Just Give the Orders

Frederick currently had a problem, one he hadn't noticed himself and others hadn't paid much attention to, dismissing it as a child not knowing much.

He had overly high precision requirements for industrial products, without considering the actual technical level at the time.

This was especially evident in screw production, where he always used the production standards from the third industrial revolution of his previous life as the benchmark.

Furthermore, this guy had forgotten the "rivet" part of "multi-riveted steam steel."

In the end, it was Aumert who told him that such a screw didn't need to be too precise, and only then could the "Frederick Pot" be successfully finalized in its initial form.

"But we're short-handed," Aumert said, somewhat helplessly. "There's too much to do right now, and both the blacksmith shop and the carpenter shop are short on people."

Frederick thought about it and agreed. He called Bryant over and asked, "We're short on people everywhere right now. Do you know where to recruit blacksmiths?"

Bryant was also helpless and said, "More than half of the blacksmiths in the territory are already here. If we recruit more, there'll be no one left to repair farm tools."

"If we want to recruit more people, we can only recruit young people who don't know anything."

"But they can't be used immediately when they arrive. They can only follow us and do some heavy labor, learning as they work. It takes about two and a half years before they're competent."

"Everyone is busy right now. If it weren't for old Mr. Auerbach and old Mr. Jackson being old, I'd want to invite them back."

Frederick frowned. Craftsmen of this era followed a master-apprentice system, but an excellent blacksmith like Bryant had to both work and teach apprentices, making the training efficiency very low. Newcomers had to apprentice with a master for at least two and a half years before they could independently do simple, non-technical tasks.

"How about this?" Frederick said. "I'll invite the Mr. Auerbach and Mr. Jackson you mentioned back to specifically teach the newly recruited young people, and they can do some simple work on the side. How does that sound?"

Bryant's expression became a bit strange. He wanted to say something but didn't dare, finally saying perfunctorily, "The newcomers aren't strong enough yet. It takes at least a year to build up strength."

Frederick saw through it and asked, "Is there something I don't know?"

Bryant looked around. Basf had already gone to find the Slime, and Aumert tactfully walked away. Only then did he lower his voice and say, "My lord, the guild might not agree."

After his explanation, Frederick understood what was going on.

The Blacksmiths' Guild, like other guilds, was bound by profession and upheld the spirit of unity, fraternity, and mutual aid. It managed the personnel and quality of work for craftsmen in the industry.

Members of the Blacksmiths' Guild were formal blacksmiths like Bryant, or at least Ordinary blacksmiths. Crude blacksmiths like apprentices were not eligible to join.

If an Ordinary person wanted to become a blacksmith, and had no master recommendation, they had to first register with the Blacksmiths' Guild. The guild would arrange a master. If the master and apprentice had agreed beforehand, they would register together with the guild.

All guilds had regulations that a master could only take a maximum of 3 to 5 apprentices.

When an apprentice was ready to graduate, they needed to be reported by their master first, and the guild would conduct an assessment. Only after passing could they formally become a blacksmith.

In their work, there was also the relationship between the master as a contractor and the apprentice as a worker. When the master took on a job, they would assign some to the apprentice, and the payment was handled similarly.

The blacksmithing section of the Weissen Family's blacksmith shop was actually a group composed of individual blacksmith contractors, now led by Bryant, the newly promoted contractor. He arranged and subcontracted the work for each team. In essence, it was a collection of many manual workshops with only simple collaboration.

At the same time, the master craftsman held the power to determine if an apprentice could graduate, which allowed for behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Frederick's idea of recruiting a batch of new people and finding retired blacksmiths to teach them went against the master-apprentice tradition and the economic system. The guild might not agree, and the blacksmiths would likely be unwilling.

Simple collaboration didn't change the tools and methods of labor in the manual workshops; it was just coordinated labor under Frederick's command.

To increase productivity, besides new machines, new production relations were needed.

More advanced than manual workshops was the manufacturing industry, which was based on manual techniques and the division of labor among hired workers. It was unrelated to the master-apprentice relationship, and the organizational form of production was already shaped by capitalists. Manufacturing was the nascent stage of capitalism, the preliminary stage of factories.

If it weren't for the upcoming disaster victim event, Frederick would have started gradually implementing reforms.

But he couldn't yet. Rashly reforming would definitely cause instability, and coinciding with the arrival of the disaster victims could lead to major problems. For now, he could only find a different approach.

Frederick returned to the castle before dinner and called for the butler.

He asked Ah Fu, "Can I manage the affairs of the guilds in the territory?"

Ah Fu replied with confusion, "My lord, you can manage anything in the territory. Who said you can't?"

Frederick asked again, "What if the guilds don't listen to me?"

Ah Fu was even more confused and replied, "If a hunting dog doesn't listen, of course you kill it and replace it with one that does."

"My lord's territory is not a free city like Nuremberg. The guilds don't have that much weight."

Frederick blinked, finally understanding the situation.

He often forgot something: he was now a member of the landlord class family, belonging to the ruling class. In his territory, he was a local emperor who could do whatever he wanted, even restoring the right of first night and changing it to be for men wouldn't be impossible.

