A scholar was waiting for the boat to arrive and was preparing to take the examination in the provincial capital.
He waited and waited on the pier. Then he saw that a suitable passenger ship finally arrived, and he immediately went forward.
At this moment, another smaller ship arrived, carrying a yellow flag and four big words: "Express Shipping Ship".
"This scholar, please take my boat." The boatman on the big boat shouted.
"Hey, scholar, come to my boat and I'll help you get to the provincial capital safely," the Huangqi boatman shouted.
The scholar looked at it and was about to get on the big boat.
A big boat is definitely more comfortable than a small boat.
At this moment, a laborer at the dock whispered: "Master Xiucai, it's better to get on the yellow flag ship."
"Why is this?" the scholar asked puzzledly.
"The yellow-flag boat is owned by the governor's family. Since you passed the examination, don't you want to give the governor some face?" Li Gong said in a low voice.
"That's right." The scholar then boarded the yellow flag ship.
After looking at it, the big boat immediately shouted: "My shipping fee is one tael less than his."
The journey is long and the travel is expensive.
A journey of several hundred miles often costs several taels or even dozens of taels of silver. Taking a boat is cheaper, but riding an ox or horse is more expensive.
Therefore, most people cannot afford to go out. Even if they go to Beijing to take the exam, they often have to borrow money to prepare for the expenses.
The scholar waved.
But I thought in my heart: "When I become a Jinshi all the way in the future, I must impeach these corrupt people who collude with cheap businessmen and exploit the people!"
The yellow flag ship left proudly.
Along the way, the scholar did not suffer too much, but his experience was just the same.
But it's really fast.
It's not that the boat is fast, it's that it's fast to pass through various checkpoints. Most of the checkpoints require no taxes or inspections, and you can travel smoothly all the way.
There are only a few feudal checkpoints that require payment, and they are very polite. Once you pay, you will be released in advance.
Other ships must give way.
This speed is several days faster than other ships.
Many levels are deliberately tormenting you, and even if you pay the money, they will still let you pass slowly.
In short, if you don’t have a background, you won’t be able to do this business, and good products can go bad.
Fortunately, the boatman was polite and considerate and didn't show any emotion.
After all, he is a scholar.
Identity is still very valuable.
"I wish Xiucai Gongyi High School to be listed in the top honors of the Beijing News."
"Thank you."
The scholar had only one feeling in his mind: It was so good. I would like to sit down next time, so he handed it over and left.
As for impeachment, there is nothing wrong with impeaching an old man, so why should I be impeaching him?
…………
This is just a microcosm.
Wen Rensheng then continued to integrate the shipping industry in Jianfu Province.
With more and more funds, buy new ships and build good ships.
He also bought a government-run shipyard and improved the treatment of craftsmen in the shipyard. The so-called improvement did not mean that it was raised to the level of later generations like in other novels.
The only thing is to ensure that the actual payment is made in a timely manner, without arrears of payment, no stale money, and no stale rice.
This is also a stipulation of the bet and cannot exceed this era.
Whatever this era is like, he must be like that.
Even so, the craftsmen were filled with gratitude.
These days, craftsmen in government-run factories are craftsmen, shouldering heavy tasks and suffering heavy exploitation.
If you are recruited by an official, your work will be in vain. If you have a conscience, you will be given some food but no money, and occasionally you will have to bear the labor of going to Beijing. That is a fatal thing.
They can only make a living by taking advantage of their free time and working hard to do private work.
Kind-hearted people like Wen Rensheng are very rare.
Only master craftsmen in private shipyards are core craftsmen. Those who can build an entire large ship will receive much better treatment.
After all, maritime merchants are not stupid. If you don't give them good treatment, they will risk their lives if they don't take care of themselves at sea.
However, small workers are still exploited to the extreme.
Wen Rensheng continued to purchase shipping companies and consolidate them.
However, many shipping companies soon became unwilling to join the "Express Shipping Lines".
This is Wang's Boat Company.
The family has been passed down for four generations, and there are 52 ships of various sizes, plying thousands of miles of rivers across the province.
It can be said to be a relatively large river boat company.
The total cost exceeds 100,000 taels.
He definitely doesn't want to be swallowed up by Express Shipping Line, so why don't he just take care of himself?
Do you have to find an ancestor to look over your head?
His family's background was that of a county prince, and he received 3,000 taels of silver as a gift every year.
This number is quite a lot.
Bribing a cabinet minister costs 5,000 taels of silver.
3,000 taels of silver is equivalent to 6,000 shi of grain, which is equivalent to the harvest of 2,000 to 5,000 acres of land.
A county prince can own only a few thousand acres of land, while a prince can own hundreds of thousands of acres.
