Take the mall to Datang

The output of the foundry in Lanzhou can increase, but the accuracy is indeed slightly lower. This is also determined by the nature of the industry, but there are considerations for industrial upgrading.

The next day, Gao Chunxing from the Economic and Development Department came to the mansion, and when he saw Yuan Shan, he said directly: "Mr. Lan, the railroad tracks are transported back to Chang'an. What about blocking the expanded railway?"

Gao Chunxing came to inquire because he was worried about affecting the established plan.

Yuan Shandao: "The imperial court needs this batch of products. Your Majesty wants to let go of the expansion of the railway and devote all our efforts to the steel plant. As long as the new furnace can be used, the output can be guaranteed. Is it right to expand the railway at that time?" Difficult."

After a while, he continued: "Furthermore, after investing so much money, it's good to get back the capital now. The output of iron ore also needs to be reserved. Now that Lanzhou has entered the stage of regular development, everything can't be rushed. Safe production, after Lanzhou's industrial development , you can expand to Datang State Capital."

Gao Chunxing's mood eased a little. After all, he was young and energetic, and always wanted to do things well and quickly. It was advisable to be aggressive, but he was not calm enough.

"Lan Guogong said so, and the officials will follow suit." Gao Chun said.

Lanzhou Chang'an train has added two trains, which are transporting rails and cement piles all day long, and they are directly moving from Luoyang Railway to the section where the railway is being built. The supply of rails saves the trouble of transportation.

A month later, under the auspices of Gao Chunxing, the Ministry of Economic Development began to count the sales of railway tracks, with a net profit of 20 yuan, including railway tracks, cement piles, and sand and gravel. consistent money, they are all happy.

However, it is still far from the theoretical output standard. It is still in its infancy. Production capacity is one aspect, and on the other hand, it depends on the supply and reserves of iron ore. At present, the production capacity of Lanzhou Iron and Steel Plant is that of Chang'an Suburban Iron and Steel Plant. three times.

The increase in iron ore has greatly benefited the bearing factory and bicycle workshop in Chang'an. The output of the main bearings for carriages and bicycles has increased significantly. After the rubber industry in Lingnan was vigorously excavated, rubber began to be applied to wooden tires. Increased wear resistance and fat-reducing effect.

When the development of Lanzhou was in full swing, Lingnan's rubber became the object of many upstarts' attention, so a large number of businessmen went there one after another. Feng An started to work on this matter, and then what he didn't expect was that the businessmen were willing to pay for investment. , and the amount was so large that he would tremble.

To support the development of local industries, Feng Ang was the first to discuss this matter, and began to plant a large number of rubber trees and build a local rubber processing plant in Lingnan.

In this way, after businessmen swarmed here, small workshops began to emerge as the times require, and a large number of rubber trees began to be developed. Perhaps within a few years, the rubber industry in Lingnan will usher in a new state of development.

In the Royal Study Room of the Imperial City, Changsun Wuji said calmly: "Your Majesty, the national treasury spends as much as 300 million guan in a month, of which [-] million guan is used for the construction of the railway, and the remaining [-] million guan is invested in the locomotive." production, if this continues, I am afraid that it will overspend."

"I already know about this. The railway section in Cangzhou will be completed soon. With this railway, Cangzhou Port will bring greater benefits as a transshipment port. Besides, with this line, the people who migrated to Donghai Prefecture are not Is it convenient, Wuji knows that what you want to do so much is nothing more than a waste of money, but don't you see that kid Yuanshan spends more money?" Li Shimin said leisurely.

Changsun Wuji was very worried, because the Ministry of Economic Development had multiple sources of money, but the national treasury expenditures all depended on taxation. The amount seemed to be a lot, but the huge country was not much, and the treasury reserve was the key.

Chapter 916 Lanzhou Kitchen Knife

"Wuji, what you said is not unreasonable. If you want to increase tax revenue, you can only encourage businessmen to open factories that are larger than workshops. The tax increase in the past few years has mainly relied on commercial development, but development requires investment. How do you choose between spending money and saving money?" Li Shimin asked.

