Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 441 Zhaowu-class Zhenyuan Ship (6+2K)

Under the leadership of Zhang Tai and Rong Luhe, Li Yi stepped into the workshop of the textile factory.

In the workshop, workers were standing next to machines and operating them. As the machines ran, rolls of cotton cloth were slowly taking shape.

The roar of the steam engine resounded throughout the workshop.

Among these workers, most are men, and there are very few female workers.

The main reason for this is that the thinking in the Tang Dynasty is still conservative, and the people are unwilling to let the women in their families show their faces in public.

In addition, all industries in Datang are still in their early stages of development and can only provide limited jobs.

Given the limited number of jobs, male workers are naturally given priority.

Due to their physiological structure, men have greater physical strength and endurance than women and are more suitable for labor, making them the first choice for factories to recruit workers.

After walking around the factory, Li Yi asked Rong Luhe who was standing beside him.

“How profitable is the factory?”

Upon hearing this, Rong Luhe replied.

"Your Majesty, thanks to the court's policy of opening up the sea and supporting industry and commerce, the cotton cloth produced by the textile factory now has a very good market."

"Last year alone, we earned more than 13,000 silver dollars."

At all times, the most important thing for industrial development is the market.

Only when there is a market can there be investment, only when there is investment can there be development, and only when there is development can there be technological progress. It is nothing more than that.

Today, East Asia is the largest blue ocean market in the world.

Not only is the population dense, but the entire East Asia and Southeast Asia, with the exception of the Tang Dynasty which had some slight industrial development, is almost entirely an agricultural country.

Including Datang mainland, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Siam, Myanmar, etc., all of them belong to Datang’s market.

The current population of East Asia combined is at least a small billion.

The huge market with a population of nearly one billion is exclusively enjoyed by Datang. One can imagine how fast the industry in Datang is developing now.

Well, although the industrialization progress in Europe is currently more advanced than that of the Tang Dynasty, the high transportation costs make it impossible for their products to compete with those of the Tang Dynasty in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

The market is big enough and the goods can be sold as soon as they are produced. Under such circumstances, factory owners will naturally not be stingy with their investment.

With more investment, the scale of industrial development will naturally increase.

This is the underlying logic behind Datang’s current great strides in industrialization.

Li Yi said with a smile.

"It's a good thing that the factory is making money, but as a local gentry, we can't just be obsessed with money."

“Since the factory’s profits are guaranteed, should the workers’ interests also be protected?”

"You know, the reason why a factory can produce products is all due to the hard work of the workers. To put it bluntly, workers are the greatest wealth of a factory."

“Necessary labor protection is still needed!”

Like the factories in Europe today, Datang’s factories are actually sweatshops.

Capitalists from ancient times to the present, both in China and abroad, are actually all the same!
Not only do the workers have to work very hard, working an average of more than ten hours a day, but their wages are also very meager, barely enough to barely make ends meet.

Li Yi naturally understood that things couldn't be done this way.

The Chinese are not so docile as to not even rebel, and are not like the Europeans who can at most hold demonstrations and shout slogans.

If the Chinese were pushed into a corner, they would really dare to overthrow the emperor and the entire ruling class.

As the supreme ruler of the Tang Dynasty and the legal representative of the Tang Dynasty company, Li Yi was also afraid.

So, he thought about introducing a bill as soon as possible to protect the interests of workers while nothing was happening.

Well, at least, people should be able to survive!

Upon hearing this, Rong Luhe agreed without any hesitation.

"The common people obey the decree!"

"Then we will increase the workers' wages and benefits, and provide them with labor protection!"

Although Li Yi's request was undoubtedly to cut flesh from him and use his profits to subsidize the workers.

However, since the emperor had asked, he had to agree, not to mention just cutting his own flesh, even if it meant his life.

Otherwise, it would not be as simple as just cutting meat!
You are disobeying the emperor. Are you trying to rebel?

Li Yi heard this and said with a smile.

"Haha, it doesn't have to be like this."

"This is just my suggestion, not an order. Mr. Rong, there is no need to be so nervous."

However, although Li Yi said so, how could Ronglu, an ordinary businessman, dare to refuse the emperor's suggestion?

Zhang Tai on the side also gave Ronglu a sensible look.

Having served as the head of Li Yi's attendant room for such a long time, he knew Li Yi's character very well.

On the surface, he certainly seems to be a benevolent, generous, and respectful ruler, but in reality, Li Yi is not very broad-minded.

If he really holds a grudge against you, you're really finished.

