Chapter 889 Ji Zi Juan Squeezing

“That’s great.” Feng Ziying nodded with satisfaction. He was still very optimistic about such a combination.

This kind of thing requires a skilled person to operate it. Although Shanxi merchants can play some role in the local area, Gu Dengfeng can also mediate and coordinate with the local government, but from the purchase of land to the addition of various facilities to the start of construction, it is a It is a very complicated process, and many problems and difficulties will be encountered in the process.

  If there is no one who has actually run the entire process to operate it, the efficiency will be very poor, and the chances of making mistakes or even encountering setbacks will be much greater.

“Brother Limin, how is the progress of recruiting Western craftsmen that I asked you to do?” Feng Ziying was even more concerned about this matter.

 In his opinion, the general principles and process flow of iron smelting are not big problems, but after the completion of iron smelting and steelmaking, and even the processing of iron materials and steel billets, this is the weakest link in Dazhou at the moment.

In this era, some simple machine tools have begun to appear in Europe, which are extremely important for mechanical processing, especially the future development of the military industry. If Dazhou does not plan ahead, then everything from cannon casting to gun barrel production, to wire drawing and precision device production When it comes to technology, the gap will get bigger and bigger, and if we can introduce it in time now, even if it costs a little more, it will be worth it.

Feng Ziying did not know much about the development of machine tools in Europe, but he knew that the rapid development of the watch industry in Europe had far surpassed that of Dazhou. Due to their own needs, watchmakers will inevitably be interested in more precise, reliable, convenient and practical machine tools. Make a request for, for example, threading lathes and gear cutting lathes.

The only thing Feng Ziying remembers is that Leonardo da Vinci seemed to have sketched out model drawings of various lathes and key components such as cranks, flywheels, and bearings in his time, so Feng Ziying believed that there should already be such models in Europe. If Da Zhou can keep up with some breakthroughs in technology through learning and imitation, then at least he will not fall behind too much in the future era of great technological leaps.

At this time, Feng Ziying also thought about Song Yingxing's "Tiangong Kaiwu", but it was obvious that Song Yingxing, who graduated from Qingtan Academy and had passed the Jinshi examination, was not yet qualified as a big star in science and technology, and Feng Ziying did not know what the subtle changes in the main line of history would be. But Song Yingxing, who is still very immature now, definitely does not have this strength, but if there is an opportunity in the future, Feng Ziying will certainly help Song Yingxing transform into this aspect.

Feng Ziying was very sorry for his lack of knowledge and skills in science and engineering. In his previous life, he had read many time-travel novels, and almost all of them had a manufacturing skill tree in science and engineering, whether it was metallurgy or mechanical processing. , making gunpowder and explosives, he can quickly open the skill tree, but he is really inferior in this aspect. If he hadn't learned about local coking and steelmaking blast furnaces by chance, I'm afraid he wouldn't even know this most basic skill. Skill breakthroughs cannot provide any help.

Even so, he can only provide a rough theoretical guidance. For details, he still has to rely on professional craftsmen and technicians to slowly explore and try. This is also his biggest regret.

"Master Feng, there has been some progress in this matter. I have recruited three people from Sulu, mainly engaged in making firecrackers. One of them is a clockmaker, one is his apprentice, and the other is a blacksmith. I know how to forge cannons. In addition, I am afraid that it will take half a year to recruit from the Western Yi people. I have also offered a very high salary, but many Western Yi people are willing to go abroad only when they are desperate. The Xiyi people said that it seems that an emperor over there is very hostile to the so-called pagans and wants to deprive those people of their property. In addition, he is also at war with a country called Osman over there. The situation is very chaotic, so there are some People willing to escape their emperor's punishment and war come here..."

Of course Feng Ziying remembers the Thirty Years' War in history, but the time has not yet come. It will take several years for the Thirty Years' War to sweep across Europe. And now the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire should be fighting fiercely. time? The Protestant Union and the Catholic Union should have been almost established, and the atmosphere of war is already strong.

"Brother Limin, according to my understanding, the situation in Xiyi is very chaotic now, and it is estimated that there will be a fight there in the next few years. They are particularly hostile and paranoid towards these so-called people who believe in heathen religions, so this It should be an opportunity. I suggest that you can recruit some Xiyi people in Sulu and Luzon. No matter what they believe, as long as they are willing to help us recruit those who can make clocks, blacksmiths and steel, and can make watches. Those who work on mechanical devices will all be hired with high salaries. We will ensure their safety here and will not interfere with their beliefs. The premise is that they can bring us substantial technological breakthroughs..."

Zhuang Limin was also surprised by Feng Ziying's eager and straightforward statement.