Now Wen Rensheng is encountering a problem. What should he do when he encounters a shipping company with a strong background and confidence?
He definitely needs to be integrated.
Only by integrating them can you make big money.
Monopoly has always been synonymous with high profits.
The premise is that the internal management must be properly managed to avoid being taken advantage of.
Wen Rensheng has many gray methods, but he will naturally not use them first.
After all, we have to consider the reputation of the governor.
Now that the other party is unwilling to be acquired, Wenrensheng can just use this business method to compete with it and defeat it.
When he loses money to the point where he can no longer pay the tribute of his backers, he will have to be annexed.
Otherwise, you are seeking death.
The pigs like the county prince will not consider the difficulties of his business. They only know that they gave him gifts before but did not give them this year. They look down on him, so they must be punished.
Wen Rensheng then specially dispatched his fleet to take the same route as the opponent.
At the same time, some shares are also allocated to relevant management.
This is very common in this era, especially those who run seagoing ships, all of whom have crotch.
Because the danger is great, this allows everyone to work together.
As a result, everyone worked harder.
What's more, Wen Rensheng specially selected loyal and reliable people.
Compared to others, because we work hard, our efficiency can be doubled or even tripled compared to other boat companies.
A person who works hard and a person who fishes will have completely different results.
Even the boats and sails are the same.
While Wen Rensheng was busy with this matter, Governor Wang asked someone to call him:
"My dear nephew, this year's rural examination is here again. I have sent someone to change your household registration here. You can take the provincial urban and rural examination here. How are you sure about it?"
Since Wen Rensheng wanted to make full use of the existing conditions, he would certainly not let go of the imperial examination.
He cannot use technologies and concepts that are beyond this era, but the stereotypes and classic meanings are naturally not a problem.
So Wen Rensheng said: "I'm 100% sure."
"The provincial examination is extremely difficult, especially in the area south of the Yangtze River. However, the people in the south of the Yangtze River have more official background, so I changed you. Since you are so sure, it is the best." Governor Wang said happily.
Then Wen Rensheng took the exam.
After the provincial examination, he really got to know Yuan.
The old master praised his article: "It is smooth and flawless, every part is appropriate, and it is an excellent piece of writing."
He also said that he had to be among the top three Jinshi to be able to write this.
Governor Wang was very happy and recommended Wenren for promotion.
This time he was promoted directly to the provincial capital magistrate. Although it seemed to be a deputy position, there was a governor behind him, and even the magistrate had to listen to him.
This is where the name and reality are different.
In the 17th year of Hongwu's reign in the Ming Dynasty (1384), the imperial court officials from all over the world were ordered to recommend honest and capable officials. Later, the nine ministers were ordered to recommend officials, and the governors and vassals recommended officials in prefectures and counties.
When Wenren is promoted and wants to take the imperial examination, he can resign first, then take the exam, and enter the Imperial Academy of the Qing Dynasty.
This is not a waste of time. It is the same as later generations who after taking the college entrance examination found that they did not do well, dropped out of school and took the exam again.
Wen Rensheng naturally handled the affairs of the government easily, everyone was employed, talented people were selected, dirty officials were eliminated, and the government was quickly managed.
For a time, he was called a capable official.
At the same time, he multitasked and continued to expand his express shipping line.
It also opened an account business, which is a piggybacking business. You can deposit money here with flying tickets and withdraw money with flying tickets at another place.
Pay the handling fee in the middle.
This kind of thing completely tests your credibility and official background.
You can’t do it without background.
Once you do it, you will get free profits.
You must be aware that the time difference in between can also be used to slightly misappropriate loans, but you must be extra careful not to lose money.
As the express boat trip expanded, Wen Rensheng began to gather industries in the counties, prefectures, and provincial towns along the way.
Finally, when the total industrial value reached one million taels, development stopped.
Because no matter how high you are, the background of governor and Tongzhi is no longer reliable.
At this time, the eight Shanxi merchants had a net worth of several hundred thousand taels, and behind them were senior officials such as deputy generals, generals, and governors.
After doing these things, Wen Rensheng began to develop his own private army.
In fact, it is backdoor development.
He is not a military commander, and it is not easy for him to follow the path of a military commander for the time being. Instead, he can win people's hearts and make friends with others.
In the late Ming Dynasty and early to mid-Ming Dynasty, generals still could not stay in one place, and they often changed defense zones.
A typical example is to transfer border troops to Liaodong to die.
Who doesn’t know that it’s a desperate place?
But how many can disobey?
This is the result of the Ming Dynasty's use of literature to control martial arts to its peak.
Only in the last few years did warlords appear, and the emperor ordered that they could not be mobilized.
This is much better than the Han and Tang Dynasties.
It was also much stronger than the later Qing Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty was very successful in using literature to control martial arts.
