I, the queen and the father, start with a deer as a horse

Chapter 280 Who Is Your Backer?
Uncle Guo had obviously been waiting for a long time, when he saw Fang Xiu, his eyes sparkled, he rushed up and called out respectfully, "Mr. Fang."

Fang Xiu nodded, and asked, "What's the matter with Uncle Guo's visit?"

"Fang Xiangke still remembers that when he observed the steam engine some time ago, he said that he wanted me to continue researching and strive to make this steam engine practical as soon as possible?"

Uncle Guo looked at Fang Xiu with excitement in his tone.

Could it be that he has already researched the application of the steam engine?
Fang Xiu was slightly taken aback, nodded, and replied, "Of course I remember, where does Uncle Guo plan to use the steam engine?"

Uncle Guo said: "What Fang Xiang said before gave me a lot of inspiration. I have already started to use steam engines on cars and boats, but I haven't made any progress yet."

If there is no progress, say a fart!
Fang Xiu frowned slightly, and was about to ask what he wanted to do when he came to see him.

Before he could speak, he heard Uncle Guo follow closely:
"However, in addition to these two items, some progress has been made. I heard people say that many mines and mines have a problem after they are dug, that is, there will be water accumulation, and to clean up the water accumulation, one It is troublesome, and the second is time-consuming, so that work will be stopped every once in a while.

In addition, there are some mines and mines that cannot be mined because of too much water. I wondered if I could use a steam engine to drain the water in the mines.

In this way, it saves time and manpower. After my unremitting efforts, a machine for removing stagnant water has been designed. I sent people to try it out several times, and the effect is not bad! "

When Uncle Guo said this, his face was full of pride.

Used to remove stagnant water?

Fang Xiu hadn't thought that the steam engine could have this effect, so he was slightly taken aback.

Seeing his blank face, Uncle Guo hurriedly said: "The machine is in a mine somewhere in the suburbs, Mr. Xiang, would you like to take a look?"

Fang Xiu thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Since Uncle Guo invited me, I will let you take a look."

"I'll lead the way!"

Seeing that Fang Xiu agreed, Uncle Guo showed joy, and hurriedly led the way ahead.

An hour later.

Fang Xiu looked at the steam engine in front of him, with a look of approval on his face, and said, "It's really good."

With Fang Xiu's appreciation, Uncle Guo showed excitement, feeling that his hard work had been rewarded and his talent had been put to good use. He said excitedly, "With the support of Prime Minister Fang, I just don't eat, drink or drink. Sleep, and strive to develop this steam engine ship and steam locomotive as soon as possible!"

Hearing this, Fang Xiu glanced at him, saw that his face was flushed, as if he was reading some oath, he couldn't help but smiled, and said: "Some things can't be done without hard work, just try your best. "

"Fang Xiang taught me a lesson!"

Uncle Guo nodded heavily, looking like he was being educated.

Although he is the younger brother of the current queen mother and the dignified uncle of the country, he is still extremely humble in front of Fang Xiu, a minister with power over the world.

Fang Xiu glanced at the steam engine, thought for a while, and asked, "How much does it cost to produce a machine like this, and how long will it take?"

Uncle Guo thought for a while, and replied: "If the raw materials are sufficient, a few skilled craftsmen can build together, and such a machine can be produced in a month at most!"

"."

When Fang Xiu heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

One machine is produced a month, and there are so many mines and mines in the whole, when will it be equipped with one.

He was silent for a while, and said: "Tell me, why the production speed is so slow, and which step is difficult."

Uncle Guo was slightly taken aback, and muttered to himself, "One set a month shouldn't be too slow."

After finishing speaking, he suddenly came back to his senses. Since Fang Xiang felt that he was slow, he only needed to find ways to improve efficiency. The rest of the words sounded like complaints.

So, hastily changed his words:

"In the case of Hui Fangxiang, the key is the lack of suitable craftsmen. A steam engine needs many parts, and the parts need to be very precise. Skilled craftsmen must be able to build them.

Such craftsmen are hard to find in the entire capital, and I spent a lot of money to poach a few from other workshops.

