Section 1912 River Transport
"I said, I want to follow this boat, otherwise I don't feel at ease. If you can't get here tomorrow, won't it be troublesome." Boss Wu said, and the sailors around laughed when they heard him say that. Well, this is not the first boss to make such a request. Many bosses made the same request. They all asked to follow the ship. Li Cong has already given instructions. This is no problem.
"Hehe, Boss Wu, there are plenty of people who are as worried as you are. They all want to join the ship. Our boss also said that this is no problem, but the ugly thing is that there are no VIPs like passenger ships on this ship. The rooms above are all the rooms where our sailors live. Although they have been remodeled, they are only 10 square meters, and there are four people to live in. Sleeping and resting are no problem. If you want to enjoy it, then It’s impossible, I don’t know if your Boss Wu can do it?” The guy said with a smile, this is the order from Cao Shipping, of course, it’s not for nothing that you want to take a boat, everyone They all have to be three hundred taels of silver, if it is less, then I'm sorry, it won't work.
"It's no problem, whether the boss is the boss or not, these goods are our wealth and life. To be honest, if something happens to the goods, I will immediately change from a boss to a poor man. These things are not a joke. When it comes to things to play, goods are often more important than our heads. What’s wrong with following you through hardships, but we can rest assured in our hearts. To be honest, I suffered much more than you before. In the mines in the east, those days were really hard, and it is nothing compared to you now." This boss can be regarded as an old man, and he was very touched when he talked about the past Yes, it's just that the sailors don't have the time to talk nonsense with him here, they need to work quickly, and their work schedule is already very full.
Another thing Boss Wu doesn't understand is that these sailors seem to be more diligent than before. In the past, those guys were not very willing to work, and they seemed to work more. It's as if any job can kill them. Now everyone seems to be working hard to die. In fact, Boss Wu doesn’t understand, but these sailors do. In the past, the work was not as brisk as it is now. Now the boat only needs the motor to start. They all need to sail or something, and if they encounter headwinds, they may have to paddle. This is an absolute labor, and their heads are also on the belt when they work on the water. Although there is a lot of money, it is not as much as I think. Just like the guy just now, his salary was paid once a month in the past. At that time, ordinary sailors were paid ten taels of silver a month, which was a little more advanced. The 15 taels, the highest 20 taels, is now a big speedup compared to before, basically the salaries of most sailors have increased by 50%. But if they all complete the task within the stipulated time, they can all get 50% more. If there is such a rule, if they don’t work quickly, it’s an enmity with money. There seems to be no such thing in this world. People have a grudge against money.
Soon, in just three hours, these porters had already unloaded the entire ship's cargo. In the past, this was absolutely fast. No one could move the goods in such a short time, but now this thing is done like that. This is the fact. All the bosses look at the porters with appreciation. up,
They used to be coolies. They are also coolies now, but now they are different from before. They all have their own basic salary. In the past, they were paid for one day’s work. Now they are still billed in the same way as before. In addition to the money given by the guests, they can also get another salary in Cao's firm. They are all in kind, that is, each person has an extra one hundred catties of grain per month, which is given to them by the Cao's Commercial Bank, and there are two conditions.
One is that they have to work at the wharf of Cao's Commercial Bank to get this money. If you are not here, I'm sorry, this must not be given to you, and you must complete it within the specified time , If you fail to complete within the specified time three times a month, then the money is not yours. If you violate the regulations four times, then half of your salary will be deducted. If you violate the regulations five times, I’m sorry, you can directly After leaving, these things are very common on the earth, but here is not as transparent as the earth, these management measures are very useful, at least the current efficiency of the dock has been improved a lot, and there is still There are no competitors, but Li Cong has already started to operate according to the model of having competitors. Even if a competitor suddenly appears, I believe they will not have the ability to compete with him, because at that time all the resources are in his own. In their hands, they have no ability to compete at all.