The governor-general relied on the governor Biaoying to control the generals. Although there were many disadvantages, it at least prevented the generals from becoming separatist and powerful.
But it is precisely because of this that when the Ming Dynasty fell, there was no large vassal town within the country, and the internal power could not hatch strong vassals. As a result, the Manchus and Qing Dynasties defeated them one by one and took over the world.
Otherwise, if it becomes the trend of the Han and Tang Dynasties, it will be internal digestion.
Wen Rensheng first allocated grain and silver to buy iron, and then supported the local gun-making factory to re-manufacture a batch of muskets and artillery that met the requirements and standards of the time.
The musket is naturally still a matchlock.
Hitting 60 steps is lethal.
But it can be used as a carry gun and heavy matchlock gun.
Originally, this thing was useful for dealing with Manchu white armor.
If you hit it after 20 steps, you will die, and the triple armor is useless.
However, the materials provided were insufficient, resulting in a rough and shoddy product that no one was willing to use, or it was put away early, resulting in no effect at all.
As a result, there were only three thousand white-armored soldiers in the battle formation, and they were invincible.
If the muskets really reached the level they should have, if 5 musketeers killed 1 Baijia, the Manchu Qing would have been wiped out long ago.
Therefore, the end of the Ming Dynasty was the end of the entire system.
It cannot be rescued by a certain emperor or general.
It must be a systematic transformation, such as the rebirth of a certain vassal town, such as the rise of Cao Cao in the Han Dynasty, who reorganized the farmland, trained troops, gathered children from poor families, and then defeated the northern grassland tribes.
Wenrensheng's current total industrial scale is one million taels, and its annual net profit is 120,000 taels.
This is very conservative.
In fact, the profit and capital of the business these days must be at least 30% or more, so that it can be maintained.
Because the people behind the scenes need to be given a lot of shares, the final net profit is not high.
For example, if you have a capital of 100,000 taels, you need to earn 30,000 taels every year before you can divide it.
Otherwise, there is no need to open it.
Even if you don't earn enough points, you may earn 30%, 40% or even multiple times, and only a few of them end up in your own pocket.
Moreover, if you make more money, the accountant assigned to your store will also be more filial.
And Wen Rensheng relied on the power of the governor to integrate shipping in a large area of water. The profit was quite high, but he still had to manage it up and down. In the end, only 120,000 taels fell into his pocket.
It can be used freely and cannot be expanded.
This is uncomfortable.
But there is no way, unless he uses the concepts and technologies of later generations, otherwise under this feudal system, this is the limit.
No matter how high it is, there will be princes and eunuchs coming to deal with him, and even the governor will have to cut off a lot of meat.
How much silver and fine iron are needed to make a musket? Wen Rensheng can make up for it.
In this way, a batch of muskets were created.
They also followed the same method and created a batch of artillery pieces, which were modeled on the methods of Western cannons.
This will take time, so you can buy naval guns for the time being.
After all, the land of Jianfu is close to Guangdong and Guangxi, and many Western businessmen come here.
The muskets they then built can basically reach the pinnacle of current technology.
At least the amount is sufficient, the gun is heavy, and there is no need to worry about exploding the chamber.
It's quite sophisticated and has a high fire rate.
There are enough spearmen and shield soldiers in front of the musketeers.
It uses a giant shield that can resist throwing weapons such as axes.
You should know that in addition to being able to use light and heavy arrows, the white-armored soldiers are also good at throwing axes.
If he had only used a long spear, he would have been beaten to pieces by the opponent.
One cannot count on how high the morale of soldiers is these days.
The advantage of a musket is that it allows a person who has only practiced for half a year to kill an elite warrior who has been practicing for 20 years.
The Ming Dynasty clearly had firearms and cart camps, and the Ming Dynasty defeated the White Armor, but its poor finances and contempt for craftsmen resulted in poor muskets, no training, no military pay, poor morale, and firing too early.
He didn't reach the level of Qi Jiguang at all.
The red cannons that were later cast were specially supervised and the materials used were sufficient, so the Manchus had no choice but to besiege the fortress with ten red cannons for a long time.
A direct attack would result in the loss of too many elite soldiers, which they could not afford.
A strong attack will definitely be successful, but after a siege, 10 cannons fired a total of 30 rounds during the defense of the city, killing 50 people in each round, which is equivalent to killing 5 people per round, which is a loss of 1,500 people.
How can you bear this?
If you were hit by the cannon at this time, you would definitely die.
Moreover, the opponent can specifically attack the opponent's elite soldiers.
Unless they hide their elite soldiers out of range, how can they be a match for the servants just by relying on the armored bannermen?
There is no way to fight in a large formation when attacking a city, so the personal strength of the servants comes into play.