As soon as they met, Zheng Zunrang thanked Shi Jiuke profusely.
However, Shi Jiuke was completely confused by Zheng Zunrang and asked: "Brother Zheng, you have painted the whole lake for me. How can you thank me for being so good?"
Zheng Zunrang was stunned when he heard this: "You don't know yet?"
"What do you know?" Shi Jiuke asked confused.
For more than half a month, Shi Jiuke has been waiting outside Shangfang's door.
Zheng Zunrang slapped his thigh and said: "The capital is victorious and Jiannu has been wiped out!"
"A great victory in the capital?!" Shi Jiuke was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Did I really get what I said?"
"No, it's all thanks to you, dear brother, this time." Zheng Zunrang said, "If you hadn't sworn to tell me that the war to exterminate slaves would definitely end in the first half of the year, I wouldn't have been able to raise capital in advance."
"It's ready now. It's estimated that your Shi family and our Zheng family have prepared the most money."
Speaking of this, he added: "We must hold as many shares as possible in this Beijing-Beijing Railway stock offering. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
How about saying that merchants have the most sensitive sense of smell?
The Battle of Baliqiao had just ended, and even those officials who had rebelled against the country and surrendered to the enemy had not yet been liquidated. Businessmen like the Zheng family and the Shi family were already coveting the business opportunities brought by the railway.
"That's what Brother Zheng said." Shi Jiuke also said.
"The construction of the Beijing-Beijing Railway has nothing to do with us. The Holy Father has already promised it to the Wang and Hu families, but we still have the opportunity to participate in the freight company after the railway is completed."
After a pause, Shi Jiuke asked again: "Brother Zheng, how much capital have you prepared?"
"Not much, only two million." Zheng Zunrang asked with a smile, "Brother Xian, how much have you prepared?"
"Brother Zheng, I can't compare with you." Shi Jiuke waved his hand and said, "I can only squeeze out one million yuan, and I won't be able to get any more."
With the development of industry and commerce, the wealth of the Ming bourgeoisie is growing at an alarming rate.
For example, the Zheng family in Kuaiji County could only brew a few thousand shi of rice wine a year before Chongzhen's seventeenth year, and the annual profit was only a few thousand taels of silver. However, after the Ministry of Internal Affairs injected capital, especially after receiving the new army's
After the big order, Zhengjia Brewery's sales expanded rapidly like a balloon, and now its annual profit has reached more than two million.
Of course, most of the two million profit goes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the Zheng family just drank soup and accumulated a lot of wealth in the past five years. For example, this time, the Zheng family’s self-raised funds plus various
He planted his property as collateral and borrowed funds from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, totaling two million yuan.
Before, the Zheng family really didn't dare to think about it.
Due to the fierce competition in the silk industry, the total output value of the silk reeling, knitting and other workshops of the Shi family cannot be compared with that of Zheng's brewing workshop. However, fortunately, the profit margin is very large, so they have saved a lot in the past few years.
In addition to borrowing funds from several banks, we have actually prepared 1 million yuan in funds.
The key is that Ming Dynasty allowed mortgage loans, which greatly accelerated the expansion of industrial capital.
"My dear brother, one million yuan is already a lot. In the past, only salt merchants could afford this much."
Zheng Zunrang laughed and continued: "Then there will be no more words. Let's leave quickly. Although the official document from the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not been issued yet, it probably won't take too long. We have to take the first step."
"Brother Zheng, please wait a moment for me to speak to the manager of the silk-cutting factory."
Shi Jiuke immediately entrusted the affairs of the silk reeling factory to the steward, and then followed Zheng Zunrang back to Nanjing. After arriving in Nanjing, he took the gold ticket issued by the Nanjing Head Office of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and took a boat straight to Beijing.
…
Outside Caochangmen, Longjiang Shipyard.
For the past half month, Zheng Zhilong has been staying at the shipyard for food and accommodation.
Moreover, Zheng Zhilong also deliberately isolated internal and external news so as not to disturb him.
The reason why Zheng Zhilong is so anxious is because the Ming Dynasty's first steam-powered warship has reached a critical juncture, and the moment to witness history and witness miracles is about to come.
Early that morning, Zheng Zhilong came to the shipyard and took a seat at the viewing platform.
Amidst the sound of footsteps, a scholar from the Naval Academy hurried up.
"My lord," the scholar said excitedly, "everything is ready."
"Very good." Zheng Zhilong sat on the Grand Master's chair, patted the armrest and said, "Send my order and the trial voyage begins!"
"My lord, the trial has begun!" Zheng Zhilong's order was passed down step by step, and soon it was passed from the viewing platform on the shore to the lookout post on the mast, and then from the lookout post to the deck of the warship, and then
From the deck to the power cabin, the sailors guarding the power cabin immediately opened the furnace cover and fed shovelfuls of anthracite coal into the furnace.
This batch of anthracite coal was mined from coal mines in Yongcheng County.
As the fire burns brightly, the scale of the pressure gauge rises at a speed visible to the naked eye.
When the scale of the pressure gauge finally reached 1 mark and there was a pressure difference of one atmosphere, a naval officer opened the valve with force, and the hot high-pressure steam immediately entered the huge cylinder of the steam engine through the valve.
Driven by the high-pressure steam, the flywheel began to move slowly.
