An assembly line in the Primordial World

"Prepare my procession to the Deer Terrace. I want to see how construction is progressing..."

Di Xin gave the order gravely, then rode the Five-Colored Divine Ox toward the Deer Terrace construction site with a company of palace guards.

The Deer Terrace was being built in a scenic spot of clear waters and green hills not far outside Chaoge City. When Di Xin arrived, a great many refugees and rebel soldiers were busily working under Bi Gan and Huang Feihu's direction, following the plans he had provided.

Some were building houses, while others were channeling water to the site. Work was in full, fiery swing...

[Negative Emotion Points from Huang Feihu: +555. Total: +37021.4...]

The moment Di Xin arrived, the figure in the system's backend ticked upward.

Seeing this, Di Xin glanced at Huang Feihu and immediately noticed the man staring resentfully at the Five-Colored Divine Ox beneath him, looking no different from a bitter, neglected wife.

There was no helping it-how could Huang Feihu not feel aggrieved? These days, the Five-Colored Divine Ox left early and returned late, coming back to his home to mooch food, drink, and a place to sleep. After he brought over tender, dew-covered grass shoots he had painstakingly gathered, he watched the ox eating with relish and wanted to give the beast a stroke. To his surprise, the Five-Colored Divine Ox kicked out at him.

The ox he had worked so hard to raise actually kicked him, then went out early and returned late every day to seek out someone else. How could his heart not ache?!

"This construction site really is a mess..."

Di Xin ignored Huang Feihu and surveyed the site. He immediately noticed that, although everyone was working with fiery enthusiasm, a closer look revealed no division of labor whatsoever. Someone would start out mixing mortar, then run off to fetch water a short while later. Everything was a jumble, without the slightest order.

He had to straighten things out properly. Otherwise, at this rate, they would not finish until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse...

If the Deer Terrace was not completed, how could he do all the things he had already planned to do here?!

Di Xin shook his head, then looked at everyone and commanded gravely, "All of you, stop."

At his words, everyone working immediately stopped, knelt, and paid their respects to Di Xin.

"Who assigned your duties?"

Di Xin swept his gaze over them and asked coolly.

"Your Majesty, it was your servant," Bi Gan hastily replied, then added, "I also oversaw the construction of the late king's mausoleum and the Imperial Palace."

As he spoke, a trace of pride crept onto Bi Gan's face, and he gave Di Xin a challenging look.

In this era, being able to direct such enormous projects in an orderly fashion absolutely counted as a mark of great wisdom.

It was precisely because he had overseen those two projects that people called him a Great Worthy.

Who else in all of Great Shang possessed such ability?!

"I was wondering why the Imperial Palace was so shoddily built. So you were the one who built it..."

Upon hearing this, Di Xin gave Bi Gan a disdainful look and spoke coolly, his tone dripping with distaste.

[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +222...]

Bi Gan flew into a rage and glared indignantly at Di Xin. He would never allow Di Xin to question his abilities, especially the skill he took the greatest pride in.

"If Your Majesty does not trust your servant, you may dismiss me from this post and choose another capable man."

Bi Gan followed up coldly, his expression carrying a threat.

He had seen the Deer Terrace plans. For a project of such enormous scale, he believed no one besides himself could direct it or do a better job!

He believed that, once he said this, the tyrant Di Xin would surely panic, recognize his importance, and ask him to stay.

"Very good. At least you know your own limitations. That saves me the trouble of saying it myself. From now on, you no longer need to oversee this. Otherwise, anyone who saw this chaos without knowing the circumstances might think Great Shang had no capable men!"

But to Bi Gan's disappointment, after he said his piece, Di Xin did not panic and ask him to stay as he had expected. Instead, he beamed as though an enormous problem had just been solved. That attitude left Bi Gan deeply displeased.

[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +333...]

Tyrant! If you refuse to let me do it, it will not be long before you realize what a terrible mistake you have made!

In less than two days, this blasted Deer Terrace of yours will descend into utter chaos, and nothing will get done.

After seething for a while, Bi Gan sneered inwardly. Since this tyrant would not let him handle it, he decided to stand aside and watch the Deer Terrace that the tyrant was so determined to build turn into a chaotic worksite, without even a single tree planted!

"Anyone among you skilled in masonry, step forward! Those skilled in stonework, gather together too! Those with great strength, form another group! Anyone who knows how to plant trees and tend flowers, gather together as well! Those who know none of these things, form a group too..."

Just then, Di Xin looked at the refugees and soldiers kneeling on the ground and spoke gravely.

Soon, after a flurry of movement, the previously disorganized crowd separated into several smaller groups.

"Very good. Fifteen people from each group, step forward..." Di Xin pointed at them and continued, "From now on, each of your teams will be responsible for one area, and everyone will work according to their trade. Those who know nothing will be distributed evenly among the trade teams, and you will learn. All work must proceed in sequence. Trades whose turn has not yet come may temporarily do miscellaneous jobs, such as carrying sand and stone... Begin..."

"Yes."

The refugees and soldiers immediately answered respectfully, then began working according to his instructions.

Sure enough, with this arrangement, the previously chaotic crowd immediately became orderly. The people responsible for each stage were like screws that, fitted together, formed an enormous machine. They went busily about their work in perfect order, flowing as smoothly as running water.

"Chancellor, wouldn't you say this looks much better?"

Watching the much quieter, more orderly construction site, Di Xin asked Bi Gan with a faint smile.

Bi Gan gave a few muffled snorts, offering Di Xin another +444 negative emotion points, but something unusual flickered deep in his eyes.

Though set in his ways, he was no fool. He could see that, while Di Xin's arrangement was simple, it would allow these craftsmen to work far more efficiently.

After all, when everyone did only what they knew best, the work naturally came readily to hand, greatly improving efficiency.

What puzzled him, however, was why he had never thought of such a method, yet the tyrant Di Xin had.

Yes, this method must be too simple. That is why someone of my intelligence never thought of it, while a stupid, lazy tyrant like Di Xin could devise such a labor-saving trick!

What Bi Gan did not know, however, was that ninety-nine percent of the world's inventions were actually born to make people lazier!

Wanting to be lazy was never a sin. Everything possessed its own inertia. If one could devise a way to be lazy with a clear conscience without delaying the work, that became a source of momentum for society's advancement.

"Your Majesty, your servant proposes that this method be applied to the forging of military weapons!"

Just then, after studying the craftsmen for a while, Shang Rong stepped forward and spoke respectfully.

Shang Rong was the truly worthy man of Chaoge City!

Di Xin's eyes immediately lit up at those words. Shang Rong's idea coincided perfectly with his own.

The work now proceeding on the site was, in fact, a rudimentary Primordial World assembly line that Di Xin had devised based on construction sites of later ages.

Moreover, this assembly line could be used not only to build the Deer Terrace, but also to manufacture weapons, and even to refine Spiritual Treasures, pills, and other things in the future.

That Shang Rong could look at a construction site and think of military weapons manufacturing proved he was absolutely a man worth cultivating.

"Approved." Di Xin nodded, then continued, "Furthermore, I suggest establishing standards for all military weapons manufacturing, especially for items such as chariots. Components should have uniform specifications and be numbered. That will make them easy to locate, and if a component has a quality problem, those responsible can be held accountable."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

At these words, Shang Rong's eyes shone even brighter. He bowed to Di Xin all the way to the ground, his heart brimming with admiration.

His Majesty is so wise-he truly has the bearing of Cheng Tang!

After Cheng Tang, is Great Shang finally about to see another Sage whose virtue rivals that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?!