Luzon Port is still prosperous, and the bustle is even better than the past.

The dock has been expanded, and the original Manila Bay has been renamed Luzon Bay. Sailboats are coming and going in and out in the harbor. The original Spanish royal city is now the headquarters, military warehouse and garrison camp of the Seventh Fleet.

Many forts have also been added to the port shore.

The streets of the outer city were also covered with stone slabs, and the shops on both sides were re-planned and repaired, and many new shops were added.

A large number of immigrants came to Luzon, where they divided the fields and cultivated plantations. The establishment of plantations also led to a significant increase in the demand for commodities. They not only demanded a large number of slaves, but also needed all commodities. Cattle, horses, and various commodities such as cloth. Luzon's own commodity manufacturing and processing capacity was limited. The current plan for Luzon has also made this place a place for agricultural products and a trade transfer station.

The imperial court actually had many restrictions on commodity processing and manufacturing, which was also to better control these overseas territory. The imperial court's Central Plains region will be the core area, and the processing and manufacturing industry will be prioritized in this area. Overseas and outside the pass, the main development of single industries, such as minerals, livestock, agriculture, etc.

This strategy is actually the same as the Guanzhong system in the Han Dynasty, strengthening the core, strengthening the trunk and weak branches. On the other hand, it also considers that the processing and manufacturing industry requires more manpower, a large number of technical talents, etc. It is more convenient to place these industries in the Central Plains.

Except for the grain that does not need to be transported from the Central Plains, other things, from cattle, horse and farm tools, to shoes, clothing, and even iron nails, sewing, needles, wooden bowls, salt, tea, tobacco and alcohol, are all transported from the Central Plains.

Each business and store sells various products. Although the general price of goods is more expensive than that of the Central Plains, it is very rich and not scarce.

Mr. Tang opened a grocery store, from pots and pans to iron nails and needles, to cloth, salt tea, and even ham and sausages, there is almost nothing they don’t sell. The store is not small, with the front shop and the back yard.

Mr. Tang pulled a group of landlords and farmers into the store. Several of the guys hired in the store were greeting customers. The business was very prosperous and there were many people coming to shop.

Miss Tang even helped behind the counter. She was wearing a blue skirt and sat there with her hands pulling out the abacus together. She was able to calculate two accounts at the same time. The abacus beads made a crackling sound, and she reported the accounts amount to the outsiders from time to time, which was fast and accurate.

Zhao Jizu was shocked all of a sudden.

Tang Yuanwai looked at Zhao Jizu's reaction, and was happy, and said to him with a smile, "This is a little girl, a small girl, there is no rule for showing up in public, but she lets her nephew laugh at her."

"It turns out that he is Shimei, but he is very powerful. Now the Han Dynasty also advocates women's work. You see, there are not many workshops full of female textile workers, and there are even female generals and marquises. Mrs. Qin and General Mei are both female heroes, and women are as good as men." Zhao Jizu hurriedly said.

When Mr. Tang saw him say this, he became happier. He was still worried that Zhao Jizu would not like the woman to show up in public. Now it seems that he doesn't mind, this is a good start.

When Tang Sanniang used to be in her hometown, she just helped her father settle accounts at home. But when she got here, everyone didn't pay much attention to these things. The business in the store was too busy, so she simply went to the counter to help settle accounts.

After finishing the calculation again, when she looked up, she found that her father was coming in with a group of people. So she immediately smiled and called her father affectionately.

She liked her life very much. At home, she had already thought of taking care of her husband and children after marrying her wife, but who knew that her fate was unpredictable. Her wedding dress was ready, but her fiancé died in battle. Others said that she had a tough life and defeated others. She felt wronged and was locked in the house for a long time and never came out.

When she arrived here, there were no more rumors. Everything here was so lively, and her heart came alive.

She likes to settle accounts and deal with numbers one by one.

My father said that when she found a good family for her, the shop would be her dowry when she got married in the future.

"Sanniang, come here to meet people. These are all neighbors near our Tangjiatun. This handsome young man is Brother Zhao Wu from Shandong. The Shandong man is straightforward. He is just across our house, across from a small river, and calls me brother."

