Foshan is located in the alluvial plain of the Pearl River Delta, and there are no reasonable iron ore resources nearby. As for the energy source, charcoal and bamboo charcoal are used instead of coal.

The location of an industrialized steel base is generally located close to iron ore or coal mines and has convenient transportation. For example, Pittsburgh, the "steel capital of the world" in the United States, where the superior iron ore mine with reserves of more than 60 billion tons and the Appalachian coalfield, the world's largest coal field, are nearby. In terms of transportation, it is located at the mouth of the Ohio River, and the inland river transportation is convenient and developed. Another example is the Ruhr area in Germany, where the coal reserves are as high as 219 billion tons, the coal quality is good, the coal types are complete, the grade is high, it is a high-quality hard coal field, and the open-pit coal mine is abundant and the mining is convenient. Coupled with the strong capacity of the Rhine, even if iron ore needs to be imported from Lorraine in France, Yugoslavia, Sweden and other places, it will not affect the fact that it will lead Germany to become the world's second largest heavy industrial power before the war.

These are relatively successful cases in the history of the world, and there are also unsuccessful ones, such as Chen Kai's earlier planning of the Shilu Iron Mine in Qiongzhou used as a negative example of the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant in the late Qing Dynasty, which is far away from the production areas of iron ore and coal mines, and the only thing that can be relied on is the convenient inland shipping capacity.

However, according to Chen Kai's view, if the provincial capital of Hubei is not in a convenient place like Wuhan, even if it is only in an inland waterway where the shipping capacity is not enough to support large-scale iron ore and coal transportation, or even where there is no waterway that can be used at all, the steel plant will definitely be built there in the name of Tu Cai, one of the three massacres of officialdom in the late Qing Dynasty. Because for Zhang Zhidong's kind of clear stream and feudal territory, you can not seek wealth, but political achievements are necessary!

It is precisely because of such a negative example that Chen Kai chose to build a factory directly in Shilu when planning the Shilu Iron Mine. However, I haven't personally inspected it, and I was really pitted by habitual thinking, which is still like an old forest in the deep mountains, and a lot of manpower and material resources have been invested, but the results are not very passable. So much so, some time ago, Chen Kai reverted to copper ore instead of iron ore - the former is more convenient to mine is one of them, and more importantly, copper can mint currency, and it can still look better in terms of income.

While the copper ore is mined, infrastructure is built, and the wood and bamboo are used to burn charcoal, which is then transported downstream to the Changhua County smelter downstream along with the copper ore crushed with a water cone.

Shilu iron ore has become a copper mine again, and Chen Kai is helpless. The lack of industrialized infrastructure is the biggest problem where it has always been unable to make ends meet, and as for the local indigenous people, it is already negligible. Now, this may be the more appropriate way to do it at the current level of productivity.

To get back to the point, in Foshan, it is inappropriate to use the site selection criteria of the era of industrial large-scale production in later generations. However, in today's era of handicrafts, a region where hydraulic machinery is just beginning to emerge, such a level of productivity is far from comparable to the era when steam engines were used to provide power for machinery, and Chen Kai never intended to create the industrial myth of the 19th century with the level of science and technology and productivity in the 17th century. Thinking about it this way, Foshan is a very suitable place for a steel production base in contemporary Guangdong.

"In this world, only the most suitable is the best!"

Foshan's coarse iron comes mainly from Luoding Prefecture and northern Guangdong, where the iron ore is mined, the limestone from there is used for rough processing, and then sent to Foshan for finishing using the water transport capacity of the Xijiang and Beijiang rivers. As for charcoal and bamboo charcoal, the rivers in Guangxi and the forests in southern Guangdong are the sources of such energy.

Thinking along the rise of Foshan iron smelting industry and the reasons behind it step by step, Chen Kai calculated the resources in his hands, especially when Luodingzhou and Guangxi were not in hand, and most of the northern Guangdong region and Guangzhou Prefecture were in his hands. In addition, he did not intend to take Foshan as the only lifeblood of steel production - the smelting industry of Chaozhou Prefecture is booming after several years, not to mention that there is a province of Fujian in hand, and the well-known Fujian iron will gradually recover production capacity in the next few years, with the current situation, this is basically enough.

