Chapter 169
Chapter 169
On the third day of June, the weather in Suzhou City was a bit hot.
The people in the yamen froze the fruits and vegetables in advance and sent them to Ji Zhizhou first. After they were distributed to various places, they froze some of them again.
Ji Yuan ate watermelon again, and this time there were also extremely fresh grapes.
Ji Yuan looked at it for a while and asked, "Where do the fresh fruits in our government come from?"
The clerk answered cheerfully, "The Chamber of Commerce."
This chamber of commerce must be the freight chamber of commerce.
Ji Yuan nodded, it wasn't surprising.
When the appointed time arrived, the others had already been waiting. Ji Yuan took Cai Fenglan, Wu Ying, Liu Jun, the Tongpan and others and went directly to the meeting hall.
Ji Yuan met Wang Tongpan of Hexi Prefecture at the door. After some concessions, the two of them entered the hall together.
The two were of equal level, and Ji Yuan was the host, so he sat in the main seat.
The people from Suzhou Freight Chamber of Commerce had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the officials coming in, they immediately stood up and did not sit down until Ji Yuan said to sit down.
Ji Yuan looked down.
There were six people from the Chamber of Commerce in total. The four leading people were dressed elegantly and low-key with fair faces. The two behind them were dressed okay but had rough skin, and it was obvious that they were often out and about.
Others were also looking at Ji Yuan.
Everyone’s first reaction was, is this the official in the opera?
How could there be an official so young and so handsome?
But thinking of Ji Yuan's reputation, no one dared to be negligent. Although they had already performed the greetings just now, they still greeted the superiors one by one at this moment.
Ji Yuan holds what they want most.
Just don't give it to them.
Everyone was annoyed.
Everyone thought that when the new era came, he would start making rubber, but who would have thought that he was interested in those abandoned mines.
When everyone was greeting each other, they naturally asked how Lord Ji was doing recently.
Ji Yuan said: "I have always known that Suzhou's mines are famous, but I didn't expect them to be exhausted."
ah?
this?
Don't you know?
Cai Fenglan pushed Xuxu.
Good acting by Ji Yuan.
Don’t you know the situation of the mines in Suzhou?
You figured it out before you came!
But after Ji Yuan said this, others instantly "understood" what was going on.
So you don't know that these mines can no longer be mined, and you came here for the mines?
So what do you do when you look for mines?
"Take raw rubber and make it into mature rubber."
What is this?
So the search for mines was related to rubber?
Both the two judges and the six people from the Freight Chamber of Commerce showed surprise on their faces.
But, the same thing.
What is raw rubber and what is cooked rubber?
As Ji Zhizhou was the person who knew the most about rubber, everyone listened carefully to what he said.
Ji Yuan did not keep the audience in suspense and explained directly: "There are many rubber products nowadays, but most of them are rubber shoes, rain boots, raincoats, and car parts."
When talking about the parts on the carriage, the people from the Freight Chamber of Commerce nodded even more.
“But these things are not durable.”
This is true!
Every time I change one, it costs a lot of money!
And it often wears out and is not durable!
“So we have to use other methods to turn it into mature rubber.”
"We call the rubber that is used directly raw rubber, and the processed one is called cooked rubber."
"But research has found that in order to refine cooked rubber, a material is needed."
"An oil produced when coal is made into coke."
“This oil can dissolve in the raw rubber and change its form.”
Then it is smoked with sulfur, and the rubber made in this way is somewhat similar to modern rubber products.
Only when such cooked rubber is produced can the rubber industry be truly changed.
From tires to everyday items, everything can be made.
Ji Yuan did not fully explain how to make cooked rubber, but he has made the prospects clear.
Everyone present was so excited that they didn't know what to say.
Rubber is so powerful nowadays.
What if the cooked rubber he mentioned is both durable and easy to use?
Also, when coal is made into coke, a kind of oil is indeed produced, but that oil is all useless and was previously poured directly onto the ground.
Now you tell them this stuff can be mixed with rubber? Why didn't you tell them earlier?
