Hwang Tae-gil was very daring. He brought only a small number of men and horses and dared to rush to Tianjin. He went ashore from the canal dock and took a carriage to the warehouse opened by Liu Fucheng in Tianjin. On the way, he was surprised by the convenience of the four-wheeled carriage. After all, it was very rare in Liaodong.
"The things produced by the Revolutionary Army are exquisite. Others can't make them. This four-wheeled carriage is one of them. The road in Tianjin is wide and straight. It's good for transporting people and goods. All the merchants like it. But this carriage is very expensive. It costs 35 yuan. Ordinary people can't afford it even if they don't eat or drink for a few months. "
Liu Fucheng was proud and sighed when he talked about the carriage. "If this carriage sells well, the Revolutionary Army will make a lot of money. I also thought of looking for some craftsmen to imitate it. But it's a pity that ordinary craftsmen can't make the flexible axle and steering wheel. The carriage they make is not only heavy and clumsy. It takes a lot of effort to run and can't carry much goods. "
Liu Fucheng said it was easy, but it wasn't as simple as' looking for craftsmen '. He had a wide network. He could even transfer the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty's Military Weapons Division and the Military Guard Bureau to make carriages for him. But many of the Ming Dynasty's craftsmen had joined the Revolutionary Army. Plus, the craftsmanship of the bearings was very high. It looked like a carriage, but he couldn't make it even after spending a lot of money. He was really helpless.
Although there were no springs and rubber to reduce the shock, the four-wheeled carriage had a thick cushion inside. It was more spacious and comfortable than ordinary two-wheeled carriages. A carriage could seat several people. It could also carry a lot of luggage outside.
Hwang Tae-gil originally thought that since this carriage was so expensive, there wouldn't be many of them. Only the rich and powerful could afford it. But when he got on the carriage and drove along the road, he soon found that there were specially made four-wheeled carriages and even six-wheeled carriages. Those carriages could seat ten to twenty people. They talked and laughed along the way. He could see one from time to time.
"What kind of carriage is this? It must be a noble family from the Revolutionary Army traveling, right? "Hwang Tae-gil saw it clearly through the window. Even his Great Fortune, Zhe Zhe, was surprised. Gu Yuanwei originally wanted to calm himself down and show that he was an experienced and knowledgeable person from the Central Plains, not a bumpkin who would be surprised for no reason. But when he saw such a big carriage, his eyes widened just like Yang Jian's.
This carriage was even bigger than the emperor's imperial carriage. In ancient times, this was a symbol of power and status. It was just like how nobles in ancient times used different ceremonial utensils to eat. Only the supreme one had the right to use the biggest car.
Gu Yuanwei was born in the East Depot. The first thing he thought about was whether the car belonged to Zhou Qingfeng. Even if it wasn't Zhou Qingfeng in the car, it must be someone important. If he launched a sneak attack now, would he be able to make a huge profit? Or should he immediately run for his life and get as far away from that unlucky kid as possible?
In an instant, the thoughts of the people in the car floated.
Only Liu Fucheng looked out of the window and sighed indifferently, "Alas … This is a bus. The people who work there are all poor bastards. "
What …? I've seen the market. Are you lying to me?
Looking at the puzzled faces of Hwang Tae-gil and others, Liu Fucheng could only continue to explain, "I'm also surprised when I first saw such a big carriage. But the Revolutionary Army doesn't care about the hierarchy. They've set up a public transportation system. Anyone can take that bus as long as they pay five cents.
There are many such buses in the city. Each bus runs a fixed route. If you want to go somewhere, you just need to take the bus at a certain stop. If you look carefully, the passengers are really ordinary people in the city. In the past, they rarely went out of the city. But now it's much more convenient. Some people take this bus when they go out of the city to farm. It's very convenient and time-saving. "
Gu Yuanwei was confused. He couldn't understand such a move. Only Hwang Tae-gil thought from the point of view of a ruler. He frowned and said, "This is … convenient for the people. It's a move to buy people's hearts."
Liu Fucheng nodded and then shook his head, "It's not just buying people's hearts. I didn't understand the benefits of this bus at first. But after a long time, I figured it out. Originally, Tianjin wasn't big. The number of people living in the city was limited. The land in the city was also very expensive. Those who could live in the city were either rich or noble. It wasn't easy to find someone to serve them.
But with this bus, there are more people coming and going. There's no need to worry about living far away. In this way, the city will be dozens of times bigger. The number of people coming to make a living will also increase by dozens or hundreds of times.
With more people, it's convenient to do business. It's cheaper for merchants to hire people. The poor can also easily find jobs. In short, there are many benefits. This' Revolutionary Army 'can accommodate millions of people in Tianjin. The convenience of the bus can't be underestimated. "
Liu Fucheng analyzed it from his point of view. His words led Hwang Tae-gil and others to think together. In fact, only the development of transportation can bring about the development of the city. Only a big city can accommodate a large number of people. Only a dense population can lead to social division of labor. Only then can it stimulate the development of industry and provide more goods and services for society.
For a barbarian slave owner like Hwang Tae-gil, he really didn't think about this kind of thing. He just frowned and asked, "This carriage looks good. Does the 'Revolutionary Army' sell it?"
Hehehe …. Liu Fucheng laughed again, "This carriage isn't very good in other places. It needs a flat road to run." He pointed to the road outside the window, "In order to use this carriage, the 'Revolutionary Army' spent a lot of money to build the road. Look at the road under the wheels. Isn't it special? "
Liu Fucheng didn't mention it. The few people in the carriage only felt that the carriage ran steadily. No one paid attention to the road under the wheels. Waiting for Liu Fucheng to say it, Hwang Tae-gil quickly looked outside the window. The sky wasn't dark yet. The road could be seen clearly. It was indeed an extremely flat road. The road was smooth as if it was paved with a large piece of stone.