In the evening of that afternoon, Wu Liu got on the boat. It was the first time he saw such a strange thing. In the past, the sails on the boat were all folded up. He didn't understand why they were going to sail. open it? Is it to the sailors to paddle forward? This is impossible. Everyone knows that paddling is possible in a short period of time, but it will take five or six days for them to arrive. If the sailors are paddling for five or six days, it is estimated that they will not wait for them to get there. These sailors are going to be exhausted first, he and the other bosses are very puzzled looking at the ship, how will we get out of the port later? How can you reach your destination at this time tomorrow? Isn’t this bragging, we paid all the money, it’s the same as before, I took 18,000 taels of silver for this ship, if it’s true as they said, we can go back and forth every day, This is 36,000 taels, which is unbelievable. Even if they work 300 days a year, they earn 10.8 million taels a year. Can this ship earn so much a year? In the past, it took at least six full days on the road plus the time in the port. Now they need a little more than one day?
Boom... Just when these people were wondering, there was such a sound on the boat. Many people didn't know what was going on, how could there be so much black smoke, and the boat seemed to start to vibrate I looked at the shore one by one, and I was moving, and I was able to go without the wind. What kind of boat is this? They all looked at the people around them strangely, hoping that the people around them could give themselves an explanation. It's a pity that these people don't know what's going on. It's the first time they have encountered such a ship, and the speed is so fast. Such a thing is really surprising. There will be something like this so that everyone can't find Bei, and this time it's even more powerful.
"This... this speed is too fast. I can feel my hat blowing off when I stand here. There is no wind outside, and this is definitely because the boat is running too fast. It’s because of the reason. Besides, didn’t everyone say that sailing at night is not allowed, and sailors also need to rest.” Said a ship’s owner.
"Yeah, those people told me before that they needed to rest at night, but now it seems like nonsense." Another boss also said that the reason why the sailors didn't leave at night Even if they are too tired during the day, it's not because they are hypocritical and don't want to work hard. In fact, they can't do it with their bodies. Now it's different. The driver can work in shifts, and as for the other sailors, there is nothing to do. As long as they take a shift to rest, they can go out to sail during the day and night, which invisibly shortens the time by double.
"Bosses, bosses, we're about to go full steam ahead. If you're still on deck, we want you to hold on to a nearby anchor, or we'll have to pick you up if you fall Yes, in fact, if you want to see our speed, you can go to the cabin, and you can see it." The sailors came up and said. If it is a ship on the earth, there is no such worry. These ships are made of wood. When the speed reaches 60 kilometers per hour, there are indeed some dangers. Fortunately, the river is wide enough, and the ships are not There are many, and nothing will happen. The most important thing is that Li Cong planned some waterways from the beginning. Keep to the right. There is some sound from the horn or something, so it is very safe to sail at night.
"It's really too fast. My cargo has traveled the Yulan River for a lifetime. This is the first time I have seen such a fast speed. Your Cao's House is really amazing. If this is the case, our cargo can be delivered in a day's time." That's it, haha, your money-making speed has doubled, and we will follow you." In the cabin, a boss said with a smile.
"Yeah, we're all going to be wiped out. If there is only one day, we can actually ship some things with a relatively short shelf life. In that case, our profit will be huge." A boss suddenly thought.
"Yes, some wild animals in the eastern region are very valuable to us. In the past, we couldn't transport them because of rot. Now we don't have so much consideration in one day. This is indeed true. Very good." These guys are like the sperm of business people, and they will soon find business opportunities here.
At night, these guys were all too excited to fall asleep. It can be said that people only get excited when they are about to witness a miracle. These businessmen are also people who have seen the world, but when they wake up They were still surprised. They slept for seven or eight hours. They had also been on a boat before, but they didn’t sleep so soundly. The boat is really stable enough, and now it has arrived at their destination. There is still half an hour before they can enter the port. This is really surprising. After more than 20 hours, they have traveled the original five or six days. This speed surprised them, and the speed has increased so much. The price is still the original price, and the service is much better than before. If you don’t continue to choose, you will feel sorry for yourself. Everyone has made up their minds that the transportation will be Cao’s business in the future.
When they got off the boat, they happened to meet some merchants here. They had the same idea as the merchants who got off the boat. They didn't believe that there would be such a fast speed, and they were ready to pay three hundred taels of silver. Follow the past to see what's going on. It's absolutely unbelievable to rely on what other people say. You have to try it yourself to know.
