At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 348, Looking for opportunities and starting a business again

Then Hu Hai and others entered Wuxian. At this time, there were hundreds of people standing in the corner of Wuxian County.

The county official Guan Hong shouted with an iron trumpet: "Go to Spice Island and find a good boat first. Don't be deceived by those profiteers and find a flat-bottomed boat. Flat-bottomed boats cannot be driven in the sea. You can't go a hundred miles with a flat-bottomed boat." The boat will be capsized."

To be honest, the Han officials in Kuaiji County did not intend to care about the lives of those who wanted to go to Spice Island. When these rangers heard that Spice Treasure was rich, they hurried to Kuaiji County without caring about anything and just drove a boat. Rush to the sea.

This result is naturally conceivable. Those who have not driven far can still find ways to save themselves if the boat capsizes. Those who run to the distant sea can only hope for their own blessings.

But when there are so many fools like this, more than a dozen corpses float up on the sea in Kuaiji County every day. They were all deceived by profiteers and bought flat-bottomed boats just to cross the sea. It is a joke, but this kind of thing happens You can deceive these people who have never even seen the sea.

But there were too many of them dead, and the standard of dead people in Kuaiji County was not enough. For the sake of his own future, Wang Dao, the governor of Kuaiji County, can only popularize the common sense of the ocean to these rangers who want to make a fortune before they are tricked to death, so as not to let so many of them die, which will affect his political performance.

"Second, the wind and waves on the sea are stronger than those on the river. You'd better get used to it first and see if you get seasick. Many people in Hebei have already vomited to death before they sailed hundreds of miles. You'd better get used to it first. Working on a fishing team can help you make money and learn some experience at sea.”

"Third, you must find experienced captains and captains, and learn the art of moving stars. The sea is too vast. Just relying on the simple chart in your hands, trying to find Spice Island is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are no coordinates on the sea. You You can't find your own direction at all. Only by learning the Star Movement can you have a chance to find the Spice Island."

"Finally, I will give you some advice. If you want to go to the Spice Island, you must have money, navigation skills, a strong ship, and connections. If you don't have any of them, you will give up. Kuaiji The county salary is not bad, and you can earn a lot of money by working honestly. It is not bad to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in a few years and return home in fine clothes. If you try to find the Spice Island, you will only become a floating corpse on the sea. "

"Little brother, if you want some money, just transport a batch of spices back to your hometown in Kuaiji County and earn some hard money. Don't think about the wonderful thing of getting rich overnight. If there is such a good thing, even Naigong will not get it. , it’s still your turn.”

Hu Hai naturally knows himself.

After listening to the class, these people walked into Wuxian County excitedly.

Hu Hai said nervously: "Isn't it enough just to have money?"

However, after Hu Hai saw the crowd leaving, he approached Guan Hong, dropped a stack of food stamps from his sleeve into Guan Hong's sleeve and said, "I'm waiting for a newcomer. I don't know the risks of maritime trade. Please give me some advice. Let me wait." to avoid detours."

Then Guan Hong asked in a funny way: "You dare to steal the ship with the powerful people of my Han Dynasty?"

Guan Hong said: "How can you get to the Spice Island if you can't even get a sea-going ship? And even if you get a sea-going ship that can barely sail, how will the sailors solve it? How will the captain solve it? Maritime trade is not just a matter of having a map. Not to mention it’s not certain whether this map is real or fake.”

Hu Hai continued to ask: "Can you please give me some advice?"

Guan Hongdao: "We have three shipyards in Kuaiji County that can manufacture sea-going ships, but their production capacity is limited. They must first build warships for the court, then fishing boats for the fishing team, and finally cargo ships for sea trade. , so the number of cargo ships has always been scarce, and the shipyard’s production capacity has been reserved by nobles above the earl of the Han Dynasty. The order has been scheduled for three years, and even the viscount and baron are not qualified to order. "

"They signed a contract with the imperial court. The imperial court helped them go to the Spice Island. They have to serve the imperial court on the Spice Island for five years. After five years, they can return to Dahan with their personal belongings. As long as you can bear it, little brother. This kind of loneliness can bear the hardships of land reclamation, and you can still sign up.

Hu Hai looked disappointed and said: "Do we really have no chance to land on Spice Island?"

