Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 450 Undercurrent of Calmness
Smiling on the surface but cursing in the heart, calling you a brother in front of others but stabbing you in the back.

I'm talking about the Prince of Xining. After this bastard got the equipment, he impeached Jia Lian.

This was the first time that he was manipulated like this, and the prince of Xining couldn't stand it and wanted to get it back. Of course, he wouldn't do it himself, but went through a few circles to hide himself and spent money to find an imperial censor.

The content of the impeachment is also very simple: selling active equipment at low prices and enriching oneself.

The Prince of Xining was not thinking about overthrowing Jia Lian, he just wanted to spend money to cause him some trouble, otherwise he would be angry.

The censor could report things based on hearsay as long as there was a little bit of evidence. There was basically no risk and he could get paid for it, so Tong Yang naturally accepted the job.

When the memorial reached the emperor, Emperor Chenghui did not express his opinion after reading it and passed it to the cabinet for handling.

Lin Ruhai, who was on duty, read the memorial and frowned, writing: Check! Pass it to the Prime Minister for review.

When Zhang Tingen received the memorial, he also frowned. Who is this person? Tong Yang, the name is not very familiar.

He quickly called Lin Ruhai over to ask, "Tong Yang? I've never heard of him before."

"He was originally the Censor of Shandong Province. After the imperial examination, he performed outstandingly and was promoted to the position of Chief Censor by the Ministry of Personnel." Lin Ruhai explained his background. After hearing this, the first thing Zhang Tingen remembered was Shandong Province.

Jia Lian shouldn't have any enemies in that place, right? Besides, if a person is an imperial censor in Shandong, he can't be a Shandong native.

"How did he do in Shandong? How did the Ministry of Personnel conduct the inspection? Why don't I know about his achievements?" Zhang Tingen was very dissatisfied. It was not that he was protecting his shortcomings. If there were other charges, Zhang Tingen would not get angry. Putting the reason of embezzlement on Jia Lian was too funny. No wonder Emperor Chenghui did not express his opinion and let the cabinet play freely.

After Lin Ruhai understood what Zhang Tingen meant, he smiled and changed the subject: "Let someone check on the situation later. If nothing goes wrong, forget it."

This means not wanting to make trouble. If you feel itchy, just reach out and scratch it.

Anyway, Tong Yang's name has been remembered by the two big bosses in the cabinet, and he will suffer no benefits in the future.

Zhang Tingen refused to let Tong Yang go, and said dissatisfiedly: "If you have nothing to do, you can impeach officials for soliciting prostitution. What's the point of targeting a person who is doing his job? I think this person is not clean. Ask the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner to check his background. By the way, find out who in the Ministry of Personnel transferred him to Beijing."

Lin Ruhai knew that the Prime Minister was angry, so he quickly agreed: "I will arrange it right away."

On the surface, this matter passed calmly and did not cause much waves.

Lin Ruhai asked Fang Song to check the arms trade first. When Fang Song heard that it was about Jia Lian, he immediately understood. He went to the Ministry of War in person to look at the written materials. There was no problem with the procedures. It was true that the people in the Ministry of War were shocked at the time. After all, if you really want to check, you can really find something.

Fortunately, Fang Song only looked at the written materials and returned them after reading them, indicating that everything was fine.

Then everything was really fine, and they just commented: No evidence found!

Emperor Chenghui was afraid that Jia Lian would suffer a loss, so he called someone to the palace and asked him, "Did you sell the equipment that was discarded by the Shenjiying?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "I was just a matchmaker, I didn't even have a cup of tea."

Emperor Chenghui nodded: "I know you won't. You should be more careful in judging people in the future. Making friends carelessly can cause great harm."

Then Jia Lian left the palace, inexplicably, and Emperor Chenghui did not elaborate, but Qiu Shian said when he saw him off: "The new Chief Censor Tong Yang impeached you for selling military supplies privately!"

It’s not that Qiu Shian and Jia Lian have a good relationship, but Jia Lian can find out the truth himself when he returns, so it’s better to sell it first.

"Tong Yang? I don't know this guy!" Jia Lian came out confused, and secretly became more cautious. It seemed that no one could do anything to him, but in fact he was already the target of public criticism. He didn't know how many eyes were watching him in private. It was a good thing that Jia Lian didn't have any serious problems, otherwise a group of people would have jumped on him and bit him.

The reason is simple: the R&D department is too lucrative! The benefits are overflowing, and the treatment of the craftsmen in the R&D department is much better than that of ordinary petty officials.

It's not that Jia Lian is unwilling to share the profits with others, but the R&D department is too important and must be kept secret. If there is any opening, the government office will go bankrupt within a year at most.

Let’s put it this way, how many people are hoping that the R&D department will be free from Jia Lian’s control? They can take advantage of a ready-made thing.

In this world, there are only a few people who have the ability to bake cakes, and more people are used to eating ready-made food.

Emperor Chenghui looked fine, but he was still upset. No one had impeached Jia Lian for a while, so what? Of course there was a reason.

After Qiu Shian came back, Emperor Chenghui thought about it and said, "Secret guards, check Tong Yang!"

