Standing under the huge steel column of the gantry crane, Lao Zhu looked up for a moment, lowered his head and couldn't help but sigh: "This is really, unimaginable..."
In Lao Zhu's opinion, this gantry crane was really too tall. It was three feet tall, and it was like a pavilion. Moreover, such a large steel machine can indeed shock people.
The output of steel has been very low since ancient times. It would be great if it could be used to make some swords, guns and armor. Where is there any excess to make such a large machine? Not only have I never seen it, I have never even thought about it.
"Your Majesty, this is specially used for loading and unloading cargo on ships. Of course it must be made taller." Han Du explained in agreement with a smile on his face.
A large sea-going ship itself has a height of about three feet. If the gantry crane does not even have this height, how can it load cargo onto the ship? Even the height of three feet was not enough. Han Du also had two concrete platforms built two feet above the sea and hung the gantry on them.
Lao Zhu nodded, not paying attention to Han Du's words. All his thoughts were now occupied by this huge machine. He reached out and touched the steel pillar, and a thick, cold touch reached his heart, along with a strong feeling.
"How much cargo can this thing lift at one time?" Lao Zhu turned back to Han Du with some curiosity.
Han Du quickly lowered his head slightly and said: "Back to the emperor, it is not as exaggerated as the people said. It can easily weigh tens of thousands of kilograms. This thing can only lift about three thousand kilograms at most."
I have not tried the specific Handu. Anyway, there is no problem in lifting three thousand kilograms. Although you will obviously see that the top beam is slightly pressed down, it can still withstand it.
"Three thousand catties...that's pretty powerful." Lao Zhu moved his lips, as if he was talking to Han Du or to himself. Weight is only one aspect, the most important thing is speed. This thing is so easy and fast when transporting cargo.
In the short time that Lao Zhu had been watching just now, all the cargo in the ship had been hoisted onto the ship and loaded. The ship slowly retreated, and then continued to load another ship.
Lao Zhu looked at the endless stream of ships waiting to come in for loading. He turned back and smiled at Han Du and asked, "I heard that you have made a fortune again? How many ships like this can you load here every day?"
Lao Zhu is not averse to the world. Although he did not carefully inquire how much Handu charges for each shipment of goods, he can tell from the quantity alone that this thing is also a treasure that makes money every day.
Han Du naturally understood the subtext of Lao Zhu's words as soon as he heard it, and quickly explained: "Your Majesty, this thing has nothing to do with me. It is a matter of the academy."
"Really? Then why did I hear Xue Xiang say that the academy only occupies 30%, and who owns the remaining 70%?" The smile on Lao Zhu's face was still as bright as before.
But Han Du's current mood suddenly fell to the bottom. Xue Xiang, an old ruffian, was not satisfied even after he had a piece of the pie, so he sold himself to Lao Zhu without hesitation.
"Your Majesty, I spent a lot of money to buy this thing, didn't I? In order to buy it out, I even used Anqing's personal money." Faced with Lao Zhu's ill intentions, Han Du hurriedly shouted. protest against an injustice.
Anyway, I have already said that this was bought with Anqing's money. If you, Lao Zhu, have the ability, just snatch it away. The emperor was blatantly robbing his daughter's things. Word spread, but it was easy to say but not popular.
Besides, if Lao Zhu can lower his face and toughen up, then Han Du will dare to let your daughter take your grandson back to the palace to eat and live in your house.
When Lao Zhu heard this, his face darkened as expected. He glared at Han Du and said dissatisfied: "I didn't say what I wanted from you. Why are you so nervous?"
Haha, Han Du nodded with a smile. But in my heart, I didn’t even believe a single punctuation mark in Lao Zhu’s words. Lao Zhu was used to being poor. Even though there was a mountain of gold and silver in the inner treasury, when he saw Han Du reaping the benefits, he still couldn't help but want to get involved.
Han Du dared to vouch for it. Lao Zhu definitely wanted to have his idea just now, but he moved him out of Anqing and blocked him back.
