Behind the bearings, there are gears, chains, bolts, nuts, washers, screws, rivets, etc. Xu Fu can still name them. Others, such as couplings and clutches, have no idea what they are or what they are used for.
Although these things have the same name, their appearance is very different from those of later generations. Most of the parts have existed since ancient times, but they were not mass-produced and applied before industrialization. These are necessary to establish a mechanical industry.
Leaving the glass counter, most of the items placed next to it were large machines. The only thing Xu Fu could recognize was the improved spinning wheel. Others, such as agricultural machinery, general machinery, vehicles, etc., can't tell what they are used for.
It took more than half an hour to read everything, and Xu Fu was shocked. After reading this, I realized that Xiangyang was completely different from what I had thought before. There are many things that I have never thought about, but I have done them here.
He sat down at the table next to him and served tea to Qiao Pingan. After drinking tea, Xu Fu asked: "Seeing that you have all kinds of machines here, I think there are many factories under your control. How much business tax can you collect in a year?"
Qiao Ping'an said: "Everything here has just begun, and everything has just begun. Now the business tax is not much, only about 300,000 yuan a year."
"How much?" After hearing this, Xu Fu almost spit out the whole sip of tea he just drank.
Qiao Ping'an didn't know what Xu Fu meant, so he stammered: "Three to three hundred thousand."
Xu Fu couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. At its peak, the commercial tax of Kaifeng Prefecture was only more than 300,000 guan, and a small industrial zone in Xiangyang had 300,000 guan. How rich is it here?
Seeing that Xu Fu didn't speak, Qiao Pingan was a little uneasy. Said: "Last year it was just 100,000 yuan, and this year it has more than doubled. Looking at the current situation, it is estimated that it will double every year in the next two or three years. The official estimates that in three to five years, there will be two to three million yuan The number of passes."
Looking at Qiao Ping'an, Xu Fu stayed silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said: "Do you know that it is very difficult for the court to come up with 300,000 yuan now? Seeing that the place here is small and the population is not large, who would believe that you have 300,000 yuan in business taxes?"
Qiao Ping'an said: "You don't know, but the fastest way to make money is in the factories. The things there are easy to make, and as long as someone buys them, it is easier than printing. There are many factories in the mountainous areas in this area, and the business tax is naturally higher."
Xu Fu looked at Gao Shize and couldn't help but shake his head slightly. A business tax of 300,000 yuan a year is the standard in the world's top metropolises. How can you believe Qiao Ping'an's words? If it is still believable to say that Xiangyang Prefecture can generate so much business tax per year, how is it possible here?
After calming down, Xu Fu stood up and said, "Let's go inside and take a look. We'll know what the factory you mentioned is like."
Several people left the exhibition hall and walked along the road toward the mountains. Not far away, I saw a small river flowing down from the mountain and was blocked by a dam at the foot of the mountain. Around the dam, many houses were built, which looked very large.
Qiao Ping'an said: "This is the bearing farm, the property of the Zhenfu Division. They are now very big and make a lot of money a year."
Xu Fu said: "Commander Jie has been appointed as the envoy of South Jingxi Road, and there is no Zhenfu Secretary. Come on, let's go in and have a look."
Qiao Pingan hurriedly agreed to lead the way into the factory.
As soon as you enter the gate, there is a gatehouse with two people guarding it. Qiao Ping'an stepped forward, asked them to write down the names of himself, Xu Fu and others, and took out a few signs. He handed one to Xu Fu and said, "Wear it on your chest. We are outsiders, so we must wear a sign when entering here."
Xu Fu saw that the brand was made of bamboo chips and had a number on it, but he didn't know what it meant. Without asking any more questions, he imitated Qiao Ping'an and put on his clothes.
Not long after, two people hurriedly came out. When he arrived, he saluted Xu Fu. He introduced himself as the promotion and skills officer of this factory. Hearing that Xu Fu and others were coming, he hurriedly came out.
Accompanied by several people, Xu Fu and Gao Shi entered the factory.
I saw that the houses on both sides were made of earth, with large windows installed on them, and there was a clanking sound coming from inside.
Ti Ji said: "This is where the final product is installed. Would you like to go in and take a look?"
Xu Fu nodded and walked in through the gate together with Gao Shize.
When I walked into the house, I saw large square tables next to the windows, with workers sitting on the north side of the square tables. The one in the east takes out the parts and only performs one process before pushing the plate in front of him to the next station. After passing through several people, the end of the square table was processed into a bearing. Finally, one worker inspects and another worker packs. After packaging, a stamp is stamped on it, indicating the processing time and the name of the inspection worker.
The position of the table is very particular, avoiding direct sunlight and making full use of the light.
Tiju said: "A table here is a separate production line, each producing different varieties. It is installed here and has to be put into the warehouse every day and sorted. If someone wants to buy, just pick it up directly from the warehouse."
Xu Fu couldn't help but nod after looking at it: "Everything of you is very organized, you are not a small workshop. By the way, how much do you sell the bearings you produce? How many can you produce in a year?"
