Chapter 157 Who is the host and who is the guest
It is not that He Qiang has never seen the use of small pieces of glass or colored glaze to inlay windows before, but due to technical reasons, it is difficult for these things to be used in large flat shapes, and they are often made of very small pieces. To put it together, and the price of the finished product is extremely high. There are two windows in Li Jifeng's study that are made of glass fragments. The light transmittance is very good. Even if the windows are closed during the day, the room will be very bright. However, the glass fragments used in those two windows are smaller than the window in front of him. Much more. Even so, there are only two glass windows in the entire Li family residence, which shows how precious this thing is.
In addition, when He Qiang went to Hao Jing Ao to do business with the Francois, he had seen this kind of glass doors and windows inlaid with glass in their churches. It is said that they were all shipped from distant Europe. And those Francois once said that even in their hometown, this kind of thing is still valuable.
Now He Qiang saw this kind of glass window again, but he never expected that it actually appeared in the cabin where the inspection department lived. The tall glass window was matched with the simple cabin. This strong contrast made He Qiang temporarily Don't even know what to say.
"I think this can at least dispel some of Mr. He's doubts. Yes, we do have the ability to make glassware." Schneider saw He Qiang's reaction and roughly guessed what he was feeling. He walked behind him and whispered softly Said: "For us, glass is not a big deal. We can make as much as we want!"
There is nothing exaggerated in Schneider's deliberate showing off. Currently, a glass product workshop has begun to be built in the valley across the river from Base No. 1, and flat glass has also begun to enter the trial production stage. With the current technical level that Chuanchuanzhong can achieve, it cannot be produced in a large size for the time being, and the scrap rate is extremely high. A large number of glass fragments were produced during the trial production process.
These broken pieces of glass were not only returned to the furnace, but some of the slightly larger ones were used to inlay doors and windows. Just because the processing speed of this inlay process is slow, the output of glass doors and windows is not large. At present, the renovation work of the houses in Victory Port and Base No. 1 has only begun. The Inspection Department was fortunate enough to catch a favorable wind and changed the windows of several rooms from wooden bars to glass. In the eyes of the public, this is just a convenient way to make full use of waste, and by the way, it can train a few craftsmen to install glass doors and windows, but in the eyes of outsiders, this can be regarded as an extravagant and lustful performance.
He Qiang didn't know the manufacturing principle of glass, nor did he know the cost of making glass for the Haihan people, but he judged one thing from Schneider's words - the Haihan people did not attach much importance to glass products, which was very promising. Maybe it's because they thought it would be easy to make, maybe as simple as building these cabins.
"If the Haihan people can transfer the technology of making glass..." He Qiang unknowingly thought further.
"I've seen Mr. Shi!" As he spoke, Inspector Wei Ping had already put on his clothes and came out, but he was a little depressed and it seemed that he hadn't slept enough.
"Inspector Wei, these two businessmen, Mr. Li and Mr. He, came from Guangzhou. They said they wanted to visit you." Schneider nodded to Wei Ping as a greeting, and explained to him directly their purpose. .
"Visit me?" Wei Ping walked up to Li He and looked at them and said, "What do you two do for a living?"
"I am He Qiang, the steward of Guangzhou's Furifeng. This is the boss of our Third Young Master. I have just arrived, so naturally I have to visit the local officials first." He Qiang clasped his fists and bowed.
"Parent officer?" Wei Ping had a strange expression on his face: "The place here is too small, so I won't let you drink tea. Please help yourself. If anything happens in Victory Port, just ask Mr. Shi to come forward. Just deal with it, no need to come to me.”
He Qiang said a few polite words, took out two ingots of silver from his sleeves and stuffed them into Wei Ping's hand: "A little kindness, please be sure to accept it, Inspector Wei."
Wei Ping looked at Schneider's face and saw him slightly nodding his head, then he put the money away.
After saying goodbye to the small courtyard of the Inspection Department, Li Nai and He Qiang felt unspeakable awkwardness in their hearts. While Schneider was still talking to Wei Ping in the courtyard, Li Nai lowered his voice and asked He Qiang: "Uncle He, could this inspection be... someone from Haihan looking for someone to impersonate him?"
He Qiang shook his head and said: "That's not true. Last year, the big shopkeeper came to Yazhou for inspection, and I came with him. When I was having dinner with Lord Tongzhi of Yazhou, Inspector Wei was also present. He seemed to be Lord Tongzhi or something. Relative, I remember that he was working in the Inspection Department of Tianya Town. It was just a casual relationship. I recognized him, but he no longer recognized me.”
