Chapter 193 Once you get married, you won’t be short of money anymore

Author: tx Cheng Zhi

Chapter 193 Once you get married, you won’t be short of money anymore

Chapter 192

Cheng Shijie had a headache. He had no cash in hand. It didn't mean that he had no money. It was just that all his money was in southern Liaoning, so it would be difficult to transfer it there.

When heading to the capital, it wasn't that Cheng Shijie didn't want to bring more money, but the key issue was that Ning Haijun was still in its infancy, especially in the newly expanded areas of Guangning, Liaozhong and Liaoyang, which required a lot of investment.

Engaging in industry is different from engaging in finance. The financial industry brings in money quickly. Engaging in industry, whether it is agriculture or industry, is like this, with high investment, slow returns, and no rush. However, Liaonan's potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn have gained a lot this year.

The harvest is good, because the prospects are good, and factories in southern Liaoning are blooming everywhere.

What makes Cheng Shijie a little dissatisfied is that the industrialization of nitric acid has not yielded much results so far. He has invested six to seven hundred thousand taels of silver there, but the results can only be described as terrible, and he can only produce less than eight thousand kilograms per month.

Nitric acid!

Cheng Shijie was completely dumbfounded. You must know that he threw more than 600,000 to 700,000 taels of silver into the nitric acid plant, and what he got in return was this little nitric acid?

Nitric acid is an important chemical raw material. It can be called industrial blood. It can be used in industry to make chemical fertilizers, pesticides, explosives, dyes, etc.

Although Cheng Shijie knew that in 1905, a factory for producing nitric acid by arc method appeared in Norway, which was the earliest attempt to industrialize nitric acid in history. Cheng Shijie could not learn this method. First, there must be electricity. In the field of electricity, Liaonan has not yet tried it.

research.

"Nitric acid..."

Thinking of this thing, I covered my head with a headache. If you want to achieve high food yields, you definitely cannot do without chemical fertilizers. Without nitric acid, you cannot make chemical fertilizers. Just like phosphate fertilizers, agricultural production is indispensable.

But the problem is that there are only two production processes for phosphate fertilizer: thermal method and acid method. Under the current conditions, it is impossible for Cheng Shijie to meet the conditions for thermal production and can only use nitric acid processing.

The production of nitric acid cannot be increased, and Cheng Shijie doesn't know what to do. If he wants to produce powerful nitrocellulose, he must be inseparable from nitric acid. However, with such a small amount of production, it can barely be used to make nitrocellulose in large quantities.

Training, if it is a big battle, requires a certain amount of time to accumulate

Where is enough? Especially for the production of chemical fertilizers, let alone 8,000 jins a month, even if it is 80,000 jins a day, it is actually not enough.

In Zheng Qi's view, Cheng Shijie's input and output are simply not proportional!

Zheng Qi asked very puzzledly: "My lord, why do you have to spend so much money on nitric acid? That thing can't be sold, and it can destroy gold and stone. It's too dangerous. You have to make such a dangerous thing."

what?"

"You'll know later!"

Zheng Qi shook his head and said: "My lord, you are... really... no one is spending money like you! Take a look, there are more than one hundred and sixty items, and there are places to spend money everywhere. If you hadn't made money

Come on, you've been bankrupt a long time ago, but the way you spend it, it's really..."

"What is it really?"

"What a prodigal. Even a prodigal is not as prodigal as you!"

Zheng Qi has now entered the role of Mr. Accountant and pointed out Cheng Shijie's problem with spending money: "Nitric acid is not very useful, just a little bit is enough. There is no need for such a large investment. There are also ready-made firecrackers and artillery, Ning Haijun's firecrackers

and artillery are already the only ones in the world. You just leave what you have ready-made and don’t use it, but you insist on..."

Zheng Qi was still very afraid of Cheng Shijie. Whenever Cheng Shijie looked at him with sharp eyes, she was so frightened that she did not dare to speak.

"It has been more than a year since last year. I have been working on breech-loaded muskets and breech-loaded artillery. As a result, I have been working on it for so long, and more than four million taels of silver have been invested in it, and I haven't even made a profit!"

