After Wu Hongyi finished his meal at Yuelai Restaurant, he took his old servant and the shopkeeper to pick up the ship at Hanzhong Pier.
As soon as they walked out of Yuelai Restaurant, the driver came to report that their donkey had diarrhea and was about to be sent for treatment.
Wu Hongyi could only find a new car as soon as possible and could not delay picking up the ship.
He saw a handlebar in front of Yuelai Restaurant greeting customers.
"Wharf, factory area, one copper coin per person."
Wu Hongyi looked at the only vehicle nearby to pick up passengers, and they walked towards it.
This is a tall mule cart.
It is about three meters long and is pulled by two mules.
Unlike other carriages, this mule carriage has four wheels.
In front of the mule cart, there are two more wheels that can be turned.
"We are taking this mule cart and cannot miss the customs declaration time, otherwise it will be very troublesome."
Wu Hongyi walked to the mule cart and asked:
"Car handle style, I'm going to Hanzhong Pier. The three of us are worth three copper coins?"
"Sir, my vehicle is very affordable, just one copper coin per person, and it can be delivered to the factory area.
Passing by Hanzhong Pier, you can get off at any time at any point along the way."
Wu Hongyi and the others boarded the mule cart, which was very spacious inside.
There are two rows of long stools.
There were already more than a dozen people in the car, and the seats were almost full.
Wu Hongyi and the others sat on the edge of the stool, close to the car door.
After he sat down, he urged directly:
"Handle style, I have something urgent to do at the dock.
This bus is almost full. Can you hurry up and leave? I will give you a reward."
When the driver heard that there was a reward, he happily replied: "The train is starting, everyone should sit down."
He shook the reins in his hand, and the mules got the order and started running quickly.
Wu Hongyi asked curiously: "Handle-style, is this car yours?"
Why does it look so strange?"
He controlled the vehicle with the handlebar and replied: "I am just a driver, and this car belongs to my owner."
He opened a company, manufactured many vehicles, and specialized in attracting customers in the city.
The owner's father was a worker in a steel factory and spent his spare time developing this mule cart.
The patent policy of the Tonglu Government was announced, and the owner’s father was among the first people to register a patent.
At that time, we all believed that it belonged to the craftsmen in the steel factory and there was no way to obtain a patent.
Officials from the Patent Attorneys Division said that if the research and development was not funded by the company and it did not delay normal work, then it belongs to the individual.
The four-wheel carriage has a large cargo capacity and is equipped with springs to make the ride more comfortable.
After applying for a patent, we received capital injections from many large investors and established the company.
Our boss is in charge of the passenger cars, and the boss’s eldest brother is in charge of the trucks, mainly taking care of the transportation work of the Governor’s Mansion.”
The handlebar type driving mule cart moves forward smoothly on the cement road.
Wu Hongyi looked through the car window and saw the scenery on the road receding rapidly, but he did not feel any bumps.
This kind of mule cart is very suitable for transporting people and fragile items.
The mule cart started running, and Wu Hongyi took out a newspaper to read.
This is the newly released "Hanzhong Weekly" he bought at Yuelai Restaurant just now.
The content of the newspaper is extremely rich, including military training content and elementary school curriculum introductions.
What he is most concerned about is the interpretation of the policies of the Commander-in-Chief Government.
When a passenger saw Wu Hongyi taking out a new issue of a newspaper, he stepped forward and asked, "Sir, is your newspaper the latest issue?"
"Yes." Wu Hongyi nodded and replied.
"Sir, I didn't even have time to buy the newspaper. If it's convenient for you, can you read the contents of the newspaper to everyone?"
During the days that Wu Hongyi came to Hanzhong, he also hired people to teach Pinyin and simplified Chinese characters, and even went to observe two classes in primary school.
Recognize the simplified Chinese characters and pinyin in newspapers.
Wu Hongyi began to read the newspaper to everyone.
This issue of the newspaper introduces some conditions around Hanzhong Prefecture. In northern Shaanxi, it has not rained since August.
Many small riverbeds have dried up, and many people have fled.
Some of them fled to Baoji County, and officials from the Tongcheng government immediately rescued them.
I heard from these people that the local food price has risen to 10 taels of silver per stone.
Many people could not afford food and had to resort to thieves or flee from famine.
The road from Sichuan into Hanzhong was still blocked by the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers, and the waterway of the Han River was also blocked.
The price of salt has increased again, now reaching 51 copper coins per pound.
When the passengers in the car heard that the price of salt had increased again, they cursed the profiteers.
