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

Chapter 611: The Advancing Han and Jia Yi's Sales Promotion
Zhang Cang heard Xu Fan's words and said, "Your Majesty, I have experienced the Warring States Period when there was no war every day, and I have also experienced the tyrannical Qin Dynasty which cruelly oppressed the people and was a dark era. Only after Your Majesty established the Han Dynasty did I feel that my life was not lived in vain.

The Supreme Emperor said that the development of the Han Dynasty has exceeded your expectations. The current situation of the Han Dynasty is a grand scene that I, this old minister, have never imagined. I am sure that the myths of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and even the Three Dynasties praised by various schools of thought, are far inferior to the prosperity of our Han Dynasty. It is completely unimaginable for me that there will be any prosperous era like our Han Dynasty.

But it is precisely because this prosperous era is so rare that I cherish it so much. Since the Zhou king moved east, the wars have become more and more intense over the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The people of the world have lived through hundreds of years of hardship. Their blood could fill the Yellow River. After the Han Dynasty was established, the people of the world were finally able to live in peace for decades and have enough food for decades. I cherish such days even more. "

Xu Fan understood Zhang Cang's thoughts. People of Zhang Cang's generation had experienced darkness and enjoyed light, so they cherished the bright days even more. In their hearts, they were extremely afraid that the Han Dynasty would change.

But Xu Fan understood that after the opening of the industrial age, the progress of civilization would no longer be determined by human will, and the world would develop faster and faster. Xu Fan had experienced four large-scale social changes in his 30 years. If the Han Dynasty did not change in the future, that would be a big problem. Change would be a good thing.

Xu Fan smiled and said, "Just now I asked you what this tank is used for? You said it is a tank for making kerosene. Actually, this is not true. The cost of making this tank is more than 10 times higher than that of a kerosene tank. It is used to make synthetic ammonia."

"Synthetic ammonia?"

"It's fertilizer. Farmers have discovered through experiments that there are only three types of fertilizers that can help plant growth: nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, and potash fertilizer. Among them, nitrogen fertilizer is shipped from the New World, and most of the guano from Southeast Asia is phosphorus fertilizer. The bean cake fertilizer and soil fertilizer we usually use are mostly nitrogen fertilizer. After solving the nitrogen fertilizer problem, the grain production capacity can be opened up. Now the experimental fields of the Han Dynasty can produce 1,000 catties per mu, but ordinary people can't do this. In addition to the difference in seeds and intensive farming, the main difference is fertilizer. If ordinary people can also apply fertilizers on a large scale, the Han Dynasty's grain yield of 1,000 catties per mu will not be a myth in the future."

Zhang Cang was surprised: "If synthetic ammonia can really increase grain yields by 1,000 kilograms per mu as the emperor said, then this iron can is really a national treasure."

Then he said with emotion: "If I hadn't seen the prosperity of the Han Dynasty with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that machines could be so powerful. Trains can travel a thousand miles a day, blast furnaces can smelt millions of pounds of iron at a time, and steam looms can do the work of hundreds of female workers. Now there are machines that can increase grain production capacity by more than 10 times. The role of machines can be so great. It has promoted the progress of the entire society. It is worth living to have experienced such a drastic change."

Xu Fan said: "The reason why the Han Dynasty can have its current prosperity is that the people of the world have worked hard to open up the world. One factor is that the productivity of the Han Dynasty has increased rapidly, which is another more important factor. The steam engine, railroad, and blast furnace of the Han Dynasty are all advanced productivity.

The telegraph, generator, and ammonia synthesis equipment that we are developing now are the advanced productivity of the Han Dynasty in the next few decades. Only by developing these advanced productivity can the people of the Han Dynasty live better and better, and it is really possible to achieve the goal of a prosperous life. "

"So I look like I'm retired, but what I'm actually doing is even more important. Only when the wealth that Dahan can create continues to increase, the lives of the people of Dahan will get better and better, and these advanced machines are the best tools for creating new wealth."

Zhang Cang said: "It's not that I don't know the importance of these machines, but without your leadership, the Han people are uneasy and don't know the road ahead."

Xu Fan said: "You also said that the Han Dynasty is now in an unprecedented prosperity in the past three generations. Every step the Han Dynasty takes now is a new path. No one knows whether this path is good or bad. We can only explore it bit by bit. Even if we reach a dead end, it doesn't matter. We can just turn around and start over."