Zheng Qi looked at Cheng Shijie and said seriously: "Don't you think you have too much money?"

Cheng Shijie looked at the column of scientific research expenses and sighed in frustration...

In fact, what Zheng Qi said is not comprehensive. More than four million taels of silver were invested, and some achieved results, and they were very significant, like the breech-loaded smoothbore cannon. This was progress across the ages.

There are also explosive bombs, which are different from the explosive bombs of the Crouching Tiger Cannon. The explosive bombs of the Crouching Tiger Cannon can actually be regarded as a two-kicking kick. It is similar to the launch of the Thunder Cannon. It is just a paper tube, divided into two Part, part is used as propellant, part is used as explosive part.

But the problem is that there are too many problems with the Crouching Tiger Cannon. First of all, the range is uncontrollable. How far it can shoot depends on your mood, when it explodes, and luck.

However, the three-inch cannon is different. The principle and operation method of the three-inch cannon's breech-mounted smoothbore cannon already belong to the artillery category of later generations. Europe did not invent this kind of similar artillery until the 19th century. Now it is at least two hundred years ahead of Europe. .

But the problem was that he had been working on the research and development project of the breech-loading rifled rifle for a whole year and spent seven to eight hundred thousand taels of silver, but he didn't even get a single success.

Engaging in scientific research has never been an easy task. Every little bit of progress is made with real money, and often astronomical amounts of money, manpower and material resources are invested, but in the end nothing is gained.

This is the reason why modern Chinese companies have not been very willing to engage in scientific research and innovation for a long time. The investment is too great, and hundreds of millions were spent to develop new technologies. As a result, competitors only spent a few million to replace a few core engineers. Who would be willing to engage in scientific research if they were poached and produced the exact same product without any effort, making them cry without tears?

They all stared with wide eyes to see who had come up with new technology, and then went to poach people. Now he had to make the transition from front-loading smoothbore guns to breech-loading rifled guns, rifled cannons, materials, technology, and design concepts in one step. If you start over again, let alone a year, you may not be able to see the results in a few years.

Gao Qiqian returned to the palace, saw Cao Huachun, and accidentally mentioned that Cheng Shijie was short of money and he was willing to pay high interest. If he had money, he could make a fortune.

Although Cao Huachun was rich, he never dared to show it. Who doesn't understand the principle of not revealing wealth? Wang Zhixin almost emptied his family fortune, and Gao Qiqian worked hard for so many years, desperately trying to make money, but in the end, he returned to before liberation overnight.

Cao Huachun reported this matter to Emperor Chongzhen.

Emperor Chongzhen was slightly startled: "Cheng Qing has no money?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, you don't know something. For every soldier killed in battle, Duke Hai will give them twenty taels of silver as a pension and one hundred acres of land. Otherwise, those big soldiers of Ning Haijun will How can you work so hard! What's more..."

"Not to mention what?"

"What's more, the Duke of Haiguo is getting married soon. There are too many places to spend money!"

Emperor Chongzhen sighed and said: "How much money does my concubine have?"

"Replying to your majesty, I only have two hundred and eight thousand taels of silver left!"

"That's it?"

Emperor Chongzhen looked surprised.

Cao Huachun said: "His Majesty said that the money given to the army and meritorious officers was born..."

"well!"

Emperor Chongzhen smiled bitterly and said: "I can't watch Cheng Qing have no money to use and have to borrow money everywhere. In this way, you will transfer 20,000 from your concubine... No, 40,000 taels of silver will be sent to Cheng Qing!"

"This is..."

Before Cao Huachun could say the words "not allowed", Emperor Chongzhen continued: "In addition, you can bring five hundred craftsmen over to repair Cheng Qing's house!"

Although Chongzhen did not give Cheng Shijie a house in the capital, Emperor Chongzhen gave Cheng Shijie two imperial mansions in Daxing County, about forty miles away from the capital.

The total area of ​​the two imperial estates is about 1,300 acres, which is not too large. Cheng Shijie's Haiguogong Mansion was built on the imperial estate, with a total of more than 150 rooms. There are gardens, racecourses, and swimming pools in the manor.