Wu Hongyi read a real case about patents and attracted everyone's attention again.
Two brothers master the rapeseed oil extraction method passed down from their father.
Their oil extraction method can produce 2% more oil than the current traditional oil extraction method.
The second child directly applied for a patent for this technology.
He then sold the patent to Yang Wencai for a total of 1,300 taels of silver coins.
Yang Wencai went directly to Dali Temple to file a lawsuit, demanding that the boss stop using this technology to extract oil.
The boss believes that this technology was passed down to him by his father.
The second child has no right to dispose of this technology and requires the patent authorization to be invalid.
In the end, Dali Temple ruled that the eldest son and the second son should share the profits from the patent.
The second child applied for the patent first. He is the patent owner and the patent authorization is valid.
But the eldest son is also the co-owner of this technology. He and the second eldest brother share the proceeds from selling the patent and stop using the patent.
After hearing this, the passengers immediately started discussing.
"I have heard many similar stories in newspapers.
It is not a unique technology, so you need to apply for a patent as soon as possible.
If someone else applies, it will be a big loss."
Wu Hongyi has not yet understood patents, but he has learned from newspapers and his own experience.
He could tell that the status of craftsmen here in Hanzhong City was much higher.
"We've arrived at Hanzhong Pier. If there are any passengers getting off the bus, please get off quickly."
The car owner stopped the car and shouted loudly.
Wu Hongyi and the others immediately got out of the car and rewarded him with 10 copper coins on the handlebar.
Several other passengers also got off at this location.
Hanzhong Pier is now very prosperous, with more than a dozen large ships docked.
Wu Hongyi saw many tall wooden towers standing on the pier, with huge poles hanging from them.
This equipment called a crane makes it very easy for large ships to unload cargo at the dock.
He heard that this kind of crane uses the principle of levers and pulleys, which can save a lot of effort.
Wu Hongyi's deepest impression of Hanzhong Mansion was that there were many strange machines here.
"Third Young Master, our Wu family's ship has arrived." The old servant immediately reminded.
Wu Hongyi looked toward the pier and saw more than ten large ships, arranged in order, slowly approaching the pier.
The flags of the Wu family were planted on the bows of their boats.
With this flag, as long as you are within the boundaries of Huguang, your journey will be smooth.
This time the Wu family brought five boatloads of salt and seven boatloads of grain.
There are also two ships with more than 300 craftsmen recruited in Huguang.
Here in Hanzhong City, grain and salt are commodities with zero import tariffs.
Wu Hongyi asked his family to recruit a group of craftsmen so that he could set up a company here in Hanzhong City.
There is no discrimination against businessmen here in Hanzhong. Company owners can also obtain noble status by paying taxes.
But there is a disadvantage here. You need to pay taxes on any business you do.
Regarding the yellow-robed thieves who emerged in Hanzhong, the Huguang gentry generally had two attitudes.
Many members of his family served as officials in the Ming Dynasty, and the public was extremely angry with the gentry.
They generally adopt a hostile attitude towards thieves in yellow.
Actively donated silver and grain to help Zhu Xieyuan expand his army.
Gentlemen like the Hanyang Wu family were frustrated in the officialdom. Officials in the imperial court were all demoted due to party disputes.
Most of the family's relationships are concentrated in Huguang.
Their family also had a good reputation in the local area, and the land was divided among thieves in yellow clothes.
As long as the families are divided first and each person has 100 acres of land, there won't be much land left.
The family feels that they can contact the thief in yellow, and everyone understands the principle of the cunning rabbit's three burrows.
The thief in yellow was cruel to the gentry, but not to the gentry family who took refuge in him.
Even if some members of the clan are punished for committing crimes, the entire family will not be uprooted.
Due to party disputes in the Wu family, family officials have been unable to enter the capital and become high officials.
There were no talented people in Wu Hongyi's generation, and the person with the highest fame was just a civil servant.
If changes are not made, the family will lose power in two or three generations.
The Wu family's fleet docked at the dock.
Wu Hongyi communicated well with the dock steward and let the craftsmen and crew members get off the ship first and let the dock start unloading the cargo.
Dockworkers operate cranes to help ships unload cargo.
Wu Hongyi saw a pair of tax policemen in black walking over like a fleet.
He immediately asked the shopkeeper to bring out the shipping list.
"Hello, my lord, this is our shipping list."
As he spoke, he handed the shipping manifest to the tax policeman.
The tax policeman received the shipping manifest and saw that it contained salt and grain.
