Lin Ming originally wanted to have the archway demolished to avoid the displeasure of the Australians. After all, this "loyalty" was to the Ming Dynasty. He was worried that the local gentry would definitely object when he brought it up - after all, he was considered half a native of Foshan, and it was no joke to offend these "elders".
He looked at the majestic "Commander Xi" who was carrying a long knife and wearing a thin, straight gray woolen military uniform with a bamboo pole feel that was tightly wrapped around his waist. Put most of it away.
Xi Yazhou didn't come to Foshan for sightseeing, of course - speaking of it, he came to Foshan a lot back then, but it was completely different from Foshan in the 17th century. Even the ancestral temple in the Ming Dynasty was very different from what he had in mind.
"I heard that smelting and casting are very developed in Foshan. Where are they?"
After walking for a while, there were many shops and guilds, and some small handicraft workshops. However, none of the legendary smelting workshops was seen. After asking Lin Ming, he learned that these workshops were mainly concentrated in the area under the gate. This is the area where Foshan developed earlier.
Lin Ming said that in the past, these smelting and blacksmithing workshops were concentrated in front of the ancestral temple during the Xuande period. Because of the smoke and fire, it was easy for the fire to spread to the ancestral temple, and it was not good for Feng Shui, so they were all moved away.
"Take me to see these workshops," Xi Yazhou said, "and call a few local practitioners over."
Lin Ming wondered what was so interesting about this iron smelting workshop. It was dirty and hot. Although no furnace was open now, there were piles of iron, charcoal, and ashes inside. Not to mention touching it, even if you walked around you would get it. It's full of gray and black. If you stay there for a while, your saliva and nose will turn black.
But he had been to Lingao and knew that what the leaders liked most was "Baigong", and even praised the skills of Baigong to the sky. So he was very sensible and simply agreed. Call a servant and ask him to call the leader of the local furnace room guild.
The leader of the local furnace industry is named Wu Xianlong, who is in his fifties. After working in the furnace industry all his life, his family business is ranked among the top in the furnace industry in Foshan. The smelting and casting industry in Foshan is booming. Although pig iron and ironware are considered cold goods in traditional business, the furnace rooms in Foshan are always in full swing. As long as the goods are made, there is no need to worry about not being able to sell them.
However, in recent years, the furnace room in Foshan has not been having an easy time because of the arrival of Kuntie.
At first, there were some ironware made in Australia on the market, which were not only exquisite and easy to use, but also more durable than local products. However, the price is quite high, which does not hinder the sales of local goods. However, in the past few years, thieves suddenly began to dump a large number of Australian ironware on the market. Not only are the quality high, but there are many varieties, eclipsing the local goods. The most terrible thing is that the price is much lower than that of local products. This will kill the life of the furnace house - the price of ironware on the market plummeted, many small furnace houses closed down, and the shopkeepers jumped into the river, hanged themselves and ran away. have. Fortunately, although Australian iron is easy to use, it does not reach a large area in Guangdong. Prefectures and counties far away from Guangzhou still habitually use Foshan products. The big furnace house relies on old sales relationships from various places to maintain its operation. In addition, the government has made many cannons in recent years, so it can barely maintain its operation.
As the leader of the association, Wu Xianlong was so worried about the furnace industry in Foshan that his hair turned completely white. The Australians suddenly arrived in Guangzhou, and all land and water transportation was interrupted for a while. The finished goods could not be shipped out, and merchants could not come in. In particular, there were several companies that made cast iron pots for foreign merchants. The goods could not be shipped out after they were ready. It would mean missing the overseas shipping date - this was terrible. Although it didn't matter if the iron pot was stored for a year and a half, at most it could be saved for next time, but the credibility of these years would be ruined.
In some furnace rooms, the shopkeeper or the accountant went out to collect payment, but the traffic was cut off and there was no news at all. He didn't know where he was or what his good or bad luck was. His family and friends were all in panic, so they all came to him to ask for advice. Wu Xianlong himself was helpless and could only comfort him with words.
Shopkeeper Wu has been living in the club since the opening of the surrender, just so that he could negotiate with the mayor appointed by the Australians when he arrived. He only knows that Australians have always had strict military discipline. When they first attacked Guangzhou, clippers passed by Foshan many times. As long as there were no hostile actions, the lives and property of the gentry and people in the villages and towns were not in danger, and no more "reasonable burdens" were needed. This time the Australians want to send someone to be a local magistrate. I don’t know what the method will be? Shopkeeper Wu felt very unsure.
Fortunately, Lin Baihu, the Jin Yiwei in the town, turned out to be a lurking "fake Kun". Shopkeeper Wu had dealt with this Lin Baihu in the past. In short, he was an official who was easy to talk to and willing to do things when he was paid. He became the "liaison officer", and Shopkeeper Wu was somewhat relieved - it would be easier if he had acquaintances!
However, this Lin Baihu only maintained the situation and did not make any decisions. It was said that he would wait for the "town mayor" appointed by the Australians to come. As for the "kun thief" who wore an Australian alias and spoke Shandong dialect. "Officer", there's nothing much to say about that.
