Chapter 829: A Semi-Feudal, Semi-Slave Society

The people at the pasture have no issues with their operations; they act strictly according to the rules. As for the insignificant amount of meat distributed to the butchers and the people at the breeding farm, that counts for nothing; it can be considered a small bonus for their work.

Furthermore, it has not truly affected the livelihood and interests of Huaxia, so Baifeng will not go looking for trouble with them or punish them. The people at the pasture have the convenience of obtaining meat, and the other factories are the same; the people at the pottery factory and the glass factory will likewise take away some defective products. Since they cannot meet the standards for submission anyway, it would be a waste to smash or throw them away, so there is no problem with them taking them home.

Baifeng is very clear about these matters, and he has tacitly approved of them. He even knows what the people at the shops have been doing; the intelligence was already in his hands. It is just that at the time, he never imagined this would lead to a series of problems, which is why he had let it go until now.

It was not until he prepared to implement the Planned Economy Policy and conducted a deeper investigation that he discovered the impact was already this great. Although the law did not explicitly grant it, in terms of reason, the staff are also members of the public, and they also have the right to purchase meat. It is just that they are one step faster than others and can snatch up the good ones; this is also not a problem and can be justified.

Therefore, in the final analysis, it is the mechanism that has gone wrong.

Baifeng ignored the people from the Ministry of Revenue, whose faces were already flushed red, and continued, "Of course, what is not forbidden by law is permitted. What you have done, in the final analysis, is not a problem, but it has affected the public livelihood. Therefore, this matter must change in the future. Of course, I will not use a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to forbid you from buying meat, and I will not hold you accountable for past matters."

"Apart from these shop assistants, I will no longer pursue those in other departments who have used their official convenience and mutual relationships to seek advantages for themselves."

"However, the problem reflected by this matter is somewhat serious. First, setting aside our mechanism issues, it is the attitude of you people that has a problem; your hearts have a problem."

"When you were illiterate and understood nothing, you were actually very simple and honest, all thinking about making contributions to our country. Now, although it has not affected the interests of the entire country, you have begun to seek private gain for yourselves. Everyone, this is unacceptable."

"From now on, regardless of the department, it is forbidden to use your official convenience to seek advantages for yourselves, your families, or your friends. Once discovered, it will be strictly investigated, strictly seized, and strictly struck down. People of the Ministry of Justice, this is also a place you need to pay attention to in your future work."

Baifeng tapped his fingers on the table a few times. He did not ease the atmosphere but instead made it even more tense. The people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture had originally thought they were going to discuss the planned economy, but they did not expect such a trouble to be brought up first, making them feel like they were breaking out in a cold sweat.

Even Yulong felt a bit of pressure at this moment. Why hadn't his old man told him in advance to let him have some mental preparation? It was so sudden that he felt uncomfortable. This matter had likely existed before he took over the Ministry of Revenue, but he was now the one truly in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, so all the trouble fell on him. No matter what, it would count as a failure in his work. Fortunately, his father had no intention of continuing to pursue it.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. We will not discuss this previous issue anymore." Baifeng took a tactical sip of tea, and the people from the Ministry of Revenue were finally able to lift their heads.

"Combining the investigation results from these two departments, all the common people, from officials at all levels to the tenant farmers, are very supportive of this planned economy. Of course, this survey ignored those of you who have fixed rations of supplies. After all, this does not have much to do with you; your opinions are useless and might even affect the accuracy of the survey."

"Come, Yulong, you explain to everyone what this planned economy is roughly about."

Baifeng called Yulong by name, and Yulong quickly shifted from the previous atmosphere, picked up the draft he had prepared, and began to read.

"Everyone, the planned economy is mainly a method regarding the planned production and planned distribution of various items that are relatively complex or in relatively small quantities. That is to say, for an item, our country will produce only as much as is needed."

"Whoever needs it will be allowed to buy it, rather than producing blindly and selling randomly as we do now, where those who need it cannot grab any, and those who do not need it have a pile. The meat my father just mentioned is also in this situation."

"But it is not that you do not need meat, but that you have received too much. In the entire country, the distribution is unbalanced. As nobles and officials, you can get more than others, but that does not mean you can take it all."

The Huaxia of today is actually a semi-feudal, semi-slave society. Slavery still exists and will exist for many years, and the feudal dynasty is also beginning to take shape. However, the deeply rooted concepts of the primitive tribal society remain firm: the Tribal Chief and the Leader should take the best and take the most, while others can only take what is left.

It is just like wild beasts; the king eats his fill, and the other beasts can only eat the leftovers. If the king is not willing to give it to you, then you can just go hungry. Although Huaxia has Baifeng, his thinking is too advanced; in this era, he can only be half a step ahead, or at most one step ahead.

To leap across the development level of the era and society to create a dream-like world is almost impossible. That he could cross from a primitive society to a semi-feudal society is already successful enough, and this is already the general trend of the era. In another dozen years, or an unpredictable amount of time, Xuanyuan will unify Jiuzhou and will likewise establish a slave-owning country. Baifeng is merely half a step ahead of Xuanyuan, but if this half step were to develop normally, it would take thousands of years.

Because of Baifeng's intervention, social productivity has greatly increased, and human cultural levels have also developed rapidly, like a cliff-side leap. Successfully crossing from a semi-feudal, semi-slave society to a Feudal Society might only take a hundred years. The social fluctuations during this period will not be too severe because Baifeng has already formulated corresponding countermeasures, allowing for a slow progression; the trend is inevitable.

But Baifeng is powerless to enter a Capitalist Society from a Feudal Society. That requires a large amount of primitive capital accumulation and a long period of time. Moreover, it is also disadvantageous for Baifeng's family. A Capitalist Society means that the power of the Royal Family is divided and hollowed out; the Royal Family becomes more like a symbol of the country, unable to grasp much power.

Therefore, Baifeng keeps his planning for the future only at the Feudal Society level. Being able to establish a unified feudal dynasty is Baifeng's greatest expectation, and even that is very difficult to achieve in his era.

The most top-secret books passed down to every generation of kings will mention this prediction, but Baifeng believes the best way is to follow the era and not go against the current; at the very least, he must ensure the Royal Family becomes the greatest capital and grasps power in another form.