After making up his mind, Chen Kai issued an order to the manufacturing bureaus of Chaozhou and Qiongzhou to transfer technical personnel. The manufacturing bureau workshop in Foshan is about to be set up, but it will still take some time. In contrast, the members of Guangzhou's local Guangdong Business Alliance are obviously moving a little faster, and the recovery of Shunde's sericulture and silk industries has officially kicked off in Longjiang.

Outside Longjiang Town, a place that is not too far away, along the river, the outer wall of a factory is being built. Relying on the Guangdong Business Alliance, with the help of local officials, the land along the river was quickly acquired, and the members and some of their local collaborators in Longjiang recruited a group of craftsmen and ordinary people, and the first factory of the Shunde silk workshop began to rise in Longjiang Town.

Inside, there is already a factory building that has been built, which is earlier than the outer walls. Inside the plant, a huge machine nine meters long and nearly three meters high is running smoothly under the drive of the turbine that sticks out on the side of the river next to the plant. The water wheel rotates, and the two belts drive the 32 spindles to rotate, and the silk moves with the rotation of the spindles, and its processing efficiency is much higher than that of manual and pedal manpower spinning wheels.

All the members who participated in the shares have arrived, and the water spinning wheel is constantly running, feeling the production speed of this hydraulic machinery, and everyone has more confidence in the large-scale recovery of the silk industry in Shunde. To be precise, I am more confident in the return I can receive.

"This water-to-big spinning wheel is really a good thing, and we need to build more of it."

"That's exactly how it should be! The more you make, the more you do. At that time, whether it is selling silk ingots directly or spinning into silk, it will be a lucrative business. ”

Most of the members who participated in the shares were optimistic, talking about expanding production along the way, and expressed their willingness to continue to inject capital into the area.

However, compared to these people, the most talkative members of the previous expedition and their local collaborators did not seem so elated. To be precise, it should be that while there are many positive emotions such as excitement, pleasure, and excitement, there is always a stream of helplessness and worry wandering in the meantime, as if a few variegated colors were worn into the brocade woven on that surface.

"Don't hide it from you, most of the silver in the first batch of shares has been used, and when this factory is finished, it will be at most three sets of water-to-large spinning wheels."

The member who led the delegation looked embarrassed, he was the largest shareholder of this machine shop among these people, and all the money that the family could take out was invested, but this initial investment, it obviously took more time to see the return. And now, their stall is obviously a little too big, and liquidity will inevitably begin to be in short supply.

In fact, if it was four years ago in Yongli, with their net worth, such a large-scale hydraulic silk weaving workshop would not have been as embarrassed as it is now. However, when he escaped, most of his belongings were cheap to the Qing army, and even if he couldn't start from scratch after arriving in Chaozhou, he would inevitably have to start small and recover his strength little by little. Up to now, the real estate has been recovered, but most of the financial resources have been invested in those old businesses, and those places also need to buy raw materials, hire labor, pay taxes, and even honor black and white, how can there be too much living money.

The Guangzhou Massacre of that year, and even the four years of exile that followed, all caused their financial resources to shrink dramatically. The situation of each family is different, but the overall situation is the same, and there is nothing to be done. This time, under the organization of the Guangdong Business Alliance, everyone partners to do business, which also has the meaning of being together. It's a pity that these bundles that want to be difficult to break are not chopsticks, just a bunch of toothpicks.

"Otherwise, it's just this scale. When the first payment is recovered, the dividends are not in a hurry, and all the dividends are invested in expanding production, how about it? ”

This is a more conservative but more secure approach, and one member tentatively suggested it, even though many people echoed it.

The major shareholder who took the lead knew very well that these peers of the old industry must continue to maintain, and this was not the case for him. According to the man, when the first batch of silk was woven, it was only sent to Hong Kong, where there were maritime merchants who bought it. Even if there is no maritime acquisition, and it is directly sold to the Zheng Group's maritime trading base there, the silver can be obtained immediately. Even if you are not so eager, send it back to Guangzhou City and hand it over to a few members who open silk shops to sell on your behalf, and maybe you can make more money.

This is undoubtedly an excellent solution, but the current situation is not the best solution. Because, it's not just them who are eyeing this piece of fat, it is said that as soon as they move, the gentry and businessmen of Guangzhou Mansion and Zhaoqing Mansion, and even the businessmen with military backgrounds are like mosquitoes that have seen blood, and they can't wait to pounce on them immediately and take a good suck.

"We can't afford to provoke those who have Wang Shi as a backer behind them, but those guys who stayed in the countryside back then, when the Tartars were there, they shaved their heads and kept braids in a proper manner, and they didn't even want their ancestors, but now it's good, they came to grab business with us, it's really shameless."