"Old Wu, why are you here? Don't you believe in this thing? How about you come here this evening?" Boss Wu just walked down when a guy called his name. This is Boss Wu's good friend, Boss Zhang.
"Haha, Lao Zhang, I knew you wouldn't believe it. To be honest, I didn't believe it either. If I hadn't followed me personally, I wouldn't believe it now. As I'm still here at this time By the way, I’m here today. Forget it, I’ll tell you that you won’t believe it. You’d better go up there and try it yourself. By the way, I’ve joined their Cao’s Chamber of Commerce Club. It’s said that Only people in this club can book a boat within a week, and the others can only go and wait. The annual membership fee is only 30,000 taels of silver, but it can help us a lot, I advise You went in too. I heard that a county only needs 300 people. I don’t know if your place is full, but the price of this thing will increase by then.” When disembarking, the captain sold this thing to these merchants. For ordinary people, they would think about it for a while. Thirty thousand taels of silver is not a small amount, it is one-third of their annual income, but when the captain told them the discount, basically none of them hesitated. Ninety percent of their group of more than forty people joined.
This right is not small. First of all, it is the advantage of booking a ship. As long as you are a member, you can write down your own warrant. If the ship is given to you, it will be obtained for you as quickly as possible. Another thing is that members can get a certain amount of emergency funds from Cao's Commercial Bank. If your capital turnover is not working, Cao's Bank can also give you some low-interest loans, as long as it is Your collateral is suitable, and you can put down the money within two hours, and the interest is too low compared to other banks. The monthly interest rate is only 3%. You must know that other banks are all usurers. In comparison, Li Cong's interest rate is too low, so low that these people can't believe it. The approval process of the bank is also too slow, they are all for that one hand, only this Cao's firm is really here to do business.
At the same time, Cao’s Commercial Bank also accepts deposits, which is different from other banks. In other places, you have to pay a storage fee for depositing money in the bank. Here, there is no storage fee. If you deposit it, there will be 3% interest for you every year. Although 3% annual interest is low, it is better than nothing. Li Cong makes a lot of money here and there. Monthly Loaning out at an interest rate of 3% and getting it in at an annual interest rate of 3% is twelve times the profit.
"This member is really amazing. If it can be promoted, I think merchants from dozens of provinces on both sides of the Yulan River will form a new alliance. It seems that Cao's firm is about to rise. We These small businessmen have to follow such a behemoth to develop." Boss Zhang expressed his feeling that these small businessmen are really trying to survive in the cracks. , Now they can be regarded as an alliance, but it is still relatively loose.
"Who said it wasn't? I didn't really believe it at the beginning. Later, the boss Wang who came with me last year, because he was a little inconvenient, signed the contract on the boat. That kid took He made a mortgage on his family’s farm and house, with a loan of 60,000 taels of silver, and when he got off the boat, someone would take it there to get the money. They are all black as hell, and they are still trying to control you in these matters." Boss Wu was envious when he mentioned that a guy on the ship got a loan, but in fact he was short of money, but he was already in the The money has been obtained from the bank, and besides, I don’t have the house deed or anything in my hand, otherwise I would have taken out a loan. The gap is really too big. They are all more than here in a year. Damn, there are some who earn a penny a month. Compared with Cao's House, those who charge 20% off are also owned by vampires.
In addition to these short-term borrowings, Cao's Commercial Bank also issued a lot of long-term investment. For example, if you have a project, you can even apply for a long-term loan. It is two to three years, and the annual interest is only 2%. It's only fifteen, as long as your project has a promising future. From the perspective of those banks, this is unimaginable. The average rate is only a little more than 2% per month. Anyway, those banks will never do such a transaction.
The business of the bank is one that Li Cong must be careful about. This bank is a business that generates money with money. Everyone is looking at this area. I don’t want to make it too big at the beginning, otherwise all the banks will be united. If you wake up, you will be able to bear it yourself. The main reason is that there is too much silver in his own treasury, and Li Cong injected 40 billion silver into the bank at once. Let's see how much interest they can give themselves in a month. I didn't expect that no one would believe such a low interest rate at the beginning. It's easy to talk about after the businessman comes in.
