Chapter 58: The Work Points System
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Five days later, a finely crafted ox-powered chain waterwheel was completed by the Machinery Department.
Pang Yukun stared in shock at the waterwheel that Xiao Ming had described. At this moment, the waterwheel, driven by three differently sized gears and pulled by an ox, continuously transported water from the Xiaoqing River onto the shore.
Moreover, since the contraption was powered by two oxen, the tracks Xiao Ming mentioned were quite wide, and the water troughs on the tracks were deep. Each lift could bring up a large volume of river water—several times more efficient than any waterwheel Pang Yukun had ever seen.
Pang Yukun was born into a scholarly family. His ancestors served as minor officials in the county, far from the ranks of aristocratic clans.
From a young age, he diligently studied the classics, following his family’s ancestral teachings—to assist a wise ruler and bring stability to the nation as his lifelong duty.
However, after serving for ten years as a censor in Chang’an, that hope gradually turned into disappointment.
The current officialdom of the Great Yu Empire was controlled by noble clans. Officials without powerful backers had no chance of rising unless they attached themselves to influential families. Even those with talent for governing were often relegated to insignificant posts.
Although successive emperors had upheld the tradition of not executing censors, the position’s influence had waned significantly. Over ten years, Pang Yukun had painstakingly reported hundreds of corrupt practices, only to be blocked by court officials or simply ignored by Xiao Wenxuan.
The collusion among court factions and the weakening of imperial authority made him realize that the Great Yu Empire was rapidly decaying under the parasitic grip of the noble clans.
To maintain a fragile peace, the court advocated for appeasement policies as northern barbarians grew increasingly aggressive, paying higher annual tributes in exchange for temporary stability.
Yet even so, the barbarians—though refraining from large-scale invasions—still conducted regular raids along the borders.