The local people who came to rob the business, including the squires and the merchants abroad, were obviously much less than the gentry and merchants in Guangzhou who suffered much less in that catastrophe. In the following four years, the two feudal domains of Pingnan and Jingnan, with the Guangdong government of the Qing court, were naturally indispensable for grinding people with soft knives, but compared to the one-size-fits-all back to their original shape, most of them survived tenaciously with various relationships, especially those gentry with merit and fame, and the identity of scholars and doctors always had a place to take care of.

The massacre and rescue were not only a duel between evil and good, but also a duel between the local gentry, merchants, and common people in Guangzhou. Speaking of these, most of the members were angry, and even more simply proposed to submit a letter to Chen Kai to suppress the arrogance of those wild dogs who came to steal business. However, normal business activities are advocated by Chen Kai, and the opponent is more likely to oppress people with power and do business in an upright manner, so you can't talk about people who have shaved their hair.

"Obviously, we are optimistic about this Shunde silk first......"

The aggrieved words came out, and everyone sighed for a while. In contrast, the members are like this, although those collaborators are also a little worried, but after all, they are all local people in Shunde, with machine workshops, mulberry fields, silkworm households and various channels in their hands, and they still have to be a little more stable in their hearts - it's really not good, change the runway, isn't it the same money?

It was originally to cheer up and solve problems, but here it has become like this. The major shareholder who took the lead looked at the members who participated in the shares, and then looked at the expressions of those collaborators, and was anxious, so he simply became ruthless: "Then raise more silver than them, even if it is about the same at that time, we have Chen Fujun behind us, and we are not afraid of anything from them!" ”

This is indeed a solution, even when it opens everyone's minds. I'm afraid borrowing is inevitable, but in terms of interest, it will inevitably make them feel pain. But if you don't borrow, you have to try to attract more members to participate in the shares, but the current problem is that there are a lot of businesses to do in Guangzhou, in addition to silk, fragrant wood is also a place with a big investment, many members have invested their working capital in it, with the Zheng Group and Guangdong Trading Company basically swallowed the shares of Pingnan and Jingnan in the previous four years.

This is still a lot of money invested, where is there too much spare money. However, the Guangdong Trade Alliance has regulations that members operate workshops and trading companies on a joint-stock basis, and they must be members to participate in the shares. Most of the members in Guangzhou are like them, so is it possible to send people to Chaozhou and Qiongzhou to invite the members there?

"No, I'll go and ask Chairman Cai. The Guangdong Trading Company is the business of Chen Fujun's family, and there is also the support of the surname of the country behind it, as far as I know, there is a lot of silver that can be used to allocate it on hand. ”

"So, our dividends ......"

A voice became lower and lower the more it spoke, but it was echoing louder and louder in everyone's ears. Once the Guangdong trading company becomes a shareholder, the result is likely to be a change in the proportion of shares, especially the largest shareholder. For a while, everyone turned their attention to the major shareholder, who was obviously struggling inwardly for a moment, and then raised his head and turned out to be completely open.

"The scale has expanded, and the dividends will only be more, not less. This is a profitable business, even if it is decided by the Guangdong Trading Company in the future, our family business will become bigger and bigger, it is better than being excluded for a long time! ”

With this tone, the next thing for everyone is nothing more than to go to Hong Kong to try to persuade Cai Cheng, or to rush to Guangzhou to find a way to persuade Chen Kai. Among them, there are also some well-informed people who mention that the Chen family's business is all handled by Chen Fujun's wife behind her back, and it is better to ask for the noble lady who has just arrived in Guangzhou.

Ironclad profitable trading, they don't think there will be too many surprises in the money. This confidence, especially being linked to Chen Kai, made those partners seem to be a little more determined.

Next, it is nothing more than other issues continue to be discussed, land, mulberry forests, silkworm households, machinery, etc., etc., want to continue to expand production, want to gain a firm foothold in the Shunde sericulture, silk industry, there are still a lot to solve, by no means they just came to this time to think so simple. And in this, the biggest problem is the loss of population, and the expansion of the scale undoubtedly requires more people to support, because this industry has always been an industrial chain, not a single textile.

"Fuck, if it doesn't work, I'll go to Zhaoqing Mansion to recruit people. I have silver and food, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to recruit people to work?! ”