to pat him on the back and help restore his circulation. At the same time, an official in the robes of a censor, standing near the entrance, strode forward.

“Your Majesty, I, Jiang An, Investigating Censor, impeach Zhang Qian, Assistant Registrar of the Gunpowder Office of the Directorate of Military Equipment, for colluding with local officials and falsifying his family records and background. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter carefully!”

“Is this still not over?”

The surrounding “technical officials” glared furiously at Jiang An. Emperor Li Xian also drew his brows tightly together.

Factional struggles at court were perfectly normal. As emperor, he sometimes even welcomed his ministers splitting into several factions and criticizing one another, making it easier for him to drive them into working and risking their lives on his behalf.

But everything had its limits. Tonight, Li Xian had already made his intention to promote Zhang Qian clear several times. For people to keep leaping out to obstruct him was to treat imperial authority with far too little regard.

Furthermore, Ji Chune was Minister of the Imperial Stud, yet he had repeatedly moved against a mere eighth-rank assistant registrar. It was both beneath his station and contrary to all reason.

Yet Jiang An, the Investigating Censor, knew perfectly well that he might have aroused the anger of everyone present, but he refused to turn back. He stepped forward several more paces and continued loudly, “As I understand it, Assistant Registrar Zhang emerged from the deep mountains only a little over three months ago. Yet he registered himself in Weinan and became a kinsman of the Duke of Tan. The matter is simply too bizarre to be believed.

“The court must investigate the corruption behind this affair to the very end and show no leniency!”

“Hmm? Minister Lu, is this true?”

Li Xian knew only that Zhang Qian was a Mohist who had emerged into the world. He had not known that Zhang Qian had purchased a false household registration. His suspicions flared once more, and he turned toward Lu Zhengming with a gaze as cold as two steel blades.

You murderous old Ji Chune! I have worked tirelessly for you, only for you to stab me in the back!

Lu Zhengming shuddered violently. In an instant, he cursed Ji Chune’s ancestors for eight generations in his heart.

If Zhang Qian’s identity was forged, then Zhang Qian himself would not be the only one to suffer severe punishment. Everyone in the Ministry of Personnel would also bear considerable blame. After all, Zhang Qian had been appointed Assistant Registrar of the Gunpowder Office by imperial decree on the Ministry’s recommendation.

Regardless of whether the Ministry had acted under imperial instruction, the examination of an individual’s basic qualifications for office was their responsibility. They could not simply go through the motions and allow Zhang Qian to slip into the ranks of officials!

Just as Lu Zhengming was frantic with anxiety, Zhang Jiuling, an assistant director of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward with great loyalty.

“Your Majesty, the accusation made by Jiang An is not true. It is indeed true that Assistant Registrar Zhang emerged from the mountains only three months ago. But the procedures by which he registered his household in Weinan are perfectly clear.”

“Hmm?”

Li Xian’s opinion shifted yet again. Frowning, he looked toward Zhang Jiuling and waited for him to elaborate.

Zhang Jiuling was fully prepared and entirely calm. After taking a breath, he continued, “This summer, Your Majesty issued an edict granting a general amnesty throughout the realm and ordering that refugees be registered wherever they had settled. The edict was not limited to the people of Great Tang. Many people from Goguryeo, Tujue, Western Turkestan, and Arabia benefited from this policy.

“Assistant Registrar Zhang was merely one of them. I personally examined the documents concerning his registration at the time. Every single one matched the procedures used by the authorities when registering anyone else, down to the smallest detail!”

This was precisely where Zhang Jiuling’s brilliance lay. Having spent many years gaining experience at the local level, he had realized as soon as Zhang Qian became an assistant registrar that the latter’s identity could become a hidden catastrophe.

He had therefore secretly dispatched men to investigate. Without anyone noticing, they had combed through the entire registration procedure from beginning to end.

Thus, Zhang Qian was still genuinely a kinsman of Duke Zhang Gongjin of Tan, and his two nominal elder brothers remained his nominal elder brothers. But the identity used when he registered his household was no longer that of the deceased third son of the Zhang family. Instead, it had been changed to reflect the imperial policy of settling refugees.

