The next day, Li Damao got up early, took some mountain goods with him to sell in Tieling, and brought back some things he needed for daily life.
In fact, he had forgotten what Yan Song said about the steam cultivator yesterday. He only went to Tieling to buy things in the city.
Nanshan Village is not very far from Tieling, only thirty miles away.
Tieling used to be the location of a health post. With the establishment of the Chief Envoy in Liaodong and the continuous migration of a large number of immigrants to Liaodong, Tieling also began to develop rapidly and became a small county.
At this time, in the fields on both sides of a main road outside the small county town, two steam cultivators were starting up. As a raging fire burned in the steam boiler, the water in the pot boiled more and more, and the steam engines began to whine.
sound.
"Woo~woo~"
The loud noise, coupled with the billowing black smoke, soon attracted a large number of people heading to Tieling to stop and watch. Everyone looked at the two strange big guys on the roadside, wondering what they were and what they were about.
usefulness.
"Is this a steam engine?"
Li Damao, who happened to arrive in Tieling County, was immediately attracted by the whining sound and billowing black smoke, and he and Ding Dazhu also joined in the fun.
He suddenly remembered the tidy cultivator that Yan Song introduced to him yesterday, and he suddenly became more curious.
"Steam engine?"
Ding Dazhu next to him asked with little doubt: "What is this?"
"It is a machine that uses water vapor to propel it. I saw that there is no boiler. It is full of water. The fire below is constantly boiling, and the water forms steam, which then pushes the piston to move, thereby generating power."
At this time Yan Song came over with a smile and explained.
"Brother Da Mao, you are really here!"
Then he greeted Li Damao with a smile on his face. It was really not easy. He worked hard to go to the countryside to sell steam cultivators. One out of ten people agreed to come and have a look, but less than one tenth actually came.
He would be very happy that Li Damao could come.
"I was just about to go into town to do some shopping, so I stopped by to take a look."
Li Damao's face turned slightly red. He had forgotten about it. If he hadn't happened to see the steam engine, he wouldn't have remembered it.
"How big a machine can water vapor propel?"
Ding Dazhu widened his eyes slightly and said in disbelief.
"You will know later. It can not only push the machine, but also drive the plow to plow the land. It can also plow the land very quickly and deeply."
Yan Song said very confidently.
Only those who have experienced the power of the steam engine will understand the power of this machine. The power of the machine is enough to change this era.
"Woo~"
The water in the steam engine boiler is burning more and more vigorously. Along with the sound of the whistle, there are bursts of white gas coming out of the exhaust port.
"The water in the boiler has been boiled, and then it will start plowing the land."
Seeing this scene, Yan Song quickly reminded.
Behind the machine, I saw a worker working on a special plow. This kind of plow is different from the plows we usually use. This plow is very wide, has several sides, and has a smooth curved arc.
noodle.
Soon, as the plow was being installed, a man with a tin trumpet stood up and shouted.
"Fellow folks in Liaodong, this is a steam cultivator newly developed by our Jingcheng Machinery Factory. It uses steam as power and can cultivate the land very quickly and very deeply. It is very suitable for use in the Liaodong area."
"Now let's let our steam cultivator show you how to plow the land. It's better to use practical actions to show you the powerful strength of our steam cultivator than to talk about it."
"Start plowing!"
As he finished speaking, the staff on the steam cultivator began to take control.
"Woo~"
The steam cultivator made a whistle sound, and then under the attention of everyone, the steam cultivator began to start slowly. The huge body of the steam cultivator was seen moving forward in the ground. Behind it, a wide plow was
Driven by the power, it began to slowly penetrate deep into the soil.
The steam engine continued to advance, and the plow behind it was plowing the ground. The thick soil was turned out, and it was continuously turned out towards both sides of the arc surface.
"Wow~"
“You can really farm the land!”
"It's really amazing!"
"Zhuge Kongming's wooden ox and his horse?"
“Not only can I walk on my own, but I can also plow the land!”
The many onlookers couldn't help but widen their eyes in disbelief, and they all exclaimed in exclamation.
The power of the machine was displayed in front of them for the first time, making them feel the power of the machine.
"It's amazing~"
Ding Dazhu opened his eyes wide, opened his mouth wide, and sighed.
This strange-shaped thing can really plow the land, and the speed of plowing the land is too fast. Just walk through it once, and the land will be plowed.
"this?"
The same was true for Li Damao, who saw the power and speed of the machine for the first time.
