Next to the business district of Village Mo, a tall building attracted the attention of the passersby. This was where the village guards of Village Mo were located. There were nearly 200 village guards here, responsible for the safety and order of the village.
However, next to the village guards, there was an inconspicuous building that looked cold, modest and shabby. However, it was a place that no one in Village Mo could ignore. This was where Han Fuzi worked, the court!
"Court!"
Li Shimin got off the carriage, looked at the two words, and read them out loud.
"Village Mo really got a great deal! They even let Han Fuzi escort them! "Li Shimin was a little jealous. He remembered that he went to invite Han Zheng in person, but Han Zheng abandoned the high officials in the imperial court and came to Village Mo to revive the school of Legalism.
"That's the honor of Village Mo!" Meton agreed.
He had not been in Village Mo for a long time, but the village still had such a good atmosphere. Han Zheng had contributed a lot. Moreover, Han Zheng had students all over the country. Students from the Imperial College were everywhere in the imperial court. Even the rich and powerful did not dare to offend him easily.
"If Your Majesty is willing to give the school of Legalism independent judicial power, this Old Man is willing to give up his old bones and return to the imperial court." Han Zheng's voice came from outside.
"Nowadays, all the county magistrates in the world are impartial and honest in judging cases. One person can do it well. Why do we need another person to judge? In this way, it's just a waste of the people's money." Li Shimin frowned. He had read Meton's article on judicial independence. Although there were many benefits, once the judicial independence was implemented, there would be officials taking over the judicial power from the county magistrates. This meant that the number of officials in the Tang dynasty would at least double. This was not a small expense for the imperial court. In addition, the imperial court did not have so many legalists to support judicial independence.
"A Confucian scholar who has read the Four Books and Five Classics all his life can't even memorize the laws of the Tang dynasty. How can he judge cases accurately? How can he judge cases based on his own will and take care of human affairs? How can he be fair and just?" Han Zheng retorted.
What Han Zheng said was the truth. If one were to take the examination to become a county magistrate of the Great Tang, there would probably be very few people who could memorize the laws. As for unjust and false cases, they could be found everywhere. In the legal column of the Mo Magazine, he had already severely reprimanded many cases of malicious misinterpretation of the law.
Li Shimin smiled bitterly, "I have already dismissed those county magistrates. With the supervision of Han Fuzi's legal column, I believe that the Tang dynasty will be fair and honest.
Li Shimin's words were just avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial. Once the judicial independence was implemented, the imperial power would be greatly restricted. Moreover, as an emperor, he himself relied on the power of life and death to deter the courtiers. If he lost the power of life and death and needed the legalists to decide life and death, the imperial power would no longer be deterrent. This was unacceptable to Li Shimin.
Seeing this, Meton quickly changed the topic, "By the way, Han Fuzi, have you investigated the case just now?"
Hearing this, Han Zheng sighed and said, "It's all because of the gambling house. The gambler sold his wife and daughter and was forced to pay the debt in the brothel. There is no gambling house or brothel in the world that doesn't have such a blood debt!"
As a legalist who could not tolerate any injustice, in his opinion, there were too many illegal and unfair things in every corner of the Tang dynasty, but he could do nothing about it. Only the Mo's Village was a pure land that could calm his mind. This was also the reason why he protected the Mo's Village at all costs. Even in the legal construction of the Mo's Village, he was more diligent than anyone else. He must be fair and just. Only then could the Mo's Village have a fair and just atmosphere.
Li Shimin's face suddenly became stiff. Han Zheng's blunt words exposed the bloody dark side of the Tang dynasty, which made him extremely embarrassed.
Behind Li Shimin were young Li Zhi and Jin Yang. Seeing this, Meton quickly changed the topic, "The Mo's Village can be recognized by the people all because of the Headmaster's fairness and strictness. I haven't thanked the Headmaster yet."
Han Zheng suddenly showed a trace of complacency and said, "Mo Zi said, 'Give me a peach and I'll give you a plum in return.' The Mo's Village gave the legalists independent judicial power. The legalists will naturally return the Mo's Village to a fair and just place. By the way, these are the village rules improved by the Old Man according to the cases of the Mo's Village in the past year. I need you to have a look. "
Although Han Zheng said that he wanted Meton to have a look, in fact, he took many copies of the village rules that had already been printed. Obviously, they were not just for Meton to read.
Meton sensibly handed one copy to each of Li Shimin and the other princes. After reading it roughly, he found that the village rules modified by Li Yi were very similar to the public security regulations of the later generations. They were all trivial matters and extremely cumbersome. They were all things that the laws of the Tang dynasty could not take care of, but they were related to the daily lives of the people.
Meton looked through it roughly and said, "Generally speaking, I have no objection. You can first pass it to the villagers' meeting and try it out for a period of time. If there are no problems, you can implement it."
Only then did Han Zheng nod with satisfaction. He was very satisfied with Meton's strong support for legalism.
