Chapter 157 Who is the host and who is the guest?

It is not that He Qiang has never seen the use of small pieces of glass or colored glaze to inlay windows before, but due to technical reasons, it is difficult for these things to be used in large flat shapes, and they are often made of very small pieces. To piece it together, and the price of the finished product is extremely high. There are two windows in Li Jifeng's study that are inlaid with glass fragments. The light transmittance is very good. Even if the windows are closed during the day, the room will be very bright, but those two windows The glass pieces used are much smaller than the window in front of you. Even so, there are only two glass windows in the entire Li family residence, which shows how precious this thing is.

In addition, when He Qiang went to Hao Jing Ao to do business with the Francois, he had seen this kind of glass doors and windows inlaid with glass in their churches. It is said that they were all shipped from distant Europe. And those The Flemish people once said that even in their hometown, this kind of thing is still valuable.

Now He Qiang saw this kind of glass window again, but he never expected that it actually appeared in the cabin where the inspection department lived. The tall glass window was matched with the simple cabin. This strong contrast made He Qiang temporarily Don't even know what to say.

"I think this can at least dispel some of Mr. He's doubts. Yes, we do have the ability to make glassware." Schneider saw He Qiang's reaction and roughly guessed what he was feeling. He walked behind him and whispered softly. Said: "For us, glass is not a big deal. We can make as much as we want!"

There is nothing exaggerated in Schneider's deliberate showing off. Currently, a glass product workshop has begun to be built in the valley across the river from Base No. 1, and flat glass has also begun to enter the trial production stage. In order to overcome the technical level that everyone can currently achieve , it cannot be produced in large sizes for the time being, and the scrap rate is extremely high. A large number of glass fragments were produced during the trial production process.

These broken pieces of glass are not only returned to the furnace, but some of them are slightly larger and are used to inlay doors and windows. Just because the processing speed of this inlay process is slow, the output of glass doors and windows is not large, and currently it is not They just started to renovate the houses in Victory Port and Base No. 1. The Inspection Department was also lucky enough to catch a favorable boat and replaced all the windows in several houses with wooden bars. This In the eyes of those who travel through it, it is just a matter of convenience, making full use of waste, and training a few craftsmen to install glass doors and windows. However, in the eyes of outsiders, this can be regarded as an extravagant and lustful performance.

He Qiang didn't know how glass was made, nor how much it cost the Haihan people to make glass, but he judged one thing from Schneider's words - the Haihan people didn't attach much importance to glass products, which was very promising. Maybe it's because they thought it would be easy to make, maybe as simple as building these cabins.

"If the Haihan people can transfer the technology of making glass..." He Qiang unknowingly thought further.

"I've seen Mr. Shi!" As he spoke, Inspector Wei Ping had already put on his clothes and came out, but his energy was a little sluggish. It seemed that he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"Inspector Wei, these two businessmen, Mr. Li and Mr. He, came from Guangzhou. They said they wanted to come to visit you." Schneider nodded to Wei Ping as a greeting and explained to him directly the purpose of their visit.

.

"Visit me?" Wei Ping walked up to Li He and looked at the two of them and said, "What are you doing for me?"

"I am He Qiang, the steward of Guangzhou's Furifeng. This is the boss of our Third Young Master. I am new here, so naturally I have to visit the local officials first." He Qiang clasped his fists and bowed.

"Parent officer?" Wei Ping showed a strange expression on his face: "The place here is too small, so I won't let you drink tea. Please help yourself. If anything happens in Victory Port, just ask Mr. Shi to come forward.

Just deal with it, no need to come to me."

He Qiang said a few polite words, took out two ingots of silver from his sleeves and stuffed them into Wei Ping's hand: "A little kindness, please be sure to accept it, Inspector Wei."

Wei Ping looked at Schneider's face, saw him nodded slightly, and then put the money away.

After saying goodbye to the small courtyard of the Inspection Department, Li Nai and He Qiang felt unspeakable awkwardness in their hearts. While Schneider was still talking to Wei Ping in the courtyard, Li Nai lowered his voice and asked He Qiang: "Uncle He

, could this inspection be... Haihan people find someone to pretend to be?"

He Qiang shook his head and said: "That's not true. Last year, the big shopkeeper came to Yazhou for inspection, and I came with him. When I was having dinner with Lord Tongzhi of Yazhou, Inspector Wei was also present. He seemed to be Lord Tongzhi or something.

Relative, I remember that he was working in the Inspection Department of Tianya Town at that time. It was just a casual relationship at that time. I recognized him, but he no longer recognized me."

