Just as Emperor Wanli's Ming Empire alternated between the new and the old, as the representative of the "new", this characteristic of Beiyang is the most obvious.

There is no place that is more strange than the Beiyang in Tianjin in the vast land of the empire that spans all continents of the world.

There was a daunting black smoke here, and a huge monster swimming rose from time to time in the sky. The soldiers on the ground were wearing simple and mighty uniforms to go in and out for training. The sound of gunfire and cannon fire mixed with the whimpering roars of the huge monsters who were angry after eating coal, forming a very impactful picture of the era during the Wanli period.

"Bicycles are not easy to sell, Mr. Ye."

In the lobby of Beiyang Yamen, Xu Jue picked up the teacup with his belly and complained to Ye Mengxiong while blowing the petals floating in the cup: "We thought this novel object would be more liked by people. Now twenty bicycles are considered to be a waste of their hands. I think it's true... People can't afford it. Who can afford it? If you don't want to be servile, then you can use your own efforts to pedal your bike."

"I finally met a little prince who was willing to buy it. I fell back and forth seven or eight times. I finally rode comfortably, and the car chain was broken."

It’s true that Ye Mengxiong felt relieved for no reason when he saw Xu Jue’s fat face filled with sorrow.

Why is this?

have no idea.

But what Xu Jue said was actually not good news for him.

The first bicycle in the Ming Dynasty was made by Beiyang and sent to the Forbidden City through Xu Jue. The bicycle was designed by Chen Mu from Dadongyang. The frame was designed with a tripod, with a canvas pistol bag hanging on the beams, and a canvas saddle bag hanging on both sides of the back. Ye Mengxiong, who knew the war, could tell at a glance that this thing was born for military affairs.

It is not difficult to manufacture. The Military Weapons Bureau is basically a good master. It is nothing more than using the process of making gun barrels to make frames and weld them together.

Ye Mengxiong raised his hand and said to Xu Jue: "As the governor said, all the difficulties of bicycles are in the chain."

"Ye had told you a long time ago that you should not touch these crooked talents. The whole world is waiting for Beiyang to take out new things. Only you, Governor Xu, are waiting for Beiyang to take out new things and ask you to sell them. You can't sell this thing."

Ye Mengxiong was instructing him in a straightforward manner: "Instead of selling the items from the Beiyang Military Arts Research Institute, the governor would rather ask Dr. Li from the Medical Academy to prescribe some prescriptions for you. The tonic prescription for treating yin deficiency and yang fatigue will definitely be better sold than this."

Xu Jue is also interesting. In Ye Mengxiong's eyes, Xu Jue is not short of money. On the contrary, he is considered an official with a wealthy family in Beijing. After all, there are not many people who can hold Feng Bao and Zhang Juzheng at the same time at the feet of the emperor. He is the most capable person.

It is normal in normal times. Most people come to Beiyang for business. Sometimes they help others become lobbyists, order some military weapons, and ask Ye Mengxiong to make a small hole in the court's allocation range, and drive a few more guns. Ye Mengxiong is just trying to reach out and not hit the smiley person. After all, Xu Jue also needs help in speaking and never lose face.

Sometimes I need some rare objects, such as if I want to make a seiko bird gun or a hand gun to give it to people, and I always bring precious animal bones and jade materials to register, and I have never made any excessive requests.

Only this time, the bicycle that Ye Mengxiong sent into the Forbidden City was almost the power of the Third Army Factory of the Ming Dynasty. It cost nearly 500 taels to make one. Xu Jue asked for twenty cars when he came to the door.

The cost of 500 taels is an imaginary number. In fact, the cost of a bicycle is not so exaggerated, but it cannot withstand labor.

The frame cost is very low, and only five gun tubes are used for materials. Whether it is made into pipes, drilling or welding, it is easy to make Beiyang for military weapons. However, the chain of the car is made from Nanyang Weifa Foshan Iron House, with more than 700 small iron sheets and iron shaft parts, each household is made one by one; the high-strength steel sprockets are made in Xuanfu, and the remaining steel spokes and other things are made in Beiyang.

Transportation and working hours are the ones that cost the most.

There are so many vehicles sent to the Forbidden City, and there are actually so many vehicles from Xu Jue.

As a result, before the bicycle was put into use normally, Ye Mengxiong first used this thing to generate income on Xu Jue.

"No, Mr. Ye, don't let this excuse Xu." Xu Jue's expression was strange, not at all like the anger of losing someone outside and coming back to find a place. He raised his hand and said with a very serious and rare forceful act, "Bicycles will definitely be sold for thousands or tens of thousands of vehicles in the future. Xu will never be wrong if he sees this."

"It is now expensive because the Ming Dynasty has no experience in making such small objects. It is not easy to cast and forging, and it takes labor time to make new things. It is difficult to be reliable. Xu knew that Ye Gong's Beiyang had earned a lot of money from Xu in the previous episode?"

Xu Jue laughed, his eyes were almost narrowing into a thread, but he was free and easy: "Chen Shuai doesn't always like to spend some money to others, saying that he is encouraging research. Xu doesn't have as much money as he does, but I can afford it only 10,000 taels."

Ye Mengxiong thought to himself: How could Fatty Xu have more confidence in bicycles than me, an important official in Beiyang?

"The bicycle will indeed build thousands of vehicles in the future, but it is mainly equipped with the army. Its speed is not slower than horses and does not eat grass. Chen Shuai mentioned in his letter that it is of great benefit to marching and fighting, and he asked Ye to encourage research with all his heart."

"But it is on the market... Governor Xu also said that this person, if he doesn't work, he will be servile to others, scholars, farmers, rich and qualified people ride horses and sedans, and poor people ride donkeys and chariots and chariots. How could he do his own efforts?"

Ye Mengxiong chuckled and immediately said to Xu Jue: "However, Governor Xu followed the example of the general's encouragement, and the chain would break if it could not bear it. Beiyang has found the reason because the cast iron pin at the link between the chain was not broken enough. We made a machine to press the steel sheet into a ring, put it in it first, and then fix it with the iron pin."

"In this way, the strength will be greatly increased, and the flag army will not be damaged by cycling for eighty miles."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Jue applauded and said, "Look, that's right!"

"Justice Ye said that this car was only in the army and the people were unwilling to use it, but Xu felt that it was not the case. The best iron horse was to not eat grass. According to the commander, when he was old, he could only use some oil, or to make up the wheels. How much money would he spend in that year?"

"Authentic, scholars sit in sedan chairs, warriors ride strong horses, and even farmers can ride cows and donkeys, but Marshal Ye ignored the workers gathered in Guangzhou Prefecture, Quanzhou Prefecture, Tianjin Wei and Xuanfu!"

"You are raising a donkey. This livestock still has to eat 3,000 kilograms of fodder a year. The workers have no land and just buy the fodder. Not to mention buying livestock, the fodder will cost more than three taels a year. Including the money for buying livestock, most of them live in dormitories without stables to raise livestock. They have to spend three months of wages to support donkeys a year. Do workers have to go anywhere?"

"If the cost of this bicycle could be reduced to eight taels or even five taels, and it could last for two or three years, my Ming Dynasty now has more than 100,000 workers? And more and more, Marshal Ye will calculate it himself."
Chapter completed!