The Great Industrial Ming Dynasty Started from Beiping

Chapter 5
What Zhu Gaochi valued most was not the businessman, so he ignored Zhang Dehui, but looked at the old craftsman in front of him.

"Wan San, we are very satisfied with the steam engine you made, so we named it after you, and it will be called Wan San Steam Engine from now on."

Hearing the nobleman's praise, the old craftsman waved his hands again and again in fright, and said anxiously: "No, absolutely not, what kind of grassroots people are capable, dare to covet the merits of the nobleman."

People become mature with age, and the old craftsman has understood a truth in his life, that is to keep a low profile.

High-profile people don't live long.

"The grass people are all made according to the requirements of the eldest son. They are the sharp weapons made by the eldest son."

Zhu Gaochi didn't care.

Everything is inferior, only reading is high.

In all walks of life, the future of scholars is not as good as that of scholars.

Even smart people became officials, and although the status of artisans was low, they were actually richer than farmers.

Just like the mine owner in front of him.

It is reasonable to say that the status of the merchant is the lowest, but the reality is not that, with rich clothes and good food, they live a life that farmers can't even imagine.

Zhu Gaochi has no intention of persuading Wansan, he can't become a fat man in one sitting, and he has to take his time in some things.

But when he saw the silk on Zhang Dehui's body, Zhu Gaochi sighed in his heart.

His grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang established the rules for dressing in Yingtianfu, which is now the capital of Daming.

Beiping is far away from Nanjing, so the influence here is not too big, but it will be a matter of time.

Zhu Gaochi approved of Zhu Yuanzhang's approach.

Restoring clothes like the Song system to restore the traditions of the Central Plains is the beginning of rebuilding civilization, and it will win people's hearts and make the world.

The fly in the ointment is that Zhu Yuanzhang's work is too strict and detailed, and it is not beautiful.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaochi was even more afraid of going to Yingtian Mansion to meet his grandfather.

I plan to develop business in Beiping, which runs counter to my grandfather's rules.

The Yuan Dynasty was a great dynasty that exploited the common people severely, and suffered from long-term wars, which severely damaged the social productivity and caused the population to decline.

The land is barren and full of ruins,
The Yuan Dynasty did not focus on production and changed the fields to pastures. As a result, the water conservancy in the north fell into disrepair for a long time and was completely destroyed. It was also the most severely damaged by wars, and most of them were uninhabited lands.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.

There are few people in the north, and the barren fields are still the same.

The scarcity of labor force and the sharp reduction of taxation and household grain have brought the social economy of the early Ming Dynasty to the brink of collapse and seriously affected social stability.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at farmers in everything, exempted taxes and taxes, eliminated corrupt officials, and tried his best to increase food production and promote population growth.

Summarize in one sentence.

Zhu Yuanzhang puts emphasis on agriculture, and he wants to pay equal attention to agriculture and commerce.

With the character of his grandfather in his body memory, Zhu Gaochi knew that what he wanted to do would be forbidden by his grandfather and would lead to punishment.

Zhu Yuanzhang is not wrong, but he is different.

The 14-year-old Zhu Gaochi seems to have really returned to his youth.

At that time, he also thought that he was different. He was the protagonist in the movie, with background music, and everyone was staring at him secretly when walking on the road.

……

The steam engine was built, and then what?

Sell ​​it.

You can only make money if you sell it, and then continue to study.

Manufacture more advanced steam engines, and then sell them at a better price, forming a virtuous circle.

Is it good to sell?

Of course, it's not easy to sell.

Everyone explored this magical object for a long time, but soon lost interest, no matter what, it is a boring machine.

Even if the mine advocates Dehui, the exaggerated tone is mainly flattering.

How cheap are miners.

This thing seems to be troublesome, pumping water is slow, and it can't keep up with manpower, so it's just a thing for fun.

Zhang Dehui was full of praise, but he didn't mention buying.

Because he is afraid.

