Chapter 171
Chapter 171
We arrived in Suzhou in April of this era, and now it is just past June.
No one was in the Suzhou City government office, but everyone was obedient.
One was a freight chamber of commerce, and the other was a merchant who came to speculate on rubber grass seeds. Both of them left crying.
When faced with a tough guy like Ji Yuan, everyone can only give up.
The point is, everyone can see that Ji Zhizhou is not thinking about this at all, he just wants to free up his hands to deal with them.
Ji Yuan thought to himself, I made it out of the capital safely, why should I be afraid of these?
Of course, this is just a casual remark.
The focus of the era is indeed elsewhere.
Anyone can answer this question.
He spends every day at the Yongxing Mine outside Shixing County and is interested in all the abandoned mines.
But, is this really an abandoned mine?
With the full cooperation of everyone, a five-meter-high chimney rose from the ground.
The boiler and piston cylinder next to it are being built step by step.
There will naturally be technical problems during the actual construction, but any problems can be solved as long as the steam pump can be used.
July twenty-fifth.
The giant steam pump, which took more than a month to build, was finally completed.
This is also thanks to the people of Shixing County. Although working in the mine is hard, their life would be even harder without the mine.
So everyone is working hard to build it, hoping that this thing will be useful.
Cai Fenglan also arrived a day earlier to witness this moment together.
The most exciting thing is definitely Ji Yuan.
Perhaps many people present did not know what this meant, but he did.
He didn't dare to imagine how much more the construction of the first true steam engine would bring.
If steam engines could be fully used, it would not be a big deal to restart abandoned mines around the world.
Rather, it is sweeping across all aspects and the entire industry.
If the steam age came, if we continued to develop steam ships, steam locomotives, and all-round improvements.
The more he understood what these things meant, the more excited he became.
Cai Fenglan looked at Ji Yuan and couldn't help but ask, "Does this thing have other uses?"
Absolutely.
Ji Yuan smiled and said, “Just wait and see.”
“Hopefully this thing will work.”
The first step of a steam engine, should be ok, right?
Shixing County, Yongxing Mine.
Led by Ji Yuan, Cai Tongzhi, the local Tongpan, and the heads of various departments, almost all came to join in the fun.
If they knew about it, Hexi Prefecture would have sent someone over.
There's no way around it, since Ji Yuan is paying so much attention to this weird thing.
Master Gao and the others were even more excited.
Steam engine.
The first time he saw this thing, he was deeply attracted by the steam engine.
Now, I finally made a useful one.
Thinking of this, Master Gao looked at Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan nodded at him, and Master Gao said, "Light up the boiler."
The person responsible for lighting the boiler was Shi Weizhong, who had once robbed Ji Yuan.
Shi Weizhong is actually still serving his sentence, but he is the most down-to-earth and hardworking one. After a long time, Master Gao also trusts him.
The boiler was lit, the charcoal fire inside started burning, and a steady stream of coal was shoveled into the boiler, causing the water inside to begin to boil.
The weather in Suzhou in July and August is already a bit cold.
But Ji Yuan and the others could still feel the heat next to the boiler.
Until the steam starts to move up along the piston cylinder.
The piston cylinder built by Ji Yuan and Master Gao has an independent condenser, so a lot of heat will not be wasted.
This means you can start working quickly.
I saw thick smoke billowing from the chimney and the steam on the other side finally started to work.
At the beginning, the steam slowly pushes the primary water pump connected to the lever. If the pressure is sufficient and the steam is sufficient, the water in the abandoned mine will be pumped up by the pressure.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see a miracle happen.
With pots of coal fuel, the boilers are getting hotter and hotter.
There were only a few strange noises, and the valve connecting the piston and cylinder began to shake due to the surge of steam.
The shaking frightened everyone and they took a step back.
Isn’t this too much noise!
In less than ten breaths, this abandoned mine that had been abandoned for twenty-six years finally began to breathe.
The pitch-black wastewater was pumped up. The color of the water was the same as that of coal. It had been accumulating underground for twenty-six years.
Now that it has seen the light of day again, everyone is rubbing their eyes.
