Chapter 647: T-shaped temptation
Any country or dynasty, especially a feudal dynasty, is in a state of shortage of iron and steel at any time, to the extent of the shortage.
Even in the early days of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, steel was in short supply. Of course, this situation was due to the rapid increase in steel production capacity and the development of more applications, making it difficult for steel production capacity to keep up with the growth in demand.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was the same.
The iron smelting industry in this era is still in a relatively primitive small-scale workshop-style production method. Both quality and output are far from meeting demand. This also makes the use of steel in many fields reluctant to give up and use other products. replace.
Not to mention the huge demand for iron and steel from the surrounding grassland nomadic tribes, Japan, North Korea and even the Nanyang region also have a huge demand for steel. Looking at Foshan’s iron pots becoming the best-selling product exported by Guangdong and Guangxi, we know that the surrounding areas of Dazhou have a huge demand for steel. How hungry are the needs for growing supplies.
The same is true for Dazhou himself. There are so many places where iron and steel are used. The demand for weapons alone is an astronomical figure. With the development of the shipbuilding and construction industries, the manufacturing of ships, carriages and other transportation vehicles has also increased. In areas such as bridge construction, the demand for steel will continue to grow, not just in areas such as agricultural tools, knives, iron pots, etc. that are mainly used in production and life.
The sense of smell of these Shanxi merchants is undoubtedly sensitive, and even their seemingly inadvertent words can attract their attention.
Of course, this may have a lot to do with the huge influence and prestige you have established through the strategy of opening up the sea. Two years ago, who would care about you?
Feng Ziying looked at the businessmen in front of her with amusement. These guys are well-informed and dare to take risks. You have to admire this.
Fan Yongzhan was also very calm. There was nothing shady about the way he learned about it. This was not an important military matter. Moreover, since it was in the Northland, as a Shanxi businessman and a member of the Northland people, he was certainly qualified to participate. After all, Any industry requires investment of money. Doesn’t this Xiao Feng Xiuzhan not need them?
Of course Feng Ziying needs them to engage in the iron smelting industry. Even if she has a rough understanding of some of the methods, it is impossible to be like some golden fingers who can evolve from the traditional and primitive iron smelting technology to the reverberatory furnace overnight.
He only knows a rough idea of the coke reduction technology here, and he doesn’t know how many experiments it will take to figure it out. So let these Shanxi merchants spend money to invest, which can be regarded as their dedication to promoting this space-time industrial technology revolution. .
“Mr. Fan, you are really well informed about this. There should be no more than one person in the world who knows about this matter. I didn’t expect that you actually found out about it.” Feng Ziying pretended to sigh.
"Sir, we Shanxi merchants are also part of the northern merchants. You can't favor one over the other. Some people are already complaining that you are too generous to Jiangnan merchants. They even think it has something to do with you marrying a Jiangnan woman." Fan Yongzhan laughed, "They wonder if you have fallen into the beauty trap of the Jiangnan gentry, and ask why you don't like the women of our northern gentry..."
Honey trap? ! Feng Ziying couldn't help laughing.
This idea is really exciting.
Well, it seems to be true. The Shen family is a prominent gentry family in Suzhou, the Lin family is also a noble family in Suzhou, and even the Xue family, which has not yet been exposed, is a member of the Jinling family. From this point of view, he married three wives, all of whom are from Jiangnan. This is not Falling into a honey trap or something?
Feng Ziying's loud laughter suddenly relaxed the whole atmosphere, and even Jin Liangcai and Tian Shenggui took the opportunity to talk. Before, they were suppressed and did not dare to say a word, and it was all up to Fan Yongzhan to deal with it.
"Fan Gong, your idea is really interesting. Well, I haven't thought of it myself yet, but when you say it, I think it's a bit similar. Well, it's a pity that I went to Yangzhou and I haven't tasted Yangzhou. It tastes like a skinny horse, this beauty trap is not worthy of its name." Feng Ziying smiled happily.
"Haha, if you like it, I can ask Yangzhou to choose some of the best thin horses in Tianji Pavilion and send them to you after a few days of writing a letter from the common people..." Jin Liangyu also responded with a smile.