Jia Lian vaguely felt that this matter was related to the Prince of Xining, but he had no evidence and it was just a guess.

Being targeted is fine, but he actually dared to take action. This cannot be tolerated. Jia Lian called Ni Er and asked him to send someone to investigate Tong Yang. Find out who he usually interacts with.

Tong Yang never imagined that when his life was at its peak, he would be secretly investigated by three groups of people because of something he thought was very small.

It's the end of the year, and Tong Yang, who has received some money, can spend a comfortable year for the time being.

After Fang Song closed the case, he specially called Tong Yang over and told him in a seemingly normal manner: "I have investigated your impeachment of Jia Lian. The result is that there is no substantiation. Are you satisfied?"

Tong Yang was not stubborn, nor did he think it was a big deal. He just smiled and said, "I just heard about it."

Fang Song gave him a meaningful look and said calmly, "That's good. If you do that again, I won't be so easy to talk to."

"I still trust you, sir!" Tong Yang would not offend his immediate superior and quickly ended the matter.

On the day of the Beginning of Winter, fresh vegetables appeared on the market. It was Jia Lian's day to make a fortune. Countless eyes were jealous, but unfortunately they couldn't afford to offend Jia Lian.

This year, the planting area of ​​winter vegetables has expanded again. Not only is it supplied to the capital, but it has also started to be wholesaled to other places.

For this purpose, Jia Lian rented another imperial farm, and the rent increased by 500,000 taels.

Just this one industry has brought about a huge economic value, which is why it is not included in the GDP statistics.

The types of crops that were added this year were mainly for storage, such as cucumbers, eggplants, and peppers. Even if they were transported to Jinan via the canal, it would only take three to five days. Those that were farther away were all sold to Xuzhou. So people kept submitting memorials, hoping that Jia Lian could promote this matter.

Emperor Chenghui had heard so much that his ears were callused. He called Jia Lian to ask, "Can this be promoted on a large scale?"

Jia Lian thought for a moment before answering, "I have thought about this a long time ago. Promotion is easy, but the difficult part is how to ensure fair distribution during the promotion process. Take the capital as an example. The worst laborers who collect vegetables and load carts can earn 40 copper coins and two meals a day for carrying 400 baskets of vegetables a day. No one draws water. What I am doing can benefit thousands of poor people at the bottom. If someone else were to do it, I am worried that the money would go into the pockets of some individuals, and the poor at the bottom would only earn enough for three meals a day, with nothing left."

Emperor Chenghui also understood that growing vegetables is simple, but how to distribute them is a big problem. In the entire industrial chain, Jia Lian can guarantee that everyone has a suitable income. If someone else does it, can it work?

How can we answer this question? Even in modern society, it is impossible to achieve fairness. The vegetables harvested from the fields are several cents per pound, but the price has increased several times in the market. Who earns all the money? Jia Lian can pay a laborer 40 cents a day, which is a good thing. If you don't believe it, you can pay him 10 cents a day, with two meals, and see if there are people who will do it. There are still many people who will do it.

After listening to Jia Lian's explanation, Emperor Chenghui was speechless. Forty cents a day and two meals provided, this was really incredible. No one else could do this.

Jia Lian continued: "There is another problem. If we promote this in other places, we need the cooperation of local people. By then, there will be a lot of disputes and people who will trip us up. It is very likely that I have done a lot of work, but it has benefited some local tyrants."

Emperor Chenghui sighed after hearing this: "This matter is really difficult to handle. A few days ago, Zhang Ru reported that the Cao Gang was unstable, and I haven't figured out how to deal with it yet."

When Jia Lian heard about the Cao Gang, he said, "Maybe I'm thinking too much. In any case, Dongcai earns money from the rich. The promotion of this matter will eventually benefit the poor at the bottom. Even if it's just labor, there is a place for labor."

Emperor Chenghui changed his tone after hearing this and asked with a smile, "Why, do you think the Cao Gang can do this?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "The Cao Gang alone can't do it. Someone from the palace must be responsible for supervision to ensure that the people working at the bottom can get their wages."

Emperor Chenghui laughed bitterly as he listened: "There are people in the palace, they are trying to put me on the spot. I am afraid the local officials below will rebel."

Jia Lian certainly didn't believe his lies, and said righteously: "Your Majesty is considerate of the people and provides a winter livelihood for the common people. How could the local officials rebel? They are too busy to welcome them. But if this happens, the technology will inevitably spread, and it will be difficult to make a lot of money at that time."

Jia Lian threw out a multiple-choice question, and Emperor Chenghui was in a dilemma. On one side was his purse, and on the other side were the consequences of technological diffusion.

After thinking it over, Emperor Chenghui thought that he should earn the money himself, so he said, "Let's wait for a while! By the way, how is your steam loom weaving project going?"

Jia Lian did give instructions on this matter, but there is no clear result as to how it has been done so far.

"I have asked someone to study this matter. The short-pile fabric in China is not suitable for machines, but wool is fine. The difficulty lies in how to degrease it. A group of craftsmen are working on the public relations, and there should be results next year." Jia Lian said casually, weaving is simple, but degreasing wool is difficult. There is no chemical fiber blending now, so it is definitely not possible to weave wool alone.