The eldest grandson Wuji couldn't answer for a while, he was concerned about the royal family, and the treasury expenditure was too large, which made him a little uneasy. He thought more, the prince was about to grow up, and the empress Wende left early, so the harem lost a lot of help. The prince's undercurrents are surging, and the attack on Li Ke before is not so simple as the canonization of the Donghai state capital.

Looking up at Li Shimin, he couldn't guess what he was really thinking.

He thought about using the state treasury to support Li Chengqian, but the treasury's expenditure was so huge that it was difficult to control it. As long as there was a period of expenditure, some projects hosted by the court would be terminated, and the loss was huge and irreparable.

At that time, he may lose His Majesty's trust because of this. From the perspective of the family, he is very contradictory. He can benefit from the construction of the railway, but the same expenditure is simply a bottomless pit for the national treasury.

"Both have pros and cons. The railroad's pros outweigh the cons, but it's not easy to evaluate the pros and cons of the land redemption plan." Changsun Wuji changed the subject.

People above the imperial court are discussing this matter in private. If it were not for the matter of Wei Zheng, many people would be opposed to it. The cultivation of life and rest in the capital of Juntian was implemented from Gaozu until Taizong advocated reform. It took a lot of effort to implement it, and finally let the people live and work in peace and contentment, which has to be recovered again.

Changsun Wuji raised this not to object, but to continue the discussion on this topic.

Li Shimin listened and did not speak. After Zhang Wuji finished speaking, the two looked at each other, maybe they wanted to find a tacit understanding, but unfortunately Li Shimin did not give him a tacit understanding.

"Wuji, I have considered the matter of redeeming the land for a long time. Didn't you say that the whole world is the land of the king? Since it is the land of the king, there is nothing wrong with giving it away and buying it back. The common people have benefited, and now it is only a handful. , in order to solve the population problem of Dongzhou, it is equivalent to letting them take the money given by the court to Donghai Prefecture to develop. With the supply of grain and grass reserves, the treasury expenditure will naturally be reduced, which is more beneficial than collecting taxes from farmers." Li Shimin said.

Changsun Wuji didn't expect it to be like this. He thought that the land would be granted to the kings after it was taken back, but he didn't expect to cultivate it himself.

What this message meant, he couldn't figure it out.

"Wuji, now I see that the benefits of commercial development are too many. The court's money is stored in the treasury, which is enough to eat and drink. But you see that the treasury in the Sui Dynasty was not so rich. In the end, it was not for this reason. Corruption, spending money on pleasure is not as good as Fuze Datang, as long as there is construction of Datang, people's lives will get better and better, they hope for peace." Li Shimin said.

"Your Majesty said so." Changsun Wuji responded immediately.

No one knows Li Shimin's plan, and the unpredictability of the king's heart is indeed a headache.

"I heard that the steel factory in Lanzhou is very large and has developed a new type of steel. The kitchen knives they use are better than the weapons used by my soldiers in the Tang Dynasty. It's nonsense. Please ask about this matter. "Li Shimin said.

Changsun Wuji was a little confused, and said in surprise: "Your Majesty, a kitchen knife is better than a weapon, how do you say that?"

Li Shimin called Ma He, and then a person came in, the supervisor of military weapons, Xin Liangchou, and behind him were two soldiers holding several weapons and a kitchen knife.

"Your Majesty, I will see you." Xin Liangchou saluted.

"Okay, let's show it." Li Shimin said.

Xin Liangchou said respectfully: "Yes, this is a kitchen knife made of steel ingots from Lanzhou Iron and Steel Works. Its surface is as bright as a bronze mirror. Use an ordinary Tang knife to test."

Xin Liangchou randomly asked two soldiers to fight with weapons in your hands in the imperial study room, and the imperial forest army in the dark around them had already made preparations.

"Bang bang bang bang!" The two soldiers looked at each other and used Tang Dao and kitchen knives to fight each other, and sparks appeared in bursts of power.

The two soldiers were sweating profusely, Xin Liangchou waved his hand to stop them and said, "Enough."

