[Breaking my promise again and again, I found that I was getting fatter and fatter, no matter what, the next one will definitely be rushed out, please watch it tomorrow morning. 】

Shanyang Port in Fangcheng County at the end of September was bustling at this time.

The sense of smell of the merchants in western Beijing is as keen as that of the merchants of other Luzhou. When the construction of the track began, the first batch of merchants had already flocked, and after the track was repaired, a second batch came, but the first two batches were small businesses, just to see if the Fangcheng track, which is an integral part of the Xianghan Cao Canal, has oil and water to fish.

But today, all the big merchants in the state capitals of western Beijing, and even the merchants of Jinghu and Shuzhong, heard the news that the Xianghan Cao Canal was about to be opened, and hurried here to personally verify whether the rumors were false.

The facts turned out the rumors. Hundreds of businessmen stood next to the gantry cranes and witnessed how easily a shipload of cargo could be transferred to a truck awaiting cargo on the shore with only seven or eight people operating the crane.

Its efficiency is far more than dozens of times of manpower transportation, and the merchants look up at the gantry crane, as if they are looking at the golden body on the Daxiong Treasure Palace, and almost want to bow and worship. If gantry cranes can be used in ports all over the world, how much money can be saved for them?! The wooden crane seemed to shine with a moving golden light in their eyes.

There were also some merchants looking at the carriages running on the tracks, asking for valuable information.

"Yesterday I ran back and forth on the road. Fifteen yuan for a trip, sixty miles passed in an hour and a half, and it was fifteen yuan when I came back. More than 100 miles away, usually by horse-drawn carriage to catch up with the day, by railroad carriage, a little more than a morning to finish. A local businessman with a Jingxi accent introduced a few out-of-town businessmen who had just arrived.

"Fifteen Wen." An old merchant in his fifties next to him, who looked a little gentle, nodded slowly, "This price is quite cheap." ”

"Some time ago, it was a test car, so it was cheap, it is said that when it is officially opened, it will be twenty-five Wen alone, and the salute on the body cannot exceed twenty catties, and more will have to add money. As for the goods, they are taxed at the same time as the freight is paid. The local businessman corrected.

"Why didn't you see the carriages that gave people away," a fat man who was fat and white, very rich, and covered in silk and satin, turned his head to look around, "Those carts must be carrying goods, right?" ”

"Don't you know the truth?" The surprise of the local merchant was very exaggerated, "The Transshipment Division has 600,000 Shigang grain to be transported to the capital before the winter moon, and the errand is in such a hurry, the Fangcheng track will no longer carry passengers from today." ”

"Kidding, huh?" The fat businessman who heard this sentence was surprised, "The Xianghan Caoqu was opened for the purpose of the Gangyun, and I know this point, and with Han Longtu's talent, there will be no problem in thinking about it." But 600,000 stone a month? How is this possible! Twelve months in a year, that's seven million two thousand stones. There is only a lot of food in the world, six million! I haven't heard of more than seven million. ”

Another middle-aged businessman who passed with him didn't believe it either—they were all: "Is Xiao Han Longtu confused?" It is not surprising that 600,000 stones a month are transported by water, and the Bianhe River is not very wide. But this land transportation capacity of 600,000 stone is incredible. 20,000 stone a day, but 2 million catties! ”

"Actually, it's a month and a half." The old businessman knows a little bit about the road, "The closure of water transportation in the capital is generally in the middle of winter. 600,000 stones were divided into more than 40 days. ”

"It will be 1.3 million catties that day!" The fat man said, "It's not much different from Bianshui!" ”

"Don't you see?" A businessman from the local area pointed to the five railroad carriages in front and back, "Such a carriage is half larger than a Taiping car, and a Taiping car can carry five or six thousand catties, how many do you say these five carriages can carry?" A car can be sent in a quarter of an hour, and it can be done easily. ”

The fat merchant and his companion were still frowning, pinching their fingers and calculating, still feeling that something was wrong, and raised their heads, their eyes full of doubts.

The old merchant also did the math, "No, even if it is a quarter of an hour, there are only twenty-seven or eight trips a day." ”

"How can it be that there are only twenty-seven or eight trains," the local merchant shook his head and smiled: "Look clearly, this track can also be used at night." ”

"Can you walk at night?!" The three merchants from the field exclaimed in unison, turning to stare at the track that was more than a foot high.

"Looks like it's going to be fine." The old merchant muttered, his eyes looking at the track a little complicated.

"For this time, the transshipment department also specially equipped each vehicle with a horse. It's all ready to get to this point, how can there be a problem? The local businessman said proudly.

At the dock, ten horses lined up in front of and behind them, and they were settled in front of a carriage that had been loaded with grain. And several small officials were holding red colored silk and preparing to hang it in front of the horses. On the side, someone put out an incense case, offered three animals, and put out the incense burner. And strings of firecrackers,

"Today is the first carriage to transport grain on the road, which is the official opening of the Fangcheng track, and there will be officials to come later. The state, the county, and the transshipment department will all come, and it is said that Han Longtu will also come. The local merchant lowered his voice, "I heard that all the official prostitutes of the Jiaofang Division in the state city have been transferred, and it will be very lively for this first car of grain to go to Beijing." ”

"It's really hilarious." The fat merchant craned his neck and looked inside.

