How dare Yinzhen take this hot potato? This is not something that can be settled with more than 100,000 silver. If he has to accept this, even if he drags Lao Ba and Lao Ten into the water, he will not be able to raise that much money. He hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, how can I be called a good dancer with this talent? I am planning to build so many workshops in a short period of time. I have neither people nor money, so I am really worried."
Zhenwu smiled and said: "Talents are easy to talk about. Just recruit them in any way. The workshops are gradually developed from small to large. I just sucked the banner men into the workshop for the needs of military industry. Clock glass, the palace is originally Some craftsmen, plus missionaries, can prop up the shelves first. I will send a letter separately and ask the navy to look for some craftsmen in Europe. For other workshops, there are many talents in Jiangnan, the capital, and there is no need to worry about not being able to recruit them. Talent.
As for the silver, there are hundreds of thousands of taels, which is enough for your initial expenses. Next year, I will gradually allocate the silver to you. This matter is related to the livelihood of the banner people and military production. How can I not get rid of a dime? "
Hearing Zhenwu say this, Yinzhen couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but unexpectedly Zhenwu changed his subject and asked: "Can all female workers be recruited for garment processing and military uniform and quilt production?"
Recruiting female workers into the workshop? Yinzhen couldn't help but be startled when he heard this. It was enough to let the banner men enter the workshop. What's the point of recruiting female workers into the workshop? It wasn't because of lack of labor, so he couldn't help but hesitate and said: "Does the Emperor want Eight Banner women to enter the workshop?"
Zhenwu nodded slightly and said: "Yes, women are inherently better than men in making uniforms, military uniforms and ready-made clothes. There are many good women in the Eight Banners. It would be a huge waste not to use them."
Who doesn't know this truth? The problem is that there is no reason for women to gather together to work in workshops. After thinking for a while, Yinzhen said: "Your Majesty, if you want to make good use of the craftsmanship of the Eight Banners women, you can subcontract the uniforms and quilts to various companies. , openly recruiting women to work in workshops. It¡¯s really shocking.¡±
"Brother Jiu is not well-informed." Zhenwu said indifferently: "In the south of the Yangtze River, women are responsible for raising silkworms, reeling silk, spinning and weaving, picking tea, and weaving. Even when working in the fields, There is no shortage of women. In some places, there are even situations where girls are not married when they grow up, and fools want to keep girls for work. This is all because men and women are used to working hard.
¡°I, a woman from the Eight Banners, do not value being delicate and weak. There are many people showing up in the streets and alleys, why can't they enter the workshop? Subcontracting to various companies is cumbersome, and the quality is difficult to guarantee. It is not conducive to division of labor and collaboration, and it is difficult to significantly increase the production speed. Nowadays, the new naval guard force is expanding too fast, and it is difficult for military uniforms and uniforms to keep up in time. "
Yinzhen also knows that Zhenwu is telling the truth. Today's military uniforms cannot keep up. The new navy guard army has grown at a rate of 70,000 to 80,000 every year in the past two years. The military workshops, already overwhelmed by more than 100,000 sets of military uniforms a year, are overwhelmed, but. Recruiting women to work in workshops is a big deal, and the whole country is in an uproar.
Of course, no one would scold Zhenwu, the instigator. The only one who could take the blame was him, Prince Rao, who was in charge of the workshop affairs. After thinking for a moment, he leaned forward and said, "Your Majesty. The Qing Dynasty has a strict hierarchy, complete etiquette, and all words and deeds must be followed. All kinds of rules. Women are no exception. The women who appear in public on weekdays are all women from common people and rural families. We cannot generalize. I sincerely pray that the emperor will think twice."
Zhenwu didn't want to give up easily. Freeing women from the constraints of ethics and family would save a lot of labor. Now he is vigorously expanding his army, fighting in all directions, immigrating and reclaiming wasteland. What he needs is manpower. Moreover, this is also the general trend. At present, The military uniform cannot be replaced quickly, which can be said to be the best excuse.
After pondering for a moment, he said: "When recruiting women into the workshop, it is natural to recruit the common people of the Eight Banners, or women from poor people or small businessmen and hawkers. Is it possible that we can also recruit women from nobles, officials, and gentry families? They also Don¡¯t you look down on this little money?¡±
Seeing that Zhenwu's attitude was not very firm, Yinzhen boldly said: "Your Majesty, even if you recruit civilian women into the workshop, it is offensive, shocking, and easy to attract criticism. Now the bannermen are going to join the military workshop on a large scale. , I am really worried that one wave has not subsided, but another wave has arisen, and I sincerely pray that the emperor will be careful."
It is true that we should not act too hastily. Zhenwu nodded slightly and said: "In that case, the military uniforms will be subcontracted to the Eight Banners. Regardless of status, all tasks will be assigned. The military uniforms of the officers will be packaged to the royal family, princes and nobles. At home, soldiers' uniforms are subcontracted to civilians. Regardless of bannermen or civilians, anyone who is willing can apply for subcontracting, and the processing wages are posted on a list to prevent someone from misappropriating the uniforms, thereby affecting the quality of the uniforms."
Seeing Zhenwu put down his hand, Yinzhen couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed and said: "I obey the order."
The Royal Navy of the Qing Dynasty achieved great success in its expedition to Europe. It defeated the Portuguese-British combined fleet in one fell swoop, sank 20 ships, and captured more than 20 large warships. European trade was opened, and the navy in its expedition to Africa could not continue.The news that the trip was about to depart on the same day and that it would detour to Europe was soon published in the Beijing News.
