Tang Shaoyi accompanied Zhou Fu to inspect the vehicle factory, and walked through the four workshops one by one, and the enthusiastic Zhou Fu asked in detail, and the red-faced and silver-haired American deputy factory director in his forties named Conley also explained in detail. The translator was Long Qian, and Mr. Conley's Chinese was too lame.

At present, the vehicle factory can already produce wheels, but rubber tires still need to be imported. Mr. Conley's U.S. business, which used to produce horse-drawn carriages, has gone bankrupt. The reason is not only because of poor management, but also because cars are starting to enter the home. David bought Conley's factory at a very cheap price, loaded the equipment and moved it across the ocean to Yizhou, and Conley was persuaded to bring his family to China to do a second venture.

For Americans, the production of horse-drawn carriages and, more simply, two-wheeled mopeds is not a difficult task at all. But China's industrial base was too pale, and construction began in the autumn of 1901 and products were not launched until the early autumn of the following year. That is still on the premise that most parts rely on imports. However, this situation has changed quickly, and due to the gradual improvement of Yizhou's supporting industrial base, the self-made rate of parts and components has now reached 83%. According to Conley's estimates, by the end of this year, in addition to several key components such as rubber parts and bearings, the rest of the two factories in Yanzhou can be fully localized. And the models have also reached five, and three four-wheeled ones have gone high, medium and low-end. Two for two wheels, one for the high and low ends.

"Well, think about it, is this bearing difficult to do?" Zhou Fu asked, holding a ball bearing in his hand.

"Of course, bearings in a sense represent the industrial level of a country. It's much harder than rubber tires. At the end of next year at most. We can produce rubber tires. Of course, raw materials also have to be imported. Long Qian replied.

"How much can I do a month now?"

"340 cars. Up to 400 cars can be done. This time, it was Zhou Tingan, the Chinese director of the vehicle factory, who replied. He was hired by Huayuan from Shanghai, knew machining, and held a management position in a foreigner's factory, and became the factory director after a month of coming to the factory.

"Then, wouldn't that make more than 14,000 silver oceans a month?" Zhou Fu exclaimed.

"Ha Luha, my lord. That's not how the account is calculated! That's sales revenue, and after deducting costs and taxes, it's good to earn 4,000 oceans! Long Qian said with a smile.

"That's 50,000 oceans a year!" Zhou Fu said in surprise. "Chen Chao. There are dozens of factories in your Huayuan company, 50,000 each, which adds up to millions! ”

"The situation at the vehicle factory is better. But many companies are still losing money. Chen Chao smiled, "It's like a power plant." I think it would be nice to be profitable in three years. Chen Chaozhi said that Long Qian did not tell the truth. The monthly profit of the vehicle factory can be more than 4,000 oceans. And. Due to short supply, orders are scheduled for next fall. Now the factory is trying to expand its production capacity, when the output doubles. The profit will increase by at least 1.5 times.

"Father," Zhou Xuexi smiled, "Lord Long predicts that the market for horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws will be limited after all, and the most extensive is rickshaw bicycles, which Lord Long named Bicycles and have already launched samples. In three months, mass production will be possible. ”

"Bikes?" Zhou Fu was puzzled, "Why didn't the official see it?" ”

"Over here." Zhou Ting'an made a gesture of please, "There is already such an extremely convenient means of transportation in the south. But it's all imported. He took Zhou Fu back to the factory - the only two-story western-style building in the factory, and there was a secret room on the second floor, with two bicycles of different styles.

"Won't this, with two wheels, fall?"

Chen Chao made a gesture, and a worker carried a bicycle downstairs, rode up in front of Zhou Fu and took a few turns in the open space in front of the building.

"Oh, yes, yes." Zhou Fu was very happy.

"My lord, if each family sells one, we will have a business for the rest of our lives. Ha Lu Ha. Zhou Tingan said with a smile.

"It's not that settling." Long Qian said, "At present, the purchasing power of ordinary people is not good, but bicycles will be the main product for a long time." ”

"What other good things haven't been brought out?" Zhou Fu looked at Long Qian with a smile.

"There are some new gadgets over there in ZTE, I wonder if the adults are going to Yanzhou to have a look. Huayuan has a lot of ideas, and he can't do it for the time being. To put it mildly, there is gold everywhere, and there are many opportunities to make money, but it takes time. Please be patient, in three years, Lunan will become the richest region in Shandong. ”

"I believe this. Ding is in a hurry, and he can't become the capital of Shandong, so he lags behind Lunan, right? Ha Lu Ha. Zhou Fu walked around, sweating all over his body. The weather was overcast again, windy and damp. I guess it's going to rain again. This year, there has been a lot of rain in Shandong, and some of it has even passed.

"Your Excellency, let's go back to the guest house and rest. The weather is not very good__" Tang Shaoyi finally got a chance.