, warehouses, martial arts arena and other leisure facilities, including the area of ​​​​the mansion, it is almost more than 1,400 acres of land, close to 1,500 acres.

It's just that Cheng Shijie hasn't had time to see this house yet. He just looked at it on the map. It belongs to the countryside now, but in later generations, it belonged to Fengtai District, one of the six main urban areas in the capital.

Even though it is in Daxing County, it is at the foot of the emperor. The value of each mu of land is more than three times more than the best paddy fields in Jiangnan. It is a full thirty-seven or eighty taels of silver per mu of land. If you buy the land, you want to rely on it.

You can't get back your roots even if you farm for a hundred years.

This is not fertile farmland, just dry farmland. Moreover, nowadays, Beizhili is suffering from drought every year, with nine droughts occurring every ten years. Poor farmland that may not be able to recover its original value in a hundred years is still priced but has no market, and no one is willing to sell it.

Different from the habits of later generations, in the Ming Dynasty, if you sold your house or land, it would mean your family was ruined.

"Meet the Duke!"

"Ouch, what kind of wind has brought Eunuch Cao here!"

"Mr. Hai is out of town, and our family is just running errands. Your Majesty heard that Mr. Hai has some money, so he asked our family to send money to Mr. Hai!"

While Cao Huachun was talking, Sun Zhidan came to Cheng Mansion with a huge motorcade.

"Yongyan, what are you..."

"My grandfather learned that the commander was short of money, so he asked Yongyan to send him some. Although the Sun family has a big business, there are many people eating, so..."

Sun Zhilan placed a gift list in front of Cheng Shijie. Cheng Shijie took a quick look and found three hundred pieces of cloth, two hundred pieces of silk, and six thousand taels of silver ingots. Together with other belongings, there were about twenty thousand taels of silver.

"How is this good?"

"Commander, don't be polite, we are a family!"

Cheng Shijie knew that unlike later generations in the Ming Dynasty, since he worshiped Sun Chengzong as his teacher, a teacher was like his father, Cheng Shijie accepted him without any courtesy.

Then, when Cheng Shijie was seeing Cao Huachun off, he saw a middle-aged man wearing a long gown riding a horse, followed by more than a dozen carts.

He smiled from a distance and said, "I pay my respects to Duke Hai!"

He said he was going to pay homage to Duke Hai, but he had no intention of paying homage to him. Cheng Shijie knew that this person was Xu Guangqi's close aide, named Gu Sicheng.

It is said that there are seven rank officials under the prime minister. Although Xu Guangqi is not the prime minister, but a junior minister in the cabinet, and his disciple and confidant Gu Sicheng is a servant. He has seen many high-ranking officials and dignitaries, so he naturally has his own airs.

"How can I trouble you, sir? Please come in, sir!"

"I won't go in, I'm still waiting for a reply!"

Gu Sicheng got off his horse and bowed to Cheng Shijie: "Congratulations to Duke Hai on his wedding in advance. I'm not in good health, so I have to go back and take care of him!"

When Gao Qi lurked to Cao Huachun and told him that Cheng Shijie was short of money, Emperor Chongzhen, a big boss, took the money from his concubine to the Cheng Mansion. In fact, all the civil and military officials in the capital knew about it. In fact, Emperor Chongzhen's Forbidden City was just a sieve.

In any case, Cheng Shijie was a new member of the dynasty, with an official position and a minor security guard. Those who should give gifts must give gifts. After Sun Chengzong and Xu Guangqi sent people to the Cheng Mansion, countless officials came one after another.

Some were carrying carts, pulling silks and satins, and some were carrying money. Of course, there were also honest officials from the court. They were actually from the Qingshui Yamen, which was poor and had no money. They wanted to embezzle, but they just didn’t have the chance. These people

In desperation, I had no choice but to write the calligraphy or draw it myself and come to visit in person.

Wen Tiren, the first minister of the court, wanted to eat Cheng Shijie, but at this time, he still had to bite the bullet and had someone send Cheng Shijie a congratulatory gift of 8,000 taels of silver.
To be continued...