As he spoke, Li Yi continued his inspection.

After leaving Rong’s Textile Factory, Li Yi went to the steel plant to check it out.

Unlike the textile industry, which has private capital involved, the steel mill is a real state-owned enterprise of the Tang Dynasty.

An enterprise invested, built, and managed by the imperial court.

When they arrived at Tianjin No. 1 Iron and Steel Plant, Zhang Tai continued to lead the way and began to introduce the plant.

"Your Majesty, this is Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant. It is the first plant I built after I arrived in Tianjin to take up my post."

"Currently, this steel plant is divided into the following parts."

"One is the sorting workshop, which is responsible for sorting the ore shipped from various places."

"The second is the smelting workshop, which is responsible for smelting iron and steel."

"The third is the foundry, which is responsible for casting the steel smelted in the smelting workshop to produce rails, farm tools, and various types of steel castings."

"We can even produce special steels for cannons, guns, and shipbuilding."

"The steelmaking method we use is the latest open-hearth steelmaking method, which not only reduces the energy required, but also greatly improves steelmaking efficiency."

"At present, Tianjin No. 16 Iron and Steel Plant has 8 steelmaking furnaces and 4 ironmaking furnaces, which can produce tons of iron, more than tons of steel, and more than tons of rails annually."

"It is currently the largest steel plant in the north of the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Yi walked around the steel plant, looking at the tall steel-making furnaces and iron-making furnaces, his eyes full of satisfaction.

This is the charm of heavy industry!

No man can resist the temptation of heavy industry!

Amid the roar of machines, a powerful country is taking shape.

As he was talking, Li Yi came to the factory warehouse to inspect.

In the warehouse, there are piles of steel ingots, formed farm tools, or steel rails laid flat on the ground...

Li Yi squatted down, touched it, felt the cold touch of the steel, but his heart was filled with heat.

Beside him, professionals were introducing the detailed parameters of steel to Li Yi.

Including professional data such as strength and fatigue resistance!

After hearing this, Li Yi said with a smile.

"The development of the steel mill will continue. In my opinion, the prospects for the development of the steel industry are very broad."

"Next, the imperial court will overhaul the railways across the country. I hope that the steel mills can develop faster and reduce the cost of rails and steel materials."

Zhang Tai, who was standing by, heard this and spoke immediately.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I understand!"

"As long as I am in Tianjin, I will do my best to promote and ensure industrial development and will not let Your Majesty down!"

Hearing this, Li Yi patted Zhang Tai's shoulder with satisfaction.

"very good!"

"I am very pleased!"

Soon, Li Yi left the steel plant and went to inspect the food processing plant.

Food processing in Tianjin mainly focuses on seafood processing.

Well, this place is close to Bohai Sea!

Fishermen can unload their catches in Tianjin after catching them in the Bohai Sea, without having to worry about the catch rotting or spoiling.

Li Yi personally went to a canning factory to inspect, picked up a can at random, opened it and tasted it.

Then he gave a thumbs up in support!
"Yes, this can has a good flavor. Mm, it goes well with rice."

"However, we must pay attention to food safety and never relax..."

High EQ: Very delicious!
Low EQ: Too salty!

Of course, Li Yi came to Tianjin to inspect in order to support industrial development, not to find fault.

Of course it is impossible to just say that you made it too salty!

Actually, there is nothing we can do about making the canned food very salty.

At present, Datang's canned food industry is just starting out, and the sealing aspects are still somewhat unqualified.

In order to prevent canned food from spoiling and causing death, adding more salt to it is the lowest cost and most effective method.

……

After a day's inspection, Li Yi returned to the inn to stay.

That evening, he summoned officials from all levels in Tianjin to a banquet.

There were no luxurious delicacies on the banquet, only ordinary home-cooked dishes.

However, the officials still enjoyed the meal very much.

Because many times when eating, what matters is not what you eat, but who you eat with.

The emperor gave a banquet, let alone ordinary home-cooked meals.

Even if it is steamed bread and pickles, everyone will just say it tastes good.

After all the officials took their seats, Li Yi raised the wine glass in his hand and said.

"My dear friends, I am very pleased that Tianjin has achieved the development it has today."

"Today, I would like to say to everyone here, thank you for your hard work!"

"Come, let us drink this cup together!"

As he spoke, Li Yi raised the wine glass in his hand high and drank it all in one gulp.

In front of him, officials raised their glasses and drank up the wine in them.

Then, the atmosphere at the banquet began to become lively.

