The Lu family of Fanyang, as a member of the Five Surnames and Qiwang, is holding an internal family meeting.
The core members of the Lu family who attended the meeting all looked ugly.
Now the King of Shu actually attacked the Lu family. In less than a month, the Lu family suffered heavy losses and their vitality was severely damaged.
Moreover, this is not just a simple economic loss.
What is even more frightening is that it is possible that from now on, the Lu family will completely lose their core business, the car and ship business.
"Master, in the past month, our Lu family's orders for vehicles and ships have dropped significantly. The transaction volume this month is less than 10% of last month, and it is still gradually decreasing."
"Moreover, the Chinese Commercial Bank will no longer provide us with rubber tires. I heard that railway transportation prices will also start to increase. Now our Lu family is on the verge of life and death. Family leader, what should we do now?"
After hearing this news, all the core members of the Lu family present had extremely ugly expressions.
"Hmph! Lu Yong is not responsible for all these things? If he hadn't provoked the King of Shu over and over again, how could the King of Shu attack our Lu family with all his strength?"
Hearing this, Lu Yong couldn't help but snorted and said: "Do you naively think that if we don't provoke the King of Shu, the King of Shu will let us go? How ridiculous!"
"Furthermore, when I came up with those ideas, didn't they go through the family meeting? Didn't you all agree? Now that something has happened, have you thought about holding them accountable? Why did you go there earlier?"
Lu Hao, the head of the Lu family, couldn't help but slapped the table and said: "That's enough. Now that the matter has come out, do you still have the intention to hold people accountable? You should first think about how to get through this difficult situation!"
"Now, our Lu family's life and death are at stake. Is there anything you can do?"
After the head of the family finished speaking, there was a sound of sighs and sighs in the room.
"The core industry of our Lu family is the sound of cars and boats. The King of Shu's attack hit us right in the middle. How can we compete with the King of Shu?"
"I think the King of Shu will not give up here, and maybe he will have a back-up plan! Now that the King of Shu has increased the cost of railway transportation, will the next step be to crack down on us in terms of transportation?"
"There is also the business of the escort agency. The King of Shu might also get involved!"
When these speculations were thrown out, the direct descendants of the Lu family present immediately took a breath again.
This is very possible!
It seems that it is not too difficult for the King of Shu to attack them in transportation.
As for the escort business, it is not impossible.
If this is the case, it will be an all-round attack on the Lu family.
After losing these businesses, what else does the Lu family have?
There is literally nothing left!
"What should we do?"
"Is there no way to survive at all?"
At this time, Lu Yong couldn't help but said in a deep voice: "I think the King of Shu is right in saying that technology is the primary productive force."
"Where did our Lu family lose? It was in technology! The King of Shu has leading technology, so he can make tires, four-wheeled carriages, and iron ships."
"We don't have advanced technology, so our products can't be sold, and that's why we are forced to this point."
"Tch! Who doesn't know what you're talking about? It's all hindsight. What's the use of talking about it now?"
At this time, Lu Hao, the head of the Lu family, said: "Don't interrupt, Yong'er, what do you want to say? Keep talking!"
Lu Yong continued: "Master, I think our Lu family should focus on talent cultivation and the development of science and technology."
"Of course, given the current predicament, I also think that we are not without a little chance."
Hearing Lu Yong's words, the head of the Lu family couldn't help but his eyes lit up and he said, "Yong'er, what good idea do you have? Tell me and listen to it?"
Lu Yong nodded, and then said: "Master, I think that although the King of Shu has advanced technology and advanced products, his most successful suppression of our Lu family is not actually at this point."
"The most insidious thing about him is actually that he has united forces from various places, tightly bound them together with their interests, and jointly dealt with our Lu family. If there is only King Shu himself, it will not be enough."
After hearing Lu Yong's words, everyone present nodded thoughtfully.
None of them are stupid, but they really never thought about this before Lu Yong raised this point of view.
Now, they also realized the power of King Shu's move.
The Lu family is very strong, but if they want to go to war with so many local wealthy families, they really don't have the strength.
The head of the Lu family, Lu Hao, also frowned and asked, "Yong'er, what do you mean, how should we resolve it?"
Lu Yong said: "Master, I believe that our five surnames and seven hopes are in the same spirit. Now that our Lu family is at a critical moment, we should unite with other wealthy families to deal with the King of Shu."
"Our family is naturally unable to deal with the King of Shu. But if we all unite, we will definitely make the King of Shu miserable."