"We don't charge taxes for transportation personnel.
Salt and grain are both tax-free commodities.
We will conduct random inspections of the goods.
Once you are found to be evading taxes, you will be severely fined, and the leader will also be sentenced."
The tax police began random inspections of the goods unloaded from the ship.
They also called several crew members and questioned them individually.
Wu Hongyi asked the old servant to receive the craftsmen who had just arrived.
They have bought factories and machinery in the factory area.
Wu Hongyi already had a goal. Once the craftsmen were settled, the factory would start working.
The housing prices in Hanzhong City are too high, and these craftsmen all live in villages not far from the factory area.
Wu Hongyi bought a large piece of land there and built hundreds of brick houses.
When these craftsmen have stable jobs, bring their families over.
A well-dressed businessman with a group of waiters came over to greet Wu Hongyi.
Wu Hongyi saw that the person talking to him was Qian Fuwen, the manager of the department store.
He is not an official in the commanding office, but he is in charge of the largest company and enjoys the treatment of a seventh-grade official.
The most important thing is his son Qian Mingyi, who is a close confidant of Commander Su He and his future is limitless.
Wu Hongyi signaled to Qian Fuwen, and they went to the cabin to discuss matters.
Qian Fuwen looked at the sacks containing salt piled very high on the big ship.
He said happily:
"Brother Wu Xian, your salt has finally arrived.
You were able to transport more than one million kilograms of salt this time. On behalf of the Commander-in-Chief, I would like to thank you."
Wu Hongyi responded with a smile:
"Manager Qian, don't worry, I should hire a convoy to deliver the salt."
Qian Fuwen said with relief: "I am also very anxious, I am too short of salt now.
The price of salt keeps rising every day.
If the price continues to rise, people will no longer be able to afford salt.
Bringing so much affordable salt from you can greatly alleviate the current salt shortage."
Wu Hongyi also knew that the price of salt has increased again.
When he was in Yuelai Restaurant just now, he heard many diners discussing that some people could no longer afford salt.
"Manager Qian, I have a small request.
Don't tell anyone, these salts are sold by my family.
If we break the default rules of Chu merchants, we will no longer be able to transport salt."
The Wu family has always focused on trading grain.
A small-scale salt well was found in their home.
In the Ming Dynasty, a large amount of private salt was sold. The former Wu family was OK, but the current Wu family is not qualified.
In the past, you could only buy salt at a high price and take some with you when selling salt.
It happened that Wu Hongyi learned that there was a shortage of salt in Hanzhong, so he asked his family to transport some of the salt they had hoarded.
When Qian Fuwen heard this simple request, he smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry, we will let out the news. This is Sichuan's well salt coming in."
He was very shrewd, and Wu Hongyi knew what this man meant as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Mr. Wu, after I finish transporting the salt, I will take you to the textile factory.
A large amount of cloth has been produced there, and the price is very low. You will definitely not suffer a loss this time.
You can also buy the patent for soap."
When Wu Hongyi heard what Qian Fuwen said, he felt relieved.
He will gradually contact the commander's office. If people like Su He can gain momentum, the family will increase investment here.
If people like Su He failed, he, Wu Hongyi, would be abandoned, and everything would be his own decision.
Wu Hongyi smiled and said: "Manager Qian, I have to go to deliver food to the Ding family.
It will be almost noon when you finish transporting all the salt.
At that time, I had finished delivering the food, and we met at the gate of the textile factory."
When Qian Fuwen heard Wu Hongyi's request, he readily agreed.
"That's just right. I'll finish counting the salt and go over to complete the transaction procedures with you. Then we'll settle the accounts together."
Wu Hongyi asked the shopkeeper to stay and help people coming from home to do business with the department store.
He is the shopkeeper in charge of the grain trade, and by using him to direct the transactions, he can deceive others.
The shopkeeper is more familiar with the transaction process here in Hanzhong, so there will be no mistakes.
They had already booked a mule train, and originally had to find a way to cover up the traces of salt.
A bag of salt and a bag of grain have different weights. Skilled transporters can detect the anomaly, but now there is no need to do so.
The salt is transported by the department store's own fleet.
The Chu merchants currently have a bad relationship with the Tongling Mansion, and they cannot influence the official companies of the Tongling Mansion.
These people also had to follow the rules. Many people stared at these salt merchants, waiting for them to make mistakes.
Wu Hongyi found the handlebars of the mule team and asked him to arrange workers to load the grain unloaded from the dock.