...
Of course, Lao Zhu is not the only one who can see the huge value of this thing.
The next day, Han Du was still at home and did not go out. A servant came to report early in the morning.
"Master Hou, there is a man named Fu Yong who said that he knows Master Hou and wants to see him."
"Fu Yong?" When Han Du heard this, a figure slowly emerged in his mind.
After thinking for a while, I decided that it would be okay to meet him, and said, "You lead the person to the front hall, and I will come soon."
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
After Han Du packed up, he came to the front hall.
Fu Yong was restless inside, not even bothering to taste the fragrant tea at hand. He looked very anxious and never moved his eyes away from the door.
As soon as Han Du emerged, he was seen by Fu Yong. He quickly stepped forward with a smile, bowed and saluted, "I pay my respects to the Marquis, how are you doing?"
YY
"Okay." Han Du nodded with a smile and raised his hand to ask Fu Yong to get up. "Hurry up and take a seat. Let's sit down and talk."
Fu Yong and Han Du are also old acquaintances, and they have been quite pleasant in dealing with them in the past.
After the two sat down, Han Du took a sip of tea, turned to him with a faint smile and said, "I heard that your business is getting bigger and bigger now, and you are respected among the maritime merchants."
"It makes the Marquis laugh, but it's just people who go to sea to help each other.
Really. "Fu Yong was very humble in front of Han Du, without any attitude of looking higher than his head.
His reputation among maritime merchants is naturally extremely high. He was one of the first people to get involved in maritime trade. And his courage is also extraordinary. After his first experience, he directly separated from several other people and worked alone. Because of Han Du's relationship, he had a close relationship with Shi Jinqing in Old Port. With the Ming Dynasty and the old port at his back, his business was booming. Whether it was wealth or the size of his fleet, he soon became the leading presence among maritime merchants.
Speaking of this, Fu Yong also said apologetically: "These days, I have been blinded by wealth. I don't come to see the Marquis often. Please forgive me."
In the past two years, he has been completely addicted to the pleasure of making money. Every time he goes to sea, he almost always goes out with a boatload of goods and comes back with a boatload of money. He couldn't believe how much money he was making, it was like a dream. Where else can I think of visiting Han Du?
But Fu Yong knew that the reason why his business was going so smoothly was inseparable from Han Du's relationship. Otherwise, he was not the only one who went to sea with him for the first time, so why couldn't those people's business be as good as his?
If he hadn't known Han Du, would Shi Jinqing have taken him seriously? Will he do his best to protect him in Old Port? No one dares to take a chance on him?
Han Du waved his hand and said with an indifferent smile: "It doesn't matter, as long as you do business properly and pay the taxes you should pay. It doesn't matter whether you see me or not, it's the same."
If you want the people of the Ming Dynasty to turn their attention to the sea, you can only allow maritime merchants like Fu Yong to make money, and make a lot of money. Only when they get rich will other people see it in their eyes and take it into their hearts, and their impression of overseas countries will gradually change. And a big ship owner like Fu Yong will definitely recruit a large number of people to go to sea. What these people have seen and heard overseas are good things that attract the attention of the people.
Some things, if done by the imperial court, would have poor results. Even if the imperial court said that it was dry and good overseas, no people would believe it.
People will only believe what they see with their own eyes.
"How can that be done? The Marquis's care for me will never be forgotten by me." Fu Yong said sternly, and then he took out a red gift list from his arms and placed it on the coffee table between the two of them.
"A little thought is not enough to show respect. Please don't dislike it, Lord Marquis."
Han Du originally never thought that Fu Yong would give him the above gifts, thinking that they were just gold, silver and jewelry. But when he opened it, Han Du was surprised.
"Huh?"
What surprised Han Du was that in addition to gold and silver jewelry, Fu Yong's gift list also contained a large number of Western books.
"How do you know these things?" Han Du asked strangely, pointing at the names of various books in the gift list.