At present, more than half of the 90,000 search ships on the Yulan River have been refitted, and the rest are being carried out nervously. Li Cong handed over these refits to his family. Thousands of technicians, and then they were told to start installing with some apprentices, and each of them installed a lot. Otherwise, there will definitely be a breakdown when going out. Li never expects them to fix the motor, he just hopes that they can install it. He got hundreds of thousands of these things from the earth at one time. Yes, as long as it is broken, it can be repaired directly, and at worst, it can be thrown away. A piece of this thing can only cost up to 100,000 yuan. The money I earn for myself every day is returned, and this little money is nothing.
Li Cong also asked An Hai to help him get active when he returned to the capital. There is too much shipping on the Yulan River. Even if these 90,000 ships are running at full speed, it is impossible for them to dare to come here. After seeing the benefits of river transportation, I will definitely join in again. At that time, it will be even more insufficient. Only when the emperor approves this matter can the number of ships continue to increase. Li Cong gave Anhai 5 billion silver for activities, and it is estimated that the matter should be easy to handle.
Shipping on the Yulan River is a very small income for the royal family. Now they can increase their income by 50% every year. I believe they will not refuse this matter. Only a fool will refuse. I believe the royal family will not will refuse.
Western Empire. Wu Mansion, before the Western Empire, most people probably didn’t know Wu Zuoxi, but it’s different now. Since the Tuoba clan’s rebellion was quelled, this Wu Mansion can be said to have become the entire empire The most popular place, this Wu Zuoxi seems to have replaced Tuoba as the first official of the Western Empire. Naturally, he is not afraid of Wu Zuoxi's rise to become the emperor. Even if this guy is the first official, it doesn't matter, because this The guy only has some foundations on the top, and the bottom is empty. He has nothing in place. The reason why the emperor reused him is that this guy only has four daughters. He has no sons at all, so he will not If he seeks too much power for himself, in the end, this guy doesn't want all of himself to become his son-in-law. This is something a fool would do.
Dai Lin, the person in charge of Cao's firm in the Western Empire, entered the Wu Mansion as a guest today. There are two reasons why he came here. The Yulan River can be said to be the largest inland river in the Northern Empire. There is also such a river, and that is the Red River in the Western Empire. The Red River is the largest river in the entire continent. No matter how you look at it, it is not comparable to the Yulan River. The Red River can be said to run through the entire Western Empire. Among the thousands of provinces in the empire, there are more than 300 main roads on the Red River. If you count the tributaries, there will be at least five hundred. After Dai Lin watched the development of the Northern Empire, he also put his mind on this, and this is what he should do.
Before that, Dai Lin had already done some business of Cao's House in dozens of provinces in the south. Bai Er did not do as well as Dai Lin. Dai Lin's expansion speed was several times that of Bai Er, and the basic Much better than Bai Er, of course, this is not only due to personal reasons, Bai Er's subordinates do not have so many good shopkeepers is also a very important reason, when Dai Lin came out of the mountain, he brought a large number of shopkeepers from the Dai family , They come out to do business, their abilities are not compared with ordinary heat and energy, and the current situation is normal.
At the beginning, Bai Er could only bring a total income of 4.536 billion silver per day to Cao's Commercial Bank, but since Dai Lin came up, he has already increased this number by more than ten times, and according to the current development, after a few months, Definitely can reach twenty times. If some Red River shipping can be won, this number will be more objective.
Wu Zuoxi is no longer as clean and honest as he was at the beginning. At that time, this kid was also full of revenge and wanted to become a clean official, but after he became an official, especially after he became a minister This is different, there are too many people looking for their own work. This guy has brains, but no one is perfect. This little money is nothing, the emperor also knows that this guy has no son, he will not have other plans, even if his right-hand man has that little money, it is nothing.