Guan Hong said: "Of course there is a chance. The second batch of ships going to Spice Island brought thousands of people to Spice Island."

"Is there such a good thing?"

Guan Hong looked at Hu Hai's face and said clearly: "Little brother, the sea trade industry is very deep. You can't get involved just by having money."

"Good thing?"

Guan Hong looked at the food stamps and said with a smile: "You are a smart man. Seeing that you are wearing the latest cotton-padded clothes of the Han Dynasty, and you have more than a dozen servants, I think you have a lot of money. But I still have to ask, at home." Is there a connection to the top?”

"In other industries, you can still follow the imperial court and drink soup, but sea trade is an industry that emphasizes assets, relationships, and technology. If you enter with your status, you won't even have any bones left."

Hu Hai immediately shook his head and said: "This is not for the imperial court to work as cattle and horses to open up wasteland. How can we make money!"

Just like when he led the folks in Zhao Li to open a textile factory, he only did management. Even though his elder brother forced him to withdraw his shares, he still made more than 100 million yuan. These were earned by others for themselves.

Based on his financial experience in the past few years, Hu Hai can feel that if you work as a cow or horse for others, the harder you work, the more the owner will earn. If you want to make a fortune, you should not sell your labor to work as a cow or horse for others.

No one listened to Guan Hong's advice. These rangers came to Kuaiji County, traveled thousands of miles and spent tens of thousands of money. They did not come here to work as cattle and horses.

Guan Hong patted Hu Hai on the shoulder and said: "He is a smart man. No wonder he was sent to do business at a young age. I have a lot of specialties in Kuaiji County. You can make a lot of money by bringing some goods back. I really want to engage in sea trade." , wait until my powerful men are full and satisfied, then you can come in."

Hu Hai could only tell Zhu Pei, Zhu Zhu and others the news he had just received in disappointment.

Several people didn't believe this was true and came to the shipyard to inquire about the situation. They were extremely disappointed. The shipyard's orders were indeed scheduled for three years.

Then they went to two other shipyards in Kuaiji County, but the result was the same. The two major shipyards no longer accepted orders, and they were not even qualified to order ships.

Zhu Pei said angrily, "We have all been deceived. The imperial court lacked the population to cultivate, so it deceived us into Kuaiji County."

Most of the people who came to Kuaiji County became workers on the fishing team. Others either joined shipyards as workers or worked in textile factories. Because of the influx of people, the salaries of Kuaiji County were reduced. Got 200 money.

This makes the local fellow villagers very resentful of these outsiders. These foreigners not only steal their jobs, but also shrink their jobs.

As for the rangers who can do things in a down-to-earth manner, these are all good. There are also some rangers who don't want to work to make money. The big man directly suppresses them with an iron fist and puts them in the mines to dig copper ore and iron ore for the big man.

There are also some people who are seeking wealth and wealth, and they actually sign a five-year contract with the court and are transported to the Spice Island by fleet, but whether they can bring back the spices can only wait five years.

The rangers who wanted to make a fortune and rushed to Kuaiji County not only were unable to go to the Spice Island, but were reduced to cattle and horses. They all thought they had been deceived.

Hu Hai consoled him: "Even if you can't go to Spice Island, there are many ways to get rich in Kuaiji County."

After Hu Hai really visited Kuaiji County, he discovered that this place was indeed one of the top three wealthy counties in the Han Dynasty.

There are so many profitable industries. The textile industry, the salt industry, and the sugar industry are extremely developed in the Han Dynasty. The counties south of the Yangtze River are basically the markets of Kuaiji County.

Especially after the Spice Island route was opened, goods from Kuaiji County could be transported directly to Panyu City by sea, and the entire Baiyue market was captured through the Nanyue Kingdom.

At the same time, Kuaiji County also has three new fishing industries, whaling industry, and spice processing industry.

After Xu Fan introduced the trawl fishing technology in Kuaiji County, the fishery in Kuaiji County showed explosive growth. The catch increased by more than four times in two years. The price of local fish and meat in Kuaiji County has dropped to five times the price of grain. , a pound of fish only costs two yuan.

Hu Hai had an impulsive idea to buy a boat of fish and transport it directly to Guanzhong to sell. This would at least make a profit of more than 5 times.