How could Fu Yong, a businessman, be interested in books?
Fu Yong only glanced at it, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he explained: "The Marquis should know that there are many merchant ships from the west in the old port. When the villain was doing business with them, he saw the books they brought, I thought it might be useful, so I brought it back. The Marquis is a scholar of heaven and man, and I thought these books might be useful to the Marquis."
Han Du closed the gift list and laughed twice, nodded and said: "Yes, these books are indeed useful to me. It seems that I have to accept your great gift."
Han Du valued these books more than those gold and silver jewelry. These books can just be placed in the academy and have them translated.
"Tell me, why did you come to see me today?" Han Du knew that Fu Yong would not come because he had nothing to do, so he asked directly. Although Han Du would not help him even if he didn't give him a gift, but now that he had accepted his gift, he might as well ask directly.
"The villain does have something to ask for." Fu Yong smiled awkwardly, a little embarrassed. He did come today because he hadn't visited Han Du for a long time, but he did have other purposes.
"But it doesn't matter." Han Du said casually, lowered his head and took a sip of tea.
Fu Yong thought for a moment and said softly: "That's it. I wonder if Lord Marquis can sell some of the gantry cranes to the villain."
Han Du originally thought that he wanted to use the gantry crane to help him load the ship, but he did not expect that he would actually offer to buy it.
"Buy? Why did you buy that thing?" Han Du looked stunned and felt very confused.
For a maritime businessman like Fu Yong, there is absolutely no need to buy it. Wouldn't it be better to load it at the dock?
"Of course I also want to build a dock." Fu Yong said directly without hiding anything.
Han Du's face suddenly sank after hearing this. Get a dock? So isn't this just trying to compete with yourself for business? Although there were many ports in the Ming Dynasty, there were both Taicang and Guangzhou. However, these two places have long since declined due to the Ming Dynasty's ban on the sea for more than ten years, and are now just deserted. What can really be regarded as having huge cargo throughput now is this terminal in the capital. Although the forbidden sea has been opened, the people have lingering fears about it for many years. Ordinary people simply do not have enough courage to directly go to sea for business. That is to say, the businessmen in the capital have the advantage of confidence, so they will go to sea without hesitation.
And the capital is a place where goods from all over the world gather. The goods are complete and abundant.
Therefore, Han Du does not think that Fu Yong will build a dock in Taicang or Guangzhou. If he wants to build it, he will definitely build it in the capital.
This is a naked attempt to steal business from him! Although the two of them have a friendship, friendship is a friendship and it is absolutely impossible to steal business.
Seeing Han Du's expression change, Fu Yong suddenly broke into a cold sweat and quickly explained: "Master Hou misunderstood, I have never thought of building a dock in Daming."
"Oh? Then where do you want to be?" These words made Han Du a little curious, and his vigilance relaxed a little.
Fu Yong quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said directly: "I want to build a wharf in the old port. To be honest with the Marquis, I came up with this idea after seeing the wealth of the Marquis' wharf."
"Old Port?" Han Du's voice was a bit strange and his brows wrinkled slightly.
"Yes, Lord Marquis." Fu Yong hurriedly explained to Han Du, "Master Marquis doesn't know something. Not only are we merchants from the Ming Dynasty often going to the old port, but even the merchants from the West have traveled thousands of miles to Nanyang. After that, the first place I went to was the Old Port. Now the Old Port has become a prosperous place, and the number of ships arriving at the Old Port every day is overwhelming, even more than the ships in the capital."
So that's it, Han Du understood now. Although Han Du had long thought that the old port would become an overseas trade distribution center, he did not expect that this day would come so quickly.
Seeing Han Du's expression softening, Fu Yong was still frightened, and simply gritted his teeth and said: "If the Marquis does not dislike it, I can build a dock in the old port with the Marquis."
Fu Yong's words directly meant that he wanted Han Du to take a share. Although he was a little reluctant, he knew that if Han Du wanted to, Han Du could build the port in the old port, and he would not be there at all. Fu Yong, what happened?