The matter ended there. On his way out of the palace, Jia Lian couldn't help but sigh, "I'm a liberal arts monk, but how come I'm doing scientific research?"

Jia Lian was actually quite worried about the current situation of the R&D Department, mainly because it had changed from a simple research institute to a trust integrating production and sales.

Emerging industries have not had much impact, but industries like soy sauce have had a huge impact on traditional workshops. Jia Lian is now in charge of the R&D department, and over time, there will definitely be problems with management. However, there are not many suitable people at present. If you ask ordinary officials to manage the R&D department, they will not be able to manage it well. Jia Lian can only promote people from the existing team to take over.

The key is that people have different understandings of talents. The talents that Jia Lian needs cannot be cultivated among the ranks of scholars.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian went to the technical school again and decided to add a class next year to specifically train talents in management.

The scale of the technical school is much larger than last year, and new classrooms have been added to ensure that a group of new students will be added next year.

The cement road has been completed. Although it is only ten miles long, the impact it has had is huge. Now the construction of Rongning Street has also started, and we are striving to complete it before the end of the year.

With this road as a model, cement factories received orders one after another. New cement furnaces were opened one after another. The road was full of horse-drawn carriages loaded with raw materials, and the air was filled with smoke. Jia Lian frowned when he saw it.

No, it won't work. We can't reduce logistics costs just by relying on animals to pull the carts. We have to think of a better way. We must find a new site and build a track first.

Jia Lian called Liu Chuan to discuss the matter with him.

Liu Chuan is a professional. He frowned after hearing this and said, "Wooden tracks are simple. There are two difficulties. One is the durability of the bearings and tracks. This thing is not new. The straight road built by Qin Shihuang used wooden tracks."

Jia Lian gave him some inspiration: "We can organize manpower and technical breakthroughs for bearings, but can the rails be made directly of steel?"

Liu Chuan's face turned pale when he heard this: "If we use steel tracks, how much will it cost? We will be called a spendthrift. The labor cost is not much anyway, so why don't we use wooden tracks for now?"

Thanks to Taizu's contribution, the Zhou Dynasty's steelmaking technology was still decent and not so primitive.

The biggest problem is the ore. China has a long history of using iron, and the high-quality ore may have been mined out. Jia Lian now knows of only two places in China where high-quality ore is found. One is in Shilu, Hainan Island, and there is also a mine with good quality near Jingshan, but it has not been discovered yet. Jia Lian has not told anyone about it and is secretly planning to buy the place first.

Because it involves Feng Shui, this matter is quite troublesome, and it also has some connections with the royal family.

Jia Lian got a headache when he thought of these things, according to the current steel prices.

"If it doesn't work, just use ordinary rails first. In any case, don't use wooden ones." Jia Lian was very determined. Even if it means losing money, wooden ones cannot be used.

The reason is simple. Wooden tracks require a lot of wood, which has a huge impact on the environment. The sandstorms in Beijing today are not too serious, but there are signs of it.

Jia Lian had never thought about the Three North Shelterbelt Project, but he had the idea of ​​encouraging tree planting and was ready to implement it.

How to implement it? Of course, it is to spend money, let people plant trees, provide seedlings, and give money if the trees survive.

There is one thing you should know: in the old society, all the mountains and forests were owned by someone. The landlords would not allow ordinary people to go into the mountains to cut firewood or hunt, and would release dogs to bite you if they found you.

Speaking of saplings, we return to the cultivation technology and we have to go back to the technical school. Here there are some experienced farmers who serve as teachers of practical classes and teach students how to farm.

Every time he thought of this, Jia Lian felt that his life was too difficult and he wanted too much.

Sometimes it's like this. If you are an incompetent person, it really doesn't matter. It's pretty cool to just give up.

The key is that I am capable now and can do a lot of things, but what seems important to me may be worthless to others.

Just like Liu Chuan in front of him, when Jia Lian suggested using steel tracks, he felt it was too much of a loss and wanted to use wooden tracks.

This is the difference in philosophy, and you can't explain it clearly. You can only enforce it, according to your own will, I won't waste my words with you.

Since Jia Lian insisted, Liu Chuan had no choice but to agree. After all, it was for his cement factory, so he threw the task to Liu Chuan and asked him to organize the craftsmen and get the rails and vehicles.

Jia Lian was not in a hurry about the steam locomotive.

There's no point in being anxious. You can only do it step by step and slowly.

The accumulation of technology is not something that can be achieved overnight.

Liu Chuan still complained that he had not done his job as the Ministry of Industry for a long time.

Jia Lian comforted him directly and went back to the Ministry of Works to ask for someone to transfer him to the Research and Development Department.

Liu Chuan smiled happily after hearing this. After all, he was quite popular in the Ministry of Works.

How to say it, he used to be a hardworking old ox who worked silently, but now the ox has been taken away by Jia Lian. If he doesn't do his job, even if others do it, how can he not be despised?
Liu Chuan used to work honestly, but now there is a comparison. Why? I earn several hundred taels every month, and you are qualified to order me around?
(End of this chapter)