It's just that Zhang Han and Ma Chengen are making money, but Li Shenming can only stay out of the matter, and his heart is very uncomfortable, plus he knows that Zhang Han has leveled the head snake and the Fan family in Tianchengwei and began to collect grain, which is also a profitable big business, and he is even more anxious, but no matter how anxious he is, Li Shenming will not bet at will, after many years of business, he will never make rash decisions.

Zhang Han said: "Although the quality of Jin Iron is poor, it is better than the abundance of coal, so it is still marketed in the north. I can't afford to sell the price, the important thing is to use coal to make iron, there are too many impurities, the iron is too brittle, the casting is very easy to damage, and it is easy to rust, and it will be rusty soon. It's because people don't want to buy it, and the price can't be sold. What's more, it's not easy to use to build weapons. We are in Datong Horse Market, and the official market will also give Tartar some iron pots, which are not made of our Jin iron, which are taken out by the imperial court to reward the northern captives, and they are all used in the southern iron...... Dude, if we can change this situation and increase production and make iron better, I'm afraid the profit will increase greatly, right? ”

Li Shenming said suspiciously: "Brother Zhang is still proficient in iron smelting? ”

Zhang Han does know a lot about this aspect, he read a few years of miscellaneous books, and knows that the most important thing in the industrialization process of Britain must be the textile machine and steam engine, but coke ironmaking must also be one of the most important thrusts of early industrial development in Britain, at that time Britain was also full of blast furnaces, but the national firewood resources were limited, and soon limited to the embarrassing situation of insufficient fuel, and later changed to coal ironmaking, which is also the same as the problem of Jin Iron now, and later it was the British nobleman Dudley who solved the shortage of coal ironmaking, which made this technology popularized. Finally, the bottleneck of insufficient steel production was solved, and enough fuel was added to the industrial revolution in Britain.

Later generations were amazed at the great progress of human science and technology during the industrial development of Britain in the seventeenth century, but in fact, Zhang Han believed that the pursuit of capital for profit, as long as the merchants urgently needed and profitable, would naturally make quite a lot of smart people devote themselves to research, and eventually there would be good enough results.

"I don't know much, but I do know a little about how to build iron-making furnaces and casting furnaces, how to reduce impurities in iron, and how to forge them. It's just that I don't know it in detail, and I still need to explore it slowly, but I am still very confident that at least in the future, the quality of our Jintie will not be too far below Fujian Iron. ”

Zhang Han knows how to build a blast furnace for energy storage, try to increase the air inlet, reduce the energy consumption of the air outlet, how to use coke, and even he knows how to build a storage tank next to the blast furnace, and the water can drive the blower, which is an invention of the British, and China actually has a water discharge blast method, but not many people know it now...... At that time, I read it in the book as an anecdote, after all, the British hydraulic blower was eliminated after the steam engine was put into use, including the same as hydraulic forging.

In this era, Britain's progress is far above that of China, of course, including ironmaking, when the Eight Banners entered the customs, Britain's ironmaking industry has been very high-end, Cromwell's iron cavalry has a new sabre forged by water, and everyone wears a cuirass forged by water, in contrast, the so-called Eight Banners, I don't know how much behind the iron cavalry in terms of equipment, and the organizational structure is needless to mention. As far as firearms are concerned, the Ming army's firearms casting is not too backward, but the production streamlined, equipment organization, drills, and tactics are all too backward, and the level of firearms of the Ming army is really primitive in Europe, and the same tens of thousands of firearms soldiers, the Spaniards can teach the Qing Eight Banners how to be a person in minutes.

In Zhang Han's view, China in this era is an era of comprehensive backwardness, but what can he do? I can only rely on what I have learned and try to make myself and the people around me feel comfortable and happy...... Anyway, a few hundred years later, China has risen like this, and Zhang Han can only think of comforting himself like this.

"Even if that's the case," Li Shenming had no doubts about Zhang Han's words, this was also a trust that had been dealt with for a long time, if other sixteen or seventeen-year-old boys patted their chests and said that they could improve the iron-making method, Li Shenming would have kicked him over and told him to roll as far as he could. Zhang Han was different, but Li Shenming was not moved yet, but said with a smile: "After all, the profit is still not much." ”

According to Zhang Han, the annual profit can range from 20,000 to 40,000 or 60,000 yuan, but compared to many troubles, there are benefits to be shared, and this profit is really unattractive.

Zhang Han said lightly: "If it is only sold in the north of our Ming Dynasty, it is indeed not profitable." ”

Iron deficiency is actually nationwide, the mining of the Ming Dynasty is not as developed as the Song Dynasty, but the population is increased compared with the Song Dynasty, copper, iron are insufficient, but Jin Iron can only be sold in Shanxi and Xuanda area, at most to Henan, and then far away the freight is too high, not cost-effective, even if the output growth profit increases, after all, the purchasing power of the north is limited.

With cost control and improved quality, Zhang Han can build more blast furnaces to seize the northern market, but it will not be done in a day. The protective forces and tooth shops everywhere are all local snakes, without strong strength, grabbing the market everywhere, and finally breaking their own teeth.