The imperial court was willing to extend leniency even to people from Goguryeo, Western Turkestan, and the neighboring states who came to Great Tang seeking a livelihood. At regular intervals, it allowed them to obtain Tang household registration through marriage into a local family or by being accepted as sworn kin.

Zhang Qian was a genuine son of the Central Plains. How could he possibly be denied?

From this perspective, Investigating Censor Jiang An’s accusation that night was nothing more than an arrow shot at empty air. It was not worth refuting, much less worthy of the court’s attention.

At once, the eighth- and ninth-rank minor officials all breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Qian himself, though shocked, immediately looked at Zhang Jiuling with profound gratitude.

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Yet the matter concerned whether Bi Gou could be brought back to Chang’an and reinstated. Ji Chune was unwilling to admit defeat so easily, and therefore his lackey Jiang An could only continue biting down on Zhang Qian.

Realizing that his first attack had failed, Jiang An immediately shifted his position and sank his teeth in elsewhere.

“Even if the proper procedures were followed, they still cannot explain Assistant Registrar Zhang’s origins or the purpose of his emergence from seclusion. Your Majesty, the Mohist tradition was the state-protecting learning of Qin. It did not emerge from hiding earlier or later, but precisely at this moment. What motives could lie behind this? I implore Your Majesty to consider the matter carefully!”

“Hmm?”

The frown that had only just relaxed appeared once more on Li Xian’s brow. He looked at Zhang Qian with a mixture of admiration and hesitation, his expression constantly changing.

Having already discovered through Zhang Qian’s words and actions that Li Xian was suspicious and fickle, Zhang Qian felt neither aggrieved nor frustrated. He smiled and bowed toward the imperial desk.

“Your Majesty, what Investigating Censor Jiang has said is not entirely accurate. After the fall of Qin, my Mohist order did send someone out of seclusion once before. It was precisely what he saw and heard on that journey that caused our order to sink into complete silence thereafter and lose all desire to concern itself with worldly affairs.”

“Why?”

Li Xian’s thoughts were immediately drawn into the story Zhang Qian was telling. Forgetting imperial dignity, he took the initiative to ask.

“During that journey, the former Grand Master heard someone say: ‘Those who offend the majesty of Great Han, no matter how far away, shall be destroyed!’”

Zhang Qian deliberately sighed. Then his voice rose sharply.

“The people of that age were all proud to be subjects of Han, and had long since forgotten Qin entirely. No matter how capable my Mohist order was, what could we possibly have done?

“At that time, Great Han was the foremost power in the world. The Xiongnu and the various barbarian tribes had all fled into the distance. Who would dare defy Heaven?

“Han had gathered the finest talents from the six former kingdoms. Its government was enlightened, its people prosperous, and its state wealthy. It was precisely the age of peace and prosperity that generations of Mohist Grand Masters had sought tirelessly.

“How could our Grand Masters, merely because they cherished the kindness once shown to them by the Qin king, have stirred up trouble and made themselves enemies of the entire world?

“Moreover, the Mohist principle of universal love means loving all the people of the world, not loving one family or one surname. How could we abandon righteousness for a private favor, cast aside the root to pursue the branch?”

“Indeed!”

Li Xian nodded repeatedly as he listened. Every trace of suspicion vanished from his face, replaced by growing admiration.

“Your Majesty, I have been in Great Tang for only a few months, yet in Chang’an I have seen temples of the Fire Faith, the Cross Faith, and the Crescent Faith standing less than a hundred feet from Buddhist monasteries and Daoist temples, each going about its own affairs in peace. Such a marvel would be impossible anywhere else in the world.”

He smiled at the emperor and continued speaking with effortless eloquence.

“On the streets of Chang’an, I have seen Persians, Japanese, people from Goguryeo, Khitans, and Western Turkestanis rushing about their business. They speak the Tang language, wear Tang clothing, and eat and live no differently from the people of Great Tang.