As the glasses clinked, every face was filled with smiles.

Only after the banquet was over did Li Yi return to his room to rest.

Just as he lay down, there was a knock on the door.

Li Yi rubbed his face and gave instructions to the eunuch beside him.

"Tell someone to come in!"

Soon, Zhang Zhidong and Li Liang walked up to Li Yi and began to report.

"Your Majesty, the latest news is that victory has been reported from the Mobei direction."

As he was speaking, Li Liang handed a victory report to Li Yi. Li Yi took it and began to read it.

Li Liang continued to introduce on the side.

"Your Majesty, according to the news from the front, our army won a great victory in the battle of Kulun."

"We killed more than 12,000 Mongolian cavalrymen in battle, captured more than 8,000 prisoners, and seized countless cattle, sheep and horses."

"Afterwards, Chechen Khan, Tushetu Khan, Zasaktu Khan, Sanying Noyan Khan and others surrendered Kulun."

"Now, both the north and south of the desert belong to our Tang Dynasty!"

After Li Liang finished his introduction, Li Yi also finished reading the military newspaper in his hand, and a smile broke out on his face involuntarily.

"Ha ha!"

"Good thing!"

"The Mongolian tribes in the south of the desert have accepted the management of the temporary officials, and the tribes in the north of the desert have also surrendered. From today on, the grasslands will no longer be a problem, and the northern border of our Great Tang will be peaceful!"

Li Yi laughed and continued.

"From now on, the Chinese begonia leaves will be unified again!"

As early as when Li Yi ascended the throne in the capital, Gaoyuan sent people to ask for surrender.

As for the Western Regions, the Tang army simply sent people to conduct an armed parade, and they surrendered.

In other words, the Tang Dynasty has now completely taken over all the territories previously occupied by the Qing Dynasty.

Even better!

Because the Qing Dynasty did not have Guangnan and Nanyang!
In this case, how could Li Yi not be surprised? At least, from now on, he would not be afraid of being accused of losing territory due to the change of dynasties.

How could Li Yi not be excited?

Thinking of this, Li Yi smiled and instructed Zhang Zhidong.

"Order someone to pass a message to Feng Zicai and Zhang Lexing, telling them not to withdraw their troops, but to temporarily station them in Kulun and be ready to march north again at any time."

"In addition, send a message to Zhangjiakou, asking them to immediately transfer food and military supplies to Kulun, and make preparations for the Northern Expedition to Beihai in advance."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I understand!"

Then, after thinking for a while, Li Yi continued.

"Also, immediately order someone to draft an imperial decree to summon Chechen Khan, Tushetu Khan, Zasaktu Khan, Sanying Noyan Khan and others to the capital for an audience."

The area north of the desert is more vast and sparsely populated than the area south of the desert. It is unknown whether there are a million people in the entire north of the desert.

It would be difficult and costly for the Tang Dynasty to rule.

Moreover, we cannot avoid these Khans.

Therefore, Li Yi summoned Chechen Khan and others to Beijing in order to prepare to start ruling in the northern desert.

Afterwards, Li Yi waved his hand to dismiss Zhang Zhidong and Li Liang, lay on the bed, and began to think about how he should govern Mobei.

In fact, governing Mobei is ultimately an economic issue.

He had to first find a pillar industry for Mobei so that the Mongols in Mobei could have a stable life and then he could stabilize Mobei.

Otherwise, even if he has all the political means, if the people can't even fill their stomachs, chaos will arise sooner or later.

After thinking for a long time, Li Yi came up with an idea.

mineral!

The land in Mobei is barren and poor, water resources are scarce, and the climate is extremely cold, making it unsuitable for developing either agriculture or animal husbandry.

But as for resources, there are some.

That is, the mineral resources in Mobei are very rich.

In later generations, in Outer Mongolia, coal was readily available with just a shovelful of coal, and most of them were open-pit mines. The difficulty and cost of mining were very low, and the resources were quite abundant.

If the Tang Dynasty could properly develop the mineral resources in Mobei and turn all the herdsmen into miners, Mobei would be easier to manage.

Herders can herd their cattle and sheep and roam around the grasslands, but the mines that miners depend on for their livelihood are fixed there and they cannot escape even if they want to.

However, if you want to develop the mineral resources in Mobei, the key is to build roads and railways!
Otherwise, if the ore is dug out but cannot be transported, it will be meaningless...

Also, if the Tang Dynasty wanted to control Lake Baikal, it could then eye Siberia.

