Xiqiao Township, Nanhai County, Guangxi, in front of the township office. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Chen Qiyuan stood in the crowd, looking at the notice posted in front of the township office, his face full of excitement.

"It turned out that the imperial court issued a new policy, "Regulations for Chinese Merchants to Handle Agricultural and Industrial Industries", well, to encourage businessmen and ordinary people to set up factories and develop industries. Ah, there is no capital, as long as there are good ideas and ideas, and the government approves it, you can even get an interest-free loan. Great, while my cousin hasn't left yet, hurry up and find him, this time I don't have to leave my hometown again. Chen Qiyuan carefully read the posted notice twice, squeezed out of the crowd, and ran home.

If you want to say this Chen Qiyuan, he was originally from Jiancun in Xiqiao Township, his father was a teacher, his family had more than a dozen acres of land, and he took several imperial examinations, but he never succeeded, so he also lightened his mind and followed his brother Chen Qishu to do some raw silk tea business.

The year before last, I heard that there was a war in Guangzhou, and the long-haired thieves attacked the government, and the squires like them would be arrested and raided the house, so their family sold the family's land at the suggestion of his brother, but unexpectedly, everyone wanted to sell the field, and even the low price could not be sold.

This year, because they received news that their father was ill, the two brothers rushed back to their hometown, but found that their father had deceived them back, saying that the government now treats the people very well, which is completely different from the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and their more than a dozen acres of land have not been confiscated, but they will not come, so they will not meet the requirement of five acres of land per capita, and they will pay more grain taxes.

When he got home, Chen Qiyuan excitedly wanted to tell his brother Chen Qishu about the notice that the township government had seen, but he didn't expect to hear the quarrel between his father and brother as soon as he entered the door.

The old father wanted the two brothers to stay in their hometown, and the elder brother Chen Qishu said that he would go back to Annan for everything, and the business there was on the right track and the profits were huge.

Chen Qiyuan walked in, told what he saw in the township office, and said to his brother: "Brother, why don't our brothers stay in this Jian Village?" Although Annan is good, it is a foreign country after all. I know that my brother has a big heart, if it is like the previous Manchu rule, evil officials are rampant, and he can't do business, more than ten acres of land, he can only make ends meet, my brother wants to go to Annam, my father and I will not stop him, and my brother will follow my brother and go again. But now, the South China Sea has changed, and now it is the new imperial court, judging from the notice of the township office, this official government is really not bad. Or, brother, haven't we seen the silk reeling factory opened by the French in Annam, the profit is amazing, and now it happens that the government encourages the opening of the factory, and there is a lot of support, why don't we also open one? ”

"What? Start a silk reeling factory like Annam? Second brother, are you crazy? Chen Qishu exclaimed: "Not to mention that the world is as black as a crow, how can there be any good official mansion?" If you really set up a silk reeling factory in the South China Sea, brother, I bet that within a year, those black-hearted soap officials will eat you to the bone. Moreover, how much does it cost to run a silk reeling factory? Not to mention the silkworm cocoons and hired helpers, just the factory building and the Western machinery, I'm afraid I can't get it without tens of thousands of taels of silver. ”

"Brother, you and I have been away from the South China Sea for two years and are not familiar with the situation. The notice of the government said that there are now China Construction Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank in Nanhai County, and as long as the guarantee made by the township office shows that we are running a silk reeling factory, we can get interest-free loans. We can first mortgage the family's land and borrow a little more, as long as we buy back the machinery from Annam, and then use the machinery as collateral to build factories and recruit manpower and buy raw materials for silkworm cocoons. ”

Chen Qishu still didn't want to listen, and said with a smile: "Even if my father is willing to sell the land, it will only be three or four hundred taels of silver." Together with our savings, all of them add up, it is just over a thousand taels, and the distance is 10,000 taels, and there is still a gap of 108,000 miles! Second brother, don't be too ambitious, otherwise, don't go to Annan, just guard your father in your hometown, and I'll go to Annan to earn some money and send it back. ”

"Brother, how much money can you make just by working in a silk reeling factory and selling scattered raw silk and silkworm cocoons in your spare time? After seeing the monthly windfall profits of those French silk reeling factories, I decided to start my own silk reeling factory. During my stay in Annam, in addition to helping, I also carefully learned the silk reeling technology, even the foreigner's silk reeling machine, I also figured out the structure, I estimated, as long as three or four thousand taels of silver, can be imitated! ”

"What? Second brother, what you said is true? Can you even imitate a Western machine? Chen Qishu was taken aback.