“I have also seen merchants travel ten thousand miles, bringing every kind of rare treasure from across the world into Great Tang, all for the sake of earning a handful of our Kaiyuan coins.”

In recent days, Zhang Qian had not merely been watched by the world. He had also been observing every blade of grass and every tree in Great Tang. Thus, his words now carried both feeling and vivid detail.

“I have seen people from every country, those so poor they had nowhere to set down an awl, and those driven from their homes by corrupt officials and local tyrants, risk death to come to Great Tang, seeking only a full meal and one peaceful night’s sleep.

“This vision of a flourishing age has not only been unseen by the Grand Masters of every generation of my Mohist order; it is no different from the age of perfect governance described in our own classic texts!

“I ask Your Majesty: I have never eaten a single mouthful of Qin grain or drunk a single cup of Qin water. Why would I destroy this flourishing age for the sake of longing for a Great Qin with which I have no connection whatsoever?”

“Indeed!”

Including Li Xian, ninety-nine percent of those in the Hall of Purple Radiance straightened proudly, feeling their faces shine with honor.

What Zhang Qian described was what he had seen in Chang’an. Naturally, the rest of Great Tang could not yet meet that standard. But who could deny that, so long as Emperor Li Xian governed with diligence and all his ministers fulfilled their duties, every region of the realm might one day become another Chang’an?

Zhang Qian spoke with increasing ease, each word striking the ground with force.

“Your Majesty, the Book of Documents says that greatness lies in tolerance. The reason our Great Tang is great is that it possesses a magnificent breadth of spirit and embraces all things.

“The more our Great Tang has the heart to gather the world’s learning and make it our own, to recruit the finest talents under Heaven and put them to use, the more vigorously our national strength will flourish!”

“For these three months, I have seen that throughout the realm, regardless of which scriptures the monks recite, so long as they pray for blessings upon the people of Great Tang, the authorities allow them to do so without interference.

“I have seen that all the wealth of the world, so long as it can benefit the people of Great Tang, is put to use by Great Tang.

“I have seen that every talented person under Heaven, so long as he is willing to serve Great Tang—even if he was born in an enemy state such as Goguryeo, Tujue, or Western Turkestan—is treated with generous honors and emoluments.

“I have also seen that every person under Heaven, so long as he is willing to wear Tang clothing, speak the Tang language, come to Tang soil, and abide by Tang laws and customs, will be regarded by Great Tang as one of its people and sheltered accordingly.

“With a Great Tang such as this, who would not wish to live here? Before an age of prosperity such as this, who would dare destroy it? Who would not wish to witness it with his own eyes and protect it with his own life?”

Drawing a deep breath, Zhang Qian shifted his gaze from Li Xian’s excited face to the equally proud Zhang Jiuling, Hu Nan, Wang Jun, Jiang Ziyong, and even the stunned Lu Zhengming and Jiang An.

“Great Han has been gone for more than five hundred years, yet the people of the realm still call themselves Han people. Beyond the frontier, the various barbarian tribes still assume the surname Liu.

“And I, Zhang Qian, have had the good fortune to come to Great Tang and encounter its age of greatness. My gratitude to Heaven is beyond measure!

“Therefore, in this life, I am willing to join all of you in serving Great Tang. In this life, I am willing to join all of you in protecting the flourishing age of Great Tang.

“Let it be that, for a thousand years, ten thousand years, for generation after generation, every person upon this land—even those living tens of thousands of miles from their homeland—will call themselves Tang people and take pride in Great Tang!”

With that, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply, first toward Li Xian and then toward everyone around him.

For an instant, the Hall of Purple Radiance fell utterly silent.

Then applause and cheers rose one after another, surging like a swelling tide.

Everyone present, including Ji Chune, who had hoped to block Zhang Qian in order to prevent Bi Gou from returning to court, was flushed with excitement, waving their arms and dancing for joy.

At that moment, the night wind was like wine, and every person there became drunk upon it.

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