"Well, that's fine. Let's go with me. ”

"This is natural." Long Qian beckoned, and the sedan chair was carried to Zhou Fu.

Of course, Tang Shaoyi knew about his new appointment in the Dao Imperial Court, but he didn't tell anyone. Looking at Zhou Fu's attitude today, he is a little cold to himself, has Zhou Fu heard something? Officialdom is a sieve, and as an old bureaucrat of the Westernists, Zhou Fu must have his own channels. On the way to escort Zhou Fu to the Yizhou State Guest House on horseback, Tang Shaoyi's thoughts fluttered.

Although Tang Shaoyi went abroad when he was a child, and after returning to China, he was not as obsessed with railways as Zhan Tianyou, and was willing to be a railway designer who slept in the open and waded through the mountains and rivers, but entered the officialdom and rose all the way and was regarded as a reformer, but he was still a civil official in the traditional sense in his bones. The promotion of governor before he was confused was enough to comfort his ancestors no matter what. So Tang Shaoyi's first feeling when she received Xu Shichang's private message was of course excited.

Immediately there was confusion. Tang Shaoyi's benefactor is not Xu Shichang, but Yuan Shikai. If it is simply speculated who lifted himself to the throne of the Fengtian Governor, it is undoubtedly Yuan Shikai and not others. But since last year, Yuan Shikai's dissatisfaction with himself has been obvious. The battle for the silver dollar game has reached its peak. The Beiyang group that had been formed and grown—in the past, he was undoubtedly a natural member of that group, during which friends wrote letters or came to Yizhou to give him advice or warnings. It should be very clear what the purpose of the marshal sending you to govern Yizhou should be very clear, and now what you are doing is really becoming more and more unreliable! In this case, Yuan Shikai would still recommend himself to govern Fengtian?

Tang Shaoyi didn't feel that she had done anything wrong. The dissatisfaction of the princes of Beiyang comes from the booming industry in Lunan, which has suppressed the limelight of Beiyang. The new policy implemented by the imperial court, excluding some political measures, such as opening up public opinion and establishing education, the main core is to run foreign affairs to enhance national strength. Everyone knows that. Whether it is Huayuan Industry or Zhongxing Industry, they are all in line with the purpose of the new policy of the imperial court. Let alone. Compared to Beiyang's layout around Tianjin. Lunan's industry mainly revolves around people's livelihood, which has brought obvious changes in people's livelihood.

The sentence that Long Qian said Tang Shaoyi took as a guideline: Only when the people are rich can the country be rich, and only when the country is rich can the army be strong. It is a fool's work to abandon the original and chase the end. Taking stock of the changes in Lunan in the past two years, although the finances have not improved significantly. But the lives of the people have indeed changed dramatically. Huayuan Industry alone. More than 6,500 workers were employed. Most of these people were recruited from the countryside! As long as one person enters Huayuan Industry, it can immediately bring great changes to the life of the whole family! An ordinary worker can earn at least fifty silver dollars a year. After deducting his own expenses, he could send back at least thirty to thirty-five silver dollars to his family. It is equivalent to more than 20 taels of silver! What a fortune for a farmer who makes a living from farming!

The workers' own consumption has led to the rise of other industries.

With the increase in mine investment and the launch of the second phase of the iron plant project and the expansion and capacity increase project of the power plant, at least 2,000 people will be recruited into the factory, not including the expansion of existing enterprises and the recruitment of new enterprises!

And that's not all! Since last winter, Yizhou and Yanzhou have launched seasonal cash-for-work programs at the same time, recruiting poor farmers who have nothing to do in the winter to build roads and water conservancy, and pay them on a monthly basis, which has been welcomed by farmers. For example, the accelerated Taiwan-Zao Railway has hired at least 2,000 "seasonal workers", who are responsible for food on the construction site, and give another 12 copper plates every day, so that they can earn four or five taels of silver a month, and if they work for two months, they can get back more than a dozen silver dollars, put new clothes on their wives and dolls, buy a few catties of pork, and live an unprecedented fat year, which is enough!

What the factory needs is a large number of skilled workers, not just a handful of reckless men with brute force. Huayuan and Zhongxing took precautions and set up four technical schools, two in Yizhou and two in Yanzhou, to provide cultural and technical training to the recruited workers. Since the level of technology determines the level of salary, those farmers with stupid brains often fail to pass the assessment and cannot enter the enterprise. Therefore, the first recruits in each factory are teenagers who have a certain level of literacy or at least literacy. In view of the fact that the literacy rate is less than 5%, both Huayuan and Zhongxing have set up free literacy classes, which can be entered by farmers or urban homeless people who are willing to enter the literacy class. However, due to economic constraints, it was not possible for the peasants to go to the cities to receive literacy education. To this end, in the spring of this year, the two major industries of Huayuan Zhongxing took out a total of 27,000 silver oceans to open literacy classes in the surrounding counties. The move was reported by the Tianjin Ta Kung Pao, which opened last year, as a good deed.