He knew that Feng Ziying had always been dissatisfied with the current backwardness of Zhou Dynasty in terms of fire guns and cannon casting, and was not satisfied with Zhuang Ji's situation of being the most advanced in Zhou Dynasty in terms of the manufacturing level of fire guns. He had always wanted to introduce more advanced ones. He has the skills to cast cannons and make firecrackers, but with his current status and attitude, it is almost an official gesture.

After thinking about it for a while, Zhuang Limin said cautiously: "Sir, many people in Xiyi believe in religion, but our country seems to be very taboo about these aspects..."

"I have my own discretion in this matter. The religion of these Western Yi people is their own business. The people of our dynasty are based on Confucianism and Legalism, respect the emperor of heaven and earth, their teachers, and their ancestors. Therefore, their beliefs may not be in line with the wishes of us Han people. The imperial court is naturally governed by laws. As for now, I only want to see craftsmen who can help me improve iron smelting and clock spring device production. I will not ask about other officials, but those who only want to preach. This officer will not welcome you!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty also had a rather contradictory and even confusing attitude toward Western Yi religions, but basically adopted the countermeasure of "restricting their skills and prohibiting the transmission of their scholarship". However, simply "restricting their skills" made it possible to preach. As for "forbidding the transmission of academic knowledge", it depends on how vigorously the court can take on this issue.

Feng Ziying also knew that Catholicism had been spreading in Guangdong and Guangdong since the Westerners landed in Guangdong 20 or 30 years ago. However, in the current social atmosphere, it is difficult for Catholicism to truly win the recognition of the Chinese people. Of course, Catholic priests also They are constantly improving their missionary methods to meet the needs of localization.

Xu Guangqi, who was highly valued by Feng Ziying but had not had much contact or interaction with him, was now an official who believed in Catholicism, but the court did not seem to have much reaction to this.

Understanding Feng Ziying's intention, Zhuang Limin nodded: "I understand, sir. Please rest assured that the candidates we are looking for are all in line with your requirements and will never cause any trouble for you."

"I'm not afraid of causing trouble. As long as what he can bring is worthy of helping me shoulder the trouble, I'll be happy with it. But I'm afraid they don't have the ability, so I can only say sorry." Feng Ziying spread her hands. A look of indifference.

This can be regarded as clarifying the attitude. As long as there are useful people in the current Yongping Mansion, they can be tolerated. If they are useless, then they will never be allowed to enter.

Feng Ziying has not yet thought clearly about her attitude towards Western missionaries coming to the Zhou Dynasty. There is no doubt that these missionaries are aiming to combine missionary work and colonization, but it cannot be denied that they can indeed bring some new technologies, and This is exactly what you need most.

"Brother Shaoquan, the Shanshan-Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce is not strong enough. How come you have become my man and do everything for you?" Feng Ziying's attitude towards the Shanshan-Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce was not as polite as that to Zhuang Limin, "So it's just that As agreed, Dengfeng is responsible for government coordination, but the specific local land purchase, construction and manpower coordination should be the business of your Shanxi Chamber of Commerce. Now it seems that you just contribute some money. If it is just a matter of Haitong Silver Village can satisfy you with money, so why do I need you again?"

Wang Shaoquan stood up with a smile on his face, but he was sighing in his heart. Is this the same young man who swam out of Linqing Water Gate more than five years ago?

Five years have passed, and the young man has grown into a dignified high-ranking official, and is now a powerful official in the government. Now he is in charge of the cooperation between Shanshan Chamber of Commerce, Zhuangji and Haitong Bank as a superior. We must take the lead in creating an industrial and commercial model here.

Now the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce attaches great importance to this matter. Wang Shaoquan also relied on the friendship he had established in the past. It took a lot of effort to win this opportunity. Naturally, he wanted to make things beautiful.

"Sir, you have wronged us. We are doing all the work at Yuguan Port. Now the preliminary exploration preparations are almost complete. You said that we can do this in just two months. For the sake of that, besides our Shanshan-Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce, who else can work so hard?" Wang Shaoquan rubbed his hands and said: "In half a year, we will officially build the wharf at Yuguan Port. Next time, Boss Zhuang's ship can go directly from Guangzhou has docked at Yuguan."

“Brother Shaoquan, I know the capabilities of the Shanshan-Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce. It was originally agreed that you should be the one to take care of Yuguang Port, and the road connecting Yuguang Port to the post road should be built as soon as possible..."

Feng Ziying, you're welcome. If the Shanshan Chamber of Commerce and others don't make good use of it, they'll be sorry for themselves. These guys have deep ties with the Mongolian tribes and have made too much money.

To truly prosper Yuguang Port, we must rely on this group of people. To make Yuguan Port a water and land hub connecting Liaodong, Northland and even the South, a lot of commercial resources will need to be invested.

 (End of this chapter)