After leaving the south gate of Xiangyang, you will find mountains not far away. Rainwater comes down from the mountain and forms a river not far from the foot of the mountain, flowing north to the Han River. This river is Xiang River, hence the name Xiangyang.
Now the rivers in the mountains have been blocked and small dams have been built. Around each small dam, there are many factories that utilize water power. This place is different from the industrial area in the north of the city, mostly mechanical processing industry. It can be said that this is a heavy industrial area.
After walking a mile or two, we reached the foot of the mountain. I saw a newly built government office at my feet, with blue bricks and black tiles, which was very impressive.
Cui Qing said: "This is the Tiju Yamen of the industrial zone, which is in charge of this area. Please advise and agree, if it is convenient, let's go in and have a look. Let the Yamen send someone to accompany us, everything will be convenient."
Naturally, Xu Mansion didn't say anything, and several people entered the Yamen together.
After the guard guarding the gate went in to report, Tiju hurriedly came out with the officials.
After saluting, he said: "I'm Qiao Ping'an, I was originally a Jinshi in Suizhou. Last year, because I was promoted by Marshal Meng, I went to school for a few months and came here to be promoted. The envoy came, but he couldn't welcome you from far away. , I hope you will forgive me."
Xu Fu nodded slightly, said nothing, and followed Qiao Ping'an into the Yamen.
Prefectural Jinshi, or rural tribute Jinshi, are Jinshi who are issued by the prefecture but have not passed the provincial or imperial examinations. Speaking of which, his status was even lower than that of the later Ming and Qing dynasties. There are very few official Jinshi here in Wang Xiaolie, so they use a large number of these people.
As soon as I entered the yamen, I saw a colorful picture posted on the wall, which said "Ten-year Plan of Xiangyang South Industrial Zone". The diagrams are clearly divided into boxes. In each place, the advantages, planning, and time of the location are written.
Xu Fu saw this kind of thing for the first time, so he couldn't help but move forward and take a closer look.
Qiao Pingan was worried and didn't know what to say, so he stood aside cautiously.
After looking at it for a while, Xu Fu pointed at the picture and said, "Tiji, where did this picture come from? Did you draw it?"
Qiao Ping'an hurriedly said: "Xiaguan has a low official position, how dare he do such a thing? This plan was presided over by Commander Jie himself, and was decided after several meetings in Xiangyang Mansion. Here, Xiaguan is just doing things according to the map. "
"I see." Xu Fu nodded. "This Commander-in-Chief is a wonderful man."
After speaking, he said to Gao Shize: "Du Cheng, you see this map is very detailed. How many rivers are there in the nearby mountains, how long are each rivers, where are they located, how much water is there in a year, and how many things can be done? It’s clear. How can we do it without making great efforts?”
Gao Shize said: "This Wang Xiaolie is very interesting in what he does. I have never seen an official like him, with so many ingenious ideas."
Xu Fu nodded and said nothing more. But he knew in his heart that Wang Xiaolie's way of doing things could not be explained by Qiqiao's mind, but a completely different way of doing things. This way of doing things is very valuable.
After looking at the plan, I saw a small sand table on the table next to me. It shows the nearby terrain, as well as repaired roads and planned roads. Even the location of the river, where the reservoir needs to be built, and where the workshop needs to be built are all clear.
After reading everything, Xu Fu said: "Tiji, let's go inside and take a walk."
Qiao Ping'an said: "There is an exhibition hall next to it, which contains products produced by factories in the industrial zone. Don't you want to take a look there?"
After hearing this, Xu Fu hurriedly said: "Is there another place like this? Let's go and have a look."
Several people followed Qiao Ping'an out of the official hall and went to the side yard through a side door in the courtyard. I saw a row of five houses, all of which were obviously newly built, with glass windows and grandeur. Looking through the window, there were figures moving around inside.
Xu Fu turned to Gao Shize and said: "Glass is really a good thing. Put it on the window and it will become much brighter. In other places, this thing is expensive, and even the official residence only has two or three rooms." Houses. And here in Xiangyang, they are everywhere, even in the shops on the street. Are these things really worthless here?"
Cui Qing said: "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. It's not that this thing is worthless, but it's too troublesome to transport. Most of it costs shipping to other places. Moreover, the factory is newly built and the output is small, so the cost cannot be reduced for a while. The commander-in-chief is hired by the government. Money supports the expansion of glass factories and allows them to reduce costs as soon as possible. Only when the price is cheap will people buy it and use it."
Xu Fu said: "It may be because he is handsome or he has good intentions. But how much does it cost?"
Cui Qing said: "It's different. The glass factory is owned by the government, so how much can it cost?"
Xu Fu thought about it, it was the same reason. No matter how much money there is, it doesn't matter if the government still pockets it.
Glass is difficult to transport, but along the Han River there are boats all the way, so how expensive can it be? Wang Xiaolie just doesn't want to sell it elsewhere and keeps the price high. Near Xiangyang, the government paid for the purchase and used a large number of buildings, which was indeed to increase the scale of the glass factory. Only when the scale increases can we make big money in the future. With the current scale of production, all products sold to other places are luxury goods. No matter how expensive the price is, the total money is not much.
If you want to make big money, you must have a market and be able to sell in large quantities. Just thinking about selling at a high price without increasing the quantity will not work. At present, the industrial products of several states in Xiangyang mainly satisfy the market under Wang Xiaolie's rule, and there are not many external sales. Because the factories are still in their infancy and cannot produce on a large scale in a short period of time, it is of little significance to expand the market.
Arriving at the entrance of the exhibition hall, Qiao Ping'an said: "This exhibition hall was specially ordered to be built by Commander Jie. All the products of the factories here are displayed here for people to visit. After they are selected, people from the factories will naturally come to discuss."
Xu Fu said: "I've never seen business done like this. But it's always good to show off."
As he spoke, he entered the exhibition hall. You can see that the inside is spotless and divided into several areas. In the middle, there are several rows of glass counters, with smaller products placed on the counters. Nearby, there are large machines arranged neatly.
"It's interesting here." Xu Fu said as he stepped forward.
The counter at the front contains carpentry tools. This was the first time that Xu Fu knew that carpenters used so many types of saws. There is a dazzling array of them, there are actually more than a dozen kinds. The largest rolls are there, like door panels. The smallest one is like the head of the imperial edict, small and exquisite.
Every year's products are marked with the name of the factory. Judging from the name, saws are produced in specialized workshops, while other items such as planes, adzes, chisels, etc. are produced in two or three workshops. As for rulers, iron rulers and compasses, they are another workshop.
Next to the woodworking tools are bearings. There are more than a dozen kinds, from those as big as a plate to those as small as a cup. These bearings are made in one factory, are well made, and gleam with oil.
China has a long history of manufacturing bearings, and they have been in series for a long time. However, in the past, bearings were mainly made of copper, but here they are mostly made of steel. Next to the bearings, there are lubricating oil and grease. Grease is mainly animal fat, which is processed in factories to stabilize its properties. The lubricating oil is mainly castor oil, which is easy to obtain and has excellent performance.
This is the first time Xu Fu has seen so many bearings, divided into categories and with many styles. Next to most bearings, the main purpose is even written. In addition to vehicles, more are used in different types of machinery. What an eye-opener.