Tang Sanniang looked at Zhao Jizu and found that the man was tall and strong, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was very energetic, but his eyes were staring at her a little straight. She couldn't help but blush and lowered her head and shouted to Brother Zhao Wu.

"Oh." Zhao Jizu responded quickly.

"Let's go and sit in the backyard." Tang Yuanwai greeted everyone to go to the backyard, and said to his daughter, "Tell your mother, let the kitchen prepare a table of good dishes and then make a pot of good wine."

Tang Sanniang nodded and turned around. Zhao Jizu's eyes followed the figure until she disappeared.

Everyone sat in the backyard and chatted with fans. Zhao Jizu responded from time to time, but kept thinking about the girl just now. I wonder if she got married or not?

But until a banquet came, I never saw Tang Sanniang again.

After drinking and eating, everyone rested for a while, and then went to the prefect's yamen together. When they got there, an official told everyone to register at the front of the yamen, then get the license plate, and then go to the Grand Theater for a meeting.

After registering as the official said, he received the license plate and transferred to the theater. After checking, Zhao Jizu and the others found that many people were coming.

"The only ones who came to the meeting today are from our Luzon County. The other counties have not come yet. Otherwise, no matter how big this theater is, I guess it will not be able to sit down." Tang Yuanwai was well-informed and had already learned a lot of new news.

There were many people attending the meeting, but the venue was very orderly, with officials from the yamen and police officers responsible for maintaining order.

Someone sent a document specifically to each attendee.

The official document also wrote the summary of this meeting, about the prohibition of slavery.

"Luzon Mansion Plantations, workshops, shops, merchant ships and other employers are allowed to hire migrant workers, with a guaranteed monthly salary starting from two yuan, and a minimum living expenses of at least one yuan per month"

Seeing these contents, Zhao Jizu was a little confused. Do you have to pay the 60 Kunlun slaves he bought for 6,000 yuan? The minimum monthly price is two yuan, and one living expenses per month?

What's going on?

"Don't panic."

Mr. Tang was calm next to him. He had read the official document carefully at this time.

"The minimum monthly salary is two yuan, which is not expensive. Now the minimum monthly salary in Central China starts at four yuan, and only eight hours a day. If you exceed it, you will have to calculate the overtime pay. It will cost at least five yuan in silver dollars per month. We guarantee two yuan per month, well, it's much cheaper."

"But, I bought it for one person for 100 yuan, and I will pay another three yuan a month, this."

Mr. Tang shook the official document in his hand, "Don't panic, look carefully, this is not what you think. Let me say this to you. According to the official document, the sixty people you bought will not be charged by the government, and it will be yours. But in the future, you will be considered your employer, not a slave, and you cannot beat or abuse at will. Their minimum salary is two yuan per month, but the one hundred yuan he bought can be considered an advance salary. This hundred yuan is equivalent to having already paid 50 months of salary in advance."

"In addition, you have to pay their living expenses at least one yuan a month in the future. According to this calculation, when they work for you for fifty months, they will pay the prepaid labor service, but they owe you fifty yuan a living expenses. Therefore, they have to pay off the fifty yuan a living expenses for another twenty-five months. After these twenty-five months, he has to advance twenty-five yuan a living expenses, so he has to work for another twelve and a half months."

Mr. Tang was very smart in calculating the accounts for Zhao Jizu.

"Anyway, if you buy a Kunlun slave for 100 yuan, based on the minimum monthly salary of the imperial court and the minimum monthly living expenses of one yuan, if they want to pay off the labor fee and the prepaid living expenses, they have to work for a hundred months. In fact, it's only more than eight years."

"What about eight years?"

Tang Yuanwai smiled, "You spend 100 yuan on your purchase, and then you have to pay them 100 yuan in these eight years. This is equivalent to hiring a Kunlun slave for eight years. Before these Kunlun slaves have worked for 100 months and deducting all the labor agency fees and advance living expenses, the court stipulated that they cannot leave. When they work for 100 months, they will be free to hire workers, and then they will have the free choice whether to continue to be a hiring worker for you or to be a hiring worker for others. Or, you can also give him some extra wages to let him continue to work."