After hearing Lu Yong's method, the head of the Lu family, Lu Hao, couldn't help but shook his head with slight disappointment.
Although Yonger is smart, he is still too young!
It is good that the five surnames and the seven looks of the same Qi are connected to the branches, but this is one moment and the other is another moment.
Now the Tang Dynasty has been recuperating for many years, especially after the King of Shu introduced several new crops.
After several years, these new crops have become popular throughout the Tang Dynasty.
With these new high-yield crops, people's lives are getting better and better.
Now, in the entire Tang Dynasty, there are almost no people starving to death.
Many people even have surplus food in their homes.
Of course, as food production increases, food prices also fall.
People also don't have much spare money in their hands.
But today's Tang Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. It can be said that the people are rich and the country is strong.
In this case, the emperor's eyes may have been aimed at these aristocratic families, right?
If the Five Surnames and Qi Wangs really made some moves to annoy the Emperor, and if the Emperor wanted to move them even at the cost of turmoil, they really wouldn't have the slightest power to resist.
Under such circumstances, how could the five surnames and seven other families side with them?
This time, the Cui family’s crisis may be really difficult to survive!
Lu Yong was slightly surprised when he saw the owner's expression, but soon he realized something.
Immediately, Lu Yong said again: "Master, actually we have another way. If our Lu family can..."
…
Yizhou Monthly has launched a new issue again.
This time, the people of Tang Dynasty discovered that Zhonghua Commercial Bank had once again launched a new business, that is, Zhonghua Express Service.
The business of China Express is actually similar to the business of a bodyguard agency.
But in terms of efficiency, it is many times faster than the escort agency.
In terms of charging, it is also many times faster than the escort agency.
Of course, the current China Express is only limited to the prefectures and counties near the three train lines from Yizhou to Hangzhou and Hangzhou to Chang'an.
Because it is next to the train track, transportation is extremely convenient.
However, Datang is now opening railway lines from Chang'an to the Protectorate of Anxi, and from Chang'an to the Protectorate of Raole.
Once these two main railway lines are opened, the connection between Chang'an and Zhuzhou will be greatly enhanced.
By then, China Express's business will surely cover the entire Datang.
The business launched by China Express shocked countless people in the Tang Dynasty.
Because, China Express can actually deliver letters!
Not only that, they deliver letters as fast as they can, as long as they are within the main railway line, they promise to deliver them within seven days!
As for the toll, even if it’s from Hangzhou to Chang’an, it’s a few thousand miles, right?
The maximum charge is one hundred cents.
But this business shocked countless people.
Because in that era, it was really difficult to send a letter home.
There is a poem by Du Fu: The war continues for three months, and a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold.
It fully illustrates how difficult it is to send a letter.
Of course, at that time there was war and the An-Shi Rebellion.
But even when there is no war, it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to send a letter home.
Some people may say, wasn’t there an inn in ancient times? Isn’t that equivalent to a modern post office?
Yes, there were inns in ancient times, and their function was to transmit documents and military information.
However, that is official and is not responsible for delivering letters to private individuals.
Ordinary people will definitely not be able to use the inn.
So, what should people do if they want to send a letter?
The most common way is to find someone to take it with you.
For example, scholars rushing to take exams, businessmen going out.
It may not even cost you money to find someone to carry letters home.
But in terms of time, there is no way to be sure.
Moreover, if the letter is lost, they are not responsible for compensation.
If you are in one, you are looking for an escort agency.
However, this fee is terrifying.
The escort agency charges at least the same amount, which is a thousand pence as a base.
It's just a base, and the charges may be higher.
Moreover, there is no way to guarantee you this time.
Because it is impossible for the escort agency to send someone to make such a trip just to send you a letter.
Take the journey from Hangzhou to Chang'an, for example, which is thousands of miles away. Your money is simply not enough to cover the round trip.
You have to go to an escort agency to escort valuables. With this route, people will carry them for you.
As for this time, there is no fixed number.
Moreover, even if it is an escort agency, it cannot go everywhere.
This depends on how well they receive orders.
If you haven't received a big order from a certain place for a year, even if you want to send a letter, the escort agency will definitely not accept it.
Therefore, it is simply too difficult to send a letter back to relatives who are far away from home.
Usually there are fellow villagers who want to go back, and they have people take them back.
Without fellow villagers or acquaintances returning, it is basically impossible to send this book back.