Xu Fan sighed: "Don't be afraid of young people making mistakes or being reckless. I am actually worried that young people won't dare to move forward or try."

"In my opinion, the only criterion for judging whether the Han Dynasty is dead or alive is whether it dares to move forward and explore new paths. When the Han Dynasty stops moving forward and stops exploring, the Han Dynasty is dead, and only a shell is left."

Just like the Han Dynasty in history had already died when the Western Han Dynasty fell, the subsequent Eastern Han Dynasty was nothing more than the resurrection of a group of aristocratic families.

The peak of Han civilization ended after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the following thousand years were nothing but a process of civilization stagnation and slow decline.

Compared to the old ministers of the Han Dynasty who were worried that these changes in the Han Dynasty would have adverse consequences, Xu Fan was more worried that the Han Dynasty would remain complacent.

If someone writes "Great Harmony World" on a wall or in a book in the future, it will be a positive energy thing. But if someone writes these words on paper or on a cloth to hold a demonstration, it will become a negative energy thing, which is the saddest thing.

October 40, 10th year of the Han calendar, Chang'an City, Qi Palace.

It is time again for the annual meeting of the wise, the gathering of the sages, and the conference of the princes.

The princes, wise men, and county governors of the Han Dynasty also came to Chang'an City one after another.

In recent years, the railway network of the Han Dynasty has become more and more dense. In the past two years, the mileage of railways built by the Han Dynasty has exceeded 5000 miles every year. Especially after the connection of the Western Region Railway, Liaodong Railway, and Jiangnan Railway, the time people spend on the road has become shorter and shorter. In the past, it took 10 days and half a month to go to Chang'an City, and it was possible to take a month to go to Chang'an City. But now, even the princes of the Western Region can reach Chang'an City by train in a maximum of 5 days. It can be said that the construction of railways has greatly shortened the distance between various parts of the Han Dynasty, making the Han Dynasty a strong economic entity.

As for Jia Yi, the governor of Changsha, his superiors arrived very early. He had already entered Chang'an City before most governors arrived. After reporting to the Prime Minister's Mansion, he carried a bunch of bottles and jars into the Qi Palace.

Yuan Ang looked at Jia Yi, who was wearing a straw hat, shabby clothes, and was tanned black, and he was surprised: "Jia Sheng, you are dressed more like a farmer than a farmer."

"Changsha County has been dry for more than half a year. I have been patrolling the countryside for more than half a year. People won't be scared if they wear this kind of clothes. I have been wearing this kind of clothes for more than half a year and I find it quite comfortable. No wonder the people of the Farmers' and Mohists' schools like to wear this kind of clothes."

Jia Yi also looked at Yuan Ang carefully. Among all the servants in the Prince's Mansion, Yuan Ang's family background was not good. His talent was not outstanding. He looked down on Yuan Ang's small group at the beginning and often did things to please the elders. But he didn't expect that he would rise quickly. Now he is the Minister of the Chancellery, has a good relationship with the elders, and manages the promotion of agricultural societies. He looks full of self-confidence. Judging from the situation in the past two years, Yuan Ang has also won the trust of the emperor. It can only be said that life's encounters are so wonderful.

Jia Yi picked up the bottles and jars in his hand and said with a smile: "This year's autumn harvest is only 60% of previous years. If it weren't for the support of the court, many people in Changsha County would have to flee. The people of Changsha County knew that I was going to make a plan, so they specially got some local specialties and said they wanted to thank the emperor, so I brought them here."

Yuan Ang helped him pick up a few cans and said, "I will take you to see the emperor."

Xu Aimin, who was reviewing memorials, was also surprised when he saw Jia Yi and said, "Mr. Jia, you are back in Chang'an."

Jia Yi said: "Thanks to Your Majesty, the people of Changsha County were able to survive this drought. These local specialties were entrusted by the local people to bring to you, Your Majesty."

Then Jia Yi took out bottles one by one and introduced them, "This is the latest product from Changsha County, canned pineapples and canned yellow peaches."

"Pineapples are a specialty of Changsha County. They are crisp and refreshing, and can also relieve coughs. Such good things are everywhere in Changsha County. It's a pity that the roads in Changsha County are blocked, so these pineapples can only rot in the mountains. After I learned about this, I built a canning factory in the local area to specialize in the production of canned pineapples. Now they are quite popular in the entire Jiangnan area."

