Three days later, Zheng Haizhu left Zheng Shoukuan in Zhenjiang and followed Wu Bangdang to prepare for the insurance company. He chartered a ship and brought with him the recruited young and strong male and female fiber workers and a soldier hired from the old general Qi Jin.
The captain and two veterans went south to Songjiang Yunjian Pier.
On the boat, after Zheng Haizhu gave the trackers a brief lecture, he divided the fifty men into five groups, and each group elected a "squad leader."
When Zheng Haizhu was recruiting, he deliberately avoided recruiting more than five people from the same village. He also paid attention to the concept of "fellow villagers" in Mohu when grouping people, but he would leave one person in each group who could recognize simple Chinese characters or be able to do basic arithmetic.
Sure enough, the five "squad leaders" who were finally elected were all "intellectuals" among this group of people.
As the "leader" of the four female fiber workers, Zheng Haizhu appointed Dong Erya, who had a baby and a dog, to be the "leader".
Arriving in Songjiang smoothly, after completing the process of meeting the owner, signing the employment contract, and settling in the Yamen, Zheng Haizhu arranged for everyone to receive the monthly silver and move into the servants' dormitory in the north of Wenzhe Garden. After another day of repairs, he began to follow the three
Qi Jiajun instructors practice the Yuanyang Formation.
Han Ximeng told Zheng Haizhu that in just ten days, Han Xiying had left South Zhili.
"Azhu, my second uncle came to ask me first what I thought about how to deal with the third girl. I know that my second uncle is a fair elder, but after all, the third girl is the only bloodline of my third uncle. If the Shen family commits suicide, Feng Abao will also decide
The government didn't really want to get involved with San Yatou, who was an accomplice of the Jin Gentry lady. What the second uncle wanted to do was to drive her away. I nodded, and the second uncle went to find someone to talk to.
The military general who wanted a concubine, named Qiao Yiqi, took the three girls directly north to Liaodong."
Zheng Haizhu was stunned.
Ah? Qiao Yiqi?
Qiao Yiqi was a local, with a martial arts background, and had been leading the army in the Northeast. Since there were not many people from Jiangnan who worked as guerrillas in the Northeast or participated in the fight against the Jin Dynasty, Qiao Yiqi from Shanghai and Mao Wenlong from Hangzhou were very famous in later generations, so Zheng Haizhu remembered them roughly, at least two
Three years later, Qiao Yiqi probably committed suicide in front of the enemy after failing to break through in the Battle of Sarhu.
Qiao Yiqi was in her forties, and her legitimate wife and children were all in Songjiang. She asked Han Xiying to be her concubine, just like Mao Wenlong, who found a younger one and went to the north to serve him.
Even so, Zheng Haizhu still felt that this was an advantage for Han Xiying, and she was also an accomplice. However, she could still avoid prison and take care of the daily life of the patriotic soldiers. However, she did not know whether she would be killed in a military disaster.
This matter is over.
Zheng Haizhu calmed down and began to make a staged summary in his mind.
This midsummer of the forty-fifth year of Wanli was the day when she traveled to the Ming Dynasty for three years.
She needs to sort out her current relationship with the indigenous people of Ming Dynasty, as well as the assets at hand.
The first is the educational enlightenment career that she values most in her heart, Shoukuan School. Currently, the school directors are Zhang Dai and Zhang Yanke brothers from Shaoxing. Zheng Haizhu plans to gradually develop the school according to the model of the education foundation. What is certain is that she will not
Prepared as a field for personal profit.
Secondly, her relationship with the Han family developed as she planned, gradually shifting from employment to cooperation.
Currently, there are two types of foreign trade lists sent to the Han family by Liu Shimin of the Weaving Bureau.
One category is various derivatives of silk-cotton blended Zhang velvet and Songjiang cloth. Han Zhongwen's own weaving workshop is the supplier, and Han Zhongwen also takes the profits.
Han Zhongwen was not stingy, and he knew how to handle it. He knew that Zheng Haizhu was favored by Eunuch Liu, and they worked together through adversity. Therefore, even if Zheng Haizhu followed Han Ximeng and left the Han Mansion, Han Zhongwen still asked the accountant to pay Zheng Haizhu three taels of salary every month.
Zheng Haizhu deserved this, just like later generations of companies raising a public relations executive who can do well in government relations. In the Ming Dynasty, which was still a feudal society after all, a woman who did not have to sell her body to the harem, her husband's family or a brothel could get a monthly salary
Three taels of silver without having to pay taxes is indeed considered a high salary.
Another type of order issued by Eunuch Liu was for clothing without oriental characteristics and made according to Western habits, mainly baroque men's shirts, waistbands, lace half-pants, women's dresses, etc., which Han Ximeng himself served as dowry
The tailor shop took over the assets, and the profits went into Han Ximeng's private money account. Not to mention Zheng Haizhu, even the Gu family had no share. But because the tailor shop is currently located in the banana garden of Shoukuan School, Zheng Haizhu also devoted some of his energy to it.
Guan, the monthly salary paid by Han Ximeng to Zheng Haizhu is five taels of silver.
In this way, in terms of executive income, Zheng Haizhu earns nearly one hundred taels of silver every year.
But this small amount of money is enough to enjoy flowers and birds, and play with petty bourgeois sentiments, but it is far from enough to describe her blueprint.
Therefore, Zheng Haizhu knows that his business, connections, and research and development must continue to expand.
Yan Siqi's dividends to Zheng Haizhu, plus the reinvested money, totaled 20,000 taels. This time, it was agreed that Zheng Haizhu would arrange it independently on the mainland.
