"Really?" Li Ying was so excited that he almost jumped up and couldn't believe his ears. It was only one thousand taels of gold, why was Zhuluhou willing to sell it?
Li Mu nodded and said calmly: "It's not a difficult matter. Why are you so excited?"
"I'll get the money for you right now!" Li Ying jumped as high as he could, and before Li Mu could answer, he had already disappeared.
Li Mu is clear about the reason why Li Ying is so excited. This is a very interesting thing. Ancient China has thousands of years of history, and there is no four-wheeled carriage. Of course, this kind of four-wheeled carriage simply installs four wheels on the frame.
', naturally someone has thought of it for a long time. It existed as early as the Warring States Period. However, because the front wheels could not rotate, the straight road of the flat plain was okay, but when it came to the place where it was necessary to turn, it immediately became a waste. Therefore, "
"Four-wheel carriage" was mostly used for royal sacrifices and had no practical application in production and life.
Don’t talk about ancient times, let’s talk about modern times. Before the popularity of four-wheel tractors, the ‘ox-hook carts’ used in rural farming were also two-wheeled.
Why did this happen?
Li Mu really knew that when he was aimlessly reading books, he once saw an article specializing in the study of ancient carriages. In the article, he summarized this problem. The most fundamental reason is that ancient China has never created a 'steering wheel'.
The differential is a 15th-century Western invention. When it was introduced to China, it was already at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Li Mu also wondered why China, one of the four ancient civilizations, could not build a device that does not seem complicated now. He also read a lot of information, but did not get the answer. Later he thought about it, maybe history
In the torrent of questions, there are some questions that have no answers.
For example, the Chinese invented papermaking and the compass. Why didn't Westerners invent it first? There is no answer. Maybe everyone's brain structure is different. This question also illustrates one thing, that is, the progress of human civilization.
, it is impossible for one race alone to accomplish this. Only when the knowledge of various ethnic groups around the world is integrated can we truly promote human progress.
It's just a layer of window paper. Before I pierced it, I couldn't figure it out. After I pierced it, I thought, how could it be so simple?
In addition to the "steering differential", the wooden structure of the carriage is also a problem. The wooden structure of the carriage determines that its load capacity will not be very high. Installing four wheels on the carriage can certainly increase the load area, but the wooden carriage
However, the frame may not be able to withstand it. Moreover, the four-wheeled carriage has a higher load and requires more animal power. This is also a very big challenge to the "car handle" driving skills.
Then there is the road. Most of the road conditions in ancient times were very bad. Moreover, the wheels of the carriage did not have rubber tires, and bumps could easily cause the wooden frame to loosen. If it got stuck in the mud, it would be even worse. You would have to unload the goods on the carriage before you could get out of trouble.
, after going back and forth, the advantages of the four-wheeled carriage were all offset.
But for Li Ying today, the four-wheeled carriage still has a fatal attraction.
First of all, if the Li family of Zhaojun mastered the technology of four-wheeled carriages, it would be unique and of epoch-making significance. Furthermore, with the inspiration of Li Mu's "iron-wrapped carts", the use of iron-wrapped technology can strengthen the
The strength of the frame. As for the handlebar style of driving a carriage, the Li family of Zhaojun, who monopolizes more than 50% of the 'carriage and horse shop' business, is most in need of such talents.
As for the road conditions, Taiyuan Road and Longyou Road are under construction. If it doesn't work, they can still be used in the city, so it's not a problem.
Li Ying knew the importance of the four-wheeled carriage, so he was so excited and worried that Li Mu would regret it, so he hurriedly went to withdraw the money.
The "steering differential" invented in the West has gone through two major stages. The steering differential commonly used in later generations of cars is actually a very modern product. It was something that gradually evolved after the invention of various alloy gears.
.Before this, the steering device commonly used in the West was called a "bogie". The front two wheels of a four-wheeled vehicle were mounted on one frame, and the rear two wheels were mounted on another frame. The two frames
Connected by a vertical shaft, this "four-wheeled vehicle" is actually a combination of two "two-wheeled vehicles".
It is such a simple problem, but it was not solved until the 15th century. In the previous thousands of years, human thinking seemed to have been blocked, which has to be lamentable.
The front and rear frames are made to be about the same size, suitable for transporting cargo. The front is small and the rear is large, suitable for carrying people. The "motorhome" Li Mu plans to make is small in the front and large in the back.
Li Mu accepted one thousand taels of gold from Li Ying, told him to go to the Patent Department to get the patent tomorrow, and then left the workshop. As for whether Li Ying would jump and curse after seeing the patent tomorrow, Li Mu couldn't control that much.
This transaction is not a forced sale. It is something you and I agree on, and you deserve to regret it.
…
The next day, the Gaochang delegation said goodbye. Li Shimin made an exception and went ten miles out of the city to see them off as a sign of approval for Gaochang's surrender. Li Mu was also among those seeing him off, and he bid farewell to Ju Zhisheng. Just as the Gaochang delegation was leaving, Li Mu also had a chat with Ju Zhisheng.
Made a big deal.
