It is undeniable that among the few sons of Kangxi, the most outstanding ones were the ones who fought for the most fierce competition for the throne. The fourth son Yinsi was very scheming and never endured. Although he did not have the glory of the princes standing on the table on the surface, he also saved himself and kept secretly strengthening his strength. Especially after several princes who did not know how to "check" were expelled from the capital by Kangxi, he almost had no opponent among the princes. In addition, he always showed justice and strictness to the Qing court.

The ills at this time also have a clearer understanding and are highly appreciated by Kangxi. It can be said that if he made every effort to promote it, it would be very likely that Kangxi would start to rectify the administration. As long as he grasped the initiative and gained Kangxi's trust, among the princes who stayed in the capital, his advantage would not be threatened by anyone. Even if Kangxi felt that the opportunity was not yet, he would not lose much points because of this positive performance. At most, he would only receive Kangxi's warning of "refrain from urgent need to endure" again.

It can be said that this is a political gambling game where you win, but you lose less. After careful consideration, Yinsi quickly devoted himself to it.

Just as Yinsi was preparing to promote this political storm that would definitely affect the whole country once it broke out, a new thing began to settle here in Changzhou Prefecture, far away in the south of the Yangtze River.

……………………

"Dad, can this thing drive the spinning wheel in our yarn mill? Why did you get it?"

Wang Wei, the eldest son of Wang Weihe, the president of the Huizhou Merchants Association, was staring at a ball of iron lumps in his own cotton mill with his father. This piece of iron lump has been transported for some time, and everything that should be installed is ready, just waiting for the test tomorrow. However, although he is over 40 years old and has a lot of knowledge, he still cannot believe that the pile of iron lumps in front of him can drive so many spinning wheels at once. Moreover, no matter how he looks at it, he feels that the "iron mechanism" in front of him is very dangerous. If he is asked to choose, he would rather let his cotton mill continue to use water.

"You know, can I not get it? The lady of the platform said that I would try it, can I not try it?" New things came to his own yarn mill. Wang Weihe, as the big boss, should have come in person. However, looking at the pile of iron blocks in front of him, he felt a little scared.

Although he is a wealthy man in the world, the thing in front of him is said to be a "steam engine" that burns fire. How can this thing be used in a yarn mill? He doesn't want his largest yarn mill to be completely burned by a fire that came from unrealized. Even if he can afford to lose it, he will feel distressed. But then again, the competition in the spinning and weaving industries in various parts of Jiangnan is very fierce. Although he occupies a large share of it, if this machine is really useful, he will no longer have to be restricted by hydraulic power in the future. He can build factories anytime and anywhere. At that time, who can still compete with him in this industry? It's all up to him to see his President Wang's face?...

Unfortunately, it would be difficult to think about this kind of thing, but it would be difficult to do it. Unless he could think of the two women standing firmly above his head. However, it would be fine, and he would not do such stupid things. Those two are his current backstage.

"Dad, what do you think our platform lady is doing? Sometimes this, sometimes that, in recent years, there are cotton mills and cloth factories everywhere in our Jiangnan. Going further down, maybe all the earthen spinning wheels at the homes of ordinary people will be sold in the future." Wang Wei looked at the "mechanism" in front of him with curiosity and a little fear, and then came to Wang Weihe and said.

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense." Wang Weihe scolded his son, "You haven't read Mrs. Yu's book? Have you forgotten everything in it? How clearly do they explain it? There are rules to follow. Do you understand?"

"Where did I forget?" Wang Wei touched his head and was slightly wronged. "I just think our platform lady is a little too capable. If she was not a woman, I would have suspected that she might be reincarnated by Lu Ban. Dad, think about it, so many things, such shuttles, hydraulic spinning machines, and hydraulic looms not long ago, and now I have made another steam engine that only needs to burn coal. These things. Ordinary people may not be able to make the same in their lifetime. Why did she make it one after another in such a short time?"

"Hmph, I told you so I've told you more and more. Look at you, I don't even know where to know now." Wang Weihe looked at his eldest son with a little anger, "Who told you when these things were made by the Lady of the Platform? Have you forgotten those technical schools?

How many skilled craftsmen in Jiangnan have gathered there? There are still few things produced in a few years. I don’t know how many good things are there yet.”

"..." Wang Wei glanced at his own eyes that were slightly greedy when he looked at the iron organ, and he curled his lips secretly, feeling disapproving of Wang Weihe's greed. Since Ma De took office as the governor of Jiangnan, he has indeed established many technical schools in the three provinces of Jiangnan.

These technical schools specialize in teaching students to recognize words and cultivate a skill. Although they rarely cultivate great talents, they have now become a place where many businessmen choose their own hands. Many people in their Wang family's industry come from these technical schools. However, as the eldest son of Ma De's ally, Wang Wei also knew that among these technical schools, there was a skilled craftsman from Jiangnan. In the past two years, many Western technicians have been added there. In addition to the spinning machine that was brought by Mo Jing from Manchuria that could drive nearly twenty yarns at once, over the years, the chain shuttles that could improve the weaving efficiency several times, as well as the later hydraulic spinning machines, hydro-woven machines, etc., all came from that.