Then building a railway connecting the interior of the country and Lake Baikal is also something that must be done.

Therefore, this railway connecting the outside of the customs really has to be repaired!
Li Yi thought about it, and when Chechen Khan and his men came to Beijing, he would discuss with them about the Khan's career change to become a contractor and coal boss. As for the funds needed to build the railway, what should we do?
Li Yi is going to explode the gold coins of Shanxi merchants.

Shanxi merchants mainly do business outside the Great Wall and with Tsarist Russia. If the Tang Dynasty could build a railway connecting the inside and outside of the Great Wall, Shanxi merchants would definitely benefit from it.

In Li Yi's opinion, the Shanxi merchants should have no reason to refuse.

Well, if they refuse, then Li Yi will have to settle accounts with them regarding the Shanxi merchants' previous support for the Qing Dynasty in its war against the Tang Dynasty.

You know, when the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty were fighting for the world, Shanxi merchants gave a lot of gold coins to the Qing Dynasty.

What? You can give gold coins to the Qing Dynasty, but not to the Tang Dynasty?

Do you Shanxi merchants look down on the Tang Dynasty?
Thinking about this, Li Yi lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The next day, Li Yi got up early.

After a quick wash and breakfast, he set off towards Tianjin Port.

Li Yi came to Tianjin this time, not only to inspect the industrial development of Tianjin, but more importantly, to participate in the commissioning ceremony of the first steel battleship of the Tang Dynasty.

Before this, the Tang army had already put several steam-powered ironclad ships into service.

However, the reason why this steam ironclad ship is called an ironclad ship is because the main structure of the hull is actually made of wood.

It's just that the wooden boat is covered with an iron shell for enhanced protection, that's all.

However, what the Tang Dynasty put into service this time was not this kind of incongruous transitional product.

But it is a real steel battleship!

Amid the sounds of carriages and horses, Li Yi arrived at the Tianjin Port Terminal.

At this time, there were already quite a lot of people gathered at the dock.

Seeing the arrival of the imperial carriage, Bohai Fleet Commander Tan Cheng, Guangzhou Shipyard Deputy Director Duan Kun and others came forward to greet him.

"This humble servant pays respect to His Majesty!"

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Li Yi took a few steps forward, reached out to help a few people up, and said with a warm smile on his face.

"Haha, no need to be so polite, my dear ministers."

After helping the man up, Li Yi walked towards the dock.

Duan Kun walked in front and introduced to Li Yi the relevant data of this new warship that was about to enter service.

"Your Majesty, the Military Affairs Council has designated this warship as the Zhaowu-class battleship."

"The first ship is named Zhenyuan!"

“镇远舰排水量13300吨，全长125米，舰宽22.9米；平均吃水8.2米，最大吃水8.84－9.1米。”

"The ship is fully manned with 650 people."

"There are four main guns, using 270mm twin-mounted rifled guns, using a turret design, and are arranged on the front and rear decks respectively."

"There are ten secondary guns, using 150mm rifled guns."

"In addition, there are sixteen 50mm rapid-fire guns, four torpedo launchers, and four deck guard machine guns."

"The power source is equipped with two composite horizontal steam engines and eight coal-fired boilers, dual-shaft propulsion, a maximum speed of 2 knots, and a range of 8 nautical miles."

Obviously, this is a typical pre-dreadnought battleship.

However, at this timeline, this type of battleship was first finalized and mass-produced by the Tang Dynasty.

In this case, it would naturally not be called a pre-dreadnought.

Li Yi personally approved the name Zhaowu class.

This is to commemorate the reign title he used before he ascended the throne.

The reason why the first ship was named Zhenyuan was naturally Li Yi's idea.

For the Chinese people, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 was an unprecedented national humiliation.

Li Yi wanted to use this name to remind himself not to forget the national humiliation and not to be blinded by Japan's current submissiveness.

As he was speaking, Li Yi had already reached the dock where the Zhenyuan ship was docked.

From afar, you can see a huge steel battleship on the sea, like a small mountain.

Looking at the warship, Li Yi's eyes flashed with fire.

He vowed that he would revitalize Chinese civilization and move towards the deep blue...

And all this starts from the battleship in front of you named Zhenyuan!

Li Yi nodded slightly, then began to give instructions.

"Pass the order down and prepare for the inauguration ceremony immediately."

Upon seeing this, Duan Kun immediately nodded to show that he understood.

Soon, the commissioning ceremony began.

