"Although this steamboat is good, no matter how good it is, it can't go to sea. [Reading Network]"

Wei Liu, 47, was originally at the helm of a maritime merchant on the southeast coast. Because once the ship he was in charge of was robbed by pirates, so he was fired by his master's family at an advanced age. Wei Liu, who returned to his hometown in Yuyao, happened to meet the Zhu family, a big family in Yuyao, recruiting merchant captains. Because one of his distant clan brothers was on an errand in the Zhu family's house, he was recommended to be at the helm of a merchant ship of the Zhu family's trading house.

In 1623, the Zhu family also ordered a small all-steam-powered merchant ship at the Wuchang Shipyard of the Baathist Party with the trend of major merchants in the Jiangnan area. Wei Liu received three months of training in steamship operation at the training center of the Wuchang shipyard and became the captain of the new ship.

Although Wei Liu was very old (which was indeed the case in this era), he was relied on by the Zhu family firm because of his experience and skill, and because of his experience and skill, and the quick speed with which this half-old man who had operated a sail-powered sailboat all his life was quick to accept new things. This old fur dog, who is already in his forties, signed a deed of sale with the Zhu family in the envious eyes of everyone and became a glorious Zhu family slave.

Zhu Zhiyu is a scholar who emphasizes the importance of practice. He hated Bagu's emphasis on practicality, was full of interest in all science and technology, and he himself had a deep cultivation in engineering and architecture. When it comes to specific new areas that he does not understand, Zhu Zhiyu has a strong spirit of not being ashamed to ask questions.

It was for this reason that he consulted Captain Willix on deck about the advantages and disadvantages of steamships and sail ships.

Workers have the pride of the workers themselves. Wei Liu has been on the sea all his life, and he has been to places such as Japan and Luzon, so his practical experience in navigation is very rich. Although Wei Liu has been bending down in front of the master to maintain a servile humility because of the advice of his family, when it comes to his old profession, Wei Liu's waist pole has straightened.

When talking about the benefits of steamboats, Weiliu gave steamships a very high evaluation. But when talking about the inconvenience of steamboats, Wei Liu also talked about an important disadvantage of steamships sailing on the sea.

"Third master, don't look at the fast and stable way our ship came from Nanjing, that's because the boat came this way, from Wuchang to Nanjing, there are coal and water supply stations of their Fuxing Trading Company on both sides of the strait. If we go to sea, not to mention how much coal we have to load on board when we go to sea, there is no place to load coal on the return trip when we go overseas. ”

As a southerner, Zhu Zhiyu is not averse to things like going to sea for business. He thought about Wei Liu's words and said to him: "Then according to the big helm, is it not as long as the coal supply keeps up, there will be no problem?" ”

Wei Liu shook his head and said to him, "The third master has thought about things simply. The steam engine looked really sturdy, and it was made of fine fine iron. But this thing has to be maintained and maintained. It is to take the Yangtze River waterway, and sometimes there is often a situation where the machine breaks down halfway. It's better in the river, if the machine breaks down, you can ask someone to tow the boat back, if there is such a problem at sea, then it will be called every day and the earth will not work. ”

Zhu Zhiyu felt that Wei Liu's words were very reasonable, but he quickly thought of a solution: "In that case, this steamboat can't go to sea with a single ship." Every time they go to sea, they have to be in groups. Some ships are in charge of transporting coal, and some ships are in charge of repairing machines, so don't you be able to guard against the kind of situation you mentioned? ”

Wei Liu listened to Zhu Zhiyu's words and smiled slightly. He said to Zhu Zhiyu: "There is nothing wrong with the third master thinking so, but this is to make money." The ships that go to sea are so big, and the things that can be loaded are very limited. After the coal is loaded and the machine is loaded, the rest of the place is not enough to load. When you go to sea once, you take a big risk. Maritime merchants are characters with their heads hanging from their belts, and they think about what they can pack. As for whether the speed is fast enough, whether it is flexible enough at sea, these things will not be considered. ”

Although Zhu Zhiyu's Yuyao Zhu family is also a big landowner and businessman family, he himself has nothing to do with commercial trade. There is an eldest brother who is an official in the family, and a second brother who runs the family business. And his father is alive. He himself has read books for decades, but he has no contact with business issues at all.

This time he came out to relax and relax, Zhu Zhiyu didn't even want to think about the disgusting Four Books and Five Classics in his head. So as soon as he heard Wei Liu talk about business problems, he hurriedly asked for advice carefully.

"If you want to say that this lake is wide, in previous years, the most business done in this place was grain trading. Even in those places in Fujian, many grain merchants would also come to Huguang to buy grain. It's not that the food in Huguang is cheap. The main thing is that the sea lords (pirates) on the Liangguang side are making too much trouble. Moreover, in recent years, the Hongmaoyi people have also killed and robbed in the South China Sea. Therefore, the grain bought in Fujian came to Huguang to buy. In fact, the grain prices of Liangguang and Jiaozhi are cheaper than those of Huguang! ”

"Oh, in that case, why don't you buy grain from Liangguang by land?"

"The third master doesn't know. Grain was transported by land, except that the volume of grain transported by hire and sent by car was not as large as that of ships. This overland route is actually quite troublesome to walk. It's true that there are pirates at sea, but if the ship is fast enough to run, it will run. If the ship is slower and lucky enough to meet a well-behaved sea owner, a third of the things will remain. ”

"But if this is by land, bandits and bandits and the like don't pay attention to the rules. They will take away the goods, and they will take away the carts, mules, and horses, and the lives of these people will not be saved. Moreover, there are a lot of people who have to deal with this land route. Everywhere you go, you have to pay for it. If you really want to calculate it, the grain in these two Guangxi is much more expensive than transporting grain by sea from Huguang. ”

Zhu Zhiyu is not a person who does not understand the world. Although he has not yet reached the realm of "the world is knowledgeable, and the warmth and coldness of human feelings are articles", he still has a relatively sufficient understanding of the world in a bureaucratic family.

Nodding, Zhu Zhiyu asked Wei Liudao again: "Since the grain in Huguang is cheap, why has the grain price been so much higher in recent years than before?" A few years ago, no matter how expensive the grain was, the rice was only four or five taels of silver and one stone, and now the price of grain is ten taels of silver and one stone. Could it be that this Huguang has also suffered disasters in recent years? ”

Wei Liu heard Zhu Zhiyu say this, and gave Zhu Zhiyu a few praises in his heart. This Zhu Sanye is said to be the most knowledgeable in the family. Listening to the old housekeeper in the house, this Zhu Sanye has been studying since he was a child. Originally, when I heard him speak, I thought he was a fool who didn't understand anything. Unexpectedly, such a scholar still cares about the price of food. Space-Time Gate 1619

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Chapter 297 of the text Zhu Shunshui visits Wuchang 2