The capital immediately burst into excitement, and the entire inner city was in jubilation. Those whose families had children in the navy were all delighted and set off firecrackers to celebrate. Shops in the outer city also set off firecrackers to celebrate. In the streets and alleys, everyone was beaming with joy and smiling. Man Mian, although Europe is far away, and although European trade has nothing to do with most civilians, every naval victory will bring unexpected benefits to the Qing Dynasty.
What¡¯s even more rare is that the Royal Navy of the Qing Dynasty has never suffered a defeat since its establishment. Now it has been victorious in its expeditions to Europe and the United States. This makes all officials, gentlemen and people intoxicated with the arrogance and pride of the great celestial dynasty. This is not only the Eight Banners of Manchuria. The victory was also a victory for the Han people. Everyone knows that most of the Qing Royal Navy were Han people.
Business in teahouses and guild halls in the inner and outer cities of the capital has been booming these days, and today it is even more booming. Every house is packed, and the lobby is busier than the bustling market. The debate on the New Deal in the past few days has been completely overtaken by Zhengou Dajie. replaced.
Naturally, Yinzhen would not miss such a good opportunity. He immediately took the opportunity to post notices everywhere subcontracting to make uniforms. At the same time, he also widely recruited manpower to prepare for the establishment of the capital's military workshop. As soon as the news spread, the officials, gentry and people in the inner city and outer city Sign up one after another. Not only can you get salary transfer, but you can also support the navy. Why not?
Those who were closely related to the maritime merchants rushed to all directions to spread the news non-stop that the navy had successfully conquered Europe, that the navy was about to set off to conquer Africa, and that it would also take a detour to Europe.
Today, the Qing Dynasty's maritime business scope basically stops in Nanyang. Following the navy to open European routes is an extremely rare opportunity for maritime merchants. Today, the Qing Dynasty's maritime foreign trade routes have basically been sold out, and even the Moghul The empires of Russia and Persia have been auctioned off, and the only ones left are Europe and Africa, the two continents that have not yet opened shipping routes.
Many maritime merchants are not sure whether African trade is hugely profitable, but European trade is definitely hugely profitable. This can be seen from the large number of European merchant ships that go to the Qing Dynasty for trade every year, but they are not familiar with the situation in Europe. I don¡¯t understand. If they want to buy out the maritime trade rights of European ports, they must have a more detailed understanding of Europe. They can¡¯t just stop at hearsay. Being able to follow the invincible navy to inspect Africa and Europe is naturally an absolute must. Good opportunity.
However, no matter how fast the horse is, even if it accelerates for 800 miles, it cannot be faster than the carrier pigeon. The officials who know the existence of carrier pigeons naturally know that time is precious, and have long begged the old Shisanyi County Prince Yinxiang to use pigeon messages to communicate Quartet.
The large sea merchants who were determined to win the two pieces of meat in Europe and Africa immediately took action after receiving the news. They urgently organized the crews of the ships to load the goods and rushed to Garopa. They had worked hard at sea all year round and knew the importance of wind direction, and they also knew that the army would be dispatched. It's not a child's play, the navy won't wait for them deliberately.
The provincial capital of the Nanyang Province of the Qing Dynasty was Garopa.
The port of Garopa is extremely busy at this time. The Australian immigrants who were interrupted in the summer to avoid the storms in the South China Sea are flowing in again. After resting here for a few days, they change ships again and set off for their new hometown, Australia.
However, in two years, the port of Garopa has rapidly prospered. With sufficient manpower, food and land, Garopa has more than doubled the original port in just one year. Not far from the port, there is a There are large areas of newly built warehouses and houses that resemble stilt houses for temporary accommodation of immigrants.
The newly landed immigrants felt extremely novel about everything here. They could not feel the feeling of being in a foreign country thousands of miles away. The people busy in the entire port were the people of the Qing Empire. They looked the same, wore the same clothes, and even Familiar local accents can also be heard anytime and anywhere. The only thing that makes them feel a little strange is that some of the busy people on the dock have no pigtails.
Through a short conversation, they learned that the people of Nanyang Province were allowed not to have pigtails, and the land was divided according to head, and each person had ten acres of wasteland, which was given free of charge. This made many people very envious of the people of Nanyang. The land is fertile and oily, and the climate is better than that of Jiangnan. It can be harvested twice a year, which is absolutely no problem.
Although envious, no one wants to stay here. In comparison, the conditions in Australia are better. The court provides rice rations for a year. In addition, it also provides tools and cattle for land reclamation. All land reclamation is privately owned. , and they can buy slaves to open up wasteland, and if they don't have money, they can borrow money from the "Four Constants" at low interest rates. For them, the temptation of the landlord is really irresistible.
Waiting for the ship, the favorite place for bored immigrants is the newly opened port in the east. From a distance, they can watch the huge warships of the Qing Royal Navy fleet parked in the port. I heard that the navy is launching another war in Europe. After winning the battle, this fleet is preparing to conquer Africa.
For this invincible navy??, they loved it from the bottom of their hearts. Without the navy, there would be no Australia. Without Australia, they would have no hope of becoming landlords. What was even more exciting to them was that they heard that the Qing Dynasty was also planning to build a fleet in Australia. By then, their The children will definitely have the opportunity to become a member of the navy.