"In fact, this Western machine is not as complicated as we imagined. Figured it out, that's it. Chen Qiyuan said confidently: "The silk reeling steam engine is just an ordinary steam engine, and the Nanyang Company No. 1 Machine Factory in Guangzhou has a surplus steam engine, and they still produce it themselves." Brother, there is one thing that I have not told you, the county magistrate of Nanhai County, named Hong Renji, has stayed in Nanyang before, and is familiar with me, I will go to the city tomorrow to look for him, if he is willing to come forward and help go to the first machine factory of Nanyang Company to say hello, we can owe the steam engine on credit, so that the funds will be much more relaxed. ”

"Ah, you are actually familiar with the county magistrate? Good! If this is the case, with his help, if you can really imitate silk reeling, the eldest brother will not go back to Annan to do that hard work and help you take care of the silk reeling factory. Just right, I can fulfill my father's wish! Chen Qishu thought of the astonishing profits of Annan's silk reeling factory, and agreed to it.

The next afternoon, Nanhai County.

Chen Qiyuan looked at Hong Renji, the commander of Nanhai County in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh at the chance of life, what a coincidence. It turned out that when Hong Renji was exiled on Hong Kong Island the year before last, he was destitute, but fortunately he helped him for half a month, so the two became acquainted. I helped him at the beginning, but I didn't expect it, but now it's the other way around, and I asked to come to him.

"Brother Chen, your intention to come, my brother already knows! It just so happens that now the imperial court has a policy in this regard, and a few days ago it also issued a charter, for my brother is having a headache how to recruit capital to come to the South China Sea to handle factories and mines, and start an industry, I didn't think that Brother Chen was going to start a factory, I didn't say it, for my brother to welcome you to set up a silk reeling factory on behalf of the imperial court! The other party agreed.

As soon as he heard that Chen Qiyuan was short of funds, Hong Renji personally took Chen Qishu to a private commercial bank, which turned out to be Huxiang Bank. The president of the bank is a native of Nanyang, named Jiang Mingxian, and personally received them, and when he heard that it was a person who returned from Nanyang to start an industry, this person named Jiang Mingqian directly opened his mouth and asked for shares.

Chen Qiyuan couldn't help but be stunned.

Jiang Mingqian explained: "Lord Hong, Brother Chen, you may not know yet. Nanyang Company had already built two large-scale silk reeling factories in Guangzhou, and the machines were still in short supply every day, and the business was surprisingly good and the profits were particularly high. Therefore, I have a lot of confidence in the silk reeling industry! ”

When Chen Qiyuan heard this explanation, he also had some confidence, and he was naturally overjoyed when the financial problem was solved.

At the moment, Hong Renxuan was the guarantor, and the two sides signed a cooperation agreement, with Chen Qiyuan contributing 4,000 taels and providing technology and land for a price of 1,000 taels, totaling 5,000 taels, and Jiang Mingqian invested 3,000 taels to jointly set up a silk reeling factory.

The next day, Chen Qiyuan and Jiang Mingxian, accompanied by Hong Renxuan, came to Nanyang No. 1 Machinery Factory, picked a replacement old engine, and converted it into a silk reeling steam engine. Chen Qiyuan took the silk reeling process diagram designed by himself, listed all kinds of equipment on it one by one, and handed it over to the first machine factory for manufacturing.

A month and a half later, in the village of Jiancun, Lingnan Water Township, among hundreds of acres of mulberry fields, a deafening firecracker sounded: Changlong Silk Reeling Factory was officially established!

After nearly two months of manufacturing, a few days of transportation, and half a month of installation, Chen Qiyuan and his brother Chen Qishu recruited more than 10 workers nearby, and the two of them personally trained.