Afraid that the opponent's lion will speak loudly.

It stands to reason that he is a businessman, asking for a lot of money and paying back the money on the spot. This is a normal business routine, but it also scores people.

If the young man in front of him doesn't understand the market and asks for a lot of money, how dare he pay back the money on the spot?

Do you dare to try it with your head?
dare not.

So the atmosphere gradually became cold.

Zhu Gaochi has never done business.

Blinking his eyes, he secretly reminded himself that he should convince others with virtue, not with power.

As the old saying goes, a forced sale is not a sale. The other party has no pleasure, does not conform to the market economy, and the business cannot last long.

"Have you seen the Wansan steam engine, what do you think?"

Hearing his name, old craftsman Hu Wansan was full of pride.

"Okay." Zhang Dehui responded with a full mouth.

"Where's the good?"

"Everywhere is fine."

The corners of Zhu Gaochi's mouth twitched during the awkward conversation.

Convincing people with virtue.

"Do you want to buy the machine?"

"Students must buy it." At this point, Zhang Dehua subtly raised his own status to prevent Prince Yan from overpowering others, which is completely unreasonable.

Now he is not a lowly businessman, but a noble scholar.

He has participated in the imperial examination and has the reputation of educating people.

pity.

His tricks were wrong, like winking at a blind man, Zhu Gaochi didn't notice Zhang Dehui's intentions at all.

"How many units to buy?"

Regret arose in Zhang Dehui's heart, but he didn't dare not answer, and asked tentatively, "What's the selling price for one?"

As long as you are willing to buy, Zhu Gaochi doesn't want to bear the notoriety of buying and selling.

After calculating the cost, he once offered to pay Wansan, although he said no, he couldn't make a mistake.

The status of craftsmen will not be improved in a short while.

Imperial examinations held every three years.

It is doomed that scholars have the most noble status, and all walks of life are inferior.

The most important thing is to ensure that private property is not violated.

It is property, not means of production.

There is a big difference between the two.

Zhu Gaochi thought a lot, and finally had an idea.

I am not a businessman in my own identity, and I cannot put profit first.

The purpose is to promote the steam engine and increase productivity, and profit is secondary. In this case, the price cannot be set too high.

Earn less by yourself and win by quantity.

"The power of pumping water with a steam engine is equivalent to the strength of five hundred strong men, or the strength of 110 horses."

There were pressurized wells in ancient times, but groundwater in mines was not used in large quantities, precisely because of the difference in power.

Although the current steam engine is simple, it has the strength to crush human power.

"Traditional manual drainage has made most of the mines unusable, and only shallow layers can be exploited, resulting in insufficient mineral production."

It seems that the eldest son has made a lot of preparations, Zhang Dehui maintained a smiling face, and was amazed in his heart.

According to later generations.

The amount of water drawn by the Newcomen steam engine in the mine is equivalent to the workload of 520 people.

What is the blood of industry?
coal.

The steam engine is the mother of industry, and coal is the blood of industry.

A large amount of cheap cheap fuel promotes the development of all walks of life, so that the prices of many commodities can be bought and used by ordinary people.

Inventions must conform to the times.

An invention out of date is but a flash in the pan.

"It's cheaper, I'll sell you a steam engine for 300 taels of silver, we saw the size of your mine, how about buying ten?"

Zhang Dehui was startled.

Silver in the Hongwu period was still very valuable, and the influx of silver from all over the world into Daming has not yet reached a large scale.

One tael of silver can buy two stones of rice, which is close to 380 catties, 300 taels of silver can buy 11 catties of rice, and 3000 taels is 100 million catties.

300 taels of silver is equivalent to the total income of seven butchers for one year.

Farm houses outside the tombs outside the city can be sold for 50 taels.

The better courtyards in Beiping City are only 400 taels of silver per room.

3000 taels of silver.

How could Zhang Dehui not be heartbroken.

(End of this chapter)