Chapter 946: Chapter 944: Promotion of Agricultural Tools
Jinrong resignedly nodded, being remembered by the emperor can be considered a good thing, as long as it’s not too excessive.
The emperor continued, "In recent years, your dairy business has been doing well. I heard that the cattle farm has also expanded a lot. Which is the cattle farm closest to the drought-stricken area?"
"There is a dairy workshop in the southern part of Yuyuan Prefecture, closest to Yuanzhou." Jinrong roughly understood the emperor’s intention.
Talking about serious matters, the emperor’s playful mood faded, and he said solemnly, "The drought has lasted for nearly a year. Although there’s been rain, the land is severely compacted, and the disaster victims have been hungry for a long time, making them physically weak. I want to mobilize the cattle from your farm to timely plant buckwheat. Do you think it’s feasible?"
Jinrong frowned. The dairy workshop was a collaboration between him and Ye Xinyan. When the cattle farm was first established, he and Jiang Yifan each contributed half of the silver, and this arrangement has continued since.
Jiang Yifan was easy to talk to, but affairs involving the production of cheese and tying to Ye Xinyan were not so simple. Moreover, now Ye Xinyan is Jiang Yifan’s wife, so persuading Ye Xinyan is crucial.
The emperor saw Jinrong was troubled and asked, "What’s the matter? Is it difficult to handle?"
Jinrong replied, "We initially set this up in Clear Water Village in Yuyuan Prefecture, at Ye Xinyan’s suggestion, and Ye Xinyan holds several shares in it."
Hearing this, the emperor understood, "Just go talk to her. I think she’s a woman with a generous heart. When it’s about the livelihood of the people under the heavens, I believe she will understand its importance."
Jinrong looked at the emperor silently. The realm belongs to the royal family, and asking Ye Xinyan to give up her wealth for the people might lead her to say something harsh; this he couldn’t do.
The emperor, perhaps feeling embarrassed himself, recalled Guangsha Construction’s support in building temporary housing in Yuanzhou and said, "Doesn’t Guangsha Construction want to undertake temple constructions in Yuanzhou? If the deployment of cattle to the drought area is properly managed, all temple construction projects in Yuanzhou and surrounding areas will be entrusted to Guangsha Construction."
"Alright. I’ll go and discuss with Ye Xinyan immediately." Jinrong agreed promptly.
Speaking of which, Ye Xinyan hasn’t made much money since she came to the capital two years ago. Last year, Guangsha Construction’s biggest project was laying tracks and building two gardens. The main thing was the track project, and the emperor took away half the profit.
To bring down Prince Fu, they let Prince Fu’s insiders use inferior materials, which led to Guangsha Construction reworking the wooden tracks this year. In two months, a lot of labor, craftsmen, and materials were invested, yet there was not a penny of profit.
If the seven temples in Yuanzhou and other areas could be contracted to Guangsha Construction, it would not only earn money but also help Guangsha Construction establish a foothold in Yuanzhou.
Given this premise, Ye Xinyan would certainly agree to support the cattle for disaster areas. The cattle farm and dairy business are joint ventures, but Construction Industry is a sole business of the Qi family, where Ye Xinyan put in most of the effort.
Sure enough, when Jinrong explained the emperor’s idea to Ye Xinyan, she agreed immediately.
In fact, Ye Xinyan was quite open-minded about this matter.
This is because she has Duke An as a convenient grandfather. Duke An is a pillar of the nation, and even the emperor relies heavily on the old man, meaning no one dares to take things from Ye Xinyan lightly. Thus, her business transactions remain protected from being seized.
If it were ordinary merchants, the court would requisition the cattle as needed. To save face, they might offer nominal compensation. Without regard for face, they’d forcefully take all the cattle with no resistance from a commoner merchant.
Furthermore, with such a wide-ranging use of cattle, wouldn’t it be an opportunity to promote those new types of agricultural tools from the Mechanical Workshop?
Still, in the reception room of Guangsha Construction, along with Jiang Yifan who Jinrong pulled in for company, Ye Xinyan said to Jinrong, "Since it’s about racing against time for planting, we can also transport several types of new agricultural tools from the Mechanical Workshop along with the cattle for farmers to use. If large-scale use yields good results, it will quickly establish the tools’ reputation, making future business easier."
The Mechanical Workshop included one-third shares for Jinrong, and he had assigned a manager and accountant there. However, Jinrong was not very familiar with what the Mechanical Workshop actually produced.
Hearing about the new agricultural tools, he was surprised: "Does the Mechanical Workshop also produce agricultural tools? I thought they were all focusing on construction machinery. And that steam engine, which is a crucial item, shouldn’t be delayed."
"High-efficiency agricultural tools have been in development for some time," Ye Xinyan explained, "including plowing and sowing tools, the depth of plowing and speed is several times that of ordinary farmers’ labor. The sowing machine is also very fast, possessing great advantages for time-sensitive sowing. Extensive promotion and usage would greatly benefit land reclamation and farming expansion."
In the primarily agrarian Central Plains, developing agricultural tools is very necessary. Additionally, other things would involve electricity and energy. With agricultural tools, regardless of the lack of modern power, if the tool structure is good, it can achieve high efficiency even when pulled by oxen and mules with human assistance.
As Ye Xinyan spoke, she suddenly realized that the time left to relay messages to Clear Water Village might be too tight.
She felt a bit regretful for lacking foresight, "Just now sending someone to Clear Water Village to organize the transport of tools would likely delay things."
If postponed to the next year for promotion, without court organization or the excuse of current disasters, relying solely on private business forces for a large-scale lending might be hard to control. It could end up dispersing many tools irretrievably.
Jiang Yifan glanced at Jinrong, who thought for a moment. If tools are truly efficient and put into use timely, it could generate revenue for the Mechanical Workshop. Most importantly, it could ensure timely planting in drought-affected regions.
A harvest in disaster areas would stabilize morale, reducing the court’s burden.
Jinrong nodded, stating, "Yuanfan has personnel who use pigeons to convey simple messages between fixed points. This matter concerns the only harvest for the people this year; let’s use pigeons to deliver messages to Yuyuan Prefecture, as well as organize and transport the cattle with messenger pigeons. People at the pigeon reception location can relay messages to Clear Water Village without delay."
Ye Xinyan originally communicated with Du Dazhong at the Mechanical Workshop, planning to promote a few successfully tested agricultural tools. However, using such an ancient merchant approach for promotion was very slow.
With this opportunity, it’s different. The tools loaned out by the government are sure to be returned, removing the fear of anyone concealing or denying them. It also allows those who’ve used them to spread the benefits by word of mouth widely... only second to TV advertisements.
"Our communication uses the Imperial Seal, and I’ll fetch it for you." With such a promising prospect, Ye Xinyan cheerfully stood up to fetch the Imperial Seal.
She and Jiang Yifan together hold two-thirds of the shares in the Mechanical Workshop. Though the profit from agricultural tools doesn’t match construction equipment, the broad applicability of the tools cannot be denied. If farmers can become wealthier, each family owning a set of tools is entirely possible.
By then, not only can they earn a lot of money, but they can also enhance the farming efficiency of laborers in agriculture, what a great benefit!
Ye Xinyan left the room, accompanied by Jiu Yu and Song Ping’s Household, and Jinrong quietly asked Jiang Yifan, "How is the arrangement going for getting Zheng Pengfei out?"