The population of northern Jiangsu and even southern Jiangsu showed signs of migration to southern Jiangsu. According to the new economic and statistical bureaus of Yanzhou and Yizhou, nearly 10,000 people have moved from the surrounding areas to seek employment in the past year. There are more than 4,000 people in Yizhou alone. Tang Shaoyi is skeptical, but Yizhou's floating population has indeed increased, as evidenced by the booming business of newly opened restaurants.

Due to the rise of industry, the increase in rural income, and the collection of agricultural taxes and miscellaneous taxes have also been much smoother. However, the right wing of the Weisheng Army has basically eliminated the bandits that have plagued the Yimeng Mountains for hundreds of years by effectively suppressing and surrendering bandits in the Lunan Mountainous Area, which lasted for more than six months. This is the Great Benevolent Government! Now, residents basically don't have to worry about being robbed by the ringing horse. This has also contributed to the movement of people and the recovery of the economy. Several county towns spontaneously erected merit monuments for the Mengshan Army, and burned the names of the soldiers who died in the fight against bandits to commemorate it forever. According to the figures released by the right wing of the Weisheng Army, a total of 29 bandits were annihilated and surrendered, 231 bandits were killed, and more than 3,500 people were captured. The right wing of the Wasion Army paid 79 casualties. The cost of maiming 33 people. The bandits who were captured and surrendered were sentenced to acquittal, serving prison sentences, and reforming through labor, depending on their crimes. In Yizhou, the roads in the city were renovated on a large scale, prisoners were used on a large scale, and rewards were given for reducing the period of imprisonment according to the local labor performance, and a group of people with the best performance were also recruited into the enterprises under Huayuan Company or into the army.

The bandits in the Yimeng Mountains are well-known throughout the country, at least in Shandong. This led to a fear among merchants of Lunan in business. In the past, it was a vicious circle, but after the suppression of bandits was basically over, the public order environment in Lunan was greatly improved. The law and order situation in the towns and cities has improved rapidly. Following Yuan Shikai's practice of forming a patrol police battalion in Tianjin, at the suggestion of Long Qian. Yanzhou was the first to set up a police station dedicated to law and order and criminal investigation. Most of the members came from retired officers and soldiers from the right wing of the Wasion Army, and some of the former government officials were transferred to the police station, and of course some children from good families were also recruited. This move has brought about changes in the organizational structure of the government, and the strength of law and order has been greatly improved. There are police patrols throughout the day. It has brought residents an unprecedented sense of security.

Yanzhou's successful practices have been replicated. Yizhou followed. Presently. Two-thirds of the counties have already set up police stations. Not only that, Yizhou and Yanzhou have also set up security companies responsible for the security of various enterprises, similar to the previous dart bureaus. The salaries of the members of the security company are not the responsibility of the government. Rather, it comes from the security fees paid by the employer.

The improvement in the law and order situation has promoted the prosperity of commerce. Of course, the main thing is the rise of the two major industrial groups of Huayuan and ZTE, and a large number of private funds led by Jinyuan ticket number have been invested in Lunan. Jia Jiying is now a well-known person in Lunan, and his former old club, Shanxi Dade Heng Qianzhuang, set up a branch in Lunan and drove the entry of Shanxi ticket number into Lunan. They all fancy the prospects of the two industrial companies, Huayuan and ZTE, and are eager to participate in them. According to Chen Chao's data to Tang Shaoyi, the current ticket number headed by the Jinyuan ticket number holds about 45% of the shares.

David. Diwen's unexpected return was a key factor in the rise of Lunan Industrial. Tang Shaoyi, an American who has a good relationship with the right wing of the Weisheng Army, knew him, and in the spring of Gengzi, Tang Shaoyi went to Zhengjiazhuang for the first time to negotiate the recruitment of the Anmeng Mountain Army, and David followed Long Qian's ass like a fart. Who knew that this young man actually returned to Lunan in the autumn of the Xin Chou year, bringing a large amount of American capital investment, but also bringing American equipment and technology, which contributed to the rise of Huayuan and Zhongxing Company.

Today, Huamei Machinery Co., Ltd., registered in New York, USA, and Zebra Chemical, registered in Switzerland, have completed their investments in Huayuan and ZTE. Divin. The former mainly invests in coal mines, electric power and railways, while the latter mainly invests in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and has invested a total of 3.3 million US dollars, about 4.45 million taels of silver, and occupies 35% of the shares of Huayuan Company and 30% of Zhongxing Company. Subsequent agreements have been signed with an investment of no less than $5 million.

Without Huamei's mediation, Carnegie Steel, which is being integrated into U.S. Steel, would not have sold its thermal power generation equipment cheaply and contracted to build the Yixian Electric Power Company and the Yizhou Power Plant.