When the Gaochang delegation came to Chang'an this time, in addition to major national events, they also did a lot of business. Gaochang is located at the throat of the Silk Road, and there is a lot of gold and silver from merchants from the Western Regions such as Dashi. When they came to Chang'an this time,
I have seen what "abundance of products" means, and everything I look at seems to be good. In the past half month, I have almost bought out everything in Chang'an City.
Wang Ou's silk shop in Tongshanfang was sold out three times by merchants who came with the Gaochang mission. As for the wine in Bashang Winery, it was sold out as soon as it came out. The price increased several times, Chang'an
Customers in the city can no longer afford it.
Li Mu made a lot of money as a result, but it was all small money. The real big deal was still with Ju and his son.
After the matter of surrender was settled, Li Mu approached Ju Zhisheng and proposed a huge cooperation plan. In view of the fact that few merchants in Chang'an currently operate the Silk Road, and in view of the fact that the Tang Dynasty is in urgent need of gold and silver and other precious metals as currency.
Facts. Li Mu decided to use Gaochang as a springboard to cooperate with merchants from the Western Regions.
The silk, porcelain, tea and other items of the Tang Dynasty were handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Every three months, a caravan would depart from Chang'an and arrive in Gaochang. Gaochang would handle the settlement and then sell it to merchants from the Western Regions. Although it passed through Gaochang, it had to be transferred
Part of the profit, but there is no loss on Datang's side. Li Mu has calculated that Datang's goods will be twice as expensive when they arrive in Gaochang. Excluding freight, losses, etc., it will be 50% more. This can be
These are all digested within Datang and are completely unobtainable dividends.
The point is that this can prevent merchants from the Western Regions from coming directly to the Tang Dynasty and using their high-value currency to plunder the Tang Dynasty's properties. Li Mu has stipulated that no private transactions are allowed through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Anyone who violates this will be punished.
Banned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To put it simply, merchants are not allowed to trade privately with merchants from the Western Regions. They must pay taxes and settle accounts through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The advantage of this is that the pricing power is firmly in the hands of the Tang Dynasty, and the advantage is firm.
It was firmly in the hands of Datang.
Li Mu finally got a handful first. He sold Feng Qiuhuang's perfume, soap, and silver mirrors to Ju Zhisheng at a tenfold increase in price. The 300,000 yuan brought by the Ju family and his son, in addition to bribing officials from three provinces and six ministries,
In addition, they all changed into perfume soap and silver mirrors to take back.
In addition to the one thousand catties of gold and one thousand catties of silver that were bribed to Li Mu before, two hundred thousand of the three hundred thousand gold went into Li Mu's pocket.
Just like that, Ju Zhisheng was still grateful. Because he still made money. People who went west had more body odor, so perfume was suitable for them. There were many small countries in the Western Region. Even if they sold this batch of perfume to the royal family, they wouldn't be enough.
Things are rare and expensive, so even if he doubled the price, he would never have to worry about selling it.
Moreover, Li Mu was very generous and stated in the contract that he would not accept merchants from the west of Gaochang. In other words, merchants in the Western Regions could only get perfume through him. In this way, he would be the only one in the Western Regions.
, you can set the price however you want, almost making money while lying down.
It was finally time to say goodbye. Thinking back on this trip to the Tang Dynasty, Ju Zhisheng felt mixed emotions, especially what happened between him and Li Mu. He was filled with emotions. His most unbearable scene was seen by Li Mu, and he was exhausted.
The plan in his head was exposed by Li Mu. Before leaving, he bought Li Mu's things at ten times the price... This feeling was very uncomfortable, but he couldn't say anything, and even in his heart, he still felt
So grateful.
All kinds of feelings came to his heart, and Ju Zhisheng's eyes blurred. He came to Li Mu, bowed deeply, and said: "Master Hou, Gaochang and Tang Dynasty are seven thousand miles apart. We are so separated. I don't know when we will meet again. Hou.
Master, you have to take care of yourself."
Li Mu laughed nonchalantly and said: "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself... But there is no need to be so pessimistic. Gaochang has signed a contract with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a caravan will go back and forth every three months. If Your Majesty cares about me, you can entrust the caravan to
Bring me some souvenirs!"
Ju Zhisheng's expression froze when he heard the word "local specialties". He really couldn't afford to give away local specialties worth 110,000 guan. Ju Zhisheng didn't dare to continue the topic, so he grinned and changed the subject.
, said: "Master Hou is really good at joking... Oops, Xiao Wang suddenly remembered something. He must tell Master Hou. If he doesn't tell him, he will feel uneasy."
"Oh?" Li Mu asked doubtfully: "Is there anything more important than souvenirs?"
Ju Zhisheng did not answer the question and said to himself: "Master Hou, I saw your fourth lady at your house that day... To be honest, I recognize your fourth lady."
Li Mu narrowed his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, I remember I told you that I will fight anyone who wants to take advantage of my woman."
"Master Hou misunderstood," Ju Zhisheng said quickly: "How dare Xiao Wang? What I want to say is that she is actually a horse bandit. Her father is one of the three major horse bandits in Longyou, the village of Zhangjiazhai
Zhang Xun. This Zhang Xun is not simple, the Marquis must be more careful."
The horn sounded and the Gaochang delegation set off. Ju Zhisheng got on his horse, hugged Li Mu and left.