This weird big guy.
Did they really pump up the wastewater from the mine?!
No need for people to go down into the mines, no need for people to lift, and not even need horses.
Just keep adding coal to this thing.
Everyone looked at the tall chimney. The black smoke billowing out of it was the hope of all of them.
Many old miners thought about the time when they went down into the mines.
If there were such a machine, many of their companions might be able to survive, or continue mining and continue to feed their families.
All this is almost a miracle.
"How long will it take to pump out all the water?" someone suddenly asked.
Master Gao had already calculated: "Three days, just three days, all the waste water can be pumped out."
how long? !
Three days?!
Here they are, a problem that has not been solved for 26 years can be solved in three days?!
Everyone couldn't believe it.
But you have no choice but to believe it.
So much waste water was pumped up right under their noses. Who wouldn't believe it?
The magistrate of Shixing County was so excited that his hands were shaking.
When he was transferred here, he knew that the local mineral resources had been exhausted and that there were not many arable lands.
In fact, it is also related to local habits. Farming has not been done for decades or even hundreds of years, and local people don’t even have the habit of farming, let alone reclaiming wasteland.
So this place is a mess, but fortunately everyone has gotten used to it over the years and has gone to open up new land, so there is a way to survive.
Now that he is told that Shixing County not only provides a way to make a living, but also a way to make money, how can he not be excited.
Ji Zhizhou single-handedly brought these mines back to life!
Directly brought back to life!
Thanks to that weird machine!
The magistrate knew with a quick calculation that Shixing County would prosper again.
Almost all local mines have the same problem.
As long as the waste water is pumped out, we can continue digging.
Is this coal?
It's obviously silver!
It's all silver!
The magistrate of Shixing County looked at Ji Zhizhou excitedly. No wonder everyone wanted to work under Ji Zhizhou. He could get such benefits just by being obedient.
The magistrate didn't even dare to think about what would happen to the local area if this matter got out.
Maybe he was too happy, but the magistrate was very clear-headed and said subconsciously, "Since the local coal can be dug out, can the local coke workshop be restarted?"
"Can the tar extracted after the restart be used to upgrade rubber?"
Ji Yuan looked at the magistrate with admiration, nodded slightly, and said lightly, "Okay."
Can? !
Really?!
The magistrate took a few steps back and sat down on the ground, muttering, "I am rich, and I am rich."
No wonder he was excited.
But the industry chain is too large.
It was so big that it not only changed the entire Shixing County, but also the entire Suzhou and the entire Hexi Prefecture.
What is dug out from the coal mine is coal, which is raw coal. After the raw coal is burned into coal, a kind of tar is produced in the middle.
This tar is the product that turns raw rubber into cooked rubber.
These things were mentioned before in the era, but that was just a mention.
Many people kept it in mind, but they thought, how could they produce mature rubber when the local rubber industry has not even been developed?
Besides, there is not much coal locally, and we can’t give it to other places.
Therefore, the locals tacitly agreed not to mention it.
Places outside with coal mines would like to do the rubber business, but they have to wait until Suzhou's rubber industry develops.
Everyone thought that this matter needed to be considered carefully.
Everyone thought that these things would not happen quickly.
But this big guy appeared.
It seemed to change everything.
It changed everyone's mindset and also changed the rules of the game.
This is what Ji Zhizhou is doing.
Ji Yuan shook his head and said, "It's not that simple."
Ji Yuan pointed at the rudimentary steam engine and said, "Do you think this thing can be promoted on a large scale?"
The magistrate of Shixing County looked at the huge monster in front of him.
It seems not possible.
Yes, and no.
The steel used was specially refined by Master Gao and his team, and its craftsmanship and hardness are both top-notch.
The sealing of the cylinder and the production of the pipeline.
None of these things come easily.
It is very difficult to replicate such a huge steam engine.
So how to promote it?
How to get everyone to build a steam engine?
Ji Won looked up at the chimney.
How to promote.
Of course it’s benefits.
His real bait had already been put out.
It depends on whether everyone dares to take the bait.
This has to be done quickly.
