The impact of Liu Fan's words just now on everyone was unimaginable, and with a shocked and depressed mood, everyone silently accompanied Liu Fan and others all the way to the production workshop of the arsenal. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Looking at the neatly arranged cannon in front of them, which seemed to be flashing with a cold light, everyone gradually began to believe that what Liu Fan said was true. After visiting the artillery workshop, everyone continued all the way to the arquebus production workshop. It is said that the production workshop is actually just the final assembly workshop. Since the Shihe Arsenal implemented the assembly line production operation, Sun Yuanhua subdivided all the parts of the arquebus except for the barrel, and outsourced the parts with relatively low technical content such as tongs, wooden supports, and brackets to the people near Shihe to produce. The musket workshop was only responsible for making the more important things such as arquebuses, triggers, barrels, etc.

Pointing to a large row of neatly stacked arquebuses in the distance, Liu Fan said to Zheng Zhibao, "Brother Zheng, is there any interest in purchasing some muskets?" The arquebuses produced by our Shihe Arsenal are very durable and reliable, and they are definitely not shoddy and inferior goods! ”

"Oh? Is the commander-in-chief willing to do it? Zheng Zhibao looked at Liu Fan with some surprise when he heard this, no wonder Zheng Zhibao asked this question, you must know that muskets have always been military weapons and will not be given lightly, not to mention such powerful muskets as those used by the Broken Army.

Liu Fan smiled and said, "Why are you reluctant, it's just some muskets left and right, with the production capacity of my Shihe Arsenal, are you afraid that the muskets will not be enough?" ”

Zheng Zhibao's eyes lit up, and he pondered for a moment and said, "Well, since the chief soldier is so gracious, then Zhibao is disrespectful." If it is possible, how about our Zheng family want to buy 5,000 muskets from you? ”

"Five thousand?" Liu Fan was overjoyed in his heart, he was really a local tyrant, and he wanted to buy 5,000 rods in one breath without even asking the price. Seeing this, Liu Fan hurriedly agreed, "Okay, that's it." As soon as the New Year is over, I will send someone to Qingdao for you! ”

As if remembering something, Liu Fan turned his head and said, "Brother Zheng, what are the muskets your Zheng family is using now?" ”

Zheng Zhibao was stunned at first when he heard this, then smiled and replied, "It's usually a bird!" Hook guns, machine guns and stuff like that. The sea is different from the land, the most sought after is the range, as long as you fight farther than others, you will have a big advantage! ”

"Yes!" Liu Fan nodded approvingly, "In that case, do you want the bird?" There is also a large number of bird guns in the warehouse of our Shihe Arsenal, because the northern bird guns are not very applicable, so they have been sealed in the warehouse, if Brother Zheng wants, I can make the decision and sell them to you at eighty percent of the price? ”

"How many?" Zheng Zhibao asked directly

Liu Fan thought for a while, and said uncertainly: "There are probably more than 5,000 strokes!" If Brother Zheng is too little, I can transfer another batch from the army and make up 10,000 strokes? ”

Zheng Zhibao replied loudly, "Okay! I want them all! ”

Liu Fan quickly calculated in his heart, every ten catties of crude iron can be refined into three catties of silver, nine cents of silver, five craftsmen, and two cents and five cents of silver. The price of charcoal is about one dollar and six cents, and it is counted as five dollars of silver. Then one pound of "more good iron" costs at least one penny, six cents, six cents, and six millimeters. Steelmaking, per catty, counts two coins of silver, and the smoothbore guns used by the army are more about eight to ten catties of iron, so the price of iron per catty must be more than one penny, six cents, six cents and six millimeters, and the total price is calculated as three taels of silver at 1.5 times. Salary, bare drilling, thirty diaries, one or two and a half dollars. Other craftsmen's money, parts money, wood money, charcoal money, it is estimated that one or two silver is probably needed. In other words, the cost price of five or two or five dollars cannot be run.

Of course, these five taels are just the cost, if it is sold, considering that this kind of Spanish arquebus is rare, how can it be sold for more than a dozen taels. Liu Fan secretly estimated in his heart and said, "This kind of Spanish musket will be ten taels of silver, and if it is a bird, it will be five taels!" Is Brother Zheng still satisfied with this price? ”

"Good!" Zheng Zhibao roughly calculated that it was not too much or no less, exactly 100,000 taels, and was quite satisfied in his heart, and then said, "I have all these muskets, Lord General Soldier, but we don't have so much money now, can you send someone to you when I return to Fuzhou?" ”

"It doesn't have to be so troublesome!" Liu Fan waved his hand and said with a smile: "Didn't I promise to buy a ship worth one million taels from your Anping?" Let's convert these muskets into money! Then you will take with you the money. ”

Zheng Zhibao was overjoyed when he heard this: "Then thank you, Lord Commander!" ”

After the deal was reached, both parties got what they wanted, and it was a great joy for everyone. In the next time, Liu Fan accompanied the Zheng family with great interest to "visit" all the large and small workshops of the arsenal in Shihe City. With the passage of time, after the Zheng family and others learned about the production of the Shihe Arsenal in detail, they became more and more convinced of the large investment that Liu Fan said. So at the same time, the awe of the Broken Army became deeper and deeper. Because everyone in the Zheng family knows very well that with this arsenal alone, Liu Fan can pull up a large number of people and powerful equipment in the shortest possible time.

After the visit, the Zheng family returned to the General Military Mansion with Liu Fan with complex emotions such as shock, apprehension, and panic. Here, Liu Fan will once again set up a banquet to entertain the Zheng family's delegation.

Because the Spring Festival is approaching, the Zheng family's task has not yet been completed, and they will definitely not be able to return to their hometown for the New Year this year. Considering this problem, Liu Fan chose a larger mansion on the street near the General Soldier's Mansion and gave it to Zheng Zhibao as a gift before the New Year.

There is also a reason why Liu Fan did this, the Zheng family's envoy has been in Jiaozhou for more than ten days, but he has been living in the post house, although the environment of the post house is good, but after all, it is not good to say. So Liu Fan considered finding a place for Zheng Zhibao to settle down, to show his closeness. Second, you can also monitor the every move of the Zheng family nearby.

After that, Liu Fan did not meet the Zheng family again, but devoted himself to the preparations for the Spring Festival. For Liu Fan, there are still many things to be busy during this Spring Festival, not only to find time to accompany his family, but also to make a plan for next year's development. In addition, Laizhou has just taken over, everything is complicated, and people's hearts are chaotic, which adds a little pressure to Liu Fan. Moreover, Liu Fan also intended to give the people of the Zheng family some time to think and digest, so Liu Fan did not contact Zheng Zhibao and others until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. For Zheng Zhibao's several requests to see, he also excused himself on the pretext that he was busy with affairs! (To be continued.) )