No wonder Lord Ji went to find the coal mine first, it turns out this was the reason!
It’s not that Lord Ji doesn’t want to develop the local rubber industry.
The intention is to upgrade the rubber industry.
The only drawback is that Lord Ji has no idea that all the coal in Suzhou has been mined!
pity!
When everyone was explaining, Ji Yuan suddenly asked, "How do these four know about making coke from coal?"
The four people who were named looked at each other and quickly answered: "I used to run a mine, but now that the mine is abandoned, I switched to the freight industry."
They were prepared to say that they had bought the operating rights of the mine from the government at a high price.
Now that they can no longer dig, the operating rights have not expired yet, so they are a burden in their hands, and it is impossible for the government to refund them the money.
The other two turned their heads away, their expressions obviously grim.
Relying on the money they earned from the mines, these four men entered the freight industry forcefully and squeezed the two of them out.
Now that the mines are exhausted, they have to do freight transport, which is really disgusting.
The four of them were still explaining to Ji Zhizhou the problems with the mine and how the mine was really unusable now.
If you want this kind of waste oil, you can only get it from somewhere else.
It’s a pity that before this, they just dumped this kind of oil into the nearby fields.
There are two coal mines in Suzhou where things can be dug out.
There are also six major mining areas in Hexi Prefecture.
In short,
Although we don’t have much coal in Suzhou, we can transport it from other places!
They have channels!
Ji Yuan said directly: "What about the cost?"
cost.
That's a lot.
"And the technology will probably be learned by other places. What will Suzhou do then?"
If it is the former, everyone can say it is okay regardless of the cost.
It would be really bad if the technology was learned by people outside Suzhou.
Cai Fenglan laughed again.
Ji Yuan doesn't care about technology. He wishes everyone in the world could learn technology.
However, it is still easy to control these people.
Cai Fenglan also said: "So the best way is to use our own local mines."
"That's right, those mines are not actually exhausted, there is just too much groundwater. We just need to pump the water up." Ji Yuan nodded.
That's what I said.
But there is so much underground water, how can they possibly bring it all up? If it were feasible, none of the four of them would change their careers!
The four people were scratching their heads anxiously.
Instead, the two men with rough faces said, "We can put the cooked rubber issue aside. Otherwise, let's make the raw rubber first."
One of them couldn't help but say, "Rubber is needed on the carriages that transport goods now, and many merchants in the Western Regions want this stuff. We really need to produce it ourselves."
"Ning'an Prefecture is too far from here. The price of shipping it here has increased a hundred times."
Actually, this is not an exaggeration.
Ning'an Prefecture can be said to be at the southernmost part of Tianqi State, and Suzhou is the northernmost part.
The good thing is that both places are located in the west, so the distance between them is about 6,000 miles.
Then the question arises, Ning'an Prefecture is also 6,000 miles away from the capital, why doesn't the price of rubber there increase by a hundred times?
Naturally, because trade in the capital was more developed and the waterways were more accessible, prices came down.
To get to Suzhou, you have to travel by land. Compared with the prosperity of the capital, this place can only trade with the Western Regions, and there are too few caravans going to the inland.
They have more communication with the Western Regions than with the inside.
Scarcity makes things valuable.
It is not uncommon for the price of rubber to increase a hundredfold.
This was the price even after many rubber workshops were opened in Dianzhou Prefecture.
Whether it is accessories for carriages or they want to do this business, they really want to build a rubber workshop locally.
Seeing that the two of them were sincere, Ji Yuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, we've found a place."
The two were naturally excited.
The four people dancing in front said, "If there are any difficulties in this business, we can help."
help?
Ji Yuan looked at them, then looked at the two judges.
The four of them stated their purpose directly.
They also wanted to participate in rubber production.
That's what I mean.
They want to start a rubber workshop.
This time, the purpose of my visit is this, and I hope Lord Ji can give me some support.
Ji Yuan understood and smiled.
Not surprising.