Five thousand taels were given to Mao Wenlong's son Mao Chengbei as start-up capital to apply for the "Haoming" trading company in Hangzhou with Yan Siqi, Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Haizhu as the original shareholders. They successively recruited people and established a supplier pool for tea, porcelain and Hangzhou brocade.
Trying to sell goods to Liaodong for the second time. Mao Wenlong learned from his son's letter that the Yan brothers had occupied Tainan and were about to be made chieftains by the court. He immediately wrote back and asked his son to use the 500 taels of dividends saved last time as stock participation.
, invested in "Haoming" trading company.
The second part of the 20,000 taels of silver, 8,000 taels, was used to purchase silk thread, silk, cotton and other raw materials and to pay the salaries of embroiderers and seamstresses. The money was turned into goods, mainly tobacco shreds that the Japanese needed in the Tang and Song Dynasty paintings.
Bags, handkerchiefs, high-end fans, and two-toed cotton socks were sent by Zheng Zhilong and Tang Bo to Yuegang and handed over to Yan Siqi, who owned a shipyard, and then sold to Japan. This part of the proceeds, according to the profits of normal sea trade, would be paid back in early autumn.
, Zheng Haizhu should be able to get a few thousand taels of dividends again, and take back the 800 taels that he had previously transferred to Daishan Island to rescue and support people.
The third part of the twenty thousand taels was seven thousand taels. One thousand taels was given to Qi Jin, five thousand taels was used as the start-up capital for the establishment of the shipping insurance company, and five hundred taels was given to Wu Bondang alone as the cost of training intelligence personnel. Three hundred taels
Wu Bondang was entrusted to go to Nanjing Imperial College to donate a so-called "handsome son" crown and ribbon for Zheng Shoukuan.
So, at the last count, Zheng Haizhu only had two hundred taels left on hand, and he would probably spend it soon.
Because of the future God of War who loves firearms, Lu Xiangsheng, Mr. Lu, a top student, is planning to lead a scientific research team before the provincial examination next year.
…
Before coming to Zhenjiang, Lu Xiangsheng seriously mentioned to Zheng Haizhu that since Wang Hong, an official of the Guangdong Sea Patrol, had successfully imitated the Frankie people's blunderbuss and small cannon as early as the Jiajing period, then Ming craftsmen would certainly be able to continue to imitate them. , and even improve the new firearms that foreigners keep appearing.
Lu Xiangsheng's words touched Zheng Haizhu.
At the beginning of the year, when he was in distress on the Penghu sea and saw the Spanish fleet's ship-based guns, Zheng Haizhu once asked Yan Siqi for information about foreign artillery. Yan Siqi had directly seen the Dutch fleet in Hirado Port, Japan, so he was sure to tell Zheng Haizhu , the Dutch's cannon is no longer the Frankie breech type, but the spindle-shaped smoothbore type.
Zheng Haizhu understood that it should be the "Red Yi Cannon" that Xu Guangqi advocated for the imperial court to purchase a few years later.
In the real historical line, the Red Yi Cannon later played an important role in repelling the Jin Army in the Battle of Ningyuan, and was a magic weapon for the Ming Army to defend the city and retreat from the enemy. However, during the Chongzhen Period, Huang Taiji used craftsmen among Han captives to successfully imitate the cannon. The "Red Yi Cannon" belonging to the Later Jin Army was produced, and because of the taboo of the word "Yi", it was renamed the "Red Cannon". After that, the Later Jin Army could no longer do without the Ming Army and Li Zicheng's army. When the cannon was fired, the Yangzhou city gate guarded by Shi Kefa was destroyed by the red cannon.
Therefore, Lu Xiangsheng’s idea is correct. The wheel of history is rolling forward. When the world’s military history enters the era of hot weapons, who can imitate guns faster, make greater improvements, and better gain intergenerational advantages? Who can take the initiative?
Have to make firecrackers and spindle cannons.
As for the fire gun, the library has Zhao Shizhen's "Artifact Manual".
As for the spindle-shaped red cannon, Zheng Zhilong, who grew up in Macau, could try to get the blueprints from the Portuguese cannon factory.
At the same time, Zheng Haizhu pondered that Zhenjiang, like Suzhou, was once the central area of Wu rule. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Yue were good at casting bronze ware. In modern times, Zhenjiang still retains an intangible cultural heritage base for bronze ware casting.
Everything you need to know about the foundry industry is nothing more than furnace temperature, casting material composition, oxidation and reduction processes and other process issues. So, Zhenjiang could cast copper in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it would definitely be possible to cast iron and steel after the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Zheng Haizhu told Lu Xiangsheng about his guess that there might be a skilled iron caster in Zhenjiang. Mr. Lu, who was extremely smart and had clear goals, indeed found the right place during the few days when Zheng Haizhu was interviewing the trackers.
Sunjia Village, Danyang, Zhenjiang.
It turns out that during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Helu of Wu acquired the famous Yue swords such as Moye, Zhanlu, Yuchang, and Juque. He also established many bronze sword casting workshops in Danyang of Wu State. However, King Gou Jian of Yue defeated him. After King Wu's death, a large number of Wu's foundry craftsmen moved to Yue, and Sunjia Village in Danyang, a base for casting and smelting bronze swords and bronze wares, came out of the sight of rulers of all dynasties.
Fortunately, unlike the short lifespan of many dynasties, the craftsmanship mastered by intelligent workers can be passed down from generation to generation throughout history.
In Sunjia Village, Lu Xiangsheng actually found a master who knew how to cast iron tools and forge swords using ancient methods.