He was a little unbelievable. He went directly to the field to check the plowed soil. The soil was plowed very deep, more than a foot, and some plowed insects could be seen. Moreover, the plowed soil was
The soil is all bottom black soil, which is very fertile.
Not only Li Damao, but also many people around him came to the fields and carefully inspected the plowing situation.
"The plowing is very deep~"
"Yes, you see, many bugs have been plowed out. As long as there is another frost, all these bugs will be frozen to death, and the farmers' harvest will be better this year."
"Yeah, yeah~"
"Look, there are actually birds starting to follow behind to eat the bugs."
The people around me are all old farmers, and they are all good at farming. Everyone can tell at a glance whether the land is being cultivated well or not.
If we were to use a hoe to plow the land, it would be impossible to plow it so deeply. The key point is that it is definitely not so labor-saving. The machine will plow the land after one pass.
If people were to plow the land, they would be almost dead from exhaustion, and it wouldn't be any better, let alone at such a speed.
"It's really amazing. With such a machine, you don't have to worry about having as many fields as you want. You can plant as many fields as you want."
Li Damao looked at the plowed fields in front of him. The steam cultivators had begun to move and were walking towards them again. With the sound of whining, billowing black smoke rushed into the blue sky, and the steam cultivators came into view again.
.
The huge machine walked in front, the plow behind was dragged, and the deep soil was plowed out. Everyone looked at it and were dumbfounded.
There is such a machine.
“From now on, we won’t need cattle for farming!”
"With this machine, who would use oxen? There is no way for oxen to plow so deeply."
"Yes, we have been cultivating the land all our lives. Although this ox is very powerful, it cannot drive such a large plow at once, let alone plow such a wide area of land at once."
"I have been dreaming all my life, and I have never dared to dream that farming would be so simple."
"Isn't that right? No matter how much land is cultivated like this, it won't be enough."
"How much does this machine cost?"
"It costs more than one hundred taels of silver!"
"My dear, this is too expensive. With more than one hundred taels of silver, you can almost buy ten cows. Who would buy this machine? What's more, it's one thing whether this machine is easy to use or not."
"Yeah, yeah, it's too expensive!"
"A hundred taels of silver, no one will buy it."
The people watching around marveled at the power of this steam cultivator, while also shaking their heads at its price.
One hundred taels of silver is really too expensive in this era.
It is simply not something that ordinary farmers like them can afford. Even the immigrants in Liaodong are generally considered to be of modest means, and every household has a large amount of fertile land and endless food.
But if you really want to convert it into silver, it is actually only a few taels of silver. This one hundred taels of silver is nothing more than an astronomical figure to them.
"This machine costs more than one hundred taels of silver?"
“Can’t it really be cheaper?”
Li Damao asked Yan Song beside him.
"There's really no way to make it cheaper. It's very expensive and the materials used are the best."
"Of course, although the products from our Jingcheng Machinery Factory are expensive, they are definitely worth the money. Although they cost a hundred taels of silver, we provide complete after-sales service. If there is a problem, we will be responsible for repairs, and we will also be responsible for teaching you how to use this machine."
"In addition, there are now preferential bank loans. This machine can be used for many years. As long as it is well maintained, it can be used for more than ten years. In addition, this steam engine is very useful and can be used in conjunction with other machines. For example, it can be used
It's used to transport stuff and stuff."
Yan Song smiled and said, "There is no way to discuss or bargain on the price, but we can fully provide all other services."
"It's too expensive. It's more than a hundred taels of silver. Which of us can afford it? I don't even have ten taels of silver in my hand."
After hearing this, Li Damao couldn't help but shake his head and said.
"If you can rent it to me first and make sure the machine is good and easy to use, then I will see if I decide to buy one."
"Let it be rented to you first?"
When Yan Song heard this, he was slightly startled, and then said with bright eyes: "It's not impossible. I'll ask the superior supervisor. If no one buys this machine, maybe I can rent it to you to use first."
The situation has become very clear. The price of the machine is too expensive. Not to mention these farmers, even the landowners are not willing to spend a hundred taels of silver to buy such a machine to cultivate the land.
They would rather rent the land to farmers, just collect their own rent, and buy machines to cultivate the land themselves?
This is simply impossible.
Since the advent of the steam cultivator, the sales volume has been very unsatisfactory. One of the important reasons for this is because it is too expensive, and under the form of the small-scale farmer economy in the Ming Dynasty, there seems to be no demand for it. This is why it was put in the first place.
The reason for coming to Liaodong for trial sales.