Han Du smiled and glanced at the nervous Fu Yong, waved his hands and said: "That's not necessary, your idea is a good one. You can do it yourself when it comes to building a wharf in the old port. Don't worry, I will build the gantry crane you want. Sold to you."
"You don't have any ideas, it's just the wisdom of Lord Shihou." Fu Yong was very happy when he heard such good news.
But he knew that he alone might not be able to eat the entire Old Port. "Master Hou, don't worry. I sincerely want to do this business as a joint venture with Master Hou. Don't worry, Master Hou. I don't need a penny from Master Hou. All the money will be paid by the villain. Master Hou only needs to provide the gantry crane." Enough."
Han Du shook his head lightly and said: "If I say you don't need it, don't use it. You don't need to be suspicious. However, I am curious about why you have such an idea. Although building a dock to transport goods is profitable, it should be similar to your overseas trade." Right? Why would you ignore good maritime trade and spend a lot of money to build a dock? "
Only then did Fu Yong feel relieved and said with a smile: "Master Hou, although this sea trade is very profitable, the risks are not small. A strong wind and wave can capsize the entire fleet, and a lifetime of hard work will be in vain. Although the villain is very lucky and has never met him before, he has heard that some people have encountered him. The villain can't think that his luck will be like this in his whole life, right?"
This is true... Han Du couldn't help but nodded slightly when he heard this.
Many people only see the huge profits of sea trade, but ignore the risks of sea trade. Although the Japanese pirates are now almost extinct in Nanyang during the Ming Dynasty, there is no way to avoid the risk of weather.
The reason why Handu issued securities was to allow more people to take risks together, so that maritime merchants would not be in catastrophe all at once. But people are always greedy. Even if a maritime businessman knows that going to sea is risky, he still can't help but feel uncomfortable when he sees that his hard-earned money is about to be distributed to others.
Therefore, only those maritime merchants who really cannot raise enough money will choose to issue securities. After making enough money, many maritime merchants will choose to go it alone instead of applying for the issuance of securities from the Shipping Department.
"Eggs cannot be put in one basket, the villain thought. Now that there is no shortage of money, instead of living in sea trade until old age, it is better to spend some of the money to find a stable livelihood. At this time, The villain was given a heads-up when the Marquis built the wharf, and the villain thought it was a good business, so he came to ask the Marquis for help."
Han Du waited for Fu Yong to finish speaking, then nodded and looked at him appreciatively, and said, "That's a good idea, it's rare."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis." Fu Yong bowed slightly, nodded towards Han Du and smiled.
"The Lord of Longmen Diao can sell it to you, but at this price..." Han Du lowered his brows as he spoke and was silent.
There is really no way to determine this price, after all, Handu has not sold it yet.
Without waiting for Han Du to speak, Fu Yong stretched out his hand and spread his fingers and said, "I heard that the Marquis bought it for five thousand guan, and I am willing to pay 5,000 guan."
Damn... Han Du looked at Fu Yong with wide eyes. Immediately he realized that Fu Yong had misunderstood him through false rumors. He thought he bought a gantry crane for five thousand dollars, but he didn't know that what he bought was all the technology of the gantry crane. Technology is of course valuable, but the capabilities of the gantry crane are missing.
A gantry crane only uses a few kilograms of steel, and the cost is not even 300 guan.
"Five thousand strings..." Han Du muttered softly.
When Fu Yong saw him, he thought Han Du thought he was being underestimated. Think about it, what is the identity of the Marquis? What is his identity? The Marquis can buy it for five thousand guan, but he may not be able to buy it.
Fu Yongzheng wanted to open his mouth to increase the price, but Han Du suddenly said: "Five thousand guans is too high, let's say three thousand guans. Three thousand guans for one set, I will sell you as many as you want."
"Seriously? Thank you, Lord Marquis." Fu Yong was overjoyed. I deeply feel that I really came to the right place to visit Handu today.