Compared with fishing, the whaling industry is more profitable. One whale is worth millions. Kuaiji County has formed a whale industry chain. Whale meat can be eaten, whale oil can be made into dragon candles, and whales also produce The precious ambergris has become the most precious specialty of Kuaiji County. The bones of whales can be used as fertilizer, and the internal organs of whales can be used as medicinal materials.

It can be said that whales are full of treasures, and an industrial chain supports tens of thousands of people.

Not to mention the spices that were popular in the Han Dynasty. After the spices came to Kuaiji County, they were made into various spices and seasonings by local craftsmen and sold at several times the price.

With so many high-value industries in Kuaiji County, Hu Hai felt that the wealth of Kuaiji County was more than twice that of Luoyang City. But just making some hard-earned money from business was not his goal, so he was unwilling to leave Kuaiji County just like that.

That day, while looking for an opportunity on the streets of Kuaiji County, he saw a group of Han officials driving some women and children out of a courtyard.

"Are the Han officials in Kuaiji County so lawless?" Hu Hai asked in shock. But the people on the side said: "What do you, a foreigner, know? Don't look at these people as pitiful, but they are all family members of profiteers, and they deserve this end."

Another common man also followed up and said: "They knew that flat-bottomed boats could not sail on the sea, so they sold the flat-bottomed boats at high prices to those who wanted to go to the Spice Island, causing hundreds of people to capsize and drown. I don't know how many people had their bodies attached." They couldn't be found, so the county magistrate sentenced the profiteer to be hanged and all his property was confiscated to compensate the victims, so he drove them out."

"This is because the emperor is merciful and did not arrest them. According to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, the wife and children of this traitorous businessman must be prisoners and build the Great Wall until they die."

Hu Hai was embarrassed for a moment when he heard this.

But Hu Hai suddenly thought of something. He found Guan Hong again and dropped three thousand food stamps on his sleeve.

Guan Hong coughed seriously and said, "What do you want to ask?"

Hu Hai told the story of the profiteer he saw on the street.

"A certain person wants to buy this shipyard. I wonder if it's possible?"

Guan Hong said: "I can help you ask, but you have to think clearly. Since the rise of maritime transport, such small flat-bottomed boats have become less and less useful. Otherwise, the profiteers will not take the risk and use flat-bottomed boats to deceive." Those who tried to land on the Spice Island ended up destroying the ship and killing everyone.”

"If you do something like this, I will definitely arrest you personally."

Hu Hai said: "I don't even bother to do that kind of thing that hurts people's lives."

"Please give me a lot of help, Brother Guan. When the matter is completed, I will be very grateful to you."

What happened today made Hu Hai discover that he could not go to the Spice Island, but he could build sea ships and make a lot of money from those who wanted to go to the Spice Island. This may not be a profitable business, and it might be more profitable than the Spice Island. of more.

So Hu Hai asked Zhu Pei to go to Wuxian Shipyard to find out about shipbuilding masters who were good at craftsmanship and could command craftsmen to build a sea-going ship alone. Their family background was relatively poor.

Zhu Pei found out quickly.

"Jiang Ming is the new master craftsman of Wuxian Shipyard. Although he is good at craftsmanship, his salary is not high because of his junior qualifications. Moreover, in order to marry a lady last year, he spent all his money to build a new yard. It is said that he still owes A lot of foreign debt was incurred.”

"Lady?"

Zhu Peidao said: "Those down-and-out nobles from the Six Kingdoms are now ruled by the Han Dynasty. The nobles of the Han Dynasty do not recognize their identity at all, so they have lived in great poverty in recent years and took the initiative to start downward marriages."

Hu Hai shook his head and said, "I didn't expect them to be in such a miserable state."

Then Hu Hai led people to find Jiang Ming, the master craftsman of Wuxian Shipyard, and said: "Hu Hai also wants to build a shipyard, and I would like to ask Master Jiang to build it for me."

Jiang Ming said disdainfully: "A certain person now has a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan, with bonuses, retirement, and free medical benefits. Do you think you small businessmen can compare with the imperial court?"

Hu Hai said: "No matter how much the imperial court gives, Master Jiang, you are just working for the imperial court. The imperial court can earn 5 times or 10 times the profit from you, so it will give you the current treatment."