The two soldiers put the weapons back into the tray and displayed them. Xin Liangchou said: "Your Majesty, please look, my lord, there are blunt marks on the blades of the two knives, but the blunt marks on the Tang knife are more serious. Such a strong The collision has made it unusable, and even lost the need to repair it, but this kitchen knife has been damaged a bit, but it can still be repaired after being polished, and the toughness of the two knives is obviously stronger because the blade is wider and shorter. Such a material If it is used to make weapons, it can improve the combat effectiveness of Tang soldiers."

Changsun Wuji was surprised, went over to examine it carefully, and was very surprised, said: "The kitchen knife is so sharp that it is also useful as a weapon. Can I use it in the homes of ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty? I wonder how much this knife costs."

Ironware in the Tang Dynasty was very expensive. If every household could use such sharp and tough kitchen knives, wouldn't it be easy to create riots if there was a disturbance? He was a little worried.

"The retail price of this Lanzhou steel knife is [-] Guan." Xin Liangchou said.

"Thirty strings?" Changsun Wuji nodded, thinking that the materials produced by the steel factory are all money, and he has a share of it.

"Your Majesty, it is really wasteful to use such good steel to make kitchen knives, but these thirty-one kitchen knives are not affordable by ordinary people, and the output may not be large. Does Your Majesty want to use all these steel materials to be supervised by this military weapon?" Come to use it?" Changsun Wuji said.

"That's not true. These steel and military supervisors have already sent people to discuss the purchase. The main reason is that these steel products cannot flow into the civilian population. With Yuan Shan's character of asking for money, someone needs to come forward to persuade him to solve this matter." Li Shimin said.

Changsun Wuji understood that a steel knife with [-] guns seems to be very expensive, but there are people in the Tang Dynasty who have a lot of money. Besides, if the common people are really willing to use it, they may not be able to afford it. Isn't it a threat to become a weapon?

The next day, Changsun Wuji and Xin Liangchou took the train to Lanzhou to discuss this matter.

After a day's rest, the two found Yuan Shan, and the three of them in the meeting room of the Ministry of Economic Development began to chat politely.

"Mr. Lan, I have both official and private matters here today. The official matter is about new steel products, and the private matter is about the steel plant." Changsun Wuji said.

Chapter 917 New Steel Products

"The new type of steel is not easy to process, and its performance is superior. The price is determined according to the nature of the steel, so don't mention the matter of bargaining. You may all know that the cheapest kitchen knives made by the Lanzhou blacksmith shop are [-] guan. What they use is not a completely new type of steel." Yuan Shan said.

"What, isn't the Lanzhou kitchen knife made of the highest quality steel?" Xin Liangchou asked in amazement.

"It can be said that the kitchen knives currently used to make kitchen knives are only made of the lowest-grade steel. The steel factory has developed a total of three grades of steel in two months. The better the performance, the more expensive the price. Of course, the output is higher. Not too much. The military inspector is mainly talking about the lowest grade steel used to make kitchen knives. If you want to use it to make artillery, these steels may not be suitable for different purposes. If necessary, we can conduct special research, but research and development The cost is very high, if the Military Weapons Supervisor can sign an order contract, maybe we can go all out." Yuan Shan said.

Xin Liangchou was speechless, how could Duke Lan be the Duke of Lan of the imperial court, why is this businessman's face now like helping outsiders to deceive his own people, but he knows Yuan Shan too well, and he wants money.

Seeing the astonished expressions of both of them, Yuan Shan explained: "The new type of steel that is appearing now is used to make weapons, but it is not right to use it to make firearms such as gun barrels. It is better than the current iron cannon that lasts forever, but the cost is too high and it is not cost-effective, so special steel is needed to make it, but a cost-saving method can be used to divide the cannon tube into two parts for production. One is the inner tube Coupled with the outer tube, the use of new steel as the inner tube will greatly save material, and the outer iron barrel can also be more stable. Although the input cost has increased, compared to using new steel to make the whole, the cost has dropped too much. Supervisor Xin is thinking about it."

Xin Liangchou was lost in thought. It is not a simple matter to process two layers of holes in the gun barrel. Their current gun barrels are all ground out one by one. Although the machine tool powered by steam saves a lot of work, the two The superposition of two gun barrels requires the accuracy of the equipment to be improved, and it is so simple to improve the accuracy.