The workers were busy for a long time, loading the grain into trucks and transporting it directly to the Ding family's rice mill.
He took the accountant and some clerks and drove the grain truck to the Ding family rice mill.
Wu Hongyi was on the lead car and saw that there were very few mules and carts in this convoy, accounting for only a small half.
But the grain it transports accounts for more than half of the entire fleet.
The remaining cars are all wheelbarrows pushed by people.
It can hold six sacks of grain, and the workers struggled to push the wheelbarrow.
That is to say, the cement road here in Hanzhong allows a wheelbarrow to carry so many things.
On the dirt roads of their hometown, the weight of a wheelbarrow's load was limited.
Wu Hongyi saw a small bag hanging on the back of the mule's buttocks.
He asked curiously about the handlebar style.
"Why do you all have a small bag on the back of your mules' buttocks?"
Handlebar Style said with heartache: "These officials have to take care of everything.
Animals found defecating on the road will be fined ten copper coins.
If it is a human being, he will be fined fifty copper coins.
There are many wooden toilets along the road.
People can go to the toilet conveniently, but animals can only put a bag on their backs."
Only then did Wu Hongyi realize that when he was walking in Hanzhong City, there was no smell like Hanyang City.
In Hanyang City, especially where poor people live, some people just throw toilet bowls into the road.
These are completely invisible in Hanzhong City.
He thought it was the custom here before.
It turns out that it was managed by officials, and you would be fined if you urinated or defecated at will.
Wu Hongyi heard the crisp whistle and saw several patrolmen in blue clothes at the intersection ahead.
Waving red lanterns and blowing whistles.
"Everyone stop the car and be careful."
The long motorcade stopped in an orderly manner.
For inspection ahead, wave the green lantern several times at the intersection on the left.
The long motorcade on the left crossed the road in an orderly manner.
When Wu Hongyi saw a car on the opposite side that was not obeying the inspection command, he rushed over directly.
The patrol inspector walked over with a whip in his hand and hit him with a whip.
The man was whipped, and his screams spread far away.
Handlebar Style gloated: "Another person didn't obey the traffic rules and was beaten badly.
There are so many vehicles coming and going in the factory area that it was easy to block the road some time ago.
All the vehicles are crowded on the road and no one can pass.
Some time ago, the Commander-in-Chief Office set up patrol inspections at traffic intersections and used traffic lights to allow people to pass in an orderly manner.
Minor violations are just for education. If violations are too serious, you will be caned."
The patrol ahead waved the green light, and the convoy set off again, passing through the intersection in an orderly manner.
Wu Hongyi discovered that in Hanzhong City, everything must be done in order.
He has to take care of all aspects of the governor's office.
In this year of war and chaos, this kind of government has won the hearts of the people.
He has been in Hanzhong City for so long that he hasn't seen a single beggar.
He has also heard that if a beggar appears in the city, he will be taken into custody immediately.
People with disabilities will be asked to do simple tasks, such as looking after doors.
If their bodies are not damaged, they will be sent directly to farms or mines to support themselves.
The convoy soon arrived at the back door of a huge factory.
Wu Hongyi saw his family friend, Uncle Ding Wannian, already waiting at the door.
Uncle Ding's previous power was not as strong as theirs.
Now his son-in-law is the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the interpersonal relationships behind him are very strong.
Wu Hongyi adjusted the relationship between the two families in time. He was in Hanzhong City and needed Uncle Ding to take care of many things.
He immediately walked towards Ding Wannian and said with a smile: "Uncle Ding, why did you come to pick me up at the door in person?"
“The rice mills are almost running out of food, I’m so worried!
It's all the fault of that old guy Zhu Xieyuan for sealing the Han River.
Now a lot of grain cannot be shipped in, and the amount of grain that can be shipped in has also increased a lot.
Fortunately, my dear nephew, you arrived in time. Now there is so much grain, and my grain store can keep it going until the autumn harvest without any problem."
Wu Hongyi and Ding Wannian handed over the grain.
Ding Wannian pointed to more than a dozen large scales next to the factory warehouse.
A weighing beam more than two meters long is placed on an iron frame.
One end is a large iron hook, and the other end is a movable weight fixed on the scale beam through a slide.
"My dear nephew, this is a large scale verified by the Measurement Department of the Ministry of Industry.
You'd better verify its accuracy, so that we can all rest assured.
We trade on this scale."
Wu Hongyi signaled to the waiter with his eyes.
They carried a large stone weighing one hundred kilograms from the mule cart.