And now?
Datang Express can send you letters from home, and the charges are extremely low.
The lowest price is only thirty cents.
If you send other items, you will be charged according to the weight of the item.
One kilogram of items costs about ten cents.
Of course, this also depends on what items you are sending and the distance of the journey.
But this price is already very low.
I don't know how many times cheaper than the escort agency.
I believe that once China Express is opened, I don’t know how much impact it will have on the escort agency.
Even freight will be greatly affected.
In those states and counties along the train route, some people have already seen China Express stores.
Others tried to send family letters to relatives far away.
Then seven days later, they miraculously received a reply.
This shocked them extremely.
It turns out that seven days is still a conservative term.
In fact, it only took half the time to deliver the letter.
It's really amazing!
Gradually, people along the way gradually became accustomed to using Zhonghua Express.
Using China Express is convenient and fast.
The emergence of China Express has dealt a serious blow to the escort business in these areas, which can even be said to be a devastating blow.
In the escort business, all you have to do is run errands.
Although their business is different from express delivery, there are similarities.
But their charges are high, they are not open for three months, but open for three months.
But now, as soon as China Express opens, its charges are only one-tenth of theirs, or even lower.
And their speed is faster than theirs.
In this case, unless the customer is a fool, which one to choose is something that you don't even have to think about.
Of course, after the train was opened, the escort agency also kept pace with the times, and they also began to use trains to deliver goods.
The price of freight is not high.
Today's freight transportation is basically in the hands of the escort agency, or the Lu family.
However, trains and freight are not in the hands of the Lu family.
They can only control the transportation of those customers outside of rail transportation.
Take the goods from their hands, they are just here to deal with the freight.
But what now?
The shipping companies simply don't fight for this for you, and they directly raise the price of freight.
Originally, the price for shipping a wooden box was only 200 cents, but now the price has been directly increased to 1,000 cents.
Still love bad luck!
The price of freight has increased, and the Lu family also argued against it.
Unfortunately, freight is not reasonable with you at all!
Anyway, at this price, if you love it or have bad luck, it will bring you down.
This is what the Lu family often did in the past and is what they are most accustomed to doing.
But now it was their turn, and they were almost so angry that they vomited blood.
There is no way, the price of freight has increased, and the Lu family has also increased their prices.
At the beginning, customers could only swallow their anger.
But soon they discovered, huh?
The cost of using express delivery is actually cheaper than direct shipping.
In this way, all fools know how to choose.
The Lu family's control over customer sources was easily resolved by China Express.
Now, the escort agencies in these states and counties along the train are on the verge of bankruptcy.
After the news came back to the Lu family, the face of Lu Hao, the head of the Lu family, became even more ugly.
Their guess was indeed correct, the King of Shu really took action against their escort business.
Moreover, their freight business has also been greatly affected.
Although the location where the King of Shu is currently attacking is limited to the main railway transportation lines.
But once the other two main railway transportation lines are completed, they may not have the slightest chance!
Now, there is not much time left for the Lu family.
…
In Yizhou, Wu Meiniang found Li Min.
"Your Highness, our express delivery business is currently at a loss. Moreover, it is difficult to make a profit in advance. We can't just watch him continue to lose money, right?"
In later generations, the express delivery industry was a highly profitable industry.
But in Datang, this is not the case in the express delivery industry.
Why are Datang’s escort agencies priced so high?
Just because their business will not always be so good.
But your escort agency has to support a lot of people. Even if there is no business, you still have to pay the employees.
The cost is too high, so in order to make a profit, their asking price cannot be lowered.
But now, China Express's asking prices are very low, and their business can't keep up.
They also have time commitments, which directly leads to the fact that even if there is only one letter home, they must start a transportation delivery.
The Tang Dynasty is not a later generation. Almost all people shop online. During holidays, the courier boys will be paralyzed by exhaustion.
There is really very little business here.
Under such circumstances, it is very difficult for express delivery to maintain capital, let alone make a profit.
Hearing Wu Meiniang's words, Li Min couldn't help but smile, and then said to Wu Meiniang:
"Meiniang, don't worry. Although Datang Express will lose money in the short term, it will not take long to achieve its goal of profitability."
Hearing Li Min's words, Wu Meiniang couldn't help but asked in confusion: "Your Highness, with the current model, how can we achieve the goal of profitability? I think it is almost impossible."
The current market demand for express delivery is very low. Without a market, it will naturally be difficult to make a profit.