After a series of complicated and tedious ceremonies, Li Yi personally held a bottle of wine and smashed it on the hull of the Zhenyuan ship.

With a crisp sound, the wine bottle broke into pieces, and cheers came from all around the dock.

Li Yi also had a smile on his face.

After doing all this, Li Yi personally boarded the ship for inspection.

Duan Kun still walked behind Li Yi, introducing to him the current shipbuilding plan of Guangzhou Shipyard.

"Your Majesty, in accordance with the instructions of the court, our Guangzhou Shipyard has completely stopped the construction plan of sailing battleships and ironclad ships."

"In the next period of time, we will focus all our energy on building the Zhaowu-class battleships."

"According to the current production capacity of Guangzhou Shipyard, we can launch five Zhaowu-class battleships within two years."

Well, the reason why it is five ships in two years instead of two and a half ships in one year is mainly because the construction period of battleships is calculated in years.

On average, it takes at least two years to build a battleship, from issuing design drawings to final launching, sea trials and outfitting.

The reason why it took two years to produce five ships was because five shipyards were started at the same time.

Li Yi heard this and said with a smile.

"very good!"

"Guangzhou Shipyard is worthy of being the leader of the shipbuilding industry in the Tang Dynasty. The huge amount of funds, technology and resources supported by the imperial court have not been wasted."

As he spoke, Li Yi was thinking about the other shipyards in the Tang Dynasty.

Although the Mawei Shipyard in Fuzhou and the Chongming Shipyard in Jiangnan are also developing, their development speed is obviously much slower than that of the Guangzhou Shipyard.

It seems that I have to give them some support.

After inspecting the warships, Li Yi's inspection work in Tianjin was considered to be over. For the next period of time, he strolled around the urban area of ​​Tianjin and inspected the coastal defense artillery at Dagukou.

After doing all this, Li Yi boarded the train back to Beijing.

……

Liaodong, Lushun!
As the Tang Dynasty began to carry out large-scale immigration to Liaodong, Lushun, a place separated from Shandong by a sea, began to become prosperous.

As a large number of people crossed the sea from Shandong to Liaodong, the development of Lushun also entered the fast lane.

The arrival of a large number of people and the exchange of commercial goods led to a significant increase in the population of Lushun.

Outside the city of Lushun, the originally barren lands were reclaimed and turned into large tracts of farmland.

The sun was high in the sky and farmers were busy working in the fields with hoes in their hands.

Now is summer, and it is time to weed the crops in the fields.

In addition, the land in Liaodong is all virgin land, and crops cannot grow without weeding.

Therefore, farmers lead extremely busy lives.

Jin Dashun gets up before dawn almost every day and rushes to his own fields to weed.

The strong sun in the sky made the skin on his back start to crack, but Jin Dashun didn't feel tired at all.

On the contrary, I enjoy doing it!

He straightened up and patted his waist which was sore from being bent for so long.

He looked around at the green wheat seedlings, and Jin Dashun's eyes were full of hope.

Because he knew that the land he was now tending belonged to his family, and once the land was well tended, all the grain produced, minus the taxes paid to the court, would be his.

Jin Dashun believes that within a few years, his land will become fertile land and the crops produced will be enough to feed his family.

By then, I will be able to build a few large brick and tile houses and find a wife for my son.

After a day of hard work, seeing the sun about to set, Jin Dashun packed up his things, dusted himself off, and prepared to go home.

Walking on the road, Jin Dashun greeted passers-by from time to time.

"Where is Lao Liu going?"

"Zhuzi, have you eaten?"

"..."

After chatting and laughing, Jin Dashun returned to his home.

But just as he reached the door of his house, he heard a commotion in his own yard.

The so-called small courtyard was actually very simple, with only a circle of wooden fences and three adobe and thatched houses.

The Jin family immigrated to Liaodong last winter. Since they had to start spring planting in the beginning of spring, they were able to build the house into this state in just one winter. This was the result of the whole family working day and night.

In the small courtyard, the little girl was running barefoot on the ground quickly.

My mother was chasing after me, holding a foot binding in her hand.

"Don't run, little bastard!"

"Stand there, grandma won't hurt you!"

"Grandma will wrap it looser for you this time. Can you wrap it looser?"

"..."

When the little daughter saw her father coming in from outside, she screamed and threw herself into her father's arms.

When Jin Dashun's mother saw this, she immediately said.

"Dashun, catch this little girl for me. I want to see where you can escape to!"

"You have to wrap your feet whether you want to or not!"