Jia Yi then took out canned yellow peaches and said, "This yellow peach is even more delicious than ever before. I have been in Chang'an for more than ten years, and my taste has been savory. However, the yellow peaches in Changsha County cannot even compare to the various delicacies of the Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, yellow peaches are easy to rot after being picked, and it is difficult to transport and sell them over long distances. I have made canned yellow peaches, which can still retain 90% of their deliciousness. Please have a taste, Your Majesty."

Xu Aimin saw these cans and smiled, "Mr. Jia, you want me to endorse these cans for you. Do you want me to write something for them or come up with a slogan?"

Xu Aimin was too familiar with this routine, and even had a sense of nostalgia. Xu Fan was a person who could not stay still. He spent more than half of the year outside Chang'an City. Too many people in Guanzhong had seen Xu Fan, and many people would recognize Xu Fan as the emperor. Those small business vendors would ask the emperor to leave their calligraphy.

Xu Fan would not refuse either. He would usually just pick up his pen and write that the barbecue from such and such a family was even praised by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Or maybe the emperor would give a thumbs up after eating the pancakes from a certain family.

Small shops like this are not uncommon throughout Guanzhong. Those shop owners often claim that they are century-old shops and that their delicacies are approved by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

With the emperor’s endorsement, these stores became a bit like the internet celebrity stores of later generations, and their business was very good in Guanzhong.

The time that left the deepest impression on Xu Aimin was when his father took him to inspect Hu County and came to a township called Taohuali. The local mayor was one of the heroes of the Han Dynasty. After retiring, he led the villagers to build chicken coops and duck sheds on the barren mountains. He became a famous poultry king in the entire Guanzhong area and led the people of the whole township to prosperity. Even his father respected this hero very much.

At that time, this hero also wanted his father to leave his calligraphy, but Xu Aimin never expected that his father would make up a story with this hero on the spot.

He still remembers this story vividly. It says that the emperor was inspecting Hu County while riding on a horse when he suddenly smelled a fragrant aroma. He immediately dismounted to find the source of the fragrance, and finally discovered that a villager was stewing duck. The fragrance spread for ten miles. The emperor's appetite was so great that he ate two braised ducks in one go. However, the emperor usually traveled without money, and had no way to pay for the roast duck. So the emperor had an idea and gave the roast duck boss three words, naming him Huang Shanghuang, and saying that his duck tasted better than the emperor's usual royal banquets.

My father also told this hero that the name of this story is "Dismounting at the Smell of Fragrance". In the future, whenever he opens a branch of Huang Shang Huang, he should write this story in the store and his business will be guaranteed to be prosperous.

Xu Aimin listened with great interest, and indeed he was very much like his father, who cared more about substance than appearance. He even gave the name Huang Shang Huang.

The hero didn't dare to ask for the name Huang Shang Huang, but his father didn't care at all and changed the name of the store to Huang Shang Huang. Now Huang Shang Huang has become the largest braised duck store in the Han Dynasty, and the story of him getting off his horse at the smell of fragrance is well-known throughout the Han Dynasty.

Xu Aimin once asked his father why he named him Huang Shanghuang?
After all, Huang and Huangyin are too similar. Even if the Han Dynasty does not avoid it, he should not use such a name.

My father reminisced, "Because this is a specialty of my father's family. Whenever Qin Shihuang's barbecue appears in the Han Dynasty, it means that the Han Dynasty is not far from my father's hometown."

This is also the most strange thing for Xu Aimin. The Han Dynasty has already ruled half of the world, but where is his father’s hometown?
Jia Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it is my great honor to leave your calligraphy. I have several kinds of fruit juice and wine here, which are a little gift from the villagers. Your Majesty, you can try them."

He did want to have the emperor endorse the product. Changsha County's canned pineapples and yellow peaches tasted good and were relatively inexpensive.

However, Changsha County's infrastructure was too poor and the local area was not wealthy, making it difficult to digest these products. The only way was to transport these canned goods to wealthy areas in the Jianghuai area for sale.

However, after the long journey across the Xiangjiang River and the Yangtze River, the freight costs naturally became higher, and Changsha County’s canned food became less competitive.