He said that it was not that they would not make rubber, it would just be done later. Why were they so anxious that even the Tongpan of Hexi Prefecture came over?
One is to urge him to do it quickly.
Another thing is that many people want to get a piece of the pie.
Who doesn’t know that rubber workshops make money?
When Ji Yuan heard this, he smiled and said, "Okay, Suzhou's rubber industry will depend on you guys in the future."
So simple?
Everyone thinks that Ji Zhizhou will definitely put forward a lot of conditions?
Wang Tongpan of Hexi Prefecture said, "The rubber trade is of great importance. Suzhou alone is not enough. Can we open some rubber workshops in other places?"
"Of course." Ji Yuan continued to agree, "Don't worry, everyone will have a share."
This, this is so refreshing!
Everyone present was feeling dizzy and in a particularly good mood.
But Ji Yuan's topic returned to the starting point: "But I still want to restart the mine in Shixing County."
Ji Yuan is obsessed with the mines, as if those abandoned mines were treasures.
Yes, if you have coal mines, you can upgrade rubber.
But the local mines have really been drained dry.
Otherwise, why don’t they mine if they have the operating rights?
You know, that's all money.
Wu Ying said at the right time: "Sir, let's go to a few more places later, just in case there is something useful."
"Many abandoned mines are privately owned, so it's not easy to go there often." Ji Yuan said, looking at the four men.
ah?
Are you waiting here?
The four men looked at each other. The abandoned mine was actually useless in their hands.
But if I give it to Lord Ji, I will feel sad, after all, it is my own property and the management rights have not expired.
Ji Yuan drank his tea calmly, as if he had already calculated that they would give it.
The four people's brains were working rapidly.
They have a total of forty or fifty abandoned mines on hand, and after checking countless times, they found that they really could not dig anything out.
Or should we return the management rights to the government?
Ji Yuan mentioned the issue of wheat seeds to the two judges again. Cai Fenglan was in charge of this area and gave a brief report.
It is really staggering to learn that the expenses require digging many wells, digging many canals, and purchasing seeds.
It turns out that breeding good varieties is so expensive.
Ji Yuan also mentioned the expenses incurred in breeding fine varieties in Ning'an Prefecture.
"Throwing away tens of thousands of taels of silver is no different from throwing it into the water. It's really too difficult."
Having said that, it's already very obvious.
Either help Suzhou cultivate good varieties or even dig wells?
Either give Lord Ji the mining operating rights that he has been obsessed with.
Otherwise, people won’t continue the conversation at all.
What rubber workshop? Just wait and see.
The four people's faces changed, and they bowed and said, "We still need to discuss this matter with the family. Please give us some time, Master Ji."
Ji Yuan smiled: "Okay, but I will be back to Shixing County in three days, so please hurry up."
ASAP.
It was to return the operating rights of the mine to the government in exchange for Lord Ji taking them to make rubber.
Or help Suzhou cultivate wheat seeds?
What a great Ji Zhizhou! He is indeed extraordinary!
Thinking about the rubber industry, I thought about what Mr. Ji said about cooked rubber being used to make wheels?
If this is true, then this industry will only get bigger.
As for helping to breed good varieties?
What a joke, they don’t have to farm.
And once they are cultivated, they will certainly be used by people all over the world. Is there any difference between that and doing charity?
In addition, the amount of silver needed to cultivate good varieties is more than ten thousand taels.
The choice seems to be clear.
What they have to do is to convince the family members to give up the mine management rights in their hands.
But think about it again.
What exactly does Lord Ji want to do with these abandoned mines?
Do we really need to hire people to carry the wastewater up bucket by bucket?
If it were Lord Ji, it seems he could do it too?
After all, if he wants to upgrade the rubber industry, he will have to spend a lot of money.
The people from the Freight Chamber of Commerce left, and the letter from Wang Tongpan of Hexi Prefecture was also delivered.
Soon, everyone in Hexi Prefecture who wanted to do rubber business would come here.
They will also bring what they want in exchange for this inheritance.
Ji Yuan was very sure about this.
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