Technical school. However, this technical school has always been protected by special personnel sent by Ma De, so if you want to get something out there, no matter who you want to get something, you have to go through the consent of the couple in the Taiwan Made, otherwise the consequences will be serious. However, although the Wang family has always had a good relationship with the Taiwan Made and Wang Weihe has a good personal relationship with Ma De, Ma De never throws some way to make money to the Wang family alone. Even if Wang Weihe pays a large price, it will not work. At most, it will give the Wang family some opportunity. Moreover, if you want to get good things from Ma De, you have to agree to many conditions. Just like now, any fabric factory and yarn mill that use hydraulic spinning wheels have to pay 20% of the profits to do "charity" in addition to normal tax payments. Anyone who does not answer

If you are lip service, it will be said that you are asking for trouble in the end. Moreover, even if someone secretly gets the technology, it is useless. Because, even if you steal it and want to use water, you have to build a factory near the river. Most of these lands are managed by the government. If you want to use it, you have to agree to the conditions of the government. Of course, there are also merchants from other provinces who come to the three provinces of Jiangnan to steal the craftsmanship. If you want to get everything you need to do, you can do it again. In this way, you don’t have to agree to any conditions and make money in vain. However, these guys have forgotten one thing, that is, the power of the Hui merchants and Shanxi merchants is not jealous. Moreover, there are not many officials in the neighboring provinces who are not afraid of Ma De’s behavior, and very few of them are

People are willing to make Ma De angry in this regard. Furthermore, the officials in the three provinces of Jiangnan were Ma De and Zhang Boxing and others who were in charge. Few people dared to do anything, and merchants did not have to worry about anyone coming to "eat big players". Moreover, doing "charity" has also made them popular with many people, and those who are idle dare not cause trouble for them. But other provinces are not necessarily the case. In this way, coupled with the dispersed capital power and the small scale of the Tao, the production cost of those factories was higher than that of the cloth factories and yarn mills in the three provinces of Jiangnan, and naturally they could not compete with them. It is precisely because of personal experience that Wang Wei had a deeper understanding of Ma De and others' abilities, so he naturally felt a little unrealistic about his own greed.

"Wei'er!" Wang Weihe stared at the first steam engine in Jiangnan for a long time, and suddenly shouted at Wang Wei.

"What's the matter, dad?" Wang Wei was chaotic there and was trembling with a terror. He was scared by Wang Weihe's voice, and almost thought that someone was cheating on the zombie. Fortunately, Wang Weihe was still looking at the steam engine at this time, otherwise he might have been scolded again.

"You go to find your fifth brother. I remember one time when I went to the Taifa Yai. I heard that there was a large iron ore. I couldn't remember it for a while. You asked him to inquire at the Taifa Yai to see if he could get some exact information." Wang Weihe said. He had several sons. The youngest son Wang Mai was idle by nature. He was born in a business school but did not like to do business. He did not become an official after passing the imperial examination. He always worked as an aide in the Ma De Mansion, which was a link between the Wang family and the Taifa Yai.

"Dad, aren't you trying to thief the iron ore? This is not easy to do. Although the court has already issued a ban on mines, this mine is no better than other places... Moreover, our Wang family has never done this before. Do you think..." Wang Wei knew what he wanted to do when Wang Weihe said, but mining is not as good as opening a factory, and there is a great danger here. Especially the early investment is not small. He feels that with the current situation of the Wang family, other businesses are almost out of reach, and there is no need to build another stall. Besides, what is the best iron ore to do?

There is no shortage of iron in the market and the profit is not high.

"What do you know? If this steam engine can really replace hydraulic power, it will definitely be popular in the world in the future. But building this thing requires iron! And it must be the best steel. If we have iron ore in our hands, it will be another source of wealth." Wang Weihe said.

"Dad, you can tell at a glance that this steam engine is not easy to work with. Moreover, I heard that this one seemed to be built by the lady of the platform, and it seemed to be transported from Lord Manchuria. There is a large iron ore there, so it is not short of us..." Wang Wei said.

"Hmph, Manchu can be built, and Jiangnan can be built. If this machine is really good, no matter how fast Manchu is built, it may not be enough for those Shanxi masters to grab it. But if we work hard to get this manufacturing skills, it will have the upper hand of those old Xier. At that time, it will be that Kang and Siding, and I will probably be humble when I see my father... I still don't believe it, and we can still be at the disadvantage of those old sting everywhere?" Wang Weihe said.

"Dad, why are you..." Wang Wei shook his head helplessly. The Wang family industry has developed greatly in recent years, but this does not mean that the Wang family is so amazing. In addition to the two women who have been pressing on Mo Jing and Luo Xin, who can directly interfere in their business, the Shanxi merchants are also partners and mortal enemies of the Wang family.

