In 1968 on the Western Calendar, the Luoshui Group made an investment in the Western Regions, completing plans for six solar thermal power stations.
By any measure, such an investment offered little return.
The world had already entered the age of the Tesla Reactor. Both Soviet Russia and Shengyang had updated their power-generation technology to the latest electromagnetic generators. Europe and America still used thermal power stations, but only to bring the reactants to an initial ionic state through chemical combustion; afterward, they still relied on Tesla devices to contain them for a Magnetic Energy Reaction.
So these solar power stations consumed vast quantities of materials while producing less than a tenth of the energy generated by the new technology. Clearly, they were an outdated technology with little economic value. But the industry was still basically just boiling water, so ninety percent of its jobs could be handled by people with only a junior or senior high school education.
In this world of capital, when people had no value in production, war was started to make the surplus population valuable.
This year, the Luoshui Group requested the population records compiled over the years through Welfare Distribution and proposed Work Relief.
It would take over the welfare system and assume responsibility for distributing Food Coupons to some of its recipients, turning them into workers. Of course, after training them and turning them into workers, the welfare they received would be greater than before. And if they maintained a long-term record of error-free work, they would gain access to medical and educational benefits. Where would those medical and educational resources come from? Wei Keng would transfer some medical staff from the Luoshui Group's factories to serve as the core, then recruit a group of Normal School and medical interns to fill in for now, fill in, fill in until they became the core.
A year earlier, after Wei Keng and Ke Feijia had discussed Meson-Macro Particles and the possibility of Spacetime Overlap in this plane,
and talked about their personal plans for this world,
Wei Keng had said, "Well, I want to reform things here as they are now."
Ke Feijia had been silent for a while before asking, "Do you have a plan?"
"Not yet," Wei Keng had replied.
Under Ke Feijia's gaze,
Wei Keng had continued, "But I want to make some changes in the commercial sphere." With that, he had handed over a proposal to fund the education system and provide basic vocational training.
Ke Feijia had skimmed a few pages. In truth, his system had scanned the proposal and evaluated it. "This could work. Everyone who comes here wants to change something. But you know this isn't the Main Plane. The country, its organizations, and the public are all far behind in knowledge and awareness. Sigh, your proposals might be achievable, but they'll take a tremendous amount of effort."
Wei Keng had paused. "When it comes to certain things, I usually don't act if I don't see anyone else doing anything. But should we really do nothing at all? It's even harder to bear. So I'll do a little, even if it doesn't work. Maybe it'll inspire someone smarter than me to try. At least then I can be at peace."
"Super World War won't break out in this world within the next twenty years, and we won't be stationed here for more than twenty years. Our mission is to obtain this world's major technologies."
As outsiders, the various kinds of Technical Data were what they could take from a plane. If they invested in local infrastructure and institutions, most of the benefits would go to the local region and couldn't be taken with them. Besides, such investments were extremely difficult.
Wei Keng was already experiencing just how difficult they were.
The fundamental problem of Human Society was management! Using profit as an incentive was the easiest approach, so most powers prioritized controlling the region's liquid capital.
But people grew accustomed to a better life. Once they grew used to the benefits of stable conditions, they lost their initial drive, and it took ever greater rewards to motivate them. That was why capital's management grew dull.
So capital periodically pulled out. When the people in a region became harder to manage, it simply drove the region into poverty. Then, once the economy had become "simple" enough that "a few dozen big steamed buns could buy you a wife" or "a serving of fried chicken wings and a meat sandwich" could make someone look sophisticated, it could return in the guise of "the greatest charity."
Using material goods as motivation bred insatiable desire. So every so often, society was reset, and everything made "simple" again. But maintaining civilization wasn't a game of Monopoly. Many things were lost amid the chaos and never recovered. In particular, the precious Cultural Continuity of Eastern Civilization could never be subjected to the Economic Crisis Cycle of capitalism.
[Foodie Wei Keng: "When it comes to Cultural Continuity, Europe's cuisines have barely been passed down at all. Just goes to show, capitalism is to blame for everything."]
So what could keep the management system healthy over the long term?
The Main World had an answer, but Wei Keng couldn't just copy it! He was a major tycoon now. If he preached that stuff, nobody would believe him.
Eating hotpot, putting an arm around a girl, acting casual, then standing on a high platform to rally a crowd of miserable people below.
"Let's work together for a better tomorrow!" Wei Keng thought, "Disgusting. This is fucking disgusting."
Two days later, at the Solar Energy Industrial Park.
"We must work for a better tomorrow!" A red banner hung above the newly built workers' dormitory.
