After Mu Zian took over the smelting bureau, the entire bureau underwent a dramatic transformation.
The original dilapidated shacks have all been replaced with brick and tile houses.
The registration of craftsmen was also graded under Tian Zhi's assessment.
This tiered system serves as both a reward and a competition.
After all, we were all in the same boat in the past; if I didn't have enough to eat, neither would you.
Suddenly, the people around me who are of higher rank than me are receiving better treatment than I am.
It would be a lie to say I'm not envious, so I'm working hard to get a higher rating.
All the craftsmen in the smelting bureau tacitly began a period of intense competition.
Upon seeing this, Mu Zian immediately established a corresponding welfare system.
Overtime pay, production bonuses, and rest time are all arranged in one go.
Actually, people don't hate involution.
Instead, they dislike those who work extra hours under the guise of competition but receive no reward or benefit.
Mu Zi'an, on the other hand, embodies communism! More work, more pay; excellent performance, excellent reward.
Therefore, Mu Zi'an invested a large amount of money in it.
Blast furnaces sprang up one after another in the smelting bureau, and the daily production of iron billets also surged.
Moreover, based on the original steel-casting method, there were also improvements made by craftsmen.
In just a few days, the quality of the iron billets was improved to a new level.
Mu Zian was overjoyed and immediately rewarded the improver with one hundred taels of silver.
This move immediately caused quite a stir within the Smelting Bureau.
That hundred taels was equivalent to five years' worth of their previous salary.
In a short time, all sorts of innovations sprang up within the Smelting Bureau like mushrooms after rain.
It is known that in ancient times, there was such a thing as family-inherited secret skills.
The saying "passing down skills only to sons, not daughters, and only within the family" reflects the fact that every industry has its own secret techniques that are not widely known.
They would rather let these unique skills remain lost than reveal them in ordinary times.
But now, looking at the real gold and silver laid out before him, he completely forgot about all the ancestral laws.
Seventy percent of the iron billets produced in the smelting bureau were sent to the Ministry of War's ordnance workshop for the forging of weapons and armor.
Thirty percent of the offspring were sent to Dingxiang, Liangzhou, for the construction of a trading post, under Mu Zi'an's instructions.
Although it was said to be the construction of a border market, in reality, after entering Liangzhou, where these iron blanks were sent was not up to Mu Zian.
After all, Mu Zian is currently also serving as the governor of Liangzhou.
As the smelting bureau's work got back on track, Mu Zi'an distributed the bearing production tasks to others.
However, bearings are much more difficult to manufacture in this era.
Even with blueprints, it is extremely difficult to manufacture steel that meets the strength requirements of bearings.
It is especially difficult to ensure that the steel balls inside the bearing are all the same size.
Manufacturing a qualified bearing is extremely expensive.
However, right now, the thing Mu Zian has in abundance is money.
Even if a bearing were made using the same weight of silver, it would still be very profitable for Mu Zian.
After handing over the tasks and duties to the Smelting Bureau, Mu Zian shifted his focus back to planting sweet potatoes.
After all, this matter concerns the livelihood of all people in the world, and there can be no carelessness or mistakes.
Liu Rushi also directly handed over all the work of the newspaper to last year's top scorer.
He then immersed himself in the sweet potato field, recording the growth and cultivation process of the sweet potatoes, and compiling the records into a book in preparation for future nationwide promotion.
A month later, Li Jiuxuan brought Mu Zian two pieces of news, one good and one bad.
Good news: Everyone on the list provided by Mu Zi'an has been executed.
The bad news is that the Imperial City Division's swift and decisive actions have attracted the attention of the Former Chu Intelligence Division.
They immediately realized there was a mole within their ranks, and a thorough investigation is underway. The entire intelligence division has begun to disappear into the shadows.
Li Jiuxuan told Mu Zian to be careful with the spy hidden in the former Chu intelligence department and not to give himself away.
Upon hearing this, Mu Zian told Li Jiuxuan to rest assured.
It's estimated that even if the former Chu intelligence officers racked their brains, they would never have imagined that the person who betrayed them would be their own princess.
After saying goodbye to Li Jiuxuan, Mu Zian went to Tingzhuxuan to tell Mi Linglong the news.
These days, Mi Linglong's fame in the capital is growing.
She was vaguely showing signs of becoming the number one courtesan in the Great Li.
Thanks to Mi Linglong's betrayal, the entire intelligence bureau of the former Chu was thrown into chaos.
Her marriage proposal was naturally put on hold indefinitely.
With the backing of both the legitimate and criminal factions in Dali, Mi Linglong has temporarily gained her freedom.
Xiao Xiuning has been very busy these days.
The liquor business has been booming, and it now holds an undisputed dominant position within the Great Li.
With the arrival of spring, Xiao Xiuning has already begun planning to promote it nationwide.
Moreover, Xiao Xiuning was a very competent manager, not only optimizing the channels but also improving the products.
These are baijiu and erguotou, specifically designed for people who prefer strong liquor.
For literati and artists, they offered dishes like "flower tricks and drunken revelry" and "a hall full of applause."
The product line is so extensive that it can no longer be described as making a fortune every day.
In conclusion, everything is moving in a positive direction in these two months since the beginning of spring.
The peace was shattered by the appearance of Ning Hongchen!
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