Especially in the past two years, the Shanxi merchants relied on their strong capital. Although they started late, they expanded greatly in banks and other industries. Although the Wang family, which also had shares in the other party's business, also made a lot of profits, the territory owned by HSBC Bank, which was headed by Wang Weihe, was chewed away by the banks controlled by the other party, which made Wang Weihe, who had been suppressed by Shanxi merchants for many years and finally had a chance to make a comeback. Because Wang Weihe always felt that if Mo Jing had not sold his face to agree to the Shanxi merchants to invest in the opening of a bank, those people

It is impossible to have the current limelight. But these Shanxi merchants have made a fortune and actually attacked themselves in reverse. This is too unethical. Moreover, although there are shares in the banks of Shanxi merchants, Wang Weihe is more willing to be the major shareholder, HSBC Bank is better. So, while Mo Jing went to India to see the situation, the two sides finally fought. Although the losses were not big, they both made a fuss. In the end, Luo Xin came forward to suppress it and suppressed it. However, despite this, Wang Weihe felt that he had suffered a loss and had always wanted to find an opportunity to win a game.

"Dad, Shanxi has a lot of coal, so let's just dig coal there." Wang Wei thought for a while, walked two steps forward to the steam engine, reached out to pat it, and smiled at Wang Weihe: "Isn't this iron lump burning coal? No matter how much it is made, it must be burned with fire... Moreover, if we are sucked, those old scoundrels will definitely be so angry!"

"It's a shame. You're a bad idea." Wang Weihe looked at Wang Wei angrily, "The territory of Shanxi is not like our Jiangnan. The top platform master is open-minded, and the officials below are still fairly clear. It's not easy to mine there than here. Besides, Shanxi has more coal, why should people buy your land? They won't find a few more mines to mine? Can we still buy the entire Shanxi coal yard? At that time, people will start mine and sell it themselves and leave us there, will it not be a waste of time? It's just a joke!"

"This...hehe!" Wang Wei smiled embarrassedly. Compared to his father Wang Weihe, although he had been in the mall for a long time, he was not in many aspects. At least, his mind was not very fast enough. Fortunately, he has always been calm in his work. Although he really said it quickly, he just thought twice before he could do it, and he had nothing to do.

……………………

"I am in a position as a low-ranking Ortai, see the Governor."

Just as Wang Wei and his father and son were thinking about how to do the next business, Ma De, the governor's office in Jiangning Mansion, was also meeting a new guest.

"Mr. E has worked hard all the way, please sit down."

Ma Degao was in the hall, listening to the other party's name, and smiled slightly. He made a "please" gesture. At the same time, some information about the person in front of him emerged from his mind. Ortai, Xilin Jueluo family, a man of the Manchurian Lan Banner, his father Ebai was the priest of the Imperial College. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 20 and advanced to the post of Zuo and became a guard at the age of 21. Later, he worked as a local official in Zhili for more than ten years. His political achievements were quite excellent, and he was also a top-notch talent among the Manchus. However, in addition to these, Ma De also knew that Ortai was one of the three most admired officials by Yongzheng in the future. The reason was not clear. However, just because this person was as famous as Li Wei and Tian Wenjing, he knew how powerful he was.

However, Ma De did not expect that Kangxi would send such a character to his territory, which was really surprising.

"According to the order of the Ministry of Personnel, I came to take over as the governor of Jiangsu! I came to pay my respects to you today and asked you for advice."

Ma De was observing Ortai, and Ortai was also observing Ma De. Speaking of which, Ortai did not expect that he would be sent to Jiangsu to serve. However, since he came, he would be at peace. Unlike most people's perception of Ma De, Ortai admired Ma De. First of all, he believed that Ma De was a rare talent among the "Manchus". He dared to be a hero who could take the rectification of the three provinces in Jiangnan to a higher level, and the administration was relatively clear, which seemed very rare in his opinion.

Moreover, Ma De's methods of acting also made him feel very fond of his appetite, because he always believed that treating certain people and certain things can only be solved by tough means, otherwise it would only take time. In addition to this, he had a good impression of Ma De because he was Li Pan's student. After Li Pan became the top scorer, he presided over the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture the next year, and Ortai took the exam that year. Although unlike most Manchus, Ortai has always been law-abiding and upright, he also has a relatively friendly view of this kind of relationship between teachers and students. What's more, Li Pan is now a Han priest in the Imperial College and is also a colleague of his father Ebai. The two have been together for a long time.

"Haha, there is no need to teach. I know Lord E's political achievements. I just hope Lord E can do better in Jiangsu in the future." Ma De naturally didn't know that the man in front of him had a good impression of him. He only knew that Kangxi sent such a royal magistrate to Jiangsu to change Zhao Shenqiao to the original place, so he must have some idea. So he had to be careful.

"The humble position will live up to the expectations of the adults!" Ortai stood up and formally daggered Ma De, "Okay, haha..." Ma De smiled and said nothing. Ortai's performance made him feel very uncomfortable.
Chapter completed!