Chapter 209: Liu Mengbiao presides over the capital industry
It's easier said than done.
For wealthy officials in the capital, their servants usually have masons and carpenters. They can do small renovations by themselves, but not large ones.
Ordinary families have limited costs, so they will definitely be very cautious when renovating a kang stove.
Therefore, you cannot start the work directly by yourself, you need to make sufficient preparations, especially forming a special construction team.
Moreover, it is a construction team that specializes in flue renovation and housing civil engineering, directly transforming high-quality projects that are efficient, safe, and carbon-saving.
At this time, the houses in the capital were all main houses, facing north and south, with windows on the south. Every household had an earthen kang, which was placed near the window and the chimney was placed against the south gable.
Most stoves are in the north corner of the earthen kang. To the north of the stove is the bellows, which can be pulled at any time to make the fire burn faster. This type of flue is the most difficult to modify.
In this case, there are two solutions: one is to remove the stove and replace it with a floor stove; the other is to build a chimney outside the outer gable or back wall. The disadvantage is that a lot of heat is wasted.
Some households have a floor stove. The floor stove is placed in the middle of the ground to facilitate squatting and cooking. There is a stove pit covered with wooden boards at the back. The stove pit stores the ashes and there is no stove. As long as the honeycomb briquette stove is installed against the wall of the earthen kang
Just fine.
There are also wealthy residents who have a dedicated kitchen in the northeast corner. The flue leads directly to the north of the earthen kang in the master bedroom. There is no need to light a fire in the master bedroom, which is safe and clean. The honeycomb briquette stove in the master bedroom is placed in the same location as the floor stove in the bedroom.
Some of the bedrooms on the west side have stoves and some have floor stoves.
Some residents have a kitchen connected to the main room in the north of the master bedroom, and the stove flue leads to the earthen kang in the master bedroom, which is against the gable. In this case, the briquette stove can be placed at the root of the north wall or beside the window sill, depending on the conditions.
Wang Hongyu and Li Tiezhu personally drew construction plans and large-scale drawings, taught several masons to understand the drawings, and made various types of model rooms. They also calculated costs and profits.
Let Meng Biao first investigate the market situation of the construction team in the capital, and rely on Wei Zhongxian to open up some interpersonal relationships. After all, there are many officials and their families in the capital, and they need to have this kind of relationship to make a lot of money in this business.
Then we recruit people at the end of summer, and officially start work in autumn and winter. We will first do daily masonry work, and at the same time we will do training on coal stove and flue construction.
After the briquettes are unsalable, people's demand increases, but there is a lack of flue modifications and coal stoves are suitable, and then the business can be opened to make money on the rise.
This is called controlling the market through the industrial chain, preparing the industrial layout, and entering the construction market to make money at the commanding heights of the market that you have arranged.
As for the drawings of new houses, Wang Hongyu has drawn many types. Once the renovation project opens up, he will recruit new projects, especially large-scale courtyard houses, two-yard to five-yard projects; he can also gradually undertake public construction projects.
Wang Hongyu also envisions real estate development, road and bridge construction, and urban construction and renovation projects.
Steel plates and iron sheets require rolling mills and water pressure; and the manufacture of seamless steel pipes needs to be discussed. Water pipes and gun barrels are inseparable from seamless pipes; now it is too troublesome to drill holes in iron rods to make gun barrels.
Boilers and steam engines are also indispensable. To realize these ideas requires an industrial revolution, and there is a long way to go!
Meng Biao deeply agrees with Wang Hongyu's development ideas and direction.
After talking about the coal industry, let’s talk about the self-ringing bell.
Currently, among the dozen or so missionaries, several are good at this. Not only have they produced exquisite self-ringing clocks that sell for hundreds of taels, but they can even produce pocket watches.
A pocket watch is a good thing.
Wang Hongyu immediately thought of military uses.
In ancient times, battles required formations, and the command was mostly within sight and beyond the sphere of influence. Flags, fireworks, and fast horses were used to convey messages.
Having a pocket watch will make it much more convenient.
For example, if it is agreed to attack at three o'clock in the morning, several people will set their pocket watches so that the time is accurate and consistent. They only need to listen to the sound of the cannon to accurately launch the attack at the same time.
There is no need to send messengers to the front line to tell when to attack.
"We won't sell the pocket watch for now, we will buy it ourselves at the cost price."
"Cost price? Then the enthusiasm for making pocket watches will not be as high as the production of self-ringing clocks." Meng Biao now gives at least 20% of the profit to the missionaries and 20% of the profits to the craftsmen and apprentices for every time he sells a self-ringing clock.
According to the cost price, the enthusiasm of missionaries and apprentice craftsmen will be affected. Some people may even want to change jobs or go it alone to make and sell pocket watches alone, earning hundreds of taels per piece.
"Hehe, of course I have considered it."
Wang Hongyu said happily: "I will take away the missionaries who are good at making pocket watches and bring them to Yunyang together. And their enthusiasm will only be higher."
Meng Biao thought for a while, how difficult it was. These missionaries kept talking to each other all day long. If they didn't look down on the craftsmen and the scholar-bureaucrats didn't like them, they would have fled the workshop to do other things.
"Remember that General Zhou is from Yunyang, are you going to send him back to his hometown?"
"Yes, after Your Majesty pays homage to my eldest brother's body, I will prepare to set off. It will be June in a few days. The weather is hot, and even the lime-treated body will gradually develop problems. So, how about I
The queen will leave."
Meng Biao hesitated for a moment, swallowed his saliva and said: "Sir, please take me with you this time. Yunyang has connections with General Zhou, so more can be done there. There are also the She'an family in the southwest. It is estimated that the rebellion is just
It’s a matter of time.”
"You are still in the capital. I don't feel relieved without you here."
Wang Hongyu thought about bringing Meng Biao with him, but now is not the time. When the base area expands, he will be asked to come from the "white area" at that time.
"By the way, did Wei Liangqing draw too much oil and water from the workshop?"
Meng Biao was almost speechless when he mentioned Wei Liangqing, but he didn't have any problems with this issue.
"He was very playful and spent money lavishly. Half of the store's dividends were given to Eunuch Wei and him, but most of them were squandered by him. However, he respected us and did not do anything excessive, and he did not do any bad things to the poor.
On the contrary, what he likes most is to see the scholar-officials who were once aloof, now kneeling at his feet, giving money and gifts, and begging him to do things. He is very happy bullying the scholar-officials, and has no intention of bullying the rest of us."
At this point, Meng Biao smiled and shook his head. Should he say that he didn't like this kind of greed, or lamented that he was too willful?
"Okay." Wang Hongyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This kind of guy who takes out his anger on scholar-bureaucrats will usually become the worst character in history books.
Wang Hongyu arranged for him to start work on the construction team. He should plan this matter carefully and not rush for success.
As for the missionaries, I will discuss with Jinni Ge and leave some people behind, including Jinni Ge, to try to persuade them to take them away together.
This is very difficult, but very important.
And Wang Hongyu has a good idea.
"I will take away 5,000 taels this time, and you will invest the rest in reproduction. You will send the remaining funds quarterly."
"yes!"
A seasoned and steady person is best suited to do this job, and Wang Hongyu currently has Meng Biao as the most suitable person.