"We can make salt!" Wang Xuexin said, "Send the salt to the county town to sell!"
Wang Xuexin knew this because he remembered that the Eighth Route Army's "future" way to increase foreign exchange earnings was to rely on salt.
Since it is feasible in the "future", it is absolutely right to propose this path!
Unexpectedly, the chief of staff sighed and replied: "We are still short of salt. Where can we buy salt?"
Wang Xuexin was confused for a moment. This couldn't be true, right? Could it be that he remembered it wrong?
Seeing Wang Xuexin's confused look, the chief of staff explained: "There is indeed a salt-producing land near us, and there is a salt lake in Yuncheng to the south, but that is Yan Laoxi'er's territory. Before the blockade, it was easy to say that we could send people
Going to fetch salt, it’s 70 yuan per load, which is expensive! Now they’re making excuses saying there’s no salt! They can’t even buy it for two thousand yuan per load!”
"Don't we have any other salt-producing land?" Wang Xuexin asked.
"Yes, yes!" the chief of staff replied: "But it's far away from Dingbian! It's more than 800 miles away! Although it's free for us to drive, but after calculating the labor and freight, one load will cost about 80 yuan.
So I never thought about this path!”
Later, Wang Xuexin learned that the Dingbian area was managed by the Mongolian villagers at this time. It had been under the high-pressure rule of Chongqing before. After the Eighth Route Army liberated Dingbian in 1936, it was returned to the villagers. In order to express its gratitude, the Mongolian villagers agreed.
The Eighth Route Army collected salt from the salt pond for free.
So Dingguo became the main source of salt for the military and civilians in the base area, and later became the economic support to break the blockade. It has just not developed yet, no wonder the chief of staff doesn't know about it.
"Chief of Staff!" Wang Xuexin said: "Then we can't go to Yuncheng to collect salt now, so we have to go to Dingbian to collect salt!"
"That's what you say!" the chief of staff replied: "But it has to be done. But if you are doing business...the salt is raised from the ground, and all the labor costs are ten yuan, plus shipping costs.
The cost is only 20 to 30 yuan at most. Yan Laoxi'er has a very strict tax, with a tax of 21 yuan per load, so the market price is only 63 yuan. But our shipping fee is 60 yuan, how can we sell it?
How about passing others?"
The chief of staff was responsible for discussing the matter of salt production in Yuncheng with Yan Laoxi'er before, so it was clear to all.
Wang Xuexin felt that there was nothing wrong with this analysis. If the cost of salt at the fixed edge was higher than the enemy's selling price, it would certainly be unprofitable.
but……
Wang Xuexin asked curiously: "Chief of Staff, why is the freight so expensive?"
The chief of staff was not very clear about the matter. He happened to see Zhang Wanhe passing nearby and called out: "Old Zhang, come on, let's talk about something!"
Zhang Wanhe is not only the director of the arsenal but also the director of logistics. He is familiar with the transportation field. When he heard this question, he raised his head and said to Wang Xuexin: "Xiaobei Dong, you don't know this! It's eight hundred miles! From Dingbian to
There are many mountain roads along this way, and there are also bandits
, a load of salt weighs one hundred and fifty kilograms, and it takes more than half a month to walk fifty miles a day. A round trip takes more than a month, and the food for people and animals costs at least more than ten kilograms, if not for several mules on the road.
You can’t even walk through this horse shop! Sixty yuan isn’t much!”
Wang Xuexin's jaw almost dropped when he heard it. A round trip of eight hundred miles takes more than a month? What's the situation?
But when I think about it, it feels normal. This is not a modern car or train, and mules and horses carry heavy objects and walk on two legs.
In addition, you have to risk being robbed by bandits, and you might even lose your life... Sixty yuan is really not much!
Then Wang Xuexin asked: "Director, what is this mule and horse shop? Does it sell mules and horses?"
At this moment, Zhang Wanhe and the chief of staff looked at Wang Xuexin with strange eyes.
The chief of staff asked: "Little Northeast, aren't there also mule and horse shops in the Northeast? How could you not know?"
Wang Xuexin was stunned on the spot: "Is there any? I really don't know!"
Zhang Wanhe said "Oh": "Xiao Dongbei was imprisoned by the Japanese to work in the arsenal. It's normal not to know!"
The chief of staff suddenly understood, and then explained: "The mule and horse shop does not sell mules and horses, it provides fodder for the mules and horses that transport things in the past, and provides food and accommodation for people!"
Wang Xuexin said "Oh" and understood.
Isn't this just an inn?
After thinking about it, Wang Xuexin said: "Chief of Staff, Factory Director... I was thinking, if we want to do this business, we have to find ways to reduce costs, so that we can make money. Our transportation accounts for the majority, why not
How about reducing this transportation cost?”
"Do you have any way to reduce costs?" Zhang Wanhe asked.
"Simple!" Wang Xuexin replied: "First we have to build the road. If the road is not good...for example, if there is a mountain road, a mule or horse can only carry one load. But if the road is made wider, it can carry one load this time."
Car! Doesn’t this reduce costs?”
The chief of staff said: "Xiao Dongbei, what you said is correct, but building roads is not a trivial matter!"
Zhang Wanhe hesitated for a moment and then said: "Chief of Staff, if we have to make long-term plans, then this road must be repaired, and the earlier it is repaired, the more cost-effective it will be!"
The chief of staff understood the "long-term plan" as soon as he heard it.
This is correct. Although it is difficult now, the enemy's blockade is not for one day or two days, but for one year, two years or even longer.
And salt is a necessity, everyone needs it every day.
So of course it is better to repair this road sooner rather than later.
If it is repaired early, you can enjoy the benefits. If it is not repaired, it will continue to be transported with low efficiency and high cost. This is actually a loss.
What's more, if it is difficult to repair the road now, it may be even more difficult and impossible to repair it in the future!
Thinking about the chief of staff, he nodded: "That's right. I'll tell the chief later."
Wang Xuexin went on to say: "We can also open a mule and horse shop. You see, we have planned how many miles it will take in half a day, and then open a mule and horse shop there, so that the transport team can stop and eat every meal every day to feed the mules.
Once you've had enough to drink, you'll be on the road again. You'll be able to go from one stop to another with ease, and you don't need to bring any dry food."
Wang Xuexin couldn't hold back his words when he was so happy:
"Not only do we reduce transportation costs, we also generate income for ourselves. Moreover, we only recognize Guanghua coupons, so my fellow villagers will not use legal currency but Guanghua coupons? If any new money is issued in the future, all it takes is one change!"
"Besides, what are the bandits along the way? Our Eighth Route Army opened a mule and horse shop along the way. We opened several stores every half day. The guys who fed the horses and chopped firewood all had boxes on their waists and cannons on their backs.
Carrying a rifle, how dare the bandits come to cause trouble?"
"In our mule and horse shop, fellow villagers can live with peace of mind, right? The transportation is much faster and faster, and it is safe along the way. The transportation cost must also decrease exponentially?"
"When the time comes, we will transport this salt to the enemies and Japanese soldiers, hehe..."
The chief of staff and Zhang Wanhe were stunned when they heard this.
This little Northeast... why is it that he treats all problems like a joke!