"Today's labor is tomorrow's security. Let's unite under the company's leadership!" Gilded lettering adorned the new factory building.
And then there was...
With a sharp smack, Wei Keng slapped his own forehead. He simply couldn't help himself.
He'd gone and done the disgusting thing anyway.
The newly built Employment Guarantee factories had introduced a conditional eight-hour workday.
As one of the ordinary people of the 27th (21st) century, he had to retain some dignity. But as a capitalist here, he had to care about efficiency. So, while introducing an eight-hour workday, he also had to set terms with the workers. Eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep. The rest was the workers' own time.
The company building had designated times for clocking in, and the dormitories required workers to swipe their cards too. Their rooms had "no internet, no books allowed, only a bed."
There were plenty of Boundary lines between employees and employers that hadn't been clearly drawn in the 21st century.
For example, if employers kept making workers do overtime to meet deadlines, should they bear the cost when workers' health deteriorated? If so, how? And how could the connection between the two be proven in court?
And if workers loved modern entertainment in their spare time—long gaming sessions, say, or hanging around bars, contributing to the prosperity of the Tertiary Industry—and ended up in poor health, should they bear the entire cost themselves?
As a capitalist now and a proletarian in the past, Wei Keng thought the books should be balanced properly.
Time!
Personal free time, working hours, and rest time. The latter two involved employment and should be determined by a Labor Contract.
What would happen once those boundaries were clearly defined?
Workers would have only eight hours of personal time each day during a five-day workweek, split into two periods, one at midday and one in the afternoon.
That might make some popular social pastimes that extended beyond their personal time impractical.
The factory had organized team activities like sports matches and Video Game Competitions, which would also compete for the workers' precious eight hours of free time. That left no time for other forms of consumption.
"As for not providing a market for the service industry in the market economy, or jobs for its workers, what the hell do I care? Everyone here is poor. I've never used a poor person's money to support singers, liquor merchants, or restaurant owners."
Self-reliance was a good habit. Figure out what you could do for yourself, then decide what you could afford to consume.
That principle hadn't become a social consensus in the 20th century of this plane.
To achieve total monopolization, the capitalists had disregarded sustainability and completely distorted society's attitude toward consumption. Many unnecessary things had been forcibly promoted as essentials for joining certain circles.
After returning to his villa, Wei Keng looked at his station wagon and thought about how it was standard equipment for attending economic conferences and belonging to the upper circles. Then he looked at the Brocade Robe he was wearing and the Platinum Jade Belt around his waist. He couldn't help thinking that there were far too many things that could make him suitable for a place on a lamppost.
Two months later, the company's other affairs drew Wei Keng's attention back.
At the main industrial base, Wei Keng attended a conference on the prospects of Aerospace Technology.
The Shenzhou military needed more advanced fighters. As one of the regional powers in Shenzhou's aviation industry, the Luoshui Group now had to present a design for the next generation of Space-Air Fighters.
The military's proposed concept was extremely vague. Wei Keng suspected the Shenzhou Military hadn't thought things through itself. It had simply rushed to set every specification as high as possible without considering whether they could be achieved or whether operating and maintaining the aircraft would be cost-effective.
As an aerospace manufacturer, the Luoshui Group needed to understand the military's requirements and consult experts from across the country to determine a direction for the prototype's design.
Military contracts were a lucrative business for the Luoshui Group. To secure one, the group had to build a prototype. For the experts at the various academies of natural philosophy, gaining control of the research and development project was worth competing for.
So the aviation authorities and experts had all flown to Xijing. In front of Wei Keng, a junior figure in their field, they began presenting their ideas for aircraft designs.
In the Main World, although Wei Keng had specialized in aerodynamics at university and had some understanding of aerospace, he didn't dare offer a single opinion. Aviation involved more than just aerodynamics. It also involved Electronic Control, radar, Material Strength design, and much more. If he showed any familiarity with one area, these experts would focus on explaining that area while glossing over the problems it might cause in other related fields.
Wei Keng's knowledge made him aware of his own limitations. He wasn't the type to get carried away and make snap decisions just because technical experts were explaining things to him.
Wei Keng raised his head and suddenly asked, "Could someone explain Shengyang's air combat system?"
The experts present all paused at the question.
Shengyang? Shenzhou's main technological rival on the world stage was the European Union Legion, while its main threat on land was Soviet Russia. As for Shengyang, it had originally been a vassal state of Shenzhou. When Shenzhou became mired in World War I, Shengyang had gradually won its independence. But as a child of Shenzhou Civilization, it rarely caught anyone's attention. Of course, Shengyang's navy had received Western support and had some tricks up its sleeve, but that was all.