"Brother mean, Tartar?"

Zhang Han had a smile on his face, it was comfortable to talk to smart people, and there was no need to talk too much nonsense.

If it is someone else, listening to Zhang Han's words, he can't help but think to the south, only Li Shenming immediately heard the string song and knew the meaning of elegance, and immediately understood what Zhang Han meant.

Li Shenming frowned and said, "Smuggling pig iron or iron tools to the Tartars is a big crime. ”

Zhang Han's expression was still faint: "That's why I have more than 10,000 silver a year on Ma Zongbing's side, and more than 10,000 silver a year on Zheng Bingbei's side." There are still thousands of taels a year in the hands of General Lai, and then the forts, platforms, and piers along the border are leveled, what about smuggling iron? ”

"The stakes are very high, I'm afraid there will be more respect."

"Of course!"

Zhang Han said in a very firm tone: "At least more than double, the governor of Xuanda and the governor of Datong, the governor of Xuanfu, the governor of Shanxi, they and their cronies must be counted, the generals and guerrillas along the border, the ethics and defense of each fort, and the management officers of each village must be counted everywhere." Brother, millions of catties of pig iron a year, more than 10 million catties of grain, a large number of medicinal herbs and cloth, the annual profit may exceed one million taels, I will take half of this silver! ”

"You have mastered the smuggling route with the Beiyu?"

Li Shenming's face finally showed a look of shock, and he stood up suddenly.

"That's right." Zhang Han still sat and said peacefully: "I plan to go out of the fortress in the autumn, walk around the Mongolian departments, and finally arrive in Liaodong. ”

"You, you, you're unexpected......"

Li Shenming's face was cloudy, and it was difficult to digest all the news in a short time.

Zhang Han sat still, holding a cup and drinking tea, he was not in a hurry.

Li Shenming, he must be pulled in. The Li family is a merchant family in Datong City, and they have a good relationship with the royal mansion, and the officials and gentry in various places also have many friendships, Zhang Han needs a competent person to help him get through the joints in various places, such as the things he just said, he may not be as good as Li Shenming to do it himself.

He already has financial resources and fame, but friendships and connections are not accumulated in a day or two, for example, an official in a certain place, Li Shenming can go to drink flower wine together when he can meet, Zhang Han can't, he can only speak and do things seriously, even if the money is delivered, the friendship still can't be built, and it takes more effort for him to open up the joints than Li Shenming.

Even if there is no Li Shenming, Zhang Han has to find Zhang Shenming and Wang Shenming, which is a key role and is indispensable.

"Brother, can you tell me which line is on the Beiyu side?"

"Shoukouyi and the city supervisor Silver Ingot Taiji."

"Good, good!" Li Shenming's eyes lit up, and he high-fived and said, "Brother, you are really amazing." ”

He added: "Which day, we are serious about changing the post, how about it?" ”

At that time, it was also common for righteous brothers to change posts with each other, that is, the friendship of cutting off their heads and changing their lives. Unlike later generations, who regarded swearing and swearing as farts, people at that time still attached great importance to these things, at least no one would use the sworn brother as a night pot, using a brother, stuffing the bottom of the bed if you don't need it, and changing the post, even if it is a serious honor and disgrace.

Zhang Han smiled: "That's my big brother Gao Pan." ”

"Don't say that." Li Shenming waved his hand and said: "Brother has good means, the silver ingot is not in a proper shape, but the city government is quite deep, and the means are also there, otherwise there are hundreds of Taiji over there in the Tartars, which turn will he be the official of this mouth?" If the brothers can climb this line and establish a relationship with the silver ingot, we can indeed do this business. Ma Zongbing's side, I can pack the ticket without trouble, Zheng Bingbei must be the brother himself to make it clear. Fortunately, Yang and the deputy general soldier were transferred to the Shanxi general army, otherwise, it would be a trouble. ”

Li Shenming thought about it, and there was no feeling of hindering the country's righteousness at all, but it made Zhang Han worry in advance. Zhang Han also found an interesting phenomenon, whether it was a merchant or a gentry at that time, at most there was a defense of Huayi, and it was not the confrontation between ethnic groups, but the pure contempt for backward nationalities, just like the feeling that people in the city looked down on the countryside, the real estrangement between ethnic groups was the vendetta of more than 200 years, and the people here in Datong hated the Beilu more than the Dongju who swept the world later, that is, the Jurchens.

After all, the Jurchens have always been in Liaodong, and they were almost pressed and beaten by the Ming Dynasty, the strong can't hate the weak, on the contrary, they have some pity, these Tartars don't live well, what are they messing about?

No one could have imagined or would believe that the Jurchens from Baishan and Heishui not only later occupied Liaodong, but also occupied all of Liao, and entered the customs in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen and seized the rivers and mountains of China. In the process of seizing the world, he forced the Han people to hand, modify, and change clothes, and killed tens of millions of people for this.

As for Li Shenming and others, they will not think about Daming when they do things, if Zhang Hanruo says, Li Shenming will only think that he is laughing.