If Dai Lin hadn't figured out the reason, he wouldn't have come in so rashly. This is a brain-dead thing. If this guy got himself in because of taking bribes, then he would be really unlucky. This year It is already impossible to sell the shares on the Red River, and what Dai Lin is looking at is next year. Dai Lin's transportation business in the south is still very good, but it mainly uses horse-drawn carriages for nearby transportation. If it can be connected with river transportation, long-distance transportation will be fine, even though people in this society go out There are not many people, but after all, the population base is here, let alone. In the past, it was also because of the traffic problem. If the traffic problem is good, these people will definitely go out, and they are not fools.
"Sit down, I've read your plan, and it's really well written. But I don't think there's much hope for it to be put into practice. How can you increase the transportation capacity by more than five times? You know, even if you first If all the money that should be paid is handed over, if there is a problem with the transportation of the Red River, it will be a fatal disaster for the entire empire." Wu Zuoxi has read Dai Lin's plan, and frankly said that if this matter is true, If it is, it is a very good plan for the entire empire and itself, but if the above things cannot be realized. There is a problem with my own head. Since I quelled the rebellion, the emperor has continuously handed over the power to him, because the emperor believes that he will not become the second Tuoba clan, and other officials will not I must have thought that way. Those elders who seem to be joking with me on the surface are my worst enemies one by one. They can't wait to find their own flaws in themselves. If they find them, they will definitely trample themselves to death.
"Master Wu, I don't really need to say anything about this matter. Our firm has already won the transportation of the entire Yulan River in the Northern Empire. Now you can ask someone to go over there to take a look. The shipping over there But the progress is very good, although only 50% of the original ships have started to transport, but the goods they transport are more than double that of the original ships." Dai Lin said, he knew what Wu Zuoxi said The reason is to benefit. This guy already knows about the affairs of the Northern Empire. As the first minister of the Western Empire, it would be strange if he didn't know what happened in the other empires around him.
"Hehe, there are many differences between the Northern Empire and the Western Empire. I have also heard about your boss. It can be said that he is a person worthy of admiration in my eyes. The Red River and the Yulan River are also different. The total amount of shipping on the Red River is many times greater than that on the Yulan River. The entire Western Empire operates around the Red River, and everything about the common people is closely related to the Red River. It’s a big deal, so I have to ask carefully.” Wu Zuoxi said with a smile, it said that as long as he can integrate all the antiques in Honghe, he can do nothing every year. Five-fifths of the transport of dry stocks, Wu Zuoxi asked someone to check because of this matter, now the transport on the Red River has nearly 3.4 trillion silver every year, and there are millions of ships, belonging to more than a dozen large In the family, it is really incomparable with the Yulan River. It can be seen from the width and length alone. The flow of the Red River is hundreds of times that of the Yulan River. The widest place is more than 50 kilometers. The narrowest place is more than 20 kilometers long, and such rivers are only found on this kind of planet. If there is such a river on the earth, it is probably the sea.
"We are all aware that the people of Wu Da serve for the empire. Naturally, we must pay close attention to these matters. We didn't think about taking them all at once, and we don't have that kind of ability. We just hope that we can win If Master Wu thinks we can get a part of the current share, we can talk about the next thing." Dai Lin said with a smile. It is impossible for me to get Wu Zuoxi to support me if I come up with a plan casually. Wu Zuoxi also needs a certain basis. Just like what he said, this matter is not a trivial matter. It will affect the entire Western Empire.
"If this is the case, you can try it. That's good. I can't take it out if there are too many. For the time being, I will give you 3,000 ships. These ships are all under my name. I can only convince them if they see the effect. Theirs." In fact, Wu Zuoxi had already agreed with Dai Lin's method in his heart, but he hadn't gotten his own benefits, so he agreed, which is absolutely impossible.
Dai Lin thought about it for a while, and it's not impossible. Even if this matter happened to him, he couldn't agree to it directly. He knew that Wu Zuoxi could be said to be an old fox, and he would never accept it because of his few words Just agree to this matter. It's not bad to be able to approve 3,000 items, he knows that at this time he has to show his sincerity.