"No, no, you all know that I fell into the Jiangnan beauty trap. I'm not married yet. It would be so embarrassing if people found out." Feng Ziying waved her hand, "Okay, let's not talk anymore. Let’s get back to the subject, the iron smelting industry is an important industry related to the national economy and people’s livelihood. Well, I think you all know that the iron smelting industry is actually very common now. It is very widespread in Shanxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Beizhi. But in general, its smelting scale is too small, its technology is backward, and its quality is low. With the court's huge demand for military supplies, the demand for iron and wrought iron is increasing, so the court hopes to make some progress in this aspect. breakthrough,…"
"As far as I know, the Xiyi people have made some progress in how to smelt iron. They mainly screen and process the carbon materials for iron smelting. If the quality of the carbon materials can be solved, they can also make some innovations in the refining methods. , the output and quality of iron smelting can be greatly improved. We have learned something about this, but we still need to make repeated attempts to find an optimal method..."
Of course, it was impossible for Feng Ziying to tell these people in too much detail, and it would be useless to talk in detail.
These people are businessmen, not craftsmen and technicians, but it is enough to instill in them that this industry is promising, the court is very interested, and the prospects are very bright.
Of course, these people are not fools. I can rely on my current influence and credibility to make them believe temporarily. If there is no progress, they will probably slowly lose confidence in themselves, but of course I will not be like this. I must give them some Hope and sweetness, there is a long way to go to turn these traders into industrialists.
At present, Dazhou still makes iron from coal and charcoal. There have been some attempts at making iron from coke, but they are not systematic or conscious. Therefore, Feng Ziying knows that it will take a lot of effort to make a breakthrough in this area.
But as long as the interest and enthusiasm of these people can be mobilized, these problems should be solved.
Feng Ziying's off-putting words made these Shanxi merchants very excited. If what they said was true, it meant that the smelting industry would also undergo a huge change. Once the scale and quality of iron smelting increased, the profits it would bring could be imagined. As you know, this may even be a more impressive industry than sea trade. Iron and steel are needed in almost every field, and the scale of demand will only get bigger and bigger.
As long as one can grasp this key to open the door, the profits can be compared to the salt industry. From ancient times to the present, the salt and iron monopoly has been written into history. It is only in the past few hundred years that the iron smelting industry has been slowly liberalized and allowed private participation. , which shows the prosperity of this industry.
The Shanxi merchants finally left, but Feng Ziying knew that he had aroused the interest of this group of people, and they would come again, and they would come through various connections, and even she could not stop their enthusiasm.
However, this still needs a process. How to prepare such a smelting complex requires careful planning like the planning of Haitong Silver Village.
******
“I’m not sure where these two people are from. Their accents sound like those from the south. Well, they are similar to those from Huguang and Sichuan, but they are still a little different. They occasionally speak dialect among themselves,..."
Jia Yun was a little excited. This was the first time he had provided Feng Ziying with information that he felt was suspicious. He did not expect that the other party would pay such attention to it. He felt that this was an affirmation and recognition of what he had done.
Feng Ziying wrote on the paper, "Then have you heard some specific things they said?"
"It's too noisy in the theater, so it's not easy for them to hear specific words. And if they are with the officials of the imperial court, they will basically choose to go to the private rooms instead of downstairs in the lobby..." Jia Yun tried hard to recall. "I remember that one time before the people they were waiting for came, one of them said something, which probably meant that there was no problem with the General Affairs Department and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but they were just afraid of Captain Long, but I couldn’t hear it clearly from behind.”
If you are not a professional eavesdropper, you will naturally not have such a high standard. It is already very rare to have such vigilance. Feng Ziying cannot expect Jia Yun and others to do a good job. It is very rare to have such awareness.
“Well, I understand, these two people still come here often?”
"Yes, they come all the time, about once every three to five days, but not every time there are others. Sometimes they come by themselves, just in the lobby. It feels like they are deliberately adapting to life in the capital city... Jia Yun pursed her lips and took a deep breath, "Sir, is there any problem?"
"No, it's nothing. You can't see it yet, but remember, keep watching. It's best to help me figure out where the people who come into contact with them are, but don't do it deliberately..." People came and went in Daguan Tower. It's very complicated. If you come here often, there will definitely be someone you know, so it will be easy to identify.
“I understand, sir, don’t worry, as long as they come here often, they will definitely not escape my eyes. I also greeted the people below and reminded me, but I didn’t tell them the specifics.”
Jia Yun felt very honored to be able to do her part for Feng Ziying. She was also grateful that Feng Ziying had given her a chance to no longer work in the small circle of Jia's family, but to go out and see the different things. world, he is full of gratitude.
(End of this chapter)