"Although this shipyard is small, so-and-so is willing to give you shares. As long as you are willing to become a master craftsman of our shipyard, so-and-so is willing to give you 1% of the shares of the shipyard, plus a salary of 10 yuan, and a settlement allowance of yuan. .

Now the price of a seagoing ship made of thousands of materials has exceeded 100 million, but what is the real cost? I think you know this well, master craftsman. In a certain shipyard, as long as you can build a sea-going ship, you can get a salary of one or even two years. "

"General Jiang, please think carefully about whether you want to be a servant of the imperial court or whether you want to be the shopkeeper and make your own decisions."

Jiang Ming's expression was confused: "But in a small shipyard like yours, the job is unstable. Who knows how many years of money you can get? The court is different. It wants to provide a pension to someone."

Hu Hai said with a smile: "Everyone in the world wants to go to the Spice Island now, but are they still worried about not being able to sell sea-going ships? As long as we can build qualified sea-going ships, we won't have to worry about not making money in 10 years."

"As for the pension!" Hu Hai said disdainfully: "How much can you get from two stones of rice, a pound of oil, a pound of salt, and a pound of sugar? Master, if you have a net worth of one million, are you afraid that your life will not be good in your later years?"

"Please Master Jiang, please think carefully about X's words. You only have three days to think about it. If you don't agree after three days, then X will have to find someone else."

"Master Jiang, sometimes choice is more important than ability. Those prisoners who took refuge in the Emperor, did they have any special talents?
It's not that they took refuge in a good leader, so they took advantage of the situation and became the founding heroes of the Han Dynasty. "

"Of course Mr. Jiang's abilities are not as good as those of the Emperor, but Mr. Jiang's proposal may not be an opportunity for Master Jiang to make a comeback.

If you continue to work as a master craftsman, you will be like this for the rest of your life. But becoming a shopkeeper is different. If this shipyard of a certain country can be like the shipyard of the imperial court, you will be a rich man with a net worth of tens of millions. "

Jiang Ming listened to Hu Hai's words and after three days of thinking, he resigned from his position as a master craftsman at Wuxian Shipyard and made up his mind to follow Hu Hai to start a business.

At the same time, with Guan Hong's help, Hu Hai bought the confiscated shipyard for 200,000 yuan.

Then Hu Hai took Jiang Ming, Zhu Pei and others to the shipyard.

This shipyard is not too big, covering an area of ​​about an acre. A fenced yard surrounds the area. The open space is filled with wood. There is a factory building the size of a courtyard, and there are more than a dozen old and young shipbuilders inside. artisan.

Hu Hai took out the document and said: "The imperial court has sold the shipyard to me, and I will be your boss from now on."

"Hello, boss!" The workers at the shipyard were a little overjoyed. They thought they would lose their jobs after the boss was hanged, but they didn't expect someone to buy the shipyard.

Hu Hai looked at Jiang Ming and said: "You are a veteran of shipbuilding. If our shipyard is to become a shipyard that can manufacture sea-going ships, what else do we need?"

Jiang Mingdao: "First of all, the shipyard must buy the surrounding land. At least it must be expanded by more than five times, and the factory building must be renovated. Even a sea-going ship made of thousands of materials is six or seven feet long. This factory building is too small to be built. Make such a big sea ship.

We also need to dig a new dock and dig a canal to connect to the Wu River outside. In this case, after our ship is built, we can open the dock and the ship can sail directly from the dock.

The wood from outside is not good either. It is too short to be used as the keels and masts of ships. New wood needs to be purchased and a new steam-drying kiln must be built. It will take more than three years for the wood to be naturally dried in the shade. We don’t have that long. time, the steam drying kiln can achieve such results in less than a month. "

Finally, Jiang Ming said, "The number of craftsmen is too small. They only make river boats. For making sea boats, these experiences are not only useless, but harmful. I need to teach them again."

Hu Hai asked: "How long will it take to transform this shipyard? How much will it cost?"

Jiang Mingdao: "With sufficient manpower, it will take at least three months to transform, and the cost of transformation will be about one million yuan."

Hu Hai said: "I have appointed you as the shopkeeper. This shipyard will be modified according to your wishes."

Jiang Ming said excitedly: "I will definitely not disappoint my employer."

"Pillar!"

"exist"

"You are the supervising shopkeeper. You can buy whatever shopkeeper Jiang needs."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)