"How is this road paved?" On the other side, Yang Jian also poked his head out of the window and asked in surprise.
"Be careful, don't poke your head out." Liu Fucheng pulled Yang Jian back. Outside the window, a carriage ran close to them and almost brushed past them. Seeing Yang Jian jump in fright, he continued to laugh, "This road is flat. The carriage runs fast. If you're not careful, you'll easily get hit. As for why this road is so flat, I don't know. I only know that it cost a lot of money. "
This was a carriage and a road. Hwang Tae-gil didn't understand at all. But he knew that it must be supported by a lot of money. Facing this thing that he didn't understand, he really felt like a country bumpkin. But this 4th Beilei would never admit it. Instead, he coldly said, "You Han people are really the most suitable to be craftsmen and also suitable to farm."
Liu Fucheng chuckled, but he could already hear the hidden meaning in the other's words. But who asked the Ming Army to be so weak that they couldn't beat them? He had no way to refute. He even had to smile apologetically for fear of offending this gold mine.
Hwang Tae-gil was in the prime of his youth. He saw the Han people as either weak and easy to bully, or he hated them. Seeing that Liu Fucheng had admitted defeat, he continued to ask like a master, "What does Mister Liu do in Tianjin?"
"Business." Liu Fucheng casually replied.
Hwang Tae-gil became even more contemptuous. He thought to himself, "As expected, it's business. These Han people like to do business. As long as I give them money, they're willing to sell their lives to me. "
"Is business good in Tianjin?"
"It's alright. Liu Mou opened a few brick kiln factories and lumberyards in the north. These things are built quickly and don't cost much. After they are produced, they are shipped to Tianjin to be sold. This' Revolutionary Army 'has a large demand for bricks and wood. They don't reject anyone and take them all. I then buy salt, cloth, and grains from Tianjin and ship them back to the north. One ship can earn two to three hundred silver dollars. "
Liu Fucheng said proudly. Gu Yuanwei suddenly asked, "Isn't Tianjin stuck with grain? How can these rebels let you ship grain? "
Liu Fucheng suddenly sighed, "This' Revolutionary Army 'doesn't sell grain at all. In fact, they buy grain from Jiangnan and ship it to Tianjin. Then they set up some 'sales quota'. They ship a hundred silver dollars worth of goods to Tianjin to buy a hundred silver dollars worth of goods and leave. Because the north is gradually lacking grain, the price of grain is very high. This forces the north to constantly ship goods to sell grain. "
Sales quota … there's this kind of trick?
In the past, the transportation route only transported grain to the north. There was almost no goods from the north going south. Now, if they want to eat grain, they have to take out the goods. Liu Fucheng continued to sigh, "Now the nine borders are short of grain, but this' sales quota 'has caused them to suffer greatly. Originally, Governor Xiong of Tongzhou wanted to rely on this cargo to stabilize the rebels, but now it's his own that can't be stabilized.
The generals of the nine borders want to stabilize their own territories, so they have to find a way to get grain. Moreover, they also want to take advantage of the high grain price to make a fortune. Therefore, not only do all kinds of merchants constantly appear in the Tongzhou canal to ship goods, but even people from other places are constantly thinking of ways to make a fortune.
For example, Tianjin is short of horses. All kinds of big livestock are very expensive. Therefore, the generals of the nine borders transport a large number of Mongolian horses and other goods. The north is short of grain, but it's the common people that are lacking. Those with power see this opportunity to make money. Some people are even eager for the grain shortage to increase the price. "
As soon as Liu Fucheng mentioned the horse trade, Hwang Tae-gil's face suddenly turned ugly. He cursed 'Horqin Mongolia'. His Great Fujin, Zhe Zhe, was from Horqin Mongolia, but he did not understand why his man would suddenly say this with hatred. He was so scared that he did not dare to say anything.
However, Gu Yuanwei knew something. Not long ago, Horqin Mongolia sold a total of ten thousand horses to the Jin merchants who passed by their territory. Such a big business could not be hidden. The Kennu only wondered why so many horses were sold, but did not think much about who the horses were sold to. Now it seems that the Jin merchants who hooked up with the Kennu actually hooked up with the rebels of the Revolutionary Army.
"Master Huang, don't be angry. The quality of the ironware sold by the Jin merchants is very good. The amount of cloth, salt, and tea is also many times higher, and the price is lower than before. They should also be from Tianjin. This is a win-win situation, so let's not pursue it. "Gu Yuanwei tried his best to curry favor with Hwang Tae-gil. He was already Hwang Tae-gil's trusted aide.
"You don't know how powerful the Revolutionary Army is. How many cavalry can they produce with ten thousand horses? I would rather the Horqin Mongolia sell tens of thousands of cows. "Hwang Tae-gil felt a headache when he thought about the cavalry of the Revolutionary Army. Both sides had fought several times. In a one on one fight, the Jurchen cavalry was not afraid of the guards. But if there were more of them, the Jurchen cavalry would be at a disadvantage.
However, Liu Fucheng did not know the reason. He immediately grinned and said, "The rebels built hundreds of farms in Tianjin. They happen to be short of cows, so the cows here are expensive. I heard that there are a lot of cows coming from the north. I don't know if there are tens of thousands of cows, but I know there are a lot of them. "
His words came true. Although he guessed it correctly, the anger on Hwang Tae-gil's face became even more intense.
It was as if Zhou Qingfeng had taken advantage of him.
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