The craft guilds were merely tools in his hands for managing the common people. He could handle them however he pleased.

Frederick figured this out and said to Ah Fu, "Tell the heads of each guild to come see me tomorrow afternoon."

Ah Fu bowed to His Lordship and then sent someone to notify the spokesmen of each guild.

The next afternoon, the spokesmen for the Blacksmiths', Carpenters', Stonemasons', Tailors', Cooks', Coachmen's, Dockworkers', and other guilds all came to the castle. They stood in a row in the living room, each hunched over, not daring to breathe heavily, and none daring to look up at His Lordship.

Seeing them like this, Frederick lost the desire to say much more.

"You all know about two things," Frederick said expressionlessly. "First, a canal will be dug in the territory starting this autumn. This matter has already been settled with the Stonemasons' Guild in Nuremberg."

"Once this canal is open, countless cargo ships will pass through our territory. At that time, not only will I make money, but all trades and industries can make money too."

"Let me say this upfront: anyone who obstructs the canal digging project is obstructing me, and obstructing everyone in the Wessen Territory!"

Speaking of this, Frederick looked at everyone. They still maintained a cautious and attentive posture.

He continued, "The second thing is that many people will be coming to the Wessen Territory soon."

"I know what you're all saying privately, and I even know that some people plan to take advantage of the situation to cheat a wife or something."

"Now, I'm laying down the law here. These newcomers are poor folks. As long as they come to the Wessen Territory, they are my people. Everyone here is just trying to make a living in the same place. Nobody is inherently nobler than anyone else."

"[Wessen Territory Expletive], who is nobler than me, I ask you?"

"From now on, no matter who breaks the law, I will treat everyone equally."

"Especially you. Those joining the guilds in various trades must treat them as locals."

"In the future, there will be more people coming and going in the territory, and the demand for people in each industry will also increase."

"Currently, there aren't enough people in the territory, especially blacksmiths and carpenters. Soon, stonemasons, tailors, cooks, and coachmen will also be in short supply."

"To increase the workforce, I am announcing several new laws."

"First, effective immediately, the limit on the number of apprentices a master can take is lifted."

"Second, the minimum wage standards set by each guild will now include apprentices."

"[Wessen Territory Expletive]! Don't think I don't know what happened the other night when someone was beaten to death."

"Third, each guild will establish technical skill level standards and assessment standards for practitioners according to the grades of Apprentice, Ordinary, Excellent, Fine, Epic, and Legendary, and issue Gray, White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Orange badges respectively."

"I repeat, this standard must be strict, it must be convincing, and it must be recognized throughout the entire continent!"

"Fourth, each guild will draft a charter for establishing a training school. Find a group of experienced craftsmen to be teachers to instruct both those who grew up here and the new arrivals. If you don't understand something, consult Weissenburg University."

"Today is July 15th. The initial draft of the charter must be submitted to me before August 1st. I will give you my approval within 3 days, and within 15 days after receiving approval, you must produce the final charter according to my instructions."

"If you cannot do it, I will find someone who can."

"I am finished. If anyone has any opinions, voice them now. We can discuss it."

"Once you leave this door, you will carry out my orders regardless of your opinion. If anyone tries to secretly cause trouble, hehe, just try it."

After speaking, Frederick narrowed his eyes and scanned the people before him.

He was in the construction industry in his previous life, and without authority, management was difficult. At this moment, it felt like he was back in that time.

Ah Fu stood behind him the entire time, slightly startled. He hadn't expected his young master to have such authority at such a young age.

Richard Nahl stood outside the door. He had originally planned to support his apprentice if necessary, but it now seemed unnecessary.

Psyche watched the spectacle from the side, sucking on a lollipop and saying with a smile, "Don't underestimate that little fellow."

The heads of the guilds almost dared not voice any opinions. Only one thick arm trembled as it was raised.

"My... my lord..." the head of the Dockworkers' Guild spoke hesitantly, "We... we just do heavy labor. What kind of levels are there?"

Frederick glared at him fiercely and said coldly, "Are there few young people in your group who have sprained their backs? [Wessen Territory Expletive], who was it last month who threw a box of glass jars directly onto the ground and then hanged himself because he couldn't afford to compensate? When was the last time stacked items collapsed and killed someone?"

"Without saying more, you can at least come up with the Apprentice and Ordinary levels, right?"

The head of the Dockworkers' Guild had nothing to say, lowering his head, beads of cold sweat on his brow.

"Any more questions?" Frederick looked around, and after a moment, waved his hand. "If there are no questions, go back and get started."

After everyone had left, Frederick picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.

Sometimes being a lord was good. Just assign the work, and if the people below couldn't finish it, kick their butts.

Small-scale reforms were also simple. There were plenty of lords who just messed around. Frederick's grandfather even collected pretty tail feathers from wild pheasants to decorate hats.

So-called traditions sometimes originated from the whims of a certain lord in the past, and their descendants simply passed them down without changing them.