It is said that some people in the imperial court accused Lu Nan of betraying the country. The evidence, of course, is the entry of two foreign companies into the shares. But Tang Shaoyi doesn't think so, not to mention that Huamei and Zebra do not control Huayuan and ZTE, but are just directors who participate in shares. The key is that the company's decision-making power is fundamentally in the hands of Long Qian, Chen Chao, Zhang Lianfen, Zhou Xuexi and others. David, chairman of Zebra Company, only served as the vice chairman of Huayuan Industrial. Sean also only served as vice president of ZTE. The company is in the hands of the Chinese people, how can it be said that it is a traitor? According to Tang Shaoyi, the more such "traitors", the better. Without the capital injection from American and Swiss companies, where would power plants, iron works, pharmaceutical factories and chemical plants be built? The equipment and technology are all a blank slate. Today, the chemical plant can produce a wide range of gunpowder and TNT explosives, which are still small but significant. It can not only promote the construction of roads, railways and mines, but more importantly, it can be used for the military! Fire explosives are the foundation of modern military industry, and although Tang Shaoyi is a literati, he also knows this.

The entry of foreign companies has led to the arrival of a large number of foreigners. In Yizhou City, blonde and blue-eyed foreigners are nothing new. To this end, Long Qian also asked Huayuan Company to fund the construction of a Western-style expert building and a Western-style restaurant to receive foreigners. Speaking of restaurants, in the last year alone, 11 restaurants of various sizes have popped up in Yizhou City, and business is booming, which has greatly increased tax revenue for the government.

Tang Shaoyi knew that his benefactor Yuan Shikai was very jealous of Long Qian. The grudge came from the war between the two sides at the beginning, and Yuan Shikai, who suffered a big loss, will definitely not forget this hatred. The root cause of Lunan's suppression lies in this.

But Tang Shaoyi's heart is now on Long Qian's side. For what? Tang Shaoyi basically couldn't find the place where Long Qian exceeded the rules. Yes, Long Qian has soldiers in his hands, but it is a new army established by the imperial court, and its establishment is approved by the imperial court! Until now, the troops in Long Qian's hands are still two standard establishments, and they have not privately expanded the army, which Tang Shaoyi knows very well. Although Long Qian's military camp was strictly regulated, it was not kept secret from him. If Long Qian expands his army on a large scale, he can't hide it.

Moreover, Huayuan and ZTE have invested so much and made such a vigorous move, and none of the factories are producing munitions! Fire explosives are available, but they are basically used in Yixian Coal Mine and Yizhou Iron Mine, and then there is the Taizao Railway. It's not used in the military. The enterprise, which now belongs to the army, is a repair shop for the repair of guns and artillery, but some machines were bought from the United States, but it was necessary. Tang Shaoyi thinks it should be. You can't build guns and artillery yourself, and you can't even repair them, right?

As for Long Qian himself, in the past two years, there have been suggestions and proposals, but there is absolutely no interference in the administration of the state capital. It was because of Long Qian's sharp eyes and far-sighted knowledge that Tang Shaoyi was very willing to listen to Long Qian's advice. For example, the establishment of the Economic Statistics Bureau was Long Qian's idea, and the role of this department is getting bigger and bigger, although he doesn't believe the figures they came up with, Tang Shaoyi relies more and more on the statistics of the Statistics Bureau. Long Qian's main energy is still training, the right wing of the Weisheng Army is indeed strong, the situation of the Beiyang Army Tang Shaoyi is well known, the original Wuwei Right Army was transferred to Gyeonggi after the expansion of the force, it is estimated that in terms of equipment and training, it is not as good as Long Qian's elite soldiers. The Germans attach great importance to military cooperation with Long Qian, and now there are nearly 100 people serving as military instructors and advisers in Long Qian's army. Long Qian's troops were all equipped with German-style ordnance, bought dozens of cannons alone, and held routine military exercises every quarter, and I don't know where he got so much money. Anyway, at present, the Yizhou government is still implementing the agreement of two years ago, and it has not increased the burden on the local government because of Long Qian's enrichment of troops.

It must have been Huayuan and ZTE who secretly provided Long Qian with funds. But what's there? The rise of Huayuan and Zhongxing, what role Long Qian played in it, Tang Shaoyi was clear.

What is the situation in Fengtian, Tang Shaoyi has a rough idea. Japan and Russia are entangled in it, and no one in the imperial court can afford to provoke them, and it is estimated that it will be difficult for him to be the governor. It will definitely not be as comfortable as Yizhou. Should I leave Yizhou for the Northeast? Tang Shaoyi has been entangled in the past few days.

Find a chance to ask Long Huisi. Tang Shaoyi's back is often overcast with a sky that is getting more and more cloudy, and it seems that it will rain again tonight. (To be continued......)