"Han Longtu does seem to be confident." The old merchant chief breathed a sigh of relief, and lowered his voice, "It seems that this is the case whenever you see it." ”

"What?" The fat man next to him didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing." The old merchant shook his head, and followed to look towards the center surrounded by everyone.

In order to speed up the transfer, here on the Fangcheng Railway, there are even four more horses for each car, a total of ten horses pulling heavy wagons together. Although the cost performance is lower than when there are only six horses, it is definitely much higher in terms of the total amount of transportation per unit time.

It's just three or five hundred more horses. As a transport envoy, it was difficult for Han Gang to get one or two thousand war horses, but it was easy to mobilize one or two thousand horses. As long as the transportation task can be completed before freezing, the cost or something can be completely thrown aside.

The reason why the time is so tight is that the 600,000 Shigang grain must be transported before the freeze, rather than simply waiting for the beginning of spring next year, is to show the outstanding carrying capacity of the orbit. 600,000 stone in three months, mediocre, in order to suppress the price of grain in the capital, but in less than a month, 200,000 stone was obtained through a sleigh.

But in less than a month and a half, 600,000 Shigang grain was transported, and this achievement can make people stunned, close to the capacity of the Bianhe, that is, the best advertisement for the railroad carriage.

There are not many stupid people in the wandering merchants, although the deeper intentions are limited to incomplete information, and they cannot speculate more. But when they saw ten horses pulling tens of thousands of catties of grain in Fangcheng Mountain, they would not have imagined how much such a land communication line comparable to Bianshui transportation capacity could greatly promote commercial circulation.

"In fact, this time, all the major firms in western Beijing have sent people, and they all want to see if the track can succeed." The local merchant pointed to a fat man standing in front of him - a circle larger than the fat merchant here, "The one in front is the shopkeeper of Qingyutang, who specializes in selling medicinal materials from Shuzhong, and in the past two days, he has taken eight trips back and forth. Looking at his current appearance, if he could really transport 600,000 stone of grain to the capital before the ice was frozen this time, their family's medicinal materials would only follow this line in the future. ”

The fat man's eyes were deep: "If it really happens...... I am afraid that in three to five years, rails and horse-drawn carriages will spread all over the world. ”

"I don't know what the shipping algorithm is?" The old merchant asked a crucial question.

The fat man and his companions pricked up their ears and listened to the answer.

The local businessman obviously inquired: "Listening to the statement from the Transshipment Division, the total cost of goods sent from Ezhou or Jiangling to the capital, including freight and taxes, should be guaranteed to be less than two-thirds of the goods of the same color sent from Yangzhou to the capital, so that the goods in Jinghu and Shuzhong will not be more expensive than those in Bianshui." ”

"Really?!" The fat merchant and his companion were again in unison.

"How can this be fake?" The local merchant was a little dissatisfied with the questioning of the two, "You just have to watch." ”

The old merchant narrowed his eyes: "If the taxes and fees add up to only two-thirds of Bianshui, counting the time saved, as well as the expenses of a section of the Yangtze River, I am afraid that the commercial goods in Jinghu and Shuzhong will only take the Xianghan line in the future." ”

"Of course!?" The fat merchant rubbed his hands excitedly, "The goods transported to the capital from Shuzhong, whether it is medicinal herbs, silk or flowers and fruits, the freight is higher than the cost. If only there was a third left...... No, the cost of transporting it out of Shu can be reduced by one-fifth. If you ship 10,000 pieces of commercial goods, you will save 2,000 yuan in freight......"

He held up two carrot-like fingers, gesturing to and fro, the fat on his chin trembled, staring at the railroad stopped by the dock, surrounded by people, his eyes shining, as if it was full of shiny new copper coins instead of grain.

The greedy eyes stared at the railroad for a while, then turned back and looked at the local businessman who had been explaining to them for a long time, "Ah, by the way, I don't know the surname of the old man of Lu Dao." ”

"Don't dare to be, lest your surname be Wang, the king of King Wu Zheng of Zhou, do some small business of needles and threads. Dare to ask your brother's surname? ”

"The surname is Li, Muzi Li. This is the next cousin, who has the same surname as the older brother. Now it is selling rice in Jinghu, but since Xianghan Caoyun has opened, there are also plans to go to the capital for a walk. The fat merchant said, "Today I have been told by my brother and helped me a lot." He glanced in the direction of the railroad, "It seems that there is still some time, the younger brother is the east, find a clean restaurant to drink for a tour, I don't know if the old brother can enjoy it." ”

Merchant Wang shirked a few sentences, then nodded and agreed: "It's brazen to bother you in the future." ”

The fat merchant surnamed Li turned to look at the old merchant again, "I don't know the surname of the old man, but I would like to go and have a drink together." ”

The old merchant arched his hand and said, "The old man's surname is Lu, Lu Ming." Meeting is fate, and being invited by the king should not be excused. Go together, go together! ”