He wanted to let more people see the profits as soon as possible so that they would spontaneously start researching steam engines.
Only the people on Master Gao's side were too slow.
Just like the application of rubber, after it was released, countless skilled craftsmen modified it and used it in more places.
At that time, Ji Yuan also realized that promoting the steam engine would allow more people, more people who wanted to make a profit from it, to modify it.
Certainly much faster than they are now.
The wisdom of the masses is infinite.
He needed more people to participate in the improvement of the steam engine.
As for why we need to be fast?
Because we have to prevent people in the capital from finding out about this.
Prevent them from turning this into their own monopoly business.
Like the rubber company.
It directly became the private property of the royal family.
He works seriously, not just to increase the profits for these people.
Even the county magistrate understood how big the chain of interests was, and people in the court would understand it.
In fact, it’s fine to treat these as private property.
But they will definitely keep the secret of the steam engine strictly guarded. By then, let alone brainstorming, they will be afraid that it will become a toy for a small group of people.
There is no place to cry.
For three consecutive days, all the people in Shixing County came to watch.
Everyone cheered as they watched the wastewater being pumped out.
Very good!
The mines come alive!
This time I really survived!
Can they go down to the mines to work? !
Of course.
Today, the operating rights are also in the hands of Shixing County.
But after going down, you have to set up a trade union first.
Miners Association.
Xie means consultation.
What this means is that the miners have their own association and can get together to discuss any issues.
Did you see the Chamber of Commerce?
That's the form.
Have you heard of the logging gangs that are everywhere in Dianzhou Prefecture?
Just like them.
Establish a miners' union, formulate its own rules and regulations, and set the miners' working hours and compensation prices for injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
There can be specialists to help list these requirements, but miners also need to put forward their own requirements.
This was not the first time that Jiyuan had organized such a union, and it was doing it with ease.
To his surprise, he thought he would need to explain what a trade union was.
But the locals said, “We know the logging party!”
"Yes! We've heard of it."
"They say if you join a logging club, you won't be bullied."
"Yes! There was a family in Dianzhou Prefecture whose money from selling wood was defrauded, and it was their logging association that helped to recover the money."
"Not only that, not only did they recover the money, but the entire Dianzhou Prefecture's logging association refused to supply them with wood, and their business went bankrupt."
"There was another family whose man was taken away by a wild beast while cutting trees. Before that, his body would have been gone. It was the brothers from the logging club who tried their best to recover the body and also raised money from the local logging club to give to the family."
"Yeah, the lumber club is really great, and it sends the kids to school."
"They say the people in the logging club over there are very strong-willed, unlike other people."
"Some people also say they are unruly people who are difficult to control."
The last sentence was said by a wealthy man in Suzhou.
The same wealthy family also frowned: "Yes, it's too difficult to manage. They even dare to compete with the local government. Do you dare to believe it?"
"If we allow such a union to develop, wouldn't that be against Tiangang?"
“There can’t be such an association locally.”
These words also reached the ears of Ji Yuan and the miners.
Ji Yuan just smiled and said, "People who hate you will naturally oppose everything you do."
The angrier they are, the better it is for them.
Just like those wealthy businessmen in Dianzhou Prefecture were unable to stop the rise of the logging association.
They were also unable to stop the rise of the Miners' Association.
The lumberjacks and miners who had worked hard for them in the past now had to work together and be brothers.
Just like the Freight Chamber of Commerce.
As for the people inside, they are actually just a group of men transporting goods.
But they can also influence government decisions.
Let me use another inappropriate analogy.
The bandit leader Ma Laosan also relied on his large numbers to make people around him fear him.
If they can do it, why can't miners?
When establishing the logging association, Ji Yuan had to spend more time talking and explaining the benefits to everyone, and he had to start with a small-scale pilot.
What surprised him was that even though Dianzhou Prefecture was six thousand miles away from Suzhou, what happened there still reached their ears.
Because this is what they want to hear most and it is most relevant to their own interests.
Many people like to say that rich and powerful people are so smart, decent, and elegant, and that they always make the right and smart decisions.