Moreover, even for skilled craftsmen, it is not an easy task to build all the parts and assemble them completely. They have been groping for a long time and practicing for a long time before they can do it for a month. Produce one.

If you want to improve the efficiency of assembly, in my opinion, there seems to be only one way, which is to recruit as many craftsmen as possible, hone them, and train them, but this requires a lot of silver and a lot of money. time. "

Fang Xiu had a thoughtful expression on his face when he heard this.

After being silent for a while, he suddenly said, "Have you ever thought about letting a craftsman make only one kind of parts, and then let the craftsman assemble all the parts together."

"Let a craftsman make only one kind of part."

Uncle Guo was startled for a moment, then thoughtful.

After a while, he seemed to be enlightened, and his whole body was refreshed.

"What Fang Xiang said is very true! What he said is very true!"

"Let the craftsmen only make one kind of parts. In this way, it doesn't take much time and money to train craftsmen, and it is easier for craftsmen to learn. Each part of the steam engine is made by different craftsmen, and finally a certain craftsman Assemble it and do this, the efficiency will be greatly improved!"

Uncle Guo blushed with excitement, looked at Fang Xiu, and said in an almost adoring tone: "Fang Xiangzhen is a god and man! A casual sentence has solved such an important problem! Fang Xiang is simply a god in the sky down to earth, yes"

"Okay, there is no need to say these words, after you go back, do as the minister said, and try to improve the efficiency of steam engine production.

At that time, a workshop will be funded by the Ministry of Households to specialize in the production of steam engines. The profits earned will be divided into [-]-[-]%, [-]% will go to the owner, and the other [-]% will go to the state treasury. "

Fang Xiu said so.

When Uncle Guo heard this, he waved his hands in a hurry, and said in a panic: "How can this work? The idea of ​​the steam engine was proposed by Fang Xiang, and the drawings were provided by Fang Xiang, including the application and production. Phase ideas!

I just found a few craftsmen and put them into practice, and the silver used to hire the craftsmen was provided by you, Fang Xiang. The [-]% profit is too much, I really can't afford it! "

"It's just a short sentence from coming up with an idea to putting it into practice, but it's not easy to do it well. I know that you have put a lot of effort into this steam engine. You don't have to speculate. [-]% of the dividend You deserve it."

Fang Xiu looked at Uncle Guo with a gentle tone.

When Uncle Guo heard this, he was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly knelt down, and said, "I know how much I paid for this steam engine, and [-]% of the dividend is really too much! It's enough to take a half!"

Fang Xiu hurriedly helped him up, and said: "How can Uncle Guo do such a great gift to my minister, I can't afford it."

Uncle Guo said firmly: "If Fang Xiang refuses to agree to my request, I will keep kneeling."

"."

Looking at him, Fang Xiu sighed inexplicably.

If someone else could get [-]% of the dividend, they might still feel that it was too little, and even if they didn't think it was too little, they would never refuse to accept it like him.

It seems that this uncle Guo is still a simple and honest person.

However, it is such a person who can calm down and delve into these machines.

If you are someone who is eager for quick success and short-term profits, you may be full of thoughts on how to earn more money, and you will not pay attention to things like steam engines that do not generate much profit in a short period of time.

"Since this is the case, according to what Uncle Guo said, half of the uncle's mansion will be completed, and the rest will be returned to the treasury."

Speaking of this, he paused, and said with a smile: "We are discussing how to distribute dividends here. If we can't sell it and make no profit, it will be embarrassing."

Uncle Guo got up from the ground and hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, Mr. Fang, this steam engine is so useful, it will definitely sell well!"

Fang Xiu nodded and said no more, "Whether it can be sold or not, I will leave the production of the steam engine to Uncle Guo."

"I will live up to Fang Xiang's great trust!"

Uncle Guo saluted with a serious face.

The two chatted for a while, and then planned to go back.

at this time.

A miner suddenly rushed out of the pit, knelt down in front of Fang Xiu and Uncle Guo, kowtowed heavily, and said loudly, "My lords, please save the little ones!"

Almost at the same time.

A middle-aged man with braids in his hands followed up, panting: "Dog, you want to die!"