The fruit canning industry in Jiujiang County and Hengshan County has a history of more than ten years. Not only are they close to their places of origin, but they have also established local brands. Their products are not only sold in the Han Dynasty, but also circulated to the New World's Nanyang, Nanzhong, and Tianzhu regions through the group of maritime merchants. It can be said that Jiujiang County's canned products are sold well both at home and abroad.

It is very difficult for Changsha to compete with these old canning companies. The most important thing is that in recent years, Nanjun, Lujiang County, and various princes of the Han Dynasty in the south have also developed the fruit canning industry.

The canned fruit industry seems to have high profits, but the competitive pressure is also particularly great, especially among the princes in the south, who are all wealthy and powerful.

In order to sell lychees, the Minyue State directly bought 10 hot air balloons in recent years and transported lychees by air to Kuaiji County, Chen County, Sanchuan County, Linzi County and other areas.

Many areas can be reached by water transportation, but people want the luxury of air transportation. Even if this increases the cost of lychees, they are not short of money.

Because of this incident, lychee became famous throughout the Han Dynasty and became the king of fruits, revered by the nobles and wealthy businessmen of the Han Dynasty.

At this time, the Minyue Kingdom launched relatively low-priced canned lychee fruits, which were snapped up by the entire Han Dynasty.

Of course, in order to make the wealthy merchants of the Han Dynasty feel that they were getting good value for money, the Minyue Kingdom advertised throughout the Han Dynasty that lychees would change color in one day, change taste in two days, and become inedible in three days. The best quality lychees were to be used within one day of being picked. If they were made into canned fruit, the flavor would be 3 points inferior.

Thanks to this excellent publicity, lychees surpassed other fruits and became the most popular fruit in the entire Han Dynasty. The nobles and powerful people ordered lychees shipped by air, while ordinary people ate canned lychees.

Facing such a powerful competitor, Jia Yi could only think of a way to win by surprise. The fastest way was to build the local canned food industry into a brand through the emperor.

Seeing the table full of bottles and cans, Xu Aimin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He said, "Mr. Jia, you came to Chang'an this time to make some money. How about this? Let someone inside go to Changsha County to order a batch of canned food and distribute it to the workers as welfare benefits."

The Han Dynasty has accumulated a lot of wealth in the past 40 years, especially in Guanzhong, where there are many middle-class people. These people also need to have a high-quality life. Now, being able to eat enough and having meat for three meals is no longer the pursuit of the people in Guanzhong. They also have requirements for various fruits after meals. Various tropical canned foods from the south are popular in the north.

Jia Yi said, "Your Majesty, Changsha County is too poor. I want to develop some industries here. From infrastructure, funding, to talent training, it can be said that there is nothing missing. However, there are a large number of vassal states in Changsha. In recent years, some talents that the court has cultivated with great difficulty have either gone to big cities or to these vassal states. Local people teach their children to study hard and pass the entrance examination to a university in the future, so that they can leave Changsha and go to a big city."

Xu Aimin was surprised and asked, "The imperial court spends billions of dollars every year on reclamation in the south, but it still hasn't changed the face of Changsha County?"

Jia Yi said: "The court's investment in reclamation is still very effective. In the north of Changsha County, the lives of local farmers are not much worse than those of the people in the Central Plains. However, the geographical conditions in the south are too poor. Even if the court puts in 5% of its efforts, it can only get % of the credit it did before. What the south needs now is infrastructure construction. Immigration and reclamation can be stopped. Because in the south of Changsha, Lingling County and Wuling County, there are more mountains and hills than plains. Too many immigrants in these areas will only create conflicts. Even if the court wants to invest, it is best to invest in industry."

Yuan Ang hesitated and said, "I have never heard of any minerals in Changsha County. How can we develop industry here?"

Jia Yi said: "Changsha has iron and coal mines. Although it is not as good as the Taihang area, it is not bad in the south. The most important thing is that Changsha County has the Xiang River connecting to the Yangtze River. The Lingqu Canal built by the First Emperor is still there. Going south, you can go directly to Guilin and Xiang County. As long as there is a heavy industrial base in Changsha County, it can radiate the entire south, especially the Baiyue area."

Xu Aimin thought for a moment and said, "The court can build a steel plant for you in Changsha County, but the rest is up to you."

(End of this chapter)