After a while, the flywheel speed changed from slow to fast, and finally became very fast.
The rotation of the flywheel drives the propeller at the stern of the ship through the propeller shaft.
Soon, the high-speed rotation of the propeller stirred the river water and produced huge propulsion force.
Driven by this propulsion force, the 2000-material warship began to move forward at a speed visible to the naked eye. Zheng Zhilong and others on the viewing platform immediately cheered, it was really done, the steam engine warship was really done!
From this moment on, the Daming Navy will enter an unprecedented new stage.
Just as Zheng Zhilong and other navy officers and soldiers were cheering, another student rushed over with a newspaper in his hand, and Zheng Zhilong's expression immediately turned serious.
"what happened?"
"Who asked you to bring the newspaper in?"
Before the student could speak, Zheng Zhilong scolded him harshly.
But the student gasped to himself and said: "My lord, the capital has won a great victory, and the slaves have been destroyed!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "What? A great victory in the capital, and the Jian slaves were exterminated?" Zheng Zhilong turned his anger into joy, "This is really a double happiness."
After a pause, Zheng Zhilong said expectantly: "With the Jian slaves destroyed, the hypocrites and Western thieves will become a disease of mustard, and the Ming Dynasty can devote more troops and resources to open up the sea! It belongs to the era of our navy.
It’s coming soon, hahaha!”
Zheng Zhilong still clearly remembers what Chongzhen said to him at the beginning, new routes, new continents, and South America and Oceania. There are too many sea areas in the world waiting for their navy to explore, and there are too many new continents waiting for them.
The Ming Dynasty's new army officers and soldiers went to occupy it, and all of this was inseparable from the navy.
Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong could no longer suppress the eagerness in his heart.
Then he said to Zheng Cai next to him: "Sign up and ask them to turn on the power of the steam engine to the maximum. I want to see how fast this steam engine can make a 2000-material warship run?"
Zheng Cai responded yes and quickly issued the order with a flag.
Soon, black smoke billowed from the chimney of the test ship.
Immediately afterwards, the test ship accelerated at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Because the speed is so fast, it drags a huge wake at the stern of the ship.
A small fishing boat that happened to be passing nearby was almost capsized by the wake.
Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but be overjoyed when he saw this. This speed was much faster than a sail.
The key is that this thing does not need to be propelled by wind and can be driven at any time.
Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong became even more excited.
The trials of the steam engine ship must be completed as soon as possible.
Then modify the navy's large and small warships as quickly as possible.
…
Zheng Zhilong and the students at the Naval Academy were very happy, but the officials in Nanjing were very distressed.
Because it was sent to Nanjing with the Tang newspaper, there was also a decree from the Holy Emperor, requiring officials of all sizes in Nanjing to leave for Beijing within three days after receiving the decree. Of course, the family members did not need to go to Beijing for the time being.
Chongzhen's intention was already obvious, which was to return the capital and move the capital back to Beijing.
For Chongzhen, a time traveler, moving the capital back to Beijing was a matter of course.
The reasons for moving the capital from Nanjing back to Beijing can be summarized as follows.
First, combining the political and cultural center and the economic center of the Ming Dynasty is a terrible choice. It doesn't matter now, but it will overwhelm the city in the near future, especially in the seventeenth century when science and technology were not developed enough.
Water supply, sewage and transportation will all become huge burdens.
The second is to promote the prosperity and development of several northern provinces.
Several provinces in Beijing, especially the Gyeonggi area, were massacred by the six invasions of the Jian slaves, coupled with the devastation of the peasant uprising. It can be said that the lives of many provinces in Beijing are in ruins, and everything is in dire straits. If the capital is not moved back to Beijing at this time, several provinces in the north will inevitably be destroyed.
The recovery speed of the provincial economy and people's livelihood has become extremely slow, which is obviously very detrimental.
The third one is balance. Regional balance is still very necessary.
As for the emperor guarding the country, it has actually become a false proposition.
Because before long, Beijing will become the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty.
To sum up, moving the capital back to Beijing can be said to be an inevitable choice.
But this disappointed those officials who preferred Nanjing as the capital.
Even many scholars in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were full of complaints. For example, the Finance and Silk Affairs Department complained about Zhang Dai.
Needless to say, Zhang Dai's ability goes without saying, otherwise Ma Mingluan would not think so highly of him, but it is undeniable that Zhang Dai also pursues all kinds of enjoyment in life.
Zhang Dai has such a beautiful maid, such a beautiful house, such fresh clothes, such a good plowing of the garden, and such good singing...
If he went to Beijing, most of Zhang Dai's hobbies would be wiped out.
Beijing at this time, in Zhang Dai's eyes, was a borderland cultural desert.
So what’s wrong with Nanjing? It has a large population, prosperity, and rich nightlife. There is no city in the world that is more suitable as a capital than Nanjing.
Holy lord, why does he want to return the capital?
Why do you have to return to Beijing?
But there was no way. Chongzhen had no intention of discussing this matter with the civil and military officials. He directly used the edict to force the officials to go north, and only gave them three days.
Civil and military officials had no choice but to go north.
Even if he opposed the return of the capital, he had to wait until Beijing to bring it up. After all, the Holy Spirit did not explicitly say that the capital should be returned, but only said that we had to discuss important matters.