"Why pass it to the villagers' meeting? In my opinion, the village rules are all reasonable. It is the best choice to govern the village. You can just give an order directly!" Li Chengqian asked in confusion. The imperial court had always made the laws and decrees, so how could it be decided by the people?
Meton explained patiently, "The purpose of the village rules of the Mo's Village is to govern the village. After the villagers agree to the rules, they will punish the villagers who violate the rules. They will not have any complaints, and it will be convenient for the village rules to be implemented. As for the trial period, in the eyes of the Mo's Village, nothing in the world is perfect. As time goes by, there will always be problems. After a period of trial, if no problems are found, everyone will be happy. If problems are found, it is not too late to mend the pen after a sheep is lost."
"Then what if problems are found in the future?" Li Chengqian asked.
Meton said without any hesitation, "Han Fuzi will be responsible for revising the village rules. When he comes across rules that need to be changed, he will adjust them according to the situation and submit them to the villagers' meeting for discussion."
"Doesn't that mean that the rules are constantly changed?" Li Chengqian disagreed. Constantly changing the rules was the greatest taboo for a politician. This was a principle that he had been taught by the imperial family for many years, so he obviously would not be persuaded by Meton so easily.
"The village rules are usually changed once a year. Most of the time, it is just to supplement the incomplete rules or to change the rules that are not suitable. If it is like pruning a tree, it will only grow stronger. There is no harm in it!" Meton insisted. The school of Mohism had declined in the end due to its strict adherence to the rules, almost dying out. Now that it had learned its lesson, it obviously would not repeat the same mistake.
The two of them argued with each other. On one hand, they were expressing their views. On the other hand, they were saying it for Li Shimin to hear. It was like an argument in the imperial court.
One of them advocated for stability, while the other advocated for positive progress. Neither of them could convince the other.
Li Shimin nodded. It was not wrong for Li Chengqian to strive for stability. Now that the Tang dynasty had a vast territory, stability was the most important thing. However, the Village of Mohism was only a village. It was not wrong for the structure to be flexible and to be proactive in adjusting it in time.
Seeing Li Shimin and the others leaving the court, Han Zheng could not help but feel regretful. After all, Li Shimin did not accept his suggestion.
However, he was not disappointed this time. With Meton's support and the Village of Mohism as the blueprint of the school of Legalism, he wanted to let the world see a different school of Legalism, a world that everyone yearned for.
"Rule the village with law!"
"Obey the law, understand the law, and use the law!"
"Find the village guards if you are in trouble!"
Looking at the streets of the Village of Mohism, Li Shimin shook his head and laughed, "In my opinion, the Village of Mohism will be renamed as the Village of Legalism soon!"
Meton smiled and said, "The Village of Mohism operates according to the national law and rules. Everyone acts according to this and can even predict the behavior of others. As long as they don't violate the rules of the Village of Mohism and the national law, they don't need to worry about being bullied or treated unfairly. Then the Village of Mohism will gradually become stronger. Of course, the school of Legalism is extremely stubborn and rigid. They will only follow the rules of the village. Therefore, I deliberately used the villagers' meeting to amend the rules of the village to make up for this defect."
"In my opinion, you just want to save trouble!" Li Shimin glanced at Meton. This guy left the Village of Mohism for a year, but the Village of Mohism was not in chaos. Instead, it became more united. It was incredible.
Meton nodded without any guilt and said, "This is the biggest advantage of the school of Legalism. The main focus of the Village of Mohism now is to study the Mohism skill. The school of Legalism has created a stable environment for the Village of Mohism to avoid external interference. This is the best choice for the Village of Mohism."
Li Shimin thought carefully and nodded involuntarily. Now, the school of Mohism and the school of Legalism could be said to have each other's needs. The school of Mohism needed the protection of the school of Legalism, while the school of Legalism needed to test the ideas of Legalism in the Village of Mohism. The prosperity of the Village of Mohism was the best proof of the cooperation between the school of Mohism and the school of Legalism. At least for now, the cooperation between the two schools was extremely successful.
Even Li Chengqian at the side could not help but nod thoughtfully.
Meton breathed a sigh of relief. His main purpose today was to show the Village of Mohism to Li Shimin, instead of a meeting between the monarch and his minister. Therefore, he had to lead the topic to the Mohism skill.
"The R&D area of the Village of Mohism is in front of us. All the Mohism skills in the Village of Mohism are turned into reality from imagination. Finally, they are mass-produced in the industrial area. Finally, they are sold to the Tang dynasty through brick roads for the benefit of the people." Meton pointed at a fortress-like R&D area and said solemnly.
"R&D area!" Li Shimin's eyes lit up. This was the core area of the Village of Mohism, and even he had heard of it.
Merton said, "Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is going to inspect the industries of the Village of Mohism. I believe that the R&D area must have prepared a lot of good things. Your Majesty, please come and have a look."
"Then it will be an eye-opener for me!" Li Shimin said with a laugh. Li Tai beside him also showed an excited expression. Since he developed the Mohism skill to verify the formation of rain, he became more and more interested in the Mohism skill.
"Welcome, Your Majesty, Young Master!" At the entrance of the R&D area, Old Zhang, who had been waiting for a long time, hurried to welcome them.