In fact, they are all fake.
Everyone will choose what is beneficial to them.
Illiterate people are not necessarily dumber than literate people.
You know how to eat, drink and have fun, and I know the special skills of mining.
Then who is stupid and who is smart.
The miners in Suzhou learned the information they wanted to know most in their spare time. This was their smart choice.
The Shixing County Miners Association was established as soon as possible.
There are many local miners and they are more familiar with the work content, so they can formulate regulations quickly.
At Jiyuan's suggestion, safety rules were also written down, such as not being allowed to go down without a leather helmet, checking the sealing of the lampshade every time, and there were requirements for ventilation and even hygiene in the mine.
These are the bitter lessons of the past, and each one can be used to write countless heartbreaking stories.
According to Ji Yuan, "It is better to move a little slower than to have any accidents."
Someone who was outspoken said directly: "Then the master will definitely not agree."
After saying this, he felt a little embarrassed. Lord Ji was helping them, the miners, but he dared to retort. He really deserved to be beaten.
The others were about to scold him, but Ji Yuan stopped them and said, "You are right, so let's add this rule too. The owner cannot force us to increase production, or we will go on strike."
strike?
Just don’t work?
Ji Yuan pointed to the steam pump that was running non-stop.
"That thing can't be stopped, so it will continue to consume raw materials and money."
"As soon as you stop, as soon as you go on strike, their money will be wasted."
"In this way, we can see whether they are anxious or not."
Some smart miners have already understood the meaning, but Lord Ji's straightforward words still make them excited.
In the past, these masters controlled them, but now they can control the masters in turn.
That's good.
"Anyone who disagrees with the strike is a scab and a traitor."
Cai Fenglan was listening nearby and thought to himself, this could only happen in a remote place like Suzhou.
If this kind of words were spoken in the capital, or even in Jianmeng Mansion, or in places like Jiangsu and Zhejiang, they would be reported to the imperial court as soon as they were spoken.
Even if the emperor doesn't mind, those aristocratic families will probably hate Ji Yuan to death.
Because these are words that can shake their foundations.
That is to say, this place is remote, neither amenable nor difficult to govern, and the locals do not have that much respect for the royal family.
Cai Fenglan set off back to Suzhou. He wanted to help Liu Jun start the rubber grass planting, so he couldn't stay here for too long.
If anyone has been paying attention here, it seems that they have understood why Ji Yuan chose Suzhou.
The transportation is relatively convenient.
There are abandoned mines in the local area, and rubber grass can be grown there. It is even difficult to convey the imperial court's orders because it is too far away.
Everything was within his calculations.
Is this also the place that Jiyuan carefully selected?
There is another point that perhaps others may not think of.
The affairs of the Miners' Association are certainly important.
What is more important is that Ji Yuan leads people to build a machine to save abandoned mines.
At this moment, two pieces of news were spreading wildly throughout Suzhou and all the way to Hexi Prefecture.
One is that Ji Yuan took the local miners and organized something like a lumberjack association, and these miners will definitely become unruly people in the future.
Before anyone could react, another piece of news made them shut up.
The reason why Ji Yuan has been focusing on the abandoned mines, regardless of other things, since he came to Suzhou, has been found.
He has a way to save all those mines.
That's all.
Save them all.
No matter how deep the water is, he has a way to get it out, and it only requires material resources, not manpower.
Do you know Yongxing Mine?
There were numerous mines in Suzhou at that time. The waste water inside was enough to drown people. The mines were also extremely deep and large.
Ji Yuan brought a group of people and drained all the water in just three days.
I heard that he has already prepared to resume work with the people from the Miners' Association.
The "dead" mines were "resurrected".
This incident made all the wealthy families in Suzhou feel uneasy, especially those who had the right to operate mines. Who doesn’t have a few abandoned mines?
If he can be saved, how much money will it cost?
The news spread layer by layer, and the existence of the steam pump became known to more and more people.
I believe that it won’t be long before people in the entire Tianqi country will become restless.
What exactly is a steam pump?
Era? How does your brain grow?
Can you give them some?
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