This is the Ming-made one hundred catties used in Hanyang Mansion.
He carefully checked the reading of the scale and converted the two weight units based on the knowledge taught in the newspaper.
He carefully compared the reading on the scale and found that the weight was exactly the same. The scale was very accurate.
The scale of grain trading is very large, and even if the difference is small, the difference will be several thousand taels of silver in the end.
Wu Hongyi knew the weights and measures of the governor's office. He immediately called the accountant and the clerk over and taught them how to read the scale.
Wu Hongyi asked the accountant to count the weight of the grain.
With so much grain, even if the factory has more than ten large scales, it will take noon at the earliest to weigh all the grain.
Wu Hongyi watched the workers slowly weighing the grain, and he shouted anxiously: "This scale can weigh up to 500 kilograms.
You adjust the scale to the 500-jin position and level the scale with the grain.
This way, we can weigh out five hundred kilograms of grain very quickly."
Workers followed Wu Hongyi's method and weighed grain faster.
"My dear nephew, I'll leave some statistics here. I'll take you to visit my rice mill."
Wu Hongyi immediately agreed, he also wanted to catch up with Uncle Ding.
They walked out of the warehouse at the back door and came to the factory in the front yard.
I heard loud roars coming from the factory.
Wu Hongyi saw more than twenty three-meter-high machines, driven by two waterwheels, driving belts through transmission shafts and running at high speed.
Workers carried sacks through wooden stairs and onto a three-meter-high platform.
He opened the sack with a knife and poured the grain in the sack into a large funnel.
Wu Hongyi discovered that there were many iron cylinders on the rice milling machine. Two of them were close together to form a group, and they were driven by the belt to rotate rapidly.
Through these iron cylinders, the husk of the rice is directly ground away.
Under the machine, there is a small machine that can generate wind when it is running.
The rice and rice bran are directly separated by wind blowing.
Wu Hongyi looked at the speed of the rice mill and saw that a bag of grain could be processed in just a few breaths.
"Uncle Ding, the rice milling machine is so fast. After having a rice milling machine, who would be able to pound rice?"
Ding Wannian was very happy, but also said with some heartache: "This large-scale hydraulic rice mill only costs 2,000 taels of silver coins.
If I couldn't do it, who would waste the money?
I heard that the thing called the fan in the machine was invented by Commander Su himself.
He made a hand-cranked fan, which I heard was very popular among high-ranking officials.
Fans are also used in machines such as rice mills.
I have seen a large water-powered fan, and the wind it generates can blow people away."
"I also saw this story in Hanzhong Weekly.
Uncle Ding, how are the food prices in Hanzhong City now?
When I came here, I read in the newspaper that one stone of grain in northern Shaanxi already cost ten taels of silver.
The price is too high, and many people are rushing to become thieves."
Ding Wannian frowned, thinking that Wu Hongyi was not satisfied with the price they had discussed before.
"My dear nephew, what you said is wrong. What is the situation in northern Shaanxi?
It was a time when the rivers were dry and there was no cockcrow for thousands of miles.
Not to mention that one stone of food in that place costs ten taels of silver.
In some places, one hundred taels of silver have been paid.
We are far from starving to death here.
I will also give you an honest price, and then increase the price a bit.
For one hundred catties of grain, I will pay 2.6 taels of silver.
Dear nephew, this is already a high price in Hanzhong City.
We have a long-term cooperation, and I can't possibly cheat you.
Let me tell you the truth. Our grain store sells grain. One hundred catties of rice only costs three taels of silver coins.
We still have to pay a 5% tax, and we earn a lot of hard money."
Ding Wannian talks about earning hard-earned money, which implies huge benefits.
Rice bran can be used to extract oil, and rice bran can also be sold to poor people and Hanzhong farms, which is also a lot of income.
Wu Hongyi also learned about the grain prices in Hanzhong in advance.
The price of food here is lower than that of many cities in the Ming Dynasty.
Huguang is a major grain-producing province, and now the price of grain in Hanyang has reached three taels of silver per stone.
I heard that the price of food in the capital has risen to four taels of silver per stone.
But not everyone can do this kind of business.
The Wu family would rather transport the grain to Hanzhong and sell it than sell it in Hanyang City at a high price.
The Wu family wanted to sell grain in Hanyang City, but they could only sell it to the local gentry for two taels of silver and one stone.
Only those with access to the capital or connections with local officials could monopolize the grain market.
"Uncle Ding, I'll give you the price."
Wu Hongyi immediately agreed. At this price, they could still make a lot of money.