Jin Dashun hugged his girl and quickly spoke up to stop them.

"Mom, if you don't want to bind your feet, don't bind them. There's no need for that, right?"

When Jin Dashun's mother heard this, she immediately frowned.

"fart!"

"Foot binding is a custom passed down by our ancestors. How can we stop doing it? If girls don't bind their feet, how can they marry into a good family when they grow up?"

"Besides, a child's bones are soft, so it's not painful to bind her feet. But when she grows up and has her feet bound again, she will suffer!"

Before Jin Dashun could say anything after hearing this, the little girl in his arms burst into tears.

"Daddy, daddy, I don't want to bind my feet, it hurts..."

Seeing this, Jin Dashun's mother came forward and tried to grab the little girl's feet.

"No, it must be wrapped!"

But at this moment, someone came to the outside of the Jin family courtyard.

"Brother Dashun, Aunt Jin, what are you doing?"

"I heard the commotion at your place from a long way away!"

Pan Dajiang stood outside the Jin family's courtyard with his arms folded and asked.

Jin Dashun looked back and said.

"My mother wanted to bind my daughter's feet, but she refused to let me!"

"No, it's making a fuss!"

Pan Dajiang said immediately after hearing this.

"Auntie Jin, if you ask me, it's best not to bind your feet."

"The newspapers say that the imperial court is going to ban foot binding. If any family binds their daughter's feet again, not only will they not be allowed to take the imperial examinations, but they will also be subject to a special foot-binding tax."

Upon hearing this, Jin Dashun's mother couldn't help but retort.

"No foot binding?"

"Why is the imperial court so lenient?!"

Pan Dajiang scratched his head and said.

"I heard that the emperor had recently given birth to a daughter, so he felt sorry for the girls who had to suffer by having their feet bound, so he simply banned foot binding."

In fact, when Li Yi issued the order banning foot binding, he did not have so many complicated thoughts. He just felt that foot binding was indeed not a good thing.

Moreover, after women bound their feet, they could no longer do many heavy jobs, which undoubtedly affected the industrial development of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Li Yi issued an order banning foot binding.

But, people like to guess!
In addition, Li Yi did have a new princess recently, so due to rumors, it became known that Li Yi issued the order to ban foot binding for the sake of his own daughter.

Upon hearing this, Jin Dashun also felt sorry for his daughter and immediately spoke to his mother.

"Mom, you see, even the emperor has issued an edict to ban foot binding, so let's not torment the girl."

Aunt Jin still spoke with some dissatisfaction after hearing this.

"The emperor's daughter is a princess. Even if she doesn't bind her feet, she won't have trouble finding a husband. How can children from ordinary families like me compare to a princess..."

However, although she said so, when Aunt Jin thought about the tax she had to pay for foot binding, she immediately gave up the idea of ​​binding her granddaughter's feet.

In her opinion, it is not worth paying another tax for a money-losing product!

After things calmed down, Jin Dashun invited Pan Dajiang to his home for a visit.

The two sat down at the table and Pan Dajiang began to speak.

"Brother Dashun, I came to see you today because I have something to discuss with you."

Jin Dashun poured a bowl of water for Pan Dajiang in a coarse porcelain bowl, and then said with a smile.

"If you have something to say, just say it!"

"Why are you so polite? You're being so awkward for no reason."

Pan Dajiang smiled and finally mentioned his mother.

"Brother Dashun, this is what happened."

"Recently, my brother and I have rented a piece of land in Lushun to make furniture. The factory building has been completed and we are in need of workers."

"Why don't you come to my place and do it!"

"When you were in your hometown, you were a famous carpenter in our county."

"If you come to work for me, I will pay you three silver dollars a month."

"How about it? It's not unfair to you, right?"

The level of development in Liaodong is not high, so unlike the areas inside the Great Wall, where large tracts of forests have been cut down and become bare.

There are large tracts of forests everywhere in Liaodong, many of which are hundreds of years old.

These woods are of the best quality whether used to make furniture or build ships.

Therefore, Pan Dajiang raised some money and planned to take advantage of Lushun's resource advantages to open a furniture factory in the local area.

……

PS: There were 1600 monthly tickets last month. According to the update plan, two hundred monthly tickets plus one update, a total of eight updates.

But I only paid back five chapters, which means that I owed three chapters before the month even started.

This is the first update, and there are two more to come.

Well, I'll pay it back slowly from now on!
I don’t dare to ask for monthly tickets anymore!
(End of this chapter)