Wei Keng looked across the faces of the aviation experts sent by research institutes from every corner of the country. His gaze showed that he expected an "answer."
After a while, a relatively young designer decided he could answer and stepped forward. "Shengyang's air force is developing in the direction of lightweight aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing."
"And you are?"
The man showed the badge on his chest. "Xiao Sheng, a technician with the Jingji Aerospace Division."
The Jingji Aerospace Division handled many areas of business, but Xiao Sheng's research institute was currently responsible for Aerial Intelligence Design. Its main work was designing Cruise Missiles, though it also participated in aircraft design. Its planes were all lightweight and compact, so he had only been there to listen in among the aviation authorities and experts.
Wei Keng opened Xiao Sheng's file and discovered that he was one of the technical personnel Shenzhou had recently sent to support Shengyang. He had once been specially assigned to Tianxi Machinery Company. The résumé immediately caught Wei Keng's interest.
Wei Keng seized on the key point and asked him, "Dr. Xiao, how would you design a fighter that could suppress Shengyang's next-generation aircraft?"
His question stirred faint murmurs among those present.
Xiao Sheng gave an awkward smile. "Lord Wei Keng, Shengyang is currently our potential ally. Our main competitors on the world stage are the European Federation, aren't they?"
"Danger can come from right beside you."
"Shengyang's fighters are extremely agile. Their maneuvering G-forces in a turn should exceed 8.5."
Wei Keng looked at the fighter model Xiao Sheng had unfolded. It was an extremely light aircraft, with an Ion Cannon as its main weapon.
Wei Keng tried to prompt him with an idea. "So, an Aerial Energy Warfare approach? An advantage through integrated information in the air?"
Aerial Energy Warfare meant taking the heavy-fighter route: rapidly securing positions, forming a radar scanning array, and launching missiles, with the aircraft working together to feed the missiles information. Then, after firing that volley, they disengaged without getting into a dogfight, repeating the process in successive waves to keep taking advantage.
Wei Keng announced the meeting's end, then had the group host the attendees.
In a private meeting room at the group's headquarters, Wei Keng sat down with Xiao Sheng to discuss the prototype in detail.
Wei Keng said, "Future air combat should include an aerial wingman with some electronic warfare capability that can provide Ground Reconnaissance for the next generation of air forces. The air-combat prototype we present should have formidable Processing Power and the ability to exercise comprehensive command over its aerial wingmen."
Wei Keng's proposal left Xiao Sheng completely bewildered.
The military wanted a mainline fighter. Shouldn't they first resolve the payload, maneuverability, and other requirements of the mainline fighter?
"As a businessman, selling what someone else asks for is only the bare minimum. A real business mind can identify useful functions beyond what the other party asked for and deliver those too."
Wei Keng had no confidence he could win the military's fighter contract. The military's specifications were too demanding: fly high, go fast, carry a heavy load, and still be cheap. There was no way to satisfy every requirement.
But if, when delivering the prototype, it demonstrated another capability as important as flying high, carrying a heavy load, and going fast, then even if they didn't choose his prototype, they would have to add that capability to someone else's. The Luoshui Group would inevitably come out of the procurement deal in an unassailable position.
For the current era, Wei Keng had an outlook far ahead of his time.
He had determined that this world would enter the age of intelligence over the next several decades.
And the age of intelligence would require a great deal of software development—in other words, the work of coders.
The F-35 of the Main World's 21st century had been plagued by repeated delays, all because of software problems. Its security classification was so high that the work couldn't be put out for open bidding; the programmers could only be recruited internally, making the price climb higher and higher. Interestingly, American aviation had planned ahead on engines, and engine development was generally faster than the development of each new generation of aircraft. But the Americans hadn't foreseen the need for intelligence and lacked the necessary talent. Then anti-Asian sentiment emerged, and the only software talent they could recruit came from India.
Wei Keng wasn't pursuing the concept of intelligent aircraft just to compete for the military's fighter contract. He was planning to get involved in education.
His earlier solar power stations and socially beneficial industries had used the group's funds, prompting some internal dissent. Now there were people whispering such "unwelcome truths" in his ear as "compassion cannot command an army, emotion cannot establish a business, and righteousness cannot manage finances."
Wei Keng was now preparing to devote resources to providing ordinary people with further education. Without a suitable justification, the objections would grow even louder. So he had to frame it as an investment in future industries to explain himself to the group's shareholders: "I'm still a capitalist."
Improvement was a goal he had set for himself. If he said it to others, it would just be an empty slogan.
Before you continue