"But it seems to me that he always cares about Mr. Shi's face?" Li Nai asked. In this era, the Inspection Department is simply the nemesis of merchants. Who dares not to care about the existence of the Inspection Department? Even a big business like "Fu Ruifeng" must remember to pay tribute to the inspection department wherever they go, otherwise they may seize the goods and arrest people from the caravan that is transporting goods. But this situation seems to have been reversed in Port of Victory. Instead, the Inspection Department wants to see the faces of the Haihan people?
Both of them felt that there were too many problems in Port Victory, and there was an indescribable strange smell. Obviously there are naval warships and inspection departments here, but both of them feel that this place seems different from the places they have been to before. Everything here looks very orderly and the environment is clean and tidy, but for some reason there is always an invisible sense of disharmony.
Schneider quickly came out of the yard and led the two people towards the gate of Base No. 1. Perhaps the detailed description they heard from shopkeeper Li before coming here played a role. The two were not too surprised by the solid walls and moat-like trenches of Base No. 1, but a notice board standing at the door attracted Li Nye's attention. Two lines of words were written in calligraphy on the notice board: The general public will stop here, and members must register before entering.
There was a small pavilion next to the notice board, with a clerk-looking man sitting inside. Outside the pavilion, there were two militiamen standing upright at the entrance of the suspension bridge, with five-foot-long matchlock guns in their hands.
Li Nai asked curiously: "What does this member mean?"
"Communal members are a kind of staffing system here." Schneider explained: "We use communes to organize the people here. Only people who are members can enjoy various local welfare benefits, such as education, medical care, and labor levels. Promotion, etc. If you don’t have membership status, you are just a temporary worker and you will get nothing except a little salary.”
Li Nai was shocked when he heard this. What kind of commune is this? Isn't this a disguised form of controlling the people of the Ming Dynasty in their hands? Coupled with the militia soldiers that could be seen everywhere, Li Nai seemed to understand why Wei Ping and his men were huddled in the small courtyard doing nothing.
But Li Nai still persisted and asked: "What role does the government's governance play in the local area?"
Schneider stopped, looked at Li Nai meaningfully, and said after a long time: "If you want to hear the answer you want to know, then I can tell you that the Yazhou government office is of course here to maintain normal social order. , to manage the local people, the Yulin Inspection Department you just went to is the highest authority in the local area.”
"So, there is another answer?" Li Nai was a young man after all, and continued to ask relentlessly, regardless of He Qiang pulling his sleeves behind him.
"You must want to know, then I'm not afraid to tell you." Schneider said with a smile on his lips: "The Yazhou Navy you saw when you came here, and the Yulin Inspection Department here, these people rely on us to take care of them. They are supported by money. Do you understand what I mean? What they should and should not do here must be done according to the rules we set, so that everyone can save a lot of unnecessary trouble." br>
"Then this place...isn't it out of my control, the Ming Dynasty?" Li Nai said in shock and anger.
"No, no, no, of course this place has not escaped the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty." Schneider immediately shook his head and denied Li Nai's statement: "You have also seen that the Ming Dynasty's troops and officials also exist here, but we are performing our functions on their behalf. .”
"You are doing this to Li Daotao!" Li Nai could not agree with Schneider's sophistry.
Schneider shrugged and said: "Even so, there is no loss to Ming by doing this, and we can manage this place better. I am not afraid to tell you that most of the residents here are bankrupt elsewhere. And those who could no longer live, after they came here, received food, housing and jobs. It was we who gave these people hope to live, and together we built this originally desolate place into what you see. "
"The people have their own local government control. Even if they go bankrupt, the government will try to arrange a way out for them!" Li Nai argued forcefully, still refusing to admit defeat.
"To be honest, I don't think the government in Yazhou or other places has the ability to do a better job than us." Schneider said with a trace of ridicule on his face: "Last month, a total of 629 people were sent from Yazhou. Among them, there are 433 ordinary people, and the rest are prisoners doing hard labor... Yes, you heard it right, the Yazhou government is trying to get their prisoners here. In this way, not only can they Save a lot of money and get a huge rebate from us. ”
Schneider paused, and his expression turned disgusting: "In fact, I heard a very bad news recently. The Yazhou government plans to arrest some nearby farmers who have lost their fields, and then treat them all as prisoners. Give it to us so they can make extra money in a 'reasonable' way."
(End of chapter)