"But why does it seem to me that he always cares about Mr. Shi's face?" Li Nai asked. In this era, the Inspection Department is simply the nemesis of merchants. But among all businessmen, who dares not to care about the existence of the Inspection Department? Even if

For a big business like "Fu Ruifeng", you must remember to pay tribute to the inspection department wherever you go, otherwise, you never know when the caravan transporting goods will be seized by them and people arrested. But this is

This situation seems to have been reversed in Port of Victory. Instead, the inspection department wants to see the faces of the Haihan businessmen?

Both of them felt that there were too many problems in Port Victory, and there was a strange smell that could not be explained. There were obviously naval warships and inspection departments here, but both of them felt that this place seemed different from what they had been before.

It's different from the places I've been to. Everything here looks very orderly and the environment is clean and tidy, but for some reason there's always an invisible sense of disharmony.

Schneider quickly came out of the yard and led the two of them towards the gate of Base No. 1. Perhaps the detailed description they heard from Shopkeeper Li before coming here played a role, but the two of them were not convinced of the solidity of Base No. 1.

The wall and moat-like trench were too surprising, but a notice board standing at the door attracted Li Nai's attention.

Two lines of words were written in calligraphy on the notice board: The general public should stop here, and members must register before entering.

There was a small pavilion next to the notice board, with a clerk-looking man sitting inside. Outside the pavilion, there were two militiamen standing upright at the entrance of the suspension bridge, with five-foot-long matchlock guns in their hands.

Li Nai asked curiously: "What does this club member mean?"

"Commune membership is a kind of staffing here." Schneider explained: "We use communes to organize the people here. Only those who have the status of commune members can enjoy various local welfare benefits, such as education, medical care, and labor levels.

Promotion, etc. If you don't have membership status, you will just be a temporary worker and you will get nothing except a little salary."

Li Nai was shocked when he heard this. What kind of commune is this? Isn't this a disguised form of controlling the people of Ming Dynasty in their hands? In addition, there are militia soldiers everywhere, Li Nai seems to understand why Wei Ping and his men

I will huddle in the small courtyard with nothing to do.

But Li Nai still persisted and asked: "What role does the government's governance play in the local area?"

Schneider stopped, looked at Li Nai meaningfully, and said after a long time: "If you want to hear the answer you want to know, then I can tell you that the Yazhou government office is of course here to maintain normal social order.

, to manage the local people, the Yulin Inspection Department you just went to is the highest authority in the local area."

"So, there is another answer?" Li Nai was a young man after all, and continued to ask relentlessly, regardless of He Qiang pulling on his sleeves behind him.

"You must want to know, then I'm not afraid to tell you." Schneider said with a smile on his lips: "The Yazhou Navy you saw when you came here, and the Yulin Inspection Department here, these people are all dependent on us.

They are supported by money. Do you understand what I mean? What they should and should not do here must be done according to the rules we have set, so that everyone can save a lot of unnecessary trouble."

"Then this place...isn't it out of my control, the Ming Dynasty?" Li Nai said in shock and anger.

"No, no, no, of course this place is not outside the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty." Schneider immediately shook his head and denied Li Nai's statement: "You have also seen that the army and officials of the Ming Dynasty also exist here, but we are performing our functions on their behalf.

.”

"You are doing this to Li Daotao!" Li Nai could not agree with Schneider's sophistry.

Schneider shrugged and said: "Even so, there is no loss to Ming Dynasty by doing this, and we can manage this place better. I am not afraid to tell you that most of the residents here are bankrupt elsewhere.

And those who could no longer live, after they came here, received food, housing and jobs. It was we who gave these people the hope of living, and together we built this originally desolate place into what you see.

look like.”

"The people have their own local government control. Even if they go bankrupt, the government will try to arrange a way out for them!" Li Nai argued forcefully, still unwilling to admit defeat.

"To be honest, I don't think the government in Yazhou or other places has the ability to do a better job than us." Schneider said with a trace of ridicule on his face: "Last month, a total of 629 were sent from Yazhou.

There are 433 people, including 433 ordinary people, and the rest are prisoners doing hard labor... Yes, you heard it right, the Yazhou government is trying to get their prisoners here, so that not only can they

You can save a lot of money and get a lot of rebates from us.”

Schneider paused, and his expression turned disgusted: "In fact, I heard a very bad news recently. The Yazhou government plans to arrest some nearby farmers who have lost their fields and then treat them all as prisoners.

Give it to us so they can make extra money in a 'reasonable' way."
Chapter completed!