"Master Wu, we agreed before that as long as I can get this share, I will give you 5% of the annual income of these ships before. I have seen all these ships, and they can earn an average annual income of About 400,000 taels of silver. Five percent is 20,000 taels of silver. These 3,000 ships are worth 60 million taels of silver. It's here." Dai Lin said, when he used to just talk but not practice. I thought I could solve this matter with my own tongue, but now it seems that it is impossible, Wu Zuoxi has to know the benefits, and sure enough, after Dai Lin finished speaking, Wu Zuoxi finally had a smile on his face .
"Hehe, Steward Dai is really serious about his work. To be honest, my life is not easy now. There are too many people in the empire who disobey me. Everyone feels that I rely on Lucky, in fact, who gets up doesn't rely on luck. Most people are similar to me, but their background is better than mine. Now that His Majesty believes in me, they still don't dare to do anything, but if one day His Majesty the Emperor doesn't believe me anymore, and my life may be very miserable, so I will start to manage it properly during this time." Wu Zuoxi said with a wry smile, there are many places where he spends money, and some big families He needs to find a way out for himself, which requires money. Wu Zuoxi is not from a big family, and every penny he said must be paid for by himself. Recently, one of his big plans is He must rely on a lot of money. His monthly fixed expenses have reached an astonishing 700 million taels, which is definitely not a brother-in-law for him. Therefore, Dai Lin's 60 million taels of silver is definitely a timely rain. so that he can continue with his plan.
"Master Wu is joking, who doesn't know that you are like this in the Western Empire now." Dai Lin raised his thumb and said, "Master Wu is too honest, if you are the same as those other officials, let alone this little money , Even more money can be obtained. By the way, our boss heard that the fourth lady in the mansion is about to go to the coming-of-age ceremony. We also prepared a gift here. We asked privately I like the cold jade from the North Sea, so please pass it on to me." It is certain to find excuses for giving gifts to these people, but this gift must also be rare and luxurious, just like the present one, Dai Lin's hand is as big as a palm One piece, this is Beihai Cold Jade. If you carry this thing with you, you can catch up with the calmness of a magician. Such a good thing is definitely priceless. Wu Zuoxi often goes in and out of the upper class, so naturally he knows this thing The value of it is definitely more than the 60 million taels of silver bills that I will give myself next. I have a lot of treasures, but this one in front of me can definitely be said to be the best thing in my treasury. What is my little daughter? Like, such a thing is everyone will like.
"Your boss is really too polite. A little girl's coming-of-age ceremony is nothing. How can such an expensive gift be used on such a festival? Don't do this next time, otherwise I won't accept it." Wu Zuoxi's eyes were nearly gone from smiling, but he still wanted to say that. If he didn't say that, he would be no different from a corrupt official.
When he came out of the Wu Mansion, Dai Lin got 3,000 ships in operation. Basically, this achievement in the near future is enough. If there are more, he will definitely not be able to get it down here. The main reason is that the motor that the boss said seems to be out of order. So easy to install.
With the efforts of Dai Lin and the shopkeepers of the Dai family, the transportation network developed by the Dai family in the Western Empire is actually more complete than that developed by Li Cong in the Northern Empire. Li Cong is a lucky one. This guy is not very good at things like buying and selling. His biggest advantage is to make money with what he knows but others don't. Having said that, Dai Lin doesn't have such a big advantage, and he has to rely on himself to develop bit by bit. He also spent several times more time and money than Li Cong.
Wu Zuoxi didn't go out to see Dai Lin off for the transportation of the Red River. He was lost in thought while looking at the Red River. There are millions of ships on the Red River. Many people think that this is a piece of fat, similar to the situation on the Yulan River. Yes, if you continue to increase the number of ships, there is no problem. For their own profit, they would rather keep the empire's economy from advancing than guarantee their own profit. The power is very strong.
But thinking of the Beihai Hanyu and the 60 million taels of silver that I just got, I can take a risky gamble once. If I miss such a thing, I may never have the opportunity in the future. I must seize this opportunity. Yes, anyone would think of running away by himself. Thinking of this, Wu Zuoxi took out his own paper and pen, and he began to calculate various data bit by bit. This is what this kid is best at. People and things are represented by numbers, and I can judge from them. This is much better than random guessing, and it is also my lifelong magic weapon. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. )