"This is the treasure of the Village of Mohism. Uncle Zhang is the best craftsman in the Village of Mohism. Your Ironbirch carriage was made by him." Meton introduced.
"Craftsman Zhang is so good at craftsmanship!"
Li Shimin praised. The craftsmen of the Imperial Carriage Administration were still unable to make such a hard Ironbirch wood, and Li Shimin was full of praise for its excellent defensive ability.
Hearing this, Old Zhang immediately showed a simple and honest smile and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. The four-wheeled carriage is the first generation product. Today, the Village of Mohism has developed the second generation of four-wheeled carriage, and I have already prepared it for Your Majesty!"
"Oh! Then I can't wait! "Li Shimin immediately showed an interested expression.
"Please, Your Majesty!" Uncle Zhang extended his hand and invited Li Shimin and the rest into the R&D area.
As soon as they entered, they saw an exquisite four-wheeled carriage placed in the center. Not only was the craftsmanship meticulous, but the shape was also very streamlined. It was so stunning that it made people unable to put it down at first sight.
"It is indeed Ironbirch wood!" Li Shimin looked at the smooth lines and the familiar texture.
As the Emperor, no matter what kind of carriage it was, of course, safety was the most important thing. Ironbirch wood was now his exclusive material for making carriages, and its ability to defend against swords and knives made him unable to put it down. What made him even more satisfied was that this Ironbirch four-wheeled carriage was carved with various patterns. Obviously, the carving technology of the Village of Mohism had made great progress, and they could even carve Ironbirch wood.
Meton stepped forward and said, "This is the prototype of the second generation of the Village of Mohism's carriage. It uses the latest rollers and springs as shock absorbers. It saves more energy and is more stable."
Meton took a thick carriage spring from Uncle Zhang and showed it in front of everyone. The shock absorbers of the first generation of four-wheeled carriages were the simplest curved iron plate. It used the principle of the tension of the iron plate to shock absorbers. Although it had the effect of shock absorbers, it was not very good. Moreover, it had been thoroughly researched by other carriages, and there were imitations everywhere. As for the production of springs, it was now a big advantage of the Village of Mohism. With a good shock absorber, it immediately increased the advantage of the Village of Mohism and other workshops.
"Spring!" Li Shiming knew the principle of the spring and couldn't help but nod.
"The second generation of four-wheeled carriages is more suitable for long-distance travel than the first generation of four-wheeled carriages. Not only is it easier to drive, but it is also very comfortable for the passengers, and they will not have to suffer from the bumpy ride." Meton said proudly.
Li Shimin's eyes lit up. He was not a person who stayed in the palace for a long time. Now that brick roads were popular, his inspection range would definitely be expanded several times with this carriage. In the future, when the brick roads were paved in three vertical and five horizontal diagrams, it would not take long for him to inspect the whole world in the four-wheeled carriage.
In his heart, he had thought of inspecting the whole world like Emperor Yang of Sui. However, due to his reputation, he had always suppressed the thought. Now that brick roads were paved and four-wheeled carriages were popular, this thought in his heart was getting stronger and stronger.
"However, we are driving on a flat road. How can we keep moving forward and miss the scenery along the way?" Meton proudly lifted the red cloth covering the window of the carriage. He was surprised to find a piece of crystal clear glass inlaid where the window used to be. Through the glass, he could clearly see the exquisite interior of the carriage.
"Such a big piece of glass!" Li Tai exclaimed.
In the past, the Village of Mo's Village had only thrown out small glass products such as glasses or luminous cups. The biggest one was only Xie Qianchou's wine bottle. There had never been such a big and flat piece of glass.
Meton said proudly, "In the winter, when riding a four-wheeled carriage, you have to seal the windows. There were even a few cases of fire because of the heating in the carriage. However, with the second generation of four-wheeled carriages, you can clearly see the scenery along the way through the glass. The interior of the carriage is as warm as before. Moreover, the light outside the window can shine in through the glass. People can read books and newspapers in the carriage without being affected. "
"Brother Mo, you are really creative. You even combined the glass with the carriage. No wonder you were not in a hurry when the Village of Mo's Village was in danger. You must have a well-thought-out plan!" Li Tai praised. Once the second generation of the Village of Mo's Village came out, no workshop could compete with the Village of Mo's Village who had mastered the secret of glass.
Modun shook his head and said, "Your Highness, you think too highly of me. I did not come up with this idea. The disciples of the Mohist Clan came up with this idea after brainstorming."
This time, Meton was not modest. When the Village of Mo's Village was in danger, he directly put pressure on the Village of Mo's Village. If any workshop was not doing well, he would directly dismiss the person in charge. That was the reason why today's achievement could be achieved. When Meton learned about it, he was also shocked. He did not expect that Brother Mo Jiazi could make the prototype of the modern car.
Almost everyone believed that once the second generation of four-wheeled carriages was launched, it would definitely become popular in the Tang dynasty and the Village of Mo's Village would become more prosperous.
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