"Bold! Who are you, how dare you be so presumptuous in front of Fang Xiang!"

Hearing the sound, the middle-aged man came to his senses, looked at Fang Xiu and Uncle Guo, knelt down with a plop, and said in a trembling voice, "Damn the little one for disturbing the two adults, please punish me!"

Fang Xiu glanced at him, put his eyes on the miner, and asked calmly: "Tell me, what happened to you, and you want to save you?"

The miner knelt on the ground, pressed his head tightly to the ground, and said loudly:
"The foreman of the mine doesn't treat the young people as human beings. He walks around the mine with a whip on weekdays. When he sees anyone who stops to rest, he is whipped. It was a severe beating, only the skin was torn apart.

The younger one was beaten three times within two months after he came to the mine, and one of them was laid on the bed for four or five days without recovering from it. Even so, he still forced the younger one to get up. work! "

As he spoke, the miner took off his coat, revealing his bruised back.

Seeing this, Fang Xiu frowned slightly, looked at the uncle Guo at the side, and asked, "Does this mine belong to the imperial court or a merchant?"

Uncle Guo replied: "Master Hui Fang, this is a copper mine. According to the law, it should be the royal court's mine."

When Fang Xiu heard this, his face became a little ugly.

Uncle Guo observed his words, looked at the miner, and asked, "Since the miner abused you so much, why are you still working under him?"

When the miner heard this question, his face showed grief and indignation, and he said in a desolate voice:

"One is because the small family has an old mother and children to support, and the wages from the mine are needed to subsidize the family during the slack season, so even if they are scolded and beaten, they think they can get the wages, so they endure it.

The second is that the young man couldn’t run even if he wanted to. The foreman told the young man that since he came to the mine, he would have to work in the mine for three months. He was turned over to the Yamen and imprisoned! "

When Fang Xiu heard this, his face became even more gloomy.

In fact, as soon as the miner knelt before him, he probably understood what was going on.

With so many mines and mines being worked on, it is almost inevitable that the foremen bully the miners.

The Metropolitan Procuratorate sent several censors to patrol around every once in a while, and they could only minimize the occurrence of similar incidents.

but.

He didn't expect that this mine was so close to Chang'an, and the foreman of the mine would dare to bully the miners so blatantly.

"Since that's the case, why do you dare to stand up today and accuse the foreman? Are you not afraid that you won't get paid after I leave?"

Uncle Guo looked at the miner and asked again.

The miner said desolately: "The little one can't live anymore. After two months of digging here, the food is getting less and less, and the work is getting more and more day by day. If this goes on, the little one may not be able to live. On the day of wages, I actually knew in my heart that those people wanted to use this method to force me to leave.

If the younger ones leave at this time, it means that they have worked for two months in vain, and even if they arrive at the Yamen, they have a reason, nothing more than that they told the younger ones that they will only get paid after three months of work. , but the little one stayed here for two months, and I didn't see a few people getting paid at all! "

Speaking of this, the miner showed a decisive look on his face, and said loudly: "The little one believes that the two Qingtian masters can make decisions for the young one! Of course, if the Qingtian masters can't make decisions, the young one can't help it. Since the young one To kneel here is to embrace the determination to die."

aside.

The middle-aged man with the whip was so frightened that his face was pale, his head was pressed to the ground, his mouth was trembling, and he couldn't say a word.

Fang Xiu looked at the middle-aged man and asked, "Is what he said true?"

"little.little"

The middle-aged man was so frightened that he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Answer truthfully!"

On the side, Uncle Guo raised his voice and said coldly.

"True"

The middle-aged man obviously knew the identities of the two adults in front of him, and knew that there was no point in defending them, so he could only confess.

Fang Xiu was silent for a while, and asked, "Who is the backer behind you?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man trembled, and he didn't know where the courage came from, and replied: "Back, back to the adults, the young one is just a small foreman. He is a little more courageous on weekdays. Where did he come from?" .”

Fang Xiu sneered: "With your cowardly appearance, how dare you do such a thing without a backer?"

Speaking of this, he raised his voice and shouted sharply:
"Say! Who is your backer! Answer truthfully, and you will be spared from death!"

(End of this chapter)