I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 178 New Shipyard

"We only need to intercept these woods at the river mouth, tie them together, make them into rafts, and use ships to tow these rafts to Jinzhouwei. This way, the cost of obtaining shipbuilding materials is extremely low." Zhu Houxuan pointed to the rivers on the map to Mrs. Chen.
Mrs. Chen looked at the rivers on the map, including Fuzhou River, Biliu River, Yingna River, Shaozi River, Dayang River, and Yalu River. These rivers and their tributaries extended deep into Liaodong. The more she looked, the more she felt that Zhu Houxuan's plan was feasible.

Shipbuilding requires a lot of wood. The larger the ship, the more wood is needed. Although Zhu Houxuan wanted to start the Industrial Revolution, technological advancement still needed time. It can be foreseen that for a long time, the Ming Dynasty's sea ships would only be made of wood, so the cost of wood was a very important cost in shipbuilding.

After all, the south of the Ming Dynasty was a densely populated area, and the large trees that were easy to cut down and transport had been cut down over hundreds of years of development. Therefore, it was very expensive to find large trees suitable for shipbuilding in the south.

It would be a great thing if we could get a large amount of wood suitable for shipbuilding in Liaodong.

Moreover, the cost of wood does not lie in felling, but mainly in transportation. Water transportation has always been the cheapest means of transportation regardless of ancient or modern times. Jinzhouwei is only about 260 kilometers away from the farthest Yalu River estuary. This distance is actually a very short distance compared to sea transportation.

Therefore, according to the transportation method proposed by Zhu Houxuan, the cost of obtaining these woods is really several times or even dozens of times cheaper than in the south. From this perspective, Jinzhouwei is indeed the most suitable place to build a shipyard.

Moreover, Jinzhouwei is located in the southernmost part of the Liaodong Peninsula. There has been no record of Mongolian activities here for hundreds of years, so there is no need to worry too much about safety.

Mrs. Chen looked at the map on the wall and was really excited.

"Your Highness's thoughts are lofty and comprehensive, which I am far from reaching." Mrs. Chen sighed.

"But there is still one thing I don't understand. I hope Your Highness can speak frankly to clear up the confusion in my heart." Mrs. Chen changed the subject.

Zhu Houxuan glanced at Mrs. Chen and said, "Go ahead!"

"Why does Your Highness want to build so many sea ships? What I mean is that the court officials and the emperor are obviously more concerned about the north, but why does Your Highness put so much effort on the sea? I actually feel that the current number of sea ships is enough, so why bother so much?" Mrs. Chen stared closely at every change in Zhu Houxuan's expression.

Hearing Mrs. Chen's question, Zhu Houxuan showed a helpless smile, then looked at Mrs. Chen solemnly and said: "We have been dealing with each other for four or five years, and our relationship has always been very good, so there are some things I will not hide from you. Just listen to these words. I will not recognize you after I leave this door."

Madam Chen nodded quickly, "I understand what Your Highness means."

"In my opinion, the Mongols in the north are just a minor problem. In a few years, I will be able to help my royal brother wipe out Mongolia. By then, the development focus of the Ming Dynasty will shift to overseas, so a large number of sea vessels will be needed. Since we need them, we might as well prepare for it in advance." Zhu Houxuan said sincerely.

But when Mrs. Chen heard this, she felt differently. To wipe out Mongolia in a few years? This is an exaggeration.
"This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Chen family. It will also be a good opportunity for Chen Hong to build his career. It will not be difficult for Chen Hong to earn a title by then." Zhu Houxuan said in a tempting tone.

Mrs. Chen's heart was pounding when she heard this, and any hesitation in her heart was swept away.

Although the Chen family was a big merchant family with a huge fortune and backers in the court, merchants were still merchants. Their status in the Ming Dynasty was much lower than that in society, so they had an urgent need to improve their status. The Chen family also cultivated scholars in their family, but the results were not great. Chen Hong was not very talented in Confucianism, and Mrs. Chen and Chen Tang did not think that he could enter the official career. Unexpectedly, Zhu Houxuan said that Chen Hong could earn a title, which made Mrs. Chen very excited.

After all, Zhu Houxuan's current status is different from before, and he never goes back on his word, so his words are still highly credible.

"Since Your Highness has said so much, the Chen family will obey Your Highness' orders." Mrs. Chen said seriously.

"Mrs. Chen is really wise!" Zhu Houxuan said happily, "I have already sent a letter to the commander of Jinzhou Guards to ask for his cooperation. I have also sent people to the villages and tribes in Liaodong to discuss the matter of cutting wood. We must quickly build the scaffolding of the Jinzhou Shipyard."

"Let's move the masters of Chen's shipyard to Jinzhouwei as soon as possible! As long as they go to Jinzhou, all kinds of benefits will be doubled, and the core technical personnel can be paid several times more. Money is not a problem."

"Your Highness is very magnanimous. I feel relieved with your words." Mrs. Chen said with a smile.

"Also, why don't you just become the director of this new shipyard?" Zhu Houxuan said suddenly.

Mrs. Chen was stunned for a moment, but still refused: "After all, the shipyard is a royal industry. Although the Chen family has shares, I am just a woman. Being the factory director will make people laugh."

Zhu Houxuan thought about it and it was true, but he also had a solution, "Then let your father set up a shipyard in name only, and you just need to be responsible for the actual operation."

"Then let's do as Your Highness says. I will go south to relocate the shipyard right now." Mrs. Chen said simply.

"Wait!" Zhu Houxun called Mrs. Chen and took out a piece of exquisite paper from a box and handed it to Mrs. Chen.

"This is a draft from the Ming Royal Bank, with a face value of 200 million silver coins. You can go to the Ming Royal Bank offices in Beijing, Nanjing, and Qizhou to exchange it for silver coins."

Mrs. Chen looked at the bill of exchange in front of her and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Take it. This is the first batch of construction funds for the shipyard. There will be some left after you spend it. But you can't spend it indiscriminately. I will send someone to teach you how to keep accounts according to the method of the Prince of Jing's Palace. There will be an audit at that time." Zhu Houxuan said slowly.

Mrs. Chen then accepted the bill of exchange and left the tent.

Seeing Mrs. Chen leaving, Zhu Houxuan breathed a sigh of relief.
The Ming Royal Bank now holds funds worth tens of millions of taels of silver, and there is no risk of a bank run on these funds in the short term.

It is a waste to have so much money lying in the bank all day long, so it must be invested in industrial construction as soon as possible to make the money flow and turn it into various industries that can generate profits.
Although the money was not small, Zhu Houxuan already had a package of investment plans in his mind.

Jinzhouwei Shipyard is one of the important investments.
Jinzhouwei later became Jinzhou District, which is Dalian.
(End of this chapter)