When Wu Xianlong heard "The chief has invited me", Wu Xianlong immediately became energetic. He knew that the so-called "chief" was the "True Kun", the most noble person among the Kun thieves. Immediately, he quickly asked the servants to bring him the guest clothes and put them on.
"Are you the leader of the local furnace room?" Xi Yazhou glanced at the leader Wu who was bending down in front of him "waiting for instructions" and handed the red name card aside.
"It's just a villain." Wu Xianlong found out that the "chief" in front of him was actually a "military master", and couldn't help but break into a cold sweat - Qiu Ba has been the most difficult to offend since ancient times, and he couldn't explain why. "This is all because of the praise of his peers."
Look around again, right on the street - what road is this? Now that the "chief" sees him, whether it is a few "instructions" that echo a story or a heart-to-heart talk, it must be done in the house, how can he talk on the street? However, he did not dare to ask any more questions and hunched over to obey orders.
"Since you are the leader of the furnace room industry, the furnace room must be quite big."
Wu Xianlong was startled by these words. What was the meaning of these words? Could it be that this thief was interested in his furnace room? He couldn't figure out the direction of the "chief" in front of him, and carefully considered the words: "The small furnace room is not the largest in the local area, but it is just a few years older. If you say it, colleagues in the industry are more or less willing to listen." , was elected as the leader..."
"Even if there is a furnace room, please take me to take a look." Xi Yazhou said, "I heard that Foshan is famous for its smelting and casting. Come and take a look today."
"Yes, yes." Wu Xianlong couldn't refuse and had to agree.
The furnace room for smelting copper and iron is different from the furnace room for gold and silver in big cities, as long as it has a high roof and an open roof. Because the size of copper and iron castings is generally relatively large and requires a large amount of fuel, copper and iron materials and molding materials, there must be a large open space for operating and stacking materials. Therefore, most furnace houses are located on the tidal flats where rivers used to flow. Firstly, the land price is cheap, and secondly, water can be obtained nearby.
As the group headed south, Xi Yazhou saw that the buildings in this area began to become sparse, and the houses were not elegant. There were many long bamboo fences along the streets. Lin Ming said that these were furnace houses.
Looking through the gap in the bamboo fence, we can see that the so-called furnace room is actually very few, only a few rooms. They are made of bricks and tiles - for fire protection, iron materials, charcoal and castings are piled up in large open spaces. In the middle of the open space stood several iron-smelting furnaces and iron-melting furnaces of different sizes. They were all simmering on fire and slowly smoking.
Xi Yazhou asked about the production situation, and Wu Hanlong took the opportunity to lament the bitter experience: With the war, land and water transportation is blocked, business will naturally not be done, the goods cannot be shipped out, and the iron materials and charcoal used cannot be transported in. Even if you want to start work, you don't dare to do it.
"...The furnace room can't work, and the craftsmen and servants don't have food to eat. If it weren't for the Nationalist Army guarding here and the daily porridge provided by the meeting, these cunning and unscrupulous people would have gotten up to cause trouble and plunder."
Xi Yazhou was disgusted with their attitude towards the craftsmen, but he also knew that Shopkeeper Wu was not lying. The barriers and wariness between craftsmen and capitalists are completely naked.
"...Half of the people in our Foshan Fort eat this iron meal. This thing cannot be transported out. It can neither be eaten nor worn. Everyone is very worried. Besides, there is not much food in the local area, so it is just enough to survive. Just a month or two.”
"You can rest assured that we will restore order and smooth roads soon. In less than ten days and a half, traffic in all counties in Guangzhou Prefecture will be restored soon. Next, we will restore the main traffic in the province within three months ," Xi Yazhou said, "You have to organize furnace owners to resume production as soon as possible."
"Yes." Wu Hanlong responded. He was a little surprised. He originally thought that the Australian Council of Elders, like the Ming Dynasty's bureaucrats, would just follow the story and say a few empty words. However, the chairman not only answered his question head-on, but also made it clear that he needed days. Don't be perfunctory or put on airs.
"With these words from the chief, the hearts of the young people will be settled."
As he spoke, he arrived at the door of Wu's furnace room. This home is no different from the ones we saw before: a large tidal flat surrounded by bamboo fences, covering an area of seven or eight acres, with a small brick courtyard inside.
Standing at the door were two strong men with fierce faces and round waists, holding whistle sticks in their hands. Wu Hanlong said this was the nursing home he hired.
"How many nursing staff have you hired?" Xi Yazhou saw that almost every household had such nursing staff along the way. The wealthy people here in Xindao place a lot of money on their own safety!
"Seven or eight." Wu Hanlong said with a bitter smile, "If you talk about the expenses, it is really not small. But it can't be done without hiring. There are bandits and bandits outside, and the craftsmen and servants are not easy to deal with. It doesn't count if they call for a break at every turn. They get up and cause trouble whenever they have a reason."
When the steward of the furnace room saw his boss coming back, he quickly came out to greet him. Seeing another "True Kun" coming, I was so frightened that I quickly knelt down and kowtowed.
Wu Hanlong motioned for him to go down: "Make tea for the chief and Lin... liaison officer."
"There's no need to make tea. Just show me the furnace room."
