"Brother Yang, in addition to the five thousand-household guard areas in Zunhua, we also have residential areas for ordinary people. The largest among these households are the four clans of Zhou Wang, Li and Zhao. These four are the four major clans. The clan leader. I’m here to introduce you.”
"This is the patriarch of the Zhou family, Mr. Zhou Fenzhou." Wei Bancheng introduced. Mr. Zhou looked to be in his sixties, short, fat, and with eyes like mung beans.
He raised his hands to Yang Fan and said, "Young man, I have met General Yang."
"Nice to meet you, what kind of business does Mr. Zhou's family do?" Yang Fan asked. This is a local household, a local snake.
They are the ones who really do business.
"The old man's family has seventy-eight blast furnaces and is mainly engaged in the cast iron business. Now, alas, I won't mention it." The old man said with a sad expression.
Yang Fan was also surprised by the size of the Zhou family. There are seventy-eight blast furnaces, one of which can produce three tons of pig iron a day.
That’s more than 200 tons a day. Yang Fan cupped his hands apologetically.
"This is Wang Qinghai, the head of the Wang family, Mr. Wang. The Wang family has forty-seven blast furnaces and twenty-seven blacksmithing workshops. They are spread inside and outside Zunhua City. The family also has 7,500 hectares of flooded and dry fields. There are thousands of slaves in the family. You are a really big family in Zunhua." Wei Bancheng also said with envy.
"Don't dare. I'm just relying on the shadow of my ancestors. It's not as good as the family fortune Wei Yuanwai built himself." Wang Qinghai stroked his beard and said with a smile.
Then Wei Bancheng introduced Li Cunxin, the head of the Li family, and Zhao Dongguo, the head of the Zhao family. As well as a dozen relatively large workshop owners and large landowners.
They all manage land, iron smelting workshops, and even inns, grain stores, etc. After a group of people exchanged greetings, they entered the restaurant.
Taibai Building has three floors in total. It is the property of the Wei family, but it is not the Wei Bancheng family's, but the public property of the clan.
Thirteen rooms belong to the Wei family. As the eldest son's direct grandson, Wei Bancheng only managed it on his behalf. Taibai Tower is a typical pavilion-style building.
Each level is smaller. It is close to a small lake in Zunhua City. You can watch lotus flowers from the window. The scenery is very beautiful.
Wei Bancheng arranged these people on three floors. The third floor is full of relatives or agents of big and small officials.
The second floor is full of relatively large local families and industrial and mining owners. The first floor is filled with ordinary local businessmen and landowners.
This time the richest man in Zunhua invited General Yang to a banquet. It would be bad if he didn't invite anyone. Wei Bancheng knew how to be a good person. Simply invite everyone who has a good reputation.
But reception is on separate floors. These guests will also know their own interests and identities, and will not go to the upper level.
Yang Fan, accompanied by Wei Bancheng, came to the third floor first. Drinking with the shopkeepers headed by Wang Yutian and Wang Chong.
After drinking for three rounds, Wang Yutian spoke first: "General Yang is not an old man who is ignorant of current affairs. It is actually the general's steel factory that is too large and the cost is too low, which makes it impossible for us to start work. The more work we do, the more we can do it." The more compensation we have to pay. To be honest, we are also responsible for the masters behind it. It is really impossible to explain that it is like this now. Please have mercy on me, general." As soon as Wang Yutian spoke, there were only a few dozen others. The big shopkeepers all begged Yang Fan for mercy.
Leave a mouthful of food for everyone and a stove. Wei Bancheng's face looked a little ugly. He knew clearly that he was causing trouble for Yang Fan this time.
However, his social relationships are complicated, with many interests entangled and difficult to keep in touch with.
Yang Fan waited for them to finish speaking. Clear your throat. There was silence below, everyone was watching Yang Fan's statement.
"Everyone, the technology of your workshops and mines is too poor. No matter what you do, the cost is much higher than that of Xinghe Iron Works. The only way to avoid losing money is to close down the workshops and mines. If there is no production, there will be no You will lose money." Yang Fan said calmly.
There was a blast from below and it almost exploded. When he came in, Yang Fan was always very humble and looked like a person who could communicate.
I didn't expect to speak so domineeringly. This is a little way to survive. It’s clear that they want to monopolize Zunhua’s steel industry.
Yang Fan waved his hand to ask everyone to be quiet.
"I haven't finished speaking yet. The purpose of opening the iron factory is to make money. I can't close Xinghe Iron Factory just because you can make money. Otherwise, as long as Xinghe Iron Factory is open, you can only continue to lose money. I know. Until it goes bankrupt.”
"General Yang, please give us a way to survive."
"Give the commander some face. Although you are directly under the Beizhili Dusi, you are also a fellow commander. We are all a family, so why bother pushing each other so hard." Yang Fan smiled bitterly, and these guys beat their chests one by one. It seemed like I had been wronged a lot.
I don’t know if this is the face when they force other small businessmen with no background.
"Let's just open the window and speak frankly. You are all relying on the power of local officials to do business. The purpose is to make money. As long as you can make money, you don't have to worry about running an iron factory. I will show you a clear way. , you have closed all the workshops and dismissed the workers. I can give you open-hearth steel at 10% lower than the ex-factory price. The contract will be valid within one year. You can just be a trader. It saves worry and makes money quickly." Yang Fan said Just after landing, there was an explosion below.
This is a bombshell. Everyone knows that the open-hearth steel from Xinghe Iron Works is easy to sell. As long as you buy it and sell it, you can make a lot of money.
Now Yang Fan offers a price that is 10% lower than other merchants, which is a free benefit to everyone. Nowadays, open-hearth steel is so popular that you only need to resell it and get 10% of the profit.
Even the warehouse can be used by Xinghe Iron Works, as long as the delivery receipt is resold. These people are all government officials and businessmen, and all of them are speculators.
As soon as Yang Fan said the words, they immediately understood the key. If Yang Fan is willing to give them this benefit, who would be willing to start an iron factory to do industry? It is so difficult to do industry. It takes a lot of trouble and effort, and you may have to lose money.
If you listen to Yang Fan and set up a trading house, buy bulk goods directly from Yang Fan and resell them to various parts of the Ming Dynasty, you will make a lot of money.
Why bother mining and smelting iron? What a quick turnaround. Even if you don't want to bother. By selling the bill of lading directly to merchants who come to Zunhua to purchase open-hearth steel, they can also get a 10% profit.
Wang Yutian asked eagerly: "General Yang, are there any restrictions?" Wang Yutian is an experienced man and knows that no pie can fall from the sky.
This kind of good thing is to give everyone money. Yang Fan is not an ordinary citizen, nor is he a small businessman. Can he really fawn over them?
Yang Fan smiled slightly, the old guy Wang Yutian was a sensible person.
"Of course there are conditions. You are all government businessmen with strong capital, so your delivery must be in bulk. This is also the use of capital to exclude other merchants."
"General Yang, what is the quantity required for this delivery?"