Li Min smiled slightly and said, "Meiniang, don't worry. Our business is small now because everyone is not familiar with the express delivery model. Once they become familiar with the express delivery model, it will be time for us to make a profit."
Why is the express delivery market so sluggish now?
Is it because there are no rich people in the Tang Dynasty?
Obviously, this is not the case.
There were naturally many poor people in the Tang Dynasty, but there were also many rich people.
And those dudes are the most willing to spend money.
But now Datang Express has no competitors at all, it is a dominant company.
Now as long as we can make those rich people adapt to express delivery, use express delivery more often, and develop their habit of using express delivery.
Then their China Express will be able to achieve profitability.
…
After the Chinese New Year, Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty issued a new decree against all opinions.
The content of the decree is that starting from this year, a new science subject will be added to the imperial examination.
The examination content of the science subject includes the three subjects of mathematics, physics and chemistry.
All candidates who pass the science subject will receive a bachelor's degree, be awarded a seventh-rank official title, and enjoy the treatment of a seventh-rank official.
Of course, they just enjoy the benefits and have no real power.
As long as they obtain a bachelor's degree, they will be assigned to the scientific research department.
The Scientific Research Department will become the seventh department in addition to the six departments of the Tang Dynasty. It will be directly responsible to the emperor and will not accept the control of any other department.
In the scientific research department, as long as there are scientific research results, depending on the size of the scientific research results, you will enjoy a corresponding degree of job increase and salary increase.
Ever since the King of Shu talked to Li Shimin about the importance of science last year, Li Shimin has also attached great importance to science.
This year, we finally defied all odds and established the Science Department.
And a scientific research department was established, directly responsible to him alone.
Of course, the scientific research department is now an empty frame.
After it was established, Li Shimin didn't know what to ask them to do for the time being.
But it doesn’t matter, Yizhou also has a scientific research institute!
They have many projects there.
Therefore, after the decree was issued, Li Shimin began to ask the King of Shu for people.
Li Shimin even wanted to take Di Renjie directly.
Di Renjie is Li Min's disciple and now the leader of Yizhou Scientific Research Institute. Of course, Li Min will not let him go.
In the end, Li Min transferred ten people from the scientific research institute and sent them to the scientific research department.
But the ten people selected by Li Min cried bitterly and refused to leave.
"Your Highness, why are you driving us away? Did we do something wrong?"
"If we make a mistake, His Highness tells us and we will change it!"
"Your Highness, if you really drive us away, we would rather die here!"
"Your Highness, we are the people of the scientific research institute in life, and the ghosts of the scientific research institute in death. We won't leave at all!"
Huo, these guys are acting like I'm going to fire them. What are they doing?
Li Min couldn't help crying and said to them: "Get up, everyone, what are you doing?"
"Your Highness, if you don't take back your life, we won't get up. We would rather die crying here!"
Li Min was extremely speechless and said: "After you arrived at the scientific research department in Chang'an, you are still engaged in scientific research work!"
"Furthermore, my father has recently established a scientific research department. After you arrive, you will be the first batch of backbones. By then, nine out of ten ministers and ministers in the scientific research department will be born from among you. This will be your rise to the top in one step.
What a great time!”
"There are so many people out there. I have chosen you alone. It's too late for others to envy you!"
Hearing Li Min's words, their hearts suddenly moved.
Yes, His Highness is right!
We people, after arriving at the Scientific Research Department, will still engage in scientific research work, and since we are the backbone, we may be able to be promoted immediately!
As for the director of the scientific research department, I don’t dare to think about it for the time being, but as the minister of the scientific research department, is there always a chance?
Thinking of this, they couldn't help but feel excited.
"But, Your Highness, we can't bear to leave you!"
"Besides, after arriving at the Scientific Research Department, we don't know what to study!"
"Your Highness, we still prefer scientific research, otherwise, you should choose someone else to do it!"
Li Min laughed and said: "You can rest assured that there will definitely be places for us to communicate and communicate with each other about scientific research topics."
"We can also cooperate on many scientific research projects. If you bring in new people and carry out ten or eight scientific research projects, won't you understand everything?"
"Have I made it clear enough? If you all want to stay, then I have no choice but to choose someone else!"
"Your Highness, for this reason, if we still don't agree, are we still human beings?"
"Your Highness, don't worry, we will definitely not embarrass you after arriving at the Scientific Research Department!"