Tiju said: "We generally don't care about the individual here, but the pair. The bearings are always installed in pairs and are rarely used singly. The most produced ones are the ones used at both ends of the axle now, one pair for each foot. The other quantities are not as large, and the price is much more expensive.”
Gao Shize said: "I see that the bearing over there is very small. Is it more expensive than this big one?"
Tiju said: "Your Majesty, although that thing looks small, it requires a lot of work, and of course the price is much more expensive. The cheapest one here is the one that is most used on vehicles, which is neither big nor small."
"I see." Xu Fu nodded. "You only sell a pair of these bearings here?"
Ti Ji said: "Yes. - Of course, we are a factory here. There is no one-to-one purchase here. Now it is decided that the minimum price is a hundred pairs. If it is less than a hundred pairs, you can only buy it one by one." Go to the store in Xiangyang City to buy it. The price there is more expensive."
"How much does it cost?"
Tiju said: "In our own shop, a pair costs 500 yuan. If it is in other shops, the price may be more expensive."
Xu Fu turned to Gao Shize and said: "Now in Chuzhou City, many cars use their bearings. By chance, I happened to ask about the price a few days ago. A pair costs three times, and it has to be Not acquaintances.”
Tiju said: "If it is shipped to other places, the price will naturally increase. This is human nature."
Xu Fu said nothing, but sighed in his heart. A factory only sells it for one guan, but hundreds of miles away, it costs three guans and five guans. The money for this thing was still made by the businessman. The factory is full of hard work, but in the end no businessman makes as much money.
After looking around, Xu Fu said, "How much is the business tax here? How much can this factory produce in a year?"
Tiju said: "Each factory has a different commercial tax, some are 20%, and some are as high as 50%. However, the vast majority of factories have a commercial tax of 30%. In our factory, the Town and Fu Department has invested a lot of money. It can produce approximately 300,000 pairs of bearings annually.”
"Three hundred thousand——" After hearing this number, Xu Fu couldn't help but click his tongue. Looking at the layout of the workshop, the production line for the most common bearings only accounts for one-third. The output value of this workshop is probably more than 500,000 yuan a year.
The first factory was of this size, and the others, even if they were smaller, would not be too different. No wonder it's a bit embarrassing to mention that the current commercial tax of 300,000 yuan a year is a bit embarrassing. There are several large factories, and it is not difficult to earn a million in business tax per year.
After walking around a few workshops, it was evening before I knew it. As soon as the sun goes down, the factories break up and workers come out one after another. Like a swarm of ants, they flocked to several residences. There are canteens in large factories, and workers in small factories gather in other canteens.
Before Kaifeng Mansion was conquered by the Jin soldiers, there were several large factories. A large industry such as the textile industry can employ tens of thousands of people. Xu Fu had seen the world in Kaifeng Mansion, so he was not surprised by the industrial area here. I just sincerely admire Wang Xiaolie for being able to open so many factories and make a lot of money. Such a small place collects hundreds of thousands of dollars in commercial taxes a year, which is very convenient for the government.
After leaving the industrial area, Xu Fu turned back to the mountains south of the city. Said: "Such a small place with such a small number of people can collect 300,000 yuan in business taxes a year. Wang Xiaolie is really an extraordinary person. Nowadays, there is war and chaos, and there is no increase in taxes. Only here in Xiangyang, whether it is scholars, farmers, industry or commerce, , they all say that taxes are not heavy. Only now do we know how Wang Xiaolie did it."
In fact, the more important reason for the low tax collection is that no matter how large the current government expenditure is, it cannot be compared with that of future generations. Because of the low expenses, even during wartime, Wang Xiaolie expanded his financial resources and could significantly reduce taxes.
There is a word in later generations called capital accumulation. Especially for newly industrialized countries, since they cannot expand externally, they have to extract a large amount of surplus from agriculture. In many countries, there is a special term for this, called industrial and agricultural scissors. We need to do this because industrialization misses too many lessons, and we must make up for them before we can catch up. Many times, there is a ready market.
As for the old capitalist countries, when they industrialized, they usually had colonies and a vast international market. Not only does the product produced have a market, but a large amount of wealth can be obtained from the outside. When these countries industrialized, they generally had no long-term plans and no idea of the significance of their work. Many policies are relatively blind.
At this time, the Song Dynasty had no colonies outside and no large-scale precious metal deposits in the country, so those experiences had no reference value. What Wang Xiaolie needs to do is to first cultivate the market. The broadest market is, of course, in rural areas. First, we must make farmers rich and have money in their hands before they can buy industrial products. Once the market develops, subsequent industrialization will follow naturally.
Don't talk about sheep eating people at this time, driving farmers into factories, and supporting capitalists to accelerate their accumulation of capital. That was a special historical period faced by the British. Based on their national characteristics, they took the path of industrialization. In fact, this is not the case in other European countries, such as France and Germany. The same is not true for the United States in America and Japan in Asia.
The industrialization path suitable for China is somewhat like China's 1980s and 1990s. Without joining the WTO, there is no broad international market. We can only vigorously develop township enterprises and rural development cooperatives to first cultivate a broad market.