"Anyway, in my opinion, it is very cost-effective to hire a young man to work for more than eight years with 200 silver dollars. According to what is said above, as long as a foreign employee registered with the government is not allowed to escape before he earns enough money to repay the labor agency fees and advance living expenses. Once he escapes, the government will help him chase him. This is another good news for us."

Tang Yuanwai and Zhao Jizu have different perspectives on things. Zhao Jizu just felt that the Kunlun slave he bought had to pay wages and living expenses, which was quite unpaid. Originally, it could be a slave for a lifetime, and the male slave was compatible with a female slave. The little slave he gave birth to was also his family slave, but now he can only use it for eight years and has to add another 100 silver dollars.

It costs 200 yuan to be used for eight years. It is of course very cost-effective to hire a normal employee, but if you buy a slave, you feel it is very unprofitable.

Tang Yuanwai smiled, "Nephew, you must know how to be content. Our ancestors' doctrine of mean is very good. You are also a scholar who has done the formalities. Should you know what the doctrine of mean is?"

Zhao Jizu nodded, "Mean, don't go to extremes."

"That's right, that's what it means. Slavekeeping is naturally very cost-effective for us merchants and landlords, but it may not be necessary for the court. Slaves are private people, but the employers are from the court's country. Just as the court will not allow the country, they will no longer allow private slaves to be owned. Now, I think it's good. With the public support of the court, although they have changed their names, the essence has not changed. In the future, we don't have to worry about not being able to hire people. It's only two yuan a month's wages, which is quite cost-effective."

After being enlightened by Mr. Tang, Zhao Jizu also felt that this matter seemed to be OK.

The sixty Kunlun slaves in his family can be kept, and there are people who can cultivate the 1,000 acres of land in his family. Even with the open permission of the court, perhaps those labor agencies can get more migrant workers in the future, and then the labor agency fee may be cheaper.

The cost of employment has increased, but if more employees can be hired, he will have enough people to cultivate that thousand acres of land in the future, and even hire people to build their own sugar refining factories. Maybe he can raise more cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and ducks.

"Uncle Tang can understand it." After Zhao Jizu understood this, he was not upset. Anyway, it was useless to be upset. Just like the court wanted to limit the fields and replace the fields, whether they were willing or not, the court would promote it.

However, this time, the matter was like the court's actions in history, and there was always a lot of room for it. Everyone seemed to have increased some costs and some losses, but in the long run, they could still benefit a lot.

As long as you have enough labor, these thousand acres of land can be used and managed hard, and your life will definitely get better and better in the future.

"Actually, even if your Kunlun slaves have worked for a hundred months, do you think they are really free? They have no land or land. If they work for a hundred months, they can only get a long-term residence permit issued by the government. They are not qualified to divide the land and give land. Therefore, they think they can do except continue to work for the plantation. What do you think they can do? They can't save a monthly living expenses. Even if we have to provide them with food and accommodation, they always use money. One dollar a month can't save anything. After working for a hundred months, these people have no other choice except to continue working for us. At most, they can raise their salary at that time, but if they increase, they will always be cheaper than the salary of the Central Plains, right? Even if we follow the salary standards of the Central Plains at that time, we will not lose money."

Tang Yuanwai started from scratch and worked hard to build up the people who are now promising. He clearly understood that sometimes giving people some hope is more effective than the slave method tied with iron chains. This is like opening a business shop. If you give the shopkeepers and some big craftsmen some hard work, they will definitely be more attentive and diligent than just holding a fixed salary.

Instead of working as a slave who can only work with iron chains for the rest of his life, never have enough food and clothing, no freedom or dignity, and no hope for the future, becomes a slave who can be free after working for the past year, and can get some living expenses, and can have the minimum freedom and dignity. I believe they are more willing to live a second life.

Slaves may not be able to work hard and perform positively by relying on whips and chains to enslave and supervise them.

The Tang people thought to themselves that the